How to Plumb an Aquarium Sump - Plumbing Diagrams For Your Aquarium Sump

Basic Sump	Intermediate Sump

 

A sump is a separate container of water that is connected to your display aquarium. It is used to house your filtration equipment out of plain sight and increase the total water volume of your aquarium system. The complexity of a sump seems to grow with tank size and experience. While sumps can be somewhat personal, with each one being unique to the tank it supports, there are basic components that all sumps share in common.

Read the article: What Is A Sump to learn more about how a sump can benefit your aquarium.

These plumbing diagrams will show you not only how simple or how complex a sump can be, but also help you to identify the fundamental equipment and components of a sump system.

• Basic Sump
• Intermediate Sump

Basic Sump

 

This diagram shows the most basic bare-bones sump. A single drain and return water line with three chambers allows hobbyists to achieve basic mechanical and chemical filtration. Any of our Synergy Reef CL Series Sumps will work great for this setup. Very easy to setup and get going.

 

Your tank will have either an internal or external overflow box that always allows for a leak-free connection to your sump via the bulkheads. Water drains out of your display tank, through the overflow box, into the drainpipe(s), and finally down into your sump via the drainpipe(s). Rigid PVC pipe or soft vinyl tubing is most commonly used for aquarium plumbing connections.

The raw unfiltered water from your display tank first encounters filter socks which remove undissolved waste and other particulates from your aquarium water. It then moves into the next chamber where a Protein skimmer helps aerate your aquarium water and also pulls out dissolved and undissolved waste. This chamber is often one of the largest in your sump and is a great place to house a heater that will automatically maintain stable water temperatures.

The next auxiliary chamber can be used to house a wide variety of additional filtration equipment, filter media, or used as a refugium space. Some of the smaller sumps do not have this 4th auxiliary chamber which is completely optional and not absolutely required.

The baffles throughout the sump are simply the dividers in your sump and help direct water from one chamber to the next and maintain a constant water level where it is needed. A special series of baffles called a "bubble trap" is always built just before the return pump chamber. A bubble trap is designed to stop bubbles from entering your return pump which will create micro-bubbles in your display. 

The final chamber always holds your return pump which is the heart of your tank, delivering water from the sump back into the display aquarium via the return pipe. 

Every tank needs a power center or surge protector mounted within a reasonable distance of the sump for plugging in the equipment. Mount it up high, away from moisture and splashing, and always use drip loops when plugging in power cords.

Intermediate Sump

 

In addition to all of the same components of a basic sump, intermediate sumps simply have more filtration equipment and automation devices, primarily helping to keep the environment more stable. 

Biological filter media provides additional surface area for bacteria and a filter media reactor makes better use of carbon and GFO. 

Notice the return water line splits off and feeds both the media reactor and chiller. This is called a manifold and will save you the hassle of using multiple pumps to run additional equipment. Our sumps do have optional 1/2" manifold bulkheads. Gate valves are used to control the rate of flow into this equipment and can also control the amount of flow going back into your display tank. 

An ATO - Automatic Top-Off System is used to replenish freshwater that is lost during evaporation. The Freshwater Reservoir simply holds the necessary RO/DI water the ATO pumps into your tank when its sensors are triggered by a low water level. ATO sensors are ALWAYS going to be placed in your return pump chamber because this is the only chamber that actually changes water level as water evaporates because of the special baffling inside a sump.