Small tank Big Sump / Refugium

[milhouse74]

Anyone have a small tank big sump setup? I am thinking of setting up a 20-30 Gallon tank with a 55 Gal sump / Refug. I am going to use it as a grow out tank for my 30 cube but honestly have a feeling it will turn into a display tank.

I am looking towards a big sump and will use a large stand so when and if I want to upgrade the display, everything else is ready, and the stand would hold up to a 75 gallon tank. The top being one solid piece like a dresser top. That way I may have to change a return pump in the future to change the display size, but nothing else should be needed to swap out.

I may never upgrade from the 20-30 display I have initially, but if I decide to it should be easy.

Anyone around here have a large sump small display thing going on?

This will take me a long time to put together, as I am going to do it a piece at a time to insure I do it right, and with what my monthly fish budget is, it will just take a while.

Anyone have any thoughts or advice? I know only the display (if even that if I go 20) would be considered a nano, but looking for advice.

Milhouse

[milhouse74]

No one has done this? Is it a bad idea? Anyone have any thoughts even?

[JetHead]

There's a thread somewhere... I think in the Beginners Forum... 26g bowfront with a 100g sump/fuge under the tank in the basement.

[milhouse74]

Figures the too busy to use the search.

[chocolateblnt]

I just bought a 29 gallon high tru vu with internal overflow and a pro clear aquatics 12.5 gallon bio-ball and mud sump refugium!

www.proclearaquatics.com

[milhouse74]

While I am sure it will be a geat setup, I am debating a 20-30 gallin tank with a 55-75 gallon sump, and was looking for people with setups and advice along those lines.

Milhouse

[gman0526]

That would only make your display better go for it. Just remember you don't really need that big of a return pump.

[milhouse74]

I know I won't need that big of a return pump, but I may get a decent size with a ball valve, and maybe use a spray bar that goes all along the back and the sides for flow. Not sure yet.

I would try to use a bigger pump with a ball valve because if I ever replace my display for larger I would like to not have to replace much.

Milhouse

[Biotoper]

I haven't tried it, but it sounds like a great idea. Small display, large fuge better matches the wild ecosystem of reef exporting to large lagoon. I think most people do the reverse in order to maximize #fish etc. One point - I would still stock for 20g rather than ~75g or whatever - the extra water volume will help keep water quality up, but you'll still only have 20g's of swimming room.

[milhouse74]

I am not near as much of a fish guy as I am a coral guy. I have 3 tanks and only 1 fish. I prefer the corals and inverts myself.

If I could get the amount of rock up and have the tank mature anough for a year or so maybe I would do a manderine as my only fish. They don't need too much room to romp around. We will see. Most important are the corals.

[Biotoper]

If you were able to get a mandarin that ate frozen, sure no problem. If not, I don't think you'd have enough pods for a mandarin even with a 20g chock full of LR and pod export from the fuge (at least, you'd want to set up the fuge above or beside the display so the pods didn't need to go through a pump to get there).

[milhouse74]

Yeah like I said, I am going to have to see how things work out before I decide on fish. I am much more of a coral and Invert fan.