Just what is a sump, exactly? A sump can be described as a type of external filtration system for your fish tank. You can consider it as an accessory tank that sits right below the main one. Its main purpose is to house all of the mechanical equipment that may not look aesthetically pleasing in the main fish tank. It might also include the protein skimmers, aquarium air pumps, marine tank pumps, and allows for a clutter free environment in your aquarium.
All of the water in your aquarium is filtered through the sump before it goes back to the main tank. This is important because the quality of the water is crucial to any aquatic environment, and you need an efficient filtration system for this. A fish tank sump is capable of providing the required efficiency in filtering your system.
One cool benefit of using a sump involves the health and wellbeing of your fish. If any of them happen to become sick, you can simply relocate them. This will allow them to get better without worrying about harassment from the other occupants of your aquarium. Remember that a cleanup crew (crabs, shrimps, among others), will start feasting on anything that seems weak, so a relocation is necessary.
Having a sump in your system also allows for an increase in total water volume. If you are wondering, having more water stabilizes it. It is also not as prone to fluctuations in salinity and Ph. There is not as much change in the chemistry and the temperature of the water as well. Lastly, there is a smaller chance of any unintentional introduction of foreign substances.
Another use is for putting in live rock. This would enable you to get all the bacteria into the water without being left with a container that’s full of rock. It is also an indirect way of introducing treatments into the tank. There are also people who choose to place their copepods in it.
When it’s (sometimes!) hot in the summer, you have an opportunity to lower the temperature in the main tank water by cooling the water in the sump with normal fans, tanks fans, frozen RO water, and more. There are indeed many different reasons to have a sump in your fish tank.
This is a topic that is really a concern for us at Aquacadabra, because we are the leading online aquatic retailer in the UK. We ensure that all of the marine aquarium supplies are of good quality, and encourage our readers and buyers to take the best possible care of their aquatic pets. Having products from over 60 manufacturers all over the globe certainly helps, plus the wealth of experience that we have when it comes to online aquatic trading. Have a look at our products to check that we have what you’re looking for!