Basics Of An Acrylic Aquarium Sump
I have learned quite a bit about aquarium care recently. My personal experience with fish is mainly just goldfish. They are very hardy and easy to care for. Although my goldfish is in an acrylic hexagon tank with a small filtration system and small pebbles for substrate. There are two other accessories in the tank, just to liven up his decor, including a bridge and fake plant. I have always been interested in salt water fish and am entranced by the large seascapes of the 100+ gallon tanks. I began researching and learned about a usually hidden part of aquariums that I never knew about. That is the use of an acrylic aquarium sump. A sump is a refugium that usually shares the same water supply as the main tank, but is a smaller separate tank which acts as a biological filter. The sump can contain the main aquarium's hoses, filters and heaters to keep them out of view, as the sump is usually hidden in a cabinet below the main tank. I always wondered what, if anything, was under a tank on its fancy cabinetry.
The incorporation of a sump is mostly used in show tanks and reef tanks. However, they can also be used to raise tiny brine or mysis shrimp for food to feed the fish in the main tank. Of course, the use of an acrylic aquarium sump is mainly to act as a biological filter. Refugiums have things like live rock, sand, macroalgae, scavenger microfauna, tiny sea stars, snails and worms. All of these things act as natural filters. Other things that can act as a biological filter in aquariums are deep sand beds, wet/dry trickle, algae scrubbing and mud-based mediums. Another interesting thing I learned about was the bio-load. Basically, the bio-load is the capacity versus biological demand. The capacity is referring to the water volume in both the tank and sump, refugium, substrate, water circulation, live rock and both chemical and biological filtrations. The biological demand is the size and number of fish, shrimp, crabs, snails, anemones, clams, filter feeders, etc. This ratio will ensure that your marine life will get adequate clean water, food, space, etc. Having a high bio-load would mean that your tank is placing a higher demand on its filters, caused by uneaten food, waste, etc. in the water, and could be causing a higher nitrogen level. So to assist in all the other filtration processes and devices, you may want to consider an acrylic aquarium sump to supplement your other filters. You will likely have a cleaner and healthier tank. |