Habitat - Indoor :: Under tank sumps

[GMkid350ss]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone here uses an undertank sump to maximize area in their tank. I have 2-3" and 1-1" RES's that I am moving into a 100 gallon tank in the spring and was thinking about using a 30 gallon sump. So, I was just looking for some opinions on that kind of setup.
Thank you,
Josh

[kneecole]

could be a dumb question..... but... what is a sump?

[GMkid350ss]

hahaha...not a dumb question at all because I just learned about them recently from a friend who runs big saltwater tanks. A sump is simply a holding tank for all of your supplies (fliters, heaters etc..). One major benefit with a sump is that it will keep your main tank at a constant water level so that you aren't forced to add water on a regular basis. It's a really good way to maximize the area in your tank for the turtles as well as keeping them away from dangerous heaters and things. It takes a lot of heat to keep 130 gallons (1000 lbs) of water at a constant 75 degrees. Also, I've contemplated growing live plants in the tank but I'm sure the turtles will gobble them up. So, I was thinking of growing them in the sump simply to regulate nitrate levels.
Hope that helps,
Josh

[kneecole]

hm interesting... still not completly clear on what it is... but i'll google it and see if i can find a pic maybe that will help paint the picture for me. haha

[GMkid350ss]

yeah, just google aquariums+sumps and that should lead you in the right direction. It's really just an auxillary tank that no one see's but you. Just a nice way to keep all that stuff out of your tank that takes up soo much room.

[marisa]

I plan to get a pond filter at some point, and I've been told that the one I'm probably going to get will work outside the tank if it's in a sump, which is how I'm going to use it.

[GMkid350ss]

Well, it doesn't seem like it's a very common practice in the RES world. I guess I'll give it a try when I get the 100 gallon tank set up because I won't have use for my existing tank anymore. I'll let you all know how it goes!