In all the books I've been voraciously reading on reef tanks, they all mention the advantages of using a sump. Not one however, says anything about how determine the size sump you need. Since bigger tanks require bigger equipment (i.e., protien skimmers), I'm assuming that they also require bigger sumps. Any advice? We're setting up a 215 gallon mixed community reef tank.

Thanks, Stephen

The bigger the better. There's no rule for sump size. Most people would go with 40-50g sump with a 215 tank. I use a 100g for my 240g reef. Simon Kruger uses a 290g sump for his 90g reef. It's all in how you want to set things up and how much room you have. A bigger sump won't hurt you. A smaller one can be a pain to work within.

Mojo: Thanks! I've seen sumps made out of smaller aquariums, and sumps made out of plasic storage bins. Is there a preference for medium? Also, most people seem to prefer the Euro-Reef Protein Skimmers. When I looked at them however, the appropriate size for my tank was too tall to go inside the stand. How is this usually handled? Stephen

The medium can be anything from a plastic bin to a custom made acrylic sump, and anything in between - it's just a place to hold your heaters, skimmer, probes, and anything else you may have. It also increases your total water volume and makes some other issues (such as water changes and dealing with evaporation) more practical.

EuroReef are a good brand of skimmer, although a bit overpriced. Keep in mind that most skimmers are underrated for their volume, and there's no magic forumula- you can have a very heavily loaded 30g tank that requires more skimmer than a lightly loaded 100g tank. As for the height issue... just keep looking. Sometimes the same vendor will have the same option but different sizes or options...

i agree with all of them , remember if a power failure happens you want to make sure you don,t over flow your sump.i use a reef devil skimmer great skimmer but requires a 700gph pump to work properly.go to www.superskimmer.com (http://www.superskimmer.com) . they also sell sumps but they are pricey.but i love my sump and skimmer