#SETTING UP A MARINE AQUARIUM SERIES#

The final chamber always holds your return pump which is the heart of your tank, delivering water from the sump back into the display aquarium via the return pipe.Įvery tank needs a power center or surge protector mounted within a reasonable distance of the sump for plugging in the equipment. A bubble trap is designed to stop bubbles from entering your return pump which will create micro-bubbles in your display.

#SETTING UP A MARINE AQUARIUM SERIES#

A special series of baffles called a 'bubble trap' is always built just before the return pump chamber. The baffles throughout the sump are simply the dividers in your sump and help direct water from one chamber to the next and maintain a constant water level where it is needed. Some of the smaller sumps do not have this 4th auxiliary chamber which is completely optional and not absolutely required. The next auxiliary chamber can be used to house a wide variety of additional filtration equipment, filter media, or used as a refugium space. This chamber is often one of the largest in your sump and is a great place to house a heater that will automatically maintain stable water temperatures. It then moves into the next chamber where a Protein skimmer helps aerate your aquarium water and also pulls out dissolved and undissolved waste.

The raw unfiltered water from your display tank first encounters filter socks which remove undissolved waste and other particulates from your aquarium water. Rigid PVC pipe or soft vinyl tubing is most commonly used for aquarium plumbing connections. Water drains out of your display tank, through the overflow box, into the drainpipe, and finally down into your sump via the drainpipe. Your tank will have either an internal or external overflow box that always allows for a leak-free connection to your sump via the bulkheads. The Crystal Series sumps from Trigger Systems are a great example. A single drain and return water line with three chambers allows hobbyists to achieve basic mechanical and chemical filtration. This diagram shows the most basic bare-bones sump.

Setting up a marine aquarium