Sump Sizing/Advice on tank build

[Magma]

So the wife and I have been plotting and scheming about a tank, a bigger tank at least. We have a 38gal and 35gal tank, both great but the 38gal not having a sump has made it a real pain to care for, algae blooms, higher nitrates, looks clustered with all the pumps and heaters in the display as well.

So we are looking at 100gal tank no more than 110 as we live on the top level of a 4 plex. Dimensions we are thinking about is 72" long, 18" High and 18" wide which would be about 101gal, or 72" x 18" x 20" which is 112gal.

Now I would like to have a corner overflow on one side and the return on the opposite side.

So what size sump should I be looking at? I have heard that 1/3 is good size min for a sump but thats only 33gal and it seems to me thats almost to small to have skimmers, return pumps, heaters and a small refuge area.

Ideally I would like to grow some macro algae and have a nice size skimmer in there. But I also want a nice quiet tank as the wife is hard of hearing and the more background noise in the room the harder it is for her to hear other things...

Is this possible or am I aiming to high?

[e46er]

Bigger is better
Look at 40g breeder tanks common for sumps I use that size Divided up into 3 sections around 8 g each and have plenty of room for extra water from display in case of power outages
Leave room in sump for reactors cl pumps Kalk reactors ATo resovoir dosing pumps and solutions ect whatever you plan on running so nothing has to sit outside the stand

[Wayne]

Yup bigger is better 40 gallon should be the minimum, personally I would use a 55 gallon, its 4 ft long which gives you lots of room for all your devices. With its narrow foot print you will still have lots of room to put things under your stand and they are pretty cheap.

[cathyg_99]

can i ask why only 18" high? mines 30inches high, it might just be personal preference but i find it gives the fish alot of swimming room and you can create caves/holes

[Magma]

can i ask why only 18" high? mines 30inches high, it might just be personal preference but i find it gives the fish alot of swimming room and you can create caves/holes

Trying to keep the size down as im worried about to much weight on the floor, the house is from the 70's and with people living in the basement I have no way to support the floor anymore hence why im looking at 100-110gal tank size but I still want the 6 feet long which adds to my problem so 110+55 thats already 165 gal of water which is already 1376.1lbs not including rock, sand, plumbing, pumps etc.

Ideally I would want a 125gal tank with 50-60gal sump but I dont think that is in the cards right now thats 300lbs extra.


The location of the tank will be along an outside wall of the house or along the wall in the middle of the house which divides the top 2 halves of the 4 plex.