Yes and you should also plan for optimal skimmer water levels and allow enough extra volume to handle back flow. I usually allow 2" from the display for a minimum and go from there. For example a 90 gallon has a 48x18 foot print meaning 2" of water equals 1728 cubic inches. That means with a sump foot print of say 36 x 12 you'll need 4 inches. However the next step would be to decide on an additional factor of safety, for example a SF of 2 would mean you need 8" of free height in the sump. That may be a bit extreme but you get the idea.
You should also consider the display tank size. A common mistake in my opinion is when people add too much volume with their sump. Any display 90 gallons or more has plenty volume for stability and extra water volume has little benefit. Therefore for efficiency reasons you should minimize sump volume, especially easy if you have an ATO.
I would be happy to make some more specific recommendations if you could give more information regarding display and sump size, as well as equipment used.
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05-21-2008, 11:50 PM
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