How to Build Sumps with Protein Skimmers for Salt Water

Aquarium sumps add additional water area to your aquarium, allowing you to keep more fish or coral in your salt water setup and providing more water chemistry stability. In addition, they provide you an area, out of sight, to place the necessary mechanics for running a salt water aquarium. You can place your heater, your filters and your protein skimmer in the sump. You can even create a refugium with live corals, live sand, macroalgae, small crabs and shrimp.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 pumps
  • Small aquarium
  • Flexible tubing
  • Box cutter
  • In-sump protein skimmer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Obtain an aquarium that is large enough to contain the equipment you want to store in the sump. Keep in mind that the sump will be divided into two sections.

    • 2

      Partially divide the sump in half into incoming water and outgoing water sections. Cut three pieces of acrylic sheet that are about 3/5ths the sump tank height and fit tightly across the width of the sump tank. Place two acrylic dividers vertically across the aquarium, and flush on the bottom of the tank, with 2 inches between them. Seal with aquarium sealant. Center the third acrylic divider between them but raised an inch off the bottom; seal in place with an aquarium sealant. Allow sealant to cure.

    • 3

      Place the sump below the aquarium. Allow room to reach into the sump for cleaning and maintenance.

    • 4

      Attach any accessories that came with your protein skimmer. In-sump skimmers generally come preassembled. Some have baskets that fit on the intake valve or suction cups that may need attached for securing to the side of the tank.

    • 5

      Connect the airline to the skimmer airline port and secure it above water level.

    • 6

      Attach the submersible pump to the intake of protein skimmer using a short piece of a flexible tubing. Cut the tubing if needed with a box cutter.

    • 7

      Snap the waste collection cup in place or screw it into place depending on your model.

    • 8

      Position the protein skimmer in the incoming water half of the sump below the water level.

    • 9

      Plug in the protein skimmer.

    • 10

      Attach the water return tube to the return pump using a piece of flexible tubing. Secure both sides of the tubing with a flexible clamp.

    • 11

      Hang the water return over the side of the aquarium.

    • 12

      Put the return pump on the bottom of the return section of the sump.

    • 13

      Put the end of the drain tube into the inflow of the aquarium. Open the stopcock or prime the overflow allowing the water to flow freely into the sump.

    • 14

      Plug in the return pump. After the overflow reaches parity with the aquarium, you may fill the sump to the desired level using aged saltwater.