how does a sump work ?

Question

i just would like to know how a basic marine fish tank aquarium sump works photos would be great my email is [e-mail]
thanks for answering

Answer 1

A sump is a small tank under your main tank. It has extra water in it, so it adds more gallons. Say, if you tank is 50 gallons and your sump is 20, then you have a total of 70 gallons of water, which keeps the tank more stable, and cleaner. You can also put your equipment / heater(s) in your sump, so it doesn't have to be in your main tank. It is usually kept in the cabinet underneath your main fishtank, and is connected to your main fishtank via a hole drilled in the bottom of the main tank, and it is continually pumped through your main tank. Sometimes they are hung beside/behind the main fishtank, and the water is moved between the tanks via water pumps, so drilling a hole is not necessary.

A refugium (fuge) is the same idea, except it has a light over the tank and some live sand, so it can also filter the water that goes through the fuge.

Pics, sump:
http://www.users.qwest.net/~bombay/tank/sump_new.jpg
Fuge:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/graphics/refug1.jpg
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1789&articleid=3043


DIY:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/aquariumdiy/a/aa041400_3.htm
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diysumpplans/DIY_Sump_Plans.htm

Answer 2

a sump is also a perfect place to keep your skimmer and all other equipment so that there is no equipment in your main tank, therefore making the marine tank look more natural. a refuguim can be encorporated into your sump