Aquarium Sump Filter

An aquarium sump filter is a type of fish filter that you can either purchase pre made or one that you can create yourself. Both sumps, whether commercial or do-it-yourself, operate on the same principles of filtration. The typical parts of an aquarium sump filter are a water pump, a container, some pipes, a hose, and filter media.

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An aquarium sump filter is a filtration method that is housed outside the main fish tank. Water that passes into the filtration system is mixed with oxygen as it trickles into the first layer of filter media. Because of the water’s cascading action, the sump filter is also called a trickle filter.

The bottom of the filter has a reservoir. This is where the filtered water is collected. From the reservoir, the filtered water travels through an outlet port or outtake pipe, which is located at the back to the aquarium. Since this action is dependent on the laws of gravity, this must be placed above the tank to make the sump filter work.

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The filtration process begins with the water pump, which is housed within the tank itself. The water is then pumped down into tubes and then to spray bars that are placed over the media in the aquarium sump filter container. A spray bar is a piece of pipe that has holes in it. These holes allow aquarium water to be oxygenated prior to entering the filter. Why is enriching oxygen necessary? The process is considered essential as a filtration phase to provide constant supply of aerobic filtration bacteria.

Following a maturation period, the aquarium sump filter will be able to host species of microorganisms capable of performing biological filtration. This type of filtration is necessary to remove hazardous chemicals such as ammonia and its derivatives from aquarium water. The top filter media layers are capable of mechanical filtration. These layers catch solid particles and debris. To provide your aquarium with chemical filtration, you can use activated carbon or a filter media of similar properties for your sump.

While an aquarium sump filter is available at most stores that sell aquarium supplies, it is very simple to make on your own. It can be done quickly and economically, too. Just remember the general rule about filter media layers, which is to place coarser media at the bottom and finer media towards the top. For example, ceramic tubes and bio balls go to the bottom of the pile while polyester wool should be at the top.