Mussin Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 Setting up my 180 and I have two choices for a sump. I have a 150g rubbermaid stock tank and an old school 150g tank with baffles. All of my plumbing and sump will be going In my basement. What are the pros and cons? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 The only real pros I can think of is you can see through parts of the 150 and So you can see low flow areas and other problems also easier to have a spot for chaeto. But honestly, load that stock tank with rock. Put a basket in there for chaeto and a place for the skimmer and your in business. No glass to clean. No worry of seam blow outs. No worry of something getting banged into it and breaking a pane. Just my $.02. jeff70 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttley000 Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 There are some awesome Rubbermaid sumps out there. Used to be a build by "spinner" if I remeber the user name right on Reef Central that did a cool one with a 300 gallon tub. The only downside I saw when I had one was the irregular shape makes baffles very difficult but if you don't do it the ATO is a little of a challenge. Also no sweet place to hang stuff with the supplied brackets that come with most reactors, probes, etc. If you have the space plumb them both in and use the Rubbermaid for a fuge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mussin Posted December 5, 2019 Author Share Posted December 5, 2019 I have the room to use both but I'd need 5 heaters to keep all that water warm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Fraggenstien Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 It's pretty easy to make a "baffled" skimmer section out of a simple bucket or tote. Run your drain into it, and pop a hole in the side of the tote at whatever level you want your skimmer to sit in. To me it's just a matter of preference if you have both. Most people end up with stock tanks because they are far cheaper than comparable sized glass or acrylic tanks. I would think there would be more evaporation with a stock tank than an acrylic sump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biecacka Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Won’t the magnet from the tunze ATO hold on the stock tank? if not, I bet you could order a larger magnet and substitute it easily. That’s what I will probably be doing when I swap over to my stock tank. i will also most likely use a milk crate to sit my skimmer on to achieve the right depth for it if not then I would consider placing it in a sturdy plastic tote of sorts corey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttley000 Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 8 hours ago, Mussin said: I have the room to use both but I'd need 5 heaters to keep all that water warm You are going big enough you could save enough money to pay for a pex hot water loop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishoutofwater Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 More heaters but more volume for stability I’m looking at hooking my stock tank into my system eventually plus some other tanks. Joe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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