Seeking advice on plans for 25g planted nano-fish tank with a sump

[JU5T]

Hi.

I’m looking for help designing my system. I haven’t kept fish in 3 years and I’m trying to learn from my past mistakes. I want it to be very easy to maintain. I want it to be robust and very peaceful. I have a 25g rimless landen tank. I’m planning to plant it and add a school of rummy nose tetra or celestial pearl danios.

I’m considering a 10g sump. I like the idea of decluttering the display tank. I like the amount of filtration, oxygenation, and opportunity to add an overflow set up. I had to add aeration to my last tank and the bubbles/pump were loud and messy. A major concern is to not need aeration. If I did have to add it I could add it to sump and close it up so I couldn’t hear it. I know a sump is likely overkill but that reason alone is not a very weighty con for me.

I learned a lot from the video about how to vacuum your tank on the channel. I was doing just about everything wrong. I swore I’d plan on a system that didn’t involve carrying full buckets of water (clean or dirty) around the house. I plan on using the methods demonstrated in the video with the Python Water Changer so no buckets. I’d be refilling with tap water and then treating it in the tank.

Plants will be new for me. The tank will be established without fish. I haven’t made it to researching CO2 but I think there’s a chance it won’t be needed on a 25g. Thoughts on that would be very helpful.

I feel like I know the direction I want to go but I’m at a point that I could use some help cementing some ideas to build on. Searching online the options are just endless!

Thanks for reading!

[Colu]

If you go for a low tech setup I would go with plants that grow well without CO2  like vallisneria Javan fern anubis Javan moss Hygrophila difformis Rotala rotundifolia and floating plants like water lettuce Amazonian frogbit to detter your fish from jumping out of your tank 

Edited March 16, 2021 by Colu

[Eric R]

You can do fine without CO2, if you want to search for it more it's called low-tech setups. Fertilizers, either liquid or root tabs are useful though. If you're going to use a sump, I'd recommend one of the kinds with multiple overflow pipes so that if one gets clogged you don't end up with a flood and a dry sump. There's also a type of overflow made by MAME which looks like lily pipes that some folks have had good experiences with. They do make inline heaters that you can connect to canister filters and achieve something similar to what you're talking about, though a sump is probably easier to maintain in the long run. If you want to look at setting up a sump, I'd research nano reefers that have diyed sumps by siliconing  glass baffles into place. You'll need to drill your tank if it's not already drilled for the overflow.

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by ererer

[JU5T]

Thanks peeps!

Just knowing the proper term to google can be so helpful. Low-tech it is. And that amazonian frogbit is adorable.

Nobody commented that a sump was a terrible idea so I think I'm settled on that. I was planning on making my own 10g with a backup overflow. I plan to drill the tank myself. If I mess it up I have a second identical tank that I can have someone else have a go.

I'll poke around youtube for the suggested overflow. At first glance it looks nice but there's barely any surface area to the weir which is worrisome to this plant noob. I was planning something DIY but the presentation of the glass is very appealing, especially in a 25g where it will be hard to distract from. 🤔

I should also mention that my tap water is low pH and very soft. How might that affect any of this?

My rimless tanks have been sitting empty for years now in a very cold garage in the winter. One for 5 years, the other for 3. Should I be worried about the seals?

 

[Streetwise]

A pair of sponge filters would be fine. I don’t see the need for a sump.

[Eric R]

2 hours ago, JU5T said:

I should also mention that my tap water is low pH and very soft. How might that affect any of this?

Many fish actually prefer ph less than 7.0 and softer water. Test your water a few times over a week or two to see how consistent it is, and what the exact values are, and find fish that work good for those values. Stability is always key here, if it's unstable that can be problematic. If you're on a municipal water supply, there should be water test results available from your water provider that you can get.

2 hours ago, JU5T said:

My rimless tanks have been sitting empty for years now in a very cold garage in the winter. One for 5 years, the other for 3. Should I be worried about the seals?

Silicone is pretty resilient. I'd visually inspect the seams as well as do a water test somewhere where you don't mind if it leaks and let the water sit in it for a day or two.

[JU5T]

Thanks! I've pretty much got the build sorted now. Now it's time to make the stand, make the sump, drill and plumb etc. I'll probably do it all over the course of several months. I'm a slow worker. I really appreciate the advice and shot in the arm I needed to make some decisions.