Sump
The sump is an accessory aquarium located under the main aquarium. It houses the technical equipment (skimmer, heater, rise pump) and increases the total volume of water.
Detailed explanation
The sump solves a practical problem: where do you put the skimmer, the heater, the dosing pumps, the reactor, the refugium? Putting them in the main aquarium is ugly and cumbersome. The sump hides them all under the cabinet.
The water flows from the main aquarium to the sump by gravity through an overflow. A lift pump sends her back up. The flow is continuous.
The sizing of the sump is important. It must contain all the water that falls from the main aquarium in the event of a blackout (when the pump stops, the water continues to fall until the level reaches the edge of the overflow). If the sump is too small: flooding.
The sump is typically divided into sections: the first receives the water from the aquarium and houses the filter socks. The second houses the skimmer. The third may contain a refugium with macroalgae. The last section is the return pump compartment.
The sump is not exclusive to the sea. Many large freshwater aquariums (African cichlids, discus) use a sump to increase water volume and centralize filtration.
For ponds the equivalent concept is the external filter chamber or the underground technical compartment.
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