Fairly new marine enthusiast.. looking to create a sump

davehan

davehan

Salt Water Fanatic
Apr 18, 2008
6
0
0
42
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Hey everyone!
First of all I would like to say this is the best freshwater and saltwater forum group out there, i've been reading for a while and have been very impressed. My name is Dave and I hope to learn lots and then teach lots as time goes on.

I have recently purchased a 48 gallon tank to use as a SW tank. It has been running for almost a year now and has been doing very well in terms of live rock development and fish happiness and growth.
I am running a Reni Filstar XP1 for a filter and have 2 powerheads rated for 40 gallon tanks. I also have an Aquarium Systems Proteim Skimmer which can be sump or outside of tank.

When i do my algae scraping from time to time and when I clean the glass, I find it annoying to always work around the pipes and tubes and powerheads, etc... to get everything looking shiny. So I thought, why don't I create a sump.

My question to everyone is: What steps do I take to create a sump for my tank? :help: Also any tips in the process would be appreciated.

Picture of my tank coming soon.

Here is the link to a picture of my tank
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk219/davehan2008/DSC03828.jpg

Thanks!
 
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I'm making mine out of a 30g tank and some 1/4" acrylic. This site is a wealth of info for sumps... http://www.melevsreef.com/index.html
I have a simple drawing I did in Photoshop for the basic layout of my future sump if you're interested.
Robbie
 
yea thats a great site. Just buy the biggest tank you can fit in your stand for your sump and buy some acrylic from HD or any hardware store and silicone it it. make sure you buy 100% silicone and its tank safe. It will say on the tube if its safe for aquariums or not.
 
This is what I came up with. I don't think I will have the T with a ball valve on the return pump as I am going to get an overflow that is rated higher than my return pump. I am also planning on moving my skimmer to the first chamber.....and I might not use the bubble trap.
Other than that I am going to build it just like the drawing:D
I agree also that you should use the largest sump you can put in your stand. I made the mistake of deciding I wanted a sump after my display was set up, so I'm stuck using the largest tank that will go through the doors in my stand. If I had done it from the beginning, I would have put at least a 55 under there. Oh well, this will be better than my wet/dry I hope.
Robbie

sump-design.jpg
 
Robbie-

You may want to consider switching the side that the bubble trap is on (or switch the pump and overflow drain). I would put the trap next to the return pump. This will prevent bubbles from being pumped into your tank. The way it is set up now, the water pouring over the baffle by the pump will create bubbles that can enter the pump. Other than that, the plans look great.
 
With the return pump, try placing it up as high as you can, so if your overflow gets blocked you don't flood your display
 
Dolfans1...
could you show me a pic or a drawing of " trap next to the return pump"
my sump looks just like the pick in here but i have woundered how to get bubbles out .
I just cant picture this trap thing your talking about .
Thanks im a newbie
 
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