Simple Sump on a budget

TomToro

TomToro

The Old Guy
Oct 21, 2006
597
0
0
68
Michigan
s122.photobucket.com
I'd like to put in a large sump. Maybe 50 gal for my 100gal tank. I'm still on a wife induced budget so I'm looking for a cheap way.

Q:Does anybody make a glass sump with all the baffles, overflow box and return hose on a discount? I don't trust myself enough to make one. I have a pump (mag 9.5) and lights for it already.
Thanks,
Tom
 
Honestly man, my research has shown me that people take 40 bucks of material, glue it together and sell a refugium for 300 bucks.
I've been looking for the same thing and I can't find it. If you do--please share your source!

In reality, there's nothing to it. Get a used tank--then go to Home Depot or Lowe's or your favorite such store and have them cut lexan or plexiglass pieces for you. Then get some aquarium sealant and silicone your baffles where you want them. There's an ebay store that sells kits---plastic pieces already cut--you just need the silicone--they are cut for different tank widths. Pretty cool kits---they have tops with them. Search refugium on ebay - you'll find it.
 
Thanks RBELL,
This is going to help a lot. Now on to how to keep it flood proof.
 
That's based on your overflow box really - or overflow pipe. It needs to be high enough in the tank...when the power to the pump goes out, the display tank level won't drop enough to flood the refugium. The water levels in the fuge compartments will equalize and the overflow will stop when the water level in the tank drops low enough. You'll just have to find the proper height for the overflow inlet.
The overflow needs to be one that will maintain a syphon in order to start itself again. There were some links to home made ones that looked pretty cool. Or you can always use the two piece box (one inside/one outside) with a U-tube.
 
I made our sump out of an old fish tank (plus a separate refugium, too). I used glass from an old tank that was cracked to make the baffles.
 
I just bought an overflow with a u tube today. You're right on track with my concern. When I used to have freshwater tanks and had a powerfilter with siphon tubes, I was always re-starting those tubes because they were getting air in them and losing siphon, so...I'm thinking not if, but when it loses it's siphon for whatever reason I'm going to have a flood in the main tank until the sump motor runs dry. How does the airline tube help it keep the siphon? I couldn't figure it out.

I'm almost there.

Thanks,
Tom
 
Last edited:
TomToro said:
When I used to have freshwater tanks and had a powerfilter with siphon tubes, I was always re-starting those tubes because they were getting air in them and losing siphon, so...I'm thinking not if, but when it loses it's siphon for whatever reason I'm going to have a flood in the main tank until the sump motor runs dry.
Click to expand...

U-tube overflow boxes and siphon tubes on power filters are not comparable. Basically, a siphon tube on a power filter is not meant to hold the siphon once the power goes off, but the U-tube on an overflow box is. The internal and external boxes on a U-tube overflow will still have water in them while there's a power outage / the pump is turned off. Both ends of the U-tube will remain under water (if installed properly) and maintain the siphon so normal operation will continue once the pump starts pumping water into the main tank again.
 
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