DIY plastic sump (wet-dry)?

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RodInCALIFORNIA

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hole pic

the Venturi part you dont need its for adding air into the water stream and you dont want that when you use the pump in a sump. all looks good enjoy your filter !

** also dont forget to drill a small hole in your return that hangs in the tank (the black piece that came with your overflow kit) sit it on the rim of your aquarium and measure about 1/2 inch under the water line on it and drill a small hole in the side of it. just 1 hole, this is to break the syphon when your elecrtic goes out and water starts flowing back down the return line this small hole will help air get sucked in and stop the water from flowing and flooding your sump and floor. you want the drilled hole about 1/2 to 1 inch UNDER the water line i drill mine about 1/2 inch under water line.

hole.jpg
 
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kenyi

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Jun 18, 2010
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the Venturi part you dont need its for adding air into the water stream and you dont want that when you use the pump in a sump. all looks good enjoy your filter !

** also dont forget to drill a small hole in your return that hangs in the tank (the black piece that came with your overflow kit) sit it on the rim of your aquarium and measure about 1/2 inch under the water line on it and drill a small hole in the side of it. just 1 hole, this is to break the syphon when your elecrtic goes out and water starts flowing back down the return line this small hole will help air get sucked in and stop the water from flowing and flooding your sump and floor. you want the drilled hole about 1/2 to 1 inch UNDER the water line i drill mine about 1/2 inch under water line.
Ok, Got it! will do!

P9213927.JPG
 

kenyi

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Jun 18, 2010
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does the top of the filter have to be below the tube on the bottom of the overflow box? (the tube that outputs the water) How high can it be? I'm just wondering this because I AM having some problems with height, but I should be OK because I can just change the brick arrangements. Thanks so much!
 

RodInCALIFORNIA

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yes the drain on the bottom of the overflow box MUST BE HIGHER than the top of the DIY filter.
 

kenyi

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Jun 18, 2010
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yes the drain on the bottom of the overflow box MUST BE HIGHER than the top of the DIY filter.
Got it. I'll move the bricks and make it so it works out. Thanks so much! I'll post pics when I'm done.
 

kenyi

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Jun 18, 2010
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Dilemma: Tried and tried and the thing's just too tall. Got all my supplies and the overflow is running at a crawling flow. I have 2 options:

1. Build a stand for the aquarium that's higher than the filter

2. Cut the bottom of the filter (the large bin) off and put the scrubbies in the second bin and not use polyester batting or use it in the first bin.

Which one do you think would work out better?
 

RodInCALIFORNIA

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if its to tall you could remove the large bottom drawer and use poly floss on top of the foam pad and use scrubbies in the 2nd drawer will work fine that way also.
 

WeedCali

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i would definitely recommend modifiying the sump rather than the stand. much less work and still effective.
 

kenyi

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Jun 18, 2010
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Ok, that seems like an idea. What is an effective way to take out the bottom drawer without ruining the rest of the sump? Should I just cut the four legs off, or cut the body:

filter cut.jpg

Ive got everything ready and hooked up- the tube, the Ball valve, the bulkhead, the pump and the overflow could all work, it's just height that's an issue. I'll have new pics come in soon after I figure all this out. I guess that removing the drawer won't degrade the performance that much, and it sounds a lot easier than building a whole new DIY stand or modifying the current one. Thanks to all!

filter cut.jpg
 

RodInCALIFORNIA

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i would cut it where you marked the picture in BLACK.
 
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