Kessil

trying to make a custom sump, but i need advices.

nanocube-guy said:
krittertanks said:
First, find a few aquarium store guys who you can trust... they will give you different answers =)
Then the BAR guys may confuse you, get all the information you can and then just decide what may work for you. I garantee that you will change your mind, livin's a learnin!
PVC glue and some pipe cutters, CHEAP. 1" bulkhead drains around 800-1200 gph if facing vertically, drain to one tube, and stuff with air tube if you get the toilet flush. .Drill acrylic tanks with normal hole saws, glass requires a little more $ and skill. (Ive never done) AS for the return, you can go pvc to loc line, etc, (wave machine, some other crazy contraption)
Simple is best, use a marineland u pipe, or something similar.
Closed loop is usually a way to return water to a tank without a power head inside. It uses an external pump that sucks water from under the water line via bulkhead. It is falling out of favor and typically used for 100+ gall tanks. Remember, have a good time!
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is that you Gen??? How do you cut acrylic anyways? I don't know is regular power saw is safe because of heat.
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Tubey's right , but it may not be worth your while, the blades are like $120.00
You can use normal blades w as many teeth as possible, the acrylic chips though because wood blades are aggressive.
A jig saw works well also, after cutting a router and sander is used to smooth the edge. I suppose you can go from cutting to sanding, but youll have to sand w a straight edge to solvent bond. Weld on 16 is a rough gel glue that works well, use alot.
 
It is a lot of work and keep in mind that you'll have to glue it correctly so no leaking. It was mentioned before but I would recommend no sand, w/o sand it's easier to clean the dietrus.
 
CookieJar said:
It is a lot of work and keep in mind that you'll have to glue it correctly so no leaking. It was mentioned before but I would recommend no sand, w/o sand it's easier to clean the dietrus.
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Sounds like it... :tired: Make i should just order it... huh? create one and ask for custom build.
 
nanocube-guy said:
CookieJar said:
It is a lot of work and keep in mind that you'll have to glue it correctly so no leaking. It was mentioned before but I would recommend no sand, w/o sand it's easier to clean the dietrus.
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Sounds like it... :tired: Make i should just order it... huh? create one and ask for custom build.
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I don't mean to discourage you, it's actually kinda fun if you're willing to learn a little and have patience. I think you can do it, you have to use the right glues and be able to hold the pieces in the correct positions so they can cure. I'm no expert- Gen is, but that's my $.02.
 
Well I don't have much tools anyways. Someone is thinking of helping me, but it might seem too many work for them. I does sound fun and it would be great if I were to finish my own refugium. I have to talk to my brother... he have the house tools, because i only have car tools.
 
Thanks guys for everything. I appreciate your tips and time efforts helping me. I can't wait to push my 37g+ forward because I want to turn my "12g Plus" Nano-cube into a frag tank.
 
nanocube-guy said:
CookieJar said:
It is a lot of work and keep in mind that you'll have to glue it correctly so no leaking. It was mentioned before but I would recommend no sand, w/o sand it's easier to clean the dietrus.
Click to expand...

Sounds like it... :tired: Make i should just order it... huh? create one and ask for custom build.
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I wanted to make my own. But the cost of materials and time it would probably end up a lil less than what an expert like Gen can do. I ended up having Gen make my sump. :)
 
You could always go with a hang-on fuge if you're unsure of your custom sump/refugium creating abilities.

Though nice, I don't think they're worth the trouble on such a small tank. Making the sump is one thing, then you have to worry about how to get the water out of your tank, into the sump and back into your display. With such a small tank, there's little room for error. (Either running pumps dry, flooding, draining your display, etc) Going to empty the tank and drill it? HOB overflow? etc.

Save it for an upgrade :) Or use that money towards a good skimmer on your nano. Your corals and fish would appreciate it. It'd also help in spilled milk situations ;)

Didn't mean to discourage you from trying to make the custom sump - just don't want you to end up super frustrated or with an aquarium disaster! GL either way!
 
I would get the tank you intend to use for the sump and start with no baffles. You can always set the return pump in a bowl or bucket and get much of the same bubble reduction. You can also feed a fuge (sand or no) inside a sump with an airline tube siphon from the overflow (don't siphon from the main tank unless from right at the surface) or a tap off of the main drain line. The fuge can be a tank in the sump or a bucket.
 
That's what Iv'e been doing lately Jim, just a bare tank with a little plastic basket in the center, put some liverock in the basket and some macro, overflow and skimmer on one side return pump on the other.
 
Yeah, there's all kinds of easy ways to do sumps and for smaller sumps used with even medium sized return pumps, I think baffles can cause more problems than they solve.
 
bookfish said:
I would get the tank you intend to use for the sump and start with no baffles. You can always set the return pump in a bowl or bucket and get much of the same bubble reduction. You can also feed a fuge (sand or no) inside a sump with an airline tube siphon from the overflow (don't siphon from the main tank unless from right at the surface) or a tap off of the main drain line. The fuge can be a tank in the sump or a bucket.
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tuberider said:
That's what Iv'e been doing lately Jim, just a bare tank with a little plastic basket in the center, put some liverock in the basket and some macro, overflow and skimmer on one side return pump on the other.
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That's one great idea! I'll see if i can look into that.
bookfish said:
Yeah, there's all kinds of easy ways to do sumps and for smaller sumps used with even medium sized return pumps, I think baffles can cause more problems than they solve.
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Why baffles causes problematic?
 
Because baffling a small sump with a medium pump can lead to more bubbles entrained in the water both because the baffles create their own turbulence and bubbles but also because if the sump is baffled and water velocity is high and in a linear flow, there is sometimes no chance for small bubbles to rise to the surface.
 
tuberider said:
That's what Iv'e been doing lately Jim, just a bare tank with a little plastic basket in the center, put some liverock in the basket and some macro, overflow and skimmer on one side return pump on the other.
Click to expand...

Pretty much the same here. Plain old 4' sump/tank with drain and skimmer at one end, pile of live rock in the middle, and return pump at the other end.
 
I'm of the "no baffle" camp as well. Microbubbles can always be easily controlled with a very large micron nylon mesh sock if need be. If I did use baffles I like the idea of using rubber trim on the edges to make a seal rather than gluing the baffle in place. This way if you ever upgrade skimmer or want to add filtration or whatever you have flexibility to easily change it.
 
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