my FINAL sump thread

[scottayy]

I see the dimensions are 10x18.. that is great. But is it an inch or thicker in thickness? that way it would stick good inbetween sections in the sump

 

[carey]

It's about a 1/4 inch I'd say, but I also use the foam that came with the sump. Just added the phosphate pad to help catch debris and maybe cut the phosphates down a bit.

 

[scottayy]

You think if I find a sponge with no chemicals on it at the hardware store or walmart or whatever it'll do the trick?

 

[carey]

I know my lfs sells the same pad with no chemicals in it. It runs about $7 there and its the same brand I linked. I;m not sure I would trust it form the hardware store as who knows what might have gotten into it unless it's a sealed package.

 

[scottayy]

I just bought "cleaning - netted sponge scrubbers set of 3" for $1 at the grocery store

sealed package

how do i know if they have chemicals on them? package says absolutely nothing

 

[scottayy]

I raised the water level in the sump - creating less of a waterfall into the return chamber and this cut out most of the bubbles.

I'm going to go buy a prefilter foam block from the lfs today and that will probably cut all of them out.

 

[scottayy]

I bought some pond filter stuff.. it was just cut to fit.. it looks like filter floss. Fits great.

I actually think it might be DUST and not microbubbles in the water :| I am not sure though. Going to try wiping down my ceiling fan.

Carey do you have any issues with dust in your open top aquariums?

 

[carey]

Haven't noticed any dust. I dont have many floaties

 

[scottayy]

Well, darn lol. I guess all I can do is erm... well i don't know
just hope it goes away i guess

 

[scottayy]

oh hey i got a pair of baby black & white clowns
first fish since my last ones died a few months ago

i know you like them

 

[Smitty]

You can tell if it is dust or micro bubbles by turning off your sump and any power heads in your display. Micro bubbles will immediately head for the surface while dust will either float in the same spot or more likely float down.

At least that is how I figured out mine were micro bubbles. Worked like a champ for me.

 

[scottayy]

I'm wondering if anyone knows where I can find a plastic container, preferably clear.. for my auto-top off.

The current one works fine but I no longer have space for it after rearranging.

The max dimensions I have are 10x12 inches by up to 11 inches in height. I would like to maximize this by getting as big as container as possible that will fit into that area.

 

[carey]

Not sure if you
wanna spend the money but heres a link

Thin 4 liter (1.05 gallon) Space Saving Ju - English

2.5 Gallon Jug - English

I was eying them for dosing and top offs.

 

[scottayy]

I went to walmart and got a 3 gallon water dispenser (the kind with the spout you press down on to get water).

It fits really nicely if I poke it through the back of the cabinet. Such a good fit.. I get really lucky with these things lol.

3 gallons of topoff water!! It's not 4 like my old one, but beats daily topoffs. It'll probably last me a week at a time.

 

[scottayy]

Okay so I saw this video for a DIY filter sock holder and since my sump inlet assembly broke I figured I'd give it a try before I ordered a new one.

Here's the video: A cheap and cool way to hang your (aquarium) socks - YouTube

And here's my implementation of it:

So far pretty cool and very sturdy. It is a superb idea. There's no water flowing through it yet though, sump is shut down waiting on some silicone to cure.