Sump Help for Dummies- ME

[Hillage]

Well it will be a 125g 6 footer but the front to back space won't really be there for a 75g sump. The 55g is only what 13" deep? I'm gonna go look at some premade sumps online and if you don't mind I'll link them and if you can help me out that'd be great.

What is the length in inches from front to back? Here's a list of some sizes I took from glasscages.com

75 Long	   	72 x 18 x 13 High
100 Long	72 x 18 x 17 High
135 Gal.	72 x 18 x 25 High
100 Wide	72 x 24 x 13 High
125 Wide	72 x 24 x 17 High
180 Wide	72 x 24 x 25 High
180 Tall	72 x 18 x 31 High
240 - 6 Tall	72 x 24 x 31 High
240 Wide	72 x 30 x 25 High
280 - 6 Wide	72 x 36 x 25 High

All of these are 6 feet in length. If the inside of you tank isn't the full 6 ft then these won't fit. If it is, then you need to next look at the width. Find the ones that fit. Then, compare the height. You may find that some of these may fit...

Also, yes, I'd love to help look at some pre-made ones you find. Just post away, I'll be checking whenever I can.

hey if you think about it pwc's will be a lot easier
instead of lifting jugs or gallons you could just siphon into the sump

Yes, this is very true. You could even plumb in a pipe that allows you to drain some water very easily. There are so many possibilities. Also, you can put on a line from your RODI unit and a float switch for easy top-offs. Just make sure you monitor the salt levels...

yeah I read that in one of the articles that was linked earlier. Not sure how the plumbing even would run yet so I'll explore that later. lol

I could always help you out with the plumbing design. I'll see if I can get some pics and try to sketch something up for you. =)

 

[carey]

LOL I just measured my 125g and its 18 inches deep so technically a 75 kinda could fir in there depending on the stand. That seems awful big though. How come all the acrylic sumps I see are only 30 or 36 inches? they all are rated for at least 125g too but I can't possibly see how I could fit all that gear into one of the acrylic ones. :-(

 

[Hillage]

Got some nice pics for you =)

Somebody's full diagram of some plumbing. Source

Something you might expect to see after you finish plumbing. The Source has some nice pictures as well. you may be interested in reading it.

Back of a tank. You can see that the water comes down the pipes to the overflow, as well as being pushed out to create current. Look at the location of the holes. Placement can change the current throughout the tank. Source

Bulkhead that is attached on the hole drilled into the glass or acrylic. this allows you to use PVC piping (or tubes, etc. ) to get the water to/from the sump. Source


Hope some of these pictures show you what the plumbing will be like... If you were close to where I live I could always help plumb it =) But i don't think you are if I remember correctly... But it isn't too hard, especially if you have some experience.

edit: Nope, you aren't close. Oh well. If you can't figure it out, I bet you could find somebody that can help. =) I bet you could get it. I mean, I'm having some trouble myself figuring out how I'm going to plumb my whole sump... D=

 

[Hillage]

LOL I just measured my 125g and its 18 inches deep so technically a 75 kinda could fir in there depending on the stand. That seems awful big though. How come all the acrylic sumps I see are only 30 or 36 inches? they all are rated for at least 125g too but I can't possibly see how I could fit all that gear into one of the acrylic ones. :-(

Those sump tanks are 25% of the DT size. I can;t remember the ratio, but somewhere in there would totally work. I'd just recommend getting the biggest you can, as it will make things easier for you. But... you can get smaller and save some money, but it would take some more work, and some time and patience to (possibly) get all the equipment to fit in there.

 

[carey]

Dude.....those diagrams are some seriously confusing stuff! I'm trying to follow.LOL Just need to concentrate more i guess.

I will probably end up with one premade to be honest. How many drilled holes would I need in a tank? and where? I'll have 2 overflow cover thingees.

 

[scottayy]

In the above plumbing diagram, what is the purpose of the orange line water flow?

 

[Hillage]

Dude.....those diagrams are some seriously confusing stuff! I'm trying to follow.LOL Just need to concentrate more i guess.

I will probably end up with one premade to be honest. How many drilled holes would I need in a tank? and where? I'll have 2 overflow cover thingees.

If you have two overflow boxes, then I'd do one in each corner. Plus, two somewhere else in the tank so that the return has somewhere to come back in. Plus, it creates flow while getting the water back. Less power heads then. =)

In the above plumbing diagram, what is the purpose of the orange line water flow?

The orange line is showing that the water from the tank is being drawn to a separate pump, which just returns it straight to the tank. This creates a flow in the system, plus the water in the pipes gives a little bit more water volume.
(That pump could also be a canister filter, I can't tell. If it is, then it not only creates flow, but it filters the water.)

 

[Rscomia]

I have some pictures of my 90 gallon plumbed to a 29 gallon DIY sump in my profile if you wanna look

 

[scottayy]

What stops fish or snails from getting into the overflow box and down into the sump

 

[Rscomia]

I have strainers on mine. The boxes are notched at the top where fish can't get through

 

[Hillage]

What stops fish or snails from getting into the overflow box and down into the sump

You can make 'teeth', which lets the water through, but the spaces in between the teeth aren't big enough for snails and such to get through.

 

[Hillage]

Here's some pictures of examples.

Source

Source

Hope this explains it a little better for you =)

 

[David S]

Here's a basic layout of something I may do.

(Blue lines is water flow. Grey line is water level in the sump.)

Three compartments would probably be fine. Knowing the amount of research I've done on the layout of the sump compartments, I could be totally off. But, this may be what I'm doing. Pre-made sumps usually have a good amount of compartments, which I believe is 3 or 4. It's really up to you. What you need/want and what you prefer really decide on what you do.

edit: You can also add another compartment for something like pot scrubbers or something. It's really up to what you want in it.

Dont put the skimmer before the fuge,you dont want to skim any pods,swap the fuge and skimmer section

 

[David S]

In the above plumbing diagram, what is the purpose of the orange line water flow?

Also known as a closed loop system,just for water circulation

 

[David S]

You can make 'teeth', which lets the water through, but the spaces in between the teeth aren't big enough for snails and such to get through.

Snails will go over the teeth and into the box,make sure you use a mesh on top as well.I found a snail in my pipework from my overflow box.

 

[Hillage]

Ah, thanks for the tips! I'll make sure to add some mesh. I'm sure Carey appreciates it too. She seems to be at her dinner now. =)

 

[carey]

Yep, LOL Just got home.

i love all the advice I've seen so far. I feel like I have a degree in sumps already hehe

I'm still gonna look for some sumps and post them to see if I am headed in the right direction

 

[carey]

I was looking at this sump:

Eshopps RS 200 Berlin Style Reef Sump, for tanks 125-225 gallons - AquaCave

is it a decent setup or do I need more compartments?

 

[carey]

This one looks way easy to setup.

Aquarium Wet Dry Filters: Aqueon ProFlex Sump Filtration System at FosterandSmithaquatics.com

I watched the video and it makes sense. The only concern I have would be the skimmer fitting in the last chamber. They don't give sizes other than the overall length.

 

[Hillage]

Both would probably work. The second one you posted actually does have the dimensions. Under the overview tab, its under 'Sump Dimensions (Chamber 3)'. That's the last chamber for equipment and skimmers, etc.

Also, I'd take into account the max flow. You want enough flow going through for it to be very effective.