Tank upgrade!! 8-)

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Considering buying a new stand altogether. Is there a decent stand that has a "door" that will enable a sump to be slid in from the side? Kind of like the RSM stands?

 

[baron1282]

Honestly, I looked and looked for stands that could fit a sump in. I decided to pay about the same price to have a stand built for me. I spent $240 dollars on my stand, and I think it looks better than any one you can buy. (That includes paint)

Find a wood shop and give them your specifications and how much your willing to spend. Than you have no issue with a sump!! I find it was around the same price of buying a stand already made.

My stand is 20in wide, and 48in high. My 55 gallon tank sits a little to the back giving me a shelf sort of deal that's about 4in. Good to put things on when needed.

Only downside is I had to prime and paint it. Priming IS VERY IMPORTANT! don't skimp out on the priming!! Painting took me two weeks as the latex paint had to dry fully in between coats. I did three coats on the outside and only one coat on the inside. I did prime the inside and outside with a very good quality primer. Lightly sand after priming. Use wood putty to fill in the screw holes after priming. Than sand the screw holes, and prime over them again. Paint your stand whatever color you want (I did midnight black), and wait about 2 days in between coats to allow the paint to fully dry. Do it in a dry place as well. I had a dehumidifier by it, that helps!! Latex paint will suck if you don't allow it to dry in between coats! It will be sticky and will act like glue to the ground or even the tank. It takes about a week to paint (Got to wait 2 days in between coats), than I left my stand sit for a week before I put anything on it!

Good luck!! Here is some pics!

 

[mr_X]

Considering buying a new stand altogether. Is there a decent stand that has a "door" that will enable a sump to be slid in from the side? Kind of like the RSM stands?

What happened to taking that top brace off? It will be fine....don't worry. You don't need a new stand.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

What happened to taking that top brace off? It will be fine....don't worry. You don't need a new stand.

Paranoia mostly... I will stay the course on the stand I have! Thanks for the reassurance.

Baron- thank you for your input too. I googled local woodshops but to no avail. Your stand looks great and I appreciate the detailed explanation! I will use your advice on painting my current stand!

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Any harm in using a Krylon spray paint primer on this tank as opposed to brush on primer?

 

[baron1282]

Hmmm, I would use a good primer. Just because it would help in the long run in resisting water. A primer only really helps in getting into the wood and saves on extra painting.

I would ask your local professional hardware store their opinion on the primer. I used "BEHR Premium Primer" and for paint I used "RedSeal" latex (midnight black). I used latex because that is what I was told to use for the best water resistant paint. So far it has been holding up well, and I got a lot of water on it.

I personally wouldn't use a spray primer, but again I would talk to your local hardware store personal. I think they cold help you more than I could. I will say this, my brother Matt is a professional painter (has his own business and works for others), and he wouldn't use that stuff if his life depended on it. He was the one that told me to use the paint and primer I used.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Cool thanks... I'll have to look into it!

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

So our flooring is finally down and I can start to set my tank up. Thing I noticed is that my floor is really uneven. What is the best way to shim a tank stand? Do I used shims all across the bottom, or just in the corners of the stand where it meets the floor? Should I get something rubbery or styrofoam-ish to put under the stand? Any input is appreciated, thanks...

 

[Sniperhank]

Well you should shim the corners and middle. My question is why is a brand new floor such a drastic uneven/not level?

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Well you should shim the corners and middle. My question is why is a brand new floor such a drastic uneven/not level?

It's because I used the vinyl click together floating floor, and there is thinset underneath. I didn't use a floor leveler beforehand. The floors, walls, ceilings, you name it, are all uneven, thanks to 1980's contractors being all hopped up lol..

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Do I NEED to run a filter sock in my sump? Is there a drastic difference with or without it?

 

[Ingy]

I don't use one because I want any detrius that enters the sump to get liquified in the skimmer pump and removed. Basically, poop gets liquified and then forms very bubbly bubbles and gets skimmed. Poop will create bigger bubbles than the protien strings it becomes after breaking down into ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Most poop captured in the filter socks will turn into those nitrogenous proteins and be less effectively captured in the skimmer before sock changes. Only the 'new' poop in the sock will get manually removed and washed before becoming ammonia.
However, filter socks will capture any other solids that head down the overflow. But the rest of my sump does that for me simply thru settling.
Oh, they're a real PITA to change and clean, IMO.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

So if I don't use a filter sock, and obviously no filter, is there something I should do or use to secure the drains in place? I'm going to be using clear flexible tubing instead of the hard PVC... Is there some sort of holder or something?

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

So if I don't use a filter sock, and obviously no filter, is there something I should do or use to secure the drains in place? I'm going to be using clear flexible tubing instead of the hard PVC... Is there some sort of holder or something?

Should have typed "and obviously no filter sock holder"...

 

[mr_X]

I am a sock advocate. I think they are a must. My sumps used to get a soot on the bottom of them that got deeper and deeper until I developed problems in the DT. Since I've implemented socks, I don't see any build up and my skimmate production has not changed.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

I am a sock advocate. I think they are a must. My sumps used to get a soot on the bottom of them that got deeper and deeper until I developed problems in the DT. Since I've implemented socks, I don't see any build up and my skimmate production has not changed.

Difficult to clean X?? Also, I see different micron and sizes, 4", 7", etc... Any which way is the best way for having 2 1" drains? How about a double sock setup, or just have both drain into 1 sock?

 

[Ingy]

I am a sock advocate. I think they are a must. My sumps used to get a soot on the bottom of them that got deeper and deeper until I developed problems in the DT. Since I've implemented socks, I don't see any build up and my skimmate production has not changed.

Interesting. But what is the cause of the soot?
I have had my tank/sump for 7 months now and the sump has a bare bottom. I did have an issue when my reactor blew 1/2 the purigen out past the too big of filter pad in there. Much of the tiny pellets made a round trip from the sump return section (where my reactor output was), thru the DT and back to the drain side of the sump. I have sucked most of it back out with the turkey baster. Other than that I have no buildup in my sump, without running socks.

 

[mr_X]

Difficult to clean X?? Also, I see different micron and sizes, 4", 7", etc... Any which way is the best way for having 2 1" drains? How about a double sock setup, or just have both drain into 1 sock?

I like to use the big ones so I can turn them inside out before I toss them in the washing machine with a little bleach. I also try to save anything living on the inside of the sock (pods, worms, starfish..) I would have both drain into one large sock.

Interesting. But what is the cause of the soot?

uneaten food and fish poop I would imagine. I don't know the difference between my sump and yours. Possibly flow? I don't put a ton of flow through my sumps. Just enough to feed skimmers and such.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

I like to use the big ones so I can turn them inside out before I toss them in the washing machine with a little bleach. I also try to save anything living on the inside of the sock (pods, worms, starfish..) I would have both drain into one large sock.

uneaten food and fish poop I would imagine. I don't know the difference between my sump and yours. Possibly flow? I don't put a ton of flow through my sumps. Just enough to feed skimmers and such.

I intend to run low flow, to the tune of 300 gph... It was advice from my LFS, as to not allow too much water to simply pass by the skimmer. It makes sense to me, I'm glad other successful tanks do this as well. I hear a lot of people talking about crazy amounts of flow through the sump...

 

[mr_X]

Actually, it doesn't make any sense. All water is connected as one. Fast or slow, your skimmer is going to skim exactly the same amount, possibly less if the flow rate through the sump is less than the skimmer pump, but exactly the same otherwise.