DIY sump tank.

[blert]

...
Study your design and other people's design as much as possible.

Good advice.

Also, don't forget to do your math. You NEED to make sure that the sump can handle all the water dumped into it in the event of a power outage (or you turning the power off for maint or feeding).

Keep in mind that overflows and sumps can be terribly loud (think toilet bowl), but there are ways to make them as quiet as a mouse fart.

Research, research, research...

 

[fishfool58]

Yeah, it's fine. It is only a small fraction of water bypassing the media rack, hence the ball valve to control flow to the 'fuge. You want relatively low flow through the 'fuge, enough to keep things moving around but not so much that the plants get blown all over the place. Plus, you want the contact time in the 'fuge. And the plants and things in the 'fuge also act as a filter.

Other than a few basic rules, sump design is mostly a matter of personal preference and what will work for you. You can use filter socks and/or put the 'fuge in the middle section if it works best for you. FYI, putting the 'fuge in the center section will be high flow and floating plants are not going to work (even using egg crate) as they will end up in your return or clog up the egg crate.

Okay, that makes sense about the 'fuge.. & this is my first one, so I kinda don't care how its put together as long as it works.. After I get this one I can tweak my next one.. I like your design.. If it's okay I'll use that & I think my only issue is that my stand is blocked in, so I'd have to drill a hole in the back of the stand so the PVC pipe can get to the sump under the tank.

I'll do some more research.. Cause I don't really wanna hear the toilet flush all the time as the tank is in my bedroom.. So it'll have to be quiet.. & what is a wet/dry sump? & what is ATO? I sound like a 'noob' lol

 

[blert]

Okay, that makes sense about the 'fuge.. & this is my first one, so I kinda don't care how its put together as long as it works.. After I get this one I can tweak my next one.. I like your design.. If it's okay I'll use that & I think my only issue is that my stand is blocked in, so I'd have to drill a hole in the back of the stand so the PVC pipe can get to the sump under the tank.

I'll do some more research.. Cause I don't really wanna hear the toilet flush all the time as the tank is in my bedroom.. So it'll have to be quiet.. & what is a wet/dry sump?

Of course it's ok to use that design. It's not really mine, many folks have come before and it is a pretty common design.

Don't cut into anything structural when modding your stand. And keep in mind when you go to cut, circles are more structurally sound than squares.

A wet/dry just has a section (input) that has a portion of the bio media (bio-balls or such) that are not submerged. The input water empties onto them and trickles down. This makes more oxygen available to the bacteria.

If you need ultra quiet then look into the BeAnAnimal (modified Herbie) overflow.

ATO = Automatic Top Off

 

[fishfool58]

Of course it's ok to use that design. It's not really mine, many folks have come before and it is a pretty common design.

Don't cut into anything structural when modding your stand. And keep in mind when you go to cut, circles are more structurally sound than squares.

A wet/dry just has a section (input) that has a portion of the bio media (bio-balls or such) that are not submerged. The input water empties onto them and trickles down. This makes more oxygen available to the bacteria.

If you need ultra quiet then look into the BeAnAnimal (modified Herbie) overflow.

ATO = Automatic Top Off

I like that design, it looks very straight forward & simple.

What I would be cutting into would be the plywood in the back.. It just kind encloses the back part of the stand.. & I'd cut it round for my PVC pipe to go through..

Okay, I've seen that before, didnt realize that was considered wet/dry. I don't need that? & for my media, I'd do the big foam block, also I saw a guy take 3 media socks, put carbon in 2, & ammo chips in the third.. Then mix ceramic rings with gravel.. Seemed a little complicated with the gravel.. I'll take your advice on how to stack media..

I need quiet so, I'll have to look into that.. Is it fairly inexpensive?

Okay, so what exactly does ATO mean? Top off for what?

Also sorry for all the questions.. You guys are a great help.. I'm going to name my sump tank after you guys.. lol.

 

[Terrance]

Look up Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155. I'm trying to by that.

Less maintenance for you. The 20g sump is really small, so you have to keep adding water to the sump due to evaporation.

 

[blert]

I like that design, it looks very straight forward & simple.

What I would be cutting into would be the plywood in the back.. It just kind encloses the back part of the stand.. & I'd cut it round for my PVC pipe to go through..

Okay, I've seen that before, didnt realize that was considered wet/dry. I don't need that? & for my media, I'd do the big foam block, also I saw a guy take 3 media socks, put carbon in 2, & ammo chips in the third.. Then mix ceramic rings with gravel.. Seemed a little complicated with the gravel.. I'll take your advice on how to stack media..

I need quiet so, I'll have to look into that.. Is it fairly inexpensive?

Okay, so what exactly does ATO mean? Top off for what?

Also sorry for all the questions.. You guys are a great help.. I'm going to name my sump tank after you guys.. lol.

You can do wet/dry if you want but, IMO, they look dirty and are more difficult to clean then a large bag of ceramic rings.

Mixing ceramic rings with the gravel seems a little pointless, preferably you want flow through them not have them just sitting in the gravel. Plus, it would look ugly in your tank.

A foam block or loose floss would be the way to go for mechanical media IMO.

You can't buy a BeAnAnimal overflow, you have to make it.

An ATO automatically tops off the water as it evaporates. They usually consist of at least one float switch that controls a pump that turns on when the float switch triggers. Because of the way a sump system works all evaporation will evidence itself in the return section of your sump, this is where you install the float switch. The Tunze system seems a little pricey to me, here is a less expensive option...
http://www.autotopoff.com/

 

[fishfool58]

You can do wet/dry if you want but, IMO, they look dirty and are more difficult to clean then a large bag of ceramic rings.

Mixing ceramic rings with the gravel seems a little pointless, preferably you want flow through them not have them just sitting in the gravel. Plus, it would look ugly in your tank.

A foam block or loose floss would be the way to go for mechanical media IMO.

You can't buy a BeAnAnimal overflow, you have to make it.

An ATO automatically tops off the water as it evaporates. They usually consist of at least one float switch that controls a pump that turns on when the float switch triggers. Because of the way a sump system works all evaporation will evidence itself in the return section of your sump, this is where you install the float switch. The Tunze system seems a little pricey to me, here is a less expensive option...
http://www.autotopoff.com/

I'd rather stick with the large bags of Ceramic Rings.. & it did look pretty bad in is..
Of course he used bright red gravel..
Rofl.

I didn't get a chance to look last night, I'll check it out when I get off work.. & lol, all that seems complicated but I'll make it work.. Thanks for your help guys!

 

[fishfool58]

What size PVC pipe do you guys recommend I use?

 

[blert]

What size PVC pipe do you guys recommend I use?

How many downpipes are you planning?
What flow (gph) from the return pump are you planning? (remember to subtract for head loss when choosing a return pump)
What is the maximum flow of the overflow box(es) that you plan to use?

 

[fishfool58]

How many downpipes are you planning?
What flow (gph) from the return pump are you planning? (remember to subtract for head loss when choosing a return pump)
What is the maximum flow of the overflow box(es) that you plan to use?

just 1 downpipe, unless I need 2. I plan to have somewhere around 500-600 gph.. Hopefully.. That's what I'm aiming for.. If it's possible.. Been working quite a bit.. Still need to do lots of research.. & not sure on the flow on overflow boxes yet.. (what should I be looking into?)

 

[fishfool58]

I've been doing some research, & thinking.. Will hopefully be starting the sump this weekend as long as nothin comes up.. But one question.. Dock really need an ATO? for evaporation I could just sit a piece of plexiglass on too.. Plus my sump will be under a already made stand that was built to go with the tank itself.. So it's enclosed.. Would the evaporation ruin the inside of my tank? Since it has no opening?

 

[blert]

An ATO is not that big of a deal to leave out in a freshwater tank. They are handy in saltwater as when the water evaporates the salt does not, therefore the salinity increases. Not a problem for freshwater, though as water evaporates you are left with increased TDS. You can always add one later if you find you are having to manually top off the tank more often than you would like to.

As long as there is some air flow through the stand I don't think it will cause any damage.

 

[fishfool58]

An ATO is not that big of a deal to leave out in a freshwater tank. They are handy in saltwater as when the water evaporates the salt does not, therefore the salinity increases. Not a problem for freshwater, though as water evaporates you are left with increased TDS. You can always add one later if you find you are having to manually top off the tank more often than you would like to.

As long as there is some air flow through the stand I don't think it will cause any damage.

Along with the ATO, I figured Id be fine adding a 5 gallon bucket every day if I had too.. & I'm just now getting back into aquariums, what does TDS mean? & since it's my first sump, I thought I'd leave it out.. & once I at least had it going, If I needed to add one, I would..

There isn't any airflow I the stand unless I took the doors off, but I don't want to have to see the sump then.. What if I put a bunch of holes in the back & maybe add a small fan under the tank..

Also I have decided with one downpipe.. & will be finding a pump to give me about 700gph, or more. As I will have a pretty decent size stock.. Is there anything else I'm missing or still needing to research?

 

[fishfool58]

Update, for anyone still following this, I have decided to not use a syphon box.. Heard of too many stories where it broke syphon & the main tank flooded.. Since my 75 has leaked before & seeing the pain in the butt it was.. I've decided not to go that route.. Instead I'm debating 2 things... Buck up & buy a canister or another HOB filter.. Or figure out if my tank is drillable.. If so I will possibly settling for an overflow.. Tuesday I will find out if my tank is tempered.. If it's made of old glass I will be putting my sump together..

 

[blert]

Unless you go all out and drill the tank with a BeAnAnimal style overflow (three downpipes) there will always be a chance of an overflow happening. Even then there is still a chance. You can add float switches that will turn off the return pump in the event of a syphon break. You can drill a small hole in the return line, right below the water surface, in the event of a return pump failure. All in all, doing it right the first time, with safeguards in place, will cost much more than dropping the cash on a canister/HOB or two. There are always good deals on AC110s at Amazon and, if you want to go with a canister, look into the SunSun 304 (http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com). It's a very good low cost canister. I have one on my 75 gallon and it has worked nicely. I also have a 303 on my 37 gallon that has worked great. They are easy to maintain and are huge with lots of room for whatever media you want to fill it with. You don't need to drop the extra cash for a big brand name to get a good canister.

 

[fishfool58]

Unless you go all out and drill the tank with a BeAnAnimal style overflow (three downpipes) there will always be a chance of an overflow happening. Even then there is still a chance. You can add float switches that will turn off the return pump in the event of a syphon break. You can drill a small hole in the return line, right below the water surface, in the event of a return pump failure. All in all, doing it right the first time, with safeguards in place, will cost much more than dropping the cash on a canister/HOB or two. There are always good deals on AC110s at Amazon and, if you want to go with a canister, look into the SunSun 304 (http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com). It's a very good low cost canister. I have one on my 75 gallon and it has worked nicely. I also have a 303 on my 37 gallon that has worked great. They are easy to maintain and are huge with lots of room for whatever media you want to fill it with. You don't need to drop the extra cash for a big brand name to get a good canister.

So ill be spending more on making this sump work than I will on a canister? & the ones I saw at my lfs for one of their 120g display tanks.. It worked nice & the guy said it wouldn't flood the tank & hasn't flooded the tank in like 8 years..

 

[blert]

So ill be spending more on making this sump work than I will on a canister? & the ones I saw at my lfs for one of their 120g display tanks.. It worked nice & the guy said it wouldn't flood the tank & hasn't flooded the tank in like 8 years..

Sure, there are things you can do to make sure the DT and sump cannot overflow. I listed a few options above.

You can pick up TWO SunSun 304b's for $232. How much is your sump running up so far?

 

[fishfool58]

Sure, there are things you can do to make sure the DT and sump cannot overflow. I listed a few options above.

You can pick up TWO SunSun 304b's for $232. How much is your sump running up so far?

Yeah, & not much so far, I haven't added in the pump or cost of drilling.. I have PVC & plexi glass & the other tank..

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Yeah, & not much so far, I haven't added in the pump or cost of drilling.. I have PVC & plexi glass & the other tank..

It shouldn't cost to much more to get what you need to finish it. But I don't know about drilling it haha. I wouldn't think it would cost that much but who knows these days. Good luck

 

[fishfool58]

It shouldn't cost to much more to get what you need to finish it. But I don't know about drilling it haha. I wouldn't think it would cost that much but who knows these days. Good luck

One guy at a lfs said he would drill it for 85 if he came to my house, 50 If I took it there..so all I'd need then is the pump..