Hi I am married to this thead's original poster, my name is Lila, he is Gabe.
Do you need the small pvc pipe attached to the return hose? If you do then I'd use some pvc glue and cement it. Rust and reefs don't go well together.
Ok we are back to work at this sump and ready to get it filled! Decided to skip the sock altogether.
the skimmer is in sump with every part in the diagram.
Then, in the smaller part of the sump I put in the Rio 1700 and found the "hardware plate" with suction cups to attach it to the sump floor.
********Still need to find the plumbing part which fits on to the return tube (which i think i found) between pump output and hose to DT******** I have a zillion bits and pieces I will post pics of, and I have some types of glue and sealant that may be appropriate, not sure.
Then once I find the missing bit I'm going to add as much base rock around the skimmer(and a heater/thermometer)
I figured out that the acrylic square piece is a lid that Covers about 1/2 the sump
hooray!
small victory there.
was thinking of drilling into live rock to "stack" on a support pole rather than a pile. have had too many scratches from rock avalanches in the FOWLR. will be attaching coral frags so the sturdier the better. Any links people can share? I searched DIY but am still looking at research on this technique. I have a drill that's a start!!
Thanks so much, here come photos.