Sump Design

Christophe

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Lifetime Member
Oct 3, 2013
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Albuquerque, NM, USA
Having fully contracted the Dreaded Aquarium Disease now, I’m launching into planning an 80-90 gallon custom tank to fill a particular space in my house. I need to do a kitchen remodel first, so the tank is going to wait, but I can start doing the smaller storable pieces now. With the delay, at least I won’t be impatient waiting for the silicone to cure with a tank sitting there.

So — wet/dry sump design. I managed to get a cheap used 29 gallon tank last weekend. Here’s a roughly to scale drawing of what I have in mind to do with it.

SumpDesign_zps1a6d4698.png


The large baffles around the trickle chamber will be glass. The drip tray and egg crate for the trickle chamber will be supported by chunks of 12mm square acrylic rod glued/siliconed into place. The fence in the pump section is to be removable (so I can get heaters in and out from under the trickle chamber), held in place by more acrylic rod.

Is the fence high enough, or too high? I thought it should be higher than the minimum for the return pump to function.

I’m not really worried about the trickle section clogging and causing the intake section to flood. Should I be? I could put in a pass through in that second baffle for if the level gets too high…
 

AaronT

Member
Jul 29, 2013
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I'm not sure you even need the fence section. I don't use one on mine and it seems fine without it.

Make sure that the sealed portion has a way to easily remove the lid because changing that sock filter out every 2-4 days is going to get old if it's a pain to take the lid off.
 

feh

Guru Class Expert
Jan 14, 2011
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South Carolina
I personally wouldn't put my heaters under your media like that. When one fails you're going to have to pull all that out to get to it.
 

Christophe

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Oct 3, 2013
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Albuquerque, NM, USA
Thanks for the comments!

I'm kind of 'on the fence' about the fence. The fence is only there to give the opportunity to have a bit more (possibly finer) Poret foam, or I could cut that Poret in half and sandwich in other stuff, like a sock of Purigen.

Because the fence will be removable, the heaters can come out that way, without removing any of the media. Only the two bigger baffles will be permanently glued. I want everything else to be removable to ease maintenance and access.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for the comments!

I'm kind of 'on the fence' about the fence. The fence is only there to give the opportunity to have a bit more (possibly finer) Poret foam, or I could cut that Poret in half and sandwich in other stuff, like a sock of Purigen.

Because the fence will be removable, the heaters can come out that way, without removing any of the media. Only the two bigger baffles will be permanently glued. I want everything else to be removable to ease maintenance and access.
 

Christophe

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Lifetime Member
Oct 3, 2013
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Albuquerque, NM, USA
I’ve finished the sump build, here’s the details!

Materials:
two 3/16” glass panels 11-3/4 x 16” for baffles,
a small 3/16” glass piece 1-1/2 x 10” for the weir
24”x18” sheet of 5mm acrylic
24”x18” sheet of 2mm acrylic
four feet of 1/2” square acrylic rod

I used the 1/2” square acrylic rod as light weight-bearing supports for the drip tray and the egg crate at the bottom of the trickle chamber.

IMG_8615_zps21956e0d.jpg


I tacked them into place with a Loctite cyanoacrylate formulated for use with glass — it sticks really well. Once tacked in, these supports also serve as guides/supports for the two large glass baffles on either side of the trickle chamber.

IMG_8621_zps2cb5a50a.jpg


I siliconed the baffles in, and added silicone fillets around the rod pieces for additional support.

IMG_8639_zpsdda333ad.jpg


Total cost was less than $100 with a cheap used 29g tank. Can’t wait to get a tank on which to use this!

- - - Updated - - -

I’ve finished the sump build, here’s the details!

Materials:
two 3/16” glass panels 11-3/4 x 16” for baffles,
a small 3/16” glass piece 1-1/2 x 10” for the weir
24”x18” sheet of 5mm acrylic
24”x18” sheet of 2mm acrylic
four feet of 1/2” square acrylic rod

I used the 1/2” square acrylic rod as light weight-bearing supports for the drip tray and the egg crate at the bottom of the trickle chamber.

IMG_8615_zps21956e0d.jpg


I tacked them into place with a Loctite cyanoacrylate formulated for use with glass — it sticks really well. Once tacked in, these supports also serve as guides/supports for the two large glass baffles on either side of the trickle chamber.

IMG_8621_zps2cb5a50a.jpg


I siliconed the baffles in, and added silicone fillets around the rod pieces for additional support.

IMG_8639_zpsdda333ad.jpg


Total cost was less than $100 with a cheap used 29g tank. Can’t wait to get a tank on which to use this!