Hate my sump!!

FishyReef

FishyReef

Broke Reefer!
Today's plan was to get my sump and refugium set up. Well, after clearing out the bioballs and getting the sump cleaned up, I've now discovered it isn't wide enough to fit my skimmer :frustrat: The sump looks like this: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/ProClear-Aquatics-Premier-Filter-Prefilter/dp/B00061UXHS/ref=sr_1_61?ie=UTF8&qid=1329597888&sr=8-61]Amazon.com: ProClear Aquatics Premier 125 Wet Dry Filter with Prefilter: Pet Supplies[/ame] I bought a 10g tank at petco during their $1/g sale to use a refugium, bought all of my plumbing supplies to set up the two, and now come to find out I can't use the sump tank! So, what do I do? My first thought is to switch the two and use the 10g as the sump (which is barely wide enough to fit the skimmer) and the 20g sump as the refugium. The only problem is the "water level min" line on my skimmer is right at the top of the 10g, so I don't think the 10g will be deep enough for my skimmer.:grumble: I really don't want to go and buy another tank (esp. since sales aren't going on right now!) Any suggestions?
 
its a trickle sump same as mine i use cotton wool on top.... and a uv light on the side to make a sort of algae scrubber on the glass
 
I stopped by petco and home depot on my way home to see what other options I could come up and could use some feedback!

The cheapest way to go would be a plastic bin - found a 20g one that should fit in the stand for less than $10 at home depot that I think will be strong enough for the water and tall enough for the skimmer. The downside is that because it is plastic I don't think I can add baffles to it so water coming from the refugium back to the sump will just get mixed in with the water going into the skimmer (not good since I eventually want to culture pods in the refugium).

The other option is 20g high tank from petco, running around $45. It would be large enough for the skimmer and baffles to separate water going into the skimmer from water coming out of the skimmer and being returned from the refugium. Downside is that I really don't want to pay that much. So bummed that petco's $1/g sale ended :(

The other consideration is that if I'm going to scrap the original sump that came with the tank (which at this point I think I have to) then I'd kind of like to make a sump with greater volume than 20g. If I go that route, I think I'd jump up in size to a 40g breeder, but am not sure I can get in my stand due to the bar that separates the doors - doesn't give me a lot of manuevering room.

Anyone have words of wisdom for me? Or even just a "hey that sucks" would be welcomed :D
 
Have you looked on craigslist? I'm looking for a 20 gallon sump so I searched my local craigslist (particularly lame) and there were several people within a hundred miles of me which were selling 20 gallons for $25-$50(with some stuff). So that would be a good place to look...
 
Hey Alex, yeah I did check CL and everything listed now for a 20-30g is priced higher than the tank at petco. I do keep checking though!

Hoopsdaddy - yeah, my tank is already filled and cycling. I had planned on getting the sump figured out and set up while the tank was cycling, but didn't count on this (welcome to saltwater reefing, eh? lol) If it wasn't filled, I would have more options in terms of moving the tank/stand.

At this point, I am leaning towards just going and getting the 20 high from petco. It isn't ideal, but at least I could add baffles and set up the refugium for chaeto and pods. I wish I had the option to put the sump somewhere other than under the stand, but since the tank is in my office I really can't put it anywhere else. This is one of those moments that I have to accept the limitations of my set up and make the best of it (just like when I had had to give up the idea of putting a pink-tailed trigger in the tank!)
 
Quote-"The other consideration is that if I'm going to scrap the original sump that came with the tank (which at this point I think I have to) then I'd kind of like to make a sump with greater volume than 20g. If I go that route, I think I'd jump up in size to a 40g breeder, but am not sure I can get in my stand due to the bar that separates the doors - doesn't give me a lot of manuevering room."

The center brace between the doors can usually be removed if it is a wood cabinet and that piece has been screwed it from the back. You will want to cut a peice of wood that is the exact same length and place it to the left or right of the original peice and wedge it in place. Give yoourself room to work. The frame of the stand should be designed to support the weight of the tank filled. The center peice is called a "style" and it's purpose is more decoration than function, although it does both. Then you can usually unscrew this peice from the back. It should have 4 screws. It may be glued in also so you might have to tap on it a little bit to get it out.
With this peice removed you can put in the 40gal breeder sump you want to custom build. Once the "new" sump is in place, reinstall the original center peice and then remove the temporary brace.
If you have the ability to pull out a bunch of water since your tank isn't finished cycling yet, you can also do this to lighten the load while you do this project, but it isn't necessary if you put in the temporary brace.

Most importantly though, make sure to measure the footprint of the inside cabinet before you buy, build, and try to install this to make sure you have plenty of room. Also there are lost of great "diy" sump builds you can find on this forum.
 
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Thanks Hoopsdaddy - I did go ahead and buy the 20 high before I saw your response, but think that was probably the better choice since after looking at my stand I can't figure out how to remove the center post in the front - it doesn't appear to be screwed in anywhere. The center post in the back might be removable - also no screws, but I can see where it was nailed in place. Although removing the back brace won't allow me get the 40g breeder in (my tank is only 3 in or so from the back wall), it will hopefully allow me to get the 20 high in, since I can't seem to get it to just slide in (argh!).

On a separate note, for those who have built your own sump and added baffles, did you use pre-cut glass? I went to home depot and bought 10x12 pre-cut glass, which I thought would fit just fine into the 13in wide tank I just bought - but the 12in side is too wide and the 10in side to short. If you bought pre-cut glass, what size did you buy and how wide was your tank?
 
Also, I just checked out the size on the 40g breeder and it's about an inch too wide. So, for now, here's to hoping I can talk the maintenance guy at work into helping me take the back center post of the stand off to slide in the 20 high! (though I suppose I should get the baffles and everything in first. Might be another few weeks before any fish go in my tank since I can't work on it for the next two weekends. Oh well, we all know what they say about the best laid plans...
 
Yeah, that is my main concern. After looking at the stand, I don't think the back center post supports much weight. But I might instead just siphon the water into buckets, move the stand out a few inches to hopefully be able to maneuver the tank into place, and then put the water back in. I figure if I can do it all within 30 min I shouldn't have a huge die-off on my live rock... of course it will really suck if I take the water out and still can't get the 20 high to fit without removing the post LOL.
 
While still trying to figure out how to get the sump into the stand, I figured my first step should be to get the inside of the sump configured and set up with baffles. So I went looking for glass today to make my baffles. What have others used? The pre-cut glass at home depot is only 3/32" thick and is either too wide or narrow to use outright without cutting it down. The other hardware store and framing store I went to only carry 1/8" thick glass and had no idea where I would find 1/4" or 1/2" thick glass for baffles, and if I got 1/8" thick glass and doubled it, I am looking at almost $75 just to get enough panes of glass cut for 2 sets of baffles in my sump and 2 sets in my refugium. This seems like an awful lot of money to spend for a DIY sump.... any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!! (some day I really will have fish in my tank LOL)
 
It's been a good day! The guy at my office says it is no problem to remove the back brace of the stand to slide the sump into place. I found a place that I can order 1/4" thick custom cut glass for a great price, so I'm going to place an order there if I can't find something local in the next day or so. And, my tank is done cycling, so I'm going to do a water change tomorrow and prep my tank for the addition of a small cuc of snails, 3 black axil chromis, and 2 corals from the diver's den - just ordered! :D
 

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