is this sump feasible?

tankedchemist

tankedchemist

Reef enthusiast
So, I'm having problems with my sump. Well... actually, with my skimmer fitting correctly in my sump. So, the company that makes my skimmer also does acrylic sumps. Here's the one I'd need for my tank:

RE HD 30

So, at $450, I wonder... is it feasible to make my own version for less than that? I've never worked with acrylic before, but I did make my last (glass) sump and did all the tank plumbing myself. Those of you with DIY experience.... would you save up the cash or make it yourself? Anything else I should consider about the re-vamping my sump? thanks in advance!
 
Oh man I think pre-made sumps are one of the biggest rip offs in this hobby! Go spend $30 at Walmart and you've got yourself the equivalent sump in glass!

I've never worked with acrylic (and probably wouldn't trust myself to build a sump out of it), but if you are having troubles fitting your skimmer in your current glass sump, you could also look at plastic rubbermade tubs. They come in all different sizes. That's what I use for my sump -- I just scoped out Walmart, Target, Home Depot and Lowe's until I found the one that was the perfect size for the space I had.
 
On the other hand, it is a pretty nice looking sump and if you don't want to put the time into building one yourself........
 
Most problems in life can be fixed with time or money. Usually, it's a combination of both. :mrgreen:

I built my own sump. I had never done it before. I had no idea what I was really doing. But it worked. Several members here have built their first sump. It's not hard to do and it's not complicated. It's also really cheap to DIY.

I would never pay that much for a box of acrylic either. Now that I know how to drill holes in glass and silicone some baffles into a tank - I've got sumps on the brain!! Building the new sump and installing the plumbing is almost more exciting to me than filling the tank with water.

We can help you pick the right parts to build a sump. I've made a few videos of drilling holes and a few videos of gluing PVC parts together. I'm happy to walk you through a sump step-by-step if it will save you $200+
 
I'd say either put aside the time to make your own or buy a good sump. I had to custom order one because of my stand size and its limitations and wanted to maximize the size of the sump I can put into my stand while having the ability to incorporate a drop in refugium and a space for a good sized skimmer into the design. It really depends on what your needs are and how much you want to spend on it. I personally have no time or knowledge to build a sump+refugium that's decent.
 
Yeah you guys are probably right.... I shy away from building another glass sump because I'm petrified of drilling glass. I already do have a 30 g glass sump I built, so I guess it would be cheap to (somehow) take it out and drill a hole for the skimmer. I need to run the skimmer externally to fit right.
 
All you need to do is drill a hole in the right spot so you can install a bulk head to plumb an external skimmer?

Hell, thats easy!! :bounce:

Take some pics and measurements. Let's get started!! :^: You can clean the house next week.
 
i agree RC, DRILL DRILL DRILL!
hehehe
its really not that hard to drill a tank, just go slow, and dont force it... let the bit erode its way through, your not drilling into wood here, and it'll work just fine for ya...

i did my first hole on a 10 gall, and thats super thin glass, and the thicker, the "safer" less breakage potential...
 
haha, clearly you haven't seen my house now!! :mrgreen:

Actually, I'd have to order the drill bit, and bulkhead fitting. And I need to find some o-rings so I can replace the shitty ones that came with my bulkhead kits. My plumbing has recently started leaking like a sieve, so I might as well re-do it when I do the sump....
 
I bought my hole saws from richontools. I bought my bulk heads from flex PVC. No leaks........ yet. :Cheers:

What size bulk head are you planning to use?
 
so, I need o-rings to fit 1" ID bulkheads (4) on the tank. I don't know exactly what the OD is, though.

For the skimmer, it lists the return as "outlet: 1 1/2 " PVC threaded gate valve"... here's my skimmer. EVO 750 The return part is the white and red ball valve thing. That's what I need to drill my current sump for
 
Can you measure the OD of the bulk heads with a set of calipers?

FYI my 1.5" bulk heads required a 60mm hole. Yours should be close to that. You can buy new gaskets for bulk heads at Flex PVC.

1/2 way down - they have gaskets listed for the standard and economy bulk heads. You should be able to match up to one of those sizes pretty close.

Product Listing - BulkheadFittingsParts
 
i don't own calipers big enough.... I improvised some with a pipe wrench. All 4 bulkheads are 1 1/2". that's a neat site RC-- wish I'd seen it before gluing my bulkheads to the drain and return pipes. a 90* nut would have been awesome! oh well.
 
Yeah, I glued my bulk heads to the pipe. I kinda wish I had used something threaded instead. At least that way I could use the same bulk head over and over. Then I could change the pipe as many times as I want and not have to buy new bulk heads.
 
yes, this is the holesaw that i got off ebay from tx holey rocks... worked just fine for me...

this is the one that workes for the 1" pvc pipe bulkheads that i got from flexpvc.com...

also, on the "O" rings that your looking for, you can go check this out, its a very affordable kit, and it'll cover most all your needs, just get like 2 of the orings that that fit inside eachother... like an o inside of a O....

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
 

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