Turning a 20L into a Sump

[SaltwaterNoob17]

One of the projects that I want to take on this summer is turning my current sump into a more proper sump (with baffles, a refugium, etc.). Right now I just have a 20 gallon long aquarium with all of my equipment in it as my sump, and I'd like to change that.

This a drawing of what I had in mind:

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


Also, I have a few questions...

-First, I have a gravity-fed ATO that is hooked up to my sump and tops it off with RODI water. If I follow through with the above sump blueprint, what compartment do I hook the ATO up to?

-Second, how tall should the baffles be? I read that the height of your baffles should be determined by the recommended water level for your skimmer. I run an Odyssea PS-75 Skimmer, and can't find any info on the recommended water level for this skimmer. Currently, I have it running in 6" of water.

Thanks in advance!

 

[BL1]

It looks good Samantha. The ATO should be hooked up into the return section, that's where you're going to see your evaporation. You can make the baffles as high as you want, you just need to make sure the sump can accommodate the water from the DT if the power goes out. And if the water is too high in the first section for your skimmer you can get a stand to put it on.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Thanks, Brian. When you say that I can make the baffles as high as I want, is there a standard height that most people use?

 

[BL1]

Not really, the higher you make them the more total water volume your system will have. The only limitation is the amount that drains from your DT when the power goes out. That being said, I made my baffles 8" high in my 20L sump and I could have easily gone 1-2" higher.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Thank you! Another question...

I was planning on having a local glass shop cut the baffles, but I'm not sure how long to tell them to cut them. If I tell them to cut the baffles to the width of the 20L, the black rim on the 20L will hinder putting baffles in. Should I tell them to cut the baffles shorter, or should I cut out sections of the black trim, or what?

 

[ErinCahir]

Is there a specific reason you want to use glass? Mine are acrylic...

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I was reading that silicone bonded to glass forming a seal, whereas with acrylic it just serves as more of a wedge between the sump and baffle.

 

[BL1]

You could have them cut just slightly shorter so you can put them in sideways then pivot them around into place.

 

[BL1]

I was reading that silicone bonded to glass forming a seal, whereas with acrylic it just serves as more of a wedge between the sump and baffle.

Pretty much, if it were cheap and easy enough, I would have had my baffles made from glass.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I haven't gotten a quote from the glass shop yet. I had them make a top for my old 46 gallon bowfront a year or so ago, and I remember the price being cheaper than I had expected.

 

[fastrd400]

Do a search on Youtube on how to bulid a sump. I've seen a few by a guy that really lays it all out on how and what to do. Makes it look really simple.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Do a search on Youtube on how to bulid a sump. I've seen a few by a guy that really lays it all out on how and what to do. Makes it look really simple.

Good advice! I just watched several videos that were helpful.

 

[Bifferwine]

The baffles don't need to be completely sealed. Just held in place. So silicone works fine with plexiglass or acrylic to hold them in place.

 

[fastrd400]

This guy has some really informative videos. Here are his part 1 and 2 on exactly what to do, and how to do it.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxnugJGiT3o]YouTube - ‪Reef Tank D.I.Y. Sump part 1‬‏[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgNe_OYgoL8]YouTube - ‪Reef Tank D.I.Y. Sump part 2‬‏[/ame]

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Those are 2 of the videos I watched last night! The guy was very methodical. A little dry, but methodical and helpful ;)

 

[fastrd400]

Yeah, he is a little on the dry side. But super infomative. I like the whole step by step, and being able to watch it is all that much better.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Yeah. When he said I was going to need tape, I was like, "What?! Tape? For what?" But then after watching the videos I was like, "Hmmm...actually that's a pretty good idea!" :)

 

[fastrd400]

That's what I liked about the videos he has done. He really makes it look less intimidating, and like anyone can do it.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I made a couple of mistakes with the sump blueprint I drew up: I forgot to take into account the width of the baffles, and I was measuring from the outside of the sump when I should have been measuring from the inside of the sump walls. So now I have more questions...

First, I was going to make the baffles 1/4" wide; is this good? What's standard?

Now I need to compress some of the compartments, mainly the refugium. This isn't a problem, except that I plan to keep my heater in the refugium, and the heater is 13.5" long and now the refugium section will only be 13" long. The water won't be deep enough to have the heater in a vertical position, but the compartment won't be long enough to lay the heater horizontally. Can I suction cup the heater diagonally to the wall of the refugium, or is this bad for submersible heaters? (I use an Aqueon Pro Submersible Heater, if that matters...)

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Another question: How high should the last baffle before the return pump be? I was going to have the baffles for the bubble trap be 9" tall. Should the last baffle before the return pump be 9" as well, or shorter?