sump set up issues with detailed image of problematic idea

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
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Mar 11, 2014
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CAM04214.jpg

Any creative advice would be wondrous. Main issue is space at this point. I don't want less than 100 gallons in my sump, and I'm running low on ideas. The overflow drain in my 65g would be perfect for releasing water into another chamber, but it seems as if it will be difficult to clean, and hardly worth the effort for 37 additional gallons. I have searched and searched for stock tanks that could either stand alone under my stand, or provide higher gallonage in the sub 10" height range. Nothing. Seems there are no 70" x 31" x23", or 70" x 31" x 9" stock tanks to be found.

That aside, critiques on this concept would also be wondrous. I have never put a sump together, but I think I'm on the right track.

CAM04214.jpg
 

noside

Gambusia
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Mar 6, 2014
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The biggest daily PITA would be changing those socks with little to no clearance above it.

Also trying to do plumbing with 1.5" pipe in a 1.5" space is going to be really hard even for an experienced plumber.

I'd recommend leaving minimum 6" working room If your plumbing skills are sub par.

I'm pretty sure if you cut down the top of a plastic stock tank you are going to lose rigidity in the walls. Typically the tops are rolled not so you can lift it easier but so it reinforces the walls.

If it were me I'd just be waiting for a used 125 gal to come up and use that instead of over complicating things. I'd also have figured these things out before making any stands etc. So you would be able to build a stand around your sump and not trying to find something that'll fit later on.

Not trying to school you or anything lol I learned from my mistakes on my first setup a long time ago and how planning can make things much less stressful.
 

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
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Mar 11, 2014
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There is about 5.5" of space to plumb in, but the majority of it simply cannot house tank space because of the support beams.

The decision to make the stand this size was calculated. I am buying a house with my girlfriend in 16-24 months, and we will be leaving our long term rental house behind. In the house I am in now the largest possible opening is 35.75" wide. I didn't want to make a stand I would have to abandon.
 

celebrist

Goliath Tigerfish
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Side by side sump tanks with bulkhead connections between them might work, I have seen several members do this
 

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
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That might be what I have to do. The only downside is that this 65g's overflows would work so perfect in the way I outlined above. In any other scenario the drain is more of a hindrance than anything else. I would need to remove it and patch up the hole with a 4x4 square of acrylic to move in that direction.

Maybe noside is right, and the thing to do is just wait on a 125 or 150. I just can't believe I can't find a plastic stock tank with those dimensions. Gah.

For the sake of learning, did anyone see anything I overlooked in my design outside of the lack of space, and emergency close valves?
 

celebrist

Goliath Tigerfish
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Could you put the 65 on the side and then let it drain down to the lower tank that houses the return pumps? You would have to have a "side car" stand and I don't know what kind of space you have to work with
 

ragin_cajun

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I think I'd just buy a pair of Eheim 2262's and call it a day. And I can't believe you guys are saying you need at least 5 inches? 6 inches? to run plumbing? I plumbed a sump a couple months ago with 12-14 inches of space and I thought THAT was a pain. 5 inches clearance to run plumbing? That's pretty ambitious at my house! :)
 

the lion who ate the sun

Plecostomus
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Mar 11, 2014
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I think I'd just buy a pair of Eheim 2262's and call it a day. And I can't believe you guys are saying you need at least 5 inches? 6 inches? to run plumbing? I plumbed a sump a couple months ago with 12-14 inches of space and I thought THAT was a pain. 5 inches clearance to run plumbing? That's pretty ambitious at my house! :)
Haha, and waste those beautiful overflows-- not a chance ;) I'm quite pleased that I will not be cleaning canisters on this set up.

I ran that idea by my girlfriend and she wasn't happy about it celebrist. The plan is to turn the stand into a decent looking piece of furniture. Its on display in a place that is visible from all around the house. I did get another idea though: if we were to have it jutting out of the side of the tank with six or eight pothos plants jutting out of the top it might not look so bad. It is going to be surrounded by some thirty houseplants already. If I can figure out a way to work it into the arrangement, and allow the trailing vines and surrounding plants to mask it, it might not look so bad.

By the way, the title of this thread is the result of ten straight hours of working on a research paper on cultural appropriation and canonistic breaches in the medieval ages. My brain is fried.
 

celebrist

Goliath Tigerfish
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Yeah, I wasn't able to get the side car tank past authorities either :) I figured it is her house to so it's all good since she didn't complain about the eight foot tank in her dining room. Your idea about surrounding it with plants is great if you have the room though. My tank is flanked by two trees to help it"blend in" with the rest of the room. Good luck which ever way you go.
 
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