DIY sump Need Input

[koop171]

Didn't have a chance to read through this all the way, but.....

What size tank is this going on?

You can use glass or acrylic to make the dividers. I used acrylic in my 75G sump as it was easier to work with. Acrylic will run you right about the same price.

You can you the plastic mesh screen to keep the fry from getting into the pump area. If you filter it well enough, you won't have to worry about debris build-up. Fry do not make a whole lot of mess. You could use veggie clips or something similar to hold onto the screen. Just a quick thought.

I agree, GE silicone at Lowes works well. It is what I used.

It will either go on my 220 or be sold for the extra cash.

I bought the glass today I got glass b/c I was worried about the bonding of the silicone to the glass and acrylic. and it was 16 bucks for the three pieces I got. So i'm not unhappy with that.

I don't what a mesh top b/c I would plan on keeping fish in the growout untill they were in the balpark of 8-10" I know that's a little large for the area but For the size of fish already in my aquaium I won't add anything that's less then 8"


What GE did you get? Construction or something else I'll be heading there tomorrow to get that.

For the growout area, silicone two stainless steel all thread rods to the glass then use washers and wing nuts to hold the egg crate down.

That's not a bad idea but Idk if I want that added cost even though it would be cheap. lol I'm trying to build this on stuff that I have laying around here. but that is a good idea.

I do not understand why so many people bypass mechanical filtration in sumps or wet/drys… I just don’t see a sock or floss on top of a drip tray being adequate…
　

　
That’s my design… The sand is “experimental” and will not work with a high flow system… chances are you will just bypass that step…
　
A Drip tray could be placed where the water spills from the third sponge into the refugium… the refugium could be replaced with a bio chamber… or half of the refugium could be bio chamber and the other half refugium…
　
If your 220 gal is functioning just fine right now, then why would you want to add so much bio media? Dedicating what looks like 20” x 18” x 12” to biomedia just seems excessive… I would make the bio a lot smaller and add mechanical…

I don't see how filter floss if bypassing mech. thre will be floss on top of the drip tray and seeing how I have a 90' roll of floss I will use that. it will work as long as you want to change the floss as often as it needs.

Why so much bio you ask. Why not. there is no reason not to have tons of bio media in you filters. The more bio media the greater you can stock once the media is seeded. You will just have to change your mech media more often. but the more bio media the less chance you have of an ammo spike after feeding.

 

[JakeH]

I tend to agree with nc_nutcase here. If you already have 0 ammonia, you dont need any more bio, especially not a whole wet/dry worth... Just toss a few bags of Biomax or whatever biomedia you like in the bottom (yes, the BB work fine submerged) & use the rest of that space for mech or java moss or just extra water volume. Extra mech helps grab waste particles before they get broken down, reducing the bio-load (if you change it often enough), then plants help reduce the nitrate and balance the system, then extra water makes your parameters more stable & slows nitrate buildup, which just enhances the other things I listed. I'm not knocking wet/dry's or anything, but you didnt mention any ammo issues...

 

[Conner]

I do not understand why so many people bypass mechanical filtration in sumps or wet/drys… I just don’t see a sock or floss on top of a drip tray being adequate…
　

　
That’s my design… The sand is “experimental” and will not work with a high flow system… chances are you will just bypass that step…
　
A Drip tray could be placed where the water spills from the third sponge into the refugium… the refugium could be replaced with a bio chamber… or half of the refugium could be bio chamber and the other half refugium…
　
If your 220 gal is functioning just fine right now, then why would you want to add so much bio media? Dedicating what looks like 20” x 18” x 12” to biomedia just seems excessive… I would make the bio a lot smaller and add mechanical…

If you use the right media, then I don't see it as "bypassing" the mechanical step. You can do basically the same thing you're doing with your sponges, only doing it on top of the bio chamber. Just start with coarse media, then medium, then fine, and you can even add a micron filter pad underneath the fine media if you want. If you create a spray bar, then it will drip more evenly over the media, and help prevent channeling. Or you can go a step further, and place a drip tray over the mechanical media, to really distribute the water evenly.

I understand where you're coming from, but I think that placing the mechanical on top of the bio can still be an effective/efficient way of filtering the water. You just have to do it right.

And how is a filter sock of 100 microns, if changed regularly so its not overflowing, not an efficient mechanical filtration step?

 

[Conner]

I do agree that you could easily cut the biomedia section into about 1/2 that and still have more than enough bio to suit what you're thinking of doing. That would give you a much larger area for your grow outs, so they wouldn't be as crowded getting to 8".

 

[Dane]

That's not a bad idea but Idk if I want that added cost even though it would be cheap. lol I'm trying to build this on stuff that I have laying around here. but that is a good idea.

We're talking like maybe $2-3 worth of stuff (if that)!

 

[koop171]

We're talking like maybe $2-3 worth of stuff (if that)!

lol I'm getting cheap I guess. I'll look for that stuff tomorrow While I'm at lowes also.





I don't really want to cut the bio chamber but maybe 2" I'm a huge bio filtration guy. The more bio the better in my book . Now I know that won't sit well with some people.But I like the bio. It gives me room to do basically whatever I want stocking wise. I can stock super heavy or I can stock light and be sure that my water quality stays good for longer durations of time. It's just personal preferance. But I know I don't need such a large area. And I'll consider cutting it down but If I don't it won't be by much.

 

[Toby_H]

I don't see how filter floss if bypassing mech. thre will be floss on top of the drip tray and seeing how I have a 90' roll of floss I will use that. it will work as long as you want to change the floss as often as it needs.

Why so much bio you ask. Why not. there is no reason not to have tons of bio media in you filters. The more bio media the greater you can stock once the media is seeded. You will just have to change your mech media more often. but the more bio media the less chance you have of an ammo spike after feeding.

Using filter fabric laying on top of a drip tray can easily get pushed aside or the water can wear a hole in the media. Using sponge pads would be more effecient but still runs the risk of clogging and water running around it.

I've just kept tanks long enough to know despite my best intensions sometimes life gets in the way of me keeping perfect maintenance. In this situation when maintenace is put off, waste is likely to get into the bio chamber. This makes bio filtration less effective and increases the frequency of the bio media needing to be cleaned, which can often lead to problems.

I'm not saying it's a horrible idea, just sharing why I think an other approach would serve you better...


Coming from a background in keeping Cichlids, aggression limits my stocking loads long before bio filtration being maxed out. There is no harm is supplying more bio media than needed, other than it's occupying space that could be better utilized.


Yours is not a design I would ever make/use... but that doesn't mean it's a bad design or it won't work. There are a lot of different approaches to filtration. I'm not criticizing yours, just sharing what mine is and why.

 

[koop171]

Using filter fabric laying on top of a drip tray can easily get pushed aside or the water can wear a hole in the media. Using sponge pads would be more effecient but still runs the risk of clogging and water running around it.

I've just kept tanks long enough to know despite my best intensions sometimes life gets in the way of me keeping perfect maintenance. In this situation when maintenace is put off, waste is likely to get into the bio chamber. This makes bio filtration less effective and increases the frequency of the bio media needing to be cleaned, which can often lead to problems.

I'm not saying it's a horrible idea, just sharing why I think an other approach would serve you better...


Coming from a background in keeping Cichlids, aggression limits my stocking loads long before bio filtration being maxed out. There is no harm is supplying more bio media than needed, other than it's occupying space that could be better utilized.


Yours is not a design I would ever make/use... but that doesn't mean it's a bad design or it won't work. There are a lot of different approaches to filtration. I'm not criticizing yours, just sharing what mine is and why.

I see your point. But Can you elaborate on what types of media you would use instead. You have Fine, medium, corse and sand listed but what types of fine medium and corse media exatly would you use? there is not a ton of options that I am aware of

Floss, sand, foam blocks, socks, Diatom powder (only used in diatom filters and not used 24/7) Is there something that I don't know about?

 

[Conner]

I see your point. But Can you elaborate on what types of media you would use instead. You have Fine, medium, corse and sand listed but what types of fine medium and corse media exatly would you use? there is not a ton of options that I am aware of

Floss, sand, foam blocks, socks, Diatom powder (only used in diatom filters and not used 24/7) Is there something that I don't know about?

I think his point is in the way the media is used. Putting it on top of a drip plate, with water pouring onto it from a single source, is more likely to create channeling, which will result in reduced filtering capacity. The way he showed in his design is more likely to be a near-zero bypass method, with much less chance of channeling, since the water flows through the entire face of the media evenly.

 

[koop171]

I went and picked up this today.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_47209-72643...tId=3070881&pl=1&currentURL=/pl_GE_4294856864 4294965819_4294937087_

Now on the tube it says not for aquariums But says nothing about mold or mildew resistance.

BUT On the link it says that it does have a mold inhibitor

BUT.... In this link to the 4 pack of the same product It says it does NOT have a mold inhibitor.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_35166-72643-LW012X4_4294856864+4294965819_4294937087?productId=3078887&pl=1&currentURL=/pl_GE_4294856864%204294965819_4294937087_

So can I use it or not?