help with a DIY sump

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
R

Reel North

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 6, 2007
45
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0
Burlington, Ontario
Hey all. I know this has likely been done over and over, and I figure you guys are the ones to ask, from looking at the awesome DIY on here

I am getting a 265 gallon, and will be moving my African cichlid big haps to it. I will be making my own sump to save some dollars, and will likely make one out of a 75 gallon.

With freshwater, I dont need a fuge, but I am not sure exactly what I do need, where the various filter media should go, what to use for freshwater etc.

Can you throw me some help on this - I have been reading tonsm and still am lost

Thanks in advance
 
I'll give it a shot. You will need a prefilter chamber (which will act as your mechanical filter, filter socks are really handy for this), a chamber for your biological filter (scrubbies, ceramic rings, bio balls) and possibly a chamber for chemical filtration (carbon, ion exchange resins and such) and then just an area to act as a sump, so your pump doesn't run dry.
 
Pretty much, mainly your going to need bio-media in there. You can also add filter floss for mechanical filtration before the drip plate.
 
I guess I need to know more than I thought.

Essentially, here is what I need to know

1) water comes in to the sump from the tank overflows. I assume it would go into compartment "one". This the compartment with the mechanical filtration, correct?

2) what else goes in compartment one?

3) Does the water from compartment one flow UNDER the partition into section 2. Is section 2 the one with the bio media or is the bio media under the mechanical in compartment 1?

I know from compartment 2 to compartment 3 there are 3 baffles, and then the return pump is in compartment 3.

I really need some help. Its so simple, but I dont get it. Sorry
 
Thanks!

I was missing a couple of critical things. Here is what I gather from the topics you kindly provided.

In order from top down in the "incoming" side

1) drip plate
2) mechanical filtration, which water passes thru onto the bioballs or other bio media
3) a heater is positioned under this section.

The next section has the pump, which return the water to the tank.

Did I miss something, or is it that easy? Where does the fine floss go? in the mechanical section?
 
bio-tower.jpg
 
Definitely do a wet/dry. It harbors Nitrobacter colonies very well. I used a three drawer rubbermaid tower in my 58g with mechanical on the top, and bio in the middle and bottom. It was an awesome filter.
 
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