Need help with sump for 220

[Fish Tank Travis]

As some of you may know from some of my other threads, I just got a 220 gallon tank and will be working on getting it setup over the next few weeks.

I also got a stand for it. It is an Aqueon stand that is 28" tall but is only 25" tall on the interior of the stand, due to the large, thin board at the bottom.

This brings me to my dilemma. I want to use a 55 gallon tank for the sump/refugium. However, this tank is 21" tall, which only gives me about 4" between the bottom of the 220 and only 1" below the top rim. I don't have the funds to be building a custom sump to fit nicely in the stand and leave plenty of clearance. My idea so far is to take the large thin board out of the bottom of the stand and set the sump tank on the ground. Once I do this, I will add some bracing to the bottom, but I will make the braces fit around the 55 gallon tank. This will give me another 3" clearance.

Next, I was considering building a rectangle under the bottom out of 2x4 or 4x4 to, essentially, set the stand on. I will then fasten the stand to this rectangle and this could give me another 2" or 4". If I can use 4x4 then I will give myself an extra 7" of clearance for a total of 10" between the bottom of the 220 and the top of the 55.

What do you all think about this idea? What have some of you done to get a taller sump to wok in your stand?

My reasons for me wanting this extra clearance is so that I can put some of the pothos plants that you all have been talking about (I will be installing a light under the tank) and to have access to the refugium I plan on having so that I can possibly keep some critters in it, maybe some sort of live food.

Again, thank you all!

 

[Niners4952]

I dont see why that would not work as long as you dont mind seeing the extra wood under the stand, id go 4X4 for sure. Just add bracing where you can, if you think about it, that will actually be stronger then your stand so putting the stand on an elevated platform should work fine

 

[Red_Man]

Hello! The piece of plywood in the bottom of factory stands provides little if any structure. I bought a125g whose plumbing had failed and flooded the stand. That bottom piece of plywood was trashed so I removed it. It was only held in with 6 staples. Used the stand sans plywood insert and it did fine. Held the tank for almost a year until I built a DIY stand and trashed the old one. My tank was placed on carpet. That could play a small roll in helping keep everything straight. The rest of your idea sounds fine. I would use 2x4s as they are cheaper and will provide the most internal space. I'd use trim nails to tack the factory stand to the new frame. Pothos require hardly any light at all to grow well so don't go wasting money on a fancy light. I used a 60w grow light on some I had in my office and it actually slowed its growth and turned some of the leaves yellow. I switched to a T5 24" fluorescent that was only on two hours a day and I got rapid growth and the color returned. Good luck!