New Tank - Bottom Drilled 2 Holes Each Side (same size total of 4) - Sump Help!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Yeah, it is kinda like legos lol. Keep in mind though that you'll replace the existing bulkheads but will likely be putting some bulkheads back for the plumbing :-). Yes, take it one step at a time and plan ahead. It can be a very cool learning experience. BTW, the sump is made of acrylic. I do agree that you definitely want to plan for the best access for maintenance.. Given your tank size you should have plenty of space, just ensure the tank stand has the height so you have plenty of room to run plumbing and just getting under to do stuff.
 
I was thinking of using a 75 gallon aquarium because I don't know how to find an acrylic sump (unless I make one, which isn't too desirable at this point). I can find a nice cheap glass 75 on the local Craigslist. Not sure if a 75 gallon will fit underneath the stand through the doors, I guess it should fit right through the stand top since the tank is much wider - only have height to worry about making sure its accessible through the doors. Would you recommend using glass pieces or acrylic pieces as the dividers? Just thinking out loud, the tank is at my work and I'm at the house watching the Nut Job with the kids.
 
I hear you about building your own sump. My brother-in-law built one that is quite nice and professionally done, IMO, but it took a long time cutting and gluing. I think 75 glass tank would be good. I have heard acrylic doesn't always hold too well with silicone to glass, but I do know it's used. My overflow box in my tank is acrylic. I have seen examples of glass sumps with acrylic baffles/chambers, but I know you can use glass as well. I'm assuming you have access to acrylic and/or glass? Do you have the stand already? If so, how tall is it?
 
Yeah I'll post more pictures later. Stand is 26 inches tall.

Here is my concern: I have 2 overflows at each end of the tank. My tank is 84 inches long and if I use both overflows as drains the pipes will not be able to go straight into the sump, they will have to 45 at an angle to go into the 75 underneath.

Is only using 2 - 1.5" bottom hole going to filter enough water? Only 1 would be siphon and the other would be an emergency trickle.

Or use all 4 holes (2 syphons and 2 emergency tickle pipes) at a 45 angle to the sump?
 
Just don't put ANY dividers in the sump. I don't have any. Dividers are for saltwater tanks. simple sump for a FW tank doesn't need any dividers in the sump.
 
ragin_cajun said:
Just don't put ANY dividers in the sump. I don't have any. Dividers are for saltwater tanks. simple sump for a FW tank doesn't need any dividers in the sump.
Click to expand...

Having a certain amount of chambers in a sump is much more dependant on what your trying to accomplish then it is to do with saltwater vs freshwater.

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Budman said:
Yeah I'll post more pictures later. Stand is 26 inches tall.

Here is my concern: I have 2 overflows at each end of the tank. My tank is 84 inches long and if I use both overflows as drains the pipes will not be able to go straight into the sump, they will have to 45 at an angle to go into the 75 underneath.

Is only using 2 - 1.5" bottom hole going to filter enough water? Only 1 would be siphon and the other would be an emergency trickle.

Or use all 4 holes (2 syphons and 2 emergency tickle pipes) at a 45 angle to the sump?
Click to expand...

There's a recent thread where the OP has a very similar situation as you too :-)
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...verflow-piping-for-my-240-Tank-Please-Help-me

IMO, I wouldn't be concerned about having 45 degrees going into the sump. In an ideal world it would be straight down, but that's not always achievable, but it's not a deal breaker. In fact, I use 90 degrees which typically should be avoided - but it allowed me to run cleaner piping. I think you're ok if running 45 degrees.

The real consideration is, are you still going with two drains or 4 drains (including stand-by drains). Can you remind me what size your drain pipes will be - 3/4"? You'll want to determine roughly how much flow (gph) you're shooting for. Having only 1 drain may not be sufficient, so you may need to use two drains, plus stand-by. We probably should go back to your original question and settle on that first.

If you use all holes for drains (two full siphon and two stand-by), you may need to run the return pipe from the sump going up the front or side of the tank. Which is fine too. It's not as clean of a look, but function is more important in this case.
 
In my opinion go all 4 drains. A 45 or two is not going to be a problem don't worry about that. Run your returns up the back of the tank. You don't see anything. Your either going to have a canopy or a light visible on top of the tank that I can almost bet money on will be able to hide the return coming over the edge of the tank.

Also I feel like you should separate your sump. A chamber for socks then a bio media chamber. I also like to add a 3rd section as a grow out or holding tank if aggression. Freshwater refugium etc. Then lastly your pump chamber.

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