Started my sump

[Conner]

So I started the 30g sump for my 125g tank today.

I siliconed in two glass panels, one which will create a 4"x12"x14" (WxLxH) entry chamber for the water coming from the tank, which will also house the two heaters I plan on using.

The second glass panel is 7" from the other end of the sump, and will create the space needed for the return pumps I'll be using. This leaves an 18" long chamber between the two panels, which will be my bio chamber. This chamber will be 18" long, 12" wide, and about 12" tall. On top of the drip plate will be a 2" thick polyester filter pad for mechanical filtration.

 

[niksu]

oo nice im thinking of making a sump so your thread would greatly help me =D esp a completed journal of it- keep up the good work!

 

[Jgray152]

18x12x12 = 42 liters

where is your mechanical filtration?

 

[Dr Joe]

Whahoo

Progress looks good

You can fit about 216 in 1.5 cubic feet .


.

18x12x12 = 42 liters

where is your mechanical filtration?

"On top of the drip plate will be a 2" thick polyester filter pad for mechanical filtration."

 

[Conner]

Got the 4 drip plate supports put in last night, and the drip plate cut to dimension. I'll be drilling the holes in the drip plate today (yay, fun). I'll also be putting the sump into the stand and starting to run the plumbing from the tank to the sump, since I've got all the pipe and joints that I need (I hope).

I'm hoping to order the pumps and heaters this week, so that I can get it all plumbed up and test run it. Then I'll be getting the scrubbies for bio-media, and it'll be fish (or ray) ready! And yes, I'll be stealing some of the scrubbies from my other sump so that the bio-filtration will be jump-started immediately, and I won't need to worry about cycling the tank for several weeks, I can add fish almost immediately.

Oh, I'll also be building a canopy for the tank to match the stand. It's going to contain two LED light strips I got off ebay. They were cheap, but I don't need a massive amount of light over the tank, and these actually are pretty bright for what they cost ($25 shipped for the pair). They are 3ft long, have 198 LED's, and use 11w of light each. Not bad for the light they produce. I'll post some pics up when I start building the canopy.

 

[Jgray152]

I Would put a cross base right down the center of the bio chamber at the top to support the mech pad. Once the pad starts to absorb water and especially after its starts to get dirty, the plexy will probubly start to bow in the middle.

 

[Conner]

I put a cross brace in for the drip plate. Then I started drilling the acrylic for the drip plate. The first whole I drilled, when it punched through the other side, it cracked the acrylic along a 10" line

So I went to the store and got another piece of acrylic. I also bought another drill bit, since I think that was the problem (it had a special point on it, which I think caused the problem. The new one had a smooth tip).

I got the drip plate drilled (187 holes = fun. not) and put into the sump. Then I cut the polyester pad to fit, and I think it might be a problem. I didn't leave enough space for the water to actually flow onto the pad. It will flow into the end of it I think. So either I need to pull the pad in half, or I need to modify the first chamber so that it is higher and flows onto the pad. You can see in the pics.

I'm thinking of adding another glass piece horizontally an inch or two long to help get the water out on top of the pad. What do you think?

 

[Dr Joe]

Putting a lip on the divider to act as a weir is fine.

The drip plate turned out very well.

Keep the momentum going!!!

Dr Joe

.

 

[ValGal20]

Looks Awesome! Ive been meaning to build my own too, and now I want one just like yours. What size tank are you putting it on? What type of fish are going to be in the tank? PS, Nice handy-work!

 

[Arthur]

You might want to rip the prefilter material in half, i use that kind of stuff from the craft store and it gets clogged quickly when it's thick. It's great stuff but almost filters too much