What did you build today?

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I finished a cube sump for my cube tank. It's a project that I wanted to do for the several years. I recently received a free reclaimed bathroom mirror, so I knew that the project was on. I wanted to keep it simple, but the tank stand complicated things. I didn't want a refugium, and I certainly didn't want two. However, the stand interior allows for a 22x22 sump, but the door opening is only 13" wide. This limited the mechanical filtration (floss) to a 12" removable tray. The wet/dry area is therefore limited to the area under the floss tray. The wasted area on the two sides became the pump chamber (right side) and the unintended refugium (left side). To get good water flow through the refugium and to the pump, I added the front refugium. I really like the result even though it is specifically what I didn't want. As a bonus, if I ever return to saltwater, the side refugium will be ideal for reactors.

 

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As mentioned earlier, the glass started life as a mirror. I first cut it to size, and then I had full intentions of removing all of the silver backing. However I got the idea of leaving it to create a bright sump/refugium. I left the mirror finish only on the sides, bottom, and back.

 

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To remove the silver from the mirror, you will need an acid based product. The best is The Works toilet bowl cleaner. I had the Walmart brand, but it turned out to be caustic based, which is totally useless for this job. I had an old bottle of muriatic acid (hydrochloric) in the shed, which worked fine. The toilet bowl cleaner has a thickener so that it stays where you put it. The acid is as thin and runny as water. It required multiple applications to get the job done. BTW, anything that will remove the silver will kill your grass.
The silver protected with a paint layer (and copper). The paint needs to be scratched through to the copper layer every inch or so.

 

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And the real reason for this whole project is to have a drilled sump for an overflow and drip system. My Kryptonite is repetitive tasks, and water changes are right up there.

(And I have to leave myself notes so I don't mess things up too badly.)

 

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Once it was glued up, it became a mini hall of mirrors.

 

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Here's a close up of the tape job for the silicone seal. The tape makes the difference in a great result vs a very mediocre one. It only took 20 minutes to tape the whole thing.

 

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The next step was to add the interior panels.

 

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And then build the box that will hold the filter floss. The bottom is the black panel with the holes. It is plastic pegboard (polypropylene).

 

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The pegboard has ridges that need to face up. They will hold up a layer of egg crate, which will work to allow uniform water flow from the holes. Additionally, the floss will be placed in a layer of quilt batting. The quilt batting helps with the filtration but it also keeps the floss out of the pegboard holes. The egg crate holds the quilt batting up away from the holes also.

 

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Here's the details for the glass support and filter box. This system lets the box slide into place with one hand and it also keeps the box from sliding to the side. Once in position, it snaps down to lock it in place.