Finished the sump

[::pete::]

Well I got the sump finished and have enough material to build the fuge ... and I didnt even break $100. :-D

http://home.carolina.rr.com/offthereef/images/sump1.jpg

http://home.carolina.rr.com/offthereef/images/sump2.jpg

http://home.carolina.rr.com/offthereef/images/sump3.jpg

http://home.carolina.rr.com/offthereef/images/sump4.jpg

[dan]

looks good. what's the lenght on that? what size tank does it go on?

[matt]

Pete;

Looks good; really clean. You used cyro FF, which is extruded acrylic. Next one, try cyro GP, which is cell cast. For a sump the size you made, especially with all those baffles and dividers, you'll be fine. If you make a bigger one, or with way fewer baffles, cell cast is better material for withstanding water pressure.

Congratulations on another successful DIY project!

[::pete::]

Dan

Its 30"Lx16"Dx14"H and right now it will go on a 100gal. This is just the sump the fuge is seperate. I have a 180 on order and am going to add an oceansmotions 8way. The fuge will be 12"Wx14D"x16"H and gravity feed the sump. The flow in the fuge will also come from the overflow.

[::pete::]

Thanks Matt ... but this is way too easy!! :D

Especially for the prices charged.

I talked with the supplier (local) and explained what and why so he said this will be fine ... unless I wanted to go better.

(edit) I want to make sure I dont offend anyone ... skill is required, but experience is not necessary. :D Thats why they call it DIY.

[matt]

I talked with the supplier (local) and explained what and why so he said this will be fine ... unless I wanted to go better.


Pete;

I've found that employees of all acrylic supply houses that I've been to have very little understanding of the demands made by marine aquariums, and surprisingly little knowledge of the material itself. I'm sure your sump is going to be fine, at least for a while, but cast acrylic is the material of choice for anything that will be subjected to constant water pressure. And, I've found that most of the imported cast is terrible for aquarium projects, because it lacks consistency in molecular weight. This causes it to melt unevenly, which really weakens pressure joints. Most acrylic supply places do not stock quality cast; the 3 best kinds are Spartech polycast, Cyro GP, and Plexiglas G. They don't stock it because a sheet of black spartech, 3/8", is about $250, and not many people are willing to spend that kind of money on plastic.

Extruded acrylic is much easier to solvent weld; it melts quicker and more evenly, and it has better thickness tolerance. But, the extrusion process forces manufacturers to lower the molecular weight to the point where the acrylic absorbs a significant portion of it's molecular weight in water. This destabilizes the material, especially right around any solvent weld joint. Eventually, if the joint is under pressure, it's more likely to fail. Now, for small sumps, there's just not that much hydraulic pressure. But think about a big tank, or even a skimmer or reactor. In a skimmer, you have a small box (meaning short joints, less welding surface, etc) on the bottom of a big tube, and all the water in that tube is exerting pressure on the box joints. That's a lot of water pressure...that's why I use 3/8" cast, spartech, for even the small reactor boxes.

It's true that DIY fabrication is "easy" once you know what you're doing...and it's not too difficult to learn with a little practice. But, to make things that are much better than the commercially available stuff, and will literally last a lifetime, that's a different story. At least I think it is!

Anyhow, there's your unsolicited acrylic lesson! :-D