Sump Question

[Hotrod32487]

Thats what im debating. It would be nice though to have a good skimmer and have it hidden below in the stand in the sump along with all the unsightly diy stuff i plan on adding. Also, i like the idea of having the fuge and adding chaeto and stuff to it. I have been leaning towards sumpless for a while now but the closer it comes to me setting up the 55 gallon tank, the more i worry im going to regret it and end up doing it later when its a lot more of a hassle. Id love to hear your opinion though JimD

[ackelley]

i did a fuge and a sump and it was cheap to build. 10 gal fuge tank 10$. The light i used the cheapo to gal light that the tank came with and put a florescent grow light in it and hung it from the ceiling 13$. Then i got a 30 gal tank for 30$ and a 350g/h pump 50$. Then i used acrylic sheathing to build my collum and the hang over the back overflow 40$ with weld on. Thin i wrapped it in tape this helps a lot with strength!!!!!!! as far as the outward force. that way it doesn't bow out and fail. Cheap and works great. Ow yah i drilled my 10 gal tank and that was 20$.

[LoneStar]

Dont want to steal this but is a 55g AGA temperd only on the bottom or every where?

It depends on the manufacturer. My old 55g (not sure which brand) had all the sides tempered, therefore you would not be able to drill any sides/bottom. ;)

[caferacermike]

I have a 125g freshwater with a dual 1,200gph HOB overflow set up for 2 years. I've lost power quite a few times but have never, never, had a problem with it. I've heard these "warnings" before but have not met anyone that has them set up properly have a problem with them. I say properly loosely because like anything in the hobby, if it's not set up properly you can have issues. Like when a friend of mine did not heed my warnings about sticking his return pipes so low in his 220g. He covered the hole I drilled in the retrun with putty because where he stuck it in the water it would sometimes gulp a bubble. Well one day he came home to 80g of water in his kitchen. So I don't care if your tank is drilled or HOB. They each must be set up correctly. That is the key, not blaming the box itself. Just like the next important piece of advice. Just stuffing a 10g under a 55 might not be a good idea. In the event of a power failure you could end up accidenlty overfilling it. Let's say you buy a nice skimmer and stuff it in the 10g. You run it with low water levels for a few weeks. Someone tells you 8" of water depth makes it work better. So you adjust the return pump aand add more water to the tank. Sure enough it works great. So you are now happy that your skimmer works better but forgot that you seriously limit the amount of back siphon water your sump can hold in a power failure.

So again we must take responsibility and make sure our equipment is functioning correctly and we have as many fail safes as possible.

[ackelley]

and also remember that the return hose if submerged will siphon water back into sump also.

[zerreissen]

and also remember that the return hose if submerged will siphon water back into sump also.

so drill a small hole just below the water line to break the syphon if the power quits.

[prof]

Congrats caferacermike on the lack of failures. Having 2 overflows creates redundancy which may be why you have had good luck. I have always said with a HOB overflow it is not if it flood, just when. If you don't get an airlock some devious snail will try to escape and clog the U tube. A drilled tank will reduce this risk of flooding.

You only have to have one hole if you don't mind running your returns over the edge of the tank. Don't forget the anti-siphon hole.

Properly designed you should have enough room for excess water to flow into your sump in case of power failure. A top off system will also help you keep the water levels correct.

Most tanks don't have tempered glass on the sides. It is more expensive and loses some clarity. I have used the dremel method on many tanks to drill a hole on the back, near the top. Then using PVC, create an overflow.

Make sure you have enough space under your stand to contain you desired sump size.

[Hotrod32487]

Most tanks don't have tempered glass on the sides.

How could i find out if my tank is tempered on all sides? Im just going by what Rnall told me when he sold it to me. (No disrespect Rnall)