Need some help with my sump

[DSAfanatic]

The sump you have is a Marineland Tidepool sump. It is worthless IMO. I had one on my first tank that was a 58g. I would go over to River City or Aqua Tek and get either a Precision Marine or Eshopps sump. I'm sure someone already said this, but you do not need a biowheel in a salt water setup. The biowheels are made for fresh water aquariums and they are a nitrate factory. The Eshopps and PM sumps are kinda pricey though. You can always make your own or see is hobogato can quote you on one. I have seen some of his work and it is really good. I made my own sump once and it ended up looking nothing like his.

[Europhyllia]

I love my hobogato sump

[hobogato]

thanks for the compliment, but i am no longer making sumps. i will be glad to talk you thru the process meslo if you decide to make your own out of acrylic.

...You can always make your own or see is hobogato can quote you on one. I have seen some of his work and it is really good...

[Europhyllia]

Whew - got one just in time then! LOL

[Meslo]

im actualy in the process of making a 48X16X16 sump with 3 compartments and a bubble trap. Should have it done in the next few days <knock on wood> one of our plastic supply shops had some scraps of acrylic and we have most of the tools at work. Lets hope that the "welding" of the acrylic is like metal or plastic without a weld rod.

So on that note when the water drans to the skimmer,return sump, and ref. How far should the water fall from the pvc pipes to the waiting tank below for good o2 transfer ? Or should the pipe go all the way into the sump ref and skimmer sections ? I just finished making the pvc drain pipes with 3 ball valves so I can controll flow to the skimmer and the ref..

The tank will be in my living room against a wall that is also the garage wall. I am thinking about cutting some holes in the wall and put the sump,pumps,and chiller out there is there any reason I would not want to do that ?

one last thing ya right you all know a million more newb questions are coming lol

What is the best way to actualy fill the tank ? Would it be live rock, live sand, then the water ?

Thanks for the offer of help I beleve it was your site that was posted in this thread that gave me the confidence that I should just do my own. But if I do need some help ill shoot you a pm. Or if it leaks all over the place Ill throw it agains the wall cry and go buy one LOL

So anyone want a Marineland Tidepool sump j/k Im gona hang onto it for a while never know what I may run into in 6 months.

Thanks once again

[Bill S]

OK, let's run thru them one at a time:

You should use a product like Weldon for gluing. Make SURE you test the sump before installing! Also, since you are building it yourself, make sure to bevel the exposed edges at the top slightly. It will save all those tiny little cuts on your wrists and forearms!

I prefer the drains to go all the way into the water. They will drag PLENTY of air with them - google "durso" and make sure you use them with your drains. It will quiet them significantly

If you put them into your garage, make SURE you have a good air exchange in the garage. If your chiller is trying to chill using 110 - 130 degree air from your garage in the summer, it will 1) fail and 2) shoot your electric bill thru the roof. While many chillers are designed to work in environments up to 100 degrees, most aren't, and if they do, they won't work well!

Otherwise, the garage idea is GREAT. Spills, etc. are much more manageable there.

[Meslo]

Ya the durso drains are already cut to size and ready to glue teflon ect. Some one on the first page pointed them out to me for my first problem.

Im actualy suprised at how cool my Garage stays in the summer here. But my dogs stay in there with a doggie door to a 10ftx10ft dog run while I am at work so I do have a room ac in there for the days it really gets hot and it will be on for them so should help with the cooler. I would say it never gets over 85 ish.

The chiller is a 1/4 hp arctica is that a decent brand ?

[jroescher]

First, fill your tank with tap water and run all the pumps for a day or two to check for leaks. After repairing the leaks that you will certainly have the first time, then:

Put something on the bottom of the tank to protect to the glass, set your rock, then put the sand in. That's my preference, everyone will have their own opinion. Then put the water in. It will probably be days before you can see through the water as it will be extremely cloudy at first.

Bottom: several options. There's starboard which is what cutting boards are made from, there's egg crate which is sold at hardware stores as light diffusers, and/or PVC pipe frames made by you that hold the rock in place.

Whatever you do, make sure your rock is solid in place and can't be moved around or shifted. There are some common creatures that make for very powerful bulldozers.

[jesserettele]

I am so jealous! I would like an in-serice from our great president on sump building 101.

I love my hobogato sump