My DIY Sump/frag/quarantine/hospital Tank
So this past weekend I decided to build a "utility" tank for Just in case situations. Let me just say it pays to save your old junk as long as it still works. Over time I have collected alot of spare tank parts. My wife always says that I should throw it away or sell it. This weekend she saw why I kept it lol. This build was a very simple and very inexpensive build for me because of my pack rat tendancies. I cant imagine it costing anybody much more if they got this stuff new.
I already had the stand and I obtained this 30 gallon tank from a family member which I painted the back blue. I had it drilled on one side and installed a 1" bulkhead. Instead of building an overflow I simply put a 1" to 34" slip elbow in the bulkhead and added some mesh to keep fish out. On the return side I used underground plastic sprinkler piping and fittings that I got from HD. It worked out perfectly! The fittings all screw onto one another and it screws perfectly onto the Mag 3 pump I used. The pipe and fittings come in black and grey so it looks better than PVC white.
For the sump I used an old 15 gallon tank that I had sitting in my garage. I had some spare plexi glass that i cut to fit. I basically built it to mimic a "Biocube" style tank, with the 3 chambers in the back and the one big one for the display. except the display part would be the biological/skimmer section, chamber 1 would be the fuge, chamber 2 is the mechanical/chemical filtration, I installed a filter rack out of some old light diffuser and chamber 3 is where the pump and water level line is. I have had it running for about 3 days and it works great. You will notice the PVC drain pipe is tilted to one side. I did that so the drain would not have that flushing sound. I had that problem until I tilted it and now its really quiet.
If you have any any questions/comments or ideas please let me know. This is my first true nano tank build and although simple I am proud of it. Thanks!
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