building a sump!

[Jumbaliah]

i am building a sump/refugium for my 100 gallon tank, and i'm wondering how much you guys think it will cost me, and what supplies i will need. i am getting an octopus skimmer that is $175 and im assuming i will need a tank around 55g big. these two things alone will cost me around $225 i believe, but what other little things do i need?

and if anyone has some tips, or helpful links for me to look at while im constructing my sump that would be great! i'm new to the hobby, and i'm very eager to get this mammoth of a tank set up

[lagrew]

Welcome to TRT!!!


well it could cost quite a bit or not much, depends on what you actually use for the sump/fuge, what material are you making it out of? For example Acryllic or use an old tank? If you go the old tank route I think you could save a ton, i got my 55 for 20 bucks on craigslist, works great for what i need it for.

You also need a return pump, overflow box if tank isn't drilled, PVC/Flexible hose, A good plan, and some time actually lot's of time.

[jschulzpt]

Jumby,
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6...highlight=sump

this is a link to my old thread answering a lot of potential sump questions. If you do a search on youtube.com you can find a video or 2 of someone building a sump.

[aquawolf]

Welcome to TRT!!!

Another very good site to get information and ideas on sumps from is http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

Best of luck with everything.

[OneDummHikk]

What is the physical size of your tank? Do you have a 4', 5' or 6' 100 gallon tank? The size of the tank will go a long ways twoards telling you what will fit under it as a sump tank.

[Jumbaliah]

my 100 gallon tank is a 4 foot long tank, and it does already have a prebuilt overflow in it. i was just thinking, what if i didnt want to use a sump? i know its a better idea to have one, but what if i just used a HOB protein skimmer for my tank? would that be sufficent, or should i bite down and get the sump? if my tank would be ok with only a skimmer i think i could start alot sooner with my tank.

[OneDummHikk]

You can run it without a sump. Just keep the water level just a little below the overflow box so that it doesn't drain out and set it up as any other tank. Then you could add a sump later.

[jschulzpt]

Aquawolf, that is a great site...

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/overflow.html this is the page for the making of a overflow box, looks kind of complicated and I'm not sure how this all works, and when I am not sure how something works I usually don't like to do it.

What does everyone think of using an overflow box vs. a J-tube?