can i make a 10gal tank into a sump?

[chadski]

i was just wondering if its possible to use the resources i already have. with all of the materials, how much would it be to make a sump w/ or w/o the 10 gal? i guess i could just buy some acrylic or w/e material is used to make it.

[buckshot1977]

i used a 10 galon on my 29 galoon tank with know trouble. there just limited on space to add equipment too. makes a good refugium too.

[chadski]

Originally Posted by buckshot1977

i used a 10 galon on my 29 galoon tank with know trouble. there just limited on space to add equipment too. makes a good refugium too.

where do i find instructions to make one? and why are sumps better than just a regular filter or skimmer?

[zero186]

well custom sumps are up to you really check some threads here for some idea but it allows you to build around what you plan to put in the sump

[Geoff]

no real need for plans. just put the drain on one end and the return pump on the other. the flow through the ten should be slow enough not to transfer bubbles from one side to the other. there are also a few compact bubble traps that work quite well if you do find some bubble making the trip to the return pump.

remember micor bubbles are only a concern for you. the critters in the tank could not care less if there are bubbles in the water.

G~

[chadski]

how do i set all of this up? where would i put the return pump (don't i need to have a hole drilled at the bottom of the 10gal to get all the water out?) geoff, u say i don't really need any specific type of stuff in it, but what do i need in it? i'll look around for the threads on trt but...

...does anyone (who has successfully made a sump themselves) know where i can find good plans to build one?

thanks alot

[Geoff]

you will only need to drill the 10g if plan on using an external pump as a return pump for the system. if you were to use a Mag drive pump or equivalent, then you will not need to drill the 10g.

in its simplest form you have the drain lines from the display go to one side of the 10g and the return pump on the other side of the 10g. it becomes a bit more complicated if you also want to put a skimmer in there. you would put the skimmer as close to the side that has drain in it. if it is a tight fit with alll of that in the sump, then you might need to think about putting a few baffles in there. in order to talk about baffles we would need to know the proper water height the skimmer needs in order to operate.

what size tank are you thinking of putting this on? if you get much bigger than a 20g display you may run into overflowing probles due to drain back when the power goes out.

G~

[medicdiver]

chadski,
do a search on ebay for "aquarium sumps".. this will give you some idea of what different sumps look like and how they can be set up. It is really according to what you want to put in it as to what kind of setup you need. So figure out what you want your sump to do (ex: refuge, skimmer, filter, heater, ect.) and then you know what your sump needs to look like...hope this helps

[chadski]

geoff. i'd like to make a filter for a 55gal tank. is a sump even the best way to go? i guess it would pretty much be doing the same thing a hob filter would do. is it a good idea to go with just a regular filter?

[Geoff]

you do not need a filter on a SW tank. the skimmer is your filter. anything else actually degrades your water quality instead of making it better.

G~

[luvmylo]

I just made a sump out of a rubbermaid container. All you need is external overflow box, return pump, and the plumbing to make it work. that's it.

[luvmylo]

Here's my simple diy sump

[luvmylo]

here it is

[chadski]

luvmylo, is that a skimmer in ur sump? what else is in it?

[chadski]

iv thought about what i would like to put into my sump but i really dont understand why these things are needed.
1)i need a skimmer to get rid of the stuff off of the tank. will an overflow box accomplish some of this?
2)for the sump, i'd like to put some live sand and lr in it. is this just for biological filtration? what are the bio-balls for?
3)geoff said i dont need a filter on a sw tank because the skimmer is my filter but what if i dont have a skimmer? can sponge material or something like it catch some of the protien?