Need help on sump design

Aro51

New Member
Hi all,

I'm planning to pick up a standard tank and add baffles to achieve my desired sump design. I threw together a simple sketch and am looking for feedback based on your experiences.

Display size: Standard 180 gallon
Sump size: Either 48x18x18 or 36x18x18

Based on the image...

1) Will I encounter any problems with overflowing of the sump if clogging occurs as early as the first section of the sump?

2) How do I silicone "holders" to keep the egg crate and drip tray in place? Can I just get 4 inch strips of glass and silicone them surface side to the glass?

3) In the 2nd and 3rd sump sections, do I need egg crates to hold the bacteria house or can i simply stack them on some black filter sponges which just sit on the sump bottom?

Please let me know what your thoughts are and any feedback is welcome!

Thanks!
 

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jsodwi

New Member
Looks good. The first section where your drip tray will be, dont put a piece of glass right to the top edge of tank. leave it down a bit that way if filter floss does clog up it will just spill over the baffle and not overflow to the floor. Just silicone strips in to hold your eggcrate into place.
 

Aro51

New Member
Looks good. The first section where your drip tray will be, dont put a piece of glass right to the top edge of tank. leave it down a bit that way if filter floss does clog up it will just spill over the baffle and not overflow to the floor. Just silicone strips in to hold your eggcrate into place.

Thanks for the feedback.

Instead of a drip tray to create a wet/dry (the wet/dry section looks small), I think I may pack the first section with mechanical filtration and add airstones under the bacteria house in the second section.

On a related note - does anyone know of any good places in Mississauga/West TO to pick up some glass for baffles?
 
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tomuhs

New Member
I'm still pretty n00b at this stuff but we also siliconed a piece of glass against the side of the tank in order to hold up the drip and filter sock. We basically taped along both sides of the glass so that the silicone doesnt get all over the place; that way you get a nice clean line once you pull off the tape (my silicon-ing skills needs more work)

For my bio area, we put 2 pieces of about 1.5 '' pvc pipes as a stand and put an eggcrate over top. I also plan to stack some media underneath the bioballs.

In my limited experience, i've seen people put filter floss on top of the drip so that way its a bit easier to change out. I built an internal overflow for my tank and that's where all my floss will be located but I will have 3 sponge filters in my sump as well.

Best of luck Steve and keep us posted on your progress.
 

Aro51

New Member
I'm still pretty n00b at this stuff but we also siliconed a piece of glass against the side of the tank in order to hold up the drip and filter sock. We basically taped along both sides of the glass so that the silicone doesnt get all over the place; that way you get a nice clean line once you pull off the tape (my silicon-ing skills needs more work)

For my bio area, we put 2 pieces of about 1.5 '' pvc pipes as a stand and put an eggcrate over top. I also plan to stack some media underneath the bioballs.

In my limited experience, i've seen people put filter floss on top of the drip so that way its a bit easier to change out. I built an internal overflow for my tank and that's where all my floss will be located but I will have 3 sponge filters in my sump as well.

Best of luck Steve and keep us posted on your progress.


Hey Thomas,

Do you mind posting a pic of the glass piece that you siliconed to hold up the drip tray?

I was thinking of using PVC pipes to hold up the egg crate and media but was concerned the weight of the media would cause pressure points against the glass bottom...
 

tomuhs

New Member
Pics

I personally think you should be ok with the pvc on the bottom. Have seen it on a couple of sumps so hopefully its not an issue. After all, can't be heavier than some substrate and some driftwood/rocks...IMO

I didn't actually do the siliconing for my sump but here's the pic (rotate clockwise lol)
 

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Aro51

New Member
I personally think you should be ok with the pvc on the bottom. Have seen it on a couple of sumps so hopefully its not an issue. After all, can't be heavier than some substrate and some driftwood/rocks...IMO

I didn't actually do the siliconing for my sump but here's the pic (rotate clockwise lol)

Thanks for the picture.

How thick is the glass you used for the strips and the baffles?

You do raise a good point about the rocks. I may just use a few more pipes and lay them down length wise so water flows through.
 
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tomuhs

New Member
Anytime! Sorry I couldn't take a better pic but i'd have to remove the plumbing in order to take out the sump for a better pic.

I'll measure when i get home tonight but I'd say the glass for the strip is around 1 inch thick. Not quite sure about the baffles, i'll double check and get back to you later.

Did you end up deciding on a sump size??
 

Aro51

New Member
Anytime! Sorry I couldn't take a better pic but i'd have to remove the plumbing in order to take out the sump for a better pic.

I'll measure when i get home tonight but I'd say the glass for the strip is around 1 inch thick. Not quite sure about the baffles, i'll double check and get back to you later.

Did you end up deciding on a sump size??

Not yet. I'll have to see what the largest tank is that will comfortably fit through the cabinet doors.
 
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