10 Gallon DIY Sump Advice

[salty_woo]

Hi All,

I've got a 29 gallon that's just about 6 weeks old. Fully cycled and currently home to a Picasso clown and Halloween hermit. I have a lot of equipment in the DT and was thinking about a sump to add volume and hide equipment. For equipment in the DT I have:

1. Hydor 425 Powerhead
2. HYdor 725 Powerhead
3. 250w Aqueon Heater
4. Hydor Slim/Skim Nano Skimmer

It is getting a bit crowded so I want to add a HOB overflow and a sump. I've gone back and forth over doing so using a 10 gallon tank and putting in some baffles, but recently noticed that some people don't use any baffles at all. If I add a filter sock and keep the water level low enough to account for a possible power loss should I have any concerns? Would micro bubbles be an issue with no baffle? My goal would be to eventually run GFO and Carbon through a dual reactor and tie it to the sump.

Thanks.

 

[herostar]

I used a 10g sump for a while. I found out that it's nice to have baffles for three reasons: 1) keeps microbubbles away from return pump, 2) keeps water level in refugium/cheato area constant, 3) provides a smaller area the water level can fluctuate which gives you a good place to put your top-off controller. I used an old 10g tank and had two pieces of glass cut at the hardware store to the dimensions I measured/decided on. I used 1/8" glass, which many would probably advise against, but there is very little pressure on the glass and I'm careful not to bump it. I've had this setup (and a similar one on a 20g long) for about four years without any trouble ever.

Here's the way I set mine up:

 

[jgraz]

Here's mine

Works great. I would definatly add baffles. A sock will not be enough to keep micro bubbles down. As for glass I agree with the above post. There is very little pressure on the glass in a dump this size. I used the single strength glass 3/16". The type you can get at lowes. And they will cut to size

 

[salty_woo]

Wow. They both look really good! This may be a dumb question but here goes. How do you silicone the middle baffle? There isn't much clearance between the three baffles.


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[jmsalt1]

Just built my 40B sump this week. Using baffles will save you many headaches. You silicone the baffles one at a time. Leave about an inch between them. I am particular and use 3m blue to get a nice clean finish. You can cut pieces of scrap wood from 2x4's to set the 1" spacing consistently for each baffle. There are various tools at home depot by the caulk to get a nice finish for your caulk work. That and some 3m blue and your in good shape. I prefer to work with acrylic inside my sump for the baffles.

 

[jgraz]

I made mine by following the direction from this site
http://www.salt-city.org/showthread.php?9809-How-to-build-a-sump-in-2-hours!
It worked great. Only difference is in stead of glass shims I used acrilyc. I used glass for baffels. Acrylic does not hold well with silicon. It will work but IMO glass will hold better.
Following the process layed out on that site work wonderful. With the question your asking I'm surprised you not getting 1000 different responses. Good luck.
By the way my baffels are spaced at 1/2" to maximize space in sections. IMO that is the minimum you need.

 

[moltenchicken]

You should definitely have at least 2 baffles. If you only have a refuge and a return area that would be all you need.

 

[TundraGuy]

Along with his great Avatar pix jgraz sump is nice to look at plus it looks like there would be room for an Aquamaxx hob-1. I am going to be using one on a jbj 28 led tank. For a tank of this size I think you will be hard met to beat it. What do you guys think about this skimmer (sorry for thread jaking)?

 

[salty_woo]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I think I'm definitely going to go the baffle route. Only 2 chambers though since I need to fit my heater in the sump unless I can get my hands on a 15 tall.


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[jgraz]

Salty, just to let you know. I have everything down there. A pretty big skimmer, heater, and overflown in first chamber. Cheato, rubble, and reactor in 2nd chamber, and return pump in final chamber. Just to let you know there is plenty of room.

 

[jmsalt1]

I made mine by following the direction from this site
http://www.salt-city.org/showthread.php?9809-How-to-build-a-sump-in-2-hours!
It worked great. Only difference is in stead of glass shims I used acrilyc. I used glass for baffels. Acrylic does not hold well with silicon. It will work but IMO glass will hold better.
Following the process layed out on that site work wonderful. With the question your asking I'm surprised you not getting 1000 different responses. Good luck.
By the way my baffels are spaced at 1/2" to maximize space in sections. IMO that is the minimum you need.

If you use good technique, you will have no problems with 1/4" cell cast acrylic and adhesion. Keep in mind, your talking about a ten gallon sump, not the water pressure that can build on a fuge wall in a 100 gallon sump. I've used 1/4" acrylic in a 55 sump for years with no trouble at all. Also, I could cut 1/4" acrylic myself on a tables saw to get exact fit and make any adjustments as needed. Used a router to cut baffle teeth as well, can't cut teeth in glass. Good luck!

 

[salty_woo]

What do you guys use for a return pump in a 10 gal? I was thinking a Mag 3 pump.


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[herostar]

What do you guys use for a return pump in a 10 gal? I was thinking a Mag 3 pump.

This depends on how much height you need to pump the water and through what (splitters, nozzles, SCWD, etc)

I've used pumps ranging from a maxi-jet 1200 (way too small) to a mag9. My favorite return pump was the quietone 2200 I used for ~3 years before selling it with an old skimmer. I would recommend a Mag5. If you decide to use a SCWD use something bigger.

Regarding the silicone issue... I used a couple old VHS tapes to support the baffles and just was very generous with the silicone. It's in a cabinet so it doesn't have to be pretty Considering the forces on the baffles (minimal), you probably don't need a perfect 100% silicone job...

 

[jgraz]

I use a Sicce Syncra Silent 1.5 for my return. I like it, very quite. Again you really need to know how far you need to pump.

 

[salty_woo]

I need to pump it up about 4 feet. 30" stand and 18" tank.


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