ASM G-3 Skimmer and sump

[clintrandall]

Two things:

1) Is asmskimmer.com the cheapest place to order a G-3 skimmer? So far, I can't find a better deal out ther.
2) I need a basic sump box that measures 12"W x 13"D x 18"H. Is it expensive to have one custom made? Does anyone have one near that size? It will only house the G-3 so I can have a constant water level.

Thanks,
Clint

 

[vanmle]

Get a 20 or 30 gallon and build your own. That wouldbe the cheapest.

You should order it soon. I heard that the prices will be increased soon. No verification on that though.

 

[kirstenk]

Get them to do the recirculating mod for you.

 

[clintrandall]

Kirsten, I was reading about the mods and they both seemed like something I could do myself. The gate valve mod made sense to me, but I wasn't quite sure about the recirc. Is it basically putting the outer chamber water back into the inner chamber to give it another go round?

Van, my sump issue is that I have a corner tank so my stand is triangular. I have one 15 gal sump for my return, but I need a separate sump that fits the skimmer to keep the water flow constant. That second box would overflow into the return box. I already have my tank overflow split to take care of it. The problem is that I need a minimum size for the G-3 footprint, but I can't go over the dimensions I listed or it won't fit underneath. Were you suggesting that I cut the pieces and bond them? I do have a table saw.

 

[vanmle]

I don't know the dimension of a 10 gallon tank but it will fit a g-3. I test it. Will the G-3 fit under your sump?

I think a recirculation and a GV mod is a good idea. I am doing the recirculation mod (ER not ASM but close enough) myself but I am having problems because I am trying to run the skimmer externally but the pump leaks.

This sucks bad.

Van.

 

[MattD004]

You can find a new g-3 on ebay for 243.95 or something

 

[clintrandall]

Matt, I checked there too and the shipping is always high. At ASM, it's about $268 including shipping. Seems to be the cheapest!

Van, I could fit a 10 gallon, but I need it taller because my return sump is 18" tall to allow for some fallback in case of a power outage or something. Since the skimmer sump will overflow into the return sump through a bulkhead about 8 or 10 inches from the bottom, I need the sumps equally tall or I will have very little extra room for excess water after a return pump failure or power outage.

 

[clintrandall]

I went ahead and ordered the G-3, but I would still like to figure out the sump. Would it be reliable for me to just buy some acrylic, cut it on my table saw, and bond it together? I suppose you'd need perfect edges to keep it from leaking.

Thanks,
Clint

 

[owsi]

Some Plastic shops will sell you sheets cut to your measure, they mostly use laser so perfect edge. You can cut on table saw, but it has to be fine blade and perfect cut to weld right. Also allow for salt creep from bubbles, or put a 3"PVC sleeve over out put.

 

[clintrandall]

That would probably be best because then the bonding would be easy. Anyone recommend a local plastic shop?

 

[rljlll]

i would like to get some acrylic to i need a sump for my 90 and want it to be about 30gal or more and caqn not find anyone that has a spare acrylic tank or sump around that size i could buy

LMK maybe we could do a group buy and get it cheaper?

 

[vanmle]

I think Regal Plastics had really good prices when I was thinking of making my own tank. However, I still believe it would be cheaper to get an already made tank if you can get the dimensions to work for you.

Does a ten gallon tank fit in under your tank with your current sump? You might need to drill a hole in it and use bulkhead to connect to your current sump.

 

[clintrandall]

It would be too long. The dimensions I listed above (12" x 13") are as big as I can go because of the return sump taking up a good bit of my corner stand space. I'd also like it as tall as my 18" return sump. If not, I'll lose all that emergency overflow room in case of a power outage. I could replace the return sump with a smaller one to save space, but then I'm paying for two sumps.

I'll keep investigating! ;o)

 

[vanmle]

I am not sure if a G-3 will fit in a 12" x 13" space. That's small.

 

[clintrandall]

The footprint is listed as 9.5" x 12." I think I can make it work. I kind of wish I could do it externally, but I don't want to worry about leaks like you were talking about!

 

[vanmle]

That's very close. You have to have room for water splashes and things like that.

 

[clintrandall]

I think I'm going to have my gate valve return the water to my return sump, if it all fits!

What I could do is use my return sump for the skimmer and use the smaller sump for my return and for extra drain space.