building my first custom sump/refugium

[KENthereefnoob]

So I finally realized that I'm living in the past with my 12 yr old wet/dry bioball set up so I decided to build my own custom sump. Here are some pics so far, I still need to add the last baffle and then the two filter bag grates after the last baffle. Its made from a 29 gallon tank I bought for 30 bucks at petco. I got a 48" x 24" piece of acrylic (.220" thickness) for 60 bucks at home depot along w three tubes of dap silicone.





Now that I will have a refugium what are your opinions on what I should put in it?I would definitely like to throw some live rock and sand in it but I have heard not to use caulerpa, but chaeto is the way to go. Also, what are your thoughts on running the heater in the sump and using filter socks. Since I will have grates for filter bags, is it time to retire the fluval cannister filter? Amy opinions would be really appreciated.

 

[Jade5051]

Retire the canister for sure. Put all the equipment in the sump. Are you using a protein skimmer? I'd say it's probably the most important tool on a reef tank. Use one or two 4" or 7" filter socks depending on tank size, one good skimmer, carbon and gfo with an auto top off is all you need and will change your life. Prioritize a refugium last. Consider grabbing a 10g drilling it and using that as your refugium, chaeto only.

 

[webslinger]

++1

 

[KENthereefnoob]

i do have a protein skimmer, an old sea clone 100 but it works great. i used to have it in the sump, but i removed it and started experimenting with mangroves in my sump. so far, i havent seen a difference in ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/phos, its been the same since i pulled the skimmer. it's only been a few months, and my bioload isnt much so maybe there isnt just much to pull from the water at this point.

so definitely retire the cannister? that would really simplify things, but wouldnt running more carbon be better than running less? the idea of less being more is an idea i like though.

 

[Jade5051]

You just need to have enough carbon. More carbon just means you can change it less often. More doesn't necessarily enhance the quality of the water just make sure you understand it's efficacy. I run enough carbon for two weeks. How big is the tank?

 

[Rustyprop]

Live rock rubble, sand, skimmer and maybe reactors.

 

[smedlin]

Consider grabbing a 10g drilling it and using that as your refugium, chaeto only.

How would that work?

Where would you drill? How would you get water from the 10g back into the sump?

(asking to learn...)


.

 

[KENthereefnoob]

My tank is a 90+ gallon tank. It houses live rock, maybe 6 species of coral, a pair of clowns, a pair of chromis and a sailfin tang. There are lots of other little creatures from the liverock from snails, tiny crab, little starfish, macro algae and all types of live rock goodies. I don't plan to add any more fish at this point, but I want to add more sessile inverts as soon as I get this custom sump into the equation. Most of my inverts are easier to care for beginner species, and I would like to step up to more intricate specimens, maybe anemones or a clam.

 

[Jade5051]

How would that work?

Where would you drill? How would you get water from the 10g back into the sump?

(asking to learn...)


.

You could drill it in the back or the side either or just toward the top. Then just elevate the 10g slightly above the sump so it drains down into the sump. There are a few other ways you could plumb it but this is probably the easiest.

My tank is a 90+ gallon tank. It houses live rock, maybe 6 species of coral, a pair of clowns, a pair of chromis and a sailfin tang. There are lots of other little creatures from the liverock from snails, tiny crab, little starfish, macro algae and all types of live rock goodies. I don't plan to add any more fish at this point, but I want to add more sessile inverts as soon as I get this custom sump into the equation. Most of my inverts are easier to care for beginner species, and I would like to step up to more intricate specimens, maybe anemones or a clam.

Your bioload is pretty light if it stays that way you could get away with minimal/cheap equipment. However, if you decide to fill the tank in or if you are having problems with algae and such then you will want to upgrade your skimmer first. Moreover, now that you have a sump that can hold a skimmer it may be time to retire all the hob equipment. It looks nicer. Is easier to maintain. Performance is better. No microbubbles in the DT. etc etc.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is plan for the future, plan for the unexpected, and when possible go big or go home. Chances are your plan to not add any fish will turn into having 5 reef tanks, 30+ fish, a stingray, an octopus, and converting your pool into a holding tank for the manatee that hitch hiked it's way in on a $25 coral. Oh ya did I add no money. Fun hobby.

 

[KENthereefnoob]

yup, the bioload is pretty light at this point, i literally have 6 coral, 5 of which started out as frags, 6 very small fish, and a sailfin tang and i know what you mean in how this hobby can grow out of hand. im new to building my own sump, but not new to the hobby, i used to have multiple tanks with at least 200 gallons of volume running at all times for the better part of 20 years, but this is my first reef set up, and i am specifically planning for the future with this sump i am building.

im pretty sure that im set on the fish in my 90 gallon tank, i really want to focus on learning to keep coral and other inverts. i have kept every kind of fish under the sun from fresh to salt, and this tank is truly going to be dedicated to sessile inverts.

the sump i am building and the mangroves i am currently growing are for the future load that i know i will be taking on as my current coral grow and as i keep adding new additions. after i build the sump, i will probably go looking for a new skimmer now that i can fit both a skimmer and the mangroves. my ultimate goal is to see if i can run my system with as much biological filtration as possible. i am really intrigued by the idea of growing mangroves to the point that i can eliminate a skimmer all together. it would be a dream if i can run all of my filtration through the sump, all via macro algae, live sand, live rock and mangroves pulling all of the nutrients out of the water and having vegetation growth as my main byproduct. hope this all makes sense, thanks for responding and throwing suggestions and knowledge my way.

 

[IowaReefer]

Retire the canister for sure. Put all the equipment in the sump. Are you using a protein skimmer? I'd say it's probably the most important tool on a reef tank. Use one or two 4" or 7" filter socks depending on tank size, one good skimmer, carbon and gfo with an auto top off is all you need and will change your life. Prioritize a refugium last. Consider grabbing a 10g drilling it and using that as your refugium, chaeto only.

Great idea, but I would advise against drilling a 10g glass tank. They are simply not thick enough for the glass matrix to remain stable long-term once they are drilled. Trust me, I have tried. I even reinforced the bulkheads with extra support and silicone and never had any last more than 6 months without cracking around the bulkhead an causing a huge mess.

That said, pick up a 10 acrylic (or build one) and drill away!

 

[smedlin]

I have the exact same old sump. (maybe a bit bigger). Even has that same red sticker on the side.

And today I picked up the same 29g from petco.

I think I'm going to use my old acrylic sump as my fuge, and do it like they suggested. I'll raise it up, drill a couple bulkhead/drain pipes, put the old sump on a small stand, and let it drain/overflow into the new sump.

.

 

[KENthereefnoob]

i got the last baffle in and the filter grate, i just need to make a bracket that will hold the filter sock. ill post pics tomorrow when i get it done. im going to let this thing cure for at least 5 days, just to make sure it is good to go before i start testing it.

 

[snorklr]

just do yourself a favor and do a little research here...i swear i've read a bunch of threads that say if you put acrylic baffles in a glass sump they'll eventually absorb enough water to swell and crack the glass

 

[smedlin]

just do yourself a favor and do a little research here...i swear i've read a bunch of threads that say if you put acrylic baffles in a glass sump they'll eventually absorb enough water to swell and crack the glass

It seems to be a pretty common thing, putting acrylic baffles in glass sumps.

What your probably thinking, I have read that you don't want the baffles to be so "tight" it pushes (hard) against the glass sides....

 

[KENthereefnoob]

Not sure why using silicone to seal acrylic to glass would absorb water and shatter the tank, the sump will go into a testing phase in my garage for a few days after it fully cures so I cam check for leaks or failures before it goes into service.

 

[smedlin]

is the left side your intake/skimmer section?

If so, why so tall? Won't you have to raise your skimmer really high now?

 

[KENthereefnoob]

Yup, the left side is the intake/skimmer side. I have an old sea clone 100 skimmer and I'm not sure if I will be getting a larger skimmer, and if so, what size that skimmer would be. Since its always easier to take away than add, I left it at a pretty tall height so that depending on whatever skimmer u go with or whenever I do end up switching skimmers, I can just make little risers to the bottom of the skimmer to get it to the needed height.if I make the first baffle too small it would be more difficult to take it out and put in a taller baffle. This way it wont matter what size skimmer u use, I can just make some basic risers out of delrin or pvc, or something like that to get my desired height. This way, whatever skimmer I'm using or want to upgrade to wont be dictated by the height of the baffle.

 

[KENthereefnoob]

Finished the sump. Let me know what you think. I know, the first baffle looks high, but its by design. Allowing it this height will allow me to never let the baffle height dictate which skimmer I can use as I can build a riser for any skimmer I put in there to get the height I need. I didn't get a chance to clean off the marker lines off the glass before I took pics but they will be off before I test it. Gonna do a leak test in the morning.



Instead of buying that sock bracket kit for 30 bucks, I just made my own out of leftover acrylic.the sock cam be removed for cleaning just by lifting it up.


Hoping to get some pics of it running soon. Please lmk what you think of it.

 

[Tankerblade]

building my first custom sump/refugium

Looks good! Simple and useable. Do you have any more pictures of your sock holder?