DIY: 29g Sump w/baffles

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I won't leave these in PB long term, so if you like em'...

The originals have already been recycled.

J
 
Is that a propane or natural gas burner, in the front view, heating the sponge? LOL

Is it safe to assume that there is another hole under the sponge to move the water into the sump/pump area? I the sponge for filtering gunk or bubbles or both.
 
Just build the thing!
Put check valves and a siphon break on your returns. Or you can always calculate the total volume returning thru those overflows when the power goes off. My bet is around a third of your 40 gallon tank (10 to 13 gallons). Sometimes I think we all think these things thru way too much.
Have some fun!
Jon
jandlms
 
I just found out that 40 gallon breeders are really 44 gallons, so indeed if 1/3 is needed, I am going to need roughly 14.6 gallons free in my sump. This leaves me with only 14.4 gallons of sump/refugium water which should be enough.

I need to just build this thing is right :-)
 
The sponge is suspended over the small end of a L shaped sump. I would do this with notched brackets and egg crate.


TJ, Thats just scary weird. Stop following me.

And your overflow takes up 4 gallons... of the 44 :D

I agree with mike... There is a point where you can analyze this. it's on the horizon - and comming fast. Just put in the sump, then buy a couple pcs of glass every week till it's done.

You getting to much like me. I over analyze everything.

Scott, those are BIG drops of water... you wouldn't expect anything else but big drops from me....would you?
 
jason, you're still home sick too? I think I'm going in at noon. However, Ron has my stand done!!!

I want to get the stand here so I can see if I can put a bigger sump inside it.

I'm also debating on ditching my HOB skimmer and getting an in sump skimmer. Can I get one for under $150?(funds are getting low!)
 
Would I have a problem keeping my tank in my downstairs bar room with all this wood?

barroom.jpg



bar.jpg


How can I measure the humidity in our house? All of our windows are wet and I think its the fish tanks fault..lol
 
That's alot of wood, looks nice. I was forced to build a similar shelf around the outside of my finished basement too to hide a PVC drain pipe (goodbye drain-field hello pipe).

Do you know if there is a vapor barrier between the wood and the foundation? I would worry about condensation behind the wood on the outside walls forming mold over time. You may also notice some buckling of the plank joints if there is not enough expansion room. You could make it work with a good dehumidifier or three.

I have my little 10 gal nano tank on the first floor of my home and have noticed a fairly large increase in window sweating this year (even with double pain low-e argon filled windows). A glass tank cover helped with the evaporation but I still loose nearly a gallon a week. I currently have a dehumidifier running and run my furnace hotter to help combat.
 
Check with Jason on his uber-dehumidifier. That thing looks like it could suck the juices out of you at a 100 yards. Might be a little big for your needs though.
 
You know, I wouldn't pin it on just the fish tank... what do you have...? 30 gallons less the rock in a few stock tanks? You cant verywell blame the problem on so little water, without first analysing the other water in your home.

Showers X2 people per day (we hope)
toilets
Sinks, every time you wash your hands or dishes.
Water bowl from the dog.
Do you have a dishwasher...? don't get me started there.
you wash your clothes.... check your dryer vent for leaks....humid air.

When I looked into the UBER DEHUMIDIFYER, I found that the air in the bathroom should be switched out 8 times an hour, and the air in the kitchen 17 times an hour. Even keeping the air moving helps. Switch on your furnace fan on full time for a few weeks... turn on bath fans to vent moist air outside... and turn on ceiling fans on ultra low, just keep the air moving.

Opening shades helps. Also, go to the house wares section at Fleet, for 10$ I bought a house digital humidity meter. Watch it. Daily. Monitor what you run at.

Open a door or a window a drack on a really cold night... one with a storm. This will vent moisture rich air, and bring in dry air. This is less usefull after or above 32 degrees, since water is more likely in evap/vapor state. And magically freezes below 32....

Scott... that thing makes like 30 some ounces of water in like 12 minutes..! I put a cup under it, ran upstairs to get something, and returned and it was overflowing!

These are only a few ideas, there are more, but they start costing more $. If you are looking at dehumidifyers, look at the amp vs water removal... don't wory about the "size" of the resivoiur as you will proly have it run directly into a drain.

Best percentages run your home around 40-50% - I've been shooting for 42% whole house.

Jason
 
All of our windows are wet and I think its the fish tanks fault..lol [/B]
Click to expand...

With such cold temps at night the past few days after it was so mild just a few days before I think that even if you did not have a tank in the house that the windows would be wet.
Mine were really bad when it was single digits at night but today it warmed up into the 30's here and they are dry, until it gets cold out again!
 
TJ is victim of the same single pane windows the Yaitisme caught us with a month or so ago. This to will pass.

TJ and anyone else... the mold that my appear from water on your winders may be toxic. this mold should be killed using bleach, but not from a bottle. Use any of the shower anti mold and mildew products. Spray a light application, wait1 to 2 hours, and re apply. this may have to be repeated several times, and the mold will disappear. Using full strength bleach, the outer skin of the mold dies and shrinks in on itself, forming a barrier to protect the mold underneath. Using the above product in lower dosage, the mold "dies" a slower death, and the repeated application, destroys the mold completely.

Just some of my most current research.

J
 
I didn't think mold could withstand a full bleach nuke'n. I usually have diluted bleach (maybe 1/2 cup to a spray bottle) and a 50/50 bottle of non-clorine breach and water (hey I got a boat, water/summer humidity and lake Winnebago water ain't good for white) on hand for cleaning and disinfecting. The bathroom shower products are a good idea especially if you have vinyl window frames as they are usually safe on vinyl and acrylic.

As a side note, if you are looking to replace windows, look for a 1" spacer between the inner and outer windows. We replaced our bay window this fall, same low-e glass, some argon fill, same vinyl frame as our other windows -- slightly different spacer and no water on the window even this morning (4 degrees outside temp).
 
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