DIY sump? Good idea or bad?
- Thread starter Momo3419
- Start date
dentnshell
New member
I made a refugium/ato out of acrylic that I ordered pre cut to my specifications. put together with weld-on. The ability to get the two part container with the height and footprint that exactly fit my stand was great. It was great for a simple design. My current sump is much more complicated. I am glad I did not try something so complicated as my first project.
wizzbane15
Member
Find a local acrylic shop that you can buy pieces you need pre-cut. This will make everything significantly easier.
dentnshell
New member
Tap is where I purchased. They are great. They sent me one piece that was wrong. Even though I told them I was in no hurry they insisted in overnighting the piece to me. It was a small 1/4" thick piece. The entire order was only about $100. Great service!
Mikefromaz
New member
My question is why make one out of acrylic? It is very tricky. What every sump maker needs to know is the answer to the question "am I REALLY confident on making good seals? Get a pre-made glass tank and install the baffles yourself. Gambling with your floor, furniture and tank livestock is simply not a good enough reason to work with acrylic just because you want to. Seriously.
jimmyj7090
aka John K
Careful though, there are some very well made youtube videos out there showing very bad techniques for acrylic work
An acrylic sump DIY is not terribly difficult, but I would strongly suggest some practice with scrap material first as acrylic is not at all forgiving if you make mistakes.
Even if you get pre-cut pieces, you should at least have practiced getting nice clean seams before you start the assembly of your actual sump project.
Also, beware of old weldon. (Weldon #4 is probably the most common solvent used for our projects). With the Weldon #3 or #4 check the date on bottom of the can, it shouldn't be much more than a year old. I've found cans on the shelves of local suppliers that were 3-4 yrs old and the solvent was junk.
skeeter_ca
Active member
It's not tricky at all. It is very easy and doing it yourself it can be customized anyway you like. Sure there are some new skills you need to learn but they are easy. This is a sump not a display tank. It doesn't have to look prefect it just needs to hold water reliably. Using a glass tank you are limited to standard sizes that may not fit in your stand perfectly or utilize the space efficiently. Building an acrylic sump is one of the fun parts of reefing. If in doubt, over build and you won't have any problems. There are hundreds of youtube videos and websites to learn from. GO FOR IT!
skeeter_ca
Active member
Well I can't seem to do that but I can build a sump!
scubadan206
Member
Mine is plywood, glass and pond shield. Baffles and plumbing come next week.
Daniel.
Daniel.
jpontier212
New member
I am a newbie to the hobby. I have watched a lot of videos and seen some in action in my lfs. My funds are somewhat limited so I'm always looking for deals. I found a 20 gallon acrylic sump for $15 at a yard sale and put glass baffles in it. Got the glass baffles cut at lowes for a wopping $8.38 and got some aquarium safe silicone and went to work.
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jpontier212
New member
As you can see that's also a protein skimmer 150 ebay special. $27.35. I have had it running continuously into the sump itself to break it in. It's very delicate due to the fact of the very thin plastic but it does do the job.I am a newbie to the hobby. I have watched a lot of videos and seen some in action in my lfs. My funds are somewhat limited so I'm always looking for deals. I found a 20 gallon acrylic sump for $15 at a yard sale and put glass baffles in it. Got the glass baffles cut at lowes for a wopping $8.38 and got some aquarium safe silicone and went to work..
