Other than glass or acrylic...

[Reverend Reefer]

including the typical brute or plastic,..

what are people's thoughts on alternative materials for a sump/fuge. for example, has anyone used an old claw foot bathtub or some kind of waterproof concrete or something? as i'm sure most of you do, i dream of having a house where i can design the basement into some cool interesting saltwater reef room. long shallow aquariums around the room and maybe some sump fuge system along the bottom around the room, maybe even a small low shallow pond with a mangrove or something. with varying filtration options like mud along the bottom wall of one area, cheato and other macro algae along another wall, you get the idea. has anyone ever had a sump/fuge made out of different material other than the usual?

 

[TheYellowSnow]

Rubbermaid 100g tub.

 

[Ruu]

Rubbermaid 100g tub.

I used one of these as my main display for 6 months while I worked on a remodel. Honestly, everything seemed to prefer it to glass...

Dave

 

[Timfish]

I've used heavy duty totes and heavy duty containers for small ponds and like the Rubbermaid tub above. Caution needs to be taken when using lighter duty stuff as saltwater leaches the plasticizers out and containers can become brittle over time, a sure recipe for disaster.

 

[MondoBongo]

i have a large rubbermaid container that is my sump. unfortunately i decided to add a sump after i had been running for a while, so by that time i needed something that i could contort to fit inside the stand.

it's been going on two years now, and seems so far so good. as long as it holds up until after i'm done moving and setting up the larger tank, i'll be happy.

as far as the clawfoot tub, what would worry me about that is that they tend to be made from cast iron that is coated with something. sometimes in edge areas like around the drain, or if there is a scratch or chip, the coating can be compromised, and it can actually begin to rust.

i'm *hoping* i can convince my fiancee to let me drill through the floor when we move, and let me use one of the 150 or 300 gallon stock tubs for a basement sump.