Remote/Next to Tank Sump Idea

[Jet Black]

In my build thread I mentioned this briefly before, the tank I'm thinking about doing this on is here.

So my idea basically is to have a remote sump and equipment area similar to those large tanks with sumps in garages and ect. but on a small tank. Also instead of being in another room I am thinking of doing this in a small chest/foot stool type container.

This would give me the added benefit of more space in the stand, larger sump, larger ATO reservoir (2 gallons is already not lasting long enough), and in the future for college the flexibility to be able to put it in a different configuration or if need be, return back to the in stand sump I am currently using.

Now for this to be feasible I would want it to be large enough to hold about a 20gal sump, ATO, and room for potential equipment such as gfo/calcium reactors, dosing pumps, or anything I may need. It would also have to be near furniture grade, have a water tight bottom, and be able to use as a bench for looking at my tank:dance:

Now I'm not an expert on this, so please point out any potential problems with this. Things that come to mind are: lateral pipes instead of purely vertical, difficulty fitting everything in something short, and the fact that I have no power tools or any real woodworking talent.

Any ideas?
Justin

 

[tankaddict]

Keep in mind that building it might cost you as much or more than buying it (cost of furniture grade wood, paint, sealant, is not cheap after adding it all up). If you do go the diy route home depot will cut wood to your desire dimensions. All you would need is a drill and a hole saw to cut holes in your stand and the remote sump to run your pipes through. You will probably need to drill your current sump to plumb the two together.

 

[Jet Black]

Okay so I've continued my research. So far I have only found one chest that will work with what I'm requiring. I've been looking under toy chests because anything else is giving me wide ranges of products. Also often times they have holes near the top such as hand grips or under the lip of the lid, would work well for ventilation. May drive around to used/antique stores to look and see what they have.

My plan would be to take the current 7gal sump offline. I may take it out of the stand or I may just leave it there empty. Depends on how I go about this.

I'm not sure what I would do with the existing plumbing. It currently goes straight down the back of the tank and through two 90 degree elbows (down, horizontal for 2", down) to get in the stand. Would it be best to cut the pipe above the elbows and install a T with valves on both of the outlets? This would allow me too turn either sump off but it may cause some drain issue I'm unaware of. Also I would like to limit the amount of visible pipes, this would mean an approximate drop of 6" over 36", would that be an issue? The return line is vinyl tubing so it should be easy to route and replace.

Ill try and make a diagram later.

 

[Jet Black]

So, still looking around. Having trouble finding anything in the right dimensions; the largest obstacle is height. I would like to keep my current skimmer. It is a Reef Octopus XS 160 I believe. I'm not so sure about the implications of it being way overrated for the tank but I could just turn it off for a period of the day if need be. Now if I could remove the 24" height restriction that this skimmer creates it would be still difficult, but easier to find a suitable container.

If I were to get rid of my skimmer I would need to get enough money to buy a near new skimmer appropriate for my tank or be able to implement something along the lines of that algae turf scrubber that I've been rolling around in the back of my mind. Still would like to be able to keep my skimmer as it is a good one but I may have to adapt.

Ideas I've had include: toy box/storage bench, outside storage boxes, chests, and a storage locker. I'm thinking along the lines of a 24" deep locker turned so that the door is facing up. This may cause problems with it being metal or the door not being able to support someone sitting on it. Otherwise everything "sitable" for some reason stops at 21" tall.

Any ideas welcome