rubbermaid sump. what do i need to know?

merseyman

New member
... thinking i might go w/ a rubbermaid sump instead of the 30 breeder i was going to use, mostly for space issues. what do i look for in terms of a plastic container that will be reef-safe? thanks.
 
You mean the horse trough containers or the cheapy stuff you can get at Target?

Lots of people use those plastic storage containers; but the fact that they bulge out as it fill up scares me all the same. I know someone who had a plastic storage container burst in the stand.
 
I used to have a pair of rubbermaid totes under my sump, lasted for 7 years until I got my current sump. No issues cracking or leaking. It just took a little creativity to get it plumbed for all the equipment.
 
They will work fine if you get the right kind/quality. Make sure to get the heavy duty rigid hard plastic container and not the kind that has any bend/flex to it. If it is flexible it will no doubt bulge and crack over time. I have had this happen to me even with two of them stacked together.

I found a rigid/heavy duty tote that is grey in color and I stacked two of those together. Even with the sump over half full and running there is no visible bulge. I have been using this sump for over 3 years straight with no problems. I learned my lesson with the cheaper totes.
 
i have one of those cheapo ones but i really only plan to use it for a few more months... thatll make it 1 year of use..
 
... this will be under tank, w/out much water volume, so i'm not that concerned about the bulging thing. also, there will be no need to plumb it or use ozone. i was more concerned w/ water safety. i thought that i had heard you had to use a specific type of plastic to avoid leaching anything nasty into the water.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9257296#post9257296 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by merseyman
... this will be under tank, w/out much water volume, so i'm not that concerned about the bulging thing. also, there will be no need to plumb it or use ozone. i was more concerned w/ water safety. i thought that i had heard you had to use a specific type of plastic to avoid leaching anything nasty into the water.

That is true - food grade plastic like the ones found in the rubbermaid brute trash cans. The storage bins you are referring to will leak stuff back out. For example, my HD buckets leak stuff back into the ro/di water which comes out at zero. It will change the reading from 0 to 2 in a few hours.
 
I put one inside the other for double strength. I have them under a 55 and a 60. Four years now.
 
When you buy your $5 sump, buy like 6 of them, all identical. :D
You can store things in them until you need to do a replacement should the one in use fail, then you will be loving life.

Also, you know how all that crap collects in the bottom of your sump over time? If you make your sump tubs swappable, once a year you can escort the old one, including gunk on the bottom, right down to the curb on rubbish day, no muss, no fuss.
 
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