Sump tank build thread
- Thread starter Mr.Tan
- Start date
Mr.Tan
New member
oh word, i wasent sure if I still needed to keep it or not. I thought maybe it needed to stay to collect anything that didn't get eat or was passed by.
thanks!
you can put the heater in the sump too if you like
thats what im planning on doing, gonna get rid of as much as I can to make it look cleaner and less cluttered
jer77
Phish Lover
I agree. You have 2 HOB filters on there now. It looks like one is just a carbon filter and the other is the HOB siphon that runs to your sump. Take off the carbon filter and I would take out the blue padding from the box cause this may clog up the siphon which would cause a huge spill. You want little obstructions as possible in the overflow box. If you do have to cover the box cause you have turbo snails for example, I would use thick mesh to prevent the snails from clogging it up.
About painting the wood white, I would recommend painting it will Spar varnish, but since its already painted white you would have to sand it all off. Just get some white paint that's meant for outdoors or even better marine applications.
Mr.Tan
New member
Yeah the one on the left in the picture is just an aquaclear 50 HOB filter with carbon and a sponge in it (along with the bio stuff on the top). I Will remove those sponge things from the overflow box, i saw they came in it when i took it out of the box so i figured i should leave them in? I didn't know if it would help from keeping crap from falling down in that was to big and getting sucked up in the syphon. I'll just build a mesh cover for it instead.
And i'll for sure look in to geting some all purpose/outdoor/marine white paint to use since im sure it will be getting wet around the sump at some point or another. and to help keep any moisture from accumulating in the wood (which i assume is why you are recommending that?).
And i'll for sure look in to geting some all purpose/outdoor/marine white paint to use since im sure it will be getting wet around the sump at some point or another. and to help keep any moisture from accumulating in the wood (which i assume is why you are recommending that?).
jer77
Phish Lover
Ya Spar Varnish is the best for untreated wood. Its like a stain/sealant. The wood beneath the sump will get the most saltwater spilled. Then the area around the skimmer from the return water emptying into the chamber will get salt spray. A thick coat or two will ensure the wood doesn't rot. There isn't much business for marine boat products available around where I am, but York is closer to the ocean than I. There's probably a lot of freshwater demand in York, so I'd start there. Usually the smaller hardware stores carry the good stuff as Home Depot has just masses of general paints.
Mr.Tan
New member
Alright cool, thanks for the input on that! I'll for sure check out the area and see what I can come up with.. not to many boating places around here, there used to be one close by but of course it closed down awhile ago (go figure).. I wanna say i've heard of/seen Spar before and have seen it somewhere, but i can't for the life of me rememeber where it was! :beer:
oh and I went to look for some suction cups for my return pump, who knew home depot didn't carry suction cups!?!? i was shocked when they said they didn't haha
oh and I went to look for some suction cups for my return pump, who knew home depot didn't carry suction cups!?!? i was shocked when they said they didn't haha
jer77
Phish Lover
You can use foam padding the kind that has adhesive on one side. Its foam/rubbery stuff that won't degrade underwater. Even if it doesn't have adhesive you can just use a few dabs of silicon to hold it.
Check out this site, its a DIY wonderland:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber/=dcost8
Check out this site, its a DIY wonderland:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber/=dcost8
Mr.Tan
New member
cool man, thanks for that.. i did a test run of the pump the other day to see how it was flowing and to check for leaks (ran just tap water into a bucket from the one side of the sump) and the pump was sitting just directly on the glass (plastic to glass) and wasent secure and was vibrating a ridiculous amount that i could hear it clear upstairs. Hopefully what you gave me a link to/mentioned will help! I am going to try and get something to sit the tank itself on also on the wood to help with the vibration too.
got a question. Is expoxy bad in a sump? i built a stand to sit the skimmer on to lift it up to proper height, and i used PVC and epoxied the legs i made out of the pvc to teh extra piece of glass i had... is that a no-no? i didn't know if i could use the aquarium silicone because i was afraid it wouldn't stick.. It isn't in yet, just want to check before i do put it in.
got a question. Is expoxy bad in a sump? i built a stand to sit the skimmer on to lift it up to proper height, and i used PVC and epoxied the legs i made out of the pvc to teh extra piece of glass i had... is that a no-no? i didn't know if i could use the aquarium silicone because i was afraid it wouldn't stick.. It isn't in yet, just want to check before i do put it in.
jer77
Phish Lover
Epoxy is a-OK when its fully dried. It can't be wet when drying. Oh I just thought to make sure you use aquarium silicon or something like it because some are meant for bathrooms or outdoors and have anti-bacterial stuff in it or other potentially harmful additives. Oh, McMasterCarr is fairly expensive compared to HD or your local hardware store. They do have everything under the sun. I found some 1/8'' rubber padding at my hardware store. I tripled it up. That was for a PanWorld 200PS at 1750gph and an Iwaki 70rlt at around 1500gph. Your noise may come from the pvc cavitation if the pvc pipe isn't held down or tied to something sturdy.
Mr.Tan
New member
I know exactly what you are talking about! I'll check into it, thanks!
Yeah i wont be putting it in until it is completely and 100% dry, dont need to risk any coming out into the water.. I am using aquarium silicon, i picked it up from Petco. Its what manufacturers use to assemble and secure the glass together on aquariums (or atleast thats what the package says lol). I'll take a look at home depot or lowes and see waht I can find, im sure they will have something that I can get and will work good, of course them not having suction cups make me wonder :lolspin: ... I will make sure the PVC is nice and secure, i have it tight in one spot where it leaves the tank and is about to go through the wall, but i will make sure ti is done in other places too.. I thought having it in the basement would be completely quiet, i need to give it some work haha
Mr.Tan
New member
it uses a 1" drain and 3/4" return. I measured the bulkhead fitting that comes off the overflow and it was about 1" so i stuck with that size.. As for the 3/4" return, i used that because I already had the piping done for it, i was told I need 1" also but I am going to see how flow is and if I do need more then i will change it
Mr.Tan
New member
started filling up the sump tank. gave the skimmer a test-run to see how it worked. This is where I am at with it.... It said to have it in 6-10 inches of water, so i have it at a hair under 7" (since that is what I rememeber reading someone said they had theres at). Where exactly is a good place to have the water level INSIDE the skimmer be at while it is running? also, the bubbles are up high in the chamber, like i mean up to the top of the collection up.. is this normal for the first time starting, its just fresh SW in the sump, not fully running yet with the DT flowing through or anything... DO i need/want the gatevalve to be completely open while it is breaking in? im a bit confused from reading the instructions.
here is a video, hopefully it works
here is a video, hopefully it works
