woke up to a nightmare!!

[biecacka]

woke up to a nightmare

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so yesterday im taking a nap b4 i go to work(i know but i promise i am an adult ) and i hear a god awful sound coming from my tank, the return pump is running dry!! my sump had sprung a leak somewhere and was nice enough to dump 25-30 gallons of water onto my carpet in my apartment . so i unplug everything and throw some towels on the floor and head off to work. now the drama starts, im not sure how to get the sump out from under the tank w/out draining the whole thing. 220 gallons. then not sure how to get a sump back in there unless its like a 29 gallon or so. ive always wanted to play w acrylic but not start w something as big or important as a sump for my 220 so that is likely out of the question.
it comes down to this, im looking for suggestions on how to remove, replace the one in there, a sump of sort for sale or tank would work. and also can the single center brace on the front of the stand between the doors be removed for a really short period of time? if so it would make switching out sumps a lot easier.
thanks everyone
corey

 

[szwab]

Removing the center brace (for a short time depends a lot on the overall stand construction and the distance between the 2 ends. Have you checked out if it's possible to remove an end panel to slide the sump out?

On a side note naps are a good thing

 

[06busa]

When I had my 220 I used a 55 gallon for my sump that I slid in the side of the stand. I had to remove several of the side panels but there still was the main support in the corners. Also when I had to remove the side panels I moved as much of my coral that I could to the bottom of the tank and drained about 100g to reduce the weight and stress.

 

[biecacka]

yes naps are great! i will look into the end removal idea and weigh the options out, i like that one the best
corey

 

[serpentman]

Here is a link that may be of help. Its a smaller tank but where there's a will, there's a way. Marc Levenson (Melev) removed the center brace on his 55g stand to replace his sump.

http://www.melevsreef.com/55g/55sump.html

 

[zsqure]

end remova +1

end remova +1

I cut ahole in the end of my stand with a jig saw to get my wet-dry out and a new sump fuge in. Made the hole 1/4" bigger tan I needed. Went to HD and bought a door to go over the hole. I also threw in a couple vertical 2x6's at the end of the stand to give additional support.

 

[biecacka]

that is an idea also. thank you for the link to marks idea. i am gonna take some measurements today and try to devise a game plan
corey

 

[biecacka]

were the side panels just "popped" off or did they screw?
corey

 

[Pescado Amigo]

Corey,

It depends a lot on the stand maker, material etc. Pine AGA stands have a 2x4 frame. The end can be carefully disassembled, and reassembled. You may have to start with the trim, then the side panel (or planks). If it is a solid oak stand, it may be more complicated.

Good Luck

 

[biecacka]

not sure of the maker of the stand. i bought it yrs ago from jacks. i think i will drain some of tank and i have a buddy coming over this weekend to take a look at the stand and we will figure out easy (used lightly) way to get sump out and repaired. mihgt take a chance to rework the aquascape too! not sure on that one
corey

 

[biecacka]

ok laugh now if you please!! i took the doors off the stand and guess what.........the sump came out! so i took it to the carwash to clean it out and check for a leak, could not find one which leads me to believe it might have been the bulkhead. funny thing is tho the bulkhead is on the opposite end of the tank in relation to where the wet spot was on the floor
corey

 

[szwab]

We can always sticky this thread at the top of the forum.
Oh but wait then nobody would see it :lol:

That is too funny though. Possibly a pvc fitting that came loose over time? or (hate to say it) missed the glueing portion of assembly?

 

[biecacka]

really simple plumbing on my end so i think it was the bulkhead maybe. although i did notice what looks like a fraction in the bottom pane that is a few inches long but cant tell if that is the cause or not. so i put some water in it, threw it in the bathtub w a bowl under it to see if it leaks or not. ill know in the am!
corey

 

[biecacka]

sump is repaired.....(thanks geo!!!) letting it dry then putting an ATO of some sort on it. any suggestions?
corey

 

[oldreefer76]

sump is repaired.....(thanks geo!!!) letting it dry then putting an ATO of some sort on it. any suggestions?
corey

Tunze Osmolator

 

[Reefdiver72]

Geo = Superman to the rescue again we are so lucky in central Ohio.
to Bad I am in SE Kansas for a while wish I knew what my tank was doing.
thinking about coming back and selling it all off to fund a new one someday.

 

[biecacka]

geo is superman!!

 

[biecacka]

so i found the culprit of the crack i think. the floor of the sump is bowed upwards! any suggestions on how to fix this?
corey