Rudolph: To mirror what jabo and tran901 said, yes sump building is pretty easy, so long as you have all the equipment, which really isn't much. where I found savings was after my first sump build i had everything i needed to make another one. first time out, making an acrylic sump will probably be about even with purchasing one from the LFS. And just to everyone knows, so long as the build isn't too tricky $100 should cover the cost of materials with a little left over for me. I like working with acrylic and helping out my fellow reefers. it' a llot of fun and it helps build experience. For a DIY project sump building can really teach you a lot about aquarium equipment construction. If i can make it myself out of acrylic I will, and that goes for pretty much everything. learning a skill is very rewarding. Before i moved to a night shift job (and when i was active in the club) i was going to host a workshop for working with acrylic for a club meeting. I'm moving to days soon and hope to renew my membership then and still hold the class.
when measuring for a custom sump you need to consider the footprint of your equipment, its placement inside and/or outside the sump/stand and any bells and whistles you may want to incorporate later down the road. Something i suggest is really research the sumps that are out there, mix and match features until something really clicks with your tank and BUILD A MOCKUP! I have made myself sumps that looked great outside the stand and then wouldn't work worth a flip, or (god forbid) not fit. just cut a cardboard box down to the outer dimentions of your sump plan and try and get it in the stand without folding, creasing, or cutting the thing up. a lottle forethought goes a LONG way, believe me. I made a stand for my 180 and wound up renting a reciprocating saw from Dixie Rents and hacking up one end of it to get that monster sump inside it.
So long and short of it is: Research, Redesign and Test.
theres lots of good sumps out there and pleanty of ideas. find some you like and we'll work out the details.
my new sump I made has an integrated filter sock holder and overflow bubble trap. i left the inside empty so I can take it off and add more things later.
Here is a picture of my Ca reactor i made.
i thought i had a pic of my sump but i guess it's on my phone.
anyhow, if you want me to make you something just PM me.
jabo, i got an idea for your Ca reactor, i just need to get some info from you. PM me when you get a minute.
