Recent workings (DIY sump & Drilling)

[Ocellaris]

I'm getting ready to finally set up my sump. I just need a pump then I'll be good to go. What pump would you guys recommend? The overflow is rated at 1200 gph and the pump would be pushing water just 4 feet straight up to the top of the tank.

Here's a pic of my sump, I think I used too thin acrylic, but it was the thickest they had at the time. I'm going to test it later today, fill it with water and see which pieces bow. I don't think it'll bow where water is at both sides of the baffles, because of the pressure on both sides. I'm going to put my protein skimmer in next to the live rock and have heaters below the media.

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I also ordered some stuff from glass-holes.com My son is checking out my practice drill on an extra 10 gallon I have. I think it went really well. I started jumping around the first few seconds of the drilling, but once I realized that I was pushing down too hard, it was sooth sailing once I let the drill do it's own thang.

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I'm going to get going on my overflow system here in the next few days. I'm going to have a union and ball valve right above the sump just in case I need to remove the entire sump. I'm thinking of drilling a hole into the sump for the inlet so the water goes across the media than straight down.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

What kind of media are you planning on using? Personally I'd put the live rock in the first slot, not the middle.

[Ocellaris]

Activated Carbon, phos and nitrate remover. No bio balls, the more I read, the more I hear their a nitrate trap.

I thought about putting the live rock first, but I'm going to put the light on tank also, so I figured the middle would be a bit bitter with mods I'll have to do.

The only thing I haven't quite figured out yet is how to put shelves in the media area. I looked ALL over for egg crate and no one knew what I was talking about. So I have some extra acrylic pieces that I my drills holes into.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

You don't want to make that media area Wet/Dry in nature. You want the media in a high flow area. I personally put mine in the baffles in the sump.

[Ocellaris]

Could I just get a few mesh bags, fill them up and toss them towards the bottom and move the heaters out of that area?

I just got down cutting my pieces to go from the over flow to the sump it self. I used (2) 45's with a few inches between them instead of a 90. Once I get it all glued and set, I'll measure where to drill my sump.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

The mesh bags would do fine, that's exactly how I do mine.

Also, remember, every elbow you put in the plumbing slows down the flow of water so you may have an overflow rated for 1200gph but those elbows will reduce that slightly.

[Ocellaris]

Yeah, that why I put two 45's in. They have to take two turns, but it's not as bad as one 90.

[aquanut]

You can find "Eggcrate" at homedepot.It is actually lighting grid for florescent lights,Typically used in drop cielings

[Ocellaris]

You can find "Eggcrate" at homedepot.It is actually lighting grid for florescent lights,Typically used in drop cielings

Yeah I looked all over for it and can't find it unless it's online. I went to Menards, True Value, Farm and Fleet, and a few others in the area and I just got dumbfounded looks.

[Ocellaris]

I got the plumbing and the sump going, I was going to take pics, but I hid my camera so well from my son that I even can't find it.