Ashurbarnipal's 80 gallon

[Cliff]

The only drawback to using a plastic tub is that you won't be able to effectively put in baffles.

If you want a sump, I would suggest keeping an eye open for a used tank to make into a sump. Something like a 30 to 55 gallon tank would be best (nothing smaller).

I would also suggest that you have all of your equipment purchased before you set up your sump. That way you can double check the size of the compartments to make sure everything fits in place.

When picking out your return pump you will have to keep in mind you will lose about 100 gph for each foot of height on the return line. You will also loose some flow based on each elbow on the return line a well. So if you want 1000 gph of flow you will most likely need a 1400 gph pump to get around 1000 gph of flow in the tank. Once you have that figured out, you can then size the drain line in order to make sure it can handle that much flow. The below should help you figure that out.

200gph = 0.58” drain line
400 gph = 0.83”
600 gph = 1.01”
800 gph = 1.17”
1000 gph = 1.31”
1200 gph = 1.43”
1400 gph = 1.55”
1600 gph = 1.65”
1800 gph = 1.75”
2000 gph = 1.85”
2200 gph = 1.94”
2400 gph = 2.02”
2600 gph = 2.09”
2800 gph = 2.19”

[Ashurbarnipal]

Would that 29 gallon I got free work?

[hockeyhead019]

I'd say the 29 gal is a good sized tank, enough so that you can have a decent amount of water actually in there and enough so that if the power goes out the tank can drain some into your sump without it overflowing

[Cliff]

Has hockey head has stated, you would have to leave enough room in the sump for the drain back but it certainly can be made to work.

My only concern would be the working level of water left in the tank would have to be at the minimum level for what ever skimmer you choose to put in there.

Come to think of it, did you once state you wanted a fug in your sump ? If that is the case, then I would suggest a 55 gallon tank for the sump.

[Ashurbarnipal]

Yeah, I definitely do want a refugium this time around. Well, there is a 55 on the local Craigslist. I'll see if I can get that, though I suppose there's no rush since I'll need to build a stand first.

[Cliff]

It might be a good idea to get your sump figured out first. That way you can make sure you sump fits inside the stand and there is enough height for your skimmer and lighting inside your sump.

That is, if you want your sump inside the stand.

[hockeyhead019]

Definitely get your sump and then build your stand otherwise you can end up with a tight squeeze or other issues. Also a consideration to keep in mind is how high any equipment/plumbing will be in the tank, this is a problem I ran into personally haha my skimmer is way to close to top of my stand so keep in mind any reactors or skimmers or scrubbers you think you could even possibly want in the future

In terms of sump size if you want a fug compartment definitely go with a 55 or maybe a 40 breeder (I think it had a more short and wide footprint vs a 55 with the tall and narrow foot print)

[Ashurbarnipal]

Some progress. I'm looking at a 55 gallon on craigslist, dunno if I'll be able to get it, though.

Removed the rest of the dividers and the extra overflows, plus those annoying plastic bits on the front. Also, filled it to about 80%. Didn't see any leaks, though I may or may not have heard it making noises. Was outside, so couldn't be sure.



And I measured the drilled hole. It's around 3/4ths of an inch.

I'm thinking I want to use vinyl hose for the drain so I can see just in case something got sucked into it, provided vinyl hose would work with that kinda thing. Also, can you attach vinyl hose to ball valves? (I'm a total plumbing newby)

This is what the other side of the hole looks like:



Would I need some sort of insert coupling to attach it to the hose?

[Cliff]

you will need a female threaded hose barb. Just like the below, but in plastic

[Ashurbarnipal]

Thanks again, Cliff! Man you're quick with help!

Also, it looks like I may get a 55 gallon this weekend!