Sump

[ItsMee]

I have a standard dimension 75 gallon tank...I need a sump to fit underneath. I want to get rid of the rubbermade as it makes me nervous.

My goals in choosing a sump are:

1. maxamize the amount of water volume (biggest I can go)

2. While at the same time making it so it fits underneath by putting it in through the cabinet doors, not the top


and as far as DIY goes, all I am willing to do is maybe silicone the baffles/sections in from pre-cut glass (is precut glass expensive?)

[theatrus]

Have you looked at the Melev's reef sump pages for some ideas? Lots of different base designs.

[ItsMee]

yeah I did...but like I said:



Originally posted by ItsMee


and as far as DIY goes, all I am willing to do is maybe silicone the baffles/sections in from pre-cut glass (is precut glass expensive?)

[jagal]

http://cgi.ebay.com/SUMP-Acrylic-Filter-box-refugium-Aquarium-SUMP_W0QQitemZ7725028248QQcategoryZ46310QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Look there, they make custom sizes.

[TimBob]

The big thing to look at isn't the size of your tank (while that is important) but the size and configuration of the doors on your stand. I have the el-cheapo aquarium stand that most LFS carry, the pine wood planks in oak stain. Luckily this type of stand has decent sized doors and no center vertical brace in between the doors so I was able to barely fit a custom sump (30" X 16" X 16" in through the doors while my tank was in place. I was considering a 29 gallon tank which would fit through the opening, but would have been taller restricting my access to the sump.

Inside the stand for a 75, most 20, 29 or 30 gallon tanks should fit no problem, you might even be able to fit a 40 Breeder in there which should make a good sump for a 75.

I was fortunate enough to find out that the owner of a LFS dabbled in acrylic himself and my sump was made entirely out of scrap he had from other jobs so I didn't have to pay a penny for the acrylic, just his time. You might want to check with your LFS for a custom sump, I am sure they have some sort of arrangement with local acrylic builders, all the ones around here do.

[Bax]

My AGA stand has center braces that really limited the sump size if I installed it through the doors. I used a 30 g set in all the baffles and sections myself ripped out a center brace from the top, set the sump in the stand and rebuilt the bracing adding a great deal of support to the stand.

I'll assume that ship has sailed for you. If you have the same stand, you may need to look at a 20 g to see if it'll fit through the doors.

Look at some tanks, cut a piece of scrap wood on the dimension of the foot print you are considering and see if it'll fit through the front of the stand before buying it.

Good luck.

[ItsMee]

OK, lets change the rules a little. After thinking about it, I dont really need it to fit through the front as I will never remove it from under the stand unless I move the whole tank anyway. Do 40 gallon breeders usually fit under 75 stands?

[ste6168]

ummm.... i would have to say no on the 40breeder only because my 29g sump just barely fit in my stand, I had to take out the top brace to fit it in and honestly i hate it already, if i could do it again i would go with a 30long or 20long becuase i have about 8 inches from the top of my sump to the bottom of the tank, very hard to work inside the sump, but hey it will have to work.

[ItsMee]

Thanks for your all of your input!

[Bax]

I agree with ste6168, anything bigger than a 30 is too big under there, you need a little room for other stuff.

Here's some pics from under my 75 ...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/583/4777075_Gallon_skimmer_top_004.jpg



http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/1/4777075_Gallon_with_water___base_rock.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/585/4777075_gallon_fuge_front.JPG


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/583/4777075_gallon_ES5_3_front.JPG

.... doen't laeve a lot of room for auto top off, PO4 reactors, Kalk reactor and such

[justgeorge]

Originally posted by ItsMee
OK, lets change the rules a little. After thinking about it, I dont really need it to fit through the front as I will never remove it from under the stand unless I move the whole tank anyway. Do 40 gallon breeders usually fit under 75 stands?
My interpretation of a "40 gallon breeder" is a 40 gallon long, which is the same length as a 55 gallon tank but not as tall. That makes it the same length as a 75 gallon tank, so no it won't fit. I agree that a 30 gallon long (as opposed to a 30 gallon tall) would fit the bill.

Also if you have a center brace causing problem getting in into the cabinet it can be remove for a very short period of time.

[Bax]

I used the removal of the center brace as an opportunity to stiffen the lateral and upright support of the entire stand, it's much stronger now.

[ItsMee]

I couldnt even do a simple maxi-jet mod without wastin a bunch of time and money...there is no way im going to try and remove my center brace. My DIY skills are just not up to par. :)