My New Bigger/Better DIY Sump/Fuge

dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
I had a 31 gl. sump/fuge ( 34 x 14 x 15h ) that gave me 190 sq. inches of fuge floor that I have been useing for four years. Worked great and full of pods and macros, ect.
But...... Bigger is better right ? So...
I have had an old 135 gl. 3/8 in. thick acrylic tank ( pic. 1 ) that I never used, got it used and decided to set up a different tank at the time. Its a great hobby and so many ideas all the time...
I had the 135 gl. stored out side on the back porch for nearly 5 years and later I noticed the seams showing some cracking ( pic. 2 ) and decided that the tank was no good to use as a main tank anymore.
So.... I took some measurments and decided that I could make a bigger fuge out of the tank that would be 53 gl. ( 44 x 15.5 x 18h ) and give me 330 sq. inches of fuge floor. Nearly doubleing the old fuge. It would be tight but would work.
So... get the saw, I stayed away from the old seams at least 2 to three inches so it would be good material for the new seams. Cut the main walls and did a test fit ( pic. 3 ) befor cutting the rest up. It cut easy with with my saw and a staight edge and fit every thing pretty well.
Put it together with WeldOn 4 and test filled it with water to check for leaks or splits and let it sit for a few days and there were none. To my suprise......I still afterwards reinforced all the seams with 3/8 square rod so now its very strong. ( pic. 4 )
Bought some more sand to add to it and was ready to do the swapout but I had to cut a bigger hole in the side of the stand but I made a panel to cover it back up. Mixed up some new water and moved every thing out of the old fuge, rocks, sand, macros, as many pods and worms, ect. that i could save into 5-5 gl. buckets.
Swaped it all out in a long day and put every thing back in and looks good, ha....( pic 5 ) Im useing the same pumps ect. so the flow thru the main tank is the same but the flow thru the sump now is slower than the old one so it has more time to do its job. I added a spare skimmer I had too so now there will be more skimming going on. Just got to get some more live rock to place in drain chamber ( looks empty now ) and might make some kind of frag shelf too.
Thanks for letting me brag and any comments or questions welcome.




 
B

bigben

Guest
I must say, that is a beautiful set-up.

I am new to SW and am attempting a DIY fuge/sump. I have a 55gal set aside for my display & a 30gal for my fuge/sump. Unfortunately, I may have gotten myself into more than I am ready for at this point. I am not happy with my instalation of dividers in my 30gal. I think I may have used the wrong kind of adhesive and too thin acrylic dividers. Since this is my first SW trial, I am considering purchasing a sump/fuge. I do not like any of the setups for sale "off the shelf". A 30 gal is perfect for what I am attempting.
Have you considered selling your original 30gal setup?
I am not concerned if all components are not included. I am just looking for a good starting point. I do not feel as though what I have built thus far is going to be succesful.
And, I welcome any DIY tips.
:help:
Ben
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Thanks,
Ben, as you might can tell from my post, I have a lot of spare stuff from 5 years in the hobby and really want to keep the old fuge as well for now. Always have ideas and may find a use for it later.
Sorry and I hope you understand.
As far as fixing yours, if its glass, you should just use glass baffles and aquarium safe silicon. Should hold together well. HomeDepot will sell it and cut it for you. If its acrylic then I recomend the WeldOn products. And 1/4 inch thick for either.
I can give you the details on how they were placed in my if you like.
 
B

bigben

Guest
OK.
No problem
I am the same way. I have a storage unit full of old FW stuff that I am going through to see what is transferable.
My 30gal is glass and I put plexygass in as dividers. I think I am going to rip it all out and do as you suggest by having HD cut glass dividers to size. One of the problems I had was getting the plexyglass cut (by hand) to accurate sizes. And it's only 1/8" thick.
The adhesive I used was bought from Lowes, it was a clear acrylic and I noticed (after use), that it says Do Not Use In Aquariums.
Needless to say, I completely botched this job.
Since I am starting fresh, a picture and description of your 30gal would be very helpful to me. I have been reading all I can but, most setups I see are different sizes than I am using. Plus, a DIY that is the same size I am trying that obviously worked for you should work for me.
Thanks for your help,
Ben
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Yep, glass to glass would be best. Lowes has Dap Aquarium safe sylicon near the paint dept. Have them cut the glass just shy of the inside tank wall of course. Ask them to buff the exposed edges so they want cut you later, the edges that are going to seal dont have to be buffed.
My old fuge was like the drawing but I did not have the 3 rd baffle at the return. Also my drains connected to a bio-ball box that reduced alot of the bubbles at the start so you may have to use a sock or slotted pipe at the drain chamber.
I ran 2 mag 9.5 thru this and never had bubble trouble so on a smaller tank/gph you should be fine with this layout.
As you said there are so many designs but I made this one four years ago befor I knew any better ones if they are any better ??? This was the basic layout of the EcoSystems so I went with it.
You can play with the drain and return size to fit your skimmer and pump but keep the baffles 1.5 inch or more apart and high from the bottom. The fuge walls are 6 inches high.
 
scottp

scottp

Member
Dogstar, I have been searching for a good description of a fuge for awile and you have provided a great one. Your pictures gave me an idea. I have a wet dry filter underneath my 125 gallon tank. It resembles the fuge you have just constructed. Instead of building a completely new fuge, I was thinking I could add LR, LS a CFL to the wet dry filter and well la have a fuge. I liked your idea of having two skimmers, I have never seen that. I am going to put another one in my wet/dry. The black lines or hoses coming from the bottom of your skimmers. What are those? Thanks for the great info.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Thanks again everyone.
Scottp, The small black tubes are the air intake for the skimmer.
Mine are RedSea Clasic Berlin models and they have a venturi cone just under the air intake that preserizes the water and sucks in the air.
 
gtgtazz

gtgtazz

Member
my question is would using my fluval as the pick up from the sump then run through the canister then return to the tank, do you think this would work ok.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Originally Posted by scottp
Dogstar, do you think my idea of using the wet/dry will work?
I really have no idea. I dont know how yours is construted or if baffles or walls will hold sand without getting washed around or if modifications are needed. If you have considered all these possibilities then yes, adding sand and rock and micros with a light and wah-la, instant fuge.
If you want to post some pics or numbers here then I would be happy to look at them.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
Originally Posted by gtgtazz
my question is would using my fluval as the pick up from the sump then run through the canister then return to the tank, do you think this would work ok.
Maybe, if the fluval is strong enough, canisters defeat the purpose of a fuge if your considering one. They trap and kill the organisiums that the fuge will produce.
If just for return to tank in just a sump, then sure. Im quessing you know you will need an overflow box in the main tank to drain water to the sump.
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
I dont have other pics of mine outside the stand...I dont think other pics of it inside will help any more than the ones I already posted. I can give a drawing with measurements if you want.....???
 
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