My Sump Project Journal..

mony97

mony97

Member
So I have had my tank up and running just shy of three months. I have slowly added a CUC consisting of mainly Trochus and Nassarius snails, 2 Ocellaris Clowns, and a Midas Blenny. My next fish will be a Kole Tang but have decided to upgrade my filtration before I add him or any others.
I currently have a Pro-Clear w/d system with a malfunctioning protein skimmer. I am looking to upgrade to a 20 or so gallon custom sump that I will be building from scratch (including the tank itself due to my stands weird dimensions).
Here is the plan so far..
Buy a good amount of plexiglass or acrylic cut pieces to the dimensions I need, buff the edges, and "glue" the pieces together forming the sump. From here section off the sump making 3 sections, IN, MIDDLE, and RETURN, this done of course with acrylic dividers.
The first or IN section will house my new protein skimmer (I am planning on purchasing the Vertex IN 100). The second section "middle" will house mainly cheato algae and maybe a DSB and some LR (not sure yet). Third as named will house the return pump (I just picked up a new Aqueon 2500 pump), and the heater for the DT. I also plan on adding carbon into this system as well just not sure where yet?
I'll keep posting on my progress and hopefully it will turn out :)
Feel free to post and give some advice or correct my many possible mistakes as I go..
 
mony97

mony97

Member
So not really sump related but have slowly been upgrading my equipment as well and yesterday was able to change out my glass tops for eggcrate ones that I had to cut to size (pain in the butt) and also purchased a new heater, so was happy to be making some progress forward :)
 
mony97

mony97

Member
I officially ordered my new protein skimmer and it should be here on Fri. I went with the Vertex IN 100 as stated.
I also bought a standard 10g tank to house everything instead of building the sump body myself, it will be a tight fit but I think I have it planned out. Time and careful planning will tell..
Also as a question I still plan on dividing the sump into 3 sections and am wondering how quickly the water will pass through the seperation pannals? I am wondering because I was thinking of using some sort of filter pad in between the two pannals to help remove some of the larger particals that will try and pass through and back into the tank..
 
mony97

mony97

Member
Got my new skimmer today!! It fits perfectly into the 10g sump I bought but no real room for the mini refuge I was planning so am now thinking a second 10g tank and just linking the two..
Any suggestion on how to best accomplish this?
 
gill again68

gill again68

Active Member
I have seen that done. You can do it many ways. First of all you do understand you want a very gentle flow in your refugium? Best place for ideas on sumps that I have seen is Melvesreef.com You can get a lot of ideas from his DYI sections.
 
mony97

mony97

Member
Yeah I definitly was not planning on having the kind of flow I have in my DT, and I will have to check out the site
thx
 
mony97

mony97

Member
So I found out that cutting acrylic with out a power saw of some sort sucks and wasted $30 on two pieces that are now in smaller pieces in the trash haha, and of course find out 20 mins later that my LFS owner would have been happy to help cut the pieces for me.
Other than that I got a very cool HOB refuge for my sump since the protein skimmer takes up so much room and the remaining space is to small for any real separations, so I'll need to check an make sure everything is going to fit.
So all in all this project that I hoped would take less than a week is beginning to drag on (one of the benefits of working weird hours), no worries though I am excited to get it up and running and hope to post pics tomorrow so you can see what I've been blabbing about.
 
mony97

mony97

Member
Got the acrylic cut today and placed into the sump, so that was nice and am now waiting for the glue to dry.
Pics coming..
 
gill again68

gill again68

Active Member
Ill cross my fingers for you. I would have just had some glass cut to fit your sump. As for me I will never use acrylic in a glass tank again. I do think however the type of acrylic does make the difference. I cant remember if its the cast or extruded that I used. Which ever it was it sucked for me.
Post some pics please......
 
mony97

mony97

Member
Thanks, and I have the extruded so we see how that goes.. The sealant is finally dry so I will be adding water as soon as possible. But managing a store with most of its employees on vac. makes for a lot of hours at work and not in front of my tank :( which is why I have not gotten around to posting pics yet..
Also how much did it cost you to have the glass cut? I may just wait it out and switch to glass sounds like a much better option.
 
gill again68

gill again68

Active Member
I think I had 4 pieces cut that were about 11" x 18" X 1/4" and it only cost around $24.00. Just make sure you get a good inside measurement and deduct a fraction so you have about 1/32 or so of slack. This will allow you to put the glass in without bowing the sides and possibly cracking your tank. Remember in this that a little loose is better than a bit to big
 
mony97

mony97

Member
Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3240477
with all due respect you are using acrylic cement (acrylic welding ) for any acrylic to acrylic joints
Not sure what your asking? I am using DAP to conect the acrylic sheets to the glass the owner at my LFS said he uses this as long as it is not the mold inhibiting style. Should I be using something else?
Originally Posted by Gill again68
http:///forum/post/3240536
I think I had 4 pieces cut that were about 11" x 18" X 1/4" and it only cost around $24.00. Just make sure you get a good inside measurement and deduct a fraction so you have about 1/32 or so of slack. This will allow you to put the glass in without bowing the sides and possibly cracking your tank. Remember in this that a little loose is better than a bit to big

I think I might just do this now sounds pretty cheap and much better than acrylic. And same question to you what type of sealent did you use to fuse the sheets to the sump walls?
Thanks for the help :)
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
IMO the best and most used in the hobby is Bostik Titan Bond Plus, epoxy glue that will bond acrylic to glass.
 
mony97

mony97

Member
Very cool I figured there would be something better out there, thx Joe.
Also I think I may switch to glass any suggestions on what will bond glass to glass best or will the stuff you listed work for that as well?
 
gill again68

gill again68

Active Member
When doing a glass to glass then silicone is the best. I bought aquarium grade at the Depot.
Just a tip here, go ahead and get you a silicone tool to wipe the excess off with. It will leave you with a professional edge that your friends will all love.
 
mony97

mony97

Member
Yeah the dap stuff I already have IS NOT mold inhibiting I checked and double checked before I bought it :)
 
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