20 gallon + 10 gallon sump DIY stuff

MoshJosh · Jun 1, 2022

Had some plans to upgrade my nano setup. . . to a slightly bigger nano setup, however, I decided to scrap that build and just go bigger.

going to do a 20 gallon display plus 10 gallon sump. Will be using standard rimmed aquariums for the build, hope to make a DIY corner overflow thing (though might buy a pre-made one. . . ).

sump will probably be pretty simple design, probably only 3 chambers.

here’s the stand I build. It isn’t what I would call conventional, but should be more than strong enough. The display will be directly supported in the corners by the upright 2X4s. The sump is supported by “heavy duty” pocket hole screws/joints plus a timberlok screw (lag screw) plus titebond 3 wood glue. . . Should be more than strong enough to hold 100lbs.

Question: what spray primer and spray paint do you guys and gals recommend for stands???

NowGlazeIT · Jun 2, 2022

MoshJosh said:
Had some plans to upgrade my nano setup. . . to a slightly bigger nano setup, however, I decided to scrap that build and just go bigger.

going to do a 20 gallon display plus 10 gallon sump. Will be using standard rimmed aquariums for the build, hope to make a DIY corner overflow thing (though might buy a pre-made one. . . ).

sump will probably be pretty simple design, probably only 3 chambers.

here’s the stand I build. It isn’t what I would call conventional, but should be more than strong enough. The display will be directly supported in the corners by the upright 2X4s. The sump is supported by “heavy duty” pocket hole screws/joints plus a timberlok screw (lag screw) plus titebond 3 wood glue. . . Should be more than strong enough to hold 100lbs.

Question: what spray primer and spray paint do you guys and gals recommend for stands???

You might be closer to 200lbs because the water weight is around 8 pounds per gallon. Sump+display.
I use krillz primer it’s great, nice and thick, sands down smooth.
If doing a stain I’ll use a poly-blend. Good luck on your build!

MoshJosh · Jun 2, 2022

NowGlazeIT said:
You might be closer to 200lbs because the water weight is around 8 pounds per gallon. Sump+display.
I use krillz primer it’s great, nice and thick, sands down smooth.
If doing a stain I’ll use a poly-blend. Good luck on your build!

I just meant 100lbs for the sump, the display will be directly supported by the uprights, so no worries about holding it's weight. The sump will rely entirely on the joints, which (in my opinion) a No No, however, pocket screw joints can hold like 700lbs, and timberloc screws have a sear rating of like 100 + pounds each. . . so should be OK

MoshJosh · Jun 12, 2022

Here is my sump design. . . bio and chemical filtration in filter sock compartment, refugium (and maybe skimmer) in the middle, return pump in the last compartment:

MoshJosh · Jun 13, 2022

Bumping for feedback before I pay to get the glass cut. I could add a baffle after the sock chamber and reverse the baffle before the pump. . . Less “pouring” that way.

MoshJosh · Jun 15, 2022

So I took my templates over to the glass cutting place today, the quote seems a bit high, $130 for four 1/8” pieces. But I guess if I had to buy the glass and tools myself (plus screw ups) I’m sure it’d be about that or more. Anyway and I’m sticking with my original design, just flipped the last pair of baffles. . . Mainly cause this is how manufactured some usually do it, I figured maybe there’s something to it.

MoshJosh · Jun 23, 2022

So got my glass back yesterday, and unfortunately my decision to add a little bit of width to the pieces in hopes of getting a better fit) ended up making the glass fit worse. That said, I wasn’t willing to order another thing of glass, so just decided to make it work, and slant the pieces. This works better for my heater placement anyway.

but oh boy, siliconng this thing was a nightmare. The first tube of silicon exploded out the back, who knows how long a silicone is gonna be on my hands for. . . Then the pieces of glass kept slipping cause I couldn’t find a good way to hold them. And by the time I went back to reinforce any areas that slipped the silicone had already started to skin up. Needless to say I silicon is pretty ugly, I’m just hopeful it will work. . .