All Mixed Up
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2017
- Messages
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I'll start by saying this design, while somewhat my own, is based on the Synergy Reef line of sumps, with some things taken from a few other DIY sumps I've seen.
First off, cost:
40 Breeder - $40.00 Petco $/Gallon sale
Glass - $63.00
Acrylic Sheets - $26.00
Foam Prefilter Block - $6.00
Uniseals - $4.00
RTV 108 Silicon - $16.00
Total cost: $155.00
I had my glass company cut several pieces of 1/4' glass, then sand all edges smooth, I also had them take a 1/4' notch out of any corner that would come in contact with the 40 breeder's existing silicon.
I started with the return section. This piece is 12" tall and 17 7/16" wide. Since I wanted this section 8" wide, and these cans just so happened to be 8" tall, I put them to work. I also glued in the 1/2" wide strip of glass that will act as the shelf for the egg crate that will support the foam block prefilter.
The next piece is the 7" tall x 17 7/16" wide piece that creates the bubble trap. This piece also has a strip of glass siliconed to it for support of the foam block.
I then siliconed strips of glass vertically to the front and back wall of the sump to act as rail guides for the adjustable acrylic weir.
For the weir, I drilled and tapped holes every 1/2" so I can adjust the weir from 7" to 12" in half inch increments for future skimmer upgrades. I could have routed out a channel but chose to go the tap and die route because I would have had to make something to insert the nylon screws into, and this method was easier.
Here you can see that at the 9.5" screw hole, the top of the weir is at 9.5".
For the display tank drain and filter sock section I siliconed in the glass baffle outside the sump and let it cure for a day before siliconing in the two pieces in the sump. You can also see a glass strip that will act as a shelf support for the filter sock acrylic pieces. Water will flow over the top of the piece standing up, down through the filter socks, and under the notch that is cut out of the piece laying flat. If the socks are clogged, water will just flow over the top of the weir into the skimmer section until I clean the socks.
I cut 2 acrylic pieces the same size to make sock holders. I clamped them together and drilled a pilot hole for both socks so when I drilled out the two different hole sizes later, they would line up perfectly.
I then siliconed the other strip of glass to the side of the sump to act as the second support for the sock holder, then siliconed the sock holder into place.
Finally I cut 2 pieces of acrylic and glued them together for the drain lines. I drilled out holes and inserted the uniseals.
I don't like how this piece turned out, I should have put them in opposite corners and I will be re-doing this piece later.
I still need to fabricate a probe holder that will be glued to the top of the adjustable weir so the probes will automatically adjust with the height of the water in the sump.
Full Sump shot:
All in all, I'm happy with how it turned out.
First off, cost:
40 Breeder - $40.00 Petco $/Gallon sale
Glass - $63.00
Acrylic Sheets - $26.00
Foam Prefilter Block - $6.00
Uniseals - $4.00
RTV 108 Silicon - $16.00
Total cost: $155.00
I had my glass company cut several pieces of 1/4' glass, then sand all edges smooth, I also had them take a 1/4' notch out of any corner that would come in contact with the 40 breeder's existing silicon.
I started with the return section. This piece is 12" tall and 17 7/16" wide. Since I wanted this section 8" wide, and these cans just so happened to be 8" tall, I put them to work. I also glued in the 1/2" wide strip of glass that will act as the shelf for the egg crate that will support the foam block prefilter.
The next piece is the 7" tall x 17 7/16" wide piece that creates the bubble trap. This piece also has a strip of glass siliconed to it for support of the foam block.
I then siliconed strips of glass vertically to the front and back wall of the sump to act as rail guides for the adjustable acrylic weir.
For the weir, I drilled and tapped holes every 1/2" so I can adjust the weir from 7" to 12" in half inch increments for future skimmer upgrades. I could have routed out a channel but chose to go the tap and die route because I would have had to make something to insert the nylon screws into, and this method was easier.
Here you can see that at the 9.5" screw hole, the top of the weir is at 9.5".
For the display tank drain and filter sock section I siliconed in the glass baffle outside the sump and let it cure for a day before siliconing in the two pieces in the sump. You can also see a glass strip that will act as a shelf support for the filter sock acrylic pieces. Water will flow over the top of the piece standing up, down through the filter socks, and under the notch that is cut out of the piece laying flat. If the socks are clogged, water will just flow over the top of the weir into the skimmer section until I clean the socks.
I cut 2 acrylic pieces the same size to make sock holders. I clamped them together and drilled a pilot hole for both socks so when I drilled out the two different hole sizes later, they would line up perfectly.
I then siliconed the other strip of glass to the side of the sump to act as the second support for the sock holder, then siliconed the sock holder into place.
Finally I cut 2 pieces of acrylic and glued them together for the drain lines. I drilled out holes and inserted the uniseals.
I don't like how this piece turned out, I should have put them in opposite corners and I will be re-doing this piece later.
I still need to fabricate a probe holder that will be glued to the top of the adjustable weir so the probes will automatically adjust with the height of the water in the sump.
Full Sump shot:
All in all, I'm happy with how it turned out.
