SHOW ME YOUR DIY SUMP

Thecatsman · Apr 14, 2018

Turning a standard 55 gal in to a sump would love to see your DIY sump post pictures or plans

dbl · Apr 14, 2018

This is the one I put together and used for three years. Four chambers from left to right are: Drain, return, fuge, ATO reservoir. The picture was after three years of use where it was cleaned up and given to a local reefer.

You may ask why I took it out of service and gave it away? Because I hated all three years of using it! It worked perfectly fine...actually it worked quite well. However, it was a pain to deal with it. In my opinion, it's too tall and too narrow if you're using it in a stand. So if you're wanting to make one, I think you would better served with a 40b if you can grab one at a dollar/gallon sale.

Again, not saying it won't work because it will. Just saying there are better options for a platform for a DIY sump. As said, this is just my opinion and others will vary.

redfishbluefish · Apr 14, 2018

HERE is the detail of what I originally thought was a 40B sump, but recently found out it was a 50 gallon tank. FYI, two drains in the back corners with the return section in the middle.

Here are a couple critical considerations in building a sump:

1. Fitting Equipment - the critical piece of equipment is the skimmer. You want to be sure you can easily remove your skimmer from the sump (assuming this is in a stand below the DT.) If need be, make up a cardboard mock-up.

2. Handle Back Flow when pumps are off - the one comment I get most often is that my baffles are too high and the sump won't be able to handle the volume of water when the pumps are turned off. Well I calculated the approximate volume of back flow water and built the sump accordingly.

3. Silicone - use the right silicone and allow it to cure for a minimum of a week.....two weeks is better. For glass baffles, GE Silicone I works just fine. (Note, not GE Silicone II). For acrylic baffles, you need to use a silicone made for plastics. You can still find this at HD, but not with the other caulks in the Paint Department. You need to go to where they sell acrylic sheet goods and you'll find this stuff: