Sump cracked, sump support question

[ryeguyy84]

My sumps bottom seam broke, it was acrylic and it turns out the bottom of my stand is 1/4 maybe less plywood. Hence the sump cracking.

My question is what thickness should I get for under a sump. The new one is an icecap 30 so 30" x 15.75". The current plywood is supported on the edge, it held up perfect (thank you Rust-Oleum paint) to hold the water coming out of the sump so I'm planning on keeping it and just adding a new bottom to support the sump.

 

[BAMatter]

I did a 3/4” plywood and a layer of the adhesive leveling mat underneath my acrylic sump.

*as recommended by the stand manufacturer when I asked about it

 

[vetteguy53081]

My sumps bottom seam broke, it was acrylic and it turns out the bottom of my stand is 1/4 maybe less plywood. Hence the sump cracking.

My question is what thickness should I get for under a sump. The new one is an icecap 30 so 30" x 15.75". The current plywood is supported on the edge, it held up perfect (thank you Rust-Oleum paint) to hold the water coming out of the sump so I'm planning on keeping it and just adding a new bottom to support the sump.

1/2" to 3/4" plywood and you should be able to repair crack with Weldon 3

 

[ryeguyy84]

I did a 3/4” plywood and a layer of the adhesive leveling mat underneath my acrylic sump.

*as recommended by the stand manufacturer when I asked about it

What is an adhesive leveling mat? Is that like a foam that sticks to the bottom?

 

[BaliReefBox]

just use a medium density foam of ablout 1/8"-3/16". I dont glue mine I just place it under the tank

 

[ryeguyy84]

1/2" to 3/4" plywood and you should be able to repair crack with Weldon 3

Thank you, I was leaning toward 3/4 so I'll see what I have in the garage.

You're probably right about the crack, but I hated that sump from day one and honestly I'm kind of glad it failed. especially since nothing flooded and a shop vac took care of the water in the stand. My local store brought over a sump same day and helped me pull the old one out, the owner lives 2 houses down so it's a nice perk

 

[ryeguyy84]

just use a medium density foam of ablout 1/8"-3/16". I dont glue mine I just place it under the tank

It's hard to see but there's a pretty nice gap

 

[BaliReefBox]

once you put down the thicker ply it should be almost flat i would think so you probably dont need the extra thick foam

 

[BAMatter]

What is an adhesive leveling mat? Is that like a foam that sticks to the bottom?

Yep. This stuff… I stuck it directly to the bottom of the sump and trimmed around the edges of it.

Auqa Gadget Leveling Adhesive Rubber Mat

Leveling adhesive mats are used under glass or acrylic tanks to make a super smooth surface and relieve any small stress points that may be on the surface the tank will rest on. With the adhesive backing you can place the mat directly to the tanks bottom to keep it from sliding around for final...

www.bulkreefsupply.com