Utilising the space underneath a drop-off?

[SeaSam]

Hi everyone!

First posting on R2R so hopefully I'm in the right place for a thought I've had.

Has anyone utilised the space underneath the raised section of a drop-off aquarium for a sump type of setup? I've affixed a crude drawing to show you the thought process. It's not exact but it provides the basic principle.

Standard weir system, on to a protein skimmer, through the media and then down to the lower chamber that holds the heater and return pump.

Any thoughts, good and bad, will be most welcome!

Kindest regards,
Sam.

 

[SeaSam]

Further thoughts with regards to access for maintenance. Again, my apologies for only a basic drawing!

How about forcing the water through a couple of direction changes to enable the equipment to be more accessible? One could enhance this further by creating a separate compartment for the equipment which will keep it nicely compact and out of the way of the rest of the system.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am a two time drop off owner and do not know of any that have such space under the tank.
Do you have an actual pic of tank showing that cavity under tank? Mine is like an AIO in which all filtration is incorporated at rear of tank for which it also serves as a platform. My previous one was set up the same way

 

[pigmo]

Further thoughts with regards to access for maintenance. Again, my apologies for only a basic drawing!

How about forcing the water through a couple of direction changes to enable the equipment to be more accessible? One could enhance this further by creating a separate compartment for the equipment which will keep it nicely compact and out of the way of the rest of the system.

nice idea! it might work as long as the space is big enough to get your hands into. esp when all the sides get stuff growing on them and you can't see what's going on from the sides. i would wall off the portion to the right of your pump, it'll be impossible to clean down there

;Cat

 

[SeaSam]

I am a two time drop off owner and do not know of any that have such space under the tank.
Do you have an actual pic of tank showing that cavity under tank? Mine is like an AIO in which all filtration is incorporated at rear of tank for which it also serves as a platform. My previous one was set up the same way

It's only an idea at the moment so I have no pictures to offer you. My thinking is along the lines of an AIO but using the assumed potential capacity in a DIY (should have mentioned that first!) drop off outside of the aquarium itself. To all intents and purposes, I'm thinking to fill the 4th quadrant, so to speak. This is harder for me to explain than anything else! I'm sorry for that!

nice idea! it might work as long as the space is big enough to get your hands into. esp when all the sides get stuff growing on them and you can't see what's going on from the sides. i would wall off the portion to the right of your pump, it'll be impossible to clean down there

;Cat

That's the kind of idea that I'm thinking. I've refined the thought in my scribblings and the maintenance is the biggest concern to me so just so long as something can be worked out, then why not try?!

I’m on my third drop off and I have never thought about that, my aquarium have actually been built with the glass being cut rather than a shelf in a standard aquarium to create the drop off.
I would be worried about maintaining that area

Thanks for the input, Mick. As I mention above, maintenance is the big sticking point. Cut glass would possibly make it more achievable but for a tester, I'm going to have a play with my spare 70L.

Thank you all for the food for thought!

Kindest regards,
Sam.