Why Spend hundreds to Thousands on a Sump

[ca1ore]

To some of us, Aesthetics are just as important as function.

Perfectly parallel, color coordinated plumbing too ..... lol

Trouble with all that, aside from the financial calculation, is that I’d feel some obligation to keep the thing all clean and shiny .... which I don’t want to do.

 

[ca1ore]

More pictures

There’s a bit more detail in my build thread

Nice! I built a plywood sump donkeys years ago. Box worked fine (I used it for almost 20:years), but keep an eye on the edges of the baffles. The epoxy paint I used split along all the external edges/corners. I ended up pulling all the baffles and replacing them with 1/4” plate glass.

 

[S2G]

Some people like the aesthetics as much as the function & willing to pay for it. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm just not one of them. I think the new rimless sapphire tanks are a rip off as well, but that's me. It's mainly a friendly hobby price in my head that I like to stay within.

 

[AZMSGT]

It’s my hobby, I’ll spend my money the way I want to.

 

[lakai]

Perfectly parallel, color coordinated plumbing too ..... lol

Trouble with all that, aside from the financial calculation, is that I’d feel some obligation to keep the thing all clean and shiny .... which I don’t want to do.

Yep, The plumbing is expensive though not too bad since building a custom watercooled pc a few years ago. The cost for all the plumbing in that was even more ridiculous priced it kinda acclimated me price wise.

Close to $3k in fittings alone in there.

 

[JoshH]

Yep, The plumbing is expensive though not too bad since building a custom watercooled pc a few years ago. The cost for all the plumbing in that was even more ridiculous priced it kinda acclimated me price wise.

Close to $3k in fittings alone in there.

I want it.

 

[Victor_C3]

Nice! I built a plywood sump donkeys years ago. Box worked fine (I used it for almost 20:years), but keep an eye on the edges of the baffles. The epoxy paint I used split along all the external edges/corners. I ended up pulling all the baffles and replacing them with 1/4” plate glass.

Actually, I had that problem with the removable floor portion that I was using to make a cryptic filtration zone out of.

Plate glass is a great idea, but you can buy a 4’ x 8’ sheet of 3/4” PVC for about $75 from Lowe’s/Home Depot. When I rebuild the sump, that’s what I’m going to build baffles and whatnot out of.

 

[Victor_C3]

Yep, The plumbing is expensive though not too bad since building a custom watercooled pc a few years ago. The cost for all the plumbing in that was even more ridiculous priced it kinda acclimated me price wise.

Close to $3k in fittings alone in there.

Why not just submerge the entire computer in a sealed container of liquid nitrogen? It’d be way colder and wouldn’t require $3,000 in fittings.

If everything is solid state, then I don’t see any issues. Nitrogen only conducts electricity when it’s a superheated plasma.

But I also know nothing beyond the basics about computers and overclocking them and there is probably a reason people don’t do that.

 

[ekopapers]

I was cheap but I wanted it to look decent, paid 20 bucks for the tank then designed my inner walls, lucky for me my husbands work has a fab lab just for employees to use as a perk and they even supply them with materials. So for me it was a no brainer, there are days when I wish I had gone with the 40 gallon instead of a 20 gallon Long, I literally had to build my skimmer in place or I couldn't get it in I wish I had space on the other side of the wall but my house is too small

 

[JoshH]

I was cheap but I wanted it to look decent, paid 20 bucks for the tank then designed my inner walls, lucky for me my husbands work has a fab lab just for employees to use as a perk and they even supply them with materials. So for me it was a no brainer, there are days when I wish I had gone with the 40 gallon instead of a 20 gallon Long, I literally had to build my skimmer in place or I couldn't get it in I wish I had space on the other side of the wall but my house is too small

Looks awesome!!

 

[ekopapers]

Looks awesome!!

Haha for $20 bucks I am really happy, If I had the money mine would be like yours in a heartbeat

 

[JoshH]

Haha for $20 bucks I am really happy, If I had the money mine would be like yours in a heartbeat

But you can't beat that for $20, literally. Love the clown fish in the divider, on the outside of the sump and on the lid over the drain inlets. Something so simple but adds that nice bit of personal touch

 

[robbyg]

I made my current 30 gal sump 15 years ago and it was really easy. My only regret is that it is not acrylic but back then making one out of Acrylic was not all that common.
To make it I just drew out the plans and sizes of all the glass panels and baffles that I needed and the locations of the holes and slots. I carried the list to a hardware store and the guy cut all the glass pieces and drilled the holes in about 30 minutes. I can't remember what it cost but it was not all that expensive. I then bought the Silicone and some 90 deg plastic blocks and put it all together on the weekend. So far it has held up well but I think at some point I will get an acrylic one to replace it.

 

[ekopapers]

But you can't beat that for $20, literally. Love the clown fish in the divider, on the outside of the sump and on the lid over the drain inlets. Something so simple but adds that nice bit of personal touch

yeah I love my clowns and was really pleased with how it turned out, Like I said the only thing I would change if I do it over would have been to gone up in size

 

[Hemmdog]

Yep, The plumbing is expensive though not too bad since building a custom watercooled pc a few years ago. The cost for all the plumbing in that was even more ridiculous priced it kinda acclimated me price wise.

Close to $3k in fittings alone in there.

I bet that thing crushes in live sales!

 

[lakai]

Why not just submerge the entire computer in a sealed container of liquid nitrogen? It’d be way colder and wouldn’t require $3,000 in fittings.

If everything is solid state, then I don’t see any issues. Nitrogen only conducts electricity when it’s a superheated plasma.

But I also know nothing beyond the basics about computers and overclocking them and there is probably a reason people don’t do that.

I should have just put the computer in a trashcan and used straws for the plumbing.

 

[lakai]

I bet that thing crushes in live sales!

I dunno, never participated in one.

 

[FLSharkvictim]

I never understood the need to spend thousands on a sump, but some people like to show off the sump as much as the display, so it makes sense to them.

To each their own, if it makes you happy, then go for it.

@homer1475 - 1st- don't be jealous mate! I have been an avid aquarium hobbyist for over 30 years and one thing I have learned is when is comes to this hobby, ALWAYS use quality products, I believe that 50% increase in coast is definitely worthwhile, even if you only gain another 5% of the product reliability especially if you have a mature tank like a lot of us have with years of time and effort invested. Keep in mind that your tank is a place where water and electricity come's together, so I bought a real sump this time around due to the fact that I wanted it to be customized to my spec if that makes sense? Thats why I went Rick's #Synergy Reef Systems - #CL-44 sump/refgue and his matching 10gallon ATO container for my SCA 150 system. These sumps are not cheap but let me tell one thing the craftsmanship on these sumps & ATO are out of this world.

 

[X-37B]

Sumps are like tanks. Get what you like and what works for you. If you want to spend 1k on a sump or $50 its up to you.
For me 40 breeder with no baffles is what I like.
Super easy to work in and oh it was $50 lol.

 

[homer1475]

@homer1475 - 1st- don't be jealous mate! I have been an avid aquarium hobbyist for over 30 years and one thing I have learned is when is comes to this hobby, ALWAYS use quality products, I believe that 50% increase in coast is definitely worthwhile, even if you only gain another 5% of the product reliability especially if you have a mature tank like a lot of us have with years of time and effort invested. Keep in mind that your tank is a place where water and electricity come's together, so I bought a real sump this time around due to the fact that I wanted it to be customized to my spec if that makes sense? Thats why I went Rick's #Synergy Reef Systems - #CL-44 sump/refgue and his matching 10gallon ATO container for my SCA 150 system. These sumps are not cheap but let me tell one thing the craftsmanship on these sumps & ATO are out of this world.

Who ever said I was jealous? Does your sump make you a better reefer? Probably not.

The entire reason I said "to each their own".