DIY Sump

[Pyro120]

This question isn't really related to discuses, but I was referenced here by another forum for my question.

I am planning on setting up a 30g long in the near future. I will probably use plans very similar to Proteus's DIY stand to save money. We have a bunch of old 10's and 20's sitting around downstairs, and I wanted to set up a sump with one of them inside the stand. I would like to include a section of wet/dry filtration, and an area to grow mangroves in. If it is possible, include some sort of mechanical filtration too. If not, I could use one or two of the HOB power filters we have downstairs in the sump. I also plan on putting my heater in the sump.
The drill in tank method I would perfer to avoid, because we tend to have a lot of power outages here, and with a fairly small sump (10/20g), it is too risky. I don't know if a DIY overflow is a good idea or not, as it will be set-up in my bedroom, and I would like too avoid a lot of noise.

This forum looks great, I've been browsing around here and reading everything, and everybody seems nice. I've never kept discuses, but who knows, lifegaurding hours are getting bumped up this year, so possibilities are endless :wink: . Thanks for your time!

[DiscusMad]

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764

if you have a look at this stet up i think it might be of some help

[DiscusMad]

if your intake pipe is short enough only to drain out what your sump can hold you won't end up wet carpet

[kalebjarrod]

sounds like your looking for www.aquacrylics.com

they also do the over flow you are asking about

good price's, thier just in the US so freight sucks

gear looks good though

[Pyro120]

I actually saw that thread after I posted mine, and I think i'm going to use that sorta thing for mine as an overflow. I was wondering if anybody had any tips for my sump though. I'm trying to keep the price down (50$ max for the 'hardware'), and I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions more towards the layout of the sump itself. was thinking from the overflow it could flow into a wider PVC tube of bioballs, and then into the 10 gallon or something along those lines.
Thanks for the help. I'm gonna start building the stand here pretty soon, and use flukes plans - Thanks fluke for the plans, they look great

[flukes]

Use a nice size container for the sump, then get a trash can and cut the bottom out this will be your bio tower. Attach egg crate too the top of the bin (there should be a lip) put you sponge ontop of the crate and the bio balls underneath, then cut a hole at the bottom of the bin for the water too escape, then pumpin the sump to get it back.

Simple!!

[kalebjarrod]

can't belive you posted DIY before me flukes

guess i'm getting slow in my old age

pitty is.... i would do the same thing

[flukes]

heheh Ryan, ive taken the next step iam doing a class on joing acrylic i was getting sick of buying tanks and filters so now ill make them.

Should keep me busy for a while. :lol:

[kalebjarrod]

yeah,

i heard

thats all right

does anyone want anything made out of plastic, aparently i have a mate in the industry!

[Pyro120]

I have a bunch of old 10's and 20's downstairs that would fit under the 30 inside the stand. I'll put lights in it so i can grow plants in them. Would placing a wider piece of pvc on some crate like object, keeping the end of the pvc off the bottom of the tank, and filling the pvc with bioballs do for a wet dry? Then the water would go through the sump where i would just place 2 HOB power filters we have around our house, and I could grow mangroves or some other nitrate absorbing plant do? Would this work? I drew a picture of my idea (excuse the picture - i'm not very artsy :oops: )

Thanks for all the help and replies by the way, this forum is great :D

[flukes]

That setup is more for a saltwater tank, i dont really think the plants are necessary, although they might reduce a bit of nitrate you will need lights over the sump. I think it would be easier too do a few water changes.

In the end its up too you.

[kalebjarrod]

are you trying for the mangrove effect?

i have made a few of these flood and ebb beds before

is this what your trying to do

[Pyro120]

I used to have a mangrove set-up similar for a large 120g fresh water(somewhere around there, it was in metrics, forget the exact number). I loved it because my free time fluctuates really badly. During the summer and other times i'll have plenty of time, and during the school year when swim season cuts in i won't have much time at all and i'll forget to do the water changes. The mangroves eliminated virtually all the nitrates and all I had to do was gravel vac occasionally and do water top-offs. I know i'd have to put lights under the stand and everything, but I think it'd b a fair trade off. I tried to do a change every wed. or so or something along those lines and that failed pretty miserably. Thanks for the help so far though :) . Any other suggestions would be great.

[kalebjarrod]

the trick would be to raise the mangroves out of the water slightly, this would stop any anarobic conditions that would kill the mangroves

then simple pump water over the root system for 6 hours on 6 hours off all day, you'll need some pretty heavily lighting, even sunlight for them to function properly and use as many nitrates as possible

seems like an idea for a seperate tank, not a filter though

i don't know if i would trust it to look after maybe up to 1000.00 dollars worth of "freinds"

[Pyro120]

I've thought about it, and i dont' think i'll have too much problem just changing some water now and then. But I still would like the excess volume - so do you think it would work if i replaced the plant sectoin with a mechanical set up? I'll get a picture up soon of an idea.

Sorry if this is really wierd, but the one i did before I basically used a saltwater set-up w/o a protien skimmer because my tanks were mostly saltwater.

[Pyro120]

Actually, I just had a thought come over me while typing that message. I've been debating it since. The truth of the matter, I really do love saltwater fish - and I'm just gonna start 'em back up :D . If i'm going through all this trouble for a freshwater tank, saltwater will be within the 500 extra bucks i made this summer during lifegaurding.

Thanks for all the help guys, but I've been debating going back to the hobby for a while now, and I think it's time :D . I'm gonna stay on these forums, because you guys helped, so Thanks!

[flukes]

heheh Iam leaning that way aswell, will never get rid of my discus though!

If you like this forum but are into salties then -

http://www.ausmarineforums.com/

[Pyro120]

Cool - I'm actually in Pennsylvania, US... but nothign wrong with Australian forums - as long as they have good people and I can understand them :D . I'll keep an eye out here though, because I know my dad has been eyeing up the discuses in the shops again, he has yet to return to them - he did them a while ago, and 5$ says he'll b back within a year or so to the hobby :wink:

Thanks - I'll let ya know how it goes anyways. :D

[Pyro120]

just to let you all know because you helped me out a lot, I talked around, and finally decided on a layout for my saltwater sump:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v260/Pyro120/10%20gallon%20fish%20tank/sump2.gif

It's going to be made out of a 30 and put under a 55 gallon.
I also upgraded from paint to visio 2003 for the diagram 8) .

Anyways, thanks for all the help :D