# sump



## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

ok, so ive been thinking and ive realised that i would really like a sump for my 29 gallon reef. i have already bought my tank,b ut nothing else exept for lights,a nd i can probably get a reef ready or drilled tank and use either a 10 or a 20 as a sump, and knowing me id find some use for my 29 thats not drilled. so heres the thing. i dont know a whole bunch bout sumps, but im learning. another factor of me getting a sump is i am only 12, but i have been helping with tanks ever since i was aobut 2. this is my first sw tank and i want it to turn out good. please, i would love to hear your thoughts on this


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## Ricker (Nov 23, 2007)

I am really not sure how to make them work. But I know how to semi build them..


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

i think i basicaly know how they work, i just kinda want some suggestions on if i should do it, if i should use an overflow or a reef ready,ect.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

heres basicaly what i would consider my sump to be like if i got one. i would have a light fyi


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## Ricker (Nov 23, 2007)

Well having a sump has many added bonus. can hide heaters, no HOB. But disadvantage is . Need a place to hide it. If not it is not nice to look at.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

so urs is a reef ready ricker? and im maybe going to try to make my own stand so i will amke it to accomadate a sump


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## Ricker (Nov 23, 2007)

What my tank?


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

um, my bad, read the message wrong


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2008)

There are a few ways you can go with it. Getting a reef ready tank is definitely a plus, but you probably won't find too many regular 29 gallon tanks with a built-in overflow or something like that. One route you can go is getting an overflow box, which is plumbed down to your sump. This might be a route to consider.

FYI, you can't really use a refugium for quarantine. Since your sump is obviously a part of your main tank system, the only quarantine you could use it for is if you want to separate whatever livestock you put in there. Disease is another story.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

ya, basicaly what i meant by quarentine is just a place to put fish for a week or so before i add them to the main tank, so they acclimate well, or if i have something that is bullying other fish i can put him in there for the time being. also about the reef ready tanks, my lfs (riverfront aquariums) just got alot of tanks in and i saw they have quite a few smaller sizes of reef ready. if not i would probably go with the overflow box idea, but i find the reef ready to be better in my oppinion


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

Take a look at these two videos. 

D.I.Y sump part 1

D.I.Y sump part 2

There are many different was to set up a sump/refuge. Check this great DIY website. 

Melevsreef.com

Hope this helps point you in the right direction


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

the movies were pretty good, exept they didnt rally mention anything about a pump to get the water from the sump into the tank, but know ill go tot he website!


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

The pump needed all depends on your overflow. You need to take how much your overflow will drop and match that with a pump that can push close to that much water at whatever height is needed. You need to look at the head chart of the pump. Also it is wise to note that you are going to want the pump to pump less then the overflow rather than more for if the pump pumps more it will overflow your main display and drain your sump where as if the pump is less the overflow will only drop the water at the rate of the return pump.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

by over flow do u mean overflow box or overflow as in something i dont know about?

o, and i dont understand how an overflowbox pulls water out of the tank


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2008)

An overflow just works with gravity, basically. Some have them built in or some you can buy separate that hang in the tank (a separate overflow box). Basically, as the water drains over the overflow, it goes into the sump and returns to the tank via the return pump. Get it? "Over" "Flow."

Here's an example of a built in overflow.










and this is an overflow box that is designed to sit inside the tank:


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

ooo. ok, now i get it. so a reef ready is basicaly a tank with a built in overflow that has a hole in the bottom. now, not alot of places say much about reef ready tanks, so for the over flow do u just leave that hole empty, or do u attach like pvc to the hole in the botom and bring it to the top of the overflow?


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

ok, so i went to riverfront today and looked at the tanks there. all the reefready exept one 50 were gone  but i realised, it would be too hard to make your own reef ready tank,would it?


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

As long as the tank is not tempared you can drill it, install a bulkhead, and and skimmer, however you would need an empty tank for that.

Over flow box: (from madisonreef.com)










Drilled tank with custom surfice skimmer (from madisonreef.com)



















You can make your own overflow box very easlily and for only about 20 bucks depending on what you have laying around. Otherwise you can buy one for 50 to 150 dollars. This one is the cheapest i can find. Eshopps Overflow Boxes

Otherwise like i said you can also drill your tank. All you need is to make sure you don't have a tank that is tempared glass. The drill bit you use has to be a dimond hole saw. In that video it shows how he drills the sump. As for the surfuce skimmer all you need is glass or aclric cut and then silconed into place. Normally you place it a quarter of an inch under where you want your water line to be. 

Hope this helps a bit in your project.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

so ive decided that if i do a sump i want it drilled. now i dont know if my tank is tempered or not, so ill probably try to get an untempered tank and take it to a glass shop and get it drilled there. is it hard to find untempered tanks?


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## Ricker (Nov 23, 2007)

call the company that made your tank and see what kind of glass it is.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

i dont know who made it.there was no sticker on it


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

so ive read about some tests u can do on your tanks to see if they are tempered or not so ill try that soon. the bottom of my tank is like a mirror if that helps at all


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

ok. so heres the dealio. today at my lfs while i was shopping i found out that the owner(wayne, great guy) works with glass and would make me a drilled tank, or drill a tank. or even make a tank into a reef ready for me, so we will see


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

ok, now that i ahve researched sumps a little more heres some options i like:
this is more of a simple sump









this one has a longer refugium









and this one has a big refugium:


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

I believe simple is always better. I would go for the first design. Another simple design is to have your water split and half go to the right side which houses your protein skimmer and heater and such and then you can direct less flow to your refugium with the center being your return. An advantage to this is you can keep the nessary height of water in your proten skimmer section and have your refugium section filled almost to the top. Check this out to see what i am talkinga bout


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

i really like that. the plumbing looks a bit complicated when the person sets it up, but i would probably simplify it


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

i like this idea for getting the water too the sump. its almost a mix between an overflow and a reef ready:


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

what do u guys think about that idea for the overlfow to get the water into the sump?


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## CollegeReefer (Sep 1, 2006)

That is how i would set it up. Read up on it a bit so you can build in correctly with the corect dorso to dampin the sound.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

what do you mean when you say dorso?


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

so i have decided i want to do my sump like the picture shown earlier in this thread with the bow front with the custom surface skimmer thing..

would i leave the whole open like that with abulkhead connecting pvc, or would i put some kind of screen type thing?like this>>>> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+10090+4082&pcatid=4082


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

you know what. i am getting sick and tired of all this bull with drilling and figuring out stuff. i think im just gonna go with the overflowbox. ill just get a good one cuz the main reason i wanted a drilled is so i wouldnt overflow my tank. so ill get one that wont break its siphon.


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