DaveA
January 5th, 2004, 01:57 PM
This is my all glass DIY 35gal. sump. I started out with a 35gal. glass aquarium and built the rest from easily available items. As you can see below the water enters the top left of the sump and has to pass through two drip trays made out of Rubber Maid containers. I added a nylon bolt to the front so they can be pulled out like a drawer. The two drawers/drip trays can be used to hold whatever filter material or media you wish. I put polyester batting in the top tray to remove particulate matter and carbon filter mats in the second tray. The trays sit on eggcrate that is held up be 1" glass rails siliconed to the tank walls.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid97/pc2ab01b40df03bbd5965c2ebc15940e2/fa0ec1d3.jpg
Once the water falls to the bottom of the sump it now has to pass through 3 glass baffles, under, over, under. The glass baffles are held in place by 1" glass strips siliconed to the tank walls so that the baffles just slide down into the sump. This is nice because the baffles can be easily removed for cleaning or
modifications down the road. Between the last two baffles is a submerged eggcrate shelf that can hold a bag of carbon or whatever in one of those emergencies that we all hope never happens.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid97/p995af8727a2bea4507aa85bc5c21d472/fa0ec1d4.jpg
The last large section holds most of the equipment. Two 300W heaters, Ph monitor, grounding probe, protein skimmer, and the return pump. The sump is housed under the wet bar that is located right beside the main tank. I made this sump to suit my 125gal. FOWLR display tank. Probably not ideal for a full reef tank but I found glass to be easy to work with and cut so with a few changes a suitable glass sump can easily be made for a reef tank.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid97/pf1eae1c66124d2c54df789452e110409/fa0eaf5c.jpg
Other small items are the hanging shelves I made out of eggcrate to hold the PinPoint Ph monitor and the skimmate overflow jug.
Dave
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid97/pc2ab01b40df03bbd5965c2ebc15940e2/fa0ec1d3.jpg
Once the water falls to the bottom of the sump it now has to pass through 3 glass baffles, under, over, under. The glass baffles are held in place by 1" glass strips siliconed to the tank walls so that the baffles just slide down into the sump. This is nice because the baffles can be easily removed for cleaning or
modifications down the road. Between the last two baffles is a submerged eggcrate shelf that can hold a bag of carbon or whatever in one of those emergencies that we all hope never happens.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid97/p995af8727a2bea4507aa85bc5c21d472/fa0ec1d4.jpg
The last large section holds most of the equipment. Two 300W heaters, Ph monitor, grounding probe, protein skimmer, and the return pump. The sump is housed under the wet bar that is located right beside the main tank. I made this sump to suit my 125gal. FOWLR display tank. Probably not ideal for a full reef tank but I found glass to be easy to work with and cut so with a few changes a suitable glass sump can easily be made for a reef tank.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid97/pf1eae1c66124d2c54df789452e110409/fa0eaf5c.jpg
Other small items are the hanging shelves I made out of eggcrate to hold the PinPoint Ph monitor and the skimmate overflow jug.
Dave