This weekend I built a pretty nice sump out of a dollar-per-gallon 29 gal Aqueon tank. I did also purchase a "Triton Refugium Baffle Kit" which was about $115 on ebay, and it had all the functions I wanted, and it's build quality was super. I really didn't think I could accomplish some of the features I wanted with glass baffles.
Key things I was looking for in a DIY sump:
I watched a zillion videos on how to get clean silicon lines with tape, and I tried that for the first 2 silicone bead-lines before I gave up and just used my finger to smear silicon inbetween the glass and the baffle freehand. Honestly those first 2 lines were the worst of my whole project. This was mostly done with freehand silicone and it was my first time ever. I think it turned out pretty darn clean even without the tape.
Above: The sump from 1 side
Above: The sump from the other side
Above: A full side view of the sump
Above: A view of the media Rack
Above: The filter sock and drain line area (the ugly silicon lines were the ones I used tape on)
Above: A close up of the magnets (4) holding the floating baffle between the skimmer section and the refugium section in place. They actually hold it pretty strong, and it is tough to move this section. The eggcrate in the picture is really there to space the skimmer section to 7 inches, and I may remove it or make it into a stand for my skimmer. The eggcrate does also help keep the floating baffle in place as well, so i like it.
The seller on ebay was jax.racks, and I was extremely happy with the quality of the product as well as his prompt responses to some of my questions. I am not affiliated in any way, just a happy customer. The kit I bought was actually a 30 gallon kit, and the baffles were just a little too snug (may be the fault of my cheap-o tank), so I just sanded them down a few millimeters to get some space for the silicone to grab. I see he has a kit listed as 29 gallon now, so he may have adjusted based on my feedback.
Well, I'm sure a bunch of people have had similar sump builds, but I'm fairly proud of this one, and I feel like I achieved a DIY sump on par with an expensive pre-made one for 1/4 the price and wanted to share for others who might be thinking of doing the same.
Key things I was looking for in a DIY sump:
- I wanted some height for the sump. Since the 29 is only 12 inches depth, I really wanted some height to work with. I did not want to use a 20 long and be limited on my skimmer purchase, so I think the 29 was a perfect option. Most kits I saw were for 20 long.
- Inlet section where my drain pipe could be plumbed below the water line. I didn't want the drain above a sock, or to have to fight a drain line inside a sock to remove a sock. This kit had the drain line in it's own chamber, that overflows to the top of the sock area and then flows into the sump at the bottom of the socks. Just like the high dollar sumps have.
- I wanted a refugium section and a skimmer section. Which meant having a baffle to separate the skimmer section with a baffle. I didn't really want to get 'locked' into a particular skimmer size, so I left the skimmer/refugium baffle free floating and secured it with magnets, which is actually quite strong. If I need more strength when it is up and running I'm sure I can accomplish more strength with eggcrate but I doubt I'll have to. The advantage is that I can change that chamber size of the skimmer and refugium if ever / whenever I want to. I may just eventually superglue the magnets to the floating baffle and have more magnet pairs from top to bottom.
- I wanted adjustable height in the sump so I could tinker and set it to whatever height I want, and whatever height for various skimmers I may have.
- I wanted a removable media tray in-between the air trap baffles, and enough space that I could clean between them.
I watched a zillion videos on how to get clean silicon lines with tape, and I tried that for the first 2 silicone bead-lines before I gave up and just used my finger to smear silicon inbetween the glass and the baffle freehand. Honestly those first 2 lines were the worst of my whole project. This was mostly done with freehand silicone and it was my first time ever. I think it turned out pretty darn clean even without the tape.
Above: The sump from 1 side
Above: The sump from the other side
Above: A full side view of the sump
Above: A view of the media Rack
Above: The filter sock and drain line area (the ugly silicon lines were the ones I used tape on)
Above: A close up of the magnets (4) holding the floating baffle between the skimmer section and the refugium section in place. They actually hold it pretty strong, and it is tough to move this section. The eggcrate in the picture is really there to space the skimmer section to 7 inches, and I may remove it or make it into a stand for my skimmer. The eggcrate does also help keep the floating baffle in place as well, so i like it.
The seller on ebay was jax.racks, and I was extremely happy with the quality of the product as well as his prompt responses to some of my questions. I am not affiliated in any way, just a happy customer. The kit I bought was actually a 30 gallon kit, and the baffles were just a little too snug (may be the fault of my cheap-o tank), so I just sanded them down a few millimeters to get some space for the silicone to grab. I see he has a kit listed as 29 gallon now, so he may have adjusted based on my feedback.
Well, I'm sure a bunch of people have had similar sump builds, but I'm fairly proud of this one, and I feel like I achieved a DIY sump on par with an expensive pre-made one for 1/4 the price and wanted to share for others who might be thinking of doing the same.
