30 gallon sump build

[Ray Laneville]

cool. where did you get the material? searching for it, can't seem to find it

 

[Ray Laneville]

Only place I found 3/8" white pvc sheets online is us plastics co. $154 for a 48"x48" sheet

 

[Orbela]

Only place I found 3/8" white pvc sheets online is us plastics co. $154 for a 48"x48" sheet

Lowe’s and Home Depot carry it for about $75 in Southern California

 

[Ray Laneville]

lowes here don't have it

 

[Ray Laneville]

think I'll just find a used 20-30g tank and build with glass.

 

[Ray Laneville]

My wife looks at the local facebook yard sale sites. I'll set her to find me one. I need to replace the glass canopy on the used 90g I am setting up. The glass from the old one will make the baffles

 

[TheAquarian]

Ok, the prototype was a success. 2 weeks running and no leaks. While I was testing the build and doing research I decided to change the layout a bit and go with a Triton sump layout.
So here’s some pick of what I have so far. Bulk head locations routed out.

Started glueing the parts.

 

[TheAquarian]

All glued up.
And we are water testing again!
This is the simplified version.
Total capacity 16”x14”x34” = 33 gallons.
Chamber 1 Refugeium 16”x14”x13-1/2” = 13.1 gallons
Chamber 2 Skimmer / heaters 8”x12”x14” = 5.82 gallons
Chamber 3 Mechanical filtering / return 8-1/2”x12”x14” = 5.82
Full running capacity is 24.75 gallons of added water volume, with 8.25 gallons of overflow area. This gives me 2-3 times more than I need for a loss of power or pump failure.

 

[TheAquarian]

After weeks of leak testing (mostly because I work too much) the new refugeium is up and running. It’s dead silent. Just need to finish the stand and redo the plumbing.

 

[George Lopez]

Stupid work always getting in the way of our projects...

 

[Victoria M]

very cool.

 

[McPuff]

This is awesome! I've been racking my brains trying to think of a good way to build a sump that has enough volume and fits in the space I have (120 gal). PVC might be a good option. I can see some deflection for sure. How rigid is this material? Do you think it can be used for a larger sump... say 50 x 24 x 20H? I'm assuming I would need to build in some baffles at least to improve structural strength. Even a few cross bars would likely go a long way toward strengthening it. Mine would probably only run at 10-12" depth at most (except when return is cut off). And I would be able to build it with one sheet I believe.

As for cementing the panels together... did you simply brush on the cement, then press together and tape? Then add silicone after it cured? If you have any additional pictures of the build process, I'd certainly love to see them. Very glad you posted this build!

 

[McPuff]

I wonder if gussets would help along the long end of the sump... basically just add a few triangle or "L" [internal] supports. Makes sense to me. Any structural engineers out there?

 

[kabal2]

Hi, I am looking into building my own sump out of pvc sheeting, any updates on how your sump is going?
TIA
Gabe