DIY 40G Sump

[K-Philly]

Wanting to sell or trade my 55G sump and build a new 40G one. I believe it will fit under my stand much better.

I’ve been watching video after video, and reading thread after thread. I’m still undecided.

I know I want to incorporate a refugium, but I’m not sure how to set up my other stages.

I would like to have a chamber for my drains, to where they connect to bulk heads via a glass lid. That way the water can flow through filter sock.

I built that last sump so I have some experience with DIY silicon and glass working. I’m limited on tools but can get some. I also would like to have the possibility of including reactors down the road, but from my understanding these can be plumbed directly to the return line correct?

I have seen some sumps that have the return as the middle chamber of the sump. Any issues with this design?

If anyone has some plans or links to some interesting designs, please let me know. Tips are welcome as well! I can’t seem to settle on a new plan for the 40G.

 

[Big G]

Bump

 

[K-Philly]

Well, I found this design and thought it was interesting! Anyone have experience with it?

 

[Even Further]

My sump is similar to that. This method works great since the refugium water volume is much greater with the tall baffle. Also the flow through the fuge can be controlled.

 

[George Lopez]

I run triton style where the fuge is first and running full flow then skimmer then return

 

[K-Philly]

My only question about the sump design, is why the return chamber so big? Is this for reactor placement and what not?

 

[Hemmdog]

My only question about the sump design, is why the return chamber so big? Is this for reactor placement and what not?

In that design the skimmer is in the same chamber as the return, that would cause tons of bubbles in the display. Reactors would be ok but they are best in the skimmer chamber.
For your build go bigger sump wise! Do like a 75g! :D

 

[Even Further]

In that design the skimmer is in the same chamber as the return, that would cause tons of bubbles in the display. Reactors would be ok but they are best in the skimmer chamber.
For your build go bigger sump wise! Do like a 75g! :D

Nope, you're looking at it wrong. The skimmer is in the drain section, then bubble traps to the return section. The return section is the middle chamber.

 

[Hemmdog]

Nope, you're looking at it wrong. The skimmer is in the drain section, then bubble traps to the return section. The return section is the middle chamber.

Oh interesting. I see.

 

[K-Philly]

Yeah, and I was thinking that maybe I could set a manifold up above the return section and plumb any future reactors there. Then reactors could sit down in the return section.

I also need to do some more research on reactors. I don’t fully understand them yet. I was thinking that when plumbed to a manifold, your reactors take in water from the manifold which can be adjust by a gate valve. Then a motor will pump the newly mixed water out into the column inside the chamber.

The only thing I could think that might be an issue, or it may not be one at all, is that could some kind of mixing cause the slimmer to lose water friction in the cone and overflow. So I though maybe incorporate the reactors into the return, then it mixes in the reactor, again through the pump, some more through the pipes, and then is dispersed into the main tank’s column. However, I could be wrong about that.

 

[K-Philly]

In that design the skimmer is in the same chamber as the return, that would cause tons of bubbles in the display. Reactors would be ok but they are best in the skimmer chamber.
For your build go bigger sump wise! Do like a 75g! :D

I would, but I hardly can house a 55G without losing a lot of space. That’s why I decided to bump down and get a wider footprint, and I’m having to adjust my stand by an 1/8” just to fit the 40G underneath...

But the wider footprint is what I’m after, not so much the height. The wider footprint gives me a whole lot more room to adjust for footprints of equipment.

I also called a local glass store today. My biggest panel will cost me $10 to cut and finish for safe handling, and will be 1/4”. They also drill holes, so I can have some holes cut out to plumb my drain lines to installed bulkheads on a lid. Makes for a more professional look in my opinion.