Diy sump help please

[eggplantparrot]

Hello all, i am in the process of putting together my first ever reef tank (link to build thread will be poated when i actually make one), and am at the point where im looking at sumps.

Premade sumpa ive seen are really nice and expensive, and i have not seen any that fit what i want exactly, my cabinet also has a vertical support right in the middle front, so i cant wiggle anything bigger than a 20 gallom tank in.

I started toying with the idea of building my own sump, inside the stand as i want as big of a sump as possible. Has anyone built a sump within a stand? Would that be feasible? I would have someone helping me smooth silicone etc and i will 3d print 90 deg support holding glass panes.

Another question i have is regarding glass thickness. After sone inquirys it seems 1/4 glass is most economical, with 3/8 being more than twice the price. Would a sump made from 1/4 glass be ok? The dimensions will be around 40" x 16" x 16" ±2". I would like to avoid a center brace.

Thank you

 

[pluikens]

I built my own sump (outside of stand) but had to modify the stand by removing the horizontal brace while I put the sump in. Taking the sump out would mean partially dismantling the stand to get it out again. I took the advice of GMAC Reef: "Using 1/4″ (6mm) glass is what you should aim for. Quarter inch glass is also sometimes called plate glass. If you can’t find glass this thick, you might resort to something around 3/16″ (4.5mm), but that’s about the minimum." because "When you are trying to wrestle a piece of equipment out of there while hunched over the sump, you aren’t thinking about being careful. Even doing some aggressive scraping of the glass will test them a bit."

 

[eggplantparrot]

I built my own sump (outside of stand) but had to modify the stand by removing the horizontal brace while I put the sump in. Taking the sump out would mean partially dismantling the stand to get it out again. I took the advice of GMAC Reef: "Using 1/4″ (6mm) glass is what you should aim for. Quarter inch glass is also sometimes called plate glass. If you can’t find glass this thick, you might resort to something around 3/16″ (4.5mm), but that’s about the minimum." because "When you are trying to wrestle a piece of equipment out of there while hunched over the sump, you aren’t thinking about being careful. Even doing some aggressive scraping of the glass will test them a bit."

What dimension was your sump? I am planning to use at least 1/4" thick glass, it will be rimless and i dont want a center brace, so thats why i was considering 3/8 but thats more than double price

 

[cracker]

Can this brace be removed then replaced ?

 

[eggplantparrot]

Can this brace be removed then replaced ?

I suppose thats 1 way to do it, but i would much rather not have to deal with one at all. Id just like to know if non-tempered 1/4" glass can handle being used in a ~40" tank

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

Is it possible to create a hatch of sorts on the side of the stand to slide the sump in and back out while retaining that center brace?

 

[eggplantparrot]

Is it possible to create a hatch of sorts on the side of the stand to slide the sump in and back out while retaining that center brace?

The sides of my stand are heavily reinforced plywood sheets + more vertical supports, i honestly see no way to make a big sump removeable.

My plan B was to build the sump outside the stand, cut off the center vertical support, install sump, then replace tye vertical support again, but the wood finish would be pretty mangled after that. There are 3 vertical supports on the back of the stand so its even more work if i go from behind.

 

[Redleg]

You should be fine with 1/4" glass. Essentially your baffles act like eurobracing and hold everything together.

 

[jsker]

Hello all, i am in the process of putting together my first ever reef tank (link to build thread will be poated when i actually make one), and am at the point where im looking at sumps.

Premade sumpa ive seen are really nice and expensive, and i have not seen any that fit what i want exactly, my cabinet also has a vertical support right in the middle front, so i cant wiggle anything bigger than a 20 gallom tank in.

I started toying with the idea of building my own sump, inside the stand as i want as big of a sump as possible. Has anyone built a sump within a stand? Would that be feasible? I would have someone helping me smooth silicone etc and i will 3d print 90 deg support holding glass panes.

Another question i have is regarding glass thickness. After sone inquirys it seems 1/4 glass is most economical, with 3/8 being more than twice the price. Would a sump made from 1/4 glass be ok? The dimensions will be around 40" x 16" x 16" ±2". I would like to avoid a center brace.

Thank you

Can you take the back of the cabinet off and please the sump in the cabinet, then put the back back on?

 

[pluikens]

What dimension was your sump? I am planning to use at least 1/4" thick glass, it will be rimless and i dont want a center brace, so thats why i was considering 3/8 but thats more than double price

It was a 20 long below a 40 breeder.

 

[eggplantparrot]

You should be fine with 1/4" glass. Essentially your baffles act like eurobracing and hold everything together.

Wow youre right, i totally forgot about the baffles lol, 1/4 it will be then.

 

[eggplantparrot]

Can you take the back of the cabinet off and please the sump in the cabinet, then put the back back on?

unfortunately this is what ibhave to work with, the backside (in this pic its the side closest to camera) has even more supports than the front, which is just 1 support

 

[jsker]

unfortunately this is what ibhave to work with, the backside (in this pic its the side closest to camera) has even more supports than the front, which is just 1 support

Simple, cut the front door support, then pockhole the support back in place with a hacksaw blade or sawzall bimetal blade. Or to the same with the back.

 

[eggplantparrot]

This is the tank i have, the vertical panes are ground to 45 deg instead of butt joints, they are actually nice to look at

 

[eggplantparrot]

Simple, cut the front door support, then pockhole the support back in place with a hacksaw blade or sawzall bimetal blade. Or to the same with the back.

Sorry but what do you mean by "pockhole"?

 

[Redleg]

Pocket hole. Google kreg jig

 

[jsker]

Sorry but what do you mean by "pockhole"?

Here you go link

 

[eggplantparrot]

Pocket hole. Google kreg jig

Ah, i thought so, but since there should only be a vertical load, wouldnt a well fitting glue joint be enough? What would be the pocket screws be there for? Or do you guys mean no glue and make the support and thus sump be removeable?

 

[eggplantparrot]

Cutting the front support was honestly my plan B, however i have not been able to comr up with a safe method to cut the support cleanly and squarely

 

[John494]

I just finished doing my freshwater tank setup. What I did is I built a stand using 2x4's. Watch "king of diy" on YouTube, he shows step by step how to build one. The total cost was about $60 in materials which includes the cost of screws. I built a sump out of a 20 gallon long I picked up from Petco during their $1 a gallon sale. I was thinking about using glass for the baffles, but was unable to find glass thick enough from home depot or lowes. To buy glass from a glass shop would be too costly. I decided to buy acrylic from home depot. I cut the pieces from a $50 dremel tool (including a filter sock holder), used weld-on 4 to glue acrylic pieces together, used silicone (a lot of it) for the acrylic to glass bond, it is good enough.