Hey Everyone,
I joined this forum for help with the sump aspect of my current build, a high-tech planted 20 gallon long with a 10-gallon sump. Reading through posts here and responses from members have been super helpful so I wanted to create a build thread in case anyone is interested. Warning in advance, this will be a longer post detailing my progress to date. So without further ado, the specs of this build are:
Fresh Water High Tech Planted Aquarium
Tank: 20 gallon long drilled for Eshopps Eclipse S overflow and return
Sump: Standard 10 gallon aquarium, baffle-less configuration with poret foam
Return pump: Jebao DCP-2500
Stand: Imagitarium Brooklyn as a base, DIY solid top, and shelf added
Lighting: Finnex Ray2 DS 7000K 36"
CO2: Pressurized, injected via DIY cerges reactor using dual stage regulator
Substrate: TBD but likely potting soil with black diamond blasting sand cap
Fertilization: KNO3, K2SO4, KH2PO4, CSM+B, Flourish Trace, dosing regime TBD but likely estimative index based
I recently graduated college and was looking forward to setting up my first tank since high school. The plan was to use equipment I had on hand to get a tank up and running quickly and slowly upgrade. The only thing I was missing was a stand, hoping to save money I started looking on craigslist and Facebook and things quickly got out of hand. Orginal plan abandoned and budget obliterated.
I ended up purchasing this 20 gal, home-built stand, and 10 gallon for a very good price.
The stand ended up not being as sturdy as I was looking for so I decided to go a different route. I got the idea of a sumped tank stuck in my head so set out to get it up and running. This tank was drilled with a single 3/4" bulkhead, after researching and posting questions here I decided I wasn't comfortable with a single drain. I decided to with the Eshopps Eclipse S overflow as it seemed to be the most straightforward and low-profile option.
This was my first time drilling a tank but luckily it went well. Since this tank is rimmed I couldn't use the included jig as intended or the water level would have been too low. I found that if I placed the jig on the inside of the tank, the overflow height was perfect so I traced the hole position with a sharpie and taped the jig to the bag of the tank to prevent drill walk.
I had a little bit of chipping, but I was able to clean it up easily with sandpaper.
As for the stand, I purchase a cheap metal frame stand on sale from petco. Reading reviews beforehand revealed that these tanks often have issues with the tank rim not sitting flat on the stand. Due to this, I decided to put a free-floating top on the stand with a layer of foam between the wood and the stand to aid in leveling. The top started as a laminated spruce project board from home depot. I then stained it dark and sealed it with spray spar urethane to protect it from water. The end result turned out pretty decent
Since this tank would have a sump I also needed a stand for it. I decided to use some scrap 2x4 that I had on hand which I end glued and screwed together.
Since 2x4s differ greatly in dimensions I had a lot of work to do to create a flat level surface for the sump. Since I don't have any power tools that meant hand sanding. Lots of hand sanding, over 8 hours of it.
Next, I painted the back of the tank and the shelf with Rustoleum protective black enamel paint. Also featured in the below picture is my only mildly sketchy light hanging system built from pvc conduit and paracord. I had to hang this light since it is longer than the tank and way to powerful for such a short tank. Eventually, I will replace it but I had it on hand from my last tank and the budget was hurting at this point. I love the rocks in this picture but I don't think I will be using them as they raise kH and pH and my tap water is already on the high side (gH 8, kH 10, pH 7.8). I do have an RO system in storage but I'd rather avoid setting it up in my apartment.
Next was plumbing and the sump. For the sump, I was initially planning on using a more traditional saltwater layout form. However, talking to people on my home forum (plantedtank.net) lead me to a simpler baffle-free design that minimizes water disturbance to prevent off-gassing CO2 as much as possible. Since no protein skimmers are used in freshwater this design should work well since a constant water level isn't needed in the sump. In this configuration, water enters the left side of the sump and flows through three 2 inch sheets of poret foam which will act as both mechanical and biological filtration. I will likely also be running purigen to keep dissolved organics low but I'll just toss the bag near the pump or stick it in the CO2 reactor.
The foam does fit perfectly flush but it got pushed out of place when I was working on the plumbing. Plumbing for the sump is pretty standard for a herbie style drain. I avoided 90-degree elbows on the primary drain but ended up using 90-degree elbows on the emergency drain as it made alignment simpler. I don't suspect this will be a problem as I will running far less flow then is used in reef tanks.
I don't have the return plumbed yet as I am waiting for the 10-inch filter housing that I will be using for the cerges CO2 reactor to arrive. The reactor will T off the main return line and then T back in. I went with the cerges reactor as they are simple and extremely effective for dissolving CO2 which will be useful in combating off-gassing in a sumped tank. For the return outlet, I purchased the parts to build a split loc line return. I also haven't decided exactly how much off the return will be hard or soft plumbing yet so any advice is welcome.
Once the filter housing and 5 lb co2 tank arrive I should have all of the equipment for this build. For those curious, CO2 injection will be handled with a dual-stage regulator I plumbed to a solenoid and needle valve 5 years ago for my last tank.
So the next major step is to determine hardscape and stocking. For plants, I will likely be trying to avoid stem plants to keep maintenance to a minimum. I am planning on using lots of crypts, buce, anubias and moss. I am also planning on a dwarf hair grass carpet. These aren't really the plants you would typically see in a high-tech planted tank like this will be, usually, the higher-tech tanks focus on stem plants. However, this tank is already a bit outside the norm so why not.
For hardscape, I collected some driftwood from the banks of a local stream. There is still some question of if it will be okay to use or if it will sink so I have it soaking as of now. I am crossing my fingers as it is a gorgeous piece of wood.
This is as far as I've gotten so far. I will keep posting updates so hopefully, someone enjoys reading this! Any comments, suggestions, questions, etc are always welcome!
I joined this forum for help with the sump aspect of my current build, a high-tech planted 20 gallon long with a 10-gallon sump. Reading through posts here and responses from members have been super helpful so I wanted to create a build thread in case anyone is interested. Warning in advance, this will be a longer post detailing my progress to date. So without further ado, the specs of this build are:
Fresh Water High Tech Planted Aquarium
Tank: 20 gallon long drilled for Eshopps Eclipse S overflow and return
Sump: Standard 10 gallon aquarium, baffle-less configuration with poret foam
Return pump: Jebao DCP-2500
Stand: Imagitarium Brooklyn as a base, DIY solid top, and shelf added
Lighting: Finnex Ray2 DS 7000K 36"
CO2: Pressurized, injected via DIY cerges reactor using dual stage regulator
Substrate: TBD but likely potting soil with black diamond blasting sand cap
Fertilization: KNO3, K2SO4, KH2PO4, CSM+B, Flourish Trace, dosing regime TBD but likely estimative index based
I recently graduated college and was looking forward to setting up my first tank since high school. The plan was to use equipment I had on hand to get a tank up and running quickly and slowly upgrade. The only thing I was missing was a stand, hoping to save money I started looking on craigslist and Facebook and things quickly got out of hand. Orginal plan abandoned and budget obliterated.
I ended up purchasing this 20 gal, home-built stand, and 10 gallon for a very good price.
The stand ended up not being as sturdy as I was looking for so I decided to go a different route. I got the idea of a sumped tank stuck in my head so set out to get it up and running. This tank was drilled with a single 3/4" bulkhead, after researching and posting questions here I decided I wasn't comfortable with a single drain. I decided to with the Eshopps Eclipse S overflow as it seemed to be the most straightforward and low-profile option.
This was my first time drilling a tank but luckily it went well. Since this tank is rimmed I couldn't use the included jig as intended or the water level would have been too low. I found that if I placed the jig on the inside of the tank, the overflow height was perfect so I traced the hole position with a sharpie and taped the jig to the bag of the tank to prevent drill walk.
I had a little bit of chipping, but I was able to clean it up easily with sandpaper.
As for the stand, I purchase a cheap metal frame stand on sale from petco. Reading reviews beforehand revealed that these tanks often have issues with the tank rim not sitting flat on the stand. Due to this, I decided to put a free-floating top on the stand with a layer of foam between the wood and the stand to aid in leveling. The top started as a laminated spruce project board from home depot. I then stained it dark and sealed it with spray spar urethane to protect it from water. The end result turned out pretty decent
Since this tank would have a sump I also needed a stand for it. I decided to use some scrap 2x4 that I had on hand which I end glued and screwed together.
Since 2x4s differ greatly in dimensions I had a lot of work to do to create a flat level surface for the sump. Since I don't have any power tools that meant hand sanding. Lots of hand sanding, over 8 hours of it.
Next, I painted the back of the tank and the shelf with Rustoleum protective black enamel paint. Also featured in the below picture is my only mildly sketchy light hanging system built from pvc conduit and paracord. I had to hang this light since it is longer than the tank and way to powerful for such a short tank. Eventually, I will replace it but I had it on hand from my last tank and the budget was hurting at this point. I love the rocks in this picture but I don't think I will be using them as they raise kH and pH and my tap water is already on the high side (gH 8, kH 10, pH 7.8). I do have an RO system in storage but I'd rather avoid setting it up in my apartment.
Next was plumbing and the sump. For the sump, I was initially planning on using a more traditional saltwater layout form. However, talking to people on my home forum (plantedtank.net) lead me to a simpler baffle-free design that minimizes water disturbance to prevent off-gassing CO2 as much as possible. Since no protein skimmers are used in freshwater this design should work well since a constant water level isn't needed in the sump. In this configuration, water enters the left side of the sump and flows through three 2 inch sheets of poret foam which will act as both mechanical and biological filtration. I will likely also be running purigen to keep dissolved organics low but I'll just toss the bag near the pump or stick it in the CO2 reactor.
The foam does fit perfectly flush but it got pushed out of place when I was working on the plumbing. Plumbing for the sump is pretty standard for a herbie style drain. I avoided 90-degree elbows on the primary drain but ended up using 90-degree elbows on the emergency drain as it made alignment simpler. I don't suspect this will be a problem as I will running far less flow then is used in reef tanks.
I don't have the return plumbed yet as I am waiting for the 10-inch filter housing that I will be using for the cerges CO2 reactor to arrive. The reactor will T off the main return line and then T back in. I went with the cerges reactor as they are simple and extremely effective for dissolving CO2 which will be useful in combating off-gassing in a sumped tank. For the return outlet, I purchased the parts to build a split loc line return. I also haven't decided exactly how much off the return will be hard or soft plumbing yet so any advice is welcome.
Once the filter housing and 5 lb co2 tank arrive I should have all of the equipment for this build. For those curious, CO2 injection will be handled with a dual-stage regulator I plumbed to a solenoid and needle valve 5 years ago for my last tank.
So the next major step is to determine hardscape and stocking. For plants, I will likely be trying to avoid stem plants to keep maintenance to a minimum. I am planning on using lots of crypts, buce, anubias and moss. I am also planning on a dwarf hair grass carpet. These aren't really the plants you would typically see in a high-tech planted tank like this will be, usually, the higher-tech tanks focus on stem plants. However, this tank is already a bit outside the norm so why not.
For hardscape, I collected some driftwood from the banks of a local stream. There is still some question of if it will be okay to use or if it will sink so I have it soaking as of now. I am crossing my fingers as it is a gorgeous piece of wood.
This is as far as I've gotten so far. I will keep posting updates so hopefully, someone enjoys reading this! Any comments, suggestions, questions, etc are always welcome!