Is this a crazy idea?

[AquariumAdam]

I’m in the early stages of planning a new build. I want something in the 120-gallon range, but I really like the idea of a large sump as a means of increasing the water volume for parameter stability. The display will be located in my finished walk-out basement, and the sump will be located in my utility room, which is on the other side of the wall from the display. Am I crazy to think I could use a pre-formed pond liner from Lowe’s as my sump? Basically just like a horse trough that I’ve seen in basement setups before. What do you guys think?

This is the area the display will live:

This is the utility room where I would house the pond sump setup:

And this is the pond liner I’m considering:

What does the R2R brain trust say?

 

[bubbgee]

Not crazy at all. Lots of coral farms use this approach.

 

[robmiller2]

Are those made to hold water without the support of the ground around it? It may be safer to go with one of the larger rubbermaid stock tanks.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rubbermaid-structural-foam-stock-tanks-100-gal-capacity

 

[JayM]

I'd be concerned about longevity. Those are designed to be installed in-ground. Lack of support on the sides may lead to catastrophic failure over time.

 

[CBonito]

Are those made to hold water without the support of the ground around it? It may be safer to go with one of the larger rubbermaid stock tanks.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rubbermaid-structural-foam-stock-tanks-100-gal-capacity

It WILL be safer to go with a rubbermaid water container. Totally safer.

 

[AquariumAdam]

Good points on the side support and the longevity. Maybe i build out some sort of support structure for the sides. I like this because it’s not too deep, not too shallow, and I can easily reach the bottom of it from anywhere around the edges. I think I’m going to go for it. Worst case scenario is I swap it with an actual trough in the future.

 

[UncommonSense]

Another vote for a Rubbermaid here!

Or, 1-2 IBC totes; just to play the devil’s advocate! :p

Edit: you can always split IBC totes in half to have a ~125g square sump with a metal frame too!

 

[CBonito]

Get a rubbermaid container. It is self-supporting. The pond liner is going to fold and fishify your basement. Don't do it bro.

 

[AquariumAdam]

Ok so ya’ll were right lol I bought one of those pond liners, filled er’ up with the garden hose and let it sit for a few days. It’s probably workable, but it’s not as durable as I would want it to be. I returned it and got a Brute poly horse trough instead

 

[CBonito]

Ok so ya’ll were right lol I bought one of those pond liners, filled er’ up with the garden hose and let it sit for a few days. It’s probably workable, but it’s not as durable as I would want it to be. I returned it and got a Brute poly horse trough instead

Yup, now you can rock it like a superhero without dumping everything on de-floor.