Sump is 1/2 inch to big. Is there a way I can make this work safely?

[Dr. Joe]

So I purchased the Trigger Platinum 39 for my 125 gal setup. I currently have the eshopps RS-200. The reason for the change is I wanted to put in a sump with a larger refugium and I like the filter roll setup. When I originally measured the depth of the stand, I got 17 inches. The sump is 16 inches. I got the sump and assembled it. I then looked under the stand and realized theres an extra piece of wood attached to the middle supports on the front and back that shrinks the space 1.5 inches leaving me 1/2 and inch short. I really want to make this work because I love this sump. Is there a way I can reinforce this stand so I can safely remove one or both of the wood posts connected to the middle supports? I have attached a picture and a video of the current setup. All help is very much appreciated.

 

[Bam327]

Is that the only vertical support?

 

[Aggro]

To me it looks like those 2 pieces of ply are your vertical supports and unfortunately your only other option I believe is to build a bigger better stand lol

 

[Ruskin]

If those are supporting the weight, yes you’re in a tough spot. Do you know who manufactured the stand? It would be worth contacting them if you are unsure.

while you could run a beam and two posts inside your stand outside the space of the sump (assuming you have the room) you’d still need to remove those middle supports first, which would probably mean emptying the tank.

 

[brmreefer]

I would not remove those because they appear to be vertical supports. Look into building a seperate sump enclosure next to or near by if that is the sump of choice. That is how I did my system and worked out great and have room for expansion. Creativity will be key to well hidden plumbing and wiring routes.

 

[Dr. Joe]

The center strip of wood on the middle support doesnt appear to be bearing any weight. It looks like its just glued to the support. I am assuming its there to add strength. Could I possibly do a sister beam attached to the cross beam and then do a couple perpendicular beams across the bottom of the tank?

 

[Hairyteeth]

If their glued internally couldn't you reinforce it externally pretty easily and worry about how you'll blend them in with the external appearance?

 

[DCR]

They are not load bearing, but give some added stiffness to the vertical supports to keep them from bowing. I cannot imagine they are needed on a 125 with what looks like 3/4" plywood as the main support. The backside one could easily be replaced with another on the outside. You could also potentially replace the front or back with some thinner steel panels (1/4" would be plenty) and accomplish the same thing, but I really don't think it is needed.

 

[DCR]

Removing them is probably the bigger problem assuming they are glued to the vertical supports

 

[philshel]

I agree that the 3/4 ply would be strong enough to support the weight, I've built several stands in the past using just a single layer in the front and back. If you remove the rear piece alone, does that give you enough room to squeeze it in? if not you could thin the front piece to make the necessary space. If so, you could put a piece on the back, if it makes you feel better. I would use a reciprocating multi tool to slice the 1/4 piece horizontally every couple of inches and then use the same tool to cut/scrape the smaller pieces loose. You only need to remove them high enough to clear the new sump.

 

[Dr. Joe]

I agree that the 3/4 ply would be strong enough to support the weight, I've built several stands in the past using just a single layer in the front and back. If you remove the rear piece alone, does that give you enough room to squeeze it in? if not you could thin the front piece to make the necessary space. If so, you could put a piece on the back, if it makes you feel better. I would use a reciprocating multi tool to slice the 1/4 piece horizontally every couple of inches and then use the same tool to cut/scrape the smaller pieces loose. You only need to remove them high enough to clear the new sump.

So you are saying its possible to remove the center support in the back and not have a problem? I was thinking of removing it temporarily to get the sump in and then replace it with a new piece of wood.

 

[philshel]

If you are referring to the narrow piece that appears to be 1/4 or 1/2 thick glued to the 3/4 inch support piece at the rear of the stand than yes I believe so if it gives enough room. You could replace it with another piece on the back side of the 3/4 center piece or put additional pieces on either side of that 3/4 support if you wanted. Another alternative is as someone else mentioned, remove both of the additional pieces in your way and replace them with some 3/6 or 1/4 by 3 steel. Just drill and counter sink some mounting holes to fasten them to the the inside and replace the wood. There are many ways to get to where you want to go. Based on my experience, I don't believe any additional support is necessary but it's your tank. I suspect that they are there to insure that there is no deflection of the two supporting pieces. If the rear deflected a bit you would never notice if the front one moved enough you would notice it in the action of the doors attached to it.

 

[Ltlevil1]

I would also coat all the bare wood inside the stand while working in this area. It looks like mildew may be growing on the "ceiling". Maybe just lighting, but it also looks like I can see the individual layers of plywood on the upper horizontal supports. I would apply some KILZ then coat with some type of marine or weatherproof coating that matches the existing color. Maybe be worth recoating the entire area inside the stand. If the manufacturer did not coat this area, I don't know if I would trust where it is coated. I'll preface this next statement by saying it could be some work. If you determine it is safe to remove these then another option to think about if the supports are glued is to use a router and/or oscillating saw and cut down 1/4" from each side. The advantage of the oscillating saw is if they used any staples or brads you could cut through them with minimal risk of damaging anything or worse getting hurt from flying debris if the router bit hits one of these. Afterwards, sand everything down and/or apply a thin coat of epoxy/resin and then coat with the areas mentioned above. Like I said, a bit of work, but it would keep you from having to move the stand/DT and still keep some support so you may not need to put anything on the outside.

 

[Dr. Joe]

[Update]
So with the help of my LFS I was able to get it in. We had to cut some 2x4 to support the middle of the stand. We then removed the middle supports. Put the sump in. Then we left the back 2 supports in and anchored them with metal supports. Then we replaced the front middle support.