WB 150.4 sump redesign

[Ziggy17]

So anyone that has the Waterbox frag 125 or Infinia 150 has realized that there is a huge dead zone in the back chamber if you are bypassing it to use a reefmat. So I’m thinking of taking out some glass and using acrylic to creat the new panes. Here’s what I’m thinking of doing (see photos).

Has anyone done this before, and was it easy? Anyone see any issues with the revamped layout?

Cheers.

 

[UncommonSense]

So remote ATO, and larger fuge seem to be the gains here!

I don’t see any reason why this won’t work! — it could be worth considering making the fuge come before the skimmer chamber though, just for the bonus water height that allows!

Is there anything that stops you from reusing the factory glass baffles, or just having some cut in 3/16”-1/4” thick glass? — acrylic just swells when submerged in water, and doesn’t bond as well to silicone as glass does!

 

[Ziggy17]

So remote ATO, and larger fuge seem to be the gains here!

I don’t see any reason why this won’t work! — it could be worth considering making the fuge come before the skimmer chamber though, just for the bonus water height that allows!

Is there anything that stops you from reusing the factory glass baffles, or just having some cut in 3/16”-1/4” thick glass? — acrylic just swells when submerged in water, and doesn’t bond as well to silicone as glass does!

I’ll post a pic of the sump and you can see what I’m eliminating. Tough to see on the schematic.

 

[Ziggy17]

The back has a 2” slot that runs the length of the sump. With filter socks, it fills up and flow into the sock chamber. However when you pipe the main into the reefmat, there will be nothing to feed water into that chamber, making it useless. But worse, if any overflow goes in there, it’s there to stagnate.

 

[UncommonSense]

The back has a 2” slot that runs the length of the sump. With filter socks, it fills up and flow into the sock chamber. However when you pipe the main into the reefmat, there will be nothing to feed water into that chamber, making it useless. But worse, if any overflow goes in there, it’s there to stagnate.

Oh wow! A neat design, but somewhat wasteful of space… It does make plumbing drains to wherever easy, I suppose!

The design dictates that you’ll basically need to completely take this sump apart, and I’d be willing to bet that the glass baffles are actually part of the structural design!

I just checked the dimensions of this sump; it’s conveniently almost exactly the same size as a 40B! — just to play the Devil’s advocate; what stops you from selling this sump as-is and just building out a 40B?

 

[Ziggy17]

I live in an area where selling the sump would be tough.

 

[UncommonSense]

I live in an area where selling the sump would be tough.

Well… it looks like there’s a lot of good glass there…

Hmm… the easiest solution could just be to let some equipment drain back into the back chamber…

alternatively, I suppose you could drill a few holes in that drain chamber divider with a glass hole saw, but that’s risky…

Otherwise, you’ll need to gut all the baffles/etc from the interior of the sump, then cut new ones to the new dimensions… — glass should definitely be used over acrylic here, as the baffles are part of the pressure vessels structure!

 

[Ziggy17]

I live in an area where selling the sump would be tough.

Well… it looks like there’s a lot of good glass there…

Hmm… the easiest solution could just be to let some equipment drain back into the back chamber…

alternatively, I suppose you could drill a few holes in that drain chamber divider with a glass hole saw, but that’s risky…

Otherwise, you’ll need to gut all the baffles/etc from the interior of the sump, then cut new ones to the new dimensions… — glass should definitely be used over acrylic here, as the baffles are part of the pressure vessels structure!

A gut is exactly what I’m going to do based on what’s there. I appreciate the advice on glass baffles. I thought acrylic would be easier but I’d rather have it work flawless

 

[UncommonSense]

A gut is exactly what I’m going to do based on what’s there. I appreciate the advice on glass baffles. I thought acrylic would be easier but I’d rather have it work flawless

3/16” (technically 4.5mm) glass thickness is the dead minimum I’d use, preferably 1/4” (6mm)!

Will you be having the baffles cut for you by a local glasscutter/etc? If so, just tell the glasscutter that they’re for a hobby project, not for a saltwater aquarium! — mine charged me $30/ea for 4x 3/16” thick ~18”x18” panes of glass knowing what they were for! (I’ve since just cut my own…)

Oh! — request that one side of each pane’s edges are sanded or otherwise polished to a smooth edge! (the edges facing up, that you’ll slice your hand open on while working in the sump if left as sharp broken edges! — every silicone surface should be left as an unfinished sharp edge for maximum silicone bonding area!)

there’s also DIY glass fabrication, if you’re curious?

additionally, I’ve been studying exact dimension tolerances for silicone Injection, if you’d like some hard numbers for baffle sizing?

 

[Ziggy17]

Useless back chamber is gone. Now to add the new glass for the now large chambers.

 

[Ziggy17]

Finally complete. I left a small compartment on the sock side to use just in case I ever decide to back to socks or if I ever sell it and the buyer uses socks and not a filter mat. The emergency downspout will empty into thar new small chamber with the help of a 45 degree elbow.
I wanted to keep the original black plate with the grate, so we kept the plastic sleeves and placed small pieces of glass on the ends. This way I can remove the grate plate and make that section bigger or smaller, as it was on the original. The cost of making a new grate plate was astronomical as you need a special C&C machine to do it. This was much cheaper and achieves the same result.


So overall I’m happy with the new design. Thecost was $600, so not over the top, certainly not pocket change, but definitely worth it.

 

[Rod's WB Reef]

So anyone that has the Waterbox frag 125 or Infinia 150 has realized that there is a huge dead zone in the back chamber if you are bypassing it to use a reefmat. So I’m thinking of taking out some glass and using acrylic to creat the new panes. Here’s what I’m thinking of doing (see photos).

Has anyone done this before, and was it easy? Anyone see any issues with the revamped layout?

Cheers.

I built up a WB 190.5 and had the same issue with the back of the sump in regard to the Roller Mat. So I plumbed into this area the returns from my UV, carbon reactor and an elevated Refugium. This resulted in constant flow into the area of the sump where I put a tray of egg crate in the bottom and filled with rubble and bio blocks. There is also a couple of areas where I can vacuum built up detritus. Another advantage is that and pods or any benefits from my refugium do not go back into the roller mat getting removed.

 

[Ziggy17]

I built up a WB 190.5 and had the same issue with the back of the sump in regard to the Roller Mat. So I plumbed into this area the returns from my UV, carbon reactor and an elevated Refugium. This resulted in constant flow into the area of the sump where I put a tray of egg crate in the bottom and filled with rubble and bio blocks. There is also a couple of areas where I can vacuum built up detritus. Another advantage is that and pods or any benefits from my refugium do not go back into the roller mat getting removed.

It’s a good idea and I’ve read a few that have used the space with other equipment, I just don’t use reactors or ozone so I was left with unused space that I could use for bigger chambers.

 

[Rod's WB Reef]

None the less, Great job on the glass work! Fantastic using the original lateral walls and adding the “tails” to complete the length. Sure to inspire others to use this space more effectively.