# sump question



## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

i purchased a 30 gal long sump today ,i have a few questions and was wondering if anyone can help me .
totally new to the sump thing so forgive me for silly questions .
sump purchased is 30 gallon long 
l=30
h=18
w=12
baffles are spaced =6.25in and 15 in high
2nd baffle is 8 in from the first with a 3 in gap on the bottom,
3rd baffle is 3.25 in from the 2nd 10.75 in from the bottom.
if i am confusing u its prob because i am confused as well.
any ideas if this is a sufficient sump for my 40 gal breeder tank.
bear with me as i just decided to go with the sump and have no idea on what i am doing . any help would be appreciated 
thanks 
tom


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

Whats the question? Not sure what you are getting at. Are you asking what goes in each sump section?


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

i guess what i m asking is this a proper sump , is it a good buy or a bad buy.
do i need to do anything for it to work and sure where would u put the necc equipment , i have tried to google immages but litterly every sump is built somewhat different 
is this set up a good set up should i change anything with the baffles to make it work better .
thanks


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*next question*

so i am cleaning the sump and as i am cleaning it the bottom trim is cracked and peels off .is this still a tank to use i am water testing it as we speak outside.can i just resilicone the bottom trim piece to the tank if it holds .
thanks 
again sorry for the questions


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

For you first set of questions,

looking at your tank as per your pic

left side - fuge
center - return
right side - skimmer

but I am not sure what those little shelves are for on the center. Looks like something hung off it or something? I know Calfo recommends little shelves for water flow for the fuge to get chaeto spinning to save using a powerhead, but I doubt that section is for a fuge since the baffles are right beside it.

And yes it seems all sumps/fuges are different but in many cases they all do the same thing.

As for it's usefulness, if you already have the skimmer and return pump, do they fit in there?



> so i am cleaning the sump and as i am cleaning it the bottom trim is cracked and peels off .is this still a tank to use i am water testing it as we speak outside.can i just resilicone the bottom trim piece to the tank if it holds .
> thanks
> again sorry for the questions


This I have no idea about. I try to buy my tanks new to avoid this as I am paranoid about leaks lol. Better wait for someone else to chime in. Altcharacter just finished resealing a few tanks so he may be the one to contact.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*sump*

agreed on the paranoid rethinking this all again .
thanks again


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## Windowlicka (Mar 5, 2008)

Those shelves look like a PITA to me - restricting the size of return pump you can use, and also making it unecessarily noisy - water entering the return section from the fuge will splash, rather than flow, creating both noise and bubbles- rendering the bubble trap from the skimmer section a complete waste of time.

Add to that the crack, and this becomes a sump that ~I~ wouldn't be happy to use.

Do you have a skimmer in mind? The footprint of this pretty much dictates the size/usability of your sump


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*ssump*

i did notice when i was filling the tank up that it did make some excessicve noise with the shelves.
i agree with u about feeling uneasy about this tank.
i dont have a sump yet i have a deltce 600 mce that i was gonna use in the intern till i find one .
any ideas on building a sump would be greatly appreciated .worse case scenerio i can use the baffles on a new design . 
thanks 
tom


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

Nothing stopping you from removing the shelves. You should be able to use a razor blade and remove the silicone because from the looks of it the silicone attaching the shelves doesn't interfere with the tank construction silicone.

The plastic trim should be a concern though of it is brittle. It may just be worth it to buy a new tank or get one from a trusted source on here whose sump isn't too old.

Pretty sure there is a sump in one of the build threads, but you should be able to use the existing baffles and section separators. Just be careful with them as they may be glass rather than acrylic. But take heart, getting those pieces cut or made aren't cheap so if you can reuse what you have, you still may have got a good deal.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*sump*

the baffles are glass and prob the baffles are worth the 15 bucks i spent ,
so is there a typical pattern for a sump
first area for sump, middle for live rock /cheato and third section for pump back to tank.would i build a refugium in this tank as well


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## Tim (Dec 11, 2011)

Just remember you don't want your fuge water going into the skimmer or your bugs will get chopped up. Usually you will have water split with a T, some going into the fuge, some into the skimmer and then both waters go into the return pump in the middle. 

I went to a glass shop and was quoted $10 per piece of glass for my sump. 3 baffles + 1 piece for fuge, so $40.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

cut out all the baffles and start over.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*sump*

agreeed , now to find a tank , never fails when when u need one u cant find one .lol oh well i will keep looking .the biggest tank i can fit under the stand is a 30 gal long. 30 x 12 x 18

would anyone rec what type of holes to drill in my tank dual holes and i was thinking 1 " or should i go bigger .

has anyone seen glass hole saw bits anywhere other then princess auto in toronto , i have chked home depot/rona /and lowes with no luck.

also looking for some recc on to where to place the baffles any input would be awesome 
thanks

this was what i was thinking excuse the quality of the drawing.
am interested in some input on where to place the baffles and how much space from the top and from the bottom to put the baffles

thanks again 
tom


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*size of holes*

anyone on the recc of size of holes to drill in tank ,looking to buy drill bit this week .let me know please 
cheers


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## Hon123 (Jan 30, 2010)

Tim said:


> Just remember you don't want your fuge water going into the skimmer or your bugs will get chopped up. Usually you will have water split with a T, some going into the fuge, some into the skimmer and then both waters go into the return pump in the middle.
> 
> I went to a glass shop and was quoted $10 per piece of glass for my sump. 3 baffles + 1 piece for fuge, so $40.


40 bucks for 4 cuts??! thats kinda expensive.
the store, forgot the name, midland/finch, charged me 20 for 7 cuts few months ago. but its just the normal glass.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

Hon123 said:


> 40 bucks for 4 cuts??! thats kinda expensive.
> the store, forgot the name, midland/finch, charged me 20 for 7 cuts few months ago. but its just the normal glass.


if you are good with people on this forum, you can always find glass or old tanks and they even will help you to cut it

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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*people*

this site has the best people on it , i have been to a few other forums and the people on this site far out way the others , there is no reason to be nice to people this site exudes it .
i have not had any probs with anyone and to those who i have i appologize 
cheers 
tom


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*bulhead question*

im having some confusion on what size to drill my tank .any help would be appreciated . id like to drill the tank myself so im trying to figure out what bulkheads to buy and what kind of drill bit size i need
i want to drill in two corners of the tank .
from reading i think i need one to be 1 " so what drill bit do i need 
now the other side i dont know what size to drill any ideas or if someone could point me to a site that will help me with this decision .
found the glass hole saws at home hardware but limited sizes .
please any help would appreciated someone out here has to have an idea on reccomendation for hole sizes .
thanks again sorry for keep asking just trying to move to next step of my project 
cheers 
tom


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

There are a few online calculators that you can lookup.

I'd suggest a 1 1/4" overflow with a 3/4" return. 
I totally need to come over and see the tank though!


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*tank update*

ok so i have been looking at this tank in my backyard its held water and not dropped a drop of water from the lines i left .

im having some issues finding a 30 gal long tank with out spending ridiculous amount of money for a tank .

contemplating using this as my sump any reccomendations 
- should i remove all silicone and re apply 
- should i go over top of the silicone with new silicone .
- the broken trim i can make at work out of angle iron 
- what do u use to clean the silicone so that the new silicone adheres to seams .

i would appreciate any help and advice please help 
also looking for .....

a somewhat quiet pump for a 40 gal plus aquarium 
a resonable skimmer if i cant find a skimmer i will use the deltec for now .

cheers 
tom


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Ok so...

- remove all the silicone with some razors
- clean the whole inside of the tank with vinegar
- clean all the joints where silicone is going to go with rubbing alcohol
- dont worry about trim because the tank won't be completely full


You should have picked up that free 30g long 

You can always come over to my place and I can show you how to reseal the tank. I'm going to be doing another one soon I think. Or just bring the tank over here and we could do it. Bring beer also!


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*tank*

U mean all the silicone inside. I'm not taking down the
Glass right . So just scrape all the silicone leaving the 
Glass where it stands . 
Thanks


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

yep, it's fairly easy to do. Hit up your local dollar store and get some razor blades and strip the silicone right down to the glass.


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## cablemike (Jan 7, 2009)

In case anyone ever needs there tank resiliconed, I'm kind of an expert at caulking. Probably gone through 10,000 tubes at work.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Mike, what's your favorite type of caulk? The white one or the brown one? And could you show me how to hold the caulk? Also, do the tubes of caulk come in different sizes?

Ha....I had to do it.


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