[FishStix]

Anyone have any suggestions on sump to buy?

I really don't want to make my own out of a tank, but it might have to come to that.

I was thinking I wanted filter socks or would wet/dry option be better, and then mostly lots of bio meida. I was thinking of just buying one online at this point as most of the custom made ones that I have found online and to ship are 800 bucks. I was thinking around 75gallons

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23752

 

[Tankie]

Anyone have any suggestions on sump to buy?

I really don't want to make my own out of a tank, but it might have to come to that.

I was thinking I wanted filter socks or would wet/dry option be better, and then mostly lots of bio meida. I was thinking of just buying one online at this point as most of the custom made ones that I have found online and to ship are 800 bucks. I was thinking around 75gallons

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23752

This one here I build cost about $50. I spent $800 on my saltwater tank sump last year and promised myself, never again.

 

[rezco]

What are you looking to do with a sump?

For my 200g planted I got a 35g food grade HDPE barrel for $20. Very easy to drill and install bulkheads without the cost of an acrylic tank.

It serves as an auto water changer, auto top off, detrius trap, and houses a CO2 reactor.

 

[Bushkill]

This one here I build cost about $50. I spent $800 on my saltwater tank sump last year and promised myself, never again.

I ran the exact same setup on a 180G in the den. It has incredible filtration capacity for an investment that amounts to peanuts. I modified it slightly with a DIY "spray head" where the water comes into the top drawer so it got a nicely dispersed inlet pattern over the bonded filter pads in the first tray. To replace them all you do is pull out the drawer and put in fresh pads. Literally 2 minutes. The biggest investment is the foam pads for under the blue and white bonded pads. Petsolutions was about the only place I could find them. If you think it over, you can make these things as small or as large as you need them to be.

 

[rezco]

What are you looking to do with a sump?

For my 200g planted I got a 35g food grade HDPE barrel for $20. Very easy to drill and install bulkheads without the cost of an acrylic tank.

It serves as an auto water changer, auto top off, detrius trap, and houses a CO2 reactor.

 

[rezco]

I modified it slightly with a DIY "spray head" where the water comes into the top drawer so it got a nicely dispersed inlet pattern over the bonded filter pads in the first tray. .

Can you share the details on the spray head?I am looking for one for a CO2 reactor based on trickle flow design.

 

[Tankie]

Can you share the details on the spray head?I am looking for one for a CO2 reactor based on trickle flow design.

Here is the one I made for my setup. 1 inch pvc with a union for easy removal. Ran it over table saw for drains. Gives a good a good spray from end to end. About 700 gallong per hour run through this setup.

 

[FishStix]

Those are great ideas, thanks everyone. Mostly want to have filter socks, area for bio media, and large return area for heaters, and 2 or 3 pumps. 1 Return pump, and 2 closed loop pumps

 

[Bushkill]

Can you share the details on the spray head?I am looking for one for a CO2 reactor based on trickle flow design.

I originally thought of using a bulkhead strainer, but it would've extended to far in to the drawer and limited the thickness of the foam pads and bonded pad layers.

So I just used the biggest fitting I could adapt to the 1" return line I think it's 1" X 1 1/2". Drilled as many 1/4" holes in the sides as I could manage without compromising it. Then I just capped the bottom of the fitting with a piece of acrylic that glued on perfectly with all-purpose pvc cement, and ran it over a belt sander so that it became a kind of small drum. Drilled just a few 1/4" holes in the acrylic bottom so that it didn't just spray out in a circular pattern and leave a "clean zone" directly under the spray head.

The shallower profile of the fitting let me put two foam pads and two bonded pad layers in the drawer. Pitch the top bonded pad every week and move the lower one up with a fresh one under that.

Kept the biological chambers below, immaculate.

I use a cheapo Sterlite tub that didn't cost $10 if I remember right.

Other than the foam pads, the only "investment" is in the biological media. The drawers are pretty darn big, so scouting around for used bio-balls can save a bundle.

 

[Nu2Plants]

You can build a sump pretty easily and cheaply. It just depends on how intricate you want it. There's a few web sites that will show you how to build one. It'll be much cheaper than buying one. You can also buy a sump as well, those you listed aren't the best, but will work.

However you have to tell us a bit more about what type of tank set up you have, how big is it, what's in it, etc.