au01st

I've watched the Youtube videos on how to make it, and plan to make my own 20gallon sump for my 75gallon tank. I'm ordering a skimmer, so will that just hang on the back of the sump? Does the heater need it's own compartment? I was thinking [inlet][skimmer][heater][bio balls][refiguim w/ HOB power filter that will be used for moving to the QT tank] then the return pump in the last section. Can I put the heater in with the skimmer to cut down on the number of sections I need? Do I need to make all the sections different levels, like 1" shorter as they go (I'm using plexiglass inside a 20gallon long tank) so the water flows in one direction only?

Also, where do I get the foam blocks, and should I use anything else? It will be homemade, so I can have as many compartments as I need, though fewer is better, I just want to do it right the first time and not have to re-do anything. Budget is getting close to $600 already, so another $50 for a 30gallon or larger tank wouldn't be a big deal. Thanks for the help.

nemo addict

i have 3 sections 1 st section is bio/eco wot ever you wonna call it including cheato dsb mixed with miricale mud 2nd i have equipment section housing skimmer uv filter pump for phosphate reactor and heater, last i have bubble trap with return pump ,

i woudnt bother with bio balls use a sock filter on inlet pipe from sump catching large items i use a old fish net mounted so intlet flows through into tank and i clean everyother day.

i would nt use the hob filter just use on qt

papap

How often do you clean the sock?

au01st

Yeah, I found a LFS today that I really like now, it's about 20min away. I went in there with a few questions and just to see what kind of saltwater stuff they had, and the owner basically gave me a 30min lesson on sumps, including calculations for flow rates and what not (I've had fluid dynamics, so I already knew flow rates, lol, but I let him teach anyways) and showed me his sumps and everything, including how to set up an automatic refill for evaporated water. Best of all, he said he can match any DFS pricing INCLUDING stuff on sale. I showed him the items I was looking at, some he said were good, others he said were crap. I also asked if he would take my current inhabitants off my hands, and he said not only would he take them, he'd give me store credit. He also sells the material for the socks (100micron) and said he could show me how to make them out of the packaging; he said you clean it once a week, and it lasts about 5months before you need a new one (package had enough to make about 10 of them for $12).

I'm definitely going to build a relationship with this store, and he had some beautiful fish there. I was practically drooling at some of his reef setups. He also sells live rock and pretty much everything I need.

The first time I was there was last week. I heard him talking with a girl, and she was mad because he wouldn't sell her a fish because she brought a water sample in and apparently something was way off. He told her how to fix it and said he could sell to her when her water was ready, but she blew him off and stormed out of the store; that's when I knew I had found someone who actually cared about more than just sales...made me smile inside just a bit.

Anyways, I've decided on a Coralife Super Skimmer 125, already got a heater, and I've already got a pump. All I need now is some tubing, the sump itself, the overflow box, and a little bit of free time to get it all together. Any ideas on how big a sump I'll need? Is 20 big enough? Could I go smaller to a 10 or 15? I'm not going for the extra water so much as I am for the asthetics of the main tank (overflow box and powerheads will be all I have up there, I hope), and I'm trying to keep on a moderate budget (starving college student), but i do want to do it right the first time.

nemo addict

i does say everyother day on the post

as for size i would get as big as you can fit and try for as much natural filteration as you can my chaeto does a great job and grows really quick
and i also added a hermit who keeps my sump nice and clean and is growing really fast to as he is a real hungry thing

au01st

Yeah, trying to find something local that will fit. The skimmer will have to hang on the back of the sump as the model I want needs 31" of clearance to remove the collection cup, and I don't have that room, so that will leave some good room in the sump for some bio filtration. I'm still working on a design, but it's hard to do when I don't know exactly what size I'm gonna put in there...