Any advice for a DIY sump?

I am still in the planning process to convert my 120 freshwater to a saltwater tank.
SO my question is about building a sump for my 120. From what i have read i need a min of 1/3 the size of my tank so a 40 gallon sump. i will be going with either a 40 or 55 sump depending on further research and needs. As of right now i want to convert it to a reef tank so want to make sure i have the proper set up in the sump. I really dont want to drill and make a hole on the tank because i am not skilled in that regards and dont want to mess up the tank so either put in an overflow box or some plumbing like i said i am still researching all this. Any advice, articles or links to helpful info is greatly appreciated.

 

DIY PVC overflows work, I imagine a professionally built overflow box would be better.

I built and tested, have been running a PVC Overflow for about 2 weeks now. Mine's kinda noisy, sounds like the bath tub draining.

Drilling a tank isn't that hard. Just make sure to keep the bit wet and go slow with minimal pressure.

I drilled my 120 about a year and a half ago and set up a 2 x 20 gallon sump in the stand. Keeps my freshwater tank clean for prolonged periods. Honestly I think I've only cleaned the sump 4-5 times since I've set it up and I have a pretty big fish load with some messy fish.

 

Yea well i was thinking of either buying an overflow box like the CPR CS90 Overflow Box
or like you suggested build a PVC system that I have seen online. Either way I am definitely gonna keep researching. Do you mind sharing some pix of your DIY sumps to get a better idea of what I will build?
And about drilling yea ive read that you need to be patient when drilling so you dont mess up the tank. I will look into drilling my tank since i will be emptying it out so def gonna have the time and space to go that route if i decide to.

 

If you have a drill I would drill the tank I drilled my 120 it's scary but not that hard. Just no pushing on the drill and let the weight drill the holes. Towards the end u need a little pressure to try to get a clean cut through. It's really more scary thinking about than doing.

I used a 40g for my sump and I like it. If you build the stand or have a stand that can hold a 55 I'd definitely go with a 55g. That being said. Think about ato and wiring where you want to put them. In stand or another container. My 40g takes up the whole bottom so I have to build a cabinet for ato and to move wiring out of the stand. Definitely plan for thoose 2. Manually topping off is a pain. I'll attach a picture of my sump in stand before plumbing

 

Thanks for the advice and your set up looks nice. And yes i have a stand where i plan on putting the sump and more than big enough for a 55. my tank is 6 feet long so plenty of room under the tank in the stand. great point and insight gonna def look into the ATO. like i said im still in the planning step I still have my turtles in my 120 so its still a long process.
Also are you putting a refugium in your sump?

 

Yes the middle section is the refugium. It's about 17x17. I have it full of rock and 3 macro algea.

 

thanks

 

My sump is 2 x 20 Gallon Tanks connected with 1 1/4" PVC in the rear, I run, from beginning to end, Top to bottom:

First Chamber: Pot Scrubbers, Foam Block (front left)
Second Chamber: Lava Rock, Foam Block (middle left)
Third and Fourth Chamber: Refugium, Approx 15 Gallons Total, My heater and an Air Stone are in here. (rear left and right)
Fifth Chamber: Foam Block, Ceramic Noodles, Activated Charcoal (middle right)
Final Chamber: Foam Block, 2 x Bonded Filter Pads (front right)

I have a Jebao DCP-3500 return pump and a 600-Watt Finnex "Titanium" heater on a Inkbird ITC-1000 Controller as part of my sump.








(System is a little low on water in the pictures, need to top it off)

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Just realized I'm in the saltwater area, sorry, my setup is freshwater... though it's a similar principal.

 

My sump is 2 x 20 Gallon Tanks connected with 1 1/4" PVC in the rear, I run, from beginning to end, Top to bottom:

First Chamber: Pot Scrubbers, Foam Block (front left)
Second Chamber: Lava Rock, Foam Block (middle left)
Third and Fourth Chamber: Refugium, Approx 15 Gallons Total, My heater and an Air Stone are in here. (rear left and right)
Fifth Chamber: Foam Block, Ceramic Noodles, Activated Charcoal (middle right)
Final Chamber: Foam Block, 2 x Bonded Filter Pads (front right)

I have a Jebao DCP-3500 return pump and a 600-Watt Finnex "Titanium" heater on a Inkbird ITC-1000 Controller as part of my sump.


View attachment 711792View attachment 711793
View attachment 711794

(System is a little low on water in the pictures, need to top it off)

_____________

Just realized I'm in the saltwater area, sorry, my setup is freshwater... though it's a similar principal.

hey no worries its a similar principles with obviously a few tweaks for saltwater. But hey thanks a lot it really helps to visualize and get an idea of what i can build.