Disclaimer- I am still adding to this for pictures, but the info is here.
DIY Sump build Workshop
Ok there have been a lot of threads lately regarding sumps, their setup and uses. I hope this will be a thourough guide to sump selection and construction from planning to use.
Now there are a million different ways to build a sump. Some are rimless, some are glass tanks with baffles, and some have a euro style brace on the top. A great resource to see many different sump styles is Melev's reef.
A couple key things to take into consideration when designing a sump are the following:
• Size available under your stand: I prefer to leave some extra room for storage, media, reactors etc.
• Dimensions needed for your equipment:
o Your return section needs to fit your return pump or be positioned in a matter that allows placement of an external return pump. As well as be as large as possible since this will be where evaporation occurs in your system.
o Your Skimmer section: Allow room here for your skimmer, probe holders, and the inlet plumbing. You may also need to take in consideration water level and a skimmer stand.
o Refugium: This will be a safe haven for your copepods/ampipods to reproduce as well as macro algae to grow. Obviously the larger the section the better as more stock can fit in here.
• Placement of your sump under the stand: This is often over looked. How will I get my new custom sump under my stand. If the tank is new then you can usually use the larger opening found at the back of a stand. If the system is running then you will need look at other means. I have removed the uprights in many stands located at the front. You can use a floor jack to support the tank while this is removed and also assist in raising it up enough to set it back into place. While the upright is out it is an ideal time to modify it to be a removable piece on your stand for future upgrades or sump access.
Ok let's get started!
Part one: You've sat back and figured out the maximum size sump you can fit. I am only referring to outside dimensions at this point. We will address baffling a little later. The only concern with baffling at this point is that the overall length of the sump will still allow your equipment to fit after baffles are added.
Now we need to calculate our cut sheet to take to the acrylic shop or do our own cuts. So how do we do this? It's pretty straight forward.
First take your desired dimensions. In this example we'll look at a 48"x20"x16" rimless sump constructed of 1/4" acrylic.
<insert image here>
Ok start at the bottom panel. The bottom pane will be the overall dimensions of your sump. In this case we need 1 piece that is 48x20.
Next we look at our long panels. We will need two of these panels. These panels will be the length of the sump and the height of the sump walls we need. Knowing that we now know we need 2 panels cut at: 48x15 3/4"
Now let's address the end panels. Because we want all the panels to sit on top of the bottom pane we need to consider the thickness of material here. First we know our height already. 15 ¾ ". This is the same as the first two panels we cut. The width is calculated by taking the desired width of the sump minus the thickness of material times 2. Why? Because the end panes will sit in between the two long panels we need to subtract the thickness of the panels. This gives us a width of 19 ½" We got that by taking the desired width of 20" and subtracting the material thickness of each pane it sits between. In a formula it would look like this
Desired width – (Material thickness used x2)
This will leave us with a final cut for two end panes at 19 ½ x 15 ¾"
Next let's address the baffles used inside. You want your baffles to be high enough to maximize water volume in the sump while still allowing the sump to hold any back flow from the Display Tank in case of a power outage. So first let's do some calculations. Using any of the available aquarium volume calculators we'll do the following.
Display tank is a 125 gallon tank: The dimensions for a standard 125 are 72" x 18" x 21". Your return outlets are sitting 2 inches below the water line without another form of break siphon. So we need to calculate how many gallons of water 72x18x2 is. Basically the length and width of the tank is used and the height is the depth of water lost before a siphon break occurs.
Okay we now know that a water loss of 11.2 gallons will be transferred to the sump in case of a power loss. So let's figure out how much space we need to leave in the sump to handle this extra water.
If our sump is 48x20 then start at 1 inch and start calculating water volume until you find the depth that will give you at least 11.2 gallons.
Okay we found that if we leave 3 inches of room in the sump it will hold 12.5 gallons. So let's put it all together.
We have a 48x20x16" sump that needs at least 3 inches to hold excess water in case of a power outage. That means at an absolute maximum our baffles can be 13". I say leave a little extra so…..
We need 4 baffles in this sump design 3 separate the skimmer and return section and 1 separates the fuge from the return for this design. Now let's get our cuts.
We need 3 baffles cut at 12" x 19 ½ inches. This is once again the width of 20 minus the material thickness x2. The 12" is out baffle height.
We also need 1 baffle cut at 13"x 19 /12". This one separates the fuge from the return. Why the extra 1"? If we cut this baffle at the same height as the previous ones (12") then the fuge and return would technically be one chamber as the water level would be just over this baffle.
OK so now we have all out cuts figured out….let's figure out how much acrylic that is.
Step 2 calculating the acrylic sheets needed.
• The typical sheet of acrylic is the same as plywood 4'x8'
Laying the cuts out on a sheet we can see that out of one full sheet we can get:
• Bottom Pane
• Both Side Panes
• Both End Panes
• All 3 regular baffles.
For the last baffle we will need to move to another sheet. Most shops will sell you a partial sheet or have scrap you can buy for the final baffle. Normally scrap is sold by weight.
Scrap or additional ¼ sheet
• Remaining baffle for the fuge
Okay we have all the acrylic cut!
Next Segment ASSEMBLY PREP!
DIY Sump build Workshop
Ok there have been a lot of threads lately regarding sumps, their setup and uses. I hope this will be a thourough guide to sump selection and construction from planning to use.
Now there are a million different ways to build a sump. Some are rimless, some are glass tanks with baffles, and some have a euro style brace on the top. A great resource to see many different sump styles is Melev's reef.
A couple key things to take into consideration when designing a sump are the following:
• Size available under your stand: I prefer to leave some extra room for storage, media, reactors etc.
• Dimensions needed for your equipment:
o Your return section needs to fit your return pump or be positioned in a matter that allows placement of an external return pump. As well as be as large as possible since this will be where evaporation occurs in your system.
o Your Skimmer section: Allow room here for your skimmer, probe holders, and the inlet plumbing. You may also need to take in consideration water level and a skimmer stand.
o Refugium: This will be a safe haven for your copepods/ampipods to reproduce as well as macro algae to grow. Obviously the larger the section the better as more stock can fit in here.
• Placement of your sump under the stand: This is often over looked. How will I get my new custom sump under my stand. If the tank is new then you can usually use the larger opening found at the back of a stand. If the system is running then you will need look at other means. I have removed the uprights in many stands located at the front. You can use a floor jack to support the tank while this is removed and also assist in raising it up enough to set it back into place. While the upright is out it is an ideal time to modify it to be a removable piece on your stand for future upgrades or sump access.
Ok let's get started!
Part one: You've sat back and figured out the maximum size sump you can fit. I am only referring to outside dimensions at this point. We will address baffling a little later. The only concern with baffling at this point is that the overall length of the sump will still allow your equipment to fit after baffles are added.
Now we need to calculate our cut sheet to take to the acrylic shop or do our own cuts. So how do we do this? It's pretty straight forward.
First take your desired dimensions. In this example we'll look at a 48"x20"x16" rimless sump constructed of 1/4" acrylic.
<insert image here>
Ok start at the bottom panel. The bottom pane will be the overall dimensions of your sump. In this case we need 1 piece that is 48x20.
Next we look at our long panels. We will need two of these panels. These panels will be the length of the sump and the height of the sump walls we need. Knowing that we now know we need 2 panels cut at: 48x15 3/4"
Now let's address the end panels. Because we want all the panels to sit on top of the bottom pane we need to consider the thickness of material here. First we know our height already. 15 ¾ ". This is the same as the first two panels we cut. The width is calculated by taking the desired width of the sump minus the thickness of material times 2. Why? Because the end panes will sit in between the two long panels we need to subtract the thickness of the panels. This gives us a width of 19 ½" We got that by taking the desired width of 20" and subtracting the material thickness of each pane it sits between. In a formula it would look like this
Desired width – (Material thickness used x2)
This will leave us with a final cut for two end panes at 19 ½ x 15 ¾"
Next let's address the baffles used inside. You want your baffles to be high enough to maximize water volume in the sump while still allowing the sump to hold any back flow from the Display Tank in case of a power outage. So first let's do some calculations. Using any of the available aquarium volume calculators we'll do the following.
Display tank is a 125 gallon tank: The dimensions for a standard 125 are 72" x 18" x 21". Your return outlets are sitting 2 inches below the water line without another form of break siphon. So we need to calculate how many gallons of water 72x18x2 is. Basically the length and width of the tank is used and the height is the depth of water lost before a siphon break occurs.
Okay we now know that a water loss of 11.2 gallons will be transferred to the sump in case of a power loss. So let's figure out how much space we need to leave in the sump to handle this extra water.
If our sump is 48x20 then start at 1 inch and start calculating water volume until you find the depth that will give you at least 11.2 gallons.
Okay we found that if we leave 3 inches of room in the sump it will hold 12.5 gallons. So let's put it all together.
We have a 48x20x16" sump that needs at least 3 inches to hold excess water in case of a power outage. That means at an absolute maximum our baffles can be 13". I say leave a little extra so…..
We need 4 baffles in this sump design 3 separate the skimmer and return section and 1 separates the fuge from the return for this design. Now let's get our cuts.
We need 3 baffles cut at 12" x 19 ½ inches. This is once again the width of 20 minus the material thickness x2. The 12" is out baffle height.
We also need 1 baffle cut at 13"x 19 /12". This one separates the fuge from the return. Why the extra 1"? If we cut this baffle at the same height as the previous ones (12") then the fuge and return would technically be one chamber as the water level would be just over this baffle.
OK so now we have all out cuts figured out….let's figure out how much acrylic that is.
Step 2 calculating the acrylic sheets needed.
• The typical sheet of acrylic is the same as plywood 4'x8'
Laying the cuts out on a sheet we can see that out of one full sheet we can get:
• Bottom Pane
• Both Side Panes
• Both End Panes
• All 3 regular baffles.
For the last baffle we will need to move to another sheet. Most shops will sell you a partial sheet or have scrap you can buy for the final baffle. Normally scrap is sold by weight.
Scrap or additional ¼ sheet
• Remaining baffle for the fuge
Okay we have all the acrylic cut!
Next Segment ASSEMBLY PREP!
