Filtration??

[iVgOnMaD]

I think that would work for me and I can fit it under my show tank. All the plumbing is intimidating me right now. Where can I purchase a 29 gallon sump with all the traps all set up? Should I simply build my own since I'm fairly handy? Where did you get yours?

I made it myself, I had the glass shop drill the holes and and cut the baffles for the bubble trap and stuff

Plumbing is easier than you would imagine just make sure you use plenty of PVC glue, just wipe down the excess glue w/a towel. Unions and shut-off valves on everything that might ever need maintenance.

[iVgOnMaD]

iVgOnMaD - I really like how you plumbed that together, using unions to easily disconnect the pump for cleaning / maintenance. You also made the right decision using some spaflex (the black tubing) going to the pump to avoid vibration issues.

Thanks

The flex PVC doesnt kink w/suction pressure from the pump intake either, thats another reason I used it.

[dberrong]

iVgOnMaD - I really like how you plumbed that together, using unions to easily disconnect the pump for cleaning / maintenance. You also made the right decision using some spaflex (the black tubing) going to the pump to avoid vibration issues.

dberrong - you can do it yourself. Here's an example of what you can do with a glass 20g Long:
http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/glass/

I like that set up. I believe that I can do that. I don't plan on cutting the glass however. I think I should just have the return hose come through the top of the tank as well at the hose from the pump back to the tank. Any suggestions on making an overflow box??? I plan to put a protein skimmer and heater in the sump with a 10g. space for the refugium. Is there anything else that I need in the sump besides sand, algae, LR, and a pump? I have a 30g tank that I'll be checking the fit with today. I'm still very green with all of this, so thank you for your patience in answering my questions.

[iVgOnMaD]

Sounds like a good plan, I would suggest you buy they overflow box, I like the Marineland Tidepool Overflow box it works great, if tha ts a possibility, mark has some nice designs in his website I believe

[dberrong]

Is there a max gph for the pump with an overflow box? Or does the water drain faster than the pump puts water back in? I'm probably overthinking this, but I can just see the pump putting more water in than water leaving and overflowing the tank. It's amazing how expensive such a little box can be. I've decided everything is $50 or more in this hobby.

[melev]

You can build your own if you have the tools:

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/overflow.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/sump.html

The bulkhead in the overflow box dictates how quickly it can drain. 1" bulkheads can drain 600gph, but in my box I think 500gph is probably the maximum it can handle because there isn't a large body of water pressing it downward. Rather, it is shallow and thus drains at a lesser rate.

You want your return pump to be less powerful than the drain, that's for sure.

My 29g had a Mag 5 return pump, using 1" plumbing. At 5' (head pressure), I was probably pushing 300gph, which is plenty. It worked well for over 2 years before I took that system down.

[dberrong]

I'm not sure that in my parts it will be easy to find acylic. I may just bite the bullet and buy the overflow box. I'm pretty confident that I can build and plumb the sump. Is there a special brand of silicone I should use when installing the baffles in my glass sump?

[melev]

If you got to your LFS, or PetSmart / Petco, they sell aquarium safe silicone. This is a tiny project, and a $5-$7 tube will do the job.

I mean, sure, you could go to Home Depot and find a tube for $4 that might not have anti-mold toxins in it, but since you are already saving on the project by building it yourself, I don't see why you can't just buy the known safe stuff.

[iVgOnMaD]

the tidepool overflow box can be modded to handle up to 1200gph

[dberrong]

I think I'm not equiped with the knowledge. So it's time to see if I can transfer knowledge into a product. thanks for the help!