# diy sump?



## troybernard (Oct 29, 2006)

I am just looking for some ideas on making a sump for my 130 gallon tank.


----------



## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

This guy builds sumps and has some good basic info on his site about building them:

Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

HTH


----------



## troybernard (Oct 29, 2006)

What is the purpose of a refugium?


----------



## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

It's mainly used in saltwater tanks. The refugium usually has macroalgae and light over it and serves as a nutrient export system (among other things): the macroalgae take nitrates and phosphates out of the water and as they grow you trim them and throw away the trimmings.

In freshwater tanks they are sometimes used in fish only setups (no plants) with freshwater plants... works on the same principle as the saltwater refugium: nitrate and phosphate export.

In a freshwater planted tanks the plants are already in the aquarium and with good lighting and plant mass you have to add nitrates and phosphates to the water. You don't need a "refugium" in the sump of this type of tank.


----------



## troybernard (Oct 29, 2006)

thanks for the info. my tank has predrilled holes in the back about1 1/2 inches from the top, what shoud I do to use these for the lines to the sump and to keep fish/etc from being sucked in? It is a 130 gallong acrylic tank and the holeslook to take a 1" threaded insert on the inside female treaded on tank and around inch and a half on the outside male threads.


----------



## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

One usually attaches a PVC tube to the drilled hole that rises up to where you want the water level to be (in your case it would be a 90 degree angle PVC tube coming from the hole in the back and then up to your water level). Water being pumped into the tank from the sump will raise the water level until it "overflows" down the tube back to the sump. You can put screen material or mesh over the tube to keep fish and critters out.

The other hole can be used for the return water from the sump... or you can have two overflows and the return up over the edge of the tank. You just need to get the setup balanced so that the return pump can keep up with the overflow flowrate. And you need to make sure to leave enough space in the sump to accommodate all the water that will drain from the main tank in case your pump stops for any reason.

Most systems with pre-drilled holes in the bottom of the tank have an "overflow box" built around the tube; water overflows over the edges of the box, raises up to the level of the tube and then down the tube and to the sump.

There is lots of info on overflows and how they work on the net... try Reef Central Online Community and do a search there (most saltwater tanks use some type of overflow system and sump so they have lots of info on these things).


----------



## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

Also try reeftuners.com - Home . They focus mainly on the technical side of the coral reef hobby and have diagrams of sump/fuge setups. I think they're still holding a sump design contest, too, so that should give you some great ideas.


----------

