Is small sump tank possible?

[din_00]

Hi all sgreef kakis n shifus.. me din n a newbie to saltwater.. hav a question on sump tank. I hav a 20" cube tank n a cabinet with same L x W measurement.. is it possible to setup a sump tank smaller than 20" in size so dat i can hide it in the cabinet?? Is acrylic sump tank advisable?? Where can i go to custom 1, n hopefully at a low price cos dis will be my first time... 

Looking forward to all ur comments... TIA

[SubzeroLT]

Yes its possible to fabricate/customize a sump tank. A glass one made by Atlantic Glass (@ Serangoon) will probably be less than $100. Acrylic is possible but may be more expensive

Not sure how you are planning to transport the water to the sump.. Hang on back overflows are available  but they are prone to breaking siphon. I'm using one and won't recommend it.

[din_00]

Tks for the advise bro subzeroLT.. will look into ur advise n also check out Atlantic Glass... btw, to get the water flowing from the tank to the sump, will the nature of gravity works.. but if the pump to my outward pipe dies, i also die isit cos due to overflow from sump tank??? 

[SubzeroLT]

Not exactly clear what u mean gravity. Is there a hole already drilled in the display tank? Or are you planning to use a direct siphon or overflow siphon?

In any case, make sure it's fool proof & able to handle power outage etc. if not, don't do it.

Another option is just make a new tank & sump (reuse cabinet)

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[din_00]

Ok can.. tks..

[JMW]

Hi guys, was planning to do sump/refugium below my DT too, but was unsure of the design... Scared if pump fail, the whole house will be flooded..

but thinking about it, if the overflow siphon is fixed near the top of the water level to feed water into the bottom sump, while there is a pump in the sump pumping water back into the tank, that should minimize risk of overflow rite?

[SubzeroLT]

Hi guys, was planning to do sump/refugium below my DT too, but was unsure of the design... Scared if pump fail, the whole house will be flooded..

but thinking about it, if the overflow siphon is fixed near the top of the water level to feed water into the bottom sump, while there is a pump in the sump pumping water back into the tank, that should minimize risk of overflow rite?

One worry is that the overflow siphon is broken => no more water flows to the sump. But the return pump is still running & continues to pump water to the display tank -> water overflows onto the floor.

 

The safe bet around this is to install an aquarium controller & float switches. That's what I did when i converted my freshwater tank to a saltwater tank with sump. I've explained it in my tank thread.

[monkeysee]

Customize acrylic tank is very expensive so I think you can skip that.

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[din_00]

Yup i agree with u bro monkeysee... i was shocked wen they quoted me for an acrylic sump... i guess its back to the drawing board...

[din_00]

Hi bro JMW, wats a DT? Btw i wen down to polyart last nite n there was this very friendly n helpful shop asst. I was telling him abt having a sump but was afraid if the water pump would die on me n flood my cabinet. He then said he also DIY his own but by drilling holes along his inward flow pipes so if it happens dat the sump pump motor is dead, the inward pipes will still suck in water but wen the display tank water level goes below the first or the 2nd hole along the inward pipes, air will enter it thus replacing the tank water n this will prevent the tank water from continuing its journey back into the sump...

I just woke up so i might not make sense but this might work... yawnnnnnn

[tuajia]

DT = display tank. We're Singaporeans, we love acronyms. Haha

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[din_00]

Hahaha....

[tuajia]

Since we're on this topic, I'm wondering about creating on overhead sump instead using an existing acrylic tank that have. My DT is at the bottom of a rack and is hard to do maintenance. So I was wondering if I were to put a pump in my DT to pump water up to my overhead sump, then allow the water to flow back down naturally via an outlet (a bulkhead maybe) on the side of the tank.

That way, in case the pump fails, there's no risk of flooding as sump will naturally empty itself out only up to the level where the outlet is. The only problem is I don't know how to properly drill a hole into the side of the tank and install a bulkhead there. Anybody has experience? Thanks

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[SubzeroLT]

Tuajia, technically it sounds feasible. But if you are already planning to drill a hole at the side of the 'overhead sump', might as well drill a hole in the display tank instead and keep the sump below the DT.

 

Diamond glass cutter of various diameters are available in good hardware shops (eg. those found in industrial estates). They are about $30 each. Its actually quite easy to drill through glass. There are youtube videos available. I recall reading previously that DE Aquatics offer this hole cutting service as well.

[superio]

Is a stand-a-lone sump better than a all-in-one tank with a back compartment? I'm using a innovative marine 30L.

[tuajia]

Tuajia, technically it sounds feasible. But if you are already planning to drill a hole at the side of the 'overhead sump', might as well drill a hole in the display tank instead and keep the sump below the DT.

 

Diamond glass cutter of various diameters are available in good hardware shops (eg. those found in industrial estates). They are about $30 each. Its actually quite easy to drill through glass. There are youtube videos available. I recall reading previously that DE Aquatics offer this hole cutting service as well.

Thanks for the advice. I assume they will work on acrylic? I would love to have a normal setup lah, but sadly my current setup forces me to place my DT at the bottom of a rack so no choice but to plan for overhead sump

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[tuajia]

Is a stand-a-lone sump better than a all-in-one tank with a back compartment? I'm using a innovative marine 30L.

I prefer all-in-one personally. But a sump tank is a nice place to put other livestock in case of emergency

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[superio]

I prefer all-in-one personally. But a sump tank is a nice place to put other livestock in case of emergency

 

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Oh I see. Can a sump tank be used as a quarantine tank? I guess can't right? Si nce the water will be flowing back to the main tank

[tuajia]

Oh I see. Can a sump tank be used as a quarantine tank? I guess can't right? Si nce the water will be flowing back to the main tank

You're right bro, you can't. But useful for tings like isolating livestock who may be fighting etc. Example, I just discovered my angel enjoys eating scolymia... Only found out after it ate half of a scoly I just bought, heart pain seah. Had to set up a seperate tank just to house that scoly... Troublesome

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[SubzeroLT]

Thanks for the advice. I assume they will work on acrylic? I would love to have a normal setup lah, but sadly my current setup forces me to place my DT at the bottom of a rack so no choice but to plan for overhead sump

 

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Acrylic is even easier to cut. Do share pics of your final setup once done. 

[superio]

You're right bro, you can't. But useful for tings like isolating livestock who may be fighting etc. Example, I just discovered my angel enjoys eating scolymia... Only found out after it ate half of a scoly I just bought, heart pain seah. Had to set up a seperate tank just to house that scoly... Troublesome

 

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Oh I see. Thanks for the advice! Wah, your angel needs some discipline training.

 

[alons]

all shortcuts and work arounds are failure prone, drill your display tank and install a proper overflow and piping to an in cabin sump, you'll have piece and quiet knowing your system is setup properly, it's not easy to deal with marine tank, the last thing you need is worrying about your filtration system.

my 2 cents.