[SECRETREEF]

if you do it yourself it would have cost about half of that! i made a sump for a FOWLR to put filter media, chemical media and bio balls with a huge pump and protein skimmer and it still isn't near that price but if you don't have the time and have money to buy great buy. i am just a DIY guy i guess.

[SECRETREEF]

if you do it yourself it would have cost about half of that! i made a sump for a FOWLR to put filter media, chemical media and bio balls with a huge pump and protein skimmer and it still isn't near that price but if you don't have the time and have money to buy great buy. i am just a DIY guy i guess.

[Krazy]

yeah I did my last sump myself, real pain in the rear end.

this time I wanted a high quality piece that worked for what it was designed to do. $508 with free shipping was right up my alley.

Its about 60 gallons or so. give/take.

[Jeremy0322]

The design does not look that hard to replicate...i am sure you would just be able to buy like a 20 or something and then glue glass or acrylic pieces in to make the same exact thing, but for alot cheaper.

[Krazy]

Originally Posted by Jeremy0322

The design does not look that hard to replicate...i am sure you would just be able to buy like a 20 or something and then glue glass or acrylic pieces in to make the same exact thing, but for alot cheaper.

Its about 60 gallons or so.

42x18x18

Its a very simple design yes which I agree would be easy to duplicate.

I have a nice tank so I wanted to keep the sump just as nice so when people see it, its pretty,

Its fun to have a sump/refugium thats bigger then most peoples display tanks

[Jeremy0322]

Not hard to do right now since i dont have a DT up and running yet. Being a student and all it is hard to keep a full time job and have a 6 course semester so i am waiting for the Christmas boom before i start one up. That was i dont get halfway through getting up and running and run out of cash. That would suck.

[am3evan]

Here are my plans for a sump/fuge... just ordered the acrylite and weldon!

Plans for my custom sump/fuge!

[wesley6610]

Nice plans, but if I could give my opinion on just two aspects of your plan. First, replace the bio balls with lots of live rock rubble to prevent the accumulating and leaching of nitrates into your system over time. Also, place a gate valve on the inlet for your fuge area and tee off that line to empty the diverged water into the skimmer area. Outside of that looks good.

[tonycip]

Dude $500.00 that’s up there did that come with a pump? I'm defiantly going to make my own.
I can get a 1/4" 4'x8' sheet of acrylic for just over $100. Check out
Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums. Everything you need to know.

[wesley6610]

Tony, it is a very good website indeed, unfortunately not every has the skill or tools to shape acrylic, but if you do, maybe you can do a side business to help your reef finances.

[am3evan]

wait was that $500 comment aimed towards me? cause I'm getting all the acrylite I need cut to the sizes I need for like $125... add the other misc stuff needed like bits and weldon and I'm looking at a custom 25 operating gallon sump/fuge for under $200...

I was thinking about the live rock rubble but wasn't sure on the benefits over bioballs. I have a bunch of bioballs so thats why I was planning on using them. I have heard of nitrates being a problem with them though so maybe I will use rubble.

I also plan on running my plumbing pretty much exactly like melev has his setup. I'll have a 600gph overflow running to my fuge with a ball valve and diverter pipe going to the bioball/rubble section. I also got one of the pieces of acrylite cut big so I can make probe brackets. I will be using the odyssea wp-700 return pump possibly with a diverter to a spraybar and a regular return bulkhead.

Although all this might change due to the fact that one of my dad's long time business associates/friends is steve bicker of nemo marine systems. Might have something much higher budget instore.

[am3evan]

Originally Posted by tonycip

Dude $500.00 that’s up there did that come with a pump? I'm defiantly going to make my own.
I can get a 1/4" 4'x8' sheet of acrylic for just over $100. Check out
Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums. Everything you need to know.

If you will be cutting your own acrylite you need to be very diligent with your tolerances. you need to leave a 1/2" and then shave a 1/4" with this tool then shave an 1/8" with a different tool. (atleast this is what reading melev's articles has taught me.)
Seems like its much easier and worth the extra $$ to have it cut professionally.

[wesley6610]

Originally Posted by am3evan

wait was that $500 comment aimed towards me? cause I'm getting all the acrylite I need cut to the sizes I need for like $125... add the other misc stuff needed like bits and weldon and I'm looking at a custom 25 operating gallon sump/fuge for under $200...

I was thinking about the live rock rubble but wasn't sure on the benefits over bioballs. I have a bunch of bioballs so thats why I was planning on using them. I have heard of nitrates being a problem with them though so maybe I will use rubble.

I also plan on running my plumbing pretty much exactly like melev has his setup. I'll have a 600gph overflow running to my fuge with a ball valve and diverter pipe going to the bioball/rubble section. I also got one of the pieces of acrylite cut big so I can make probe brackets. I will be using the odyssea wp-700 return pump possibly with a diverter to a spraybar and a regular return bulkhead.

Although all this might change due to the fact that one of my dad's long time business associates/friends is steve bicker of nemo marine systems. Might have something much higher budget instore.

I don't think anyone was aiming at you necessarily.

Do some searching around, bioballs aren't the best for marine/reef aquaria and live rock rubble in place of it has taken off.

Well if you can get a hook up, by all means do so and save some cash, but if you build it yourself and see the flaws or oversights you made, your next one will be better and so on...

[tonycip]

Originally Posted by am3evan

If you will be cutting your own acrylite you need to be very diligent with your tolerances. you need to leave a 1/2" and then shave a 1/4" with this tool then shave an 1/8" with a different tool. (atleast this is what reading melev's articles has taught me.)
Seems like its much easier and worth the extra $$ to have it cut professionally.

Ya it would be hard if you didn’t have the tools, but you could get by with a table saw and a router. Gluing that stuff up is real easy. If I could make up a medium sized kit precut ready to glue would anyone be interested?

[Lowej82]

For someone who wants to build there own fuge/sump but was unsure how to glue baffles in place they can try this method. baffles
I will be trying it very soon I will let everyone know how it goes

[Jeremy0322]

Let us know how it works out, i am interested.

[am3evan]

Originally Posted by wesley6610

I don't think anyone was aiming at you necessarily.

Do some searching around, bioballs aren't the best for marine/reef aquaria and live rock rubble in place of it has taken off.

Well if you can get a hook up, by all means do so and save some cash, but if you build it yourself and see the flaws or oversights you made, your next one will be better and so on...

No I'd still be putting it together myself but I may have a hookup on what I'm setting up. Although he may want me to have one of his cabinets for a sales display.

[wesley6610]

Originally Posted by tonycip

Ya it would be hard if you didn’t have the tools, but you could get by with a table saw and a router. Gluing that stuff up is real easy. If I could make up a medium sized kit precut ready to glue would anyone be interested?

I would be interested for sure, how much would you charge?

[tonycip]

Just a little over cost and shipping, I would need some kind of plans or at least approximate size. To go by