2ft Aquarium Sump

Disclaimer: This project was done due to blogger's boredom. At the time of this post, a month has passed. Blogger will not be held responsible should readers attempt to follow what he has done which includes broken glasses, cut fingers due to glass, wrong size glass panel purchased, wet floor, sticky silicone on fingers etc. At any point, blogger is not trying to show off, show he's the expert of this project or in this field. Blogger mere attempt is to share his project and have readers throw in ideas and feedbacks on the project.

 

I was feeling bored and wanted to play around with a sump. I went to Y618 and the sump they had cost a bomb! I was surprised it cost so much. I went to research it online, reading and watching videos on diy sumps and freshwater sumps.

 

I had three options which I can pursue.

 

1) Send my dimensions for a 2.5ft acrylic tank to Dama (a huge company that does acrylic of all kinds)

 

2) Send my dimensions for a 2.5ft glass tank to a glass manufacturer in Defu.

 

3) Use the spare 2ft tank I already have and just buy the glass panels and fix it myself.

 

I chose number 3.

 

Plan

A 2ft tank with a) trickle chamber b) refugium chamber and c) return chamber.

 

There is a chance I might remove the refugium chamber in future and add a glass panel and turn it into a media chamber where I can place media, corals, peat or carbon. Let me know what you think.

 

This sump will not be attached to any main tank. It will just circulate within.

 

Tank

I have a used 2ft glass tank that I once used for my planted scape. It had serve me well and was in process of doing a hamster diy mansion of sorts. It was for my fiance but she decline as she didn't want it to be glass. So the 2ft was up for the dustbin. Luckily enough due to my boredom, I found another purpose for it.

 

Glass Panels

I bought my glass panels (5mm thick) from Kwong Fatt Glass Merchants Pte Ltd located @ Blk 10 Defu Lane 10. Provide them a drawing and measurements and whether you want it polish or not. As I was anxious I didn't have it polish. (Handle with care)

 

For those who wish to have this done, I recommend that the glass to be at least 8 to 10mm thick. The latter will be ideal.

 

 

 

Silicone

Make sure that the silicone is safe for your aquarium. Selleys had a lot. Wet areas etc. But all that I checked states "Not for Aquarium Use" I had fear of this as I once had disaster with such unsafe for aquarium use silicone. Even when I waited 2 days for it to settle.

 

I found this silicone call DAP Aquarium. Cost about SGD$14. Yes it's a bit expensive but I wasn't gonna take any chance.

 

PVC Pipes & Joints

Using 16mm PVC for return and back to trickle.

 

Process

Chamber 1 - Trickle Chamber (kinda)

This chamber is roughly 36cm (H) 15cm (L) x 30cm (W)

Using pieces of glass which will hold an egg crate, I silicone them in.

The top portion will hold my filter wool. 2nd portion holds my bioballs which will have some above water and the rest submerged. 3rd are my Mr. Aqua media. The bottom is just a course filter pad.

 

Chamber 2 - Refugium

I know reef keepers uses this area to cultivate micro organism to feed their main tank and I was wondering what purpose it then have for freshwater. My research shows that folks place plants that absorbs nitrate such as duckweed etc. I'm still observing whether it will be better to convert it into a media chamber by adding another glass panel to have the water flow through the media.

 

Anyway, I added sand and plants for this area. And since then have added a couple of fish.

 

Chamber 3 - Return

I have an unused submersible pump from Dymax. Using it for this project.

 

After, I silicone the glass panels and waited for 24 hours (48hours ideal), I placed the pump, fix pvc pipe to it and it goes back to the trickle chamber. The pvc end I actually place a T Joint with a short pipe at each end with an end cap. I then drilled holes so it kinda rain onto the filter wool. Yes, I'm bad at describing things so the pic will tell you what I mean.

 

I flooded the sump. And watched. Success! I added the medias, filter wools and pad, carbon, sand, plants etc. One month later, I added a couple of fish from my other tank. Oh the water is used water from my other tank.

 

As you can see the filter wool has turn black. Exactly what you want. Bacteria being cultivated blah blah blah. Fish are doing okay and flaring their fins around. My lights are switched on 7hrs a day. Plants looking green and I will be doing a water test later on.

 

I'm pretty happy that it turn out great. Future, I might be doing plumbing to my 10 gex tank to this sump. What do you think if I turn my individual tank and placed aquasoil and some easy plants? Beats having an empty looking tanks right? Will think about that.

 

Using wood and clamps to hold the panels in place.

Carefully putting the silicone and filling gaps in between.

Yup, I suck at this. Real messy eh? Using my fingers didn't help.

The trickle chamber

2hours after putting the silicone

Picture taken about 56hours later.

 

<<Final Pictures Pending>>

 

Anyway, if you have any comments or feedback, do drop me a few. Would love to hear what you think.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Water Cycling (Mazlan's Version)

Disclaimer: Follow at your own peril!!

Before I start, I would like to remind anyone who reads this not to believe everything the seller at your Local Fish Store (lfs) say when they tell you that the fish can be introduce straight away. Beware of products in the market that states using its product and you can introduce fauna straight away. Don't believe a word of it. Firstly, a good lfs will never tell you to introduce fish straight away into a tank that has not been cycle. Products that states fauna can be added will always have an asterisk beside it. It will state along the lines of "when water parameters are met".

 

What is Cycling?

Nope, this does not involve pedals, chains or a handlebar. Rather water cycling (nitrogen cycling) refers to a process where ammonia is converted to other forms till it's deem harmless. I'll make it easy to understand hopefully. Ammonia is produce by fish waste, uneaten fish food, dead plants etc. Ammonia is toxic. Try swimming in your own poo and see how you feel.

 

Anyway, once bacteria aka beneficial bacteria(BB) is established, ammonia converts to nitrite. Now what's worst than ammonia is nitrite. Both of this kills. Another BB digest and converts it into Nitrate. Now nitrate is harmless but of course in high quantity, it can stress out your fish and in the long run cause health problems. Nitrate can be absorb by plants. the best plants I come across is frogbits. Now how to remove nitrate. For planted, no need to; the plants does it for you. For freshwater, water change (WC) Simple.

 

It takes anything between 4-6 weeks to complete this cycle.

 

Just note that water cycling is necessary. Introducing your fish without it will harm your fish and most than often, kill.

 

How to Cycle?

There are a few ways to do it actually. What the tank need is ammonia to kickstart. I'll not go into much detail on these as they can be easily found all over the web. Much more in depth explanation.

1) Fish Cycling

Considered a little inhumane. Depending on size of tank, a few fish will do. Hardy fish such as platy is okay. Most of the time they will survive but you are exposing them to health problems and you get fish disease; you'll then have a new set of problems in your water if that happens.

 

The fish produce waste and the cycle begins.

 

2) Fishless Cycle

There are number of ways to do this. One is to add pure ammonia. A pinch of fish food daily. Or you might not even need to introduce ammonia. Some aquasoil which is used for a planted tank has ammonia in them. Some are relatively high with ammonia. Hence, fishless cycling is the way to go.

 

Now there is one other method which is fastest but personally one should learn the very basic first and then learn along the way.

 

a) Ammonia (Fish waste, uneaten food, dead plants or roots)

b) Nitrosomonas (Bacteria) becomes present and converts Ammonia to >>

c) Nitrite (Deadly even in low quantity)

d) Nitrospira (Bacteria) becomes present and converts Nitrite to >>

e) Nitrate (tolerable to fauna in low levels)

f) Water Changes removes part of the nitrate in water, plants takes in nitrate, if anaerobic conditions are met, like possibly in the substrate, nitrate will convert to nitrogen and is release through the surface.

 

The process repeats. Now I recommend that if you are beginner, don't try chemicals on the shelf. Do it the simplest way to cycle your tank.

 

Tips

1) Be patient. We all know how it feels when one first sets up his/her tank.

2) Do not add chemicals you have no idea about.

3) Go fishless cycle instead.

4) Get a test kit. Use it on the first day and then once every week. Record your finding in an excel.

5) When the parameters are right, you will see your test kit readings something like Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 20. This is fine. You can add your fauna.

6) Small water changes now and then is better then one huge water change weekly. Unless you are dosing EI.

7) Never introduce so many fish at one time. Do it gradually. Your BB needs to catch up.

 

Mazlan's Version

I did fishless cycling. Example, Using an Eheim Pro 3 cannister as my filter. Now I did not add any ammonia as the soil had great amounts of it. Every week, I added Water Life Bacter. As I was using the Bacter, I did a test recording every 2-3 days. On the third week, the tank was cycled!

 

Now again I implore, do not do it this way. I added fauna slowly after the cycled as I had to be sure there was indeed enough bb colony. Do the basics first then gradually learn the other methods. One other way is to take mulm from another matured tank and place it into your new tank.

 

Well, cycling is not at all difficult. the only thing you must have is a lot of patient while the BB colonises.

 

Well have fun!