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!

 

 

Hamburg Matten Filter

I was planning what sort of filters I will be using for the 14 breeding tanks I'll be having. The thought of a central sump came to mind. But then disease outbreak will be a disaster. At first I was thinking of using one of those cheap internal filters powered by an air pump; I used them before on my 45cm and it works wonders. The media they give, I'll switch to Substrat Pro or perhaps Biohome. It has worked for me in my other two tanks before.

 

Felix of AQ then reminded me of a filter that I happened to read about on Aquatic Quotient sometime in mid of the year. I totally forgotten about it.

 

I went on to research further, how it works and what sort of benefits it'll provide. Felix told me that Green Chapter (GC) uses this sort of system too.

 

The construction is easy peasy. Here's what I used.

 

1) Fine Filter Pad

In Singapore, they don't sell those really fine pads. I had to settle with Ocean Free. Do take note if you are going to get the pad, try to find those fine ones and not those porous type. It should be 5cm minimum in thickness. If you can get you hand on Poret. Import it. If you buy a lot, like for breeding tanks, then you can tell them to cut for you in size.

 

Poret Pads - Check them out!

 

 Pictures from Swiss Tropicals that sells Poret Pad.

 

2)  PVC Pipe & Elbow

I gotten the grey 16mm pvc pipe. Meant for plumbing. I was thinking of the black pvc pipe meant for electrical. But I was concern as I wasn't sure if they have added anything to it. I'm no chemist but sometimes I find the internal part of the black pvc having a powdery substance. It could just be coincidental but since the pvc will be hidden from view, colour was not important.

 

BuyandFix (For Singapore) - You get your DIY stuffs from here! 

 

Buy or borrow from a friend a pipe cutter like this.

3) Air Tubing

I already have like what 10 meters of this tubing that I keep. I prefer using the black ones.

 

4) Air Pump

Now, base on advice on the web, you can either use an internal water pump (small one) or an air pump. The guideline, it must be x2 of your tank. Meaning, if it's 20 liters, then you need a pump that's x2. (40L/Hr) I'm not too certain for air pump. Water pump sure. Air pump, get something big. I was recommended the HiBlow. But man! The price of this pump can get you a chiller!! But it's definitely a good pump. One pump and it can supply to a number of your tanks without losing any "strength" So on a low budget, I settled on the existing air pump that I have. Output unsure. It's a Dymax AP700. Dual outlet.

 

The mother of all air pumps! LOL

 

Right, so first, cut the pad to width and height of your tank. Cut a square on the top. This is where your PVC Elbow will sit. Keep the pad you cut off. This portion, you may cut it a little and put it back after placing the elbow. It'll look "neater"

 

 

Cut the pvc pipe to size. Not too short; not too long. The height from bottom of tank to the bottom of pvc pipe; just make it 2cm.

 

 

Now, this depends on you. I have yet to research whether using an air stone or just the tubing is better. The obvious difference, smaller bubbles comes out using an air stone while just using the air tubing alone; the bubbles is bigger. In terms of "power" I don't see any difference.

 

Drill a hole, slightly smaller in diameter of your airtube. Without air stone, just drill roughly 2cm of the pipe. Insert the tube. Do not pull it out of the pvc pipe. It must remain inside the tube.

 

If you are using an air stone, it must be small to be inside the pipe. Drill a hole somewhere in the middle of the pvc. Insert tube till it comes out at the end of the pvc pipe. Pull it out. Insert the air stone and pull the tube so that the air stone goes into the pipe. Do not pull it all the way. The air stone should be all in but just sitting about 1cm from the opening.

 

Attached the end of tube to the pump. Place the elbow. Rest the elbow on the pad where you cut the "square". Place the square cut pad on the elbow to cover it. Adjust and make it flush.

 

I placed the water level at half the pipe or just 3/4 of the pipe.

 

Done.

 

Now, make sure the length of the airline tubing from pipe to pump is not too long. Try to make it as short as possible if you are using a cheap pump like me.

 

Like any other tanks, cycle it. By the 3rd-4th week, test the water parameters. Once it's at the desired level, add fauna.

FYI, there are other "design" to this, some use it as a corner filter. Some even use it as a bottom filter.

I did not go into why this filter is good or how it work; no one explains it better then this website. The author is unknown; some German guy but Jan Rigter has kindly translated it into English. Please check it out and research further on how other hobbyist did theirs.

Matten Filter Explained

Good luck!