sump, build or buy?

Z

Zerc

New Member
So in my planning for my tank this coming summer, i am going to need a big sump. (BIG)
would it be more cost effective to build one from scratch? or buy an old tank and turn it into a sump?

OR is there a company out there that makes good ones for a reasonable price?
 
L

larry.beck

New Member
One thing to consider (in additional to build vs. buy) is whether you want a SUMP or a WET-DRY. They serve different purposes.
 
L

larry.beck

New Member
Honestly, it's not that much harder.

Are you making it from acrylic or glass? Admittedly, glass would be harder.

What is it you're looking for from the unit? If it's biological filtration then you really should consider the wet-dry. If it's mechanical, a sump will work okay. If it's extra water volume, a sump will be pretty good, assuming you design it the right way (not like a saltwater sump).
 
S

sandnuka

New Member
building is by far the most cost efficent way..... i was looking at sump/wetdry at the lfs and they were like 250-350 without a pump!!! WOW! it just blew my mind... cause it was just a tank with chambers, cant be too difficult to make. home depot will even cut the plexiglass to the specifications, you just got to put it together like a puzzle.... lol...

so I would build one... no doubt..... but then again, I always got mine used from someone on CL, or WFB :)
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Zerc, with all the "free" tanks you find I think you should build one. An old empty 55g would be the perfect DIY project!
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Zerc said:
So in my planning for my tank this coming summer, i am going to need a big sump. (BIG)
would it be more cost effective to build one from scratch? or buy an old tank and turn it into a sump?

OR is there a company out there that makes good ones for a reasonable price?
Click to expand...
What size tank are you needing a sump for? Why do you need a (BIG) sump?
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
madness said:
What size tank are you needing a sump for? Why do you need a (BIG) sump?
Click to expand...
I know Zerc is working on a deal for a 180. But he is still looking for bigger! :D
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Reason I ask, is because I just got a sump or my 300 and it only needs to be 35 gal
 
Z

Zerc

New Member
where are the calculations for what size sump you need for a tank?

My "ideal" tank is a 96x36x24 tank (~350 gallons) so i figured i would probably have a 100 gallon sump or so?
 
DMD123

DMD123

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
larry.beck said:
One thing to consider (in additional to build vs. buy) is whether you want a SUMP or a WET-DRY. They serve different purposes.
Click to expand...
This seems to be the question... Is it a SUMP or a WET-DRY?
 
Z

Zerc

New Member
it could be either, if i can go smaller with one then that would be better :) but it will either be under the tank or piped out to the garage so space "shouldn't" be an issue.
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
How did I not know that someone was going to say that.

I have a friend that runs sumps on all of his tanks, and he is going to send me the calculations. He said the size of sump is all determined by the amount of flow rate you want/have on your overflows.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top