# DIY sump plans



## blueblue48

im interested in making a 10 gal. sump for a 55 gal. tank, and ive been searching all around the internet but no one really has exact plans for it. all i want is one that has enough extra room so it wont overflow incase of power outage, has room for carbon and bio balls, and doesnt require drilling of my tank. anyone have any good pics/links?


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## cp5041

you could try http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html its got a good amount of info on sumps and pics of examples


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## blueblue48

grrr that site is SO awesome, yet MOST of the links wont work!!!!! what i really need is the bare measurements. if i use a 1" pipe going from my wier box, then what size pump should i use for the outflow tube. and how can i make it so it wont overflow?? how big should the refugium be?


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## cp5041

if you want a fuge you might want to think about maybe using a 20 gallon tank for it. unless you dont plan on puttin a skimmer or anything in it. with a 1" pipe u can use most pumps for your tank you may only want a pump that will pump about 300 gallons per hour into the tank. as far as no overflowing make sure you dont make the baffles to close to the top of your sump and leave a decent amount of room to the top. also drill a very small hole just under the water line in the tank on the return side to stop the siphon of water bakc to the sump


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## blueblue48

less of a refugium, i mean like a spot for some algae to grow or something.


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## cp5041

the algae is one of the reasons for a refugium. but if your not goin to put a skimmer and such in the sump then the ten gallon should be fine. you could cut a piece of glass that will be halfway up the tank. just to separate the algae from the return pump. be sure there is enough room for the return pump in its chamber i would probly divide the tank and give the return about 1/4 of the space. use aquarium silicon to set the glass in place. a bead up both sides and teh bottom. let dry for 24 hours then poor water in and make sure there are no leaks. then install everything. in order to make sure it doesnot overflow get it running and either do it yourself or get someone to help but unplug the pump and watch the sump. when it gets 3/4 full lift up the return in the tank to stop the water and then drill a small hole in the return hose at that point and that hole will stop the syphon when you lose power.


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## blueblue48

also i was wondering how to get off that top rim of a 10 gallon? does it just pop off? and, if its possible, can i make a daphnia culture in there? becuase i had a tank overrun with daphnia and i shut it off and now the filter is full of dead daphnia, which i cleaned out once and reused the filter (without sterilization) and they returned. i was just wondering if it was possible.


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## cp5041

i should have asked this already but is it freshwater or saltwater?


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## blueblue48

its freshwater


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## cp5041

as far as the black top on the tank i dont know ive never tried to do it. i have a 55 where its falling off partially so its worth a shot if u really want to. with the daphnia ive never done it myself so that you may want to find out from someone else. maybe creat another post in the freshwater section


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## Striper God

*10 gal DIY sump plans*

here is what i found and eventually going to do.

here is the sump made cheap ( not by me though)

YouTube - MY REEF SUMP DIY FOR SALT WATER / SALTWATER FISH TANKS NO GLUE OR DRILLING!

here is the overflow kit

YouTube - CS Overflow - Overview and Installation


after hours of searching for ideas for my 55gal, this is the most logical and cheapest way i came up with

hope this helps


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