# about to build a DIY Internal sump Please help! Advice needed!



## SevenNoOni (Oct 11, 2011)

Okay, so I was looking around the pet store and I came across the Fluval Spec V. I love the idea but not so much the price, light, size, and flow. So I've decided to look into building a 10 gallon pretty much the same way. I've drawn (drawn is being used lightly) a "diagram" of what I think I want. I have two red circles with question marks and those are my problem areas.. My first instinct would be to eliminate the gap at the top and make it flush with the top of the tank. However if there would be a back up I think It could/would over flow or burn out my pump. the Gap at the bottom I put there so water would be forced to go down threw the filtration to get to the pump anyway tell me what you think! I apologize in advance for the poorly drawn picture but i didnt know how to explain it easily.. I figured this would help lol. Also while you're looking at my drawing, does that filtration design look like it would work? i tried to stay similar to the spec V but I'm not a professional DIY'er thanks again for reading!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Check into Raymonds post.He has been building and experimenting with built in filters on his 10's and they look good.He draws from below the surface but I like surface extraction myself.Good luck and definately search Raymond.
Here's a good start on him;
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f20/refugium-freshwater-51962.html?highlight=Raymond


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## SevenNoOni (Oct 11, 2011)

His look pretty cool and look like they would/do work. I'm going to attempt to make it very modern looking by removing the top rim/ bottom rim and replacing them with aluminium bracing. Also planning to have one large smooth slate background with black sand.. the sump would be blacked glass so not visible.. I just want something that matches my computer setup LOL.. and be silent... for the love of god silent!!!! should mention its going to be in my bedroom/office <<<thats depressing to read.. Anyway Thanks for the link looking forward to reading it thoroughly!


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

These are...the top view so you can see the shape of it better: Discharge is where the bubbles are.

The side view so you can see it doesn't come all the way to the front. And that the intake is(bottom left) on the bottom of the tank.

Two front views. Rocks/gravel on walls/w silicone. You can just paint it/w Krylon.



Not a fact but a belief of mine is that sumps have the pump in then so that you won't pour water out onto the floor if the filter media
becomes clogged. You want to pump the water from the sump, not from the tank into the sump. 
The water being pumped from the sump raises the water level in the tank over the "overflow" in the tank making in pour down into
the sump. When the pump stops, the only water that will flow into the sump will be what is still over the top of the "overflow".
The sump water level must be low enough for the remaining water in the tank that is higher than the "overflow" to go into the sump
without making the sump overflow. 
I use an air pump to do this. The water level is the same in mine because it's inside the tank. As water is pushed out of the discharge it draws in water from the intake at the bottom and discharges it at the top to even out the water temp at any level in there. Could be made much smaller but then what about maintenance ? I now have my heater in the intake part also as in this latest picture of it.


I don't fully understand your drawing but IMO you will have lots of problems/w changing out the media and/or cleaning it if
it's only 2" wide to resemble that Fluval. I may have used a sponge in mine if I had known how well they work for a bio-media
at the time I built this. But I have no sponge/screen/pads as I want Daphnia to pass through my filter. 
What you can't really see in there is that where the bubbles are coming from is a triangle shaped tube which is made by using
silicone to glue a piece of glass into the corner. It starts just above the bottom but below the grid and goes all the way to the top.
Since you don't usually drill holes in glass it has the corner of the longest part of that glass wall clipped off(triangle shaped) in
the top corner of it at the back wall. I could have left it like that but I have a piece of glass cut to fit so it makes another triangle
withe the bottom siliconed to the back of the tank getting wider as it goes up. You just see the top edge of it in the first picture.
This directs the water along the back wall making it a circular current (counter clockwise when viewed from the top) which brings 
the water around the tank back to the filter intake.
Mr. Aqua Rectangle Frameless Glass Aquarium Tank
mr aqua | Marine Depot


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## SevenNoOni (Oct 11, 2011)

Thanks for the post Raymond, in my drawing it shows the water going into the filter via the 4 black lines acting like an overflow, the water then goes down through a sponge then some bio filtration then floss, under the divider to the chamber with the heater and pump. Why do you think it would be hard to remove the sponge and stuff? i plan to use those zippy bags for the bio part, the floss would just be a finer sponge? And I'm planning to make a tray you can just pull out all the stuff at one time. Also I plan to use acrylic for this so drilling wont be an issue. I like the air idea but i dont think I'll get the water movement I'm looking for, I could be wrong tho. Also doesnt the air make a bunch of noise (pump vibrating and the foaming at the top of the water?) This tank will be literally next to my bed/head on my desk So I'm trying to go quiet. I'm treating this build more of an art project and Decoration.. anyway thanks for reading and your replies! Love your sump idea build tho! ((((P.S)))) My main question for everyone is the divider in the middle of the sump.. so i make it flush with the top or have a gap in case the media would get clogged up somehow? or just leave an opening at the bottom? this tank will ONLY have shrimp


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

At first it would seem that the partition not going all the way to the top would act as insurance against the filter being clogged.
But the slightest clogging would cause the water to just bypass the filter. It would give you more to go by that you could check
daily to see if water was bypassing the filter to know it is clogged but the level of water in the section where the pump is
would be enough for that I believe.
How would the water get to the pump after going threw the filter if there was no opening at the bottom of the partition ?
From looking at the second drawing, I can't see how the water could get from the filter section to the pump section after
being filtered if that partition came down all the way to the bottom. Speaking of the floss part, you might want to add a grid
under it. The way your drawing is made the water would all be forced to go through the end of the floss on the right. Adding
a grid under the floss would allow the water to go through all of the floss. I used Fluval Pre-filter bio-media as part of the
bio-media and used two pieces of it on top of each other to raise the grid. Since it had no sideways pressure I just used some
silicone to "glue" them together and to the bottom. The grid is not glued to them so I can get under it. The first one I made
I glued it in around the edges plus put fiberglass screen over the top of it also siliconed in but you can't get under it.
You should get the pump first to make sure you design in enough room for it. The smallest of these should work.
Pondmaster Magnetic Drive Utility Pump for Ponds Pond Water Garden Pumps
Loew's has the flexible tubing in various sizes so take the pump there and match it. Then that stuff is actually fairly stiff so
likely you will need to make a loop to connect it to the piece in the next link.
90° Elbow Insert x MIPT PVC Fitting: Aquarium Plumbing Supplies
If this sump section is 4" thick, you will still have only one hand of room in there since the sump is partitioned in the middle.
Also I hope you know that silicone does not stick to plexiglass very good. You might check/w coralbandit on that one as I
believe he uses it in making his sumps.


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