Looking for help, or someone to hire to build a sump and help set up

[marciemp]

Hi,
I am looking for help to set up a sump system on our 92 gallon corner tank that has been up and running for a year. The tank is not drilled but I am willing to have it drilled if possible as we have another tank that we can set up and temporarily relocate our critters to, or we could use a hang on overflow. I am looking for someone who can come to our home and drill the tank, and possibly plumb the tank, as well as a place to buy or have a sump built. I also need recommendations on the sump accessories, like what return pumps & what size, what protein skimmer, overflow...

I am a very busy mommy of a 4 year old and two nonstop 2 year olds (twins). I really want to upgrade our tank but have very little time to do it myself, especially all of the research that goes into the details, where to buy, what to buy...we also have a budget of about $400 possibly a bit more for the WHOLE thing. I was looking at this sump set up on Ebay but was told that it is not that good of a set up and for that price I could get something else locally.
(http://cgi.ebay.com/300-Gallon-Aquarium-Sump-Refugium-NEW_W0QQitemZ110200008700QQihZ001QQcategoryZ46310Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

If someone was able to drill the tank, and then someone give me ALL of the details about plumbing it or help with that, and if someone was able to sell me, or point me to a good sump and all of the accessories, I would be able to put it in myself, as I am very handy, but I just don't have the time to research, and I can't seem to grasp all of the abbreviations and wording with my tired mommy brain:confused:

Anyways, any help would be very appreciated. Thanks so much, I am enjoying this Canadian forum a lot. I just found it and have been going to the bigger US forums but never seemed to get help there. Friendly Canadians are great!
Marcie

[michika]

As a start I can probably tell you what you need, and how to do it!

- What is the available footprint for the sump?
- What height do you have available under the stand (is this where you want to put it?)
- Are you running other equipment like a skimmer, or reactors?

[BC564]

Pm'd you.

[Snappy]

You need to confirm that your tank is not tempered glass before drilling. It's likely not but this is very important. There are many things you can use for a sump, unless it's in view it doesn't have to be glass or look fancy.
pm'd

[marciemp]

The area under the tank is where we want our sump. It will for a max of 32 by 12, and the height is 28 inches. If the sump were to be shorter it could also be wider. The stand and tank is a corner unit, like 1/4 of a pie or circle, and it curves across the font so the longer the sump gets the narrower it has to be. We would like to buy an in sump skimmer too. Right now we don't have anything else we need to run, as I am pretty new at this but I guess we would like the option of reactors, and we would probably like an ATO for fresh water in there too. We measured and if there was a 32" 12 sump there is still quite a bit of room under there. The stand inside is a right angle triangle with the 2 sides coming out from the corner measuring 32" each, and then it is about 45" across the front. Thanks for any help,
Marcie

p.s. I am leaning towards NOT drilling the tank, and using an overflow instead.

[kevinpaz]

I was looking into the same thing last year and Gold's mentioned they had a guy that would come to your house and do all the plumbing, setup, etc.

Might be worth giving them a call....

[Black Phantom]

The building of the sump is pretty straight forward as you can go with acrylic or just modify a glass tank with baffles. What I would worry about is drilling out your tank. Corner tanks have a very large footprint and need to be supported accordingly. Any drilling of the bottom might compromise the integrity of the glass and weaken it. I would definately find an "expert" to do the drilling and get his opinion. Might save you some grief in the long run.

[Zylumn]

[QUOTE=marciemp;286066]Hi,
I also need recommendations on the sump accessories, like what return pumps & what size, what protein skimmer, overflow...
where to buy, what to buy...we also have a budget of about $400 possibly a bit more for the WHOLE thing.

Just some ideas and pricing!!!

1) Overflow ($150 new)
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/overflows.php?product_ID=of-cs100
2) Hoses, gate valves, clamps, glue ($50)
3) Pump (180 new)
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/pumps.php?product_ID=em-pun3400
4)30 x 12 x 20 tank 30gal ($40 new)
http://go.to/interamerican
5) 12x 18 " pieces of glass x 3 + 12" x 30" top glass (60) glass shop.
6) Skimmer I am not even going to go there and try and fit one in your $400 budget.

Most everything there you can keep an eye out for used deals, as they come across the board consistently.

Good luck and maybe after the new year I might have time to lend a hand.

Kevin

[adidas]

golds built me a sump 48x12x12 for @$150