Hello

I used to use a Rubbermaid garbage can as ATO. It was probably 30G. Depending on how long you want to let the tank run on its own you may want more or less.

I do agree for the removal of the ATO because that allows you to have a larger sump volume. The original 32.6G sump space for a 180G to me is a bit small for my liking.

Fudge before or after return section is preference. If you have fudge is before return and a wider baffle space after skimmer it helps to reduce bubbles getting into display.

Do plan for room for reactor and filters. I like the idea of having a filter there just in case there is an issue and the need to run carbon or whatever media you need for a week.

Titus

For the fuge I plan to tee of the return and keep the flow fairly low so bubbles shouldn't be a concern. My pump is pretty small so I should have room in the return section for some gear if needed. I also made the skimmer section bigger than it needs to be, even though I ended up buying a monster skimmer. I could put the fuge on the other side, then have it flow back into the skimmer section, then to the return.

A cheato reactor will lower your phosphates just as effective as go for a fraction of the cost.

Depends how much money you want to spend. I had a large vertex reactor laying around so I ordered some flexible LED off Amazon and made my own. However if you are more of the plug and play then there are some great prefab cheato reactors.

I'm very much a DIY guy. Chaeto reactors look interesting. Will have to do a bit more research. I am leaning towards leaving the room for a fuge in the sump so I can decide later exactly what I want to do with it.

Hello

For the pipe work it'd be cool also if you use coloured PVC pipes. :mrgreen:

Titus

That would be cool. But I got most of the plumbing included when I bought the tank.

If you're bored of the white colour of the pipe and you have some spare time like a week. Use krylon fusion spray paint. It's as simple as cleaning the pipes then giving them a light sand and then doing a couple light coats and I highly recommend giving them a good 48 hours to one week to fully cure. Apparently krylon fusion is safe for aquarium use.

I would have done that but I'm not patient

Moved the fuge to the other side. Compartments from left to right are the return, skimmer, and fuge. The fuge will be fed by teeing off the return line. I think this will be the final revision. LOL

Yeah simple sumps are the best way to go. I know a lot of people really like having many chambers and many options in a sump but when it comes to the long-term care and maintenance and adaptability sump really needs to be simple