10 gallon Aqueon glass suitable for sump?

[Trever]

it was definitely a project, however I found that cutting glass is kinda fun if you get the hang of it. frustrating when you don't know what you're doing tho.

if I were to do it again though, id use 1/8 glass instead of the 1/4 I had. cutting smaller pieces was a pain and the L shape requires 2 layers, making it bulky at 1/2 inch

Hmmmmm...

Ready made, if pricey:

Fiji Cube Single 4" Diameter Quiet Filter Sock Holder 2nd Gen

New Product. Available now. Fiji Cube’s 2nd Generation Quiet Filter Sock Holders are easy-to-install filter bag holders for any sump filtration system. This innovative filter sock holder design allows water to flow through the designed chamber to reduce the noise from the drain. This sock...

www.fijicube.com

Less pricey but not sure I like the straight into sock from tube design:

CPR SOCKIT 4” SOCK-it Filter Sock Holder

The CPR Sock-It Filter Sock Holder is a simple filter sock holder using a gasket and acrylic holder. Very simple and inexpensive way to add filtration to any of your 1" outlets such as overflows and skimmer outlets. Three models each sold with or without filter sock: 4”- 1 inlet 7”-1 inlet...

www.marinedepot.com

 

[W1ngz]

I'm a fan of the down and over. Makes maintenance a lot less hassle and messy. Fiji makes some good stuff, I have one of their sumps.

I don't think that price is high at all for what it will do for you. Then you'll just need the one baffle for your return pump.

 

[Trever]

I'm a fan of the down and over. Makes maintenance a lot less hassle and messy. Fiji makes some good stuff, I have one of their sumps.

I don't think that price is high at all for what it will do for you. Then you'll just need the one baffle for your return pump.

Exactly on all counts.

Actually, I'm lusting after their 15 gallon sump which gives me more water and fits perfectly in my stand if I put any ATO tank alongside the stand:

Fiji Cube Fiji-15 Advanced Reef Sump 2nd Gen

Fiji-12 and Fiji-15 Advanced Reef Sump Features Fiji Cube Advanced Reef Sump is your great sump option due to its elegant design and unique features. All Fiji Cube sumps come with great features such as a full top support brace to prevent bowing overtime from the humidity and water pressure...

www.fijicube.com

Problem is price- it's more than my dang tank and I already splurged an a synergy overflow. I'll require two of the sock holders though...

 

[Trever]

Just realized both drains will likely fit in the one fiji down and over (bean animal drains so not excessive flow)

 

[W1ngz]

Problem is price- it's more than my dang tank and I already splurged an a synergy overflow.

There's ways to keep costs down when you're starting out, but there's advantages to having proven, thought-out gear as well. If you compare the Fiji sumps to say, the trigger emerald series, you'll see the value you get for the same or more features.

If cost is a concern, you basically have 2 choices - extend your timeline until there's more money in the jar, or go with the budget option. For a first tank, budget isn't a bad choice, you can learn what you do and don't like, and maybe in a year or two start planning a more ideal system with higher quality components.

I ran a single eshopps hang-on sock holder for years. I never hated it, but now that I have a floss tray in a purpose built sump, I'll never use a sock holder again. It's collecting dust in my storage room. I'd give it to you if you were local.

 

[Trever]

now that I have a floss tray in a purpose built sump, I'll never use a sock holder again. It's collecting dust in my storage room. I'd give it to you if you were local.

Heh- thanks. Actually Fiji is local to me, I sent them an email, we'll see what they have to say- no doubt it won't be "we'll give you this".

One of the things I like about their sump is the ability to use sock OR floss tray (interchangeable).

Good to hear you like their product, and I am leaning towards floss anyways just based on what I've heard- now you say this as well.

Cost... if I went into all of that I'd sound like a person who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing, not to mention an OCD lunatic or somethin'. The money is there, no problem. But I do want to not go crazy until I've tried this, especially since the wife is fit to be tied over this new interest (you'd think I've gotten a mistress). I've wanted a salt water tank for 20+ years but was concerned I'm way too lazy and it's way too much ongoing hassle. Lately I'm a in place where I want to take care of things, I dunno, just feels different. But we'll see. I'm the guy spending all of his time by the tank at the restaurant or the doctor's office, and the GBR boat was ready to leave without me, they always have to pull me out of the water.... yada yada. I'm having a blast learning and trying to figure out what to get, etc. So, we'll see... I think it's down to this Fiji hang on or their sump.

I would think with their down and over hang on, instead of a sock, I could put one of those cups in there where then you can put in floss or whatever. How do those work- well?

Is the preference for down and over just changing out the socks or noise too or?

 

[W1ngz]

an OCD lunatic or somethin'

Congrats! That's the first requirement of reefing!

I could put one of those cups in there where then you can put in floss or whatever. How do those work- well?

I've never tried them, but if I did I'd steal an idea I read here somewhere about filling them with biomedia or marinepure balls and just topping it off with one or two smaller pads of floss. Extra biomedia ready to go in the main tank is very handy when getting a quarantine tank running, or sterilized and re-started for the next fish to come in.

Is the preference for down and over just changing out the socks or noise too or?

My thing for the down and over was the floss trays which all seem to come with the down and over designed sumps, I wanted floss because I was sick of washing the socks. They're prohibitively expensive to keep replacing, and collecting 5, 6 or more to wash in the machine was just... annoying.

 

[mds5000]

For what it's worth, I have a very similar setup for my 29G. A 10G sump with a single plexiglass baffle. The plexiglass is a bit trickier to install since the silicone doesnt stick as well, but in this case there's very little force on the joint since the water levels are not drastically different. Also use a cheap acrylic filter sock bracket that seems to work pretty well.

 

[Trever]

One question I had was whether 200-400 GPH is too low flow for a 4" filter sock... like if the water doesn't fill the sock ever, it will be noisey? Quite a few people seem to have problems here- getting flow right in this area to keep their sump quiet, if I'm understanding what I'm reading. Eg. they can't get the water to cover the sock, so there's a "water fall" down into the sock(s) making noise. Some of the situations don't seem to make sense and seem to have more to do with chamber water height problems, but...

So far all I can find is concern about socks handling humongous amounts of flow. Can't find this opposite question...

Presumably letting the sock get clogged every time to slow down the passage of water through it is not a way to manage this (nitrogen etc. issues).

Maybe at those flow rates one would have the "luxury" of using finer micron socks... I dunno

Hmmm... not sure how much 200-400 GPH is, but it seems like, common sense would say that can fill the sock/area so people having problems here have some other problem? 3 gallons a minute... hmm...

Having never done this before, the plumbing parts are interesting and not always intuitive to the newcomer (at least not me!).

 

[W1ngz]

The water cascading through a fresh sock will make noise. How much will depend on the depth of the water it's in.

You can mitigate the cascade by covering the top of the sock with coarse foam that won't restrict flow, but will distribute the water and drip in into the sock.

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

You’re going to want something strong. Something fragile is bound to get damaged especially with how much equipment goes on down there. Acrylic for the win on sumps in my opinion. Though pricey, Marc at Melevs Reef can custom make acrylic sumps to your specs. Super product from a super guy.

 

[Trever]

You’re going to want something strong. Something fragile is bound to get damaged especially with how much equipment goes on down there. Acrylic for the win on sumps in my opinion. Though pricey, Marc at Melevs Reef can custom make acrylic sumps to your specs. Super product from a super guy.

Think he would make just the sock/media chamber divider and holder?

 

[Trever]

Wondering about one of these bad boys:

California - Klir Di4 filter bracket

Got this recently, wasn't really able to make everything fit in my sump the way I thought it would but Works awesome as a stand alone filter sock/cup holder or use with the klir fleece roller. $75...

www.reef2reef.com

Pricey but Fiji is sold out of their bracket until the fall.

The price of the (new) klir bracket is almost half way to a nice 15 gallon Fiji sump. But, big though it's footprint will be in a 10 gallon it is portable to any future DIY sump and offers the gamut of mechanical filtration options (sock/cup/toilet paper rolls- which seem prone to jamming?).

A new Fiji 15 gallon sump or the klir bracket in the 10 gallon Aqueon. Is this an obvious choice and I'm missing something?

And I thought the sump was going to be the easiest part of all of this... Guess I didn't expect to find the simple and inexpensive filtration brackets so very unappealing (to me) and the DIY of that part of the sump so unappealing/labor intensive.