Red Sea Max Nano Sump Build

[legacy2mj]

I’m currently working on getting a sump plumbed into my RS max nano.
I havnt had great success finding something like this to refer to for advise so I thought I will post my progress on here.
Tank is mid cycle, Iv accumulated everything needed for the sump. Now, what’s the best way to plumb it in?
Parts-
Eshoppes 300 HOB overflow
Eshoppes nano sump box
Eshoppes skimmer
Various-2 DC pump
Red Sea ATO system
Radion XR15 blue LED

Current issues… do I put the HOB behind the baffles in the AIO chamber? Or on the left side of the display and close off the AIO from water completely?
Do I plumb the return directly to the current nozzle in place? Or drill for dual return nozzles?
If I remove the current return pump from the AIO chamber but don’t seal it off, with nothing to pull or push water through. What are the consequences in time there? Sounds like a phosphate factory in the making.
Can I utilize the AIO chamber for something else if I don’t seal it off?

 

[Troylee]

I’d place the hob in the back all in one compartment if you can just to make it less visible! I’d use the aio chambers as a fuge for pods and what not and plumb the returns to the existing nozzles. I think that would look cleanest.

 

[legacy2mj]

I’d place the hob in the back all in one compartment if you can just to make it less visible! I’d use the aio chambers as a fuge for pods and what not and plumb the returns to the existing nozzles. I think that would look cleanest.

here is a pic somebody else sent me this morning. This would work good, it would pull water through the AIO. I think this will be the direction I go. I just need to figure out what kind of fittings are needed to plumb onto the existing return nozzle.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

Cool ive been thinking about doing this myself, although my system has been running almost a year now. There may be some information of use in a thread i made for it.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

Heres the thread:

Adding a sump to a red sea max nano (desktop peninsula)

So ive been running this red sea desktop peninsula for a while now on my own DIY stand to save money... And I've quickly discovered the shortcomings of the rear sump design (constantly changing water level...ect) and find myself wanting the flexibility of a sump... So im looking at options of...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[legacy2mj]

Heres the thread:

Adding a sump to a red sea max nano (desktop peninsula)

So ive been running this red sea desktop peninsula for a while now on my own DIY stand to save money... And I've quickly discovered the shortcomings of the rear sump design (constantly changing water level...ect) and find myself wanting the flexibility of a sump... So im looking at options of...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks! I ended up completing this a couple months ago. Working great. With a Red Sea ATO+ its was a great addition to a nano.

 

[Max Rackstraw]

Thanks! I ended up completing this a couple months ago. Working great. With a Red Sea ATO+ its was a great addition to a nano.

Nice thats great, can you post pictures of the setup? I would like to see how you went about it. Especially since im still thinking about doing it for mine.

 

[legacy2mj]

Nice thats great, can you post pictures of the setup? I would like to see how you went about it. Especially since im still thinking about doing it for mine.

Yes I can tomorrow. It’s pretty basic and straight forward to be honest. I bought the Eshoppes nano cube fuge/sump from BRS, the Varios 2 return pump. A eshoppes S-120 protein skimmer ( would get a different one, not a fan)…. And the eshoppes HOB overflow. Hard plumbed it to the sump with 1”pvc. I used a mix of spa tubing and pvc to plumb the return. I installed a check valve on the return line to stop the siphon when the pump is off or loses power. Plumed it straight into the existing return jet. And that’s it.
The space inside the stand is pretty small, plumbing into the sump with a hardline was easy, but coming out off the pump back to the tank is more difficult. Plus, having the return soft lined allows for much easier removal of the pump if needed.
Some people don’t like the idea of the HOB overflow, just incase the siphon does fail, your pump will continue to empty the sump, which would be a massive overflow/flood.
I installed leak detectors and the safety switch with the various 2 incase this happens. If water is detected it will turn the pump off. Provides a little piece of mind.
But yea I will snap some pics tomorrow and post them. Let me know if you have any questions about anything I mentioned above.

 

[KrazyWhiteRich]

Good afternoon, did you get a chance to take pics of your sump?

 

[legacy2mj]

Good afternoon, did you get a chance to take pics of your sump?

Thank you for the reminder! I never actually did. I’m not currently home but if you have any questions I will happily answer! I can get some pics later when I get back to my house.
Currently the sump doesn’t look the same as it did when I built it. The Octo Varios 2 return pump I was running decided to cease up on me. Fortunately the check valve I installed on the return line kept it from siphoning back. That would have easily flooded the sump.
I had a spare return pump but it is too big for the compartment the varios fit in. So I removed the skimmer and am using that section now for the return pump. It’s all working just fine, just minus a skimmer now.
No biggy. I have pretty much 0 bioload In this tank. It’s fully set up and operational, had a XR15 as the light and completely cycled, I just haven’t stocked it up. Other projects have taken priority. Lemme know if you have a question tho! I will happily share my input, esp things I would change or do differently.