Wouldn't be hard to DIY on a larger scale.... Rubbermaid tote, egg crate, some PVC and whatever media you like and there you go 
Dumb question about sumps...
- Thread starter FINWIN
- Start date
Yep...easy to do, and more trustworthy in the long run. Those pics and the description imply that this is three separate boxes stacked up...meaning that there are two seams running all the way around the thing which would be potential leak points.Wouldn't be hard to DIY on a larger scale.... Rubbermaid tote, egg crate, some PVC and whatever media you like and there you go
Make the filter out of a single solid bin, and the only possible leaks would be at the bulkheads. Mount it such that all of them would leak into the main tank and remove a major source of concern.
I've seen many DIY trickle filters for ponds made from trash cans and corrugated plastic tubing; think I've heard of a model using a plastic clothes drawer, too. Definitely the cheapest method- most guys I've seen use it just dump a ton of lava rocks and call it a day. Can probably stick pothos or monstera in it, I'd think.
Only drawback is that either extremely coarse media has to be used, or a fairly weak pump, otherwise the system can overflow- heard of one guy that flooded his entire basement overnight after the filter overflowed from clogged sponges.
Only drawback is that either extremely coarse media has to be used, or a fairly weak pump, otherwise the system can overflow- heard of one guy that flooded his entire basement overnight after the filter overflowed from clogged sponges.
I did quite a bit of measuring in the fish room...access and clearance is limited due to the funky trapezoid room shape and there's a big ass bulkhead right over the 225. It's the reason I ultimately changed my mind about the plant box overhead sump.
When space didn't allow, I built an over tank filter but moved it to wear it could stand.
www.monsterfishkeepers.com
Construction Of My Altum Tank
I got a 75gal (297L) tank, 120cm x 45cm x 55cm, from some mates who moved into a house that already had it and they had no intention of setting it up. I wanted to do an altum tank and had previously thought about converting my 160gal for the altums but then decided against it as I liked my...
www.monsterfishkeepers.com
Its interesting, that low volume commercial sump pictured on page 1 of the thread, ran over $300 (without a pump)
The sumps I use usually run less than half that price, using a much larger old scratched up tank, picked up off Craigs list, and plumbed with a few buck$ of PVC from the hardware store.
And I find with a 50 or 75 gal used tank, I can filter 4 or 5 tanks, using just that one sump, one pump, and some of those PVC fittings.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/alb...s9985d054.jpg?width=320&height=320&fit=bounds,
https://hosting.photobucket.com/alb...ghres/007.jpg?width=320&height=320&fit=bounds
The sumps I use usually run less than half that price, using a much larger old scratched up tank, picked up off Craigs list, and plumbed with a few buck$ of PVC from the hardware store.
And I find with a 50 or 75 gal used tank, I can filter 4 or 5 tanks, using just that one sump, one pump, and some of those PVC fittings.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/alb...s9985d054.jpg?width=320&height=320&fit=bounds,
https://hosting.photobucket.com/alb...ghres/007.jpg?width=320&height=320&fit=bounds
Easy to address the overflow concern: add a hole (and associated PVC tube returning to the tank) on the side of the bin housing the filter. The media and/or holes on the bottom of the bin can clog. But if it fills above a certain level, the safety tube provides a path for water to return to the tank (without overflowing from the side).
