220 gallon - DIY project
- Thread starter highaltitude
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I found a post on RC: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1106368 on post #22 an engineer says two glued and screwed 2x6's will support a 6 foot span for a 180 gallon tank. Since you are at 220, I think you were right on to go to 2x8's and you stacked them on top of the corner posts which was also a good decision. I think you nailed it.
So I am still beating my head against the wall trying to land the ultimate sump without paying a fortune .
1 option still available that I can do is put 2 aqueon 40 gallon breeders end to end with bulk heads to make one big sump ... Any thoughts from the pro's on this option they would fit perfect . How high would I drill the bulk heads to make it flow between tanks ? How many bulk heads ? This would save me about 400 dollars not having to build a custom sump .
I would probably make one of the 40 a refugium and tee off the drain and feed it, let it feed into the other 40 which will house the filter socks, skimmer and the return pump . What you guys think ?
1 option still available that I can do is put 2 aqueon 40 gallon breeders end to end with bulk heads to make one big sump ... Any thoughts from the pro's on this option they would fit perfect . How high would I drill the bulk heads to make it flow between tanks ? How many bulk heads ? This would save me about 400 dollars not having to build a custom sump .
I would probably make one of the 40 a refugium and tee off the drain and feed it, let it feed into the other 40 which will house the filter socks, skimmer and the return pump . What you guys think ?
Great work so far. I would second your idea to put a removable center brace. I am paranoid about sag over time but you would still have the access when needed.
Early on, I had two tanks hooked together with bulkheads to essentially make one sump. If you size the bulkheads right, you might be able to get away with it, you'll just need to do some testing and make sure your flow through doesn't exceed the rate the plumbing can handle. I would plan on multiple large bulkheads. Also, I might be stating the obvious, but you'll need two bulkheads for each connection. You can't just clamp the glass together between the two tanks with one bulkhead. Does space allow for the two bulkheads and short connecting pipe? You'll need to have the holes lined up fairly well unless you can tweek the pipes joining them. I don't drill glass. I know it can be done, but it seems like it would be tricky to get those holes lined up well enough.
Bottom line in my opinion is, yes it could potentially be done, but a lot of things have to line up. You might be better off looking for other solutions like waiting for a used acrylic tank to pop up here or in Craigslist and modify it to your purpose. Cut it down, add baffles, do whatever you need to do. I find acrylic easier to work with in that regard. It looks like you already have the carpentry tools needed to do the job.
That's just my opinion. Good luck and keep up the good work.
Early on, I had two tanks hooked together with bulkheads to essentially make one sump. If you size the bulkheads right, you might be able to get away with it, you'll just need to do some testing and make sure your flow through doesn't exceed the rate the plumbing can handle. I would plan on multiple large bulkheads. Also, I might be stating the obvious, but you'll need two bulkheads for each connection. You can't just clamp the glass together between the two tanks with one bulkhead. Does space allow for the two bulkheads and short connecting pipe? You'll need to have the holes lined up fairly well unless you can tweek the pipes joining them. I don't drill glass. I know it can be done, but it seems like it would be tricky to get those holes lined up well enough.
Bottom line in my opinion is, yes it could potentially be done, but a lot of things have to line up. You might be better off looking for other solutions like waiting for a used acrylic tank to pop up here or in Craigslist and modify it to your purpose. Cut it down, add baffles, do whatever you need to do. I find acrylic easier to work with in that regard. It looks like you already have the carpentry tools needed to do the job.
That's just my opinion. Good luck and keep up the good work.
once the 2 - 40's are in place , i could slide in the brace just in case , i did some reads on other builds before i constructed the stand, that is why i went with double 2x8 to be sure . But then that little worry in the back of your mind keeps coming up , that is why i think a brace would be just a peace of mind , Once the the 2 40's are in and plumbed i still have room to move around , and they will not be moved .
With your fuge being right by the bulkheads you are going to want them high enough that sand and macro/chaeto don't get sucked into them. I might put the fuge on the other side so the flow is away from the bulkheads. I think you might want a high and low row of bulkheads, maybe like 2 of each (totally guessing as to quantity, I don't know how you could ever truly figure).....so put 2 bulkheads 1" above your sand depth for the fuge and then another 2 bulkheads 1" below your high water mark? Something like that.
If you know what return pump you are going to use you ought to be able to calculate your flow rate through the sump. From there you can use this chart to determine the diameter of Sch 40, and that would tell you what size bulkhead to use. That would be my best guess as to how you would calculate how many you'll need.
If you know what return pump you are going to use you ought to be able to calculate your flow rate through the sump. From there you can use this chart to determine the diameter of Sch 40, and that would tell you what size bulkhead to use. That would be my best guess as to how you would calculate how many you'll need.
Why not wait until Petco has their $1 per gallon sale and buy a 55gal tank (the largest size that they sell for the $1/gal) and make it your sump? You are already talking about gluing your own baffles and filter sock holders....just eliminate the guesswork of the flow between and use a 55. Even at their $1/gal sale the 55 would be cheaper than 2x40b's. 55 dimensions are 48x13x21, which should fit before you put your possible center brace in.....
Thanks for the chart ! good info ! I'm running that Jebao - 12000 lots of flow , the Refugium was in the second 40 for the first drawing , and i decided to put the ATO chamber next to the return so that i don't have far to run the hoses to the return pump section . I could swap those two , you thinking I might have a clog issue with the micro algae ? Which i plan to grow a ton of . One of the main reasons for the big refugium ! i found this site in hawaii ( http://ipsf.com/tangheaven.html ) that sells macroalgea packs that you can grow and feed your Tangs ! My favorite fish and plan to have quite a few in this tank .
the reason for the 40s is the height @ 17 " x 36 " which gives me 6' of sump to play with ! most tanks that will fit under this stand are 48 =\ . I have 24 " in my stand for height total , and i didn't scrimp on this , i designed this for maximum clearance i can get. It is 36 " tall stand . when you get into the bigger tanks the height goes up fast .
the reason for the 40s is the height @ 17 " x 36 " which gives me 6' of sump to play with ! most tanks that will fit under this stand are 48 =\ . I have 24 " in my stand for height total , and i didn't scrimp on this , i designed this for maximum clearance i can get. It is 36 " tall stand . when you get into the bigger tanks the height goes up fast .
Let me look back at my 225 build I did years ago to be sure. But I did this exact same thing with a 55 and a 30. I used two 1.5" lines to connect the two low in the tank as Chris suggested. The 55 was first and it housed the skimmer reactors. I didn't have any baffles but would have if I ever ran it like this again. The 30 was second and I had one baffle on the front side and a triple on the back end before the ATO section with the return pump. The 30 was set up as a macro fuge area with sand. I didn't have problems with clogs from the 55 to 30.
I had two bulkheads on each tank and I plumbed them together with true unions.
I had two bulkheads on each tank and I plumbed them together with true unions.