Looking to add a sump

[Peterock]

if you are looking to add a sump look at my post peterock 90 gallon i am using a 40 gallon tank that i glued some baffels into so the water flows the way a $300 sump or fuge would. if you go this rought you can space them out to acoumadite any and all equipment that you need to add.

[FragOutpost]

A used aquarium with some baffles siliconed in would work great too if you could fit it under your stand. Another option could be to get two 10 or 15 gallon tanks and get them drilled and add some bulkheadsto connect the two. That would easily fit under the stand and would provide 2 chambers.

I've never used the aqua c skimmers so I can not comment on them. If you do decide to get another skimmer then get one a little bigger than what you think you need. You can't skim enough!

The 18 gallon storage container should work just fine. You might have a height problem with it though. Most overflow boxes are the same. You pretty much have two types, the u-tube type and the weir type. The weir type is better but less common and usually more expensive.

The best option would be to put the sump in the other room. That would solve all of your space concerns and provide much more flexibility in your options. Do you just do woodwork in the other room or do you do a lot of painting or staining or anything that would produce airborne chemicals?
The water level in the sump should be a minimum of 6-12 inches below the drain bulkhead on the overflow.

[EvilTwin]

I don't usually do a bunch of woodworking, and chemical use is not a constant thing. I now do more fish related stuff back there than anything else. It's really just my workshop/storage area. Doing this behind the wall would leave me with a LOT of flexibility with the sump design, and probably allow a fuge as well.

Damn this is gonna get expensive.

I checked with Aqua C about their remora HOT skimmers. According to them, you need 6.5 inches of clearance from the top of the tank. I will only have 5 with the canopy in place. In addition they say add another 4 inches for cup removal, though I could use a cup with a drain to a bottle. But because of the clearance issue, this is prolly not an option.

If I want to do the behind-the-wall sump option, I need to know if my tank will be OK without a skimmer for a bit. Since my seaclone is leaking it is currently off the tank. I suppose I could try and get a new o-ring to seal it up.

I would really like to get a sump that is something like this:
http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/s...p_model_j.html

Or maybe this:
http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/s...p_model_e.html

[FragOutpost]

Lowes and Home Depot sell various sizes of o-rings. Just take your old one with you to match it. If you have to run skimmerless for a little while then you might want to increase your water changes. Your sps corals will probably not like not having a skimmer but everything else should be fine for a little while.

Have you checked ebay for used sumps?
http://cgi.ebay.com/150-Gallon-Aquar... QcmdZViewItem

[EvilTwin]

My single SPS coral seems to be the champ in this case. Xenia looks less than enthusiastic about pulsing and the gorg is probably a goner. My button polyp seems just as happy as ever and the yellow polyps are making a comeback, as long as the snails stop lawnmowering them. I'll head to HD at lunch today to find an o-ring. At least if I get this skimmer on again, it will buy me some time to really plan out my whole sump issue.

[EvilTwin]

Also, for anyone interested in protein skimmer info, here is a link to the US patent office website for the patent filed by Aqua C for their Remora series. It makes for good reading if you are interested in the technology and theory behind how it all works.

[FragOutpost]

I would definitely get the o-ring for the skimmer. That way you at least have something running until you can get the sump and new skimmer set up. Thanks for the link on the skimmer patent. It makes for an interesting read!