how easy to make sump

I was thinking of making a my sump with a large rubbermaid tub, but unlike freshwater, i need chambers to prevent bubble formations, seperate return pump, etc.


Is it easy to cut acrylic to fit in a tank?
If i buy a glass tank as the sump, can I safely glue acrylic sheets for my chambers or will it need to be glass also?

I'm really noobish when it comes to cutting acrylic or glass. I have little to no skills and little to no tools. Just wondering, how difficult is it to make a custom sump?

 

Cutting glass and acrylic is simple with the right tools. For glass you'll need a glass cutting tool, for acrylic--a utility knife and straight edge will do. You could also use a table saw. If you use a glass tank, common sentiment is to use glass as the material for baffles. Silicone rules for glass to glass, and acrylic cement can't be used on glass.

Browse around this site, and all of your questions will be answered. Marc covers in good detail most of the responses you'll get here.

Welcome to 3reef!!

 

thank you! how big should my sump be if my display tank is a 125g? Will a 55g be sufficient?

 

The bigger the better IMO, my DT is 120 and my sump is 90. As far as cutting acrylic, it is easy. I just used a jigsaw to cut mine and went to petsmart for silicone sealant. The make silicone that says for aquarium use on it so I would recommend using that to confirm it is "reef-safe". 55 gal. sump should do excellent.

 

i made one out of acrylic and it was wicked easy! just expensive lol

 

What are the tools needed to build an acrylic sump? I live in an Apt, so I don't have access to large power tools.

 

Building the outer shell from acrylic requires WeldOn #4, and a decent amount of practice in welding acrylic.

 

The link in the first response above includes information on "How to build a sump" and delineates further "Tools Used," "How To Make Teeth In A Baffle," "How To Make The Top Flange," "How To Route Acrylic," "Custom Sump Construction," and the list goes on.