Looking for a Sump Kit. need advice and a little direction

[SmokeOneLV]

Im looking to add a sump to my 150gal reef. Any advice on a good place to buy a complete sump package? My tanks is not drilled and dont want to try and build one my self. So im just looking for a lil advice on a good place to find a complete sump kit.

Thanks for everything!

[TimH07]

This is a field ive been reading up on and getting advice as i want to do a 75 gallon soon, all though i'd not take this as official advice.

First things to think about would be an over flow box since you don't have a drilled tank, this is simply a hang on box that you siphon tank water into (BE SURE YOU HAVE A SIPHON BREAK IN CASE OF POWER FAILURE) that then is drained into the sump via PVC pipes.

Supposedly it is better to have two drain pipes, weather it be two separate overflow boxes or two down pipes in the same overflow box. The plumbing as far as the joining of separate pvc units with what apoxy to keep it leak proof is someone else's department as ive not gotten that far yet.

The sump it self can be made of a varity of items be it acrylic, rubbermaid tubs ... ect. acrylic would be my choice, as you can get them with separate chambers for a bubble tower, bubble baffles, a refugium, a skimmer chamber, and your return pump.

The mag drive return pumps are what i keep hearing should be used, i dont know if that is a brand or type still, as i've said, im reading about sumps still.

What i do know is, doing overflows can be risky because in a drilled tank, you have your overflow built in. This way you do not need a siphon, your pump pushes the water out of the sump, and raises the level in the tank, this causes the water to flow into the overflow built in. If the power goes out, the pump stops and the tank drains no more water.

With the hang on overflow you depend on the siphon to bring the water to the sump, if the power goes out, you still have water entering the sump, unless you have siphon breaks or from what i read "check valves" (i dont understand what these are yet, im getting there)

When you do set up your sump, you need to set the water level. Which means that you turn the return pump off let the water in the tank drain to the siphon break, then fill the sump to about an inch from the top. then when you turn the return pump back on and the tank settles out to a normal level where your overflow is working fine, mark the water level you then see in the sump, this should be lower than the top mark, you should NEVER fill the sump over this level now. If you do, the tank can drain over your sump.

im sure im missing something or alot of things, but i figured i'd at least get the thread rolling.

~tim

[TimH07]

Wow, my reading skills are bad tonight, i thought you were looking on advice "how to sump" not "who sells a good kit or where to buy" lol

i just re-read your post

[SmokeOneLV]

lol, yea tim thats kinda funny, but you did give me some good info cause im just starting to look into doing a sump and i have had my tank up and running for over a year now. So thanks for the start hopefully we both can get some good info from this thread!

thanks again

[FireEater]

This guy here makes great sumps. Lot's of people I know have used him. Great quality work and a large variety of sumps to choose from.

CLICKITY