Acrylic Sump Build - for 27g cube w/ L2 Algae Scrubber

Starting an awesome sump build this weekend...designed to fit in the stand of a 27g cube. Also drilling out the glass tank and installing an internal overflow for a bean animal system.



This sump features heater holders and a probe holder, both will have thumb screws.

There is also a perch designed to cradle one of Bud's L2 Algae Scrubbers.

A filter sock can also be used on the main intake chamber. The secondary and emergency overflows will drain into the main section behind where the scrubber sits.

The return chamber will contain a submerged pump but the baffles were placed so a bulkhead could run out the back and clear the stand structure in the future if the customer decides to go external.



Both the bean animal and the scrubber can be tuned to run virtually bubble free, eliminating the need for a baffle or two.



This will be a fun build!

 

Even though it was cooler out today, I dropped quite a bit of sweat rough cutting the components today.

Tomorrow I'll be spending some time on the router squaring everything up and getting ready to assemble!

 

This build has already put me to the test. Making the small probe holder and heater holders by hand proved to be quite the challenge...got it figured out and saved my templates for future builds /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif



Here's a pic of them in place...The probe holder and top heater bracket were drilled and tapped for thumb screws.





Another angle shows the front of the main intake chamber going in...





More pics to come of the assembly...also drilling out the glass tank this weekend and working on the internal overflow.

All the the parts have been routed to their final dimensions with exception of the scrubber tray. I'm going to get my hands on the scrubber and build the tray to be a perfect fit.



I know Bela is itching to see more, so consider this a teaser post /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/cool.gif

 

Time to catch up with the progress on this one!



Got the side panel with the probe holders mounted on the back panel and started placing baffles:





Here the three baffles have been completed and the other side is being welded in place:





After that I flipped it over and welded just the side panels:





Finally, I made sure the baffles were squared up to the front panel and welded them in place.





Tomorrow the bottom will be added. Sounds like Bud at Turbo's Aquatics will have the scrubber for this completed Tuesday...then I can complete the perch and add it to the sump. Almost done!!!

 

Alright, got some finished pictures of this sump to share. Bela has a build thread going on reef central and I can't wait to see all of this come together after he gets settled at his new home!



This was certainly a challenging build, but fun! I had a few bubbles in a seam where the front panel meets the side...right near the bottom. Nothing structural, but I added a small pc inside that corner for a little pc of mind. You can see it in the first pic...very small gusset.

Probe holder and the top heater holder were drilled and tapped for thumb screws. The algea scrubber plate was split to allow working room in the main chamber.













Here is a picture with the scrubber sitting in place. This integrated design leaves almost 5" of top clearance in his stand to remove and clean the scrubber screen.

Bela's scrubber is all boxed up and ready for the move, so I took mine out for a test fit



Overall this is a very compact design that should work very efficiently for the 27g cube!!

 

Also drilled a couple new holes in his glass tank for a bean animal setup with the return passign through the box to keep everything nice and clean

 

I don't build the algae scrubbers, that's Bud's department at Turbo's Aquatics...I'm just finding creative ways to cradle them /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif


http://greateriowareefsociety.org/C...fault.aspx

 

Thanks for the feedback reef_medic...it was a fun build /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif