Sump Upgrade

About a year ago I bought a 75 setup on craigslist that came with a wet dry trickle filter with roughly an 8 gallon capacity. I've put off upgrading the sump because space issues due to the cabinet design prohibit any standard size tank larger than a 10 gallon.

I converted that trickle filter into an algae scrubber about 10 months ago. The scrubber is very effective, however extreamly unsightly, cramped and potentially dangerous. The multiple pumps running in a confined space also create a lot of noise.

/Portals/0/activeforums_Attach/IMG_0105.JPG



Last week I set out on a mission to upgrade after comming across some cheap acrylic scraps. My goals were to create a sump that would fit in one half of my stand, give me more room for cleaning and maintance, feed my scrubber through the overflow and prevent algae from growing in sections of the sump where it is not intended.

This is what I came up with.

/Portals/0/activeforums_Attach/IMG_0102.JPG

/Portals/0/activeforums_Attach/IMG_0104.JPG

/Portals/0/activeforums_Attach/IMG_0101.JPG



The tank has been testing for leaks the last 3 days, and I am fine tuning things, I have a few questions.

1. My wet dry is plumbed to the overflow with pool vacume line (I think). The problem is it is way too long for my new fiter. Is clear tubing from the hardware store ok to use for this purpose or is there something better? Does it even matter what I use?

2. How long should I test this tank for leaks? My acrylic skills are far below others that I have seen posted on this site. There are bubbles in some of my seams (small ones but clustered in spots) I had gone over all inside and outside seams with weldon 16 after originally assembling everything with weld-on 3.

3. Where my overflow empties into the sump, is it best to let the pipe go straight down into the water, or should I put either a 90 or 45 degree elbow to reduce noise?

4. I have seen recomendations in the past to put acrylic tanks on a foam platform, is this necessasary on a tank this size (about 17wx18lx13h)?

Any other improvements or redesign ideas?

Thanks