I'm fairly scared about sumps...

[Stoll]

KK, I just read a bunch of older threads about people making their own sumps/refugiums, and now I'm really beginning to wonder if I should take this on. My original idea was to put a 30g tank or equivalent size rubbermaid tub under my stand and run flexible hosing from the outlet into the container. I would then put my skimmer in the container, as well as my return pump and some carbon, and use flexible tubing to get from the pump back to the tank.

After seeing some of the pictures showing other peoples sumps, I'm beginning to wonder if my plan is even viable. Are these fancy setups for the higher end reef tanks with the more fragile creatures in them, or are they necessary for simpler tank setups?

At this point in time I don't intend on trying to care for anything too difficult. So far my highest hopes are for an Anemone of some sort with a couple of clowns. Do I really need what I would consider an advanced sump?

[RAVEN]

Sumps arent essential but they can make a big difference in removing the nitrate and some of the phosphate load in your tank if you add macroalgae in the sump as part of a refugium. There are some very simple designs. I use a 30g tank as a sump/refuge. There are 3 sections each divided by a piece of acrylic glued to the inside of the tank using aquarium silicone sealant. The first section is for the inflow from the tank and the skimmer, which then overflows into the center section where the refuge is contained. This then flows into the last section where the return pump is located. Hope this helps some.

[Stoll]

That sounds more like something I could handle. How high are the pieces of plexiglass that you glue into the tank? I'm assuming you don't want your sump too full for a safety net incase of power outage.

[Blade_Runner]

If you have a bit of the DIY spirit in you go for it. It's really not that hard to make a basic sump for a 75 and the critters will thank you. Besides, I know you are saying you want easy, but it does allow you to move into more advanced tank when you are ready. If you can snag a 20 long or larger glass tank cheap it's an easy base to start from. All you really need is marine safe silicone glue and a sheet 1/4" plex to do the job.

The amount of room you need to leave from the is partially determined by the size of the sump. As you mentioned you need to have the operational water level low enough so when the power is turned off the sump doesn't over flow. Leave a good safety margin.

[Stoll]

Ok, I'm thinking of getting a 30gallon tank for this, which is normally 36x12.5x16.75.

I'm assuming that I only need the first and last compartments big enough to fit the skimmer in one, and the pump w/ carbon in the other. The Middle one can be bigger to put in some LS, LR rubble and macroalgae?

If the tank was 16" deep, would 10" height be sufficient for the plexiglass dividers? 6" of depth is approx. = to 13gallons of safety net in the 30gallon tank.

*Edit*

Would you also step the height of the pieces down from the inlet/refugium partition to the refugium/return partition?

[RAVEN]

I used sheets 9" tall. I also built a bubble trap between the middle and return sections. I took 3- 9" sheets of acryllic and spaced them 1" apart with the center sheet raised 1" off the bottom of the tank, so the top of it was 1" taller then the other 2. You can get the acryllic at home depot in their window and door section. They also sell the silicon and a $5 scoring tool to cut the acrylic.
I also made the first wall separating the inlet and skimmer section 1" higher than the other sections to get a waterfall effect into the refuge. On the opposite end of the refuge, I cut a piece of eggcrate
2" tall and glued it to the top of the wall to act as a strainer to keep any loose pieces of macroalgae from falling into the return section.

[Blade_Runner]

http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

For ideas...