DIY Freshwater Filtration Sump Tank

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Most popular comments
for DIY Freshwater Filtration Sump Tank

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ethan jaramillo - 9 years ago

how do I get the inflow of the water to go into the sub tank . Is that with the siphon box is used for.?

jake swenson - 9 years ago

yes, the siphon box pulls the water from the main tank into the downlines that run to the sump.

Katsuna2010 - 9 years ago

Hiya Jake! Is that a glass sump with plexi glass? Any issues?

jake swenson - 9 years ago

None, As long as you use the right kind of silicon you should be fine. After about 1 1/2 years I re-siliconed the sump... but that was more for me than anything else. I Just wanted to make sure everything was tight and sealed. The plexi works great - I used a thicker plexi the second time around as the force of water and media started to bow the thinner plexi I originally installed.

Coty Hodgson - 10 years ago

Did you ever do the DIY for the syphon box?

Tiffany Stancil - 10 years ago

You can buy an acrylic overflow box at store.txholeyrocks.com for as low as $16.00 They also do custom acrylic fabrication for anything you might want.

Nathaniel Winston - 10 years ago

thanks for taking the time to make this

GeneralGiggleMuffin - 10 years ago

Very helpful video and a clever design. Of all the designs I've seen so far on youtube, I like yours the best.

Stephen Alley - 10 years ago

Does it get installed under the other tank or can a similar design be created at the same level using a simple tube for inlet and a canister filter for outlet/return to main tank. I have a major concern with a power outage "draining" my main tank as I'm not with it 24hrs a day. How does it work with sand? If I have an email address I can send what I'm working with to start. And more information

Yinna Tavarez - 10 years ago

question how long does is last till you have to change the media?

jake swenson - 11 years ago

@thingwhatever, From what I know of the mega flow kit it uses a fill-chamber instead of a siphon box. There is no siphoning because the water will just spill straight into the chamber in the corner of the tank.

10. comment for DIY Freshwater Filtration Sump Tank

thingwhatever - 11 years ago

Hi, im just about to get a sump up and running on my 100gal (for 1st time ever), and im using a aqueon mega-flo kit, and my question is, how does the intake work??? Like do i have to suck on it at first like siphoning??? Or will it just start to draw once the pump starts returning water??? thx alot!!!

Sheila Norwood - 11 years ago

I love this video! Especially the MUSIC! I think I'm going to buid a sump right now.

Kamal Ariff - 11 years ago

your bg music helps me understand better

BloodJade - 11 years ago

Don't know if you still use this account, but....I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A VIDEO OF THIS SUMP IN ACTION!!

Austin Anderson - 11 years ago

Would a 10 gallon sump be enough for a 60 gallon tank?

ozbloke74 - 11 years ago

Didnt even watch the vid, was to busy dancing

KaiLuxurious - 11 years ago

Love the music. Very upbeat, and kept me motivated. Very informative video. Thanx!

Anthony Garrett-Leverett - 11 years ago

The Artist is Barry White . . . .

David Harland - 11 years ago

Awesome mate, thanks for excellent video!! Love the music, trying to work out who it is:) Think Ill do something very similar to this except instead of syphoning to the sump, I think I will just gravity feed the sump, makes the whole process simpler in my own head:) You have to laugh at some of the comments below like from people like "carnivore74". Don't understand why these people are watching this stuff, they clearly have no idea:) funny!!

AQUADESIGN by aquamaniac - 11 years ago

Nice video. Good tutorial.

20. comment for DIY Freshwater Filtration Sump Tank

Colin Hawco - 11 years ago

Thanks for the vid. I don't have a clue what I am doing, so every bit helps :)

DEN SER ALL - 11 years ago

I suggest to do the letters bigger to read better

80sbreaker - 11 years ago

Hi i have an tetra whisper micro filter that came with my aquarium is Item #25799 and #25807 its 115 volts . My concern is this filter goes inside the aquarium every thing the motor and the power cord that is connected to the motor goes in the aquarium the only thing that is outside the aquarium is the remaining other end of the power cord that plugs to the wall , will this filter be an electrical hazard please explain i am new to this its for my 4 year old daughter

Gus Stav - 11 years ago

dude i would pay u to make me one of those, plus ur background is sic

Daniel Walton - 11 years ago

how often do you change your filtration setup?

Richard Moore - 11 years ago

very easy just follow instructions im making mine next week hope it works well ill post it on here when done also what size tank is this good for can it work on a 4ft tank huh

Kristin Vail - 11 years ago

How tall is the piece of plexi glass in front of the pump? And How often do you have to clean it?

Pascal De Rudder - 11 years ago

But what counts is their health and that seems fine!

Pascal De Rudder - 11 years ago

thank you, good instructional video Jake. I'm saving it in my favorites for later use. :) One thing though: your fish look healthy but I believe it is never a nice idea to put fish from different continents together!

gtariman03 - 11 years ago

What's the brand of the silicone you used? I heard GE I silicone sucks at gluing acrylic to glass.

30. comment for DIY Freshwater Filtration Sump Tank

JohnnyK - 11 years ago

Nice video. Might do this myself. Your fish seem very happy with it as well.

Searay Aleman - 11 years ago

i love the barry white music you played during video ...

TaurineLittle - 11 years ago

Haha nice work :) I will be using your design to make my own sump filter soon enough, will hopefully post a video when its done.

jake swenson - 11 years ago

@TaurineLittle also, shortly after I posted this video I when to a craft store and bought some toole. I doubled it up and sewed a drawstring into and it worked very well...so great thinking there. ;)

jake swenson - 11 years ago

@TaurineLittle point taken about the micromedia. I never found it a problem having the biofilter picking up particulates. Truth is, when I clean the sump it all gets a good washing and there is still enough bio to keep the tank going at 100%.

TaurineLittle - 11 years ago

Best sump DIY I've seen yet (trust me I've spent hours looking through all the videos). But one thing sparks my curiosity, why is the sponge and mirco media after the bio-filter media? wont your bio-filter media pick up small particles? also one suggestion, ever thought of putting the gravel and bio-filter media in something similar to a drawstring washbag? will still allow for a lot of water flow but will make removal and cleaning of the gravel and bio-filter media a lot faster and simpler...

jake swenson - 11 years ago

@Alvin Tran, as I mention in the description I had tried just about every kind of HOB filter system, they can't filter AS MUCH as this sump. Since this video I upgraded my system to a 110G main tank and a 25G sump. I am able to cycle all of that water nearly 10 times/hour. The added benefit of having a return pump forces a great amount of water through the tank to force stagnant areas of your tank to be cycled - a backpack filter will mostly skim the top and not push the H2O around as much.

Rick Ooi - 11 years ago

Thanks for sharing Jake. Although I don't understand what's going on (to be honest) but I can appreciate your efforts and sharing. I never used a sump tank before but now researching how it functions.

Alvin Tran - 11 years ago

Although the title says DIY, I don't think I can ever do that myself. But good job with the build! One question, why did you decide to build a sump instead of just using a HOB or canister filter? Good jobs anyways!!!

AllAlaskan907 - 11 years ago

I'm am fixing to start building a 29 gallon sump for my 55 later today or tomorrow myself. I'm leaning more towards a "refugium" style with plants as my 55 is an Oscar tank and I'm looking to use it more as a Nitrate eliminator. I know I will still have to do water changes but I'm hoping to gain both more biological filtration and also eliminate some Nitrates from my water. We will see how it goes, figure if it doesn't work for nitrates I can always add more baffles and media lol.

AllAlaskan907 - 11 years ago

Nice sump set up, only thing that I would have done differently is relied more on biological and less carbon and ammonia chips. Also for the gravel, you could have put it a thick piece of sponge or rough filter padding down inside on the right then put your gravel in. That would keep the gravel from being sucked up and would also double as more bio media. Just would make it easier to clean out later is why I mentioned it :D Nice sump though.

AllAlaskan907 - 11 years ago

Join DIYfishkeepers . com , there is a wealth of knowledge there about this kind of stuff. They are very friendly and when it comes to this stuff there is a ton of threads in the forums on it. Its really not as hard as it looks. I'm fixing to build a fresh water Refugium for my Oscar tank. Had I never joined that forum I would have no idea where to start but now I have a pretty good idea. Actually I'm fixing to start it later today (slow project lol) if things go well.

saflip969 - 11 years ago

Perfect Song choice! lol its almost motivating me to do some DIY sumps now. Great video and details. I am saving your video for a future reference

Sean - 11 years ago

Good video. I know how to convert the 10g with the media. Don't know how to make connection from tank to sump or how to make the overflow box. Please help me

foREVerA7x58 - 12 years ago

Nice sump tank! I got a little confused with some parts.. How big would my sump need to be for a 75 gallon.. a 30gal work? & I could be wrong, but what other tanks like this.. "sump tanks" that allow you to pretty much have it just like a smaller tank with fish and all in it? Ive heard you could turn sump tanks into quartine tanks, or hospital tanks, or even holding tanks for fry.. IF you know anything i could look up or from your experience, it would be appreciate! thank you!! & great video.

DaisyPinkerton123 - 12 years ago

Nice job, Jake. I'm going to refer back to this when i am ready to make one.

bdarnell1966 - 12 years ago

Enjoyed the video I also wonder if there is a better way to place the mech filter so that you could remove it for cleaning. Aside from that I love the sump.

arkansasboy45 - 12 years ago

It seems that you could place your loose media in the mesh bags which would make cleaning easier. So how is it working after a period of time?

awais98 - 12 years ago

One of the best step by step instructions on how to built your sump filter! I've been looking for it for a long time, but none are as clear as this. Excellent work. 1 questions. If pump is off, to restart siphon we have2start sucking out air? Wouldn't water come up from siphon box instead of the tank? 2: Have you thought about a way to get new water top off t sump, instead of replacing it? My idea: a water inlet into pump area with refill valve&float( like a toilet tank). Thank you

Alex Miller - 12 years ago

what size pvc pipe and what pump are you using?

50. comment for DIY Freshwater Filtration Sump Tank

Alex Miller - 12 years ago

this video is exactly what i have been looking for for weeks very informative thank you for uploading!

Ash B - 12 years ago

bet its a pain in the ass to take all the gravel out when you need to clean the filter media :), im thinking of doing something like this with my sump, just bought a tank/cabinet that came with a sump. this video has helped me more than the people in the store did on how to set it up :)

jake swenson - 12 years ago

@kwind2010 All in all, including the pump and all the media roughly 60-70. That is also taking into account that I built the syphon box myself (retail they go for $70 - $120 just for the box) I think I spent about $20 on the plexi glass.

SenorQuill - 12 years ago

nice set up dude

kwind2010 - 12 years ago

great video! about how much would you say this whole thing costed you?

Rebecca Beausoleil - 12 years ago

@jacobswenson what if you're not handy :) thinking about adding one to my tank and i've watched so many videos and im still lost :(

LSX FTW - 12 years ago

damn good video thanks for making it

jake swenson - 12 years ago

@jacobswenson (I clean the sock once a week - it is a synch to remove). You don't have to take my word for it - but it's a great system :)

jake swenson - 12 years ago

@ruddybop Thank you for your response - I have actually tried the gravel media on the bottom before. What happens is the force of the water flowing into the final bay will eventually start pulling the gravel up and over the two inch barrier and into the pump bay. With this type of filter system I have only had clean the entire sump once every 4-5 weeks. Because the water sock catches most of the big particles the rest of the media works as a bio-catch and water conditioner

ruddybop - 12 years ago

The only thing I see is that your going to have a heck of a time changing your filters every other week. You have to remove all the gravel/little pieces and media to get to the filters. Why not have the gravel/media on the very bottom about an inch high, Then black foam,white filter,socks with carbon and ammonia , another filter on top. Then when it's time to change the filters you just pull them out without having to mess with removing the all the gravel/mixed media.. :)

mrdaveone1 - 12 years ago

yo dude.... 1.. nice music 2.. nice video 3.. thanks for the inspiration (finally I can start with my project) thumps up

jake swenson - 12 years ago

@zephspacer Good I'm glad it's helping! The main tank is 55gallon and the sump is 10 gallon. Let me know if you new me to walk you through anything. If you are handy at all it is a pretty fun project and fairly easy. :)

BlackFish - 12 years ago

This has been very handy, what size tank is the main and the sump?

About DIY Freshwater Filtration Sump Tank

The "DIY Freshwater Filtration Sump Tank" video is part of the pest, animals, fish, freshwater category, which contains similar videos like this one.