Building a 10 gallon aquarium sump on a budget! (Materials)

Have an aquarium? Always thought about adding a sump to your setup but aren't quite sure if you can? I explain some of the best reasons for adding a sump to your aquarium system and also tell you everything you'll need to purchase to build your own sump for under $50!

This video will be followed by additional videos that will showcase how to assemble the sump (installing glass baffles), testing the sump, installing equipment, and plumbing it into your display tank. Join me and start building your own sump today!

Follow me on Twitter! @RealFishTankGuy

[dalemansukh]

Thank you so much for making this video! Your series was super helpful, I didn't even know how to get started, and I was able to make my own after following what you did. Please ignore any criticism, there is not another video specifically like this, and its been about 5 years. This helped me get back into aquarium hobby.

[lizzyanthus]

I'm new to the hobby and didn't really know what a sump was, so these vids you are doing on them will be quite helpful I am sure. Thanks for making them!

[khenryhector]

Good video. One thing though is that I've built several 20g-L sumps using just cheap glass that you can buy and get cut at Lowes. And so far I've have never had and issue. As long as you don't have one chamber with like 11 inches of water then the next one with like 2 inches then the amount of pressure that the water places on the glass is actually very small.

[gamingbluemoon]

Any silicone without additives like mold replant is fine. GE 1 is the most common.

[Weezing]

I'm using a 10g sump for my 100g tank only because that is the biggest tank that fits underneath my stand. Working well so far for hiding my equipment so I'm pretty happy about it.

[thefishguy]

GE 1 silicone is what all the major aquarium manufacturers use

[SldgeHammr]

Just did this myself! It's working out good so far! Can't wait for the next video

[randybrown]

Great video. I have a 15 gallon tank that I will use this setup on. I'm in the process of upgrading to 29 gallon saltwater tank.

[calebbivens]

you could have went with plexiglass its at home depo and many more stores and it is free of charge to have it cut

[wildcrow]

How do you appropriately size your sump to your. For example I have a 55 gallon aquarium, what size sump should I use?

[timlindgren]

The cheapest most foolproof sump ive ever seen consisted of a 5 gallon Lowes bucket, a hang-on filter sock holder, filter sock, and return pump. Excluding the return pump, the entire cost of the sump was less then $20. And it worked great.

[G_unit]

Nice vid. Do you have the demensions on the tank?

[WTFPAWNBBQ]

Would have been nice to know this was the intro to a series.

[Mikinct]

Every time I try to learn about sumps I
I'm always Baffled!

[ernieengineer]

Blah blah blah, get to the point and build you never did..

[dosmaiz]

You can actually buy small pieces of glass at Home Depot. they also sell cutting tools. the glass is pretty cheap.

[MrMovieguy]

Got a question. Hoping the Fish Tank Guy still looks at this post or maybe someone else who tried this can answer.. I just used your idea and it worked fine except for one small odd detail. The largest baffle has a small dripping leak. I reapplied the silicone 3 different times and it leaks in the exact same place each time. The last time i went so far as to razor the old silicone off and start fresh. Blows me away that is leaks in the exact same place. It is about an inch and a half below the waterline. Dose it really Help! If this is a problem then I am prepared to remove the baffle altogether and just start over. All the others were fine.

[Homers]

Do you need a sump for your Biocube? I have a 14g BioCube and have been wanting to transition to Saltwater for some time.

[aquabrothers]

2 things first what size sump would you need for a 30 gallon tank and can use a sump for a freshwater tank

[crazycountrygirl]

Can you explain the plumbing from the tank to the sump please?