Wanted: DIY plans for sump out of 20gal Long

[Gluestick]

I'd like to make a wet/dry sump WITH bio-balls out of a 20 gallon long glass tank. If anyone has done this and could show me pics and walk me through it, I would be eternally grateful. Thanks!

[mr pink floyd]

dont use bio balls, after a while they accumulate nitrates, this is the sam with bio wheels, and sponges

[comatose]

It Depends, you can use Bio balls with a wet dry if it's a fish only tank, but i would recommend a Refugium instead with CHAETOMORPHA in it.

[firewire]

i agree with comatose bio balls bio wheels they all suck even if it is a fish only its gonna make your TANK ugly I am useing one and it is ruining my system if you do want to use it then divide the sump into three parts one for the skimmer put it frist and then the wet and dry and then the alge filter make the agle filter bigger than the other two compartments so you can grow more CHAETOMORPHA

[firewire]

transalate=waste of money for outdated junk

[Gluestick]

Okay, well then, how do I build a refugium?

[Gluestick]

Anyway, I just wanted your opinion on something. I was told that if you have bio-balls, then you can get away with less live rock, and you can make it look like more by having PVC skeletons holding it. That's why I was thinking bio-balls were the way to go. Everyone on this site seems like refugiums are the only way to go. I don't know anything about refugiums, and the reason why I like the trickle filter idea is because you can hide everything in it, and have little hanging off the back of the display tank. A member of this forum, PatMayo, has an awesome looking sump without bioballs, and it has all the 'stuff,' skimmers, heaters, etc, inside. This is more what I was looking to do, but, like i said in the beginning, I thought that bio-balls meant you could have less live rock, and LIVE ROCK IS EXPENSIVE! Check out Pat's sump:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=780206
This is similar to what I want. Tell me what you think, please.
We went to a LFS today and were looking at their sumps, and we were going to make our own out of a 20 gal long tank, but when i ask if anyone has directions or has done it they say don't go with a sump go with a refugium, and I don't know anything about them and it seems like a lot of work. Where can I find more info on refugiums? How are they different from sumps?

[slowECUdiver]

this is longwinded but pretty thorough as i just did the same thing this weekend.

take your tank to the local hardware store or glass shop. have them cut at least 6 pieces of glass (maybe more if you're like me and prone to dropping things, you'll need extra). have each piece be about 8" tall and 11 3/4" across. you want them to just barely clear the width of the tank when in place. then get some clear silicone...GE II WITHOUT microban. (DAP makes a similar product, can't remember the exact name though) microban is deadly to our hobby. and a silicone spreader (so you don't have to risk cutting your fingers on the glass).

take it all back home and lay it out. put the intake and skimmer (if you have one) on one side. you can designate the center section as the Refugium or the return, depending on your tastes. take your glass pieces and set up two sets of 3 baffles. adhere the first baffle to the bottom. adhere the second one from the top with a minimum of 1" clearance from the baffle to the bottom of the tank. place the third with the pane touching the bottom. repeat on the other side so the tank is divided into 3 sections. the space between baffles should be around 1 to 1 1/2 inches. wait 24 hours before doing a wet test.

feel free PM me if you need a drawing.

hope this helps.
-eric