Material use in sump

mling · 04/29/2021, 08:09 PM

What type of material is safe to use for in salt water without fear of corrosion or harm to reef inhabitants ?

I have used egg creates, and of cause PVC pipes.

The ideal water depth of the new skimmer (Bubble Magus Curve 7) I got is 11". My current sump setup has a water depth of 14" I would like to increase the water depth of my new skimmer by having it sit on a brick or 2x4 wood. That should make up for the 3" in height.

Is it safe to put brick or wood in a reef setup ?

Member No. 1 · 04/30/2021, 04:36 AM

I wouldn't use either of those. The brick might leach contaminates into the water, as would be possible with the wood, and also I can see the wood swelling. Not to mention the buoyancy factor.
There are several inexpensive ones available or you can DIY one pretty cheap.
https://www.google.com/search?q=skim...hrome&ie=UTF-8

Timfish · 04/30/2021, 06:50 AM

Wood definitetly would not be a good choice. Concrete on the other hand should be although I would rinse it off well and maybe soak it in vinegar overnight. I would also avoid any conrete product that has gavel as the gravel may have minerals that might leach out so it's a big unknown and for the price of concrete bricks just isn't worth it IMO. Here's an intersting papaer looking at ideal substrates for "microfrags".

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles...21.623963/full

fishgate · 04/30/2021, 07:56 AM

What about just a pile of rocks?

FYI: I made the below when I had the same issue. It worked great took about 20 minutes to make. I used it for years.

aikenreefkeeper · 05/01/2021, 04:45 AM

I have the same thing as fishgate to elevate my skimmer in my sump.

billdogg · 05/02/2021, 08:18 AM

I made a simple acrylic stand for the one in my DT. For the FT, I made a acrylic box on legs that sits almost at the sumps water level (rubbermaid 100g stock tank, so no baffles) The FT drains to the skimmer box and then just overflows into the sump area. I use the space underneath it to place my heaters.

Wood would be a very poor choice for many reasons, as wood bricks. I'd avoid cement blocks unless you cure them adequately so that they don't leech into the water. Really, either a PVC/eggcrate or acrylic stand is your safest bet

04/29/2021, 08:09 PM	#1
mling Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Washington DC Posts: 176	Material use in sump What type of material is safe to use for in salt water without fear of corrosion or harm to reef inhabitants ? I have used egg creates, and of cause PVC pipes. The ideal water depth of the new skimmer (Bubble Magus Curve 7) I got is 11". My current sump setup has a water depth of 14" I would like to increase the water depth of my new skimmer by having it sit on a brick or 2x4 wood. That should make up for the 3" in height. Is it safe to put brick or wood in a reef setup ?

04/30/2021, 04:36 AM	#2
Member No. 1 Ver. 2.1 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Rehoboth, MA Posts: 1,803	I wouldn't use either of those. The brick might leach contaminates into the water, as would be possible with the wood, and also I can see the wood swelling. Not to mention the buoyancy factor. There are several inexpensive ones available or you can DIY one pretty cheap. https://www.google.com/search?q=skim...hrome&ie=UTF-8 __________________ Pete "I never make mistakes... I thought I did once, but I was wrong" Current Tank Info: In the process - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661614

04/30/2021, 06:50 AM	#3
Timfish Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,985	Wood definitetly would not be a good choice. Concrete on the other hand should be although I would rinse it off well and maybe soak it in vinegar overnight. I would also avoid any conrete product that has gavel as the gravel may have minerals that might leach out so it's a big unknown and for the price of concrete bricks just isn't worth it IMO. Here's an intersting papaer looking at ideal substrates for "microfrags". https://www.frontiersin.org/articles...21.623963/full __________________ "Our crystal clear aquaria come nowhere close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs" Charles Delbeek

05/02/2021, 08:18 AM	#6
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I made a simple acrylic stand for the one in my DT. For the FT, I made a acrylic box on legs that sits almost at the sumps water level (rubbermaid 100g stock tank, so no baffles) The FT drains to the skimmer box and then just overflows into the sump area. I use the space underneath it to place my heaters. Wood would be a very poor choice for many reasons, as wood bricks. I'd avoid cement blocks unless you cure them adequately so that they don't leech into the water. Really, either a PVC/eggcrate or acrylic stand is your safest bet __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

05/01/2021, 04:45 AM	#5
aikenreefkeeper Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 121	I have the same thing as fishgate to elevate my skimmer in my sump.