Being a newb, my dumbest move so far is kinda boring for the rest of you ...
Don't drill your sump
I bought a 50g for a sump and drilled the face of it for 2 external pumps. Since then I have reconfigured it twice and have wished both times that I had never drilled it as I have gone with internal pumps.
I suffered one external leak, and have since spent time and money messing with the irregular shapes due the the patches I placed over the holes I cut. Each time I re-designed it, the baffles ended up right where the holes are
If I only knew now what I knew in November .....
It just failed a baffle test ( minor ) and if it fails again, it might get smashed and I'm starting over with a brand new tank
I've spent over $100 on plumbing and glass so far ....
I'm ready to spend another $200 on a new tank and glass just so I can tell the world to ......... yeah I'm upset