well..
it was a lot of fun! but i think its good now!
since there wasnt much space between bulkheads i decided to just cut out an entire peice around them:
as you can see i didnt have a great assortment of tools so i just drilled a bunch of holes with the same bit.. not pretty but it works
i then painted the bottom of my aquarium black so the light wont shine through from the sump.. >_>
NO LEAKS this time.. my plumber friend came over and helped. I also made the plumbing disconnectable in case i need to clean it in the future!
the only problem i am having now is the noise level! i thought herbie setups were supposed to be quiet! there's a terrible suction sound happening from my emergency return line!