Ideas for a sump...

[Northernseacorals]

Rubbermaid tote, or tough tub

Works like a charm.

I currently have a Aqueon HOB overflow on my tank. It always starts up right away. I did flood my basement though due to stupidity. I shut the return pump off and took the inside overflow box off without breaking the siphon on the utube. We'll the uTube kept siphoning and there went 2 gallons or so.

My other complaint about them is that they are noisey. You have to build stand pipes for them. Also, the clear boxes get horribly dirty. The only way to clean them is to soak it in vinegar. Go with a black box version.

I am using a 10 gallon rubbermaid to mix salt water in. It's works really well. Although, it does flex a lot.

[biggerstretch]

HOB overflows are OK but not the best for piece of mind. I built a few in the past and they worked however I never really trusted them.

I would shut the tank down by moving it into another aquarium or something and get the back glass drilled. Back glass is generally is not tempered so it can be drilled. Put a 90 pipe fitting in the tank to a flange and then run the pipe down to the sump. As far as the sump goes , building some baffles and filter stands is simple. The smaller tank in the bigger one works well also. Never liked the Tupperware sumps as they tend to be too flexible ( as stated previously )

The solution to pollution is dilution , the bigger the sump the better however with a smaller tank it isn't practical to have an 80 gallon sump. I suppose a 5 gallon pail would work as a sump however we all want to have our tanks and setups look nice...
If you have lots of cash get the sump custom made from acrylic, if you are on a budget then see what kind of a used tank you can find and either silicone in some baffles or put another smaller tank inside it. I however do not trust HOB overflows, to me it is just a way of not doing it right in the first place....

[Albertan22]

I've seen sumps consisting of rubbermaid tubs before, I doubt you'd have a problem with it. If you want to incorporate a fuge component, maybe try just building a box or partition out of egg crate and sticking a ball of chaeto in it and hanging a light over it. That way you'd have some separation to prevent it from drifting into your skimmer pump or return pump. Just make sure it's big enough to leave the cheato move a bit.

Another method that I remember seeing somewhere online when setting up my tank years ago was to plumb two totes together using bulkheads and pvc pipe. The overflow feeds the first tote which is the fuge, water then flows to the second tote which has the skimmer, heater, return pump and anything else you want in there.

[Mike-fish]

watch Kijiji for a 10g it seems that there's almost always one on there for next to nothing you might also find one on sale also for cheap. as for baffles a bit of acrylic should work great as stated previously check with a few of the plastics places in town to see if you can go scrap bin diving .

[RDNanoGuy]

Check your local petsmart. They frequently have bare tanks on sale. I picked a 20 long there for my mantis for $34.99

[SCUBA_STEVE]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I have been looking at the Eshopps Nano over flow box. They say it is rated for 25g so I figure that would probably work in my 29g. As for a sump I am still trying to figure out what to do. The stand I have currently doesn't fit a 10g tank in it so I may try out a DIY stand or just go with a tote.

[Albertan22]

So I'm not trying to be overly negative here, but I've been giving your issue a bit more though and thought I'd re-post on it.

If you're stand won't fit a 10g tank as a sump, you'll likely want to consider what you're hoping to gain with the sump and what you're planning on putting in it. Measure everything you want to put in the sump, maybe make a mock cardboard sump and see how it actually looks and if you've got room to work in it and clean it. I built my sump out of a 40g breeder and some acrylic for baffles. It sits under my 120g tank in a 4'x2' stand (give or take). The sump fills about 2/3 of the space under my stand an an ATO system takes most of the rest. While I've got enough room to do my water changes, etc., I'd love more space for a reactor or dosing system. Make sure that you can actually fit your body above the sump inside the stand so that you can reach stuff or siphon in the back. Also make sure that there is enough room in the stand to remove your skimmer (body and all), the return pump, and anything else you might put in there without having to drain it and pull the whole thing out of the stand.

With a sump that small, you will run out of space quickly once you place your skimmer and return pump in it. You may also be creating a top-off water nightmare for yourself if you can't make room for an ATO reservoir and top-off switch/pump. The upside of a sump is that you never see evaporation in your display tank, the level only drops in the return section of the sump. If there isn't much water there, the return pump can rapidly go dry. If you're sump isn't divided by baffles, this may also play havoc with your skimmer as water levels rise and fall. I've never had a tank that size so I'm not really sure how much of an issue evaporation would be in a 29g.

[SCUBA_STEVE]

Thanks Albertan that gives me alot to think about. The one issue I am battling in ym 29g right now is my salinity rises on me quickly. I'd say rises .001 every 2 days. While this isn't a big issue while I am around it's going to suck when I want to leave for a holiday. I was hoping with incorporating a sump it would help with my salinity (being new I am not to sure if adding volume will help with that.) If I do decide to go the sump route I will make sure it will work with everything I want to put in it. Once again thanks for your input.