Hi welcome to stage 2 of completing your DIY fish aquarium.

If you look at figure one in this segment you can see that we have finally finished building our tank and stand. You will also see that the water test has worked.(no leaks) You may also notice that there is PVC pipe in the tank. This is very important. The pipes that you see is part of the filtration system for the tank. Sure you can use the back drop filter, But you would have to look hard for one that is suitable for 100 gallons or more. This will cost you more in the long run to run your tank.

We have gone with a sump. See figure 2 to see what the sump looks like.

Here is the materials you will need to build a sump:

*NOTE* When building your sump you want to match it to the size of your fish tank.

1) PVC pipes

2) Bulk heads

3) 1 inch hose

4) Silicone

5) An old glass tank or you can build your own.

6) Bio balls or sponges

7) A divider that fits in the tank.

8) A dial saw that fits on the end of your drill. You want the dial saw to be able to adjust from 29 mm(1 1/8 inches) to 64 mm(2 1/2 inches) You will need this to drill 2 holes in the bottem of your tank.

9) one back drop filter and a small canister filter for inside the sump.

10) You will also need a submersable pump and heater for the sump.

Step by step instructions on how to build your sump:

1) Take your divider and place in the centre of your sump and than silicone the sides to keep in place. (let the silicone set for 24 to 72 hours) Do not worry about how much silicone to use you want to make sure that it is sealed. You also want to make sure that your divider is not the same height as the sump it's self. Make the devider about 3inches shorter than the top of the sump. This is your overflow area.

2) Place your Bio balls or sponges in the right hand side of the sump. Put your back drop filter on this side as well.

3) Place your pump in the left hand side of your sump. The pump's funtion is to pump water into your tank from the sump. Make sure that you have the 1 inch hose attached to the pump with a ring clamp. Make sure that you put the heater in with the pump as this will help keep your fish tank heated.

4) Now that you have your sump together cut 2 holes in the bottem of your tank.(1 1/2 inches in size) Note: adjust to the size of your bulk heads before cutting the holes.

5) Once the holes are cut place your bulk heads inside the holes.

6) Glue your PVC pipes together before placing into bulk heads. (DO NOT GLUE THE PVC PIPES TO THE BULK HEADS AND DO NOT GLUE THE BULK HEADS) You do not want to glue the bulk heads. This is so you can move your tank.

7) Place your out take pipe on the left hand side which is attached to the pump. Place your drain the right had side. This drain is so that your tank can drain into the sump and go through the filtration system. Make sure that when you place your drain in it is the right side up.

once everything is into place you can now test your tank and sump together. Make sure that when you turn your pump off your sump will not over flow. You do need enough water in your sump so the pump does not suck air. You need to make sure that you have a small water fall going on the right hand side. (make sure that water is flowing from the right side into the left side) If you have no problem than everything is correct.

NOTE* the reason for turning your pump off is to test to see if the sump will overflow if there was ever a power outage.