custom sump

FWIW, my stand for my 30g doesn't even have a center brace.  The weight is distributed across the top which is supported mainly by the 4 corners so I would say that if your top in braced well by the corners that you could remove the center brace and put the sump in and put it back on or leave it off.  Take a look at the commercial stands and you will see what I mean.

http://www.melevsreef.com/55g/55sump.html   I am thinking about doing it this way myself.

yes i have seen buildin braces with 2x4's. i cant leave the center braces off as they hide the hole between the door. i would just take them off and then shave off what i need gone then put them back on. k hopefully this question will make sense. i have a 10 gallon tank that i want to use as my sump. i was told if i fill the sump like 3/4 of the way it will overflow when power goes out. a guy was saying something about how if my tank empties 1 inch it will empty 4.5 gallons??? no way that can be true cuz every 3-4 days i probably lose 1 inch from evaporation. it only takes like a gallon to re-fill it. so is that true? here is the real main question i have. if i were to drill holes toward the top of the sump tank, like maybe an inch from the top, could i just feel my sump up like 9 inches or so?  that way my protein skimmer is in water at all times. i would drill these top holes just for an in-case overflow and have some plumbing runnin into like a little couple gallon container. my 10 gallon tank is like 12 inches tall i believe. can i just fill the sump up to my liking? and what is this whole thing about how my tank will empty an inch form the overflow box(HOB type) if the power goes out?

Edited by rtparty

where in farmington are you located. that is quite the drive for me. i live at the very south end of draper. pretty much alpine and utah county area. i am still very interested in seein all your tanks so i might be able to make a trip up.