Build thread dead before started?

[irahmatulla]

So, I am/was super stoked today, getting ready to set up my 125g! Biggest tank I have ever owned. Pieced together pieces over time and just got my stand in. Stand is completely level and square, however....the floor is not! :mad2::mad2: I bought some insulation style foam, roughly 1'' thick to put under the tank to act as shock absorber due to the fact this tank will be right next to stairs. I have excess. I presume it is a joist that has had no real pressure on it that is holding it up in the center. My question is, can I use some of this foam to shim up either side and as the time goes on and the tank/stand settles will it be safe? I know if the tank is out of level it will put additional stress on the sides and seams. Please help, my foyer/dining room is a wreck from me taking apart my 60g cube and everything is in buckets awaiting their new home.

 

[darth reefer]

Don't use the foam. It will just squash down as it settles. Get some wood shims and shim the stand so that its level.

 

[irahmatulla]

See that is my worry though, that wood shims will hold it up, and as the center joist gets pressure it will sink but the shims will hold it up. The foam however would settle as much as the pressure allows and then distribute accordingly right? Almost acting as a self leveler? (btw this is some pretty durable foam. I used the term foam because it is not 100% solid, but it will probably only give so much.)

 

[irahmatulla]

After much "googling" I have received mixed signals. Most of which is about foam between tanks and stand, opposed to stand and floor. 2ruble, did you use foam under the stand or the tank? The main thing I am hearing is "the foam is going to crush to the point you once were." I highly doubt this stuff will compress to nothing, and I know water has a way of leveling itself. So this is only meant to take pressure off of the seams of the tank until the floor/stand settle to a nice distributed weight point. The foam in question is marketed as "panel insulation".

 

[irahmatulla]

Just heard back from the fish store, they approve! Eating dinner and then mixing salt! Crumby build thread INCOMING!

 

[saltloco]

Never seen a crumby build thread really. I can't wait to see what ya have.

 

[irahmatulla]

Well, a few hours later, I got the stand level! I got the tank inside. WOW I will tell you what, lifting that tank to waist level or into a truck is no where near as hard as chest level/stand level. This thing is still a work in progress, but just got most of my plumbing finished. Realized right as I was putting it together I missed the piece required to connect my danner to my return line. Question for everyone, I always see so much plumbing, almost looks like too much. I know some times it is for extra's like reactors and sterilizers. My drain, I just put a short pvc piece and then some flex tube to the sump, and return is going to be straight piped with a union for pump maintenance and a ball valve just in case my flow isn't perfect. (first plumbed tank ever too!) Also, I originally wanted a Durso standpipe but there is not enough room in the over flow for it. So I have a 1'' pvc with a T at the top just below the teeth. Is this going to be loud or cause problems in the future.

 

[irahmatulla]

Mighta shot myself in the foot here. So, whats the word with pvc glue/primer. The can says 2 hour cure time, some sites suggest 24 hours. Some say none are aquarium safe, some say potable water is safe for aquariums. Kind of trembling right now. Just glued my unions and ball valves and am so anxious to finish filling the tank and start circulation and making the necessary adjustments! btw I bought the two part pack of purple primer and clear glue that is sold in the pvc aisle of home depot

 

[jdavid]

I once made an overflow out of PVC.. And I glued it.never had any problems with that, but I did not use the glue on the parts that were totally submerged inside the tank.

 

[irahmatulla]

I too am not glueing the parts that will be submerged but the return line and such are glued. I am curious though if a longer cure time is required or if I start pumping at 2 hours if that will leach into my tank and kill the corals that are not yet in there.

 

[rdnelson]

It is used for gluing PVC for domestic water lines. If it is safe for you to drink it is safe for your fish and corals.

 

[irahmatulla]

yes, but copper in small amount is safe for human consumption, deadly for corals. I don't doubt you guys but I am just skeered as I am new to plumbing. With the go ahead from a mod I am going to start pumping soon!

 

[jdavid]

I would let it sit overnight... Just to be safe

 

[rdnelson]

Yes, I would give it over night. That smell when you open the can is the drying agent. It will "Off Gas" for a while. A bit of that may dissolve in the water if you don't give it some time. Probably would be fine but can't hurt to wait a day.

 

[ripped tide]

I've glued stuff and had a tank running minutes later. Never had a problem. I've also never read the labels :doh:

I've seen many folks glue and have water running through within minutes.

I like the Weld-On 750 Hot Weld. I didn't see anything about aquariums on the warning label.

 

[irahmatulla]

Well, I waited a few hours and it is currently running. The drain, not so loud, the pump/sump frickin riptide crushing down. Mainly the pump itself. It is a danner 9.5 at about 4.75 ft head. Also only have the ball valve about 3/4 the way open. If I blast it, it will overflow the tank and the sump gets LOUDER and kinda splashy. Will this sound of vibration tone down on the pump once it gets a little broken in? The rushing water I am sure I can deal with. Also on the flex tube I have on the drain, I have it coming out well under the water line because I know the sound of falling water can be loud, but the tube is not full. It somewhat spirals down with lots of big bubbles. This is normal I presume, and I have heard once the plumbing gets a slime coat some of those bubbles will go away. Is there anything in specific I need to watch out for. Or recommended? I sat there with the surge protector in hand with my finger on the button for about 15 minutes just waiting. I am literally terrified. This is a lot of water, somewhat high up. Lots of damage could come of this. I presume also that this is common for a first timer? I mean, 90g on cinderblocks with a lil carpet on a slab is one thing. 125g four foot in the air, sitting on something an amature carpenter made, on top of 100 year old wood flooring.

 

[jennm]

Copper is a trace element, necessary to *all* life. TRACE is the operative word. There's a world of difference between a trace amount and a "therapeutic dose" (ie to kill parasites).

I would have shimmed the stand... the foam will just compress where the pressure is most. It might not keep things level.

 

[reeferman]

i would have not used the foam under the stand.it will not self level.it will over time compress until its flat,level or not.the best advice was wood or composite shims.if foam board was self leveling,then it would have made life as a carpenter so much easier but it doesnt.it is made for insulating walls.if your lfs gave you the ok to do that,i would question any advice from them from now on.that is terrible advice and should not have been listened to.i guarantee you will never get the ok to do that from anyone in a construction field,only from laymen who "think" it is ok.we use the product all the time and know its limitations.

 

[eagle9252]

<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana">Need more info on tank and sump. Pictures are great also. As for the foam. Only use foam between rimless tanks so no glass to wood. If it has a rim it can compress in different areas due to weight in the tank. For example more live rock on one side verses the other. This will/could cause it to stress the glass panels and over time cause a leak or a panel failure.</span></span>

<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana">We really need to see how your plumbing is set up. you can add a tee and another ball valve to loop some of the water back into the sump if needed.</span></span>

<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana">I know we are not running 200psi through the pipes but it is best to allow the pipe to sit and cure for 2hrs and then i take and raise the pipes out first to remove the gas and thing left so it's not in the tank. it wont hurt it but why do it if you don’t have too. Also that’s the best thing about setting up a new system. You can test everything and rinse out all the pipes while checking for leaks and then drain it.</span></span>

<span style="color: black"><span style="font-family: Verdana">my 27cube was so noise I was ready to throw it out the window. I had to enlarge the pipes and add an extra fittings to reduce the noise and water splashing. I so suggest a bean animal style or a modified herbie/ durso. The ba is better as it has 3 drains and one is only used during startup and if something happened to the other 2 drains. One is siphon that has a bv in it to throttle it back some and one is an open channel with an air tube looped back to turn it into a full siphon if the other drain get clogged or restricted. </span></span>

 

[irahmatulla]

reeferman;834405 wrote: i would have not used the foam under the stand.it will not self level.it will over time compress until its flat,level or not.the best advice was wood or composite shims.if foam board was self leveling,then it would have made life as a carpenter so much easier but it doesnt.it is made for insulating walls.if your lfs gave you the ok to do that,i would question any advice from them from now on.that is terrible advice and should not have been listened to.i guarantee you will never get the ok to do that from anyone in a construction field,only from laymen who "think" it is ok.we use the product all the time and know its limitations.

As much as I appreciate all input I personally think this was done in poor taste. I understand this is not the ideal solution. I had done much reasearch outside of just that of my lfs. "The best answer" would be any personal experience. As someone stated there are products out there that "laymen" would refer to as foam that will stand up to a lot of weight. This is more than just aspects of carpentry, there are a lot of physics involved. With this being stated, yes some additional stress may be incurred. However where the stress is applied is important. Also, it was stated in the original post that this is my first tank of this magnitude. Not only do I feel like you condemned me, but also insulted the intelligence of everyone that did not agree with your absolute suggestion. Not only will the foam compress but the wood as well. The tank is currently full of water and a majority of the rock is going to be on the side with no "foam". It is currently out of level by 1/8th inch over a 5 foot span. It is level front to back so no twisting will occur.