New new tank saga

[RonS]

OK, so... I can’t ever stop “tinkering”....

Starting up the hobby again after a 10-15 year hiatus. Bought a 45 gallon AIO that I chipped getting into the house (and subsequently sold to another member).

Replaced it with a Red Sea Max Nano that’s now about 3 weeks old. Now I’ve decided that It is too small for me (that’s why I bought the 45 in the first place). Look for the Nano to come up for sale in a few weeks

Instead, I will be replacing it with a gorgeous Seapora 48 gallon, low-iron tank (36x18x18).

Some highlights of the new setup:
Dual AI Prime HD
IceCap Gyre 1K
Exotic Marine Systems DIY 20” overflow
Exotic Marine Systems DIY 40B sump kit (Aqueon 40 breeder for sump)
Dual 100W Cobalt Neotherm heaters
Seneye PH / Ammonia temp monitor
SR Aquaristik Pro Skim 80
SR Aquaristik 1500 DC return pump
DIY monitoring for various other parameters using an Odroid C1+ SBC

I don’t have all the pieces yet, but I plan on moving forward as quickly as possible. I’ve attached some photos of the stand I’m building. It’s wider and deeper than the display tank (the Aqueon is just there for reference) because that is what fits the space (and it also lets my run the plumbing down through the top of the stand). The finished stand will be around 45” high when completed, as I prefer my tanks closer to eye level.

I’ll try to document progress as I go.

How do I get myself into these messes????

—Ron

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[ZapataInc]

Aww man. You could have gotten my IM 40gal AIO.

 

[RonS]

Aww man. You could have gotten my IM 40gal AIO.

I really considered that tank! But I really just wanted to play with a sump all along


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[jcook54]

Ya, I'd say you got bit by the reef bug again and this time it's a real doozy.

 

[RonS]

LOL - indeed!!

Kid has been off from school, so haven’t made much progress. Skinning the stand now. Sump and overflow components from Exotic Marine Systems arriving today. Pump will be here tomorrow.

I need to order Miracle Mud. Possibly salt - I really don’t want to make a ton of trips to the LFS. But I also hate using tap water.... :/

more updates as progress is made...

 

[ZapataInc]

LOL - indeed!!

Kid has been off from school, so haven’t made much progress. Skinning the stand now. Sump and overflow components from Exotic Marine Systems arriving today. Pump will be here tomorrow.

I need to order Miracle Mud. Possibly salt - I really don’t want to make a ton of trips to the LFS. But I also hate using tap water.... :/

more updates as progress is made...

Go ahead and invest in a RODI unit.

 

[RonS]

i dunno... I’ve been that route before. Long way to go for only a few gallons a month.

I think I will just have blind faith in Seachem Prime...

 

[RonS]

Ok, everyone - looking for an opinion...

It’s time to drill my tank. My original plan was to mount the overflow offset to one side. On the other side, I plan to split my 3/4” return with a 3/4” x 1/2” loc-line splitter. Each 1/1” loc-line would then get a randomizer nozzle.

Now I’m second guessing that decision. As an alternative, I could center-mount the overflow, split the return outside of the tank, and bring dual returns in, one on each side of the overflow.

Any arguments to be made one way or the other?

Thanks in advance!

—Ron

 

[lmm1967]

I like to keep drains and returns as simple as possible and use powerheads to manage the flow in the tank. I run either herbie or bean animal overflows - typically with just a simple return. This puts me in a position where I'm not relying on the overflows, flow through the sump and the return to actually do anything in the tank flow wise. This leaves me open to be able to put just about any return pump I want without having any impact on the tank. I prefer to build what I can, tinker, mess with stuff etc - but my drains and returns are kept simple and functional. This circle of water (drains, sump, return) is what makes the difference between water on your floor and water staying in your tank for years.

You're welcome to come by some time - I do not have the magical looking tanks many of the people here have - but, I do have 4 tanks up and running, each with a slightly different layout for the sump / overflow / return - all of which are very quiet and safe. I have never had an overflow and I've never had a siphon / drain not start after a return pump being powered off. I've had "things" get stuck in overflows, "things" get sucked up in to returns etc.

We leave town at least 3 or 4 times a year for at least a week and have never felt the need to have anyone keep an eye on our tanks.

 

[RonS]

I totally agree with keeping things simple. I definitely think that there is a tendency to over-size return pumps to compensate for movement in the tank... I’m a proponent of having less flow through the sump - giving more water contact to all the beneficial stuff living there - and more power heads for in-tank water movement.

In the past I either had hang-on-back/canister filters, or, the time I had a sump, an over-the-back overflow. Truly a hate-crime, those things are!!

So, I’m finally setting up my “grownup tank”. And, in case it isn’t painfully obvious, I like to tinker : )

Gotta find the happy medium....

I’m leaning towards center-mount overflow with dual returns on either side. I’ll go with 3/4” bulkheads and reduce to 1/2” with Loc-Line fittings inside the tank.

I can always just plug one of the bulkheads if I decide to go with a single return later on. Better to have it drilled now than decide I need a second one later!!

Thank you for helping me “think out loud”!!

 

[RonS]

Things are moving, but slowly... the bulkheads for the overflows came slip x slip instead of slip x thread. I definitely do not want to cement to my bulkheads! EMS claims they always ship slip x thread, so they are sending me new ones.

Black vinyl for back of DT showing up today. But I am hesitating on drilling it. I tested several times with an old piece of picture glass, and it cracked every time. Seems my drill mandrel is bent, and the wobble is playing hell with the glass. But I also tried on my drill press... much cleaner/better, but still a tiny crack. I am hoping that it's mostly due to the glass being so thin. I will try to get a piece of scrap 1/4" or larger from my local glass shop and try on something closer to tank glass.

Sump is assembled. Going to add a few customizations. Should be picking up the pieces from Professional Plastics in Austell tomorrow.

Speaking of... a question for everyone:

I have been super frustrated with trying to maximize flow while keeping sand in place on my current system. I have decided to go bare bottom on the new tank 18x36). Part of my plastics pickup tomorrow is a piece of 3/8" white LDPE for the bottom of the tank.

Anyone want to talk me out of it?? : )))

 

[bhodges82]

I hear that ldpe (starboard) is what a lot of people that run bare bottom tanks use.

 

[RonS]

Progress has been slow, but steady. Decided to test drill some glass from a picture frame, and it cracked every time - even on my Delta drill press. I suspect that it partly the super-thin glass, but also that the 35mm bit I have is out of round. I also got some scrap 1/4” glass from a local glass shop. It’s been too cold/rainy to run more tests, but the weather looks promising this week. Hopefully will get the tank drilled for the overflow and returns soon.

I pretty much have all the components ready. Got some acrylic from Professional Plastics to add a refugium chamber to the sump, and make a lid for the compartment where the drain enters to limit salt spray.

The sump barely fits in the cabinet the internal supports are too close together to slide the sump all the way to the right as of originally planned. Am considering thinking the studs out so the tank will fit, but I wanted it to be super strong due to the height I wanted. Will probably just leave it alone. I have enough vertical to mount the ATO reservoir on a shelf above the sump.

The cabinet is way more complete than what is shown here. I will try to get some pics up soon. The plywood for the doors is warped so I have some gaps I didn’t intend. I’ll figure out a work-around.

I will need to give the paint a week to dry before i put weight on it. It’s going to be difficult to be patient.

I’ll try to get some pictures of the other gear posted, if I have time.

Thanks for looking!

—Ron

 

[RonS]

It's been a long time, but there's finally progress to report!

- The system was fully assembled and leak-tested last week. Worked perfectly on the first try! Adjusting the Bean Animal overflow took a little work (first time dealing with this style), but I got it humming along once I realized my problem was actually too much flow. Really loving the SR Aquaristik DC 1500 pump! Strong and silent, and their customer service has been amazing.

- The DIY sump, weir, and overflow all worked perfectly as well. Again, can't recommend Exotic Marine Systems strongly enough. I could have done it cheaper with thinner, extruded acrylic, but their prices are hard to beat given what I priced out myself for just materials (black cell-cast). I added a segment bisecting the main / skimmer section to use as a refugium. The place where I got the acrylic (Professional Plastics - again, highly recommended, and offer local pickup) threw in a couple cutoffs of 1/4" extruded material that I intend to make into small boxes to hold 10 lbs of Miracle Mud in the 'fuge.

- Tank was drilled. I highly recommend the Drillax brand of diamond bits available on Amazon. I tried several brands, and the Drillax are superior. Black vinyl applied to the back of the tank. I will be cutting a sheet of white HDPE for the bottom of the tank. I will not take it all the way to the edges, but I do like the peace of mind of it being there to protect the bottom glass from live rock. I will be gluing it down with ASi aquarium sealant. I used it on the sump. It is SO superior to anything else I've used - especially the GE products which I previously swore by (especially where plastic is involved) - do yourselves a favor and get some!!

- I have been in the PC building world for a long time, and Noctua makes the best (if expensive) fans. I was super happy to discover that they now make IP-rated industrial-grade fans. Two 140mm units will be arriving tomorrow, and I will use them to exhaust air out of the cabinet. I am trying to keep this setup as close to silent as possible, so I do not want to make any huge cutouts in the back panel.

- I have two Kessil A360X Tuna Blue lights for this setup. I also bought a pair of their extension mounts. These will be fastened to the inside of the cabinet, and extend up through holes int he top. This will keep everything accessible from the inside, since the cabinet will be installed against a wall and I won't have access. This also keeps the mounts off the tank, and give me lots of flexibility for adjusting height over the water.

The plan is to make/mix the water on Monday, and move tanks on Tuesday. I'm building out a project plan, so hopefully I'm not forgetting anything... but if anyone has any suggestions I'm open!!

Thanks for reading this far

--Ron

 

[RonS]

It lives!!!!

 

[RonS]

...and we have light!! Loving these Kessils even more than I thought I would. SO much better than the AI Primes. They are mounted on the Kessil extension arms (screwed to the inside of the tank) because I didn’t want the weight/bulk on the rim of the tank. A total pain to assemble, but I’m very happy with the result. And I think the fishes are, too!

Next, re-install the Gyre and get the ATO working....

—Ron

 

[RonS]

Um, actually attaching the photo would be nice...

 

[RonS]

Things are moving forward, albeit slowly. Had a period of utter panic when I kept finding water are the rear base of the tank! Gulp!!

I looked for leaks in the plumbing, but couldn’t find any, so I had to face the reality of a leaking seam in the tank. But then I noticed that there were water drops further away from the tank, and not under any plumbing. Odd. Then I noticed water sitting on the top rim of the tank glass itself... my clowns are sleeping under the return nozzles and must sometimes splash tiny amounts of water up over the rim of the tank. LOLOL!!! Gotta figure out what to do about that that, but at least it’s not a leak!!

Other than that.... I wanted to mention all the help that I was given by Imm1967 during this tank move. He really came through for me, and I want him to know that his assistance and hospitality are greatly appreciated. He’s a great guy and the genuine article!!

thanks all,

—Ron

 

[RonS]

Things are moving forward, albeit slowly. Had a period of utter panic when I kept finding water are the rear base of the tank! Gulp!!

I looked for leaks in the plumbing, but couldn’t find any, so I had to face the reality of a leaking seam in the tank. But then I noticed that there were water drops further away from the tank, and not under any plumbing. Odd. Then I noticed water sitting on the top rim of the tank glass itself... my clowns are sleeping under the return nozzles and must sometimes splash tiny amounts of water up over the rim of the tank. LOLOL!!! Gotta figure out what to do about that that, but at least it’s not a leak!!

Other than that.... I wanted to mention all the help that I was given by Imm1967 during this tank move. He really came through for me, and I want him to know that his assistance and hospitality are greatly appreciated. He’s a great guy and the genuine article!!

thanks all,

—Ron

Sorry - didn't know how to tag @Imm1967 originally. Thank you!!


--Ron

 

[lmm1967]

Looking forward to seeing your tank progress. You’re off to a great start.