180 gallon tank build

Yup, break out the tape. The threads on the outlet of a barracuda see so much pressure that they barely seal WITH tape, I'd love to see the sprinkler effect it would cause without it :)
 
Hmmmmm...... with that being said, I regret to inform (everyone) that I have leaks. Not many, just a few. I have one here...

leak1.jpg


I added more glue to the area around it. Is this how people "fix" a leak when this happens?

The tank is also about a half inch off level on the left side. Should I shimmy the stand or the tank? I would imagine the stand because the tank should stay as level as possible...yes?

Also, there is a leak coming from the right side drain bulkhead. I suppose this just needs tightening. Same thing with the 2" bulkhead coming out of the sump that is feeding the return pump. The bulkhead is leaking. I did add teflon tape to the bushings on the pump. How does one tighten a bulkhead so large?? I thought that a good manual turn would work well enough. Should I put the plumber's putty on the threads of my bulkheads?

Lastly, and most worrisome, I feel like my pump is leeking off it's back end. I bought it used and the person who I bought it from said that he replaced ALL the seals inside it prior to selling. Any idea what to do here??

I'm SO frusturated right now, but I know that these things happen....right? What I am most concerned about is the pump. What can I do? Take it apart? I thought that I was so close to having this thing up and running and now this. Ok, I need to have a drink.
 
Last edited:
Or a case full of drinks :)

You can try lathering some glue on the joint, it MIGHT work... if it doesn't, you don't really have room there to splice, so you'd need to cut out the two elbows, re-do those, and splice in on the vertical and horizontal runs. I hope the glue works for ya :)

Putty on the threads won't help, do your best to tighten it some more, break out that elbow grease :). If you have a set of wide channel lock pliers, use those. A big enough pipe wrench can also work. Your best bet is to drain it a bit, loosen the bulkhead, lather a whole bunch of silicone in the opening, and re-tighten it down. Should help seal it.

As for the pump... Barracudas can be finnicky with their main seals. Is it leaking off the back end of the PUMP, or the MOTOR? Watch the shaft in operation and see if water is leaking from the pump on to the shaft. It can leak down the shaft, and spray in any number of directions, so bust out that flashlight and go lookin for it. If it IS the main shaft seal leaking (which is on the back of the pump), you can order replacements and they aren't too hard to replace yourself
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12479323#post12479323 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SkiFletch
Putty on the threads won't help, do your best to tighten it some more, break out that elbow grease :). If you have a set of wide channel lock pliers, use those. A big enough pipe wrench can also work. Your best bet is to drain it a bit, loosen the bulkhead, lather a whole bunch of silicone in the opening, and re-tighten it down. Should help seal it.
Click to expand...

Ok, 86 plumber's putty, 68 elbow grease. Got it. Don't I need to worry about cracking the tank by tightening it too much??

Silicone- are you saying to put silicone between the bulkhead and the outside glass?
 
There is a product called Tommy tape. I know Value carries it. When I did my 120ft of piping( 60 drain/60 return) , I had two small leaks. This tape looks like electrical tape and can be wrapped around the leak. It will bind to itself forming a seal within hours. It has worked for me for several years
 
Thanks tmz, I will give that a try if all else fails.

Another question... While the tank was full, If I bounced up and down on the floor, the tank moved a bit. Is this normal?
 
Mine does. I'm sure there is a bit of sag in the floor which gives it bounce.
 
Yeah, if I jump on my floor I can make a nice little wave action in my tank...

I mean put the bulkhead in place without the screw-down cowling and squirt silicone in the little gap between the cut edge of the glass and the bulkhead itself. Your holesaw is obviously bigger than the bulkhead threads, so fill that gap in with silicone. If a little squirts out into the inside of the tank that's fine. Then once that little dead space is filled (go ahead and overfill it a bit), screw it down real nice and tight and mount the plumbing to it. should fill your gap and seal it
 
I got the stand shimmed and used a level on it. It's perfect now!! My right drain was leaking because someone didn't put the gasket around the bulkhead :confused: Then I took the pump out and tighened every bolt with a wrachet (sp)..they were actually pretty loose. Last, I siliconed the 2" baffel to the inside of the tank. Now, let us pray.

I have to go to the store to get a couple of pipe clamps to secure the drain tubing inside the stand...that was a bit loose too. Thanks for all of the advice. I'll fill it up again later. Wish me luck!!!!
 
I have water in it and the pump is running. There is still a very slow drip coming from the return pipe and the pump (after tightening all the bolts) seems to still be leaking a bit. Do Sequence pumps need a break-in time? It's a used pump, but as I said earlier, all of the gaskets and seals were replaced prior to selling it to me. Other than that, the 2" bulkhead (not baffel) is not leaking anymore and everything seems to be running well so far.

After draining the system tomorrow, what is the best way to fill it? I have a 55g rubbermaid bucket next to the sump with Ro made. Should I just pump the ro into the sump and mix in the salt as I go? After the sump is filled, it makes sence to turn on the pump and put some water in the 180. Then repeat the process till I'm done. Sound good???

Also, why isn't the 1" bulkhead drain on my 30g fuge handling the water? I have the ball valve (feeding the 30) almost all the way back!! I like that I have so much flow going through my display, but I wish I had some flow in the 30 aswell...you know?

After I have the salt water in there with my new live rock, how long should I wait untill I can transfer the lr, corals and fish from my 30g?

Here is the pump with the mysterious leaky water.

IMG_2139.jpg


Here is the sump in action.

IMG_2136.jpg


This is a good water movement picture.

IMG_2145.jpg


And here she is.....notice that there are no microbubbles being pumped in from my fuge return line :D

IMG_2141.jpg
 
Last edited:
Look here for where water may be coming out. There should be a gap somewhere between the blue pump head and the gray motor where you can see the shaft. See if that's your culprit

Sequence.jpg


Also, why isn't the 1" bulkhead drain on my 30g fuge handling the water? I have the ball valve (feeding the 30) almost all the way back!! I like that I have so much flow going through my display, but I wish I had some flow in the 30 aswell...you know?
Click to expand...

It's not a matter of the drain handling the flow, it's a matter of the sequence being able to deliver a massive amount of it (especially pressure). Remember, a 1" drain is limited to I think 600gph and a sequence pump at just a few feet of head is probably rated at 2000gph... With the fuge so close to the pump the pump "wants" to put more water to the fuge than it does the display. Which means you have to really close down the ball valve there to increase the head pressure to the point where the flow is not faster than the 600gph rating of the 1" drain :)
 
I took apart the pump today and then reasembled it tightening evey bolt real nice. I'v erun the pump a few time to transport the ro water from the basement to the main tank without any leaks. I hope it stays that way!!! I brought up the rock and put it in. I'm thinking that I may need a bit more. I'll have to see how it looks after I add the 30lbs of tutoka and tonga from my other tank. I want a nice open look so this may be fine.

IMG_2149.jpg


Lucy loves this stuff....

IMG_2153.jpg
 
I stacked the rock the way I want them (which I'm sure will be restacked 27 more times) and added 90lbs of sand. I would take a picture of it, but instead, I though we could do something a little more fun. First, walk over to your tank. Position yourself so that you are dirrectly in front of it. Now, take your left hand and cover your eyes and raise your right hand and slap yourself in the face. This is what my tank looks like right now...warm and fuzzy. The water is very murkey and will probably remain that way untill I get enough water in the system to turn on the return pump to turn over the water. Right now I have two of the Koralias in there just to keep the water circulating. My ro unit seems to be working well, producing 30 gallons ever 8 hours. At this rate, the system should be running by midnight tomorrow night. We'll see ;)
 
hey magdelan i looked at how you built your stand and it looks great but i see you didnt use any 2x4's or anything. is it safe to put that much weight on it ? thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Plumbing 300 gallon acrylic aquarium
Replies
3
Views
658
wvned
wvned
A
Plumbing question
Replies
1
Views
617
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
L
Equipment help
Replies
9
Views
336
oliver729
O
griss
WTT Lowboy Frag Tank
Replies
2
Views
188
griss
griss
DPauley
New Member and 2000 Gallon Tank
Replies
5
Views
718
DPauley
DPauley
Back
Top