280G+ Starphire In-Wall Build by ReefArtist

[ReefArtist]

I knew you would have it all figured out Mike, but just needed to hear it from you. So, I'm not to far off base with using the plug then. I went to Lowe's today looking for true unions the only type they had local to me was the real cheap brand - not heavy duty at all. I then when to my local Home Depot looking for the same part - the kid in the plumbing department didn't know what a true union was - go figure. I looked around and it appears they don't carry any union/ball valve combinations. Sounds like mail order or driving around looking.

 

[mflamb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11019404#post11019404 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist
I knew you would have it all figured out Mike, but just needed to hear it from you. So, I'm not to far off base with using the plug then. I went to Lowe's today looking for true unions the only type they had local to me was the real cheap brand - not heavy duty at all. I then when to my local Home Depot looking for the same part - the kid in the plumbing department didn't know what a true union was - go figure. I looked around and it appears they don't carry any union/ball valve combinations. Sounds like mail order or driving around looking.

I bought all the "nonstandard" plumbing parts from Savko and Aquatic Eco Systems.
How are you feeling???

 

[ReefArtist]

Mike - thanks for the Savko link, I made note of it when you were doing your plumbing. I have a big order for them now but haven't had the nerve to actual send it - $$$.

Oh- I'm doing OK. I'd like to really get things moving but - I'm not supposed to lift anything for a month - right!!! It'll get done some time. I did get my freshwater tank setup, once that is cycled I can move my old freshwater guys into their new home. I have some big monsters in that tank right now - I know they're alive (I can see them under their rock) but I haven't really seen them in months. I let them do their thing which is hunting at night.

Hey - I "herd" things over on TBRC is getting hot again, I think I'll just stay over here for a while .

 

[SVTour]

Wow, I'm kind of surprised that HD didn't have what you needed. I think my whole setup is from Lowe's and HD...

Oh well, it will probably be cheaper on line anyway. You might want to get a couple extra items...you know, for when you screw up putting it together (wait, that was me).

 

[ReefArtist]

Hey - we reefers don't make plumbing mistakes - just new ways of doing the plumbing - right - HAHA. Oh, we'll see what surprises I can bring to the party - of course "you tell me yours I tell you mine" will be strickly enforced.

OK - I guess I need to get my order in - thanks Joey for the heads up on the ordering - I think I will order one extra of everything I can't get local (I'm confident ).

 

[SVTour]

I had dry fit everything...thought I had it down and started gluing...only to find I flipped the object around in my hand from the dry fit.

In the end I only lost a union, a ball valve and a couple elbows, but I'm sure others here lost more

 

[ReefArtist]

That’s a good one Joey â€"œ LOL. I could just imagine your face looking at your work trying to see how you put it together.

I have an old one with my 75g and it’s the first time I ever had a reef ready tank. I made sure my stand was nice and sturdy with two layers of ¾” plywood â€"œ that in itself is a good one â€"œ LOL.

Will I figured it would be better to put the bulkheads on first before I put the tank on the stand. I drilled the holes in the stand making sure it fit right in and the distance between them was perfect â€"œ it was. I placed the tank with the bulkheads in place fit was perfect and proceeded to finish the plumbing. Put the sand in filled it with water got the pumps running â€"œ looked great until I noticed a little drop of water coming from the bulkhead â€"œ MMMMMMmmmmm how can I re-seat that bulkhead with it being behind drawers â€"œ removed all the drawers only to find I made it so tight I couldn’t fit a tool on the bulkhead. So â€"œ I then spend the next 4 to 5 hours using a Foredom cutting out the wood all around the bulkheads and a big hole on the side of the stand â€"œ that was my new introduction to reef keeping! Not sure if it’s been uphill from that or down â€"œ there’s always a nice surprise around the corner. Hey â€"œ I didn’t have to purchase new plumbing parts .

 

[SVTour]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11032153#post11032153 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist
That’s a good one Joey â€"œ LOL. I could just imagine your face looking at your work trying to see how you put it together.

I have an old one with my 75g and it’s the first time I ever had a reef ready tank. I made sure my stand was nice and sturdy with two layers of ¾” plywood â€"œ that in itself is a good one â€"œ LOL.

Will I figured it would be better to put the bulkheads on first before I put the tank on the stand. I drilled the holes in the stand making sure it fit right in and the distance between them was perfect â€"œ it was. I placed the tank with the bulkheads in place fit was perfect and proceeded to finish the plumbing. Put the sand in filled it with water got the pumps running â€"œ looked great until I noticed a little drop of water coming from the bulkhead â€"œ MMMMMMmmmmm how can I re-seat that bulkhead with it being behind drawers â€"œ removed all the drawers only to find I made it so tight I couldn’t fit a tool on the bulkhead. So â€"œ I then spend the next 4 to 5 hours using a Foredom cutting out the wood all around the bulkheads and a big hole on the side of the stand â€"œ that was my new introduction to reef keeping! Not sure if it’s been uphill from that or down â€"œ there’s always a nice surprise around the corner. Hey â€"œ I didn’t have to purchase new plumbing parts .

Yeah, I keep the part I screwed up on the window seal...just to keep myself in check when I get over confident.

I'd hate if one of my 'out of the location' bulkheads leaked. I'm having enough issues with the one coming off the sump, as it's been leaking since I cleaned the pump this past weekend.

 

[cannarella]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10998635#post10998635 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist
I'm having a space problem with my pumps so I'm seeking some advice. Below I've posted some photo (worth a thousand words) of my space problem. I have two barracuda pumps for my return but my concern is the space between the sump and the frame of my refugium.

Does anyone have the dimension of a True Single Union Ball Valves? I'm going to purchase them from Savko and I'm not sure if the dimensions are the same as HD.

This is where I'm think of putting the Skimmer. I know it's high but I can reach the cup to clean it and it's out of the way. Will it function being that high? It's going to be feed off a tee from one of the Barracudas that will be located below it.

Here is a measurement - from the sumps frame to the pump - very tight, but will it fit?

It's about 5-3/4 from the frame but I could give it another half inch or so with the sump moved down as far as possible.

I am reading on how you are trying to figure out your pump locations but don't know where they are going in relation to the structure. Can you circle the location and the orientation that you are dealing with?

Have you considered mounting them vertically with the pump housing on the bottom and cooling fan on top? That would give you more room and keep the wet side down. Just bolt them to a 3/4" piece of plywood attached to that stand. That would actuall look pretty neat.

 

[ReefArtist]

Here's a little quick drawing to show my layout. I went with the 90 degree after looking at it and see how others had worked around the same problem. I was concerned about the 90 degree right as it was leaving the sump - I guess we do it all the time. What I decided to do is build a small cover over them - I can then use it as a step to make getting to the skimmer much easier. Making a bad thing in to a good - as always .

This of course is looking down on the fish room.

 

[cannarella]

Looks Good

If you are going to use 90deg I would suggest using long elbows for drainage and not the true 90 deg pressure ones. I had some cavitation problems with a true 90 deg right before the pump intake. If you haven't purchased the bulkheads yet I would suggest a 2" off the sump through the elbow and then reduce it to 1 1/2" right before the pump intake. This way the weight of the water in the sump is supplying the pump and there is less suction through the 1 1/2" diameter.

 

[ReefArtist]

Thanks Andy, I have purchased the bulkhead and they are 2". I wanted to make sure my input and output were the same. I had heard about the problem with cavitation and so I talked to my LFS that I frequent - he explained all about it and suggest I go with 2" throughout. Thanks for the suggest on the long elbows - I think I'll use those throughout my design. I would think it would not only give better flow but also gunk wouldn't get stuck.

I have to post your build here - I love your woodworking skills :. When I get to my detailed woodworking I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11006248

 

[cannarella]

Feel free, I will trade my woodworking know how for that bandsaw...

 

[ReefArtist]

Hey - don't be touching my bandsaw, I'm just now getting to know it and love it. It is a dream tool to use but does take some time to learn. I purchased it over getting a new table saw - which I really don't like using at all. I wish I did but they just scare me. On my old table saw I finally removed the blade guard and now I feel it's much safer. Yes I now cut my hand off but my wood would always get stuck in the teeth and the splitter - that was dangerous in my opinion. We'll see once I get to my detail work - I know I'll have to use my table saw for a few things .

 

[cannarella]

I love my table saw. Leaving the house now for the drive to Tampa. Will be stopping by FAOIS later this afternoon.

 

[ReefArtist]

Andy - I hope you've enjoyed your trip and I'm really sorry about the sand taking longer then expected.

I'm thinking about purchasing a new table saw, I've been looking around for one at least. I have a real small one now and I think that is a big issue. When cutting anything over a foot or so wide, it's just not stable enough.

Thanks everyone for all the help and information it has really helped me through some problem spots.

I've been reading a lot lately about RDSB here on RC and would love to hear from anyone that has some experience with them. I have high nitrates in my 65g tank now and I want to build a way to reduce or at least keep them in check in my 280g.

Here are the options I've been looking at:
Remote Deep Sand Bed (RDSB)
Denitrator Unit
Sulfur reactor

If anyone has been using these I'd love to hear the pros/cons. I can read about them all day, but I like to hear from people that are actually using these methods.

 

[cannarella]

Find a used contractors saw or cabinet saw, tune it up, get a good fence, and blade. You will be happy.

 

[Ah64av8tor]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11090417#post11090417 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefArtist

I've been reading a lot lately about RDSB here on RC and would love to hear from anyone that has some experience with them. I have high nitrates in my 65g tank now and I want to build a way to reduce or at least keep them in check in my 280g.

Here are the options I've been looking at:
Remote Deep Sand Bed (RDSB)
Denitrator Unit
Sulfur reactor

If anyone has been using these I'd love to hear the pros/cons. I can read about them all day, but I like to hear from people that are actually using these methods.

Carol,

I have a RDSB/ plenum (175 g fuge/sump) on my 360 gal prop system and a Sulfur Denitrator on my 150. I haven't checked the numbers on the prop system because it only has softies now.

The Sulfur Denitrator on my 150 has knocked the high nitrates down below detectable levels in just over a month, and it has to be one of the easiest DIY I have done yet. Brucem has had similar results with the same DIY. The media lasts for years and you don't have to dose a carbon source like you do with the other Denitrators.

 

[chrismhaase]

Carol I was thinking of getting a table saw too, one place I found some deals if you know what you are looking for is pawn shops. AS long as you know what you are looking for the store managers are willing to bargain the price if you make an offer. I got a nice Craftsmen router for $10 at a pawn shop. You would be surprised how many tools are there! Something I did as well was call a few shops in my area before I left and got an idea what tools they had that I was looking for.

 

[Kubi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11123865#post11123865 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ah64av8tor
Carol,

I have a RDSB/ plenum (175 g fuge/sump) on my 360 gal prop system and a Sulfur Denitrator on my 150. I haven't checked the numbers on the prop system because it only has softies now.

The Sulfur Denitrator on my 150 has knocked the high nitrates down below detectable levels in just over a month, and it has to be one of the easiest DIY I have done yet. Brucem has had similar results with the same DIY. The media lasts for years and you don't have to dose a carbon source like you do with the other Denitrators.

I'll trade you sand for a Denitrator JK


I also been reading good things about sulfur denitrator as well. As soon as I get the rest of my stuff hooked up I am going to add one.