45g DIY Cube Documentation

[Milleme]

Newreef, I'll have to try that. When I was messin with it I did pull a thin layer off the color side but it pulled the color up with it I guess all I need to do different is soap it.

Latazyo, thanx bro!

 

[Milleme]

Nothing big to update, I have just been doing finishing touches on the setup. I made some trays out of acrylic for the sump to hold media, made the standpipes (one is taller so it will be used as a backup, if one can't handle the flow I will lower the taller one..), painted the back of the fuge and assembled some basic plumbing parts. I dont want to start plumbing until I get the pump in so I can layout the equipment and space everything out right. The first pump I ordered was backordered so I ordered a different one from salty critter friday.

I also picked up some 100% polyester fabrick from Handcox to make some filter socks as well as black krylon fusion to paint the white pvc on the plumbing work.

 

[Milleme]

progression

progression

My pump finally came in so i am going to begin plumbing soon. Heres a pic of most of the most of the fittings the pump and the standpipes. I couldn't get a very good pic for some reason but watever here it is.

Heres a better pic of the standpipes. Any tips on making them better are welcome. I was thinking of putting some screen on the intake but am not sure if I want to bother with it. What do yall think.

I also painted the back and right side of the tank black with krylon fusion. Once I finish putting shelves on the cabinet for the equipment I will be able to start glueing the plumbing. Im hoping to finish this today or tommarow. pics to come..

 

[Milleme]

This is my ATO design so far. I am going to try and just use gravity to feed the reactor which will then go to the sump via gravity as well. If this doesnt work I guess I will need to get some kind of dosing pump. I have never set up an auto top off so I may need some help but it doesnt seem too complicated.

I have a Spectra Pure 90 gpd RO/DI unit but I have no way to connect it to my reservour. My bathroom is across the hall but I dont think there would be enough pressure to have the RO line go across the hall, my room and up to the reservour. So, I will most likely have to manually fill the reservour when ever it gets low.

Wait.

I just realized I could put the RO unit in my room and have the input line go across the hall, this would give me enough pressure from the sink, maybe. Then the RO would top off the reservour when ever it gets low. This will probably require an elaborate layout of a soleniod and float swithches though right. Then I will need somwhere to bleed the waste water..... I am a tad confused if you can't tell so any tips would be helpful. What I really need is someone to come look at my setup in person. If any one local would be interested in helping me out shoot me a pm.

 

[Chrisrush]

I don't think that you need a standpipe for the taller, emergency drain.

 

[Milleme]

ya i guess your right. But it wont hurt anything having it there will it? If I decide I need more flow I can just shorten it and have two drains. But I doubt I will need more flow.

 

[serenity]

Great job on the tank, wish I was more handy hehe. I am having the same size tank built for the kids. Keep up the great work!

 

[argetni44]

are those returns on the bottom of the tank in that one shot of the tank in construction a few pics down on the first page? or part of the aquascaping?

 

[argetni44]

now that ive seen where you have gone with this project the whole way... i like it a lot... at first i was just looking at the first page... but i have to say... nice job man...

 

[manderx]

i wouldn't worry about running the output of the RO far. i have a friend that has his go up into his attic, 30' across, then down to his sump. some people recommend bumping up to 3/8" for long runs like that, but since the flow rate is so slow i'm not sure if it really matters.

running kalk through a float valve is usually a bad idea. it'll get crusty over time and might have trouble sealing.

so i'd get a float switch or two, relay and a cheap peristaltic off ebay. or get an adjustable peristaltic and use it with a timer to work like a litermeter. nice thing about the peristaltic over other pumps (powerhead/aqualifter) is you can suck water through the kalk reactor rather than push. this way when the tip clogs it'll just blow out the clog rather than leaking out the reactor body.

then get a solenoid for the input on the RO so you can have it come on once a day automatically just long enough to fill a small topoff reservoir up to a float valve.

 

[Milleme]

serenity Great job on the tank, wish I was more handy hehe. I am having the same size tank built for the kids. Keep up the great work!

Thanx. Goodluck with your tank, let me know if you start a thread for it.

argetni44 now that ive seen where you have gone with this project the whole way... i like it a lot... at first i was just looking at the first page... but i have to say... nice job man...

Thank you! You had me a little confused at first, I guess you were looking at newreefs tank.


Manderx, thanx for the info that cleared some of the fog. This is exciting news. NO MORE BUCKETS!! Do you know were I might be able to find a fitting to connect the RO line to my bathroom sink? Also does any one have any ideas about what to do with the waste water?

I wish I hadn't drilled my sump for the float valve now.... would it still work if I just poured warm RO water over it every week or two? I will probably just put a piece of acrylic over the hole.... How do you wire the relay to the perstaltic pump?

[/IMG]

I have this hospital pump ^^^. I couldn't ever figure out how to work the thing . But I got the feeling that it only doses and relies on gravity so I figured it wouldn't work for this application. Is it the same thing as a perstaltic pump?

For the solenoid do you have to have a relay for the float valve to signal the soleniod. My knowledge of solenoids is very limited, any links or info on how they work would be much appreciated.

Sorry about all the questions :strooper:

 

[manderx]

Do you know were I might be able to find a fitting to connect the RO line to my bathroom sink? Also does any one have any ideas about what to do with the waste water?

this is what you want for the RO to connect to the plumbing under a bathroom sink.
INLINE UNDERSINK SHUTOFF ADAPTER
http://thefilterguys.biz/fittings.htm

anyone selling ro parts probably has something similar.



for the wastewater, sending it outside for a garden is about the best, especially if it's automated. but you probably won't be using so much water that it'll be that big a deal. cut your shower a minute or two short most days and you'll probably save more water than you waste.

would it still work if I just poured warm RO water over it every week or two?

maybe. but it only takes that one clump to keep it from sealing. though to be honest, if it fills up over the float valve, it'll be putting alot of pressure on the gasket, which would probably be enough to bust the kalk clump and get a seal again. dunno, but it's best not to tempt it.

How do you wire the relay to the perstaltic pump?

depends on the pump. your hospital pump probably has a backup battery, which means you can't simply toggle the power on and off to turn it on and off. some have this bypassed, you may be lucky with yours. or you could forget the float switch and just manually tell it how much to dose per day (just like a litermeter). you'll just need to keep an eye on it and adjust it ever so often (much less often than you'd think).


if you do want to float switch it, and if it does turn on and off when you toggle the power, and not lock up in an error mode, then go to radio shack and get a 120v relay. relays are incredibly simple, the basic ones have 4 pins on them. 2 of them power an electromagnet and take the low voltage (9 or 12v usually) to activate it. this throws a switch inside that opens or closes the 120v circuit. so, use an appropriate power supply through a float switch to the relay. then wire the 120v pins to an outlet or chopped extension cord. you won't have any trouble with it.

I have this hospital pump ^^^. I couldn't ever figure out how to work the thing .

you need to get a dripset for it. it's a piece of tubing with stop-blocks in it to hold it in place with tension around the rollers.

But I got the feeling that it only doses and relies on gravity so I figured it wouldn't work for this application. Is it the same thing as a perstaltic pump?

if you find a dripset it should work. it is a kind of peristaltic. i prefer the regular lab ones though. the medicals rely on tension around the rollers to pinch the tubing (which cases the tubing to stretch over time and usually last 2-3 weeks). the lab ones squeeze the tubing between the rollers and a fixed wall and the tubing lasts years.

For the solenoid do you have to have a relay for the float valve to signal the soleniod.

if you get a 120v solenoid, you just wire it to an old plug and plug it right into a timer. nothing to it. do a quick search to see which one the cool kids are using these days. i got mine years ago off mcmaster.com for 20 bucks.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

i think both your stand pipes should be the same height...and one of them should have an upturned elbow..that way it will gurgle and flush..letting you know there is a problem..

and second thing i would do is go to your one of your local gas fitting outlets and buy yourself a can of Crown Rust Control...and spray the snot out of you sliders...i know the hinges inside my cabinet have completely rusted apart and my door fell off...as far as i know water never got directly on them either...

other then that....all i can say is wow your tank and craftsmanship are awesome...i am also in the midst of planning a cube...

 

[nynex]

Milleme I know this was earlier in the post.

But here is the description of the weldon #16 from http://www.rplastics.com/

Weld-On #16 Plexiglas Glue in Tubes, Pints and Gallons
Fast-setting, medium bodied (SYRUPY), high strength Acrylic cement. Also bonds
rigid PVC, ABS, styrene, butyrate, polycarbonate to themselves and each other, as
well as other plastics and porous surfaces. Great all-around Plexiglas and Lexan
Glue. May leave bubbles however the bonding strength is superior to #3 or #4 for
water-tight applications. If parts do not fit tightly, #16 helps fill the gap.

Also #40 is the one to use that melts the acrylic together. Ive used this before,
it bonded nicely but was a pain to use. The glue in applicator was only good for
20mins or so, when after that the applicator bottle became so hot I couldnt hold it
anymore. So you have to be fast.

The #16 is kinda messy and real syrupy...but it works very well to seal and fill in
any gaps...if you dont care about bubbles in your seams...

thought I would share..

 

[Milleme]

Manderx, thanx for all the info man your helpin me out a bunch! The only problem I have now is my parents..... they don't like the idea of having a line going across the hall. So I told them I would run it through the atic (they didnt fall for that one). My last idea was to run a hose from outside to my window and plumb it from there but it would probably freeze up in the winter. The only other thing I can think of would be to get a sink built into my room. But I don't even want to know how much that would cost.... Any ideas for me guys?? I havent tried bribing, or cherry on top yet.

Nanoreefwanabe, good Idea on the standpipe. That should be an easy fix. Thanx for the tip on the sliders to! Ill go check some places tomarow. You have to post a link once you start a thread for your build.

O ya, any ideas on were to locate one of those hospital pump dripsets? My neighbor is a nurse so I may ask her. But I don't think Ill be using it for the auto top off I wouldn't have the patience to change out the tubing every 2-3 weeks. I may incorpurate it with a rotifer breeding station or something later on.

 

[Milleme]

nynex, thanx for the info on the weldon. Now if any one asks ill know what to tell them. I saw the #16 at the plastics store but im not sure if I want to mess with applying it although it probably would help (I have a couple bubbles, the pics just dont show it...)

 

[manderx]

i'm following this thread especially closely because a friend and i are about to get started on a pair of 28x24x20 tanks very similar to yours. 28" wide just so it'll be easier to cram 24" fluorescent supplements over it if we want. that and make the bottom, back and top bracing out of black. but otherwise pretty much the same thing.


i hate #16. too many bubbles in it as it dries. i love 40 though. i mix it and apply with a syringe or paintbrush depending. i was originally thinking of doing the joints with 40 because it seems easier for me to get bubblefree joints, plus it's stronger than 4. but since *everyone* seems to use 4 i'll play it safe and use 4 myself. but i might go over all the inside joints with a fillet of 40 just because.

 

[Milleme]

Sounds like a fun build, I would now..... Why make the top brace out of black? Wouldn't that shade the tank. Or is it to make the side panes hidden so that the eye is focused on the middle?

Ya you better stick with #4, dont want to upset the acrylic gods.

 

[manderx]

Why make the top brace out of black? Wouldn't that shade the tank. Or is it to make the side panes hidden so that the eye is focused on the middle?

i'm planning on keeping the brace around 2" wide so it shouldn't shade anything. and black because clear means one more place to clean as salt creep and lime scale builds up under it. and i've never seen it before, so why not.

and i just thought of the greatest reason of all. so that you're not looking at bubbles in the seams

 

[Milleme]

I think it will look pretty cool. Looking straight on will give it a frame. No bubbles, no problems. It would be interesting to see a tank with all the sides but the front, top and bottom black.

What do you use to clean the outsides. I remember reading windex is bad.