75 Gallons of Persistence

[iwishtofish]

Today I shimmed some corners of my sump platform to level it a bit. I was only able to slide shims in from one side, though, and I know that is not ideal. Well, I can't think of any other solution that doesn't involve backing out all screws and using a planer. Not going to happen. I'm getting too tired of the little details! I slid the sump in tonight and discovered it rocked a tiny bit if I lifted hard. One more corner to shim! :twitch:

Tonight I confirmed I can get the skimmer over the rim of the tank and into the sump when the sump is in place. At least that is good.

But the bad is that now I am beginning to seriously question whether or not there will be enough space in my sump for back-flow when the pump is turned off. That skimmer takes up valuable real estate above my baffles.

I guess the freshwater wet test will answer that question!

 

[project-roc]

I think it will mostly depend on how quick you can get the syphon to stop once the power goes out. The quicker you can, the less will back flow into the sump.

 

[iwishtofish]

I think it will mostly depend on how quick you can get the syphon to stop once the power goes out. The quicker you can, the less will back flow into the sump.

Yes, I think I have a plan for that! At first I was annoyed that my return pipe reached higher above the rim of the tank than I had planned:

However, now I think it can be to my advantage based on your heads-up. I'll be attaching a segment of Loc-Line to the pipe, and I can experiment with the nozzle being either right at the waterline or just a hair below. Perhaps this can eliminate or minimize back siphon enough to make a big difference.

 

[iwishtofish]

I'm finally getting the opportunity today to work on some of the little jobs. Maybe I'll get the opportunity to post some pics tonight.

 

[c0mp|ex]

It's coming along nicely! I was also worried about how much backflow i would get. My current plan is going to be leaving the locline very near the surface. I might also get a Y adapter so i can have 2 locline's coming into the tank so that i can leave one underwater and one near the surface.

 

[iwishtofish]

It's coming along nicely! I was also worried about how much backflow i would get. My current plan is going to be leaving the locline very near the surface. I might also get a Y adapter so i can have 2 locline's coming into the tank so that i can leave one underwater and one near the surface.

The theory being, obviously, that the one at the surface acts as the siphon break for the other? That sounds like a good idea to me!

 

[iwishtofish]

Some progress...no matter how little!

I mounted the Aqua Lifter pump and ATO controller. I hope it's ok to have the pump hang vertically:

I'm guessing it must be, as there is this little hanger thing on the pump. It's kind of delicate, that thing is, as I think I cracked it when I accidentally applied very little leverage against the screw. Maybe you can see the crack in this photo:

Regardless, the Aqua Lifter seems to be pretty securely in place. I can always support it from below if it wants to move around.

Then I added a piece of bonded plywood to my reactor hanger, so that the reactors will hang more vertically vs. at a slight angle. Why such a large piece of wood? Well, the BRS reactor is tapered, and needed to be pushed out higher up on the body than the 2LF reactor. The BRS reactor is not in this picture because I can't get the sump in and out with it bolted in place.

Next step was to hang the LED sump lights:

As I mentioned before, it's really tough to get a realistic photo of the light from these fixtures, but this picture offers a fairly accurate portrayal of the light spread:

These wires are going to be a pain to organize. This shot doesn't even show the wires for the skimmer, return pump, heater, powerheads, etc...

 

[shaggss]

IWTF

Making good progress!

Yes the wires are a real pain. Try this:

http://esgllc-usa.com/Canalplast 2006 catalog.pdf

It is good for hiding all the wires but I am going to add some quick disconnects to the equipment that needs to be removed occasionally such as skimmer etc.....of course this will void your warranty!

HTH

cheers :beer:

 

[lhope4000]

Enjoying tagging along waiting you progress. I purchased some Panduit style wire management on Ebay. Sellers name Spensul. $9.00 for 36"'
It comes with a cover with is not in the picture. Keep up the good work.

 

[Patrick Cox]

Enjoying your build! Great work!

 

[iwishtofish]

IWTF

Making good progress!

Yes the wires are a real pain. Try this:

http://esgllc-usa.com/Canalplast 2006 catalog.pdf

It is good for hiding all the wires but I am going to add some quick disconnects to the equipment that needs to be removed occasionally such as skimmer etc.....of course this will void your warranty!

HTH

cheers :beer:

Enjoying tagging along waiting you progress. I purchased some Panduit style wire management on Ebay. Sellers name Spensul. $9.00 for 36"'
It comes with a cover with is not in the picture. Keep up the good work.View attachment 140419

Great suggestions, shaggss and lhope4000 - thanks!

Enjoying your build! Great work!

Thank you for the compliment, Patrick!

 

[c0mp|ex]

I really like the look of those par 38 bulbs! I'm now considering using one for my fuge light. Might be pricier than a simple compact fluorescent but it looks so good! I wonder how the macroalgae growth would be under one of those.

 

[iwishtofish]

I really like the look of those par 38 bulbs! I'm now considering using one for my fuge light. Might be pricier than a simple compact fluorescent but it looks so good! I wonder how the macroalgae growth would be under one of those.

Yes, a little pricier than CFL, but they'll give me the option (I'm hoping) of keeping frags in the fuge. I don't know for sure about the macroalgae, but I'm thinking it will grow. I'll probably isolate some chaeto in that section of my sump, so I'll likely find out.

 

[JCeballos27]

Awesome thread, iwishtofish! I just read the whole thing and love the look of it so far! I just got a 75 gallon Reef Savvy rimless tank that I'm going to slowly hook up. I'll be building a thread as well. I'll post the link soon. I look forward to continuing to see your progress.

 

[iwishtofish]

Awesome thread, iwishtofish! I just read the whole thing and love the look of it so far! I just got a 75 gallon Reef Savvy rimless tank that I'm going to slowly hook up. I'll be building a thread as well. I'll post the link soon. I look forward to continuing to see your progress.

Hey, thank you, J! It certainly has taken me a while, hasn't it?

Sounds like a nice tank you'll be setting up! I'll watch for your build thread!

 

[iwishtofish]

No physical progress over the past day or two, but I do have a couple of thoughts about the game plan (opinions welcome!).

Live Rock:

Originally I wanted to go with all dry rock for two reasons - to save money, and to avoid the possible pests that can hitchhike on the live rock. Now I am not so sure. With my last tank (the 29g), I loved some of the good surprises that came with my tank:

The rock

Feather dusters

Stomatella snail

Cool unidentified algae

Cool unidentified algae 2

Spaghetti worms

...and some other things I liked, such as halimeda and pods.

Then, there were the bad surprises:

Vermited snails (see it on the montie?)

Lobophora algae (here in its infancy - a scourge!!)

And, an assortment of other wonderful algaes

After that brief presentation, I remember more vividly how much I loved the good stuff, and hated the bad stuff. What a trade-off!

 

[c0mp|ex]

My input is to go with mostly dry rock and then add a few pieces of live rock to add life. Keep the live rock in a separate containers first to monitor for pests and remove what you don't want.

 

[iwishtofish]

My input is to go with mostly dry rock and then add a few pieces of live rock to add life. Keep the live rock in a separate containers first to monitor for pests and remove what you don't want.

Hmmm...interesting idea. Perhaps I could make a small separate island with the live rock? Still sounds like there would be some risk (ie flatworms, etc), but at least I'd have a chance at isolating pests. As a plus, I imagine my cycle would likely be faster.

 

[iwishtofish]

Unless somebody changes my mind, I've tentatively decided to use some live rock with my dry rock. I wasn't feeling I had entirely enough rock (I'd like my fish to have a place to hole up) to begin with, and hey, sometimes dealing with pests can be an interesting challenge!

I dumped some vinegar into my tub of dry rock last night. Surely something is going to come off of that rock in the process, and whatever does won't be in my new system. I'll let that all slosh around for a while while I build the skimmer stand and the return pump platform. Hoping to report progress on that today or tomorrow, and to get the sump back in the stand permanently.

 

[iwishtofish]

I've upped the progress speed to a snail's pace.

Yesterday and today, I worked on a couple of the little things that are between me and water. (WARNING: Excruciatingly boring! You have better things to do with your time than to read on!)

I fashioned a skimmer stand. I know I'm not the first out there to do it this way, and hopefully it will work fine. It will place my skimmer in 8.5" of water - the manufacturer recommends 6"-10" of water, if I am recalling correctly.