75g Reef Project Journal

[buzzbait00]

Ok!This thread is under construction(it looks and sounds like the house is to).This is the set up as it was when I picked it up.

The finish was too dark for me and had some dings and scratches so I decided to strip it to the wood.Glad I did because the grain was beautiful.Refinished it in Cherry stain and gloss Poly.

After talking with Hard-Rock,a discusion on here and some research I decided to build a overflow box that would skim a thin layer of water off the top.

NEXT: Plumbing 101

 

[buzzbait00]

I couldn't find a blue paint for the overflow box that matched the back of the tank sooooooooo

 

[buzzbait00]

While I was stripping paint off the back of the tank I decided to try a two-tone thing.

 

[H@rry]

Looks good! Be aware that without teeth on the overflow your snails and crabs will go over the top and can clog the drains. Gutter guard will prevent that. Don't worry too much about paint, it will all be corraline colored pretty soon.

Did you use that plastic syringe with the Weld-On? The last thing that I built I jabbed the needle on my needle bottle in the joint and got it clogged up and I can't use it any more. I wondered if a plastic syringe would work or if the Weld-On would dissolve it.

 

[buzzbait00]

Thanks H@rry!
I didn't use Weld-on.I used craftics acrylic solvent cement (methylene chloride) from K&M Glass in Huntsville.It works well and you can get a small bottle for$2.20.The weld-on was $7or 8 for more than I'll ever use.I was conserned about it desolving the plastic syringe but it worked great for me.I did clean it right after use and it still works.
I didn't want teeth in the overflow.They cut doun on linear overflow area and surface skimming from what I've read.But,you are right H@rry I'll have to come up with a gutter gard of some sort.Maybe one that sits right above the water.

 

[buzzbait00]

FUTURE SUMP!

FUTURE SUMP!

Next is the sump.Im thinking right hand side,drain/skimmer chamber then three baffels for a bubble trap then a fuge in the middle with sand and a return pump chamber on the left.I'm thinking of building a small pump chamber with a baffel 2 inches under the sumps waterline so if the drains got clogged the pump would only pump out so much watter thus no water on Claudia's living room floor(She is already a bit nervouse)What do you guys think?Sound like a good sump?

Buzz!

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I agree with Harry about installing a gutter guard.

If a big snail clog up your main drain pipe, you might have only a small amount of water to spill from the display tank, but your pump will burn up. When a snail clogged my bulkhead in my 29G, a small amount of water that spilled from the display tank "luckily" hit a timer for my light (on the wall outlet) somehow on the way down and tripped my GFI. If the water did not touch any electrical circuit, my pump would have been burned up and I would have had a big mess in my sump.

On the other hand, I find the reduction in the surface skimming capacity with teeth on the overflow is really negligible. When I accidentally scattered too much Golden Pearls into my tank (they naturally float on the surface), all of them got sucked down to the sump really fast. No spec of them hanging around at the water surface.

Tomoko

 

[buzzbait00]

Today!

Today!

Today is the big swap!I figured I had better do it wile Claudia was at work.Lot less stress on her.

 

[MaryBebo]

Keep us informed, hope all goes well!

 

[Hampton]

Nice.

 

[buzzbait00]

I got the design for the sump off of melvesreef.com KEWL site!I cut the baffels for the sump out of 1/4" acrlylic.I dont have a router(are you reading this Santa?)nor a special blade for a circular saw to cut acrylic so I talked to my next door neighbor who is a builder and he said"just turn the blade on your circular saw arround backwards"I did and it cut like butter!

Hard-Rock gave me a tip to use 3/4"pvc pipe witch has a OD of 1"as spacers for the bubble trap.Worked great!

If you notice in the back of this pic their are three couplings.I am shure ill be wanting to change the plumbing around as I go so I added these so I can just un screw themat the sump.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Looking great, Buzz. Turning the blade backward. Wow, what a great tip!

Melev's site is full of great info. I like it very much, too.

Tomoko

 

[buzzbait00]

Drain and skimmer chamber on the right,fuge in the middle and return chamber on the left.The coupling in the middle goes to a tee and is for the return.The ones on either side are drains.

Oh!The 2x4's are just to raise the sump so I can hang my Aqua C Ramora on the side.

 

[Hard-Rock]

I think it looks great .U need to host a meeting to show it off.

 

[buzzbait00]

I bought this at Wally-World in the crafts section for $0.94.I think its for needle point(Thanks Hard-Rock).Im going to use it instead of egg crate to keep stuff out of the return chamber.

 

[buzzbait00]

Went with spa flex on the drains to avoid two elbows.I need the drains to flow well useing the mag 12 return.

took it for a test drive(no Hard-Rock I did not wash off the porch)It worked great!

Swap day!

Jessie(the dog)couldn't get any sleep!

I just stacked all the rock in for now.

 

[Mariner]

Very nice work! Looks great.
Mariner

 

[buzzbait00]

 

[salt newbie01]

Looks Great buzz. Glad to see it is all working out. You had some great ideas - great diy.
So when are you hosting a meeting to show it off. Let us know up here in chatt-town.

 

[buzzbait00]

Thanks Patrick!I better give it a wile before I start showing off.My luck I would have a algea bloom right before the meeting and give a demo on my well stirred pea soup!