a miracle delivery... need advice

[superkat]

whoa.....love that.

 

[pascal32]

If the hole you cut is centered in the room, cutting the actual flooring 12"x 12" and cut the access hole smaller than the outside flooring cut. This allows a medallion inlay of your choosing if you ever move the tank.[After repairing the underlay of course].

like this

This would look cool
<a href="http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j107/thaitalian911/?action=view&current=Queen_triggerfish.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j107/thaitalian911/th_Queen_triggerfish.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" ></a>

That is a neat idea. Highly recomend having a woodworker do that. Not sure if expansion/contraction of the floor would be an issue down the road.

 

[pascal32]

If you are going to use sand you could do a closed loop style system with 1/2"PVC along the bottom of the tank at the edges. This way you could put two returns opposite the intake with no wires, all you would see is the nozzles which can be hidden

 

[sg1838]

here a pic from the side where the mp40s are installed in the dry box:

I thought that was an overfow. Dry box? What was your original thought on the purpose of it?

If the VorTechs will fit in there and it really is "dry" (with the assumption that there will be a hole in the bottom of the tank in the "dry box" area to run the cables), I love this location! They're practically invisible there!

 

[solRNY]

Wow Lang, the setup looks phenominal. Hopefully with the weather getting nicer I'll soon make my rounds in Syracuse and check the tank out in person!

thanks jon! your setup is stunning as well, i too would like to see your t5 in person, before i decide which direction to go for lighting, as the color it render on your corals is so much more pleasing to my eyes

If the hole you cut is centered in the room, cutting the actual flooring 12"x 12" and cut the access hole smaller than the outside flooring cut. This allows a medallion inlay of your choosing if you ever move the tank.[After repairing the underlay of course].

thanks andrew as this is an awesome idea, i did not know they have such things, i will have to check them out at lowes next time to see what can work

whoa.....love that.

i agree as it is a possible solution

If you are going to use sand you could do a closed loop style system with 1/2"PVC along the bottom of the tank at the edges. This way you could put two returns opposite the intake with no wires, all you would see is the nozzles which can be hidden

great thought! my mind is going crazy, thanks for turning it on this afternoon

I thought that was an overfow. Dry box? What was your original thought on the purpose of it?

the overall larger box is for the water overflow, within it contains this dry box, the dry box is ment to keep the mp40 dry side dry and hidden,

it has a height of 17", so if the primary drain fails, the "oh sshhiiiittt*" drain fails too, and finally a float switch failure then the dry box will be wet but worst the entire house will be wet,

If the VorTechs will fit in there and it really is "dry" (with the assumption that there will be a hole in the bottom of the tank in the "dry box" area to run the cables)

that is a good idea placing the dry returns in the bottom of the dry box, it will work very well for a 1 return and 1 drain setup, but for me i needed the extra insurance so i needed the "oh sshhiiiittt*" drain as well, keeping thing things symetric about the middle i ended up with a 1" bulkhead i am going to use as a dry pipe to return the wiring for the mp40s and the float switch,

I love this location! They're practically invisible there!

thanks, with all these flow option i am hoping theres a configuration for this tank

here is a closer pic of the dry box,

here is a picture of the returns, i am not liking it as it is very not clean at all, i might just end up using some 90 degree pointed straight down...

thanks for all your advice guys/gals, as it is very helpful!
if you dont mind or not got sicken by all my recent posting yet, i have tons more questions once the basement fish room begins

 

[sg1838]

OK, I get it now! As they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words!

As a note, I used two of those same eductors on my tank, and I was less than impressed. On one return line, I went back to just a standard nozzle, as the flow is just as good or better IMHO with just the nozzle. Plus, the nozzle is MUCH more compact than the long eductor. I still have one of the eductors on, but it is more for the length extension than anything (rather than simply using more Loc-Line).

One thing I particularly don't like about the eductors is that you have to keep them pretty far beneath the surface of the water otherwise they suck air and create bubbles. At the same time, by positioning them lower in the tank more water has to drain from the DT into the sump before the siphon is broken. IME, its a very fine line.

You already have them, and they're easy enough to replace, so by all means give them a try. Maybe I was just using mine wrong...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

if running the aquarium as an island you could have (should have!) designed the overflow as a standpipe in the middle of the aquarium so all four viewing panes were clear of obstructions.

Just one question: when you look at pictures of my aquarium did you ever notice any of the powerheads in it?

Probably not.

 

[superkat]

everytime i look at this thread, my mouth just hangs open...great placement of the mp40s...i agree that they disappear in that location. glad you liked the bench placement idea...and thanks for letting me live vicariously through your build cycle....

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

the placement of the MP40's is less than ideal.

Basic good aquarium design has water flowing at the surface towards the overflow. Placing the Vortech's low and on each side of the overflow is optimal placement- especially if rock will be stacked in front of the overflow.

 

[Pacific Reefs]

wow beautiful tank! Mine is only 1/2" glass did they recommend 3/4"?

 

[solRNY]

One thing I particularly don't like about the eductors is that you have to keep them pretty far beneath the surface of the water otherwise they suck air and create bubbles. At the same time, by positioning them lower in the tank more water has to drain from the DT into the sump before the siphon is broken. IME, its a very fine line.

You already have them, and they're easy enough to replace, so by all means give them a try. Maybe I was just using mine wrong...

thanks for the info, while i was playing with them for the photo i thought this was going to be the case that it would drain more water than i would like from the DT being it have to be much lower than the overflow, but gonna give it a try for the wow factor

if running the aquarium as an island you could have (should have!) designed the overflow as a standpipe in the middle of the aquarium so all four viewing panes were clear of obstructions.

Just one question: when you look at pictures of my aquarium did you ever notice any of the powerheads in it? Probably not.

to be honest i am not sure what the standpipe is... i did drew up a middle overflow and it just did not come out to my liking, even though 4 sides are viewable it obstructed the see thru view due to the real estate require for 4 holes and probably many dry box, i drew up a corner overflow as well... Miracles require me to put the bulk head 1x the hole diameter distance away each other, at the moment this seems to be the smallest profile i can get...

your tank is amazing, did not notice the power heads

everytime i look at this thread, my mouth just hangs open...great placement of the mp40s...i agree that they disappear in that location. glad you liked the bench placement idea...and thanks for letting me live vicariously through your build cycle....

ditto, thanks!

the placement of the MP40's is less than ideal.
Basic good aquarium design has water flowing at the surface towards the overflow. Placing the Vortech's low and on each side of the overflow is optimal placement- especially if rock will be stacked in front of the overflow.

ic, i will have to study your design to get mines towards being ok, thanks for the advice

wow beautiful tank! Mine is only 1/2" glass did they recommend 3/4"?

thanks! Miracles did recommend the 3/4" glass, not sure why... i wish i can see your tank in person as it is very beautiful as well

 

[mojo~]

I took my eductor off and went with the more standard dual nozzle assembly as well. The eductor nozzle would suck air being so close to the surface. They do work but I only suggest them if you are able to run them a couple inches below the surface.

Ill be curious as to how you will like the vortechs on the bottom. Might have to dial them back a bit but there should not be any dead spots of flow in the tank. That for sure.

Keep up the good work.

Mojo~

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

My day is complete now. here's my thought....leather benches all the way around, with a 2ft space for entering and exiting on either side. And i tell ya what....my TV would be at the curb.

I like the idea but I'd go one step simpler. Low wood benches against the walls on three sides, matching the floor's stain so they blend right in. On the fourth side, two simple recliners like the ones in the upper-left of this page:

http://www.smithinteriors.com/chairs.html

You already have them, and they're easy enough to replace, so by all means give them a try. Maybe I was just using mine wrong

What pump were you running them on? They need a LOT of pressure to really "educt" efficiently. IMHO they really make sense if you've got a high-head/low-flow pump operating in a low-head environment - as such, a pump won't flow very much. But adding eductors let's you "use up" the extra head capacity of the pump and turn it into useful flow.

 

[cardiffgiant]

The tank looks awesome so far! I can't wait to see the finished product!

I'm big on the bench idea. I made a storage bench to hide my ATO vessels and 2 part jugs (apparently, some find those to be unsightly additions to a dining room). I wanted it to be decorative and functional, but I'm still surprised at how much use it gets as a bench seat. Company regularly sits on it to view the tank.

 

[solRNY]

I took my eductor off and went with the more standard dual nozzle assembly as well. The eductor nozzle would suck air being so close to the surface. They do work but I only suggest them if you are able to run them a couple inches below the surface.

Ill be curious as to how you will like the vortechs on the bottom. Might have to dial them back a bit but there should not be any dead spots of flow in the tank. That for sure.

Keep up the good work.

Mojo~

thanks Mojo for the details on the eductor, i am too "curious as to how you will like the vortechs on the bottom" more so how it works period as i nevered used one before, i heard they were loud...

think i might try one out on a 10gal to study the flow pattern and the "nutrient export" mode

I like the idea but I'd go one step simpler. Low wood benches against the walls on three sides, matching the floor's stain so they blend right in. On the fourth side, two simple recliners like the ones in the upper-left of this page:

http://www.smithinteriors.com/chairs.html

What pump were you running them on? They need a LOT of pressure to really "educt" efficiently. IMHO they really make sense if you've got a high-head/low-flow pump operating in a low-head environment - as such, a pump won't flow very much. But adding eductors let's you "use up" the extra head capacity of the pump and turn it into useful flow.

simple recliners, OMG, did you see the prices on those!!
as i have no experience with basement pumps, rather they are under-rated or over-rated, i am thinking of using a reeflo dart, but i remember i have two large BRS reactors that will be plumbed off the return, so i might end up with a reeflow barracuda instead then dial it down from there, which do you suggest?

forgot to mention total vertical hieght is ~13ft, not sure about the horizontal as of now,

The tank looks awesome so far! I can't wait to see the finished product!

I'm big on the bench idea. I made a storage bench to hide my ATO vessels and 2 part jugs (apparently, some find those to be unsightly additions to a dining room). I wanted it to be decorative and functional, but I'm still surprised at how much use it gets as a bench seat. Company regularly sits on it to view the tank.

thanks for the compliments!
i like this idea, another upgrade to the bench theam to make it functional, this will be very good for this setup as my stand wont have removable panels anymore, this is getting good

thanks guys/gals!

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Re: those chairs. Yeah, I was daydreaming. I'd never spend that much on chairs (at least not with kids running around wrecking everything) but a friend has that exact recliner and it's an absolute dream.

A Dart will be worthless on 13ft of head, especially when you T off a few reactors. They're really low-pressure, high flow pumps at heart. A Barracuda would probably work fine, or one of the Reeflo UNO pumps depending on how much flow you wanted.

 

[sg1838]

What pump were you running them on? They need a LOT of pressure to really "educt" efficiently. IMHO they really make sense if you've got a high-head/low-flow pump operating in a low-head environment - as such, a pump won't flow very much. But adding eductors let's you "use up" the extra head capacity of the pump and turn it into useful flow.

Well, I don't want to hijack the thread, but I'm running them on a PanWorld 100PX. Maybe the pressure is the problem, as after all the head losses with my 1" return the Head Loss Calculator states that this pump will provide a flow rate of 660 gph but only at 3.25 psi. I'm actually surprised the pressure is that low, particularly since the water seems to come out pretty strong on the nozzle side (calculated exit velocity of 2.0 ft/sec per exit - 2 exits).

 

[smogl00]

Jeez. Finally took the time to ready through this whole thing from front to back. Amazing looking setup here! Consider me a part of the "following closely" crowd for this thread.

 

[Pacific Reefs]

Well if you are in Orlando swing on by. I am in the process of redoing the rock work to help with the flow (btw its a long process for me and may take weeks lol). There are a lot of dead spots due to my "pile of rock" in the back. I love that dry box in your overflow that is really a cool idea! Alright so I can't wait to see it with water.

 

[Johnny C]

Lang, I personally like the design/placement of the Vortechs attached to the overflow. I don't think you will have any issues, especially with those flashy MP40W ES's and the new 'nutrient export' mode! I like it, a lot...

thanks jon! your setup is stunning as well, i too would like to see your t5 in person, before i decide which direction to go for lighting, as the color it render on your corals is so much more pleasing to my eyes

Thanks! If you ever make it out this way, feel free to stop by! Hopefully I'll get my ATI fixture by then and I can put all of the T5 haters to shame!