A Sac-Town 225
- Thread starter Poriferan
- Start date
Poriferan
Member
Thanks, I did have one small leak at the pump outlet. I switched from tape to plumbers putty, hopefully this will fix it.
Poriferan
Member
Still plenty to do...
next up will be rock placement.
I have always just put the rock on the glass but I have seen some put eggcrate under it.
Any advantage in the eggcrate?
toofrigginswt
New member
Yep. It looks like your drains have an elbow that goes straight up. I would just use straight pipes. You'll probably have to play with the height of the dedicated siphon pipe but once it's dialed in, you'll be glad you went with a herbie. I'd never set up a tank using any other method except for herbies or beananimals.
Poriferan
Member
I did research beananimal drains, but this tank has only 2 holes so herbie will be needed. Can the emergency drain incorporate the vent tube held just above the tank water like, line in beananimal? I worry that if the siphon got plugged the backup might not be able to carry the extra flow without switching to a siphon drain itself.
Second question. If the drains pull from the top will there be a lot of maintenance to clean the bottom of the overflow?
Second question. If the drains pull from the top will there be a lot of maintenance to clean the bottom of the overflow?
Don't worry about a siphon forming on the backup drain in case the primary drain blocks. Provided the backup drain is the same size or larger it will be able to handle the flow. Since the backup drain would be unrestricted (no valves), a siphon would likely start and stop; noisy yes, but won't cause the tank to overflow.
toofrigginswt
New member
toofrigginswt
New member
Failed power off test. I hope by changing the pipes and raising the returns I will have fixed it.
The RO is filling. As of right now the tank is 2/3 full.
I would raise it a bit. Also, Drill one or two small holes on your return lines so that it can catch air and lose siphon during a power outage. I drill two on each return just in case one gets plugged by a snail or gets covered with coraline or brown algae. Water will shoot out of the holes so drill it in a spot that won't squirt water out of your tank.
Poriferan
Member
Great idea:beer:
Once it fills up, hopefully tonight, I will test it as is. If it still fails I will drill the holes. What size hole should I use with 1" lines? The two 1" return lines tee together so air would be pulled from both to stop the siphon.
toofrigginswt
New member
hmmm... I don't know exactly what size hole I did. It was maybe 1/8th of an inch?
Poriferan
Member
Note to self... dont try to recycle pvp into a new build.:mad2:
The manifold I reused had a leak... right in the side of the pipe. I attempted to apply a patch over it but that just made it worse.
New manifold waiting for glue to dry:uhoh3:
I also picked up the wood for the canopy build. I went with oak to match the rest of the cabinet.
I plan to make the frame out of 1x2's and attach 1/2" plywood.
The manifold I reused had a leak... right in the side of the pipe. I attempted to apply a patch over it but that just made it worse.
New manifold waiting for glue to dry:uhoh3:
I also picked up the wood for the canopy build. I went with oak to match the rest of the cabinet.
I plan to make the frame out of 1x2's and attach 1/2" plywood.
toofrigginswt
New member
Sorry to hear that. Yea I don't use old pvc only because it's not that expensive for new ones. However, I suggest you get threaded fittings just in case you decided to reuse it on another upgrade. Seeing as to how massive your tank is, I doubt you'll be upgrading anytime soon 
Poriferan
Member
Manifold is done and installed. Leaks are no more:celeb1:
I drilled the holes and sprayed water out of the tank :headwally:
The fix was to screw a bulkhead nut over the hole (both sides)
The siphon stops after a while but consistently.
I changed the siphon to a straight pipe with a strainer on top. It is about 3 inches below the overflow water line. Made the backup Beananimal style with the john guest fitting in the cap and the line about a half inch above the overflow waterline. It will start to siphon at the same rate as the main return if the water rises in the overflow.
Cycle is started (sort of) just the die off from the rock and water with correct salinity and temp. I will put some ammonia in soon.
Been a few days since the last update. I am working overtime, trying to keep my family time existent, and working on the tank an hour or two before bed.
So far I have built the end cabinets. Will start on the Canopy next so I can get the lights mounted and some light to go with my cycle.
I decided to go with 22" height on the canopy. I think this will give me plenty of room to get into the tank and hopefully devise a movable light rack.
I drilled the holes and sprayed water out of the tank :headwally:
The fix was to screw a bulkhead nut over the hole (both sides)
The siphon stops after a while but consistently.
I changed the siphon to a straight pipe with a strainer on top. It is about 3 inches below the overflow water line. Made the backup Beananimal style with the john guest fitting in the cap and the line about a half inch above the overflow waterline. It will start to siphon at the same rate as the main return if the water rises in the overflow.
Cycle is started (sort of) just the die off from the rock and water with correct salinity and temp. I will put some ammonia in soon.
Been a few days since the last update. I am working overtime, trying to keep my family time existent, and working on the tank an hour or two before bed.
So far I have built the end cabinets. Will start on the Canopy next so I can get the lights mounted and some light to go with my cycle.
I decided to go with 22" height on the canopy. I think this will give me plenty of room to get into the tank and hopefully devise a movable light rack.
Poriferan
Member
Sorry to hear that. Yea I don't use old pvc only because it's not that expensive for new ones. However, I suggest you get threaded fittings just in case you decided to reuse it on another upgrade. Seeing as to how massive your tank is, I doubt you'll be upgrading anytime soon
My wife said the only way I get to upgrade again EVER is if I buy a new house large enough to have a in-wall and dedicated fish room...:love1:
Poriferan
Member
I am looking for ideas on how to mount the lights inside the canopy.
The Canopy is 22" tall and 30" deep. Is there a way to mount the lights so that they can be moved if I need to get into the tank?
If possible I would like to have some kind of option to add more lights later if needed also.
Currently I will use 2-3 MH reflectors and 2 VHO's
Either a way to raise them and/or slide them back. The Canopy is 8ft long and can't be removed easily.
Thanks
The Canopy is 22" tall and 30" deep. Is there a way to mount the lights so that they can be moved if I need to get into the tank?
If possible I would like to have some kind of option to add more lights later if needed also.
Currently I will use 2-3 MH reflectors and 2 VHO's
Either a way to raise them and/or slide them back. The Canopy is 8ft long and can't be removed easily.
Thanks
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