Austin goes Rimless - Dudester's 203g mixed reef

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Great Idea Marc...the cutouts are to make it easier to install I think, but bonding them to the tank bottom would be pretty cool IMO.
 
Plumbing looks great, I like the grey PVC. I looks so much more professional.

Is the one 1 way union balve seated correctly? In the bottom pic it looks like the ouput at about 7 o'clock is not seated correctly.

Also check the mag drive on the OM to make sure it it is not heating anything up. They can run a bit hot.

Is the tank going to be bare bottom?

Chad
 
jnarowe - I actually prefer the look of hard plumbing to flex PVC, which is why I went that route. I understand your point completely, that all of the 90's and 45's will impede flow, but I'm not really concerned. The pump is a Barracuda, which is way more flow than I'll need from my closed loop. I originally thought I'd have to dial it down anyway, so maybe now I'll just run it full bore. At any rate, I don't think those turns are going to be that big of a problem due to the size of the pump. There will also be flow via 2 separate return pumps, one from the sump and one from the chiller, in addition to a wavebox, so I think I'll be okay.

melev - Happy you're following along, your input is always valued and appreciated. I guess I could have glued in the bulkheads, but I'm not sure how that would affect the rubber gasket. Haywards have an awesome reputation for their leak resistance, and with the PVC bottom I was able to tighten them without worrying about cracking glass, so I really don't think they'll leak. Regarding your tank question, I guess you could contact AGE and ask about PVC on the sides. I liked your concept, very interesting. Actually, AGE don't deal with Joe Public, so you may need to ask them your question via a LFS. If you want Kingfish's number I'd be happy to give it to you.

cbui - I didn't think I'd need straps to support the plumbing, but that would be an easy addition. Do you feel it will be necessary? Hopefully I won't have to take the 4-way apart for cleaning too much. I intentionally installed it without the drum so that the initial sandstorm won't foul it, so I'll have to take it apart at least once to install the drum. Guess I'll see how difficult it is to do at that time.

clownnrd - Thanks for looking at the images so closely. I checked it, and the 7 o'clock SUBV is seated correctly. Glad to know you've got my back ;) . The tank is still dry, and the OM isn't on, but I'll check the heat situation once it's up and running - thanks for the heads up. The tank won't be barebottom, I plan on having a 1-2" sandbed. I don't like the look of barebottom tanks personally, except for naka's.

EBOLII - The only reason for gray PVC is that it looks cool. I simply prefer the aesthetics of the gray. Jonathan's right in that store-bought PVC is Schedule 80. Sched 80 PVC is thicker and tolerates higher pressure, but the downside is a slightly smaller diameter. I therefore went with gray Schedule 40 PVC that I purchased on-line, along with gray Schedule 40 fittings and spa flex.
 
I'm with you on ethe looks and using the gray schedule 40 does gove nmore flow. And since we aren't dealing with a lot of pressure, the tubing itself doesn't really matter. Bulkheads, unions, and valves are another matter entirely. BTW, you can get flexible PVC in black as well right?
 
That Cuda will give you plenty of flow even with an elbow here and there. As a CL there is no head loss only friction losses. Those outlets will still send fish flying!

Very nice plumbing too!
 
Bax: Friction loss and head loss are still losses. I only mentioned it because I hate to buy a top-notch pump but only get a percentage of the rated flow. It is always the case, but mitigating it in any way seems to make sense to me. BUT, he likes the look of hard PVC so that's how it's going to be, and to be honest, I really like theh clean look of the bulkhead-to-PVC bottom connections and I think given his design specs. he did a great job. I like using flex for a number of reasons, not just reducing drag, but also because I am not so good at measuring hard PVC and getting it exctly right. I don't have the talent it takes to do what he did with the OM 4-way.

That Flex PVC link is sweet too...I didn't know they had it in grey too. At $1.70/foot, it's not cheap, but for us tripping guys, it's worth it IMO.
 
Very nice discussion going on, and thanks for all of the positive comments regarding my plumbing. To tell the truth, the only thing I've plumbed prior to this was melev's closed loop in an undrilled tank for my 30g tank, so I was a little anxious.

jnarowe - Judging by your last post I'd guess you're still on the Percocet? :lol: I am humbled by your last comment - thanks! It's true, I really do prefer the look of hard plumbing. Even though the plumbing is contained in and behind the cabinet, I'll still see it on a regular basis, and appearances do matter to me. What a wonderful opportunity we all have on this forum to share our preferences and experiences with one another!

thirschmann - That's exactly where I got mine from. Some of the colors can be purchased by the foot, but the smallest length available for the gray was 50 feet. Let's see, I've used about 2 feet and might use another 2 or 3 ... anyone out there need some gray spaflex? :D

Bax - :smokin:

erics3000 - Thanks bro!
 
Man, that is an expensive purchase if you only use 3' of it. I had to buy some at Home Depot, and it was white 1" at $2.20 a foot. How annoying that that pipe cost me more than it the table and tank. :rolleyes:
 
Yes, Marc, I'll admit that the gray spa-flex wasn't the most cost-effective or economically conscientious purchase I've ever made, but think of all the money I'll save on psychotropic drugs by not having to look at 3' of white PVC mixed in with all of that beautiful gray. Also, I now have some locally if anyone needs it, so I have no regrets.
 
you'll be able to trade it to local reefers for nice frags anyway. I know some guys have just painted the white as well, but, for my project, I used 100' of the 1" alone and would have loved to have used the grey.

BTW, major warning to all who wish to purchase flex PVC: It's not all the same. I bought most of mine from SAVKO but at one point brought in some from Custom Aquatic, and although it was labeled spa-flex, it was not flexible PVC and did not glue up correctly. I don't blame Custom because the stuff looks exactly the same, except that it is more flexible than the real flexible PVC. Be damn sure you are getting the right stuff, and if it seems a bit cheap, there may be a reason for it! It will NOT work!
 
As tough as this stuff was to bend, I have to believe it's the real deal. Thanks, Jonathan, for the warning. Of course, after completing the job, I learned that the flex PVC can be heated in the oven which softens it and temporarily makes it easier to bend. Wish I knew that before I plumbed the CL.
 
I was going to post that, but you already had it glued.

Bake it in the oven (preheat to 200F) for 5 mins, tops. That's hot enough to hardly hold it. And then I would probably cool the ends in cold water just in case heat affects the strength of the solvent's bond.
 
Sexy plumbing! Your home seems to be wonderful as well. Mind if I stay there next time I'm in town? :lol: I can't wait for the finished product!

ps, don't let me stay there or all your corals and beer will disappear in the dark of the night ...
 
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