c0mp|ex's 60g breeder build

Wow, this puts my overflow to shame. And I'm sure it will be so much quieter. Really nice work! How long will it take to cure, and, aside from the additional work to hide the plumbing, what else do you need to do before filling the tank? :D
 
Complex.....If you would not mind to give me the exact dimensions of you external box and the exact measurements of you hole placement in the back of the tank I would deeply appreciate it....I am wanting to do the exact same thing on my 40b to a tee.

Thanks a bunch

Mike
 
ghengis said:
Looks good Tad!

Would you consider having your glazier cut a pair of triangular braces to glue under the outside o'flow box, to support it against the weight of the water and plumbing? Silicone is strong stuff, but there seems to be alot for it to hold up back there...it'd really suck if the box worked loose over time...
Click to expand...

I might do that. I have one extra side panel so i might just cut that diagonally myself and use it. It seems plenty sturdy without it though. It won't be holding much water at all but thanks for the heads up. I might just do it as a precation.

iwishtofish said:
Wow, this puts my overflow to shame. And I'm sure it will be so much quieter. Really nice work! How long will it take to cure, and, aside from the additional work to hide the plumbing, what else do you need to do before filling the tank? :D
Click to expand...

The tube says cures in 24 hours but most people online give it 7 days before water testing. It's been curing for 3 days already so shouldn't be too much longer. I just need to plumb the tank then it should be ready to fill. I'm so indecisive about what i want where in my sump. I want to keep it as organized as possible while taking up the least amount of space inside as possible. I'm trying to plan it all out in my head since i don't know how to make everything with sketchup. I'll be making a manifold for reactors so reactor placement and where the manifold will be located is what i'm working on now.

shaggss said:
Really nice work!!! I hope it's quiet now for you!
Click to expand...

Thanks Shaggs! Me too!

lotsoftats said:
Complex.....If you would not mind to give me the exact dimensions of you external box and the exact measurements of you hole placement in the back of the tank I would deeply appreciate it....I am wanting to do the exact same thing on my 40b to a tee.

Thanks a bunch

Mike
Click to expand...

The hole placement wasn't really something that i planned. The biggest hole was from me drilling for my glass-holes overflow, and then changing my mind and deciding to implement a bean-animal overflow instead. With that said, the other to holes were just drilled to have them fit within the external box. The only thing i made sure of was that the bottom of the holes were all at the same level.

The external box is 5.5"H x 18"w x 4.5" or 4" depth (not sure right now, i forgot). I tried to make it as narrow as possible so that i could get it as close to the wall as possible while leaving enough room to get my hand in to install the bulkheads and perform maintenance if needed. I could have actually made it narrower because there is plenty of space left but it made doing the inner seam tough.
 
torino06 said:
where will your water line be? will it be higher than your holes?
Click to expand...

It should be about halfway up the holes. It will actually be about halfway up the elbow on the siphon standpipe, just high enough for it to spill over and fall. The height of the standpipes are not final yet. I will lower the main siphon about .5" to 1" and the open channel will be about 1/4" above that.
Tad
 
do the holes need to just be below the water level or is there something special to figure this out?

c0mp|ex said:
It should be about halfway up the holes. It will actually be about halfway up the elbow on the siphon standpipe, just high enough for it to spill over and fall. The height of the standpipes are not final yet. I will lower the main siphon about .5" to 1" and the open channel will be about 1/4" above that.
Tad
Click to expand...
 
Update! Just painted the back of the tank and the external overflow. I left the left and right sides of it unpainted so that i could look in and see what's going on in case the need would arise. I'll move the tank into its final resting spot tomorrow and get some more pictures!

torino06 said:
do the holes need to just be below the water level or is there something special to figure this out?
Click to expand...

Nope, not really. Basically, water level in the tank will ride until it reaches the internal overflow box and "spills over". The water level in the internal overflow box will then rise until it spills over the holes into the external box. Then the water level in the internal box will rise until it gets to the height of the horizontal portion of the standpipe and spills over that and into the sump.

So basically, the height of the horizontal portion of the standpipe will determine where the water level is in relation to the holes.
Tad
 
Here's my weekend update!

IMG_0010.jpg

The tank finally got moved to it's final resting location after i finished painting the back. Turns out that there are a lot more scratches than i expected. I hope it's not too distracting. If so, i'll probably just end up buying a new tank a year or so down the road and reuse my external overflow and plumbing.

I got most of the drain plumbing done today! (except the very ends that will be underwater. That will be quick)
IMG_0001.jpg

IMG_0008.jpg

IMG_0002.jpg

That's a shot form the side. I'm thinking of adding a board to the back of the tank stand so that i can secure the plumbing too it on one side, and have a place to hang an extra reactor on the other.

IMG_0007.jpg

IMG_0009.jpg

There you can see the 120mm PC fan that i added. Advertised at 90 CFM, i might get another for the other side. The fan or fans will be hooked up to my RKL and come on when temps get around 81/82F.

Lastly, here's what you can see of the external overflow from the front.
IMG_0017.jpg

IMG_0013.jpg

I ended up painting the back and bottom of the external box but not the sides. I plan on painting the standpipes black too.

Now i just have to finish the return plumbing then i should be able to add water!
Thanks for reading.
Tad
 
How's the return plumbing going so far, Tad? I'm eager to see you fill this thing!

Work looks really good so far, btw.
 
iwishtofish said:
How's the return plumbing going so far, Tad? I'm eager to see you fill this thing!

Work looks really good so far, btw.
Click to expand...

It's the same. Haven't had time to work on it because I've been busy studying for my upcoming tests! I'll have some updates this weekend.
Thanks!
Tad
 
Update! Worked on the plumbing today - almost done, just a few more connections need to be made. It should be finished by tomorrow and then i'll fill it and check for leaks! Hopefully there aren't any!
Stay tuned! Tad
 
c0mp|ex said:
Update! Worked on the plumbing today - almost done, just a few more connections need to be made. It should be finished by tomorrow and then i'll fill it and check for leaks! Hopefully there aren't any!
Stay tuned! Tad
Click to expand...

Put some salt in there - best way to tell if your bulkhead leaks! :lol:
 
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