DivingTheWorld's Custom Leemar 80g Rimless Reef

[Dapg8gt]

Nice idea with the wood pieces as a guide.. I think I shall steal that one =)..

Tanks looking good and I really doubt your going to regret selling the photon I have a friend who has 2 of them over a 120 and he is also thinking of swapping them out. As he puts it "they work but I know there's better and won't look like a rave in the tank".. What did you get?

 

[DivingTheWorld]

What did you get?

I ended up ordering a pair of Radion XR15w Pros. I was originally thinking about going with a pair of XR30w G3 Pros, but based on several recommendations including Ecotech support, it looks like that would be huge overkill. Plus with the two XR15w's it will be easier to balance the light in the tank.

Now I just need them to release their new mounting arms...

 

[UMass14]

It is not overkill if you dont turn them on full blast. Im guessing 2 XR15 has a little better coverage then 1 XR30.

 

[Dapg8gt]

I ended up ordering a pair of Radion XR15w Pros. I was originally thinking about going with a pair of XR30w G3 Pros, but based on several recommendations including Ecotech support, it looks like that would be huge overkill. Plus with the two XR15w's it will be easier to balance the light in the tank.

Now I just need them to release their new mounting arms...

Nice I saw those mounting arms on the brs video they look super sleek..

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Well, I feel much better about the sump bulkheads now. The new bulkheads arrived today and fit like a glove. Definitely a good idea to drill now before everything is all set up and flowing!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

A couple of updates with the plumbing and electronics installation...

I got the starboard electronics panel installed. This is what it looks like when you open the left side door:

Here's what it looks like from the inside of the stand. The two energy bars are installed in the ceiling of the stand just behind the electronics panel:

Here's some of the beginning of the bottom side plumbing installed. I'll probably finish that up this week. I also installed the dosing pumps and the battery backup for my two Vortechs:

I installed the two BRS reactors at the top right of the stand which will allow for easy cartridge replacement through the right side door as well as still allow access between them to the right side:

I planning to make a new batch of Saltwater today. I'm going to swap out the water in my rock cooking container this week and do a little planning for the rock structure.

 

[johndoe7127]

Man how can you wait this long to set-up a tank,do you already have another tank running?
Nice set-up those
LOL

 

[wav0718]

super clean look, very nice

 

[DivingTheWorld]

super clean look, very nice

Thanks Wes!

@johndoe7127 - No, I sold our other tank in March. It's tough, but I want to do it right so I'm taking it slow. I don't have a lot of time to devote to the build either.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Well, time flies and another vacation and now another update...

Here's an idea of how I might end up doing the rock scaping. Feel free to leave feedback!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Here's where I'm at with plumbing. All the return plumbing is complete. I completed the backup drain plumbing, but ran into an issue with the primary drain... It turns out that the two drain bulkheads on the tank and the two drain bulkheads on the sump are different widths apart (something I didn't think about) so I need to make up for the difference. I think I'll end up going with a little "flex" pvc on the primary drain which will allow for some adjustment.

Should be filling this with water in less than 2 weeks!!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Plumbing complete!

Starting to fill! I'm planning several leak tests during the fill and once I can start the pumps. So far my shim leveling is looking good.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Tank is full, took about 3 days working around our busy schedule. I'm now in the process of a multistage leak test. A couple areas of potential concern are:

* Locline Returns - The returns enter the tank just under the overflow teeth, so I need to make sure those don't leak back into the sump when the return pump is turned off. I don't know why, but I worry that the locline will leak since it's not glued and just snapped together...

* Overflow Stand Pipes - I have these pressed in place (no glue) for ease of future cleaning. I'm a little worried that they may leak between the stand pipes and the bulkheads. But even if they do, my sump can accommodate the extra water.

* Bulkheads - I was very careful putting these in and following instructions from various threads, but I have seen a few threads of these leaking...

* Plumbing - Last I need to make sure all the plumbing works with no leaks. It's not my first plumbing job, but definitely my most complicated. Crossing my fingers here.

Leak Tests Performed:

1. Tank itself filled to just below return bulkheads - No leaks into the overflow or out of the tank itself. Passed

2. Sump & ATO filled - No Leaks. Passed

3. Tank filled to cover return bulkheads and to just below teeth overflow - No leaks into the overflow or out of the tank itself. No leaks back down the returns (Locline's waterproof!). Passed

Leak Tests To Go:

4. Overflow Filled - I'll fill it to just below the top of the main drain standpipe. This will test the standpipes connections with bulkheads and the bulkheads themselves.

5. Return Pump Turned On - This will test all plumbing.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Steady as she goes...

 

[DivingTheWorld]

4. Overflow Filled - I'll fill it to just below the top of the main drain standpipe. This will test the standpipes connections with bulkheads and the bulkheads themselves.

Well, unfortunately I ran into 3 different leaks with this test! First the good news: The bulkheads all appear to be good with no leaks.

Leak 1 - Not a big deal, but one of my 4 stand pipes was leaking between the standpipe and the bulkhead. I sort of assumed this would happen due to no glue (surprised it was only 1!). Anyways, I added tape to the bottom of my two return standpipes and it looks like that leak is averted.

Leak 2 - The Check Value doesn't check $#!+. I got the best one I could buy, Spears True Union Check Valve. The water leaks so fast through it that the return lines drained out in about 10 minutes... Not sure what to do here. The check valve is not really a requirement since my sump can hold the water from the lines and overflow, but I'm just SUPER ANNOYED that this stupid thing doesn't work. I think I'll order another and see if I just have a dud. If not, both go back!

Leak 3 - This one's got me worried. One section of one return just below the bulkhead is leaking slightly (drip drip). It's a glued connection so I'm not sure why they heck it's leaking. Unfortunately, I'm so tight on space under the tank that I couldn't fit as many unions and if I need to replace it's going to take a bunch of plumbing with it including a gate valve... I think I'll try to repair with a little more of the heavy duty glue I used (I'm afraid silicone wouldn't work well on PVC), let it sit for a day and then test it again. If it still leaks I've got some plumbing coming out and some $ to come up with.

 

[scuzy]

check valves don't work in saltwater applications since crud and salt gets stuck on the rubber seal.

leak #3 put more pvc glue on it let it sit and dry out. Should hold it enough. There isn't too much pressure to break that seal in my experience.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

leak #3 put more pvc glue on it let it sit and dry out. Should hold it enough. There isn't too much pressure to break that seal in my experience.

That's my hope too. Thanks for increasing my confidence, I appreciate it!

 

[mustangs]

glued pvc connections are always a pain on a saltwater setup and I hate salt creep I went to threaded connections with silicone on the threads never a leak or creep and if you ever need to take it apart the silicone breaks free with a bit of force no need for expensive unions.

your setup looks great though , love the tank and stand.

 

[Dapg8gt]

I agree with scuzy' reccomendation.. Some clear glue over the dry seam should do the trick.. If you can get a needle and fill it in even better..

I'm all for glued connections on tank plumbing I feel the opposite and hate the mpt fittings . I feel welded are superior in every way (when done right =) especially in the looks department but it's the union that creates a weak spot eventually if you use it enough times so it's a toss up on reliability..

Your plumbing looks superb by the way super clean and thought out ..

And I totally agree that a check valve has no place on a saltwater tank. If you want the best though you need the wye check valve they sell.. It's fully rebuildable and your able to clean it but also costs like triple of the others.. But it's going to fail also so I would suggest just adding a Spears/Asahi Tru union ball valve there so if you want it to hold water, close it. And it makes servicing the pump a breeze . I would put the check valve money into something else..

Tanks looking great so far I really like the way it turned out..

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Thanks guys!

Yeah, I'm now seeing the error in adding the check valve. Unfortunately, at this point removing it would cost more than just leaving it there because it's glued into my manifold T... So unless it's actually causing a problem having it there, I think I'll leave it.

Leak 1 - I think I have this fixed.

Leak 2 - Ignoring this one for now.

Leak 3 - I let it dry out for a day, then last night primed and glued all around the seam. I'll let that dry for a full 2 days before leak testing again.

One thing I did notice when addressing these is that for some reason I forgot to add a union between the pump and the manifold T. I'm planning on purchasing a duplicate pump and piping to be ready for swap out in case of a pump failure, but I'll need a union! Don't know why I didn't think of that... Anyways, I added one in this morning so good to go.