drummereef
Team RC
:lol: Tomorrow, my friend, there will be a MAJOR update. hint hint... 
drummereef's 180g in-wall build
- Thread starter drummereef
- Start date
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14883307#post14883307 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
Glad you stopped by jackcarp. I'm sure you're build will be spectacular. I'll be tagging that one for sure. I'm trying to figure out a way to wire this tank off the grid.
I would LOVE to have a tank that is off the grid or as close to it as possible. If you get any good ideas - I would love to hear them. At this point, I have to build my new house off the grid before I can get a nice setup. I think my current house is so old that a large tank would end up in the basement with a large hole in the subfloor above it. If my house is off the grid, then I will have a gigantic backup generator. :thumbsup:
drummereef
Team RC
UPDATE:
Today was a good day... :dance:
Headed out to the LFS to pick up my sump this morning. Dave at ART did a fantastic job. Couldn't be more pleased with the build quality. It's exactly as I designed it. And my skimmer fits like a glove. Again the dimensions are 56x22x14 (LxWxH). Skimmer sits in 9" of water and the bubble trap has 2" spacing between baffles. More pics to come in a bit...
A pic with a pound of my favorite brew for perspective.
Oh Melev...... Time to wake up! :rollface:
Today was a good day... :dance:
Headed out to the LFS to pick up my sump this morning. Dave at ART did a fantastic job. Couldn't be more pleased with the build quality. It's exactly as I designed it. And my skimmer fits like a glove. Again the dimensions are 56x22x14 (LxWxH). Skimmer sits in 9" of water and the bubble trap has 2" spacing between baffles. More pics to come in a bit...
A pic with a pound of my favorite brew for perspective.
Oh Melev...... Time to wake up! :rollface:
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drummereef
Team RC
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14895559#post14895559 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Looks like a very nice sump. Are you drilling holes in the far left side for bulkheads?
What flavor coffee is that?
Nice emoticons.
Yeah, I'm drilling two holes for the drain line bulkheads. I'm planning on 1.5" drains and returns. The Dart has 2" suction side and 1.5" return side. Thoughts?
Oh, and the brew is Verona. I was a Komodo Dragon guy, then it was Shade Grown Mexico. I sometimes crave the Pike Place Bucks brews daily now, but still enjoy the Verona. Only french press of course.
melev
Well-known member
Aren't you the guy with the Sketchup drawings of all the plumbing? I figured you had this all worked out already.
Two 1.5" drains is fine, and a single 1.5" return is good as well. What I would suggest is to plumb the return to the center of the tank, then Tee it out both directions with the exact same amount of plumbing and fittings to get even flow out of each side. Probably the way you drew it, right?
Two 1.5" drains is fine, and a single 1.5" return is good as well. What I would suggest is to plumb the return to the center of the tank, then Tee it out both directions with the exact same amount of plumbing and fittings to get even flow out of each side. Probably the way you drew it, right?
drummereef
Team RC
It's roughly 75g H.
JustinReef
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14888912#post14888912 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
Justin, if my tank turns out half as nice as yours I will be thrilled. Seriously. Your tank is absolutely stunning. :thumbsup:
As for the laminate, it is really easy to work with. It's a little unnerving knowing that you only have once chance when gluing it up but other than that it's great. If you have a flush cutting bit and a router you're good to go. The contact cement stinks like you wouldn't believe so it would be best to do your project outside if possible. Lost some brain cells I'm sure.
Thanks for the compliment! I can honestly say though that after seeing your build, I would have done some things differently with mine. I certainly would have gone with the laminate.
I do have access to a router and my brother and I figured we would cut the pieces a little large and then 'trim' then down after gluing. I agree, it's kind of scary to know you only have one chance!
Great stuff going here and I can't wait to see what you do for livestock.
drummereef
Team RC
:lol: Yeah but you hadn't commented yet!
What about using true union ball valves on both return sides, like drawn? Wouldn't that be a way to even out the flow from left to right?
drummereef
Team RC
Some more eye candy for you...
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melev
Well-known member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14895752#post14895752 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
:lol: Yeah but you hadn't commented yet!
Yes, but my method is better because you don't have to use ballvalves at all. Unions are nice for plumbing removal.
You might apply a strip of molding or wood to the front base of your stand. That way you don't see the gap as quickly, and less stuff can roll under accidentally. When my tiny eel jumped out of the suncoral tank last week, I slammed my hand down between it and the sump's platform to make sure it didn't wriggle under and die.
drummereef
Team RC
Gotcha. For the stand I'm going to put some pvc board down as trim and silicone it to the floor so it's water tight. Just haven't had time to get to that yet. I've got a hook-up for true unions. I can get them on the cheap, nice ones too. I was trying to kill two birds with one stone on the design by incorporating the true unions to balance the flow and for easy disassembly.
Are you advocating your design because of complications from the ball valves or just because they are expensive? That was actually my original plan but thought this way I could avoid some tee's.
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drummereef
Team RC
Yes, that's exactly what you want to do. Rough cut the laminate approx 1" or so bigger than the piece you want to laminate. Use some dowels between the laminate and finish surface so you can do some final adjusting before sticking them together. Once down it's down for good. Roll with a J-roller then use a flush cutting bit in your router to trim it down. Then use a file to ease the edges a little. I'm sporting a nice cut on my thumb from the sharp edge before I filed it. It was razor sharp.
I actually had to flush cut the bottom piece of laminate before gluing it because I couldn't get the router down by the floor and in between the two legs. That was a little scary since there was no room for error. Luckily it went down exactly where it needed to.
drummereef
Team RC
Why would air get trapped or forced into the manifold when turning the system pump on an off? Is this bad because you will force air into the media reactors?
melev
Well-known member
I've not had a big problem yet, but you may. I turn off my return pump daily, so it would be a big amount of air each time. That may blow all the GFO in your reactor into suspension, for example. Or perhaps add a bunch of air into a calcium reactor.
In my system, the manifold pushes water to the angled tank, the prop section, the refugium, the suncoral tank, the carbon reactor and the calcium reactor. Air hasn't been an issue, but that pump is on almost 100% of the time.
In my system, the manifold pushes water to the angled tank, the prop section, the refugium, the suncoral tank, the carbon reactor and the calcium reactor. Air hasn't been an issue, but that pump is on almost 100% of the time.
drummereef
Team RC
Ok gotcha. I might have an idea... Give me a bit and I'll draw it into the design. I might be able to isolate the manifold off of the return on a dedicated line. I'm gigging tonight but I'll check back.
