Getting a bigger tank!!

The rubber is still in the holes in the tank. or do I need even more?

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nope, that's them. How far is that drive? Those are of course parts you have to have. Since the line was cut, you will also need a union ( i think it's called) to reattach the pipe to the other side. Or, buy two new bulkheads and run new PVC. Don't forget about the barbed hose fitting. It should have had a clear hose (normally) that went to the return pump. If you buy new bulkheads, you'll need another one if you want to run the plumbing the same way. Or, you can just do pvc and skip the barb fitting. heh.. plumbing.. it can be a pain.
 
hmm.. wait, i see some flex hose in that box with what appear to be hose clamps. You may not need that union after all. Looks like it went from drain pipe to hose.
 
I may just run back out there to get that part then.

How do I clean the sand. Everyone is telling me to just dump it and get new but if it can be cleaned would be cheaper on me so I can put that money on something else. Then again I had been thinking on getting black sand. Does that look good or is it not worth the extra money?
 
Well, some people do dump it, some people clean it and reuse. I think i read a thread from Melev (highly respected reefer) that just washed it with tap water in a bucket and garden hose. I did that with some new sand i had to cut down on the cloudiness. Worked and didn't seem to bother anything.
 
crsswift70 - have you read the whole post here and the one that goes with it called Mayday Mayday. YOu will catch up on whats been going on the last few days and my little panick attack when I arrived to pick this tank up and they guy had it all disassembled already. LOL. I have learned so much in the last few days without knowing how to hook anything up but with the help of my friends here ont he forum I have learned to ask a lot of questions and take it slow.
 
here in the boro, the TSC store (tractor supply) has the bulkhead fittings, you might try the one nearest to you and take the bulkhead fitting missing the nut with you and see if you can match it up, a lot cheaper than the LFS and a long Drive:) Plus you are welcome to come over to my house and look at how I've plumed my overflow and get an idea of how you want to see yours go. My overflow has the small & large holes in the bottom, same as yours and most drilled tanks will have.

Norman
 
you should see a little cycle from the rocks.....since most live rocks are shipped overnight as well...and its recommended to let the tank fully cycle before putting any livestock

everything is lookin good and coming along nicely
 
Norman I might take you up on that when time to put the tank together comes closer. With us having a playoff game this weekend things are kinda crazy right now.

The next project I want to tackle is the stand cabinet. I want to paint it. But I think I am going to have to prime it first and I want to sand some of the rough spots out of the inside from the previous water damage. Then I am going to paint it white. Havent decided if it will be semi-gloss or high gloss, any suggestions, and do they make water proof indoor paint for this type of project?

Thanks gsusfreak :-) Yeah I kinda figured I was going to have to let everything cycle again. I wanted to know if anyone had any opinions on using black sand? and how deep does my bed have to be now that I am not using the plenum filter?
 
Ok I know its been a while and I dont know if anyone is even keeping up with me but I have finally gotten the stand sanded, primed, and now painted. Its in the house now and I had help this weekend moving the tank into the stand. I put it in an open doorway between two rooms that have multiple doorways so that I can get to both sides of the tank. Then in the front I am going to hang a curtain from the ceiling to just the top of the stand that will hide the hanging lights. What do you all think? WOOHOOO.

Now comes the hard part. I think what I am going to do is lay out all the pieces I have and take pictures and have you guys tell me where they go. BUT I am still missing the bulkhead peice and I texted the guy today and he is in Florida and told me to go buy one. :-( So I guess I will run by the Critter today and see if they have anything. Then I will need some instructions on where everything goes.

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Looks good!

The Critter carries the standard smaller black bulkheads in the front left of the store. Before you get there, you should know whether you need a threaded one, push fit, or one with a barb (which will all depend on your planned plumbing set-up). They usually have a couple of each, but depending on the size you might be out of luck.

FWIW, as you're planning how to plumb things, you should use a lot of unions and tru union ball valves. You should also plan to be able to take your bulkheads back out without having to cut them out (for me this usually means getting a push-fit on the flange side and threaded on the long end (so I can get the plumbing off of that end and pull the bulkhead through the tank). The reason I say to get these parts is that you'll inevitably want to change something about the set-up in the future or move the tank... and having to rebuy parts and/or replumb the tank is seriously time consuming and wasteful when a little forethought will get you something you can always work with easily even with the tank set-up and running.

Steinhouse Supply carries heavier duty gray bulkheads that are similar in size to the ones that glass cages tanks come with (except they are shaped like a giant nut, which is actually better for getting the things tightened in small spaces).

I would guess that if your tank was drilled at the factory, then the holes in the tank are too small to fit heavy duty ones. To my knowledge, if you can't find them at the critter and/or they can't order you one fast, you'll probably have to go online.
 
Nice location, I think you will enjoy the ease of getting to your sump. Cleaning the protein skimmer is done more often when it is easy to get to. PM me when you want to come over and look at my tank plumbing and I would be happy to take a look at your tank and offer some suggestions. (Warning! I am still a newbie):)

Norman
 
Ok I know its been a while and football season for me is finally over so back to the tank..
I followed the advice of several of the veteran reefers and decided to clean and dry out my rock to keep potential problems from popping up later with anything unwanted on the rock. So as we speak the rock is on the back porch drying out in the sun. A small portion of my sand is also been rinsed clean and drying out as well so that I can see if rinsing the rest will be worth it. I am still struggling with the decision of doing a sandbed or going bare bottom. After seeing Brian's tank at the last meeting I really like the look, but dont want to get over my head since I am a beginner. I am still trying to research and weight the good and the bad with both. I know I can always have sand in my lower tank sump as well.
I still need to scrub my rock and rinse it again. In the meantime I am going to start putting the tank together probably next week when I am jobless LOL.
 
Ok scrubbing the rock and cleaning the sand today. Going to put together all the plumbing of the tank today and get it ready for the rock and water. I may have some questions about the sump and plumbing on that. For instance, I have the water from the tank going into the farthest way compartment and the protien skimmer gets the water from that compartment over into the middle compartment where I plan to have the sand. And then the last comparment will have the pump that sends the water back into the tank. But how do I get the water from the middle compartment into the third. I cant make sense of the stuff I have of how to do that.
 
I can't see in the picture but you know mention it, so I'll assume you don't have a bubble trap in your compartment receiving the input from your tank. If not, you should definitely consider some type of bubble trap there where the majority of bubbles from the return water can escape from the water before flowing into the tank. This accomplishes two thing... prevents you from getting a bunch of microbubbles in your display tank AND with a lid over that area prevents you from getting salt spray all over the inside of your stand (which of course, with enough time, leads to ruined wood and walls behind tanks, corroded screws, and if you're really lucky electrical fires).

I'd suggest you do it now while the tank is clean, dry, and not full of water as opposed to installing it and figuring out that you need one (microbubbles and salt creep are really no fun to fix). That's just my suggestion though...
 
Would that be like taking that sump and installing baffles on one side? because it doesnt currently have them.

If not then what can I use to make a bubble trap?
 
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