Kelley's 37 gal system. from the start

[kelley_mc]

Oh I forgot, I also built the snail guard for my overflow:

Nothing special, I just cut a piece of eggcrate to size. I then zip tied it to the tank and I will use some small pieces of LR on the sides to hold it down. This is all right at the water line to it won't be visible. I was careful to be sure the the cut edge was open so the water can flow unobstructed.

 

[kelley_mc]

A couple people asked me why I used pipewrap. The reason I decided was to help keep the system quiet from the sound of water going down the drains. The other reason I did it was because on the return lines, there is some vibration from the pipe that causes some rattling. By wrapping the pipes, they can lean right against anything and you don't hear the vibration. It doesn't look pretty but I don't care about that back there.

Ok, back to work ..... I am going to start the back of the tank.

 

[kelley_mc]

I completed the back of the tank cover. I used boat cover material from Defender Industries along with Velcro tape. I stapled one side of the Velcro to the plywood along the back of the tank and I sewed the other side to the material. I am very happy with this. I now have the ability to block any light that escapes out the back of the tank. Also, because this tank will be placed toward an open staircase, I won't have to see all the ugly plumbing in the back. If I notice water temps rising, I can peel some away to allow more air to enter the system.

The other great part is that when it comes to working or making repairs, I can simply peel the whole back off and have full access to the tank. Here is a pic of how I made the back:

Here is a crappy image of the back installed. Sorry for the image quality, I was in a hurry and didn't have much room to take the shot.

 

[kelley_mc]

Well, I finally got the tank installed!!! Here are some pics of the progress

First, here is my freshwater moved to it's new location. Fit's nicely in this corner of the family room:

Next was beginning the move of the new saltwater tank. Here is a pic of the stand in it's new home:

and with the sump doors open:

 

[kelley_mc]

Next, I setup my sump and put the tank up on the stand.

Top down of the sump:

 

[kelley_mc]

Next I started moving ALL the water from my 29 to the 37 along with my liverock, inverts, fish and the few corals I have:

 

[kelley_mc]

At this point, the sump/refugium was full of fresh saltwater and the top tank was all of the 29 gals from the old tank. You can see here I was obviously a little short on water. Just to be safe, I only turned the return pump on for a few seconds at a time for about an hour to allow the water in the sump and the water in the display to equalize. I didn't want to shock my critters.

However, with careful planning, I overfilled the sump with fresh SW so when I started the pumps, the display would be full and the sump would be running at the proper levels.

And finally the completed tank:

The water has since cleared and it looks amazing! I love my new tank.

 

[JOSEPHLB]

Wow
Wow
Wow

I love how your stand conceals everything..

 

[OranguTang]

This was an awesome build thread, thanks for sharing.

 

[kelley_mc]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it.

Now I just need to start stocking it up. I'll tell you what a great feeling it is to finally have it done.

 

[bstoner]

Looks great

 

[Twz]

Nice,
Looks wicked!

 

[gary faulkner]

Congrats on the new build!

 

[Rustylugnuts]

lookin good :thumbsup:. Why is it that very time I see that blue background I think "I gotta do that" but then like 2 days later I completly forget? I swear my brain is starting to work properly once in an emerald crab sighting.

 

[gary faulkner]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11507812#post11507812 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rustylugnuts
lookin good :thumbsup:. Why is it that very time I see that blue background I think "I gotta do that" but then like 2 days later I completly forget? I swear my brain is starting to work properly once in an emerald crab sighting.

Yea I like the blue background too. Just don't know how I would keep the back glass clean. It's all I can do now to keep the front and sides clear.

 

[Nicholas89]

I just read your entire thread from start to finish.

I gotta say, for someone who has never done a sump, it was one of the most informative build threads I have ever stumbled upon.

Thank you so much for documenting it all that well. It really increased my understanding of mechanics behind sumps.

I love how everything has a good purpose, its so clean and well thought out.

In the future I may use this thread to help with my future projects.

 

[kelley_mc]

Thanks for the compliments!

I also love the blue background (obviously). I promised myself I would do all I can to keep it clean. I will try to scrape it every once in a while and see how it goes.

 

[kelley_mc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11508712#post11508712 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nicholas89
I just read your entire thread from start to finish.

I gotta say, for someone who has never done a sump, it was one of the most informative build threads I have ever stumbled upon.

Thank you so much for documenting it all that well. It really increased my understanding of mechanics behind sumps.

I love how everything has a good purpose, its so clean and well thought out.

In the future I may use this thread to help with my future projects.

You're welcome, thanks for the compliments and I am glad it helped!

 

[bstoner]

Is there some kind of filter media in one of your baffles or is that blue masking tape?

 

[kelley_mc]

Blue tape... I used it so that I can mark the full sump level, fill sump level and the return pump off (full siphon) level.