Lightsluvr's 340G Upgrade

[IBASSFSH]

Rubbermaid tanks

Rubbermaid tanks

I use two Rubbermaid stock tanks behind my 215 gallon tank. When the power goes out it will fill the tanks up pretty close to the edge, but I have my loc-line below the water about 1-2 inches. I need to drill an air hole to break the siphon so less water drains out. My set up is not nearly as neat as yours either. Great build so far!!

 

[Lightsluvr]

Re: Rubbermaid tanks

Re: Rubbermaid tanks

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15253844#post15253844 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IBASSFSH
I use two Rubbermaid stock tanks behind my 215 gallon tank. When the power goes out it will fill the tanks up pretty close to the edge, but I have my loc-line below the water about 1-2 inches. I need to drill an air hole to break the siphon so less water drains out. My set up is not nearly as neat as yours either. Great build so far!!

Yours looks pretty organized to me... Any tricks on using flexible PVC?
Suggestions?

Thanks...please tag along.

LL

 

[IBASSFSH]

That's the only place I have used the spa flex (from pump to Deltec skimmer). The rest of my system uses regualr pvc.

I used a cleaner, primer and a pvc type glue. It has held for about two years now.

 

[Lightsluvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15255084#post15255084 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by IBASSFSH
That's the only place I have used the spa flex (from pump to Deltec skimmer). The rest of my system uses regualr pvc.

I used a cleaner, primer and a pvc type glue. It has held for about two years now.

Thanks!

LL

 

[aquaph8]

Awesome thread. Nice job staying patient throughout the entire build process. Most people ( including me) would throw it together, and have a lot of regrets in the end. Can't wait to see more pics. Good luck on everything and thanks for sharing.
aquaph8

 

[Lightsluvr]

Thanks!

Thanks!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15257470#post15257470 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquaph8
Awesome thread. Nice job staying patient throughout the entire build process. Most people ( including me) would throw it together, and have a lot of regrets in the end. Can't wait to see more pics. Good luck on everything and thanks for sharing.
aquaph8

Thanks for tagging along - hope you're subscribed and will come back often to watch and leave some notes...

LL

 

[Lightsluvr]

Return pump plumbing

Return pump plumbing

Roughed in the return pump plumbing this afternoon...

Here's the way it looks, at least until we check the joints for proper position. We will glue into place last, after all CL joints are disassembled, checked and glued into place.

Yesterday:

Tonight:

View of the sump return chamber (there will be a strainer in that 2" fitting):

The four 1-1/2" overflows will be roughed in tomorrow. Tonight just the (2) returns are dry-fitted:

The return pump plumbing w/ dual double union valves:

More later with the closed loop dry plumbing...

LL

 

[Lightsluvr]

A really closed loop...

A really closed loop...

In order to approach equal pressure from all closed loop return ports, I followed the design of a fellow reefer who truly made his closed loop CLOSED , meaning that there is no beginning and no end. What he constructed to lie beneath the substrate in his tank, I modified to work with the pre-drilled holes in the PVC bottom of my AGE tank.

The loop consists of five 1" return ports each of which will terminate in a 1" Pacific Coast Flow Accelerator. The are two 1-1/2" drains, which will be covered by a 4" PVC plastic shower drain cover siliconed to the tank bottom. The drains and flow accelerators will be hidden by live rock. The returns will be positioned to push the water in a counter-clockwise direction, concentrating on surface motion.

Here is the closed lood drain (left) and the return (right) which go directly to the Reeflo Barracuda Gold pump:

A little different angle and you can see the 1-1/2" to 1" reduction manifold (T) which directs the flow in both directions of the loop:

Another shot of the feed and return, and the first return port, fed by 1" gray Spaflex (flexible PVC):

A shot of another return port, showing the ball valve, T and connecting Spaflex:

Another port - the Spaflex makes a complete loop and returns back to the original 1-1/2" T manifold:

Back to the beginning:

Make sense?

Comments?

LL

 

[newtome]

im just worried that your sump wont be able to handle the water that drains when and if the return is shut off??

 

[Lightsluvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15259399#post15259399 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newtome
im just worried that your sump wont be able to handle the water that drains when and if the return is shut off??

Me too...

I plan on having a siphon break very close to the surface of the DT... If that doesn't work, I will lower the baffle level to allow more overflow capacity in the 90G sump...

LL

 

[Lytehouse]

Spaflex

Spaflex

Looks great....

Your knees, back and neck have got to hurt.

Now to do it all over again with cleaner and glue.....

 

[Lightsluvr]

Re: Spaflex

Re: Spaflex

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15260355#post15260355 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lytehouse
Looks great....

Your knees, back and neck have got to hurt.

Now to do it all over again with cleaner and glue.....

You're right. The tool you loaned me is helping a lot. I did learn one thing...2" schedule 40 will shatter if you use that tool in a cool room. If you put the pipe outside for a few hours, the PVC heats up and cuts like butter...

All the "spill" warnings are making sense as I do my recalcuations. I am likely going to pull the acrylic sump and lower the (2) baffles which control the water level.

I noticed that the baffles in my Oceanic sumps are actually less than halfway the height of the tank... I am going to do some "cipherin'" on water volume from the DT and lower those babies...I won't be able to have as deep a DSB, but it's better than having to fret about a spill...

Any suggestions on a saw or other tool to cut those baffles?

LL

 

[Lytehouse]

saw in tight places

saw in tight places

I'd consider a small hand held dremel or one with a long flex hose head. I have both, but I bet you do as well.

 

[Lightsluvr]

Re: saw in tight places

Re: saw in tight places

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15260408#post15260408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lytehouse
I'd consider a small hand held dremel or one with a long flex hose head. I have both, but I bet you do as well.

My wife's cordless dremel is dead --- may talk to you about what type of bit would slice through the acrylic panels...

I should be able to slide the sump out to work on it without too much hassle...

LL

 

[Poseidon]

Looks great so far! I remember reading a while back, that it was not a good idea to have a 90 directly in front of the pump intake, it can cause bubble issues, according to what I read, but I can't remember where that was. (Sorry)

Maybe that won't be a problem on a closed loop, I am unsure. Hopefully someone else can chime in and correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Lightsluvr]

Closed loop drain

Closed loop drain

There are (2) 1-1/2" drains in the PVC bottom of the tank for the closed loop. Here is what I am thinking about using to cover each of the the drain bulkheads:

It is a 4" plastic shower drain. I can silicone it to the PVC botton, and it will be raised up enough to hopefully keep substrate away from the intake... Sincce it's secured with silicone, I should be able to remove it if necessary.
I'm hoping that this drain will diffuse the intake enough not to suck anything unwanted into the closed loop... it will be hidden between sections of live rock...

Here's the view from above:

Any thoughts? Obvious problems?

LL

 

[mbaychuk]

or save yourslef the hassle and get some nice big threaded strainers from usplastics like i did

the drains are 2" btw
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog_name=usplastic&category_name=53&product_id=2457

 

[Lightsluvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15263630#post15263630 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mbaychuk
or save yourslef the hassle and get some nice big threaded strainers from usplastics like i did
the drains are 2" btw
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog_name=usplastic&category_name=53&product_id=2457

Thanks for that link - I have been looking for those...

Can you post a picture of your tank with the closed loop working? And maybe a photo of your plumbing under the tank? As I recalled, you used OM-4's??
Thanks.

LL

 

[Lightsluvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15247295#post15247295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev

The display tank will drain 15g of water for every inch that siphons out. The rubbermaid will probably drain about 10g off its surface. The skimmer may drain about 5g out of its body (pure guesstimate on my part). So your sump has to hold about 30g of extra water, even with working siphon breaks.

Marc, I think I have worked out so there will be adequate volume in the sump to handle the overflow when the return pumps are turned off. I am going to cut down the inner baffles to 15", so the permanent water level will be at that depth. That gives 10" of volume to handle overflow. I will have one of my return hoses very close to the surface to break the siphon pretty quickly.

Thanks for bringing this up...

LL

 

[Lightsluvr]

Overflow plumbing

Overflow plumbing

Completed the inital dry fit plumbing for the tank's four overflows:

Here's a closer photo of the overflows - each double union red handled valve is a separate 1-1/2" overflow...from left to right:
1. Durso Overflow to the 100G Rubbermaid sump (live rock)
2. Durso Overflow to 95G Acrylic sump in tank stand (DSB & Chaeto)
3. Dusrso Overflow to Reeflo Orca 250 skimmer feed
4. Emergency overflow - standpipe on;y - feed to sump return chamber

Tomorrow I will put the Rubbermaid sump and skimmer at their planned operating height so I can plumb the Skimmer return and the Rubbermaid gravity feed to the sump return chamber...

Hopefully everything will flow downhill and no overflows when pumps are turned off...

If everything checks out, it will be time to disassemble the PVC, and break out the cleaner, primer and glue...

LL