MY 75 Gallon RR project and soon to be "former setup" DIAL UP BEWARE!

[slik1511]

nice setup

 

[slik1511]

nice setup

 

[RichT]

Hey Merv......coming along nicely !!
You may want to consider turning the fitting that the loclines are attached to 90 degrees towards the center of the tank. That way, you will have the adjustment flexibility and it won't be necessary for them to hang down so far into the tank. That should only take 2 couplings to do the trick. Just a thought since it sounds like you weren't happy with the look. HTH

 

[RichT]

RichT has a beautiful ARCH that he picked up at DrMac, and since I didn't want to beg for him to give it to me, I decide to "MAKE" my own.

Thanks Merv, missed that one. Actually, I told the good Dr. what I wanted to do and we picked through the rocks until we found just the right ones. Fortunately the 5 rocks that make up the main arch were big enough and I was able to fit them together tight enough that I felt comfortable they would stay put without putty or any other support. Good luck with yours, how about some more pic's?

 

[concept3]

I wish I could turn the fittings Rich, but I had a slight too-happy-to-install-the-return-pipe syndrome. On a good note, I can make a brand new fitting since I used 3 sets of couplers to break down the tubing just in case of a relapse, which I did have. Think of my piping as having a "failsafe" option

I'll throw more pics, but I'm running out of room in my gallery

 

[magma01]

Hi,
Your new setup is looking great! How are your EVC TECH ELECTRONIC BALLAST working for you? I'm thinking about getting some of those myself. Have you had any problems? Any heat problems or electrical problems?

 

[concept3]

Hi,
Your new setup is looking great! How are your EVC TECH ELECTRONIC BALLAST working for you? I'm thinking about getting some of those myself. Have you had any problems? Any heat problems or electrical problems?

Nope, knock on wood about the Electrical or heat. I'm using the EVC Tech as a spare right now, however, I DO plan on using it on the 20 gallon in the bedroom. I just have to explain to my girl that the PC lights had a short circuit, that's why the tank got bright all of a sudden J/K. I'm burning in the XM halides in the living room right now, my neighbors keep on asking me why there is a spotlight in the house, my Condo being upstairs is starting to look like a Lighthouse. I figured 80-100 houirs burn in which is what I see most people do. I don't feel like shocking the corals.

 

[concept3]

All right, a few updates:

My live rock that was semi-cured took a dive down. Basically, I had the rock sitting in a tub in the spare bedroom with a Mag7 and my new WON brothers digital Ultra Mega Titanium heater with Readout. Somehow, the sensor registered 68 degrees this morning. I thought nothing much of it, as I needed to go get a few more fittings from Home depot, I figure I'll get home soon anyway. I got home and the whole condo reeked. Well, the reason why the meter read 68 was because the sensor got pulled out of the water and was registering the air temperature. Basically, I now have semi-alive live rock. It looks like it is going to take a while longer before I transfer the tank. Bummer.

I figure, what the hey, I'll redo the stupid contraption of pipes that I made 4 days ago.

This was the contraption that I had doctored 4 days ago. It made a ^#%$load of noise, I felt like I was under the Niagara falls. All 1200 gallons of water rushing straight down to a 1 inch filter sock. I drained the darned thing that same night and I decided to work on the RIGHT plumbing today.

Left pipe (1 inch) hypothetically goes into the filter sock, and the 3/4 inch pipe goes into the refugium, with an escape for excess water. IT DIDN'T work! That, my friends, was a MAJOR BRAIN FART GONE WRONG!!!

I ganked this whole setup and ran it over a few times with the car. It was cool seeing all that water though.

 

[concept3]

This is how all 1200 gallons of water dumps into the tank. I used 3/4 loclines, and I think they are too big. I did order a set of reducers to 1/2 inch so they should work better, I hope.

The PUMP, I will be replacing with an Iwaki 20, since I found out the other night that my overflow CAN NOT handle that kind of water volume per hour, even with two Durso standpipes. Brand spanking new Iwaki 40, and the place I bought it from wouldn't take it back since I plugged it in and ran water through it. Looks like I'll be selling the Iwaki 40 soon, after I get freed up.

ALL this water is being pushed by the Iwaki MD40RLXT (Japanese), which my overflow couldn't handle. It looks cool though. I almost flooded the dining room with this pump. I also thought the extra grooves that I cut through the top of the overflow would be enough to accomodate the water flow, but NOPE!

 

[concept3]

Here is a REDO of the old setup. WHAT WAS I THINKING BEFORE?

Much quieter setup, No more Niagara falls!!! YAY!!! I was hoping that the Pump would work better this time (I cut two more grooves and opened up the tabs in the overlow).......STILL THE SAME! TOO MUCH WATER! I guess I'll have to wait until Friday for the Iwaki 20 to get here.....aaaarrrggghhhhh........ I can finish up the wiring for the halides in the meantime.........

Two pipes coming down into a 1 1/2 inch pipe, and then joins. It splits straight down into the refugium with a ball valve for water control, and the rest dumps back into the filter sock.

 

[Reeftreasures]

so with both or your drains what do you think the gph is and do you think the 20 will work good since my T4 is not working how i want it to have to turn the ball valves almost completely closed for it to wotk with only very little micro bubbles

 

[TA]

I cut two more grooves and opened up the tabs in the overlow

Got a pic of this and other megaflow mods? I'm gettin ready as well and am interested in all megaflow mods that can help increase flow.

btw, lookin' real nice....impressed how quick you got it ready to go. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[concept3]

To my knowledge, Modifying the Megaflow with more holes is a lose-lose situation. I don't think that the megaflow can handle anymore than 600-750 gallons/hour IMO. I throttled down the intake for the pump about halfway (somewhere in the range of 600-800 gph), and the water would STILL go about 3/4 up the overflow slits. This was even after I added a second durso to hopefully accomodate for the extra water.

I AM open to any other suggestions to anybody ELSE who may have been successful with this or any other modifications.

 

[TA]

Did you see any of these?

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=523013

Was wondering if you did anything different. I kinda liked the "rain gutter" idea

 

[concept3]

I just used the dremel to cut more slots around the edges, I might make the teeth larger tonight, maybe do the hole thing from the link you gave me. thanks, i'll post more pics later.

 

[tony13]

Put a ball or gate valve on the output side of the pump and you'll be able to control the flow going into the tank. Then you can keep the pump for when you get the bigger tank.
Tony

 

[TA]

...am interested in all megaflow mods that can help increase flow.

Valve is a given...trying to Mod the Mega-thing to handle more flow.

 

[concept3]

Put a ball or gate valve on the output side of the pump and you'll be able to control the flow going into the tank. Then you can keep the pump for when you get the bigger tank.
Tony

Wouldn't that put more stress on the pump? I DO have a ball valve before and after the pump, and I finagled with that a little bit, and there is still too much flow, too much flow that the "Mega" (yeah right) flow can handle. I just got home now, and I'll post pics up of what I am doing at the moment..... post it in a few hours. Gotta make and eat dinner first!

On a side note, I did want all 1200 gph if possible, since I don't want anymore Powerheads in the tank. It would have been perfect, if not for the incapabilities of the mega flow.

 

[steve68]

u can keep the iwaki & just "T" the return so u have one going back to ur sump this way u can adjust to get the most flow out of ur pump & u can even use the other end to run a skimmer or calcium reactor.
i have a sequence 3200 & both my megaflows are to capacity i also feed a refugium off the same pump,i use all 4 holes as drains with only 2 dursos & the other 2 wide open,i even "T" back to my sump but my megaflows seems to keep up with the pump it drains a total of 2000 gallons, each 1 inch drain does 600 & each 3/4 does 400
JME

 

[concept3]

hmmmm..... thanks Steve.........I never thought of that. Maybe I'll try that this weekend. The guys at Home Depot know me by name now. In the meantime, I'm gonna make the holes larger on the megaflow.

Any one else on suggestions?

Here come the pics: