my new 175 oceanic BOWFRONT!
- Thread starter shaneh
- Start date
northbay-reefer
Active member
Looking awesome man, I can't wait to see the set up
Reef Bass
colors and textures
Dude! That's going to be a rockin' system. I haven't worked with external / nonsubmersible pumps on my reef tank, although I did have a monster two speed (2.5a and 10a) external pump running my 1000g koi pond pushing water through the sand filter with gravel media back to the pond. I did all the plumbing on that but not the electrical wiring. Those pumps don't come any with power cords, let alone with a single already wired one. 
Definitely take your time and work through each of your setup issues. While it might seem to take forever and I can understand wanting everything to just work right now, all your planning will help avoid unanticipated problems and in the long run you will be just tweaking things instead of re-engineering.
Definitely take your time and work through each of your setup issues. While it might seem to take forever and I can understand wanting everything to just work right now, all your planning will help avoid unanticipated problems and in the long run you will be just tweaking things instead of re-engineering.
Wow I have not updated this thing in forever....now that i am getting close i figure i should stick to the thread now instead of skipping around.
So the weekend update, I finally finished getting the tank plumbed, bought the sand, washed the sand, added the sand, glued the loose rock back on and tried to run the tank.
I'll up date it with lots pics soon cause a "pic is worth a 1000 words." So it takes forever to run all the PVC for this thing. But once it was done it was a big relief. So then I washed all the sand.
I like the sand size, I went with size "0" and I think it looks a lot better than "1" size. Also I didn't get a sand storm it cleared from the water pretty quick. A tip for anyone adding sand in the future, I rinsed it in a 5 gallon bucket about 1/4 full and then after it was rinsed went to add it to the tank. I climbed up on the latter with the wet sand in the 5 gal bucket and went to slowly add the sand. It stuck the bottom of the bucket so I tipped it a bit more and then "splash" all the sand fell at one time. Water went everywhere, hit me in the face got the tank all wet and water on the floor. At this point I was laughing at myself and saying “I'm stupid!” Anyways after that I used a large cup to fill the tank with the wet sand and "placed" the sand in the tank. I bought 3 bags of 50 lbs but I only used 80 lbs or so an I have a 1" sand bed that I wanted. I still need to smooth out the sand and blow off the rocks.
So once the sand was in it was time to add a bit more water so the water flowed into the overflows. Added about 30 more gallons of mixed up water and all the plumbing was holding from the tank to the overflows but once I started to hit some bulkheads in the sump "Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip" in about 4 different places. I got lazy doing the PVC at the end and stopped using Teflon tape sure enough it leaked at a few of the places i didn't use tape. So I suggest tape the first time so you don't have to take it apart and do it again.
Once i got the parts that needed the Teflon take fixed I started to fill the sump more and got 2 more leaks. But these two leaks I need some help.
The first leak was coming from one of my pumps after I took it apart and found out why it is missing a gasket. I need a Gen-x30 gasket. I can not find them on line, anyone know where i can get one? I can make one from gasket material but that will take a while to make one.
The second leak came from the BRS union, ball valve. It was missing the gasket on one side. I don't know if it never had one in the first place but it's not in the union now and the only time i took it apart was right when I put the pump on. Anyway I think I can get one from the hardware store. I even tried to take one from a union I had lying around but the standard size for 1" was too small.
After i get these two fixed I can add more water and work my way up to hopefully a running tank. kinda frustrating to get that close and then not be able to finish. So more to come and I know I need to add a lot of pics to keep the interest. I've been taking the pics just need the time to add them to the thread.
More to come....
OH also I have my lumen arc 3 reflector, 72" VHO super actinic bulb and some cool moon light coming from Steve. I still need to build the canopy and find out how much room I have to add t5 in.
So the weekend update, I finally finished getting the tank plumbed, bought the sand, washed the sand, added the sand, glued the loose rock back on and tried to run the tank.
I'll up date it with lots pics soon cause a "pic is worth a 1000 words." So it takes forever to run all the PVC for this thing. But once it was done it was a big relief. So then I washed all the sand.
I like the sand size, I went with size "0" and I think it looks a lot better than "1" size. Also I didn't get a sand storm it cleared from the water pretty quick. A tip for anyone adding sand in the future, I rinsed it in a 5 gallon bucket about 1/4 full and then after it was rinsed went to add it to the tank. I climbed up on the latter with the wet sand in the 5 gal bucket and went to slowly add the sand. It stuck the bottom of the bucket so I tipped it a bit more and then "splash" all the sand fell at one time. Water went everywhere, hit me in the face got the tank all wet and water on the floor. At this point I was laughing at myself and saying “I'm stupid!” Anyways after that I used a large cup to fill the tank with the wet sand and "placed" the sand in the tank. I bought 3 bags of 50 lbs but I only used 80 lbs or so an I have a 1" sand bed that I wanted. I still need to smooth out the sand and blow off the rocks.
So once the sand was in it was time to add a bit more water so the water flowed into the overflows. Added about 30 more gallons of mixed up water and all the plumbing was holding from the tank to the overflows but once I started to hit some bulkheads in the sump "Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip" in about 4 different places. I got lazy doing the PVC at the end and stopped using Teflon tape sure enough it leaked at a few of the places i didn't use tape. So I suggest tape the first time so you don't have to take it apart and do it again.
Once i got the parts that needed the Teflon take fixed I started to fill the sump more and got 2 more leaks. But these two leaks I need some help.
The first leak was coming from one of my pumps after I took it apart and found out why it is missing a gasket. I need a Gen-x30 gasket. I can not find them on line, anyone know where i can get one? I can make one from gasket material but that will take a while to make one.
The second leak came from the BRS union, ball valve. It was missing the gasket on one side. I don't know if it never had one in the first place but it's not in the union now and the only time i took it apart was right when I put the pump on. Anyway I think I can get one from the hardware store. I even tried to take one from a union I had lying around but the standard size for 1" was too small.
After i get these two fixed I can add more water and work my way up to hopefully a running tank. kinda frustrating to get that close and then not be able to finish. So more to come and I know I need to add a lot of pics to keep the interest. I've been taking the pics just need the time to add them to the thread.
More to come....
OH also I have my lumen arc 3 reflector, 72" VHO super actinic bulb and some cool moon light coming from Steve. I still need to build the canopy and find out how much room I have to add t5 in.
northbay-reefer
Active member
One thing about working with pvc is LEAKS but after all of the leaks are fixed, they will last for a long time. I use flexible hose when ever I can.
As for adding sands, that is funny ... lol ... the best way is to use a big plastic bag, fill it with the wet sand and then put the whole thing into the tank all the way to the bottom before opening the bag and release the sand slowly.
You are almost there ...
As for adding sands, that is funny ... lol ... the best way is to use a big plastic bag, fill it with the wet sand and then put the whole thing into the tank all the way to the bottom before opening the bag and release the sand slowly.
You are almost there ...
kokaneejr
New member
Hey Shane can't wait to see the final result. It should be a masterpiece when finished.
+1 on the water in the face trick probably even a +2
If you can't find gaskets try Maselis in Petaluma on Lakeville. I have had different problems i.e. older house fish newer house ect and they always seem to have something that works. I had one guy seaching the back lot which is about 6 acres and he found me a gasket for a water tank that was leaking and saved me hundreds of $ from a plumber who said he would have to cut the pipe and add a new fitting as the gaskets I needed weren't made anymore.
Just an idea. Good Luck.
+1 on the water in the face trick probably even a +2
If you can't find gaskets try Maselis in Petaluma on Lakeville. I have had different problems i.e. older house fish newer house ect and they always seem to have something that works. I had one guy seaching the back lot which is about 6 acres and he found me a gasket for a water tank that was leaking and saved me hundreds of $ from a plumber who said he would have to cut the pipe and add a new fitting as the gaskets I needed weren't made anymore.
Just an idea. Good Luck.
I was able to find the gasket at orchard so the ball valve union works perfect. Then i got some liquid gasket for the gen x-30 pump and that cleared up that leak. So last night I finally got to turn on my iwaki-55 pump for the first time. Now keep in mind i bought this pump used and cleaned it before i installed it. The pump is louder than my mag 24!!!! That thing sounds like a rocket, do you guys know why? Also i got a few more leaks to fix....note to self always use Teflon tape on all fittings otherwise you just install the tape in the future after it leaks!
So my question for today: Do any of you know why the Iwaki is so noisy? It did push the water at a pretty quick rate to the tank but it's so noisy. Do I need to lube them? I don't have much experience with theses pumps.
So my question for today: Do any of you know why the Iwaki is so noisy? It did push the water at a pretty quick rate to the tank but it's so noisy. Do I need to lube them? I don't have much experience with theses pumps.
oh and one more thing to tell you guys....I'm gonna pull all the sand back out! I want it really really white and the sand I got is perfect for the size but it's still tan....when it got wet it tanned up....so it's is better to switch it now then to do it later. So i am going to use Caribesea supernaturals white it is very fine grain but i want that color.
northbay-reefer
Active member
did you have the light on your tank yet? because your sand will turn whiter with the light on.
To suppress the noise you need to minimize the vibration of the pump. since you are using all hard PVC the vibration will be louder. I usually use flexible hose when I connect my sump to my return pumps. Try using a rubber sheet under the pump to help minimize the noise. I have some 1/8" thick rubber sheet if you need some, thick mouse pad also works.
To suppress the noise you need to minimize the vibration of the pump. since you are using all hard PVC the vibration will be louder. I usually use flexible hose when I connect my sump to my return pumps. Try using a rubber sheet under the pump to help minimize the noise. I have some 1/8" thick rubber sheet if you need some, thick mouse pad also works.
I have it on a 2 by 4 with lots of rubber on both sides, one side it hard plumbed and the other is flex PVC. Maybe i will make it soft on the other side. The sound is coming form the pump it's self running not so much the vibration.
No lights on the tank yet. I know it will white up but I want it screaming white! Give a really good pop! it will get tan over time with life
No lights on the tank yet. I know it will white up but I want it screaming white! Give a really good pop! it will get tan over time with life
northbay-reefer
Active member
the cabinet acts like a diaphragm, so any vibration will turn into noise, and any noise will amplify and becomes louder so the best way to minimize the noise is isolate it with rubber, soft connections and insulation to dampen the noise.
Alright lets get this thread back up to speed!!!
I took a long break from this thread but i didn't take a break at all form working on the tank. It's time to get this thing up to speed! I'll be doing alot of the typin now but will post the picture book tonight. I got them all loaded into photobucket last night.
First I want to show you all how i started out- my fresh water set up 55 bow front...awww how easy it was to keep up....
then my first salt tank was a 30 gallon hex with a ton of live rock a box filter and a clown and a few cromies....haha
Then i switched the 55 bow to a salt tank and added a "sump" I had no clue what this was at the time....added a filter sock and a skimmer
then i found the club....got rid of the 30 hex and stuck with the 55 bow. Then i learned about MH lights and actinics....
Then I learned about a refugium...this was my DIY fuge
Then I started to build the dream....got the tank and stand that you saw earlier, got a big skimmer, got the sea swirls, got the 1/2 HP chiller, and tunze wave box.
Then i started to redo the "computer room" i went with crown molding, chair rail, black top and white bottom. Got new drapes and bar. I mounted the big ocean picture i got for the background for now but i can remove it later as the wall is black behind it.
Then built the stand for the stand so i can wipe under the tank and it raised the tank to eye level.
Then built the skimmer stand so i can have a waste collection under it.
Then started to build the sump, fuge, and ATO tank cabinet.
Ordered and did all the plumbing, this took forever! I even painted all the PVC black to make it look clean.
Then i posisitoned the tank and filled it with RODI water and then salt!!!
Then i did my rock with the famous "Tom" it came out looking great!
Tehn i filled it with size "0" sand, it is a bit gray for me but i hope it will get whiter (if that is a word) I wanted the ESV sand but it was more expensive to get it shipped then to buy it....so i kept what i had.
Went with a Gen-X 30 and an iwaki 40 XLRT for return and a Gen-x 40 for the skimmer.
changed out the pumps from an iwaki 55 IRT to a posiden pump... very quite and good power, love the pump for winter but i heard they add 2-3 degrees to the water. So i may need to switch back to the iwaki in summer.
Changed the Gen-x 30 for a ocean runner 1625GPH...still waitting to get this in the mail.
drilled the new 30 gallon tall fuge with a gl*******s.com overflow.
hooked up the fuge and transferred the cheto and water from the old fuge to the new one.
Then i ordered all the lights from coralreefecosystems.com (steve) , 1 72" VHO actinic,(10) t5's, 5 for each side. one MH for the middle. Some people told me it wouldn't look good with one MH in the middle but i wanted to save on PGE and i think it came out perfect!
Then i order the fans from coolerguys.com
I then started to build the canopy
then I installed all the lights, VHO, t5 and made the bracket for the MH to be adjustable. I used angle iron with holes drilled in it and bolts and wing nuts. This way I can adjust the height of the MH bulb.
I have been having to move the 250 ballast around in the room to switch between the MH's.
Then i added a few cromies to the water.
I have been doing water changes on the 55 and putting the water in the 180 to sped up the cycle. I had 4 cromies and here is their story:
-1 little cromie died within 15 min of acclimating him tot he tank (i think it was sick at the store)
-1 one little cromie jumped out and I didn't see it only to find it dried up on the floor later
-1 little cromie stayed alive
and -1 little cromie went wee wee wee all the way home.
So now I have two cromies
Then I added 2 more and will soon transfer the rest of the fish from the 55 to the 180
I’m sure I left out some details but I’ll add them in as I add pics.
I took a long break from this thread but i didn't take a break at all form working on the tank. It's time to get this thing up to speed! I'll be doing alot of the typin now but will post the picture book tonight. I got them all loaded into photobucket last night.
First I want to show you all how i started out- my fresh water set up 55 bow front...awww how easy it was to keep up....
then my first salt tank was a 30 gallon hex with a ton of live rock a box filter and a clown and a few cromies....haha
Then i switched the 55 bow to a salt tank and added a "sump" I had no clue what this was at the time....added a filter sock and a skimmer
then i found the club....got rid of the 30 hex and stuck with the 55 bow. Then i learned about MH lights and actinics....
Then I learned about a refugium...this was my DIY fuge
Then I started to build the dream....got the tank and stand that you saw earlier, got a big skimmer, got the sea swirls, got the 1/2 HP chiller, and tunze wave box.
Then i started to redo the "computer room" i went with crown molding, chair rail, black top and white bottom. Got new drapes and bar. I mounted the big ocean picture i got for the background for now but i can remove it later as the wall is black behind it.
Then built the stand for the stand so i can wipe under the tank and it raised the tank to eye level.
Then built the skimmer stand so i can have a waste collection under it.
Then started to build the sump, fuge, and ATO tank cabinet.
Ordered and did all the plumbing, this took forever! I even painted all the PVC black to make it look clean.
Then i posisitoned the tank and filled it with RODI water and then salt!!!
Then i did my rock with the famous "Tom" it came out looking great!
Tehn i filled it with size "0" sand, it is a bit gray for me but i hope it will get whiter (if that is a word) I wanted the ESV sand but it was more expensive to get it shipped then to buy it....so i kept what i had.
Went with a Gen-X 30 and an iwaki 40 XLRT for return and a Gen-x 40 for the skimmer.
changed out the pumps from an iwaki 55 IRT to a posiden pump... very quite and good power, love the pump for winter but i heard they add 2-3 degrees to the water. So i may need to switch back to the iwaki in summer.
Changed the Gen-x 30 for a ocean runner 1625GPH...still waitting to get this in the mail.
drilled the new 30 gallon tall fuge with a gl*******s.com overflow.
hooked up the fuge and transferred the cheto and water from the old fuge to the new one.
Then i ordered all the lights from coralreefecosystems.com (steve) , 1 72" VHO actinic,(10) t5's, 5 for each side. one MH for the middle. Some people told me it wouldn't look good with one MH in the middle but i wanted to save on PGE and i think it came out perfect!
Then i order the fans from coolerguys.com
I then started to build the canopy
then I installed all the lights, VHO, t5 and made the bracket for the MH to be adjustable. I used angle iron with holes drilled in it and bolts and wing nuts. This way I can adjust the height of the MH bulb.
I have been having to move the 250 ballast around in the room to switch between the MH's.
Then i added a few cromies to the water.
I have been doing water changes on the 55 and putting the water in the 180 to sped up the cycle. I had 4 cromies and here is their story:
-1 little cromie died within 15 min of acclimating him tot he tank (i think it was sick at the store)
-1 one little cromie jumped out and I didn't see it only to find it dried up on the floor later
-1 little cromie stayed alive
and -1 little cromie went wee wee wee all the way home.
So now I have two cromies
Then I added 2 more and will soon transfer the rest of the fish from the 55 to the 180
I’m sure I left out some details but I’ll add them in as I add pics.
