My New Tank!!!

Mags are good pumps. You can run it external too and free up some space in the sump. I'd invest in 2 nice external pumps that put out about 1200 gph each. Then closed loop them with intakes near the top of the tank and have outputs all over. Oceans Motions makes some nice little devices for alternating the flow. The nice part about a canopy is you can mount your plumbing above the tank and have it enter the tank with loc-line. You can then adjust it so the outputs are just barely touching the water surface; you don't even see the outputs in the tank at all. Makes it look nice and clean. :D
 
Very true Matt, I would soo love to not have to look at a bunch of powerheads in my tank ;)

Congratulations on a beautifull tank TK, talk about We can rebuild it, we have the technology,it will be bigger,better than before... :D

-Justin
 
Thanks for the Help on Everything everyone. Esspecially you Matt. I know I'm not the sharpest Rock in the tank sometimes.

Today I Bought all the PVC and plumbing I need. Found some Black Plastic Tubing, yeah! Home Depot Sucks and arent very helpful. They didnt care to listen to my explaination of exactly what I needed/wanted, they just did it their own way and seemed annoyed if I asked for additional help reaching parts that were high up. But in the End I got what I needed.

I also Got 50 lbs of Sand Today. 30 lbs dry, 20 lbs Live. 35 lbs of some dry base rock all for $75 out the door.

Seems the LFS Near Here really likes me and always weighs things a few lbs lighter then they really are and then gives me another 10% off on anything but Salt. Oh Yeah, I also Picked up 165g worth of IO salt for $29.97!

John From Youreef ordered me a Mag 9.5 and heater today. I'll pick those up on Thurs. or Fri plus some of his Rock.

He is getting 300 lbs of LR in on Monday Night. If anyone needs some this week will be a good time to get it.

As it stands I have about 70 to 80 lbs of Live and Base Rock and 90 lbs of Sand, excluding what I plan to get from John. That should Be Enough to Get my Cycle Started once My Return Pump comes in.

I'm getting anxious now!!!
 
Thank for posting all your comments about items you are getting. It seems I'm perpetually planning my upgrade to a large tank. Sounds like you are getting great deals. Keep up the postings! Good luck getting your tank going. I totally understand the anxious part!!! :D
 
No Problem, the devil is in the details, and sometimes the simplest detail can make or break you in this hobby.

Update: All my plumbing is installed and ready. Tank is half full now and that took 36 hours!!! Once I put the Pump on I'll fill the tank the rest of the way. Then the fun begins!
 
I'm curious what the plumbing looks like where the drain pipe meets the water level in your sump. It's a critical spot that can create a lot of noise. Any pics?
 
I just dropped the pipe strait down into the sump, the pipe ends about 5 inches from the bottom of the sump. I'm not sure what the water level will be in the sump will be yet, but once I do figure that out it'll be easy to shorten the pipe if I need too.

also going to add a ball valve to the drain. Just have to pick one up today.

Any thoughts?

valve like this:

plvshv15a.jpg
 
Last edited:
I would NEVER add a ball valve to the drain. You don't want to restrict the drain. If you accidently forget and leave it closed, and then turn back on your sump, you might have an overflow. :P

You can add a ball valve on your return though. Better yet, if you can, add a gate valve. Cheap ball valve can be a PIA to open and close. If you do put in a ball valve, try opening in a closing it once a month to prevent it from getting stuck.

Minh

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6623028#post6623028 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TotalKhaos
also going to add a ball valve to the drain. Just have to pick one up today.

Any thoughts?

valve like this:

plvshv15a.jpg
Click to expand...
 
lol - ok thanks Minh. I wont add a ball valve!

I didnt really want to go back down to Home Depot anyway. Did I mention that Home Depot Stinks?
 
I always add a gate valve (ball valves suck! for the reasons Minh mentioned) to the drain, but (important again for the reasons Minh mentioned) add a tee above the restriction. That tee should drain to the sump in case something blocks the valve. Which should never happen, because you've taken the precaution of adding a screen or PVC pipe with small drilled holes to the intake of your Durso standpipe. ;)

The gate valve can then be restricted to reduce noise from the drain. It helps a lot! Another thing that works for me--where the drain enters the sump, half of the pipe should be sticking out of the water to vent air. Then zip tie a plastic fish bag (or a micron filter bag) around the pipe, and cut several small holes in the end. It keeps the splashing inside the bag and reduces salt creep. Sounds loopy but try it and you'll see. :D
 
Hey Matt,

Can you draw a diagram of what you mean?

Thanks
Minh

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6626011#post6626011 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wombat2

The gate valve can then be restricted to reduce noise from the drain. It helps a lot! Another thing that works for me--where the drain enters the sump, half of the pipe should be sticking out of the water to vent air. Then zip tie a plastic fish bag (or a micron filter bag) around the pipe, and cut several small holes in the end. It keeps the splashing inside the bag and reduces salt creep. Sounds loopy but try it and you'll see. :D
Click to expand...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6628837#post6628837 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mn95616
Hey Matt,

Can you draw a diagram of what you mean?

Thanks
Minh
Click to expand...

ditto that. I got a picture in my head but I'm probably way off.
 
What Matt means is that when the drain comes into the sump, that half of the drain opening should be under water, and the other half above the water line. This allows most of the air to escape freely rather than bubble. Bubble=Noise

You could easily accomplish this by having a 90 at the bottom of the drain, with half the opening above water. Then, since the resulting bubbling/splashing will eventually cause salt creep, cover the opening with a micron bag, or some similar item. This catches all of the splash, which in turn helps eliminate salt creep. This would also help to dampen the noise.

IMO, this type of setup would be easiest to manage with a float switch/auto topoff to keep the sump level constant.
 
Ok I have a screen on the drain now - picking up a 90 elbow for the drain into the sump. Thinking about a gate valve.

Everything else is done. Once that pump comes in I'm in business!

I think I have enough sand - but I might end up needing more. without spending too much money does anyone know of a cheap sand I could use should I need it. I'm thinking play sand on the bottom and My good sand on top.
 
TK-

I have a bunch of live sand if you are interested. It's is scoop your own day...if you know what I mean. I just broke down two 50g prop tanks and both have about 1.5" of sand. I also have a 5g bucket full of sand that has been sitting for a while.

Send me a PM if you are interested and I can give you some more info.
 
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