My system: don't laugh...

[jnowell]

I'm not sure how I missed this thread Kathy...oops. Your system looks great, I'd trade with ya

I actually learned a lot from this thread pertaining to my system. Several things I just didn't quite understand until I saw your pics and read the suggestions. Short of "Mr. Funny Man" (Edgar) I don't hear anyone laughing, Ed just knows he can get away with it cause we need him! LOL

It really does look great! Show it to your clowns, maybe they'll get with the program once they see how well you'll care for their offspring.

Jason

 

[Kathy55g]

Can't show it to the clowns. It's too heavy to carry upstairs.

As far as I am concerned, Ed can get away with anything--oops, I mean nothing.



Happy Valentine's day to all!
:love1:

 

[Kathy55g]

"

 

[David M]

 

[Kathy55g]

sorry to confuse you David. I just wanted to bump for a friend who is helping me with a new larger sump.

 

[Kathy55g]

The sump is here, and I hope to have pix of my better system soon.

Actually, I am changing plans for this system, as I have gotten clearance from the tower, my husband, to set up another small system in the basement. At last, I'll have the majic 3: Broodstock, Larval and Growout systems!

Time to start gluing some PVC....

 

[jake levi]

Very nice system Cathy, you are definitly an organized person. There's much food for thought here. Can you post a photo 'backed off' like of the table in construction?

Also not sure if I saw the gph on your pump? To me this is the tricky part of a larval system, having a variable turnover possible in the tanks other then an individual valve. Thats the only practical solution, but then as you say , if you have 2-3 tanks necked way down then a lot of water just circulating on by. I'd probably opt out for a 3" manifold on top and another 3" for the overflow.

 

[Kathy55g]

The new system will be for larval culture.

The 4 x 20 gallon tanks will be my growout system. I cannot put the drains in front as I have advised others to do, as I have tanks full of water and fish, and cannot move them.

I would like to exchange the bulkhead plumbing for uniseals if that will give me more flow. Just finished the initial plumbing work. I got some clear primer this time, so no more purple stains on the pristine white pipes! I will have 2 drains for 4 20 gallon tanks going to the filters. I will have a manifold with 4 ball valves piped to aim the water at the front glass. This should make for better circulation, and perhaps less siphoning, if the detritus can get to the overflows.

I also said earlier that I would use gate valves instead of ball valves, but after looking at the less expensive gate valves, I decided that the flow would be better with a ball valves, and I really should need to do very little adjustment anyway in a grow out system. Plus I can get them at Home Depot, a real advantage!

Pix later next week.

Jake,
I think the pump is around 1000 gallon per hour, but I have never used it at full capacity because my tanks' bulkhead overflows cannot handle that volume--they would flow over the top.!!!! If I can figure out how to make the 1" bulkhead truly 1" in diameter, instead of 3/4" with all the insert fittings, I may be able to improve this. Uniseals may help.

Don't know what you mean by a 3" manifold. Oh, wait, you mean diameter! Ed had some opinions (ha!) on my original thoughts to do just that. Such a wide pipe is not too practical. Perhaps it can be done, but I am using 1" pipe to a 3/4" manifold. Return diameter should be smaller than drain diameter, I think.

My top manifold is about 3 feet long, and the sump diverter is just that, a T to a valve to the sump.

 

[David M]

Be very careful if using uniseals on thin glass tanks. I like them for plastic/ acrylic but you can sooooooo easily crack a glass tank trying to push a pipe into them. ( voice of experience speaking here)

 

[Kathy55g]

The 20 gallon tanks are not thin. They are old Oceanic tanks that were purchased by my predecessor from a LFS that they used for their display tanks. Very sturdy. Thick glass.

But I am concerned about breakage, because I can never replace these. I don't think they make them anymore. I will attempt a thing or two before resorting to uniseals.

 

[JamisonSmith]

Here is a quick question for those of you in the know regarding Uni-seals. I purchased a bunch of them for my set-up and ended up going with bulkheads as it appeared to me that uniseals are great for one-sided connections, but not for double-sided. For example, I used a large Uni-seal on a 60 gallon plastic drum for the spigot but there was only piping on one side of the Uni-seal. Can you use a Uni-seal and have piping on both sides, more along the lines of a typical bulkhead with a riser on one side and the plumbing on the other?
Thanks,

Jamison


BTW, Kathy you're set-up looks great! Congrats on the recent go-ahead for expansion! I am still trying to figure out how to plumb shelve number three of tanks into the existing set-up~

 

[CaptiveMarine]

Jamison,

You can use the uniseal just like a bulkhead, just be careful when using them on tanks with thin glass. Heating the uniseal in hot water and using a little lubricant on it when pushing the pipe through will help keep you from cracking the tank.

 

[David M]

By all means you can push any length of pipe you want into the unseal, but as I say it's risky with smaller (thin) glass tanks like 10's and 20's. I grease up the pipe pretty good, I think they reccommend vegetable oil but I'm not sure. I cracked a couple of tanks and stopped using them. I think the intended application is barrels and storage tanks, not glass aquariums.