New Tank Diary! 70 Tall (36x18x25)

Getting Closer!

Getting Closer!

OK everyone - I pick up my tank on Sunday so I'm starting to think about:

-buying my plumbing
-redoing my sump baffling
-finish wiring my lighting

I'm gonna cover these in the next 3 posts, so please feel free to give me any advice on any or all topics.

thanks.
 
Plumbing - I'm going to have 2 drains from the RR overflow and 3 holes drilled in the back from my CL (Snapper pump).

I know I need 3 more bulkheads a 1.5" (already have a 2" and 1.5") for the CL, a 1" and a 3/4" for the 2 drains.

Should I get a Union for each? so 5, 1 for each hole?

The drains will basically go straight thru the stand into the sump so I can use flex or even PVC? What do you think?

Then the return will be up over the top to a single outlet - perhaps painted black - so I need about 8' of 1" PVC (outlet of my Quite One 3000) and a couple 90s and 45s???

Hopefully I won't need that much for the CL - just some 2" to the pump (and should I put a Union on either side of the snapper?) and 1.5 to the 2 bulkheads (which will have 2 outlets each) - so maybe a T, 6 90s and a couple 45s?? Maybe 4' each of the 2" and 1.5" or should I use flex anywhere there?

Whew - onto sump...
 
Sump Baffling - I think I'm going to have 3 sections similar to the ones that are there now - but I'd like more baffles to help control microbubbles. At this point I'm going to have a skimmer on one side (drain from tank), LR rubble on the other side, and return in the middle. I'm leaving the other side for a fuge if I decide it's needed, but for now it will just be extra LR since I'm not planning on filling my display and need the filtration.

What's the best way to cut acrylic?

I also might want to build a "sheild" around my ballasts and DJ strip, so does anyone know if I can screw acrylic into wood with wood screws? maybe if I drill a pilot hole first? (refer to earlier pics if you're not sure what I'm talking about)

The easiest for last - lighting!
 
Lighting[/L] - I know lighting is never the easiest part - but my question is easy.

Where can I get colored wire to extend my wiring harnesses. I was going to have to extend at least one anyway and I just added 9" to the height of my tank, so I may have to lengthen both of them. Is this available at Lowe's/HD?

Thanks - and please offer any advice you have - and if you want to help me plump (brad/JJ??) or baffle my sump (Ryansholl?) let me know.

Also I will need to drill for the CL, and Brad's Dremel is on the fritz that JJ used to drill it last time...so if anyone has a dremel and feels like drilling 3 holes in the back of my tank let me know! I'll buy the tile bit if you don't already have one.

TIA!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10929189#post10929189 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Philby
Sump Baffling - I think I'm going to have 3 sections similar to the ones that are there now - but I'd like more baffles to help control microbubbles. At this point I'm going to have a skimmer on one side (drain from tank), LR rubble on the other side, and return in the middle. I'm leaving the other side for a fuge if I decide it's needed, but for now it will just be extra LR since I'm not planning on filling my display and need the filtration.
Click to expand...


If I understand your plan correctly, your intend to divide the sump like this.
[.A./\.B./\.C.]
A will be where the skimmer sits (and is fed) and then B will be the return, and then C will be the fuge. The problem I have with this design, is that I don't understand how you will have flow in the fuge side C.

I would think you want your flow to go from one side to the other, that way you get as much bottom cleaning power as possible out of your return pump. Keep in mind that you need to keep the bottom of the sump as clean as the bottom of the display.
 
Hmmm - that's a good point.

What if I were to split the drain to both sides of the sump? If I used the 1" drain of the tank (the holes are actually 1.5" and 1", not 1" and 3/4" like I stated above) that would be roughly 600 gallons an hour split between the skimmer and fuge. (probably not 50/50 since one is straight down and the other has to travel horizontally @18") so maybe 400gph through the skimmer section and 200gph through the fuge?

Does that sound like it would work?

That does bring up another question though - using the RC headloss calc for my return pump - it looks like I'm gonna be at about 530gph back to the tank. So where do I adjust the drain down to equalize my drain and return gph?? at the union on the bulkhead of the drain?
 
Phil,

Why not put the fuge in the center-A,C,B?? I noticed you said maybe no fuge. I would just get that out of the way now, create a fuge w/ macro-algae. ;0) What size is this sump?
 
I guess that's probably an easier solution huh?

I remember reading some build thread on here that explained why they were setting up their sump with the return in the middle - and I can't remember why - but it made sense to me at the time so I've just had it in my head that was the way I was going to set up my sump that way.

as far as macro goes - if I can keep my Nitrates down w/o it then I'll just have LR in my "fuge". If not then of course I'll be adding Macro.

The sump is a 30B so 36x18x12.
 
I have read the reasons why as well somewhere, but I also read the opposite side. I forget the reasons. I can give you one reason not to put the return in the middle and split your returns ........ then you would need two bubble traps. Bubble traps take more time, twice the space and three times as much material. With a 30 sump you need all the space you can get, that is what I have.
 
The fuge sitting in section C of the sump wouldn't be that hard to do. If you look through Melev's Reef, I think it is one of his designs. To do that you would just T-off your return out of section B and have a very low flow out of it back into C. Put a divider with some teeth at the top of it that overflows into B. I would guess one of the benefits of doing it this way is that you can make the flow out of your fuge whatever you want it to be and that it is indepedent of the flow running through sections A and B. You actually probably maximize water volume of fuge doing it this way because you let that water level sit a lot higher than the rest of the sump.

I actually have a 29 gallon sump that Thugmebaby originally made just sitting around that is designed like this. I admit that I have never used it but it looks like it would work. My only question would be how to control microbubbles with this design?
 
joel - while yours may also be a 30 - it was much narrower and taller than my sump.

JD - good call - that is another way I could provide flow to the fuge, although then it would drop my return flow down further which may not really matter since I'm not relying on it for any tank flow.

As far as microbubbles - i was planning on having 6 baffles (3 on each side) an inch apart and staggered hi and low to reduce microbubbles. If my middle section was 8", that would leave 11"x18"(by 12"high) for each outer section...

If I keep the water level around 8" that gives me approx 20 gallons in the sump, meaning 10 gallons of overflow protection if my return pump fails. Since this is the part I know least about (keeping the water level consistent in the display, baffling to get your water level where you want it) I still have a lot of reading to do and hopefully someone helping me out.

I'm also rethinking the 30B size sump - I like that it's wide and short, but it won't leave me a lot of space in my stand for things like a skimmer collection container or top off reservoir (which I also still need to figure out ATO before too long. I'm planning on manually doing it during cycle - but need to figure out an automated solution. prob just a float valve and water container higher than my sump in the stand...)
 
I have the same setup you are discussing. I have my skimmer in A, fuge in B, and pump in C. Very easy and effective.
 
Picked up the tank today! (thanks again Brad for helping me transport)

here are some pics.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/philbys/1572802490/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2416/1572802490_addb51a61f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Full Length" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/philbys/1572801294/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2197/1572801294_67f0e4ecee.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="tank" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/philbys/1571912825/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2278/1571912825_25e796f2d5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="overflow" /></a>

The overflow is a little weird - I think I may double the number of slits with a saw - any other ideas?
 
Might want to wait and see where the waterline sits with the return pump flowing before you double the size of the teeth.

Good looking tank!
 
I would definitely think about enlarging the slits in the overflow. I didnt read the whole thread, but that looks like glasscages tank? I have one I got from tinytool, I cant get any decent water through the overflow, really regret not opening them up more, not much I can do about it now.
 
It is a glasscages tank - I think when I do my FW tests after plumbing I'll see if there's enough water draining, and if not I'll plan on increasing the number of slits.
 
CL Plumbing question

CL Plumbing question

I was at Lowe's last night buying some supplies for plumbing my tank (FINALLY!!) and I purchased double union ball valves for my CL to go right after the bulkheads (actually after a 90 out of the bulkheads) and I'm wondering if I could get buy with single union ball valves??

I can't imagine ever needing to let water flow continue in the CL while its not connected to the tank - but of course I'm a newbie and so I'm going to let you experts give me some advice.

Not a huge deal but they're 1/2 the price and since I decided to buy a controller - every spare dollar helps...

also is there any issue plumbing my whole CL with flex PVC? (other than the flow loss)
 
I am really not a fan of the slits in the overflows. I would like to see them with no slits so a thin layer of water can overflow over the top of them. A large part of the "crap" in a tank floats to the surface and pulling this surface layer seems to make a difference in water cleanliness and light penetration.

I wouldn't worry about too much flow through your sump. All you do by speeding it up is carry microbubbles through it. Mine runs about 3-5 times tank volume per hour currently.
 
Last edited:
I thought the slits were to keep fish/snails from "surfing" into the overflow and getting stuck?

and at 500gph that's about 7x turnover per hour - so if I can get that with the current slits I'm going to leave it as is...
 
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