New tank, sump location question

[jcw]

Hello all,

I have a 6ft tank(glass, no holes pre-drilled) centered on a wall ~15ft long. There is a small 4x4ft room that houses an ejection sump pit at one side of the wall. I was looking to house the sump in this little room instead of under the tank.

I'm wondering if the ~4-4.5 ft of lateral distance would cause siphon problems.

What's the best way to run the lines to this room.

I was thinking of using the 3 tube/standpipe "failsafe" overflows that I've been reading about.

The utility room is just off to the left of the pic.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Let me say,

Welcome to the forum,

as I follow along on this one.

 

[todd141]

Bump, because I'd like to hear the experts take on this....Excellent question.

 

[jcw]

Maybe I could mock up the set up in the garage and give it a try...

 

[RocketSurgeon]

PM Uncleof6 or BeanAnimal to catch their attention with this thread.

Or repost in the BeanAnimal thread and see if you get a hit or two.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1541946&goto=newpost

 

[jcw]

Here's the new refug/sump location. I chickened out on the remote sump location. I just wasn't sure if the flow would be fast enough with that much lateral travel.

The tank on the bottom right will be a refugium/second display tank.

Plan on emptying it in the sump that'll sit in the stand on the left and middle to maximize volume. I'm almost done with the sump. The second time around building the acrylic tank was definitely quicker and a little easier.

I've got the siphon overflows right now mainly because I'm a chicken and don't want to drill the glass tank, but an external overflow with the dual or triple drains would be REALLY nice.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

I've got the siphon overflows right now mainly because I'm a chicken and don't want to drill the glass tank, but an external overflow with the dual or triple drains would be REALLY nice.

There is nothing hard or overwhelming about drilling! You'll be glad you did.

 

[jcw]

There is nothing hard or overwhelming about drilling! You'll be glad you did.

Yeah, I've just got to bite the bullet and do it...
Thanks for the encouragement.

BTW, I've tried to go through the various threads on this topic but couldn't locate an answer to this. How does one determine the position from the top of the tank of the overflow holes and the dimensions of the internal overflow box? Trying to plan it out, I'd assume that the bottom of the overflow box will depend on the position of the hole and downward elbow.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

I have links bookmarked at work I can send tomorrow. I drilled my holes as close to the top as I could, still allowing the bulkhead clearance room. I believe my box is 7" deep and 5" wide. It didn't need to be quite that deep. I can forward the bookmarks tomorrow if no one else answers.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

drill baby drill!

 

[nemosworld]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzpOtssB9mA

 

[Hemlock71]

go to glass-holes.com, it's pretty easy actually, I remember the first time I drilled my tank with all my livestock in sterilite totes in the middle of the living room saying what did I get myself into..lol I called my lfs just to make sure they had another tank available. I can build homes with the finest finishes but the glass drilling thing scared the you know what out of me until I did it (2-3" holes)and was one of the easiest things I've done...for the most part. Glass-holes has tuns of info on diy and sell everything you need, so have at it and just go slow.

 

[jcw]

Appreciate the help everyone.

drill baby drill!

Awesome looking tank. Thanks for the encouragement.

I can build homes with the finest finishes but the glass drilling thing scared the you know what out of me until I did it (2-3" holes)and was one of the easiest things I've done...for the most part.

Almost exactly how I feel.



I finished the sump and will leak test it today.

I have serious respect for the DIY tank builders. Making a tank with a bubble free seam was difficult for me. I ended up using more weld on 16 and doing it upside down rather than the needle and pin method. That meant drips along the edge of the tank. But at least the seams are more bubble free.

Pics this afternoon.

 

[das75]

wouldn't have worried about lateral flow. I'm more than 15' with a basement sump, see others posting 50' distance.

 

[jcw]

I used a basement sump pump float switch to turn off the return pump if the level gets too low.

Unfortunately, when that happens, the tank never gets back to it's equilibrium and the whole thing just keeps cycling on/off.

I guess it's better than a flood though.

Sorry about all the dead corals. I scavenged the rock and stuff from several failed tanks...

Thanks for all the help. The last time I was doing this (unsucessfully) was more than 15 years ago and wet/dry filters were the rage. With a small airstone driven skimmer.

Here's a pic of the sump before going in.

 

[jcw]

Well, after making a 3 inch acrylic stand for the ATB, the skimmer constantly overflowed. This was at 8.5-9 inches water level. Not even completely opening the adjustment tube all the way helped.

I was going to let it run like this for a week as I've read, but after 48hrs I couldn't take it anymore so I raised it with PVC pipes to 6 inches water level.

It's foaming great and at this level, I've nearly completely closed the adjustment tube.

Part of my reason for wanting to start skimming right away is I used some old rock and crushed gravel sitting in a can for the past 7-8 years. I rinsed stuff out but the water was pretty cloudy for days after mixing the salt and adding the gravel and rocks.

I also immediately got that saltwater aquarium "smell." I'm not sure if it's the ammonia or what. I had dropped a shrimp in a cup in the sump for 2 days and just saw a small bump in ammonia. Removed the shrimp.

Anyway, it's skimming well now. Hopefully the tank will clear up and the foam will drop and I can drop the skimmer back down.

 

[jcw]

Oh yeah, and due to a wiring mistake (I brought a subpanel with two 15amp breakers next to the tank), I broke a Jager thermometer and 5 bulbs to the refugium including 4 power compact bulbs. :rolleye1:

I didn't realize the neutral bar on the new breaker panel was separated into two separate circuits so basically, the neutral wires were not connected and the current was returning on the ground wire. One of the ground wires was not secure in a junction box and so one breaker had only intermitent connection to ground. Immediately blew 5 bulbs and the thermometer before I figured it out.

 

[jcw]

Plumbed the sump overflow drain to the basement sump that pumps water outside. I did this after a minor floor washing after the GCFI tripped when the power flickered on/off briefly. The GCFI didn't reset and so the pumps didn't come back on and the reverse siphon overflowed the sump very slightly.

I am seriously thinking about wiring two non GCFI to run the pumps.

The ATB after 72hrs of running (48hrs of running with an open drain from the collection cup and 24hrs of skimming on 4 inch stilts) now works great at the recommended 8.5-9" level. I'm very happy.

gratuitous skimmer shot

 

[jcw]

Got an ominous warning from Beananimal that my setup is doomed to failure.

I'll be keeping a close eye on things, but everyone knows that bad things happen when you're not at home. I hate to jinx myself but the level in the sump is rock solid without any need for adjustments so far. The noise level is very acceptable with the loudest thing being the hum from the two Eheim pumps and the sucking noise from the air line on the protein skimmer.

Without a doubt, I would have gotten a reef ready setup. Or an acrylic tank that I feel more comfortable drilling myself.


The pumps are now plugged into non-GCFI sockets just in case a power fluctuation cuts off the GCFI again.

 

[jcw]

That's interesting...

ammonia trace
nitrite zero
nitrate 20ppm
ph 8.2

On a two week old 120g tank, after bump starting the cycle with a frozen shrimp, about 35 pounds live rock from a CMAS established tank. (Thanks!)

Chaeto in the refug is starting to grow barely perceptibly on a daily basis. It is under a Phillips plant light and a CFL about 6000K, I think, on about 12 hours a day.

There's a little green growing on an old dead rock and some pink, what I think is coralline. I don't have lights on in the tank. Not enough money for a proper light setup. I'm kicking around the idea of buying 4 two-bulb T5 light kits from home depot and making my own fixture.

That aiptasia is gonna be a problem. I should address it before it gets out of control.


I've got a goal date for mid to late February before I start adding livestock. Wish me luck. I've never been an overly patient fellow.