petzerman's 100g tank build!!

[petzerman]

Decided to upgrade from 30g to a 100g

Here is the equipment I have:

Tank: Leemar 48" x 24" x 24"
Trapezoid Center Overflow with one drain 1.5" drain. Durso Standpipe.
2 - 1" returns

Sump: 30 gal Sump. Three chambers:
1 for skimmer
1 for chaeto, LS sand and LR
1 for return

Other Equipment:
Ehiem 1262 return pump.
ATI Bubble Master 200
Apex Lite System Controller
Jager 150W Heater

Here are some pictures:

Let me know what you guys think about my plumbing. Also which parts of the plumbing should I glue together? Should they be all glued together?

Any help will be very helpful.
Thanks in Advance

 

[wickedfish]

I can't see your pics cause I have a cheap arse iphone4. I need to stand in line for the 4g, what a crock.

But it reads real good. you should have unions where you would need to get at.

 

[Jmason95]

Very nice, I love setting up new tanks.

Yeah I would run a union off of your return so that you can remove the Eheim if needed. Put the shut off valve (if that's what it's called) above the union.

Why do you have the return T'd off with a line back to the sump?

I would also go with at least a 250w Jager too, at 150w it will take a long time to warm back up. I use a 250w on my 80 gallon and it takes awhile to bring the temp up.

And glue everything...

 

[petzerman]

so i should put another valve where the pvc pipe is going up from the pump? What does a union do? do i still have to glue the pvc to the union?

I have one so i can control how much water goes up back to the tank. so if its too much water going back then ill open that valve and the water will go back to the sump. Im actually going to move that to the refegium back not the skimmer part.

 

[petzerman]

should i put a union on the drain too? so i can access it and clean it if necessary.

 

[Jmason95]

This is a union:

Yes you glue it to the PVC. It's used to connect two pieces of PVC. If you insert one right above the return line, then you can unscrew it (it screws together and has a rubber gasket on the inside lip to prevent water leakage) to remove the pump if needed. I would highly suggest doing it so that you can clean or replace the pump.

I also have one on my drain line so that I can remove a section of my plumbing to remove my filter socks.

 

[petzerman]

ok i will do that thanks for the info. will add that tomorrow. anything else i need to improve? also on my tank there are some bubbles in the seem. im going to put some silicone on all the inside corners of my tank. is this a good idea?

 

[Jmason95]

One last thing, if you put a shut off valve above the union (on the return line) you can use that to control the flow vs running a separate line back into the sump, unless you want the secondary line for other means...

 

[petzerman]

will having the seperate line have less pressure on the pump so i dont limit the pump and put pressure on it?

 

[Jmason95]

That I don't know, but I've seen people use valves to control flow in the manner I described. I've never seen anyone T off a return in an attempt to control the flow. Not saying your method won't work, but it may be an unnecessary step vs just adding a valve above the union, on the return line.

 

[DivineStler]

agree with Jmason on the plumbing. Not really sure why you would T off the return like that. Looks good though!

What lights are you going to run? Tagging along.

 

[petzerman]

going to use 36" t5 6 39w bulbs that are currently on my 30 gal. going to build a hanger later to hang the light off them. should be enough light i hope..haha

 

[Chigga126]

wow that's a nice Tank !!! love the no bracing and no trim !!!!

 

[petzerman]

wow that's a nice Tank !!! love the no bracing and no trim !!!!

thanks!

 

[rroselavy]

going to use 36" t5 6 39w bulbs that are currently on my 30 gal. going to build a hanger later to hang the light off them. should be enough light i hope..haha

Considering your depth and height, you might want to step up to a 48" 8x54w fixture. You'll get much better par overall (because of the bulb length), especially towards the ends of your tank. I have a ATI Sunpower (6x24w) on a much smaller 30"x21.5"x19.5" tank, and really like it. They make a 8x54w version that is $580 without bulbs. Mine is only 3" shorter than the tank length on each end, but I think 6" shorter on each end may make the PAR on the ends of your tank dip too low. All depends on what you plan to keep and where it is positioned I suppose.

Sweet tank BTW.

 

[petzerman]

Considering your depth and height, you might want to step up to a 48" 8x54w fixture. You'll get much better par overall (because of the bulb length), especially towards the ends of your tank. I have a ATI Sunpower (6x24w) on a much smaller 30"x21.5"x19.5" tank, and really like it. They make a 8x54w version that is $580 without bulbs. Mine is only 3" shorter than the tank length on each end, but I think 6" shorter on each end may make the PAR on the ends of your tank dip too low. All depends on what you plan to keep and where it is positioned I suppose.

Sweet tank BTW.

I think ill see how it goes first with the 36" and upgrade later if i don't like it. right now i only have softies no sps but i do want to get into sps but ill see how it goes first... but marine depot is having a sale on there tek lights right now... haha but ill wait

 

[RandyFolds]

That I don't know, but I've seen people use valves to control flow in the manner I described. I've never seen anyone T off a return in an attempt to control the flow. Not saying your method won't work, but it may be an unnecessary step vs just adding a valve above the union, on the return line.

I have seen it done plenty of times, but I see a whole lot of tanks. Most of the time, flipping a ball valve is easier than uplugging your pump, making water changes really simple. There is also the added benefit of flow control without pump wear.

On that very topic, where you split the return into two lines, the T-fitting is improperly oriented. The way you have it plumbed serves as a cap and generates a ton of head pressure. Ideally, you would place the T so the leg splits to one return, and then use a 90 to get over to the second return. I would also include ball valves to balance the flow between them, even though the theoretical head pressure on each is the same. Also, unions are a must. It's easy to add them in after, but you should do it now so you can remove the pump and sections of plumbing easily.

I would remove the check valves. They will only work for a couple months until they are fouled by encrusting organisms and general crap from the tank, and they also add a huge amount of unnecessary head pressure. Better to add a siphon break and make them obsolete.

150w heater is too small. You'll see some serious temperature drops when it's cold.

Your 36" fixture will be fine for the time being, but I bet you'll want to upgrade soon, especially if you are getting into SPS.

Other than the stuff above, it's looking good. Keep us posted.

 

[petzerman]

I have seen it done plenty of times, but I see a whole lot of tanks. Most of the time, flipping a ball valve is easier than uplugging your pump, making water changes really simple. There is also the added benefit of flow control without pump wear.

On that very topic, where you split the return into two lines, the T-fitting is improperly oriented. The way you have it plumbed serves as a cap and generates a ton of head pressure. Ideally, you would place the T so the leg splits to one return, and then use a 90 to get over to the second return. I would also include ball valves to balance the flow between them, even though the theoretical head pressure on each is the same. Also, unions are a must. It's easy to add them in after, but you should do it now so you can remove the pump and sections of plumbing easily.

I would remove the check valves. They will only work for a couple months until they are fouled by encrusting organisms and general crap from the tank, and they also add a huge amount of unnecessary head pressure. Better to add a siphon break and make them obsolete.

150w heater is too small. You'll see some serious temperature drops when it's cold.

Your 36" fixture will be fine for the time being, but I bet you'll want to upgrade soon, especially if you are getting into SPS.

Other than the stuff above, it's looking good. Keep us posted.

Thanks for all the help!

Ok ill go ahead and change the T fitting vertically and use a 90 to get over to the other return.

As for the ball valves, I should have 1 for each return?

As for the heater, how big of a heater do i need? If i have a 150w and a 50w will this be enough?

 

[RandyFolds]

Changing up the plumbing is a bit of a pain, but every watt makes a difference, especially when the tank is running for years and years.

I would put a ball valve for each return. It's not necessary, but can come in handy now and again, especially if your tank starts to get really full.

Heaterwise, I would gun for more wattage, like a 300w with the 150w as a backup. Maybe 2 150w could keep up, but I think a 150w and 50w would be constantly on and costing you money.

 

[petzerman]

yea its not all glued yet so i can still change it up.

hmm would getting two 150w be ok? so it makes it 300w total?