Quiksilver's Ultimate 29g Tank Thread

[Alaska_Phil]

Evan
In very beginning of this thread you said you were never happy with the siphon overflow box and it once caused a flood. Could you expand on that?

I've got 2 choices for adding a sump to my tank: Get a new tank and drill it, or a CPR overflow. Price is about a wash either way once I get the new tank, drill, lexan etc. I guess a third option would be to mount the "sump" above the display and drill it to overflow into the display.

Thanks
Phil

 

[bklynmet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12082147#post12082147 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alaska_Phil
Evan
In very beginning of this thread you said you were never happy with the siphon overflow box and it once caused a flood. Could you expand on that?

I've got 2 choices for adding a sump to my tank: Get a new tank and drill it, or a CPR overflow. Price is about a wash either way once I get the new tank, drill, lexan etc. I guess a third option would be to mount the "sump" above the display and drill it to overflow into the display.

Thanks
Phil

Phil,

May I recommend a Lifereef overflow? I've had it for nearly 5 years now and not a single flood ever... I believe the difference between a Lifereef overflow and others is the length of the U tube... I also keep an eye on it and swap the siphone tube with a cleaned out one once every 3 months or so... so I keep a spare u-tube... It's a little pricier than others, but worth it, IMO. FWIW, Marc (AKA Melev) has a LR calcium reactor. Jeff, the owner of Lifereef is very helpful as well. They can be found at Lifereef.com.

Sorry for the hijak Evan...

-Joe

 

[Alaska_Phil]

Joe
Thanks, Marc (Melev) also suggested a lifereef overflow, but I haven't been able to find a distributer for them. Thanks for the web site.

Phil

 

[kar93]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12082613#post12082613 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alaska_Phil
Joe
Thanks, Marc (Melev) also suggested a lifereef overflow, but I haven't been able to find a distributer for them. Thanks for the web site.

Phil

eBay, its got everything.

 

[Alaska_Phil]

Just hit the Lifereef web site. Holy reefs Batman! that's going to be dangerous to the old credit card. :O

Phil

 

[bklynmet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12083007#post12083007 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alaska_Phil
Just hit the Lifereef web site. Holy reefs Batman! that's going to be dangerous to the old credit card. :O

Phil

you can't say I didn't warn you ... but the workmanship is tops and no flimsy acyrilic is used...

 

[Alaska_Phil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12083350#post12083350 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bklynmet
you can't say I didn't warn you ... but the workmanship is tops and no flimsy acyrilic is used...

I'm drooling over their skimmers right now...:inlove:
So much for new instruments in the plane. :lol:

Phil

 

[ksouers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12086595#post12086595 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alaska_Phil
I'm drooling over their skimmers right now...:inlove:
So much for new instruments in the plane. :lol:

Phil

Guess you'll just have to scrounge the Flymarket at OSH this year

 

[OneReef]

PBITAWA

 

[LiveRock27]

Great Thread and it only took me about 2hrs this morning at work to get through it. I am just starting a 29g build and I am going to steal a few ideas from your setup.

 

[psteeleb]

great thread, one of these days I hope to get through all of it

thanks

 

[quiksilver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12082147#post12082147 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alaska_Phil
Evan
In very beginning of this thread you said you were never happy with the siphon overflow box and it once caused a flood. Could you expand on that?

I've got 2 choices for adding a sump to my tank: Get a new tank and drill it, or a CPR overflow. Price is about a wash either way once I get the new tank, drill, lexan etc. I guess a third option would be to mount the "sump" above the display and drill it to overflow into the display.

Thanks
Phil

Great questions! Yeah, I had more than one flood with the external overflow or "weir box" if you will. Not for any of the reasons you would think however. I built my custom weir box from scratch so it had no U tubes and was black acrylic on top therefore never had enough growth in it to cause problems. On the top to keep out air bubbles from gathering to cause the siphon to break, I had an aqualifter attached. When that little hole got anything in it (snail, piece of algae, etc.) the aqualifter wouldn't remove air and the siphon would eventually break if I didn't check it.

As you can imagine, go out of town for a while and you won't be checking it for days at a time.

If it's a wash as far as money goes either way, I would highly highly suggest new tank and drill it. It's the best thing I ever did to my system. It my sound like a huge pain right now but very worth it for peace of mind IMO.

Also, if you are having trouble accepting the price on Life Reef's stuff, you do have another option but it will take some begging. Marc recently built a BEAUTIFUL overflow for a local guy. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1326862

Let me know what you are gonna do. If you decide to go the reef ready route lemme know, I have some experience drilling glass for this purpose. Ziggy can tell you what not to do as well :lol: (he had a minor leak from a crack when he drilled his sump).

 

[quiksilver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12087447#post12087447 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LiveRock27
Great Thread and it only took me about 2hrs this morning at work to get through it. I am just starting a 29g build and I am going to steal a few ideas from your setup.

Thanks. Please do! Link us all here when you steal 'em so we can oogle

 

[quiksilver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12087527#post12087527 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psteeleb
great thread, one of these days I hope to get through all of it

thanks

Thanks! I hope when you get through it you find it as interesting and fun as I found building it.

 

[cbui2]

PBITAWA :lol:

 

[quiksilver]

Aww! WOOT Bart is in the know

 

[Alaska_Phil]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12077621#post12077621 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by quiksilver
LOL! It's all working in harmony at the moment. Feel free to post your sketchs in here or link to the thread if you have. I'd love to see 'em, sounds neat.

Hey Evan, here's one of the concepts I sketched up.

 

[andyjd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12093358#post12093358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alaska_Phil
Hey Evan, here's one of the concepts I sketched up.

Cool design there Phil, i have been thinking along a similar idea using 40G Breeders and a bugger sump.

 

[Ziggy953]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12091843#post12091843 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by quiksilver
Ziggy can tell you what not to do as well :lol: (he had a minor leak from a crack when he drilled his sump).

Well let me just set the record straight here. I did not crack the tank from drilling it. I cracked the tank because I was stupid and forced the plumbing that I connected to the bulkhead. My dumb mistake but not from the drilling.

 

[quiksilver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12093358#post12093358 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Alaska_Phil
Hey Evan, here's one of the concepts I sketched up.

Very nice! I like the small tanks all looped together. My new top secret project is somewhat along those lines