RC 75 DIY Stand and Sump
- Thread starter rmchoi
- Start date
rmchoi
New member
Cincyreef "”I appreciate that. Coming up, I have a little concern on the rock layout. The live rock arrived way different than expected. Instead of a dozen typical pieces, it came in one large piece! Not sure where to go with this...yet.
shellsea
Member
:hammer:
:hammer:
:hammer:
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Hammer and chisel. :hammer: I've done that several times now. It makes a big mess and you risk breaking pieces you would have rather kept together but you can restructure the pieces into more interesting shapes that way. I just turned a piece that was about 20" long into a rounded coral head by cutting it in half and gluing the two pieces back together.
BTW, very clean setup so far. Much more organized than my rats nest and chemical plant.
rmchoi
New member
shellsea "” your suggestion is well taken!
RocketEngineer "”I'm going to cross my fingers and break into it! As you said, a big mess and glue leads to interesting shapes. Have thought about using rods and drilling rock for building rock structure. Any suggestions on rod materials beside pvc or resource links?
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The last one I did just used wire ties to hold it together as the result had three points of contact so it sat how I wanted it. The other two I've done used a vertical PVC pipe with a square base. I hid the pipe with pieces of rock so looking at them you can't see the supports at all.
I will say that using a cheap 1/4" wide chisel makes it easier to break where you want. Cheap so you don't care what the chisel looks like when you are done. You will likely break things you don't want but it lets you be a little more selective than a hammer.
I will say that using a cheap 1/4" wide chisel makes it easier to break where you want. Cheap so you don't care what the chisel looks like when you are done. You will likely break things you don't want but it lets you be a little more selective than a hammer.
rickztahone
New member
Great looking sump design. I've been looking at different layouts for sumps and yours looks great to emulate.
rmchoi
New member
rickztahone —Thanks for the compliment. I used designs of the newer acrylic commercial sumps, like Elite Aquatics. They are sold "fully loaded" with all items built in, like separate sock chambers, probe holders, dosing tube rack, adjustable skimmer weir. They even come with the filter socks and Uni-seals.
I thought they were pricey at first. When you DIY to include all the features, you realize commercial sumps are much more than a few baffles and the value is commensurate with the cost.
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EvenFurther
New member
Awesome build so far. Thanks for posting the pics. I'm building a 75 with oversized DIY stand/sump and its great to see other set-ups.
EvenFurther
New member
What are the details on the filter sock perforated covers? Is that a standard 100 or 200 micron filter sock?
rmchoi
New member
EvenFurther —Thank you, I too have looked at several 75 set-ups for ideas. Lately, I am looking for ideas on rock placement.
The sock silencers are like those from Royal Exclusiv. These are 3/8" thick acrylic cut outs from the sock holes. There is a 1" tall PVC overflow pipe glued to the 1" hole in the middle of the plate. Then I used a drill press with 5/16" bit to counter sink each hole location. Finished by drilling through each counter sink, using a 5/32" bit. I estimated the drill bit sizes and used what was on hand.
The filter socks are Bio Tek Marine 4" x 11" 200 Micron sock. I went with nylon mesh over felt for ease of cleaning.
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davidwithababy
New member
Set up looks awesome! Your equipment makes me jealous! lol...
Love your stand. At first I was worried that the little 1" front piece wouldn't be strong enough, but I guess most of the weight is held by the 2 sides anyways. I love your shelf idea! I don't know if mine will be so fancy, but I might try to incorporate a shelf into my stand I'm building!
Definitely following along to see how yours grows!
Love your stand. At first I was worried that the little 1" front piece wouldn't be strong enough, but I guess most of the weight is held by the 2 sides anyways. I love your shelf idea! I don't know if mine will be so fancy, but I might try to incorporate a shelf into my stand I'm building!
Definitely following along to see how yours grows!
rmchoi
New member
davidwithababy —Thanks for your feedback. The middle support is small, but attaching it half way up to the equipment shelf, makes it sturdy. The beam that it supports is double 3/4" plywood, glued and screwed. I think this laminated beam, above the doors, supports the front side of the tank without the center support. Its over engineered.
The only negative of anything above the sump is the chance something can fall into it. My shelf sort of has four sides around it to keep everything on it. Make sure everything on the shelf is secure to avoid falling into the sump.
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LatinP
New member
Nice build, that stand will not be level for long though, even with the studs. I know you said the wheels were rated at 300lbs (yes each, but they're all taking over twice the weight they're rated for 24 hours a day) expect them to warp, bend or worse! Also know you're water weight surpasses that by a fair bit 8.5 X 75 = 637.5 lbs total and we haven't gotten to the sump yet. Wheels on any fish tank is an all around bad idea, NEVER move a full fishtank, it's asking for trouble.
rmchoi
New member
LatinP "”Thanks for the advice. Most people, myself included, agree it not ideal. I have heavily considered the risks, as you mentioned. (The total rating is actually 1200 lbs.) I need the option of full clearance to a nearby door, which means moving it 2 ft. As you suggest, I would nearly empty the tank an keep an watchful eye for level.
reeftanknewbie
New member
looking good. very clean setup....
rmchoi
New member
Almost ready to fill water
The gear is mostly placed. Everything is set and plugged in. I still have to final program the outlets on the Apex system. There is seems to be quite a learning curve for me to programing the Apex.
The equipment shelf was planned to hold and hide all the cords. I anticipated a lot of cords, but this is a lot.
This is the Avast ATO set up on the back wall. I planned to use a Tunze osmolator, but the water reservoir is quite a distance away, requiring both, a water line and electric pump wire. The Avast only needs a water line to run that distance.
The gear is mostly placed. Everything is set and plugged in. I still have to final program the outlets on the Apex system. There is seems to be quite a learning curve for me to programing the Apex.
The equipment shelf was planned to hold and hide all the cords. I anticipated a lot of cords, but this is a lot.
This is the Avast ATO set up on the back wall. I planned to use a Tunze osmolator, but the water reservoir is quite a distance away, requiring both, a water line and electric pump wire. The Avast only needs a water line to run that distance.
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rmchoi
New member
Plumbing
This is a first time setting up plumbing for a separate sump. I was nervous about leaks and water all over the floor, that I might not be able to stop and control. I had no idea what to expect.
Getting ready to assemble and glue the plumbing.
Everything is plumbed and connected.
This is a first time setting up plumbing for a separate sump. I was nervous about leaks and water all over the floor, that I might not be able to stop and control. I had no idea what to expect.
Getting ready to assemble and glue the plumbing.
Everything is plumbed and connected.
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rmchoi
New member
Filling the tank
My plan was to use RO water to fill the tank, then mix with salt in the tank. I thought I carefully calculate the amount of salt. It turns out I put too much salt in and sent the salinity off the chart. I spent more time doing water changes to lower the salinity than filling the stank to start with.
Slightly nervous filling the tank, hoping the stand design holds up to the weight. I saw no deflection across the front. So far so good.
My plan was to use RO water to fill the tank, then mix with salt in the tank. I thought I carefully calculate the amount of salt. It turns out I put too much salt in and sent the salinity off the chart. I spent more time doing water changes to lower the salinity than filling the stank to start with.
Slightly nervous filling the tank, hoping the stand design holds up to the weight. I saw no deflection across the front. So far so good.
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rmchoi
New member
Sand and live rock
For the past 7-8 weeks, I have been curing the Pukani rock. I placed a thin layer sand throughout the bottom. Then added the cured rock and live rock from my other tank. Then placed the rest of the sand.
The aquascape is designed high on each end, descending towards a center channel. Instead of breaking the rock into random pieces, I cut the rock into flat plates. I used the plates to create three levels of caves and openings. Although the cuts are stark, I anticipate they will cover with corals and algae.
It appears much of the sand is covered by rock, but most of the live rock are sitting on top of smaller pieces of rock. For the design, there is actually minimal rock on the sand.
For the past 7-8 weeks, I have been curing the Pukani rock. I placed a thin layer sand throughout the bottom. Then added the cured rock and live rock from my other tank. Then placed the rest of the sand.
The aquascape is designed high on each end, descending towards a center channel. Instead of breaking the rock into random pieces, I cut the rock into flat plates. I used the plates to create three levels of caves and openings. Although the cuts are stark, I anticipate they will cover with corals and algae.
It appears much of the sand is covered by rock, but most of the live rock are sitting on top of smaller pieces of rock. For the design, there is actually minimal rock on the sand.
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