ReefWaters' 220 Sun Room Reef
- Thread starter ReefWaters
- Start date
ReefWaters
Premium Member
No I didn't put any tape on the opposite side. Does that help with the chip out? I am lubing it with plain old tap water. Just pouring a little on the glass/bit every so often as I go.
melev
Well-known member
When I've drilled glass tanks (and I've only done a few holes), I take a styrofoam cup and cut off the bottom half. I use the upper section as a collar around the area I'm going to drill. Some plumbers putty makes a great dam for the styrofoam to wedge into, and I fill it up with some water. This keeps the area submerged as I drill.
Be sure to place a towel under the area that is getting drilled so as the glass falls down, it won't damage the opposing glass panel. Taping the underside might help - I've never done that but it seems like it might prevent chipping.
Be sure to place a towel under the area that is getting drilled so as the glass falls down, it won't damage the opposing glass panel. Taping the underside might help - I've never done that but it seems like it might prevent chipping.
ReefWaters
Premium Member
I drilled three more holes this afternoon. No problems to speak of. There was a little chip out but it's so thin you can barely tell its there.
Im working on posting some pics as we speak....
Im working on posting some pics as we speak....
ReefWaters
Premium Member
I've been working as much as I could on the tank over the past week. Basically just doing a bunch of miscellaneous plumbing. The biggest thing slowing me down is not having every single little tiny thing I need. From simple things like screws that I can get at Casa Depot to specialty items that have to be ordered from Savko or Premium Aquatics, etc, etc.
I got a bunch of these "clic" clips from Savko. They work GREAT! Just pop a screw through the hole in the base and click the clamps shut. A pair of pliers is occasionally needed to get them to click but you can usually do it with your fingers. You can get them open again with a flat head screwdriver if you need to. I've been trying to put them all on studs but have had a few misses. Anyway...
Drilled a bunch of holes for pumps, and drains, and more drains.
The pumps need to sit directly on the ground. But as we all know, an external pump sitting directly on tile is no good. I had some scrap starboard or cutting board - whichever you like - so I made these mounts. I used lags with lock nuts to secure the pump to the mount and strips of "gripper" rubber padding for furniture. It all works a lot better than I thought it would.
I got a bunch of these "clic" clips from Savko. They work GREAT! Just pop a screw through the hole in the base and click the clamps shut. A pair of pliers is occasionally needed to get them to click but you can usually do it with your fingers. You can get them open again with a flat head screwdriver if you need to. I've been trying to put them all on studs but have had a few misses. Anyway...
Drilled a bunch of holes for pumps, and drains, and more drains.
The pumps need to sit directly on the ground. But as we all know, an external pump sitting directly on tile is no good. I had some scrap starboard or cutting board - whichever you like - so I made these mounts. I used lags with lock nuts to secure the pump to the mount and strips of "gripper" rubber padding for furniture. It all works a lot better than I thought it would.
ReefWaters
Premium Member
Here's the light rack in its 95% finished state. I have to run the power cords to the Aqua Controller direct connect (I still have to order this) and wire up the moonlights. I'll move the two ballasts from my cube over when I move the rest of the cube over. It shouldn't take me long to wire it all up with the base all finished.
I took Melev's advice and took a precautionary measure for the off chance that the A/C unit leaks any fluids at some point. I was walking through the HD the other day and it dawned on me to look at some exterior flashing or something similar for some ideas. I ended up buying a length of vinyl gutter and two end caps. I just screwed it to the wall and will silicone the inside edges to make sure any liquid that runs down the wall will stay in the gutter/tray. I'll probably end up plumbing a small drain out side as well as an extra security measure. Better safe than sorry I say.
I took Melev's advice and took a precautionary measure for the off chance that the A/C unit leaks any fluids at some point. I was walking through the HD the other day and it dawned on me to look at some exterior flashing or something similar for some ideas. I ended up buying a length of vinyl gutter and two end caps. I just screwed it to the wall and will silicone the inside edges to make sure any liquid that runs down the wall will stay in the gutter/tray. I'll probably end up plumbing a small drain out side as well as an extra security measure. Better safe than sorry I say.
ReefWaters
Premium Member
Here's the main sump in the front. I went ahead and drilled two pump bulkheads in case I ever want to add redundant pump or a chiller or something cool I don't even know about yet. The drain for the water change pump is in the center of the picture on the bottom left hand corner of the 55. I need to get a union ball valve for it. The Brute in the background is my fresh water reservoir. This will feed the top off and the kalk reactor.
The drain from the water change sump dumps directly into the floor drain. I used a Dremel to cut away enough of the drain cover to slip the PVC through. There is still enough room around the edge of the PVC to let plenty of water through should I ever need it. But I'm really looking forward to my first zero spill water change!
The drain from the water change sump dumps directly into the floor drain. I used a Dremel to cut away enough of the drain cover to slip the PVC through. There is still enough room around the edge of the PVC to let plenty of water through should I ever need it. But I'm really looking forward to my first zero spill water change!
ReefWaters
Premium Member
And finally just a few miscellaneous shots.
And one last one. I just couldnt resist. Its totally off subject but maybe it will be my next project....in 30 years.....
And one last one. I just couldnt resist. Its totally off subject but maybe it will be my next project....in 30 years.....
ReefWaters
Premium Member
I actually LOVE that idea Jonathan. I'll probably make it even a one step simpler and glue the clip directly to the glass! :lol:
ReefWaters
Premium Member
Water? What do you mean by water? What is that?
:lol:
I still have no idea!
I'm placing an order tomorrow for some more parts, and assuming I don't forget anything, I'm hoping to be doing a fresh water leak test around the first week of August. Assuming all goes well with that it will just be a matter of filling the tank(s) with RO/DI and adding salt.
Obviously I will get the parameters in the new tank perfect before moving the old tank and water over, but what do you guys think about cycling the new water? How long would you wait to move the livestock? Should I do some water swaps? Any thoughts?
There will be a minimal amount of plumbing to be done on the day of the move. I'll have to move the current sump over and plumb it into the system. I'll probably give it a good cleaning while I'm at it too.
Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but I'm going to postpone building the fuge and prop tank until the display is running and the cube is moved over. I just have to get the cube out of my guest room. If I have one more leak or spill on my hard wood floor I'm going to kick my own @$$.
I should be able to get cracking on that within a few weeks of the move. I'll have 90% of the work done anyway.
:lol:
I still have no idea!
I'm placing an order tomorrow for some more parts, and assuming I don't forget anything, I'm hoping to be doing a fresh water leak test around the first week of August. Assuming all goes well with that it will just be a matter of filling the tank(s) with RO/DI and adding salt. Obviously I will get the parameters in the new tank perfect before moving the old tank and water over, but what do you guys think about cycling the new water? How long would you wait to move the livestock? Should I do some water swaps? Any thoughts?
There will be a minimal amount of plumbing to be done on the day of the move. I'll have to move the current sump over and plumb it into the system. I'll probably give it a good cleaning while I'm at it too.
Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but I'm going to postpone building the fuge and prop tank until the display is running and the cube is moved over. I just have to get the cube out of my guest room. If I have one more leak or spill on my hard wood floor I'm going to kick my own @$$.
I should be able to get cracking on that within a few weeks of the move. I'll have 90% of the work done anyway.
melev
Well-known member
Usually I try to use the water from the old system in the new one. However, if the water parameters of both systems match, then that's good enough. You definitely want as many parms to match; specifically pH, temp, and salinity, but alk, ca, & mg would be good as well.
I wouldn't be trying to cycle the water, but aging it a few days is fine. That allows the plumbing to break in, plus you can watch for any oddities to occur. If you run your lights, you run the risk of nuisance algae, but you also can see how much the tank heats up each day, and how much it cools off at night. You can always put in a test subject (snail, shrimp, damsel or chromis) to see how they respond to the new water, if you wish.
I wouldn't be trying to cycle the water, but aging it a few days is fine. That allows the plumbing to break in, plus you can watch for any oddities to occur. If you run your lights, you run the risk of nuisance algae, but you also can see how much the tank heats up each day, and how much it cools off at night. You can always put in a test subject (snail, shrimp, damsel or chromis) to see how they respond to the new water, if you wish.
jnarowe
New member
I have seen guys just swap tanks directly with no aging, and then others that go to extreme lengths to ensure no shock or added cycle.
It all depends on the livestock you are moving, how much new rock is in the new tank, etc. If you have new rock in the new tank, I would allow it to cycle. If you don't, and are just going to move the livestock and rock over, then I would get all params in line as Marc stated and during the move, I would transfer over as much of the "old" water as possible.
Couple possible scenarios:
1. remove sump from old system, plumb into new, move livestock and old water over into sump, and slowly allow the water to mix.
2. Over the course of several days, swap 5 gal. at a time between the two systems while both are running at same params. This would be a nice slow acclimation.
It all depends on the livestock you are moving, how much new rock is in the new tank, etc. If you have new rock in the new tank, I would allow it to cycle. If you don't, and are just going to move the livestock and rock over, then I would get all params in line as Marc stated and during the move, I would transfer over as much of the "old" water as possible.
Couple possible scenarios:
1. remove sump from old system, plumb into new, move livestock and old water over into sump, and slowly allow the water to mix.
2. Over the course of several days, swap 5 gal. at a time between the two systems while both are running at same params. This would be a nice slow acclimation.
ReefWaters
Premium Member
As for now, I think I'm going to get the new tank water mixed and the params in line first. Maybe swap a 5 gallon bucket or two between the systems over the coarse of no more than a day or two.
What I like about this set up is that I can run the whole thing off of just the new sump. So in other words, the display will be running/circulating through the main sump and water change sump well before I ever break down the old tank. I can move the live stock into the new display and then start working on moving the old sump (new secondary sump) over to the new system without shutting down the circulation pumps or anything. In fact, this will buy me as much as a few days of running without the secondary sump. But this will also mean I have no skimmer so I will get that going as quickly as possible.
I ordered what I hope is my last order from Savko today. I also ordered an AC III PRO!!!!!! I'm REALLY excited about this upgrade. I've been running a JR and I love it but I just cant wait for the added features of the Pro. I'm going to start controlling the CA reactor chamber PH and/or effluent as well as monitoring the tank PH. I'm going to monitor conductivity as well which I think I'm going to like as my current tank always seems to be a little low on salt IMO. I'm going to hold off on running ozone for now.
Anybody know of an easy/cheap way to connect the AC III Pro to the internet? I have a wireless router connected to a cable modem in the next room. I could run an Ethernet cable to the router through the walls but I REALLY don't want to.
What I like about this set up is that I can run the whole thing off of just the new sump. So in other words, the display will be running/circulating through the main sump and water change sump well before I ever break down the old tank. I can move the live stock into the new display and then start working on moving the old sump (new secondary sump) over to the new system without shutting down the circulation pumps or anything. In fact, this will buy me as much as a few days of running without the secondary sump. But this will also mean I have no skimmer so I will get that going as quickly as possible.
I ordered what I hope is my last order from Savko today. I also ordered an AC III PRO!!!!!! I'm REALLY excited about this upgrade. I've been running a JR and I love it but I just cant wait for the added features of the Pro. I'm going to start controlling the CA reactor chamber PH and/or effluent as well as monitoring the tank PH. I'm going to monitor conductivity as well which I think I'm going to like as my current tank always seems to be a little low on salt IMO. I'm going to hold off on running ozone for now.
Anybody know of an easy/cheap way to connect the AC III Pro to the internet? I have a wireless router connected to a cable modem in the next room. I could run an Ethernet cable to the router through the walls but I REALLY don't want to.
jnarowe
New member
1. Be very careful about conductivity probes. They are not reliable and cannot be used for exactly measuring S.G. In fact, since I have had my ACIII Pro, the COND probe has only worked well for a few short months. Even with it isolated something was plating it and I would clean it, re-calibrate, and then the reading would slowly drop to the point of being useless.
So they have an inherent problem of plating, as well as a semi-short lifespan. Setting the controller up to spot major swings may be a good way of getting an alarm for out-of-state salinity, like if something were to fail and you started filling up the system with RO/DI water.
I have spent a fair amount of time on this and purchased at least one new Lab Grade COND probe with the exact same results. It has never been reliable and the feedback from my mentor is the same.
Sorry to bring you that bad news, but I would rather that you were aware of it and understood it before it became a problem.
2. There is no such thing as a "Last Order from SAVKO".
3. Lots of help regarding connecting the ACIII Pro in the Neptune Systems Forum as well as from Curt. He is bar-none the best technical advisor in the business.
You can get a head start by checking out this site: http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/ This allows you to tap into your controller from a remote location. You could also use pcAnywhere if you have your controller hooked into a PC with Aquanotes or even just a web browser.
There is a web server/browser built into the ACII Pro so you just need to find the best way to hook into it.
4. My tank room is on the floor below my home office and I like to be able to spy on the system from there. I have AquaNotes install on the office PC and a wireless router as well. When I first set up my ACIII Pro I had to buy the bridge online, so I substituted a wireless gaming adapter while I waited and it worked great right out of the box.
Then when the bridge came, I swapped them. It actually took more work to get the bridge online than the gaming adapter, and the gaming adapter was half the price. Just an FYI.
I have been happy just to get alarm emails without actually tapping into the controller, but like I stated, using the dynamic DNS site or pcAnywhere are both good solutions.
HTH.
So they have an inherent problem of plating, as well as a semi-short lifespan. Setting the controller up to spot major swings may be a good way of getting an alarm for out-of-state salinity, like if something were to fail and you started filling up the system with RO/DI water.
I have spent a fair amount of time on this and purchased at least one new Lab Grade COND probe with the exact same results. It has never been reliable and the feedback from my mentor is the same.
Sorry to bring you that bad news, but I would rather that you were aware of it and understood it before it became a problem.
2. There is no such thing as a "Last Order from SAVKO".
3. Lots of help regarding connecting the ACIII Pro in the Neptune Systems Forum as well as from Curt. He is bar-none the best technical advisor in the business.
You can get a head start by checking out this site: http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/ This allows you to tap into your controller from a remote location. You could also use pcAnywhere if you have your controller hooked into a PC with Aquanotes or even just a web browser.
There is a web server/browser built into the ACII Pro so you just need to find the best way to hook into it.
4. My tank room is on the floor below my home office and I like to be able to spy on the system from there. I have AquaNotes install on the office PC and a wireless router as well. When I first set up my ACIII Pro I had to buy the bridge online, so I substituted a wireless gaming adapter while I waited and it worked great right out of the box.
Then when the bridge came, I swapped them. It actually took more work to get the bridge online than the gaming adapter, and the gaming adapter was half the price. Just an FYI.
I have been happy just to get alarm emails without actually tapping into the controller, but like I stated, using the dynamic DNS site or pcAnywhere are both good solutions.
HTH.
stunreefer
Reef Hugger
Great build ReefWaters!
Cant wait to see your next project,
Cant wait to see your next project,
