SaraB's 268 Gallon Build¦ Try #3!
- Thread starter SaraB
- Start date
pookstreet
Registered Stick Killer
We put our tree up also the day after Thanksgiving but it's in the 80's here :rolleye1: Forget the snow. I just want to be able to get out of my shorts and tees.
SaraB
Coral Killer
So I was lucky enough to have the "King of H&S" in town to help with plumbing the tank! I told Brian (Fins Reef Sponsor) I must have signed up for the "Buy 3, Plumb Free" program he ran on H&S Skimmers! It actually just took some home cooking of dinners for a few evening and a homemade Cranberry Pecan pie! Lucky for me he was in town for almost a week in Chicago for business!
I asked Brian for a mermaid shot, but he wouldn't get in the tank for me ... so this is what I got instead!
The first night we hit the local Ace and Lowes to get some additional plumbing parts and I also placed an order online with Savko for items I could not locate. We then drilled the Tamco Sump with 2 holes for return pumps ... one for the new tank being plumbed and the 2nd one for adding my other system online early next year. It made sense adding a 2nd bulkhead and ball valve so that a combined system could be done later on.
Brian then came back a couple nights later and completed the closed loop part of the set-up and ran the return lines to the tank for the 2 surges located above the system. Brian was giving me that look of "put that camera away and get to work"!
The next evening we worked from 5PM until 2AM on the system. Here's some shots showing the overflow lines being done as well and the external skimmer set-up. There are four 2" overflow holes on the back of the external overflow box. The 2 center holes are drilled slightly higher than the end ones and they are for "emergency" usage. I had these added to handle the flow from the surges if the all fire at once as well as having the ability of an alternative flow route if one becomes plugged.
Here's the skimmer being placed. We actually drilled the sump with 2 additional bulkheads on the top area ... one for the Skimmer slop sink to be plumbed into and the other for the refugium to be plumbed into.
Here it is just about completed with the overflow lines. The far left line feeds the skimmer and the rest of the flow goes to the refugium. The line all the way on the right has a scissor valve so that I can adjust the amount of flow going though that line and shut it down to keep more on the far left line if needed. I accidently ordered too many scissor vs. gate valves, so that's why it's being used there ... hopefully it works well! There's another one that controls the flow going to the Fuge vs. the Skimmer as well.
So, at 2AM when we started on the lines for the return pump, we realized that we didn't have all the plumbing parts needed, so we had to stop at that point. Brian was really excited to help me complete the system, but his plane left for home the next morning. He provided me with a parts list and a drawing of what he envisioned for the return set-up and I picked up the parts the next day.
On Wednesday, I had my photographer friend Gary come over and we finished up the return part of the system to the tank and the surges. I have no photo's of that as Gary kept me busy with the part assembly!
On Thursday, Thanksgiving day, I woke up early so that I could clean up the inside of the tank, peel off the protective film off the inside of the tank and add the adjustable flow lines to the bulkheads. We added 5 bags of sand so that it would settle well with the water that was going to be turned on that morning. I like to have a thin layer of sand so that my rockwork does not become tippy when being added/built. My hubby shot a quick photo of me in the tank before he got caught with the camera!
The RO/DI line was then placed in the tank at 9AM on Thursday and it's still filling as I type. I have about 16" of water so far in the tank. I have a 75GPD unit, but I have a well, so the pressure is a bit lower so I don't quite get the full 75G. I also had to take a day off to make some water for waterchanges and top-off the tanks for the auto-topoff systems.
I'll try and get some more photo's up this week showing the return lines and such.
I asked Brian for a mermaid shot, but he wouldn't get in the tank for me ... so this is what I got instead!
The first night we hit the local Ace and Lowes to get some additional plumbing parts and I also placed an order online with Savko for items I could not locate. We then drilled the Tamco Sump with 2 holes for return pumps ... one for the new tank being plumbed and the 2nd one for adding my other system online early next year. It made sense adding a 2nd bulkhead and ball valve so that a combined system could be done later on.
Brian then came back a couple nights later and completed the closed loop part of the set-up and ran the return lines to the tank for the 2 surges located above the system. Brian was giving me that look of "put that camera away and get to work"!
The next evening we worked from 5PM until 2AM on the system. Here's some shots showing the overflow lines being done as well and the external skimmer set-up. There are four 2" overflow holes on the back of the external overflow box. The 2 center holes are drilled slightly higher than the end ones and they are for "emergency" usage. I had these added to handle the flow from the surges if the all fire at once as well as having the ability of an alternative flow route if one becomes plugged.
Here's the skimmer being placed. We actually drilled the sump with 2 additional bulkheads on the top area ... one for the Skimmer slop sink to be plumbed into and the other for the refugium to be plumbed into.
Here it is just about completed with the overflow lines. The far left line feeds the skimmer and the rest of the flow goes to the refugium. The line all the way on the right has a scissor valve so that I can adjust the amount of flow going though that line and shut it down to keep more on the far left line if needed. I accidently ordered too many scissor vs. gate valves, so that's why it's being used there ... hopefully it works well! There's another one that controls the flow going to the Fuge vs. the Skimmer as well.
So, at 2AM when we started on the lines for the return pump, we realized that we didn't have all the plumbing parts needed, so we had to stop at that point. Brian was really excited to help me complete the system, but his plane left for home the next morning. He provided me with a parts list and a drawing of what he envisioned for the return set-up and I picked up the parts the next day.
On Wednesday, I had my photographer friend Gary come over and we finished up the return part of the system to the tank and the surges. I have no photo's of that as Gary kept me busy with the part assembly!
On Thursday, Thanksgiving day, I woke up early so that I could clean up the inside of the tank, peel off the protective film off the inside of the tank and add the adjustable flow lines to the bulkheads. We added 5 bags of sand so that it would settle well with the water that was going to be turned on that morning. I like to have a thin layer of sand so that my rockwork does not become tippy when being added/built. My hubby shot a quick photo of me in the tank before he got caught with the camera!
The RO/DI line was then placed in the tank at 9AM on Thursday and it's still filling as I type. I have about 16" of water so far in the tank. I have a 75GPD unit, but I have a well, so the pressure is a bit lower so I don't quite get the full 75G. I also had to take a day off to make some water for waterchanges and top-off the tanks for the auto-topoff systems.
I'll try and get some more photo's up this week showing the return lines and such.
SaraB
Coral Killer
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13856115#post13856115 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tanya72806
Looks insane back there lol Looks great though
Brian kept asking me as he was plumbing the tank "Sara, do you think this tank is a bit over-engineered?" I just smiled and said it was not my fault!I agree, it's a bit insane back there, but we did the best we could
When the systems are plumbed together, that will give me a bit more room with the removal of one of the 70G Rubbermaid stock tanks and a better placement for one that will remain.
customcolor
New member
i love the stain work on the stand and canopy!
you know you will have fish in the tank but you will have an octopus behind it! HOLY, WHERE DOES THIS PIPE GO!?
you know you will have fish in the tank but you will have an octopus behind it! HOLY, WHERE DOES THIS PIPE GO!?
customcolor
New member
i like the contrast of the 2. both colors are very nice. i bet the photos dont do them justice.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13856297#post13856297 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaraB
LOL - It is an octopus, but I know of someone who has a couple of them behind his system!!! Can't name names, but he knows who he is
Do you like the two-toned look on the stand & canopy or do you like it just the one dark color?
<BR><BR>
i realy shouldnt talk about octopus plumming...
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BenjieC
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13856297#post13856297 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaraB
LOL - It is an octopus, but I know of someone who has a couple of them behind his system!!! Can't name names, but he knows who he is
Do you like the two-toned look on the stand & canopy or do you like it just the one dark color?
I don't have a couple octopuses, I just have one big cluster.......
And your welcome for the over engineering.
SaraB
Coral Killer
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13857429#post13857429 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BenjieC
I don't have a couple octopuses, I just have one big cluster.......
And your welcome for the over engineering.
Ahh, the master of my nightmare appears!
I kept telling Brian he could thank Benjie for it all!
glparr
Waterbox Keeper
As the person who helped plumb the return lines, I can tell you that what looks like a piping spider web is quite well planned with sufficient and properly placed valves and couplings that allow Sara to isolate, dismantle, and clean with minimal hassle and mess. I had nothing to do with the plumbing scheme. I just executed what others had put together. In making that statement, I am in no way letting Benjie off the hook.
Flow will not be an issue, with a return, closed-loop, and two surges. I'm most curious to see the system in action and see what surges that are dumping water into the tank front-to-back, instead of lengthwise, will do to the overall flow. Water bouncing off of the front wall and into the rock face will create some interesting dynamics and definitely keep detritus from accumulating.
On a personal note, I pray to God that, when she fires up those drive pumps, there aren't any leaks in the return lines.
Gary
Flow will not be an issue, with a return, closed-loop, and two surges. I'm most curious to see the system in action and see what surges that are dumping water into the tank front-to-back, instead of lengthwise, will do to the overall flow. Water bouncing off of the front wall and into the rock face will create some interesting dynamics and definitely keep detritus from accumulating.
On a personal note, I pray to God that, when she fires up those drive pumps, there aren't any leaks in the return lines.
Gary
SaraB
Coral Killer
Thanks everyone for the comments and feedback!
The doors are NOT done ... they are going to be finished later this week. The plan was to do them in the same color, but once the raw wood panels were added to the already stained parts, the two-toned contrast kind of looked nice. The would be done a lighter color of stain that would contrast and match the stain already applied.
I'm just worried about having them that way for the longhaul is all ... don't want to get sick of the look and then have to strip the varnish and stain and try and match them back up with the dark color is all. Also, all the trim and doors in the basement are actually a golden oak color, so it's not like everything matches at all now!
Ed - Hopefully this can be fired up this weekend and check for leaks and then toss in the salt!
The doors are NOT done ... they are going to be finished later this week. The plan was to do them in the same color, but once the raw wood panels were added to the already stained parts, the two-toned contrast kind of looked nice. The would be done a lighter color of stain that would contrast and match the stain already applied.
I'm just worried about having them that way for the longhaul is all ... don't want to get sick of the look and then have to strip the varnish and stain and try and match them back up with the dark color is all. Also, all the trim and doors in the basement are actually a golden oak color, so it's not like everything matches at all now!
Ed - Hopefully this can be fired up this weekend and check for leaks and then toss in the salt!
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