Plumbing the tank
Plumbing the tank
OK now for some fun stuff. For the sake of simplicity and to try something new I decided not to use PVC plumbing for this tank. Rather I used Clear Flexible Vinyl tubing. I think for people uncomfortable with plumbing this is the easiest route and so far is working out really well on my new tank.
The first thing I plumbed was the closed loop. This tank was already drilled for a closed loop so that was a time saver for me. The tank was drilled in the back center about 6†down from the top for the send to the closed loop pump. It was also drilled on the left and right side of the tank the same distance down for the returns. For a pump I decided to use a Mag 12 which even though it is not the ideal pump for this application it is working out well so far. I was able to obtain this pump used by trading a Mag 5 pump I had and a few corals. Here is a photo of the pump and the plumbing for it.
Since there were two return links and one send I decided to use a SCWD. The SCWD was purchased on the RC selling forum used for $25 shipped. The plumbing for the closed loop is all ¾†vinyl tubing. I used the regular tubing for the send to the pump and the reinforced vinyl tubing for the return. Here are some photos of the plumbing for the closed loop and the SCWD. (I couldn’t get a better photo unfortunately the tank is full of water and up against the wall)
I would be remiss if didn’t say the SCWD is a little noisy and because of the power of the pump and the distance the send bulkhead is from the waters surface it sometimes causes a vortex making micro bubbles. I plan to make some modifications to the closed loop setup in the near future. I will be adding two penductors to increase flow, $25.00 each new from premium aquatics. I will also be building a vortex shield to eliminate the micro bubbles. Updates on closed loop to follow…
Plumbing the sump was easy since the tank was RR (reef ready) and the overflow was already plumbed for me. The first thing I did was push the tank into the spot where I wanted it and drill two holes in the floor. Then I used a short piece of PVC to glue in the connectors for both the send and return bulkheads. The bulkheads are slip fit on the inside and my connectors are slip fit on one side and threaded on the other. I used Oatey PVC cleaner and PVC cement to connect these two pieces but any brand will work, I let it dry for 24 hours. Here is a close-up of the plumbing for the bulkheads and connectors. (Note: The bigger one is the 1†drain and the smaller one is the ¾†return)
http://myreef.org/nwrogers/photos/20070516_65_bulkhead_plumbingl.jpg[IMG]
I decided to put the sump in the basement to avoid too much noise in the living room. I didn’t want to use a large expensive pump so I decided to put the sump on a bookshelf and use a Mag 950 for the return. There is more info on the sump coming in the next installment. Back to the plumbing, for the send coming from the overflow I used regular 1†vinyl tubing and for the return I used ¾†reinforced vinyl tubing. Right below the floor I attached a ball valve on both the send and the return incase I need them to combat noise or micro bubbles. Here is a photo of how I installed the ball valves…
[IMG]http://myreef.org/nwrogers/photos/20070516_65_ball_valvesl.jpg
After the ball valve on the send it empties into the skimmer feed section of the sump. The plumbing for the return goes directly from the output of the return pump into the connecter underneath the tank with a ball valve in the middle. Pretty simple right?
One last photo of all of the plumbing under the tank…
Coming next: Building and hooking up the sump…
) to do the first and third baffle on either side of the second baffle. You can use the blue painters tape to help secure the baffles while you are gluing/silicone-ing them. For the media tray I try to make it about 2.5†â€"œ 3†wide and I use two .5†pieces to hold the egg crate (aka light diffuser from the hardware store). I glued the two .5†pieces to the third and fourth baffle then I glued the forth baffle into the sump. I try to make the media tray about 1.5†â€"œ 2.5†deep. Lastly I drilled the sump and used a threaded bulkhead to hook up the Mag 950 return pump externally. Photo of the return pump and bulkhead…
