Tansu inspired mixed reef & Haddoni:Clown setup

[sugartooth]

asacopoo, jthomas thank you so much! Jthomas, there are soo so many quality builds in this forum that I just hope it turns out 1/4 as nice.

TVenters, I'm incredibly flattered! I almost threw a tantrum this past weekend because I had to re-do the right side of the plumbing and I'm STILL not finished. I wanted water in it by now, but now I have to hope to finish this weekend.

The vapors were bothering my contacts so I ended up with a full face respirator. I keep hitting the mask while trying to maneuver underneath. I hate this!

Good luck with your build! I'm sure it will be great.

 

[dahenley]

did you ever get your OM problem handled?

and can someone sneak a picture of the full face mask!! (it might be embarrassing now, but later, it will be cool and something to laugh about!)

 

[sugartooth]

did you ever get your OM problem handled?

and can someone sneak a picture of the full face mask!! (it might be embarrassing now, but later, it will be cool and something to laugh about!)

Nope, there was a set time we were to call and go through this with him but he wasn't there when we called. Left messages and still nothing.


Regarding the full mask, YES, it's embarrassing. Especially when you keep hitting your head on things. The PVC glue and cleaner is some nasty stuff......kidneys, liver, CNS problems, reproductive problems, etc.....
I will try and get a picture to entertain you later this weekend. Promise to hold your laughter please.

 

[sugartooth]

Alright, I was able to plumb a little bit tonight. I keep thinking that I will be done, but couldn't get started until after 4 today. For those that don't already know, the best cutters are the heavy duty ones that can cut up to 2" pipe.

These here allow you to cut your pipe without having to blow a vessel from the strain:

The mask definitely helps contact lens wearers that plumb for extended periods, and the cartridges seem to last about 40 hours or so.


Here are some shots of what I have so far under the stand. It doesn't seem like much, which is why it's so frustrating for me. It should have been a piece of cake but has been anything but! I'm taking these pictures about a foot away, underneath.

This is my viewpoint when working underneath on my back for part of the gluing. Another part of the frustration is that I have to get out and go back in, get out and get in the tank, get out and cut, a few parts at a time. It's so easy to make a mistake!

Another shot going underneath:

These are all pictures of the right side only. The left side is similar.

 

[dahenley]

is your plumbing touching the wall? (there is one union that looks like its hitting a Tee and the wall.)

if it is, you might see if you can change that up a little...

i dont remember what pumps you said you would be using, but many create vibrations even if slight, and they can be transfered through everything and the wall so it might sound kind of loud.....

if you can fix the OM with all the hard plumbing, you might be able to run a flex vynal line between the pump and the OM to dampen this... i use 1.25 black pond hose. its black to prevent algae growth inside, and its vynal so it helps remove any. but its thick walled so its not as flexible as some....

just some suggestions.
but if those pipes arnt touching anything, then you should be fine!

 

[sugartooth]

Yep, it's touching the wall. My problem is I'm not sure if it's going to end up like that because I haven't finished plumbing the 4th output. It may get pulled off the wall a little bit because the intake of the pump hasn't been glued either.

I can only get so far on the closed loop before having to address the returns and drains coming from the side tanks. The 'T' you see is the return to the main tank and down to the right cube.

I had to plumb the over the back stuff in order to know where the pipes were going to be......then I had to start plumbing the sides into the middle tank so I glue that all in before finishing the closed loop. Kind of like having to start in the far corner so you end up finishing at the doorway when you mop a room.

I wouldn't be able to get to the tangle of the drains and returns if I did the entire OM's plumbing first.


I do agree with you, I'm concerned about vibration. I have neoprene that I've placed underneath my 2" pipe as well as the pumps. I'm also going to put some under the pipe in the canopy. Thanks so much for your suggestion!

As for your suggestion of putting flex in between the pump and OM, the OM is pretty heavy, and I also want a valve there for servicing (and adds more weight) so the flex hose may not work out quite right.

 

[dahenley]

you could put the valve on the pump, and that way if you service the OM, you will just pull it with the hose attached to the OM. but, you might be fine.
i have a new Reeflo Dart with the Balder motor, and its sweet. low noise. (you can hear the fan circulating air, but its super quiet compared to others i have seen...)
it doesnt vibrate, but its only 1.5 years old so i only have a little experience with it

Did you mention what pumps your planning?
External, reeflo-panworld
or internal style eheim laguna/red dragon?

just curious.

 

[sugartooth]

I have a valve and a union before the pump, and a valve/union in between the OM and pump. I figured that way if I have to pull the pump out alone, I can as well as OM.

The pumps are Reeflo Darts and I've had problems with salt creep (seals?) and other issues with 4 out of 6 Reeflo's. Good thing is that I was able to get them serviced.


The two closed loops will be used with a Super Dart Gold and a Dart w. Baldor motor. Part of the contribution to the frustration here is that the two pumps are very different in size. The super dart gold is much smaller. The intake and output are slightly off and messes with lining up the OM output with my holes in the tank. So, I had to get a little more creative with the plumbing too. That's why you see the elbow city and valve nation under there.


It will be interesting to hear if the pumps are as quiet as they advertise. The return will be with an external Panworld 150.....and I tell you that thing is LOUD. I go downstairs and it sounds like an airplane. I'm hoping the neoprene will help with that too.

 

[dahenley]

i have heard good things about the gold series..
and the new balder motors are better then the older smaller AO smith ones...

so i would think that you will be ok. (if i shut the cabinet doors on my stand, i cant hear mine.

you should be fine.
great build. i like the 3 tanks, and the time that you are taking... i wish i would have done that.

 

[sugartooth]

Yeah, my first impression was 'WOW, these pumps are small! AND they put out more than the original?'

Thanks for your support. But really, I wish that I am faster with this. I did a partial leak test last night and found one leaky bulkhead and after tightening, it still has a small leak.

I used a little silicone lubricant on the seal and it still leaks, so I will be using silicone as my last resort.

 

[dahenley]

Be careful with silicon. I don't like using it on bulkheads. You might get a new bulkhead and make Sure its not the bulkhead. Its not worth having a bulkhead leak in the future and have to drain the tank..

 

[sugartooth]

Dang. I'm about to cry. I spend 20 minutes looking at my plumbing and only glue 2-3 pieces at a time. Then another 20 minutes looking at how to move forward. It's driving me nuts.

Thanks for your suggestion about the bulkhead. I really don't want to use silicone either, I've become frustrated at the leaking and it's coming from a silly little 1/2" bulkhead. This is the one in the cube, so I wouldn't have to drain the tank in order to put another one in if it breaks in the future. Definitely if it was in the big tank, I would have to evaluate the bulkhead further.

But, I think you are right, so I will try another bulkhead or gasket to see if that helps. I just needed some food and a little 'woo-sah' and I'm going back to finish!

 

[dahenley]

is the bulkhead for the return?
either way, look at where they drilled the hole. there is always a little chip out. but depending on how new/used the bit is, and how much pressure they put on at the end of the hole, there could be a little chip out/cupping.
if so, its ok.... unless the chip/cupping is borderlined where the bulkhead gasket ends. if its close, then this could be a problem. (i dont think they make a oversized gasket flange or oversized gasket.....)

and are you using SCH80 bulkheads on the small cubes or standard ABS?

if SCHO 80, you might flip the gasket to where the lines on the gasket go to the bulkhead and the smooth surface goes to the glass. this might do the trick for you...

(if the chip/cup is larger then the bulkhead or border-lined..... you might be making another call the cube manufacturer....... sorry.)

 

[jmahfouz]

Amazing Build, looks fantastic

 

[sugartooth]

Yes, the bulkhead is for the return. There were definitely chips around the holes of both cubes. I don't see them extend farther than the gasket, but I will be picking up a new one tomorrow to see if that resolves it. These ones I'm using in the cubes are the regular ABS bulkheads.

I do have 3/4" bulkheads that I can take the gasket and use it. Do you think I should try that?



jamahfouz: Thank you very much!

 

[dahenley]

Some ABS ones are made cheap and the flange and nut are not square so I would pick up a new and try that first

 

[sugartooth]

I agree, they are quite variable in quality. Couldn't make it to the store in time today so I'm going to try for tomorrow. Thanks again for your input! I hope to not have to silicone any of these.

 

[boxer385]

This is the mark of a genius, absolutely brilliant i believe this will the best build thread for this year, you go girl :spin1: post more pics when you get the chance. Nice!!!

 

[JonnyD91]

Update?

 

[sugartooth]

I hit another bump that pushed me back with the plumbing.....this time it was a medical issue so I wasn't able to deal with the tank build.

Now, I plan to finish up and I have about 6 pieces left to glue. Also, I changed some of the plumbing to include spaflex because I'm worried about wiggling the bulkheads in the main tank.....but I'm bummed because the pipes for the drain don't line up nicely. Not only does it look janky, but I'm concerned that the drain will back up. You can see this in the picture below. It won't line up because the left closed loop outlets are in the way so I had to go around. Does anyone know how big of a backup this will be?

If people suggest I re-do it, how would you suggest I route that left side?


Also, I put in some lights to give me a little inspiration. I have only the middle light in on the main tank and 250's on each little tank. Here we go from no flash to include flash.

Here is the closed loop plumbing. I plan to add loc line to the bottom instead of Ocean Motion attachments. I wish I was a little bit taller, or the canopy was a little bit longer so I won't see the plumbing coming down. Ah well.