The Journey - 300+ Gallon System Build - Picture Heavy

So while I waited for the pond foam to dry and the tank to fill I completed some smaller projects. I drilled the sock holder for my sump. These were 95mm hole and very close together. I thought for sure I would break a few panes of glass, but I got it on the first go. This was my first time drilling glass, so I must give credit to the bit. I purchased a Bosch 95mm bit. It was much more expensive, but I guess it was worth it.

I also drilled my frag tank. I drilled 6 1" hole. There will be 2 full siphon, 2 emergencies, and 2 returns. I also painted the back panel. I included a logo just for fun. Tell me what you think.

I have also reinforced the water exchange stands and painted it. I can see the end coming soon.




<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90102096@N03/8550875052/" title="Untitled by elitecoral, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8550875052_2bb8afec9f_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Untitled"></a>

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Ahh, nice cut job.

I do not see the logo...

6 1".. not bad... how long did all those take to get done? Same bit too?
 


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90102096@N03/8554056328/" title="Untitled by elitecoral, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8100/8554056328_5e1a96172f_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Untitled"></a>

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worm5406 said:
Ahh, nice cut job.

I do not see the logo...

6 1".. not bad... how long did all those take to get done? Same bit too?
Click to expand...

The sock holder took about 2 hours. I went very slow. The tank took about an hour and yes it was the same bit. The holes are not as clean becuase this was a cheap bit, but they will get the job done.
 
bpcardona said:
The sock holder took about 2 hours. I went very slow. The tank took about an hour and yes it was the same bit. The holes are not as clean becuase this was a cheap bit, but they will get the job done.
Click to expand...

Nice! Why the choice to work with glass on the sock holder over acrylic?
 
So I worked on the sump tonight. This is my results. I am happy with it for the most part, but the silicone is a bit sloppy. I am letting it dry tonight then I will water test in the morning. I had troubles siliconing the bubble trap. I hope it holds. The socks it PERFECT! I can't be happier with that.



<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90102096@N03/8495853997/" title="Screen Shot 2013-02-21 at 9.33.13 PM by elitecoral, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8524/8495853997_dd33966dee_z.jpg" width="640" height="348" alt="Screen Shot 2013-02-21 at 9.33.13 PM"></a>

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Brian,

WOW...
That is nice!

What is abc?

The ro/NSW barrels... Where did you get them?

The Sump.. Is that a 50g breeder?



Nice job on the sock holder. At least glass will hold up to any cleaning and scrubbing you have.

Real good job on the sump so far. Lets see how that bubble trap holds.

How far apart are the sections?

How high is each section?

I lowered mine as it went toward the return pump.
 
worm5406 said:
Brian,

WOW...
That is nice!

What is abc?

The ro/NSW barrels... Where did you get them?

The Sump.. Is that a 50g breeder?



Nice job on the sock holder. At least glass will hold up to any cleaning and scrubbing you have.

Real good job on the sump so far. Lets see how that bubble trap holds.

How far apart are the sections?

How high is each section?

I lowered mine as it went toward the return pump.
Click to expand...

The ABC stands for Andrea (my Wife), Brian (me) Cardona (our last name). It was just a fun simple addition.

The barrels came from a local guy, they were used to carry hops. These are a little special because they have removable lids. Only cost $20 each.

The first open area in the sump is for a small refuge, it is 13". The next is a equipment/refuge at 10". This area will likely contain all my probes, addition skimmer (I have a tunze 9011 that I made run in addition to external as a dry skimmer). As for height, the socks are at 16" high, followed by the baffles at 14" high. The bubble trap is space at 1" apart.

The tank is a standard 55g aquaeon from petco $1 a gallon sale.
 
Not bad at all... I made sure mine has about 3-4 inches free when running. That gives me enough for power failure and the skimmer draining down also. (had one yesterday while I was standing in front of it) I just watched it and wondered..... It ran perfectly!
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90102096@N03/8567334212/

Dont mean to be a bubble breaker here but I think I see a flaw in the design.

Going from left to right, the first section I assume is a entry section from the tank. The second section is the filter sock. The third and fourth section is either fuge/equipment section. Then baffles then exit with return pump correct?

Here is the problem I see. When the water goes into the filter socks, where does it go? I see the lip after the filter socks to let water continue to move. But there is no open space for the water to leave after it enters the sock. From the picture the water will fill up out the socks and over the lip into the next section.
 
If you look just after the filter sock on the back wall you will see a break in the glass. About 1" below the filter sock lip/edge. It runs all the way across.

Look at a few of the other pictures in that photo stream and you will see the break better.
 
Nice looking build. Not trying to pick at your progress, but you shouldn't shim between the tank and the stand. Only the Stand and the floor. Creates pressure points on the tank and may crack it.
 
mpierce said:
Nice looking build. Not trying to pick at your progress, but you shouldn't shim between the tank and the stand. Only the Stand and the floor. Creates pressure points on the tank and may crack it.
Click to expand...

No worries friend. It's not picking it apart just constructive criticism. When I drian the tank, I will see how hard it is to left the stand.


Newbie Aquarist said:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90102096@N03/8567334212/

Dont mean to be a bubble breaker here but I think I see a flaw in the design.

Going from left to right, the first section I assume is a entry section from the tank. The second section is the filter sock. The third and fourth section is either fuge/equipment section. Then baffles then exit with return pump correct?

Here is the problem I see. When the water goes into the filter socks, where does it go? I see the lip after the filter socks to let water continue to move. But there is no open space for the water to leave after it enters the sock. From the picture the water will fill up out the socks and over the lip into the next section.
Click to expand...

Worm is correct. I know that my original design showed a box under the socks, but this was a simple mistake made when connecting the lines. Thank you very much for picking sort my design, that's the kind of help I need.

worm5406 said:
Not bad at all... I made sure mine has about 3-4 inches free when running. That gives me enough for power failure and the skimmer draining down also. (had one yesterday while I was standing in front of it) I just watched it and wondered..... It ran perfectly!
Click to expand...

I shut the power down and the sump handled the overflow just fine. Thanks of the advice.
 
This is the sump in action. Hopefully this well clear up any confusion of how it works. The problem I see is that I should have made the baffles a little smaller then the first. Also the last baffle needs to be shorter. This one I may cut, the others I will leave alone. If I fill the sump past the last baffle I don't have any problems, but if it gets low I get bubbles.




<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90102096@N03/8569006176/" title="Untitled by elitecoral, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8237/8569006176_597fe9425c_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Untitled"></a>


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What are you going to do if something drops/lives below the socks?

Was just thinking about getting in there to do any maintenance.

I would cut it down some also. The way it is flowing there is no separation between those center to areas because of the height of the last section.
 
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