Thread Diary of my 30 cube SPS dominated in wall tank

[THEPHISHGUY]

So, I have been out of the hobby for 3 years and have missed it dearly. My wife has not. She said she didnt want another tank in the house. OK NO PROBLEM!!!!! SO...... Here is the beggining of my 30 gallon oceanic in wall in MY OFFICE!!!! Cube tank.....

I am running a mag 9 return off of a custom internal overflow box into a 3/4 inch sea swirl. I am running a quiet one 6000 @ 1596gph. My sump is not finished, I need to put in baffles for the refugium and probes. I will using a Tsunami top off w kalk and kent liquid reactor in the mean time. If calcium and alk needs are not being met, then I will switch to reactor. I have a spray bar in the back bottom left which should keep detritus out of the rear since I am going bare bottom. Right not I have a strainer on one of the outputs of the closed loop. That will be removed and put into the closedloop input. My question is should I put one of those strainers inside my over flow box? Or will I run the risk of clogging. I am going to put some eggcrate over top of it, is it still nessicary? I am looking for some design sugesstions, maybe something I missed. I put a bulkhead and ball valve in the bottom left of the sump so I can drain it easily for water changes. SO I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR SOME OPINIONS! THANKS THEPHISHGUY:smokin:

 

[Purple Haze]

is this a home office?

Looks like a nice start.

 

[jcraft]

how come you put a strainer on the return?

and does your boss know you put a big hole in the wall?!
j/k, lookin good!

 

[cmondo]

Looks like a nice start, its a shame you had to shove it back in a corner like that though.

How big is that sump, from the picture it looks like a 125 or something?

It seems like you have all your flow coming from the back, are you going to put anything on the sides to create turbulant flow?

And I have a question about your closed loop, why do you have the spray bar connected to the draibn before the pump?

 

[ONEMANBAND]

Looks good, maybe add a water change system, if drain is close.
And paint the back of the tank.

 

[THEPHISHGUY]

The stainer is not staying there, I just stuck it in. The sump is about 40 gallons. The spray bar is on the return, it is just the angle. Also, the sea swirl will provide flow all around to the front and sides! as it is only 30 gallons..

 

[THEPHISHGUY]

The back will be painted black and the bulkhead in the sump is for water changes!! YES THE BOSS KNOWS!!! no, it is not a home office... And the reason it is back there, is that is the best spot to view it from my chair which I am a lot of the day.....way more then if I was home

 

[THEPHISHGUY]

DO YOU THINK I SHOULD PUT A STRAINER ON THE INSIDE BULKHEAD OF THE OVERFLOW? AND HOW ABOUT EGG CRATE OVER THE OVERFLOW????

 

[samsfishnchips]

THEPHISHGUY,

about the strainer, the idea is if something goes in, not to block the flow,

but I like the idea of a top lid, that way no need for a strainer, and nothing will get in, snails, fish practicing their jump moves, light to grow algae, ect,

but might need T so you don't get the flushing, toilet sound...

how about a mobile fitting on top output instead of strainer?

overflow box, made out of your color background?

rethink output bar, can clog, ect, removable?

use of some flex PVC for vibration reduction?

and a few more I will think about later

looks like a great start,

sam

 

[THEPHISHGUY]

What is a mobile fitting? The output bar is not cemented in. Since I am going BB, I wanted to push all the detritus out of the back so it can be siphoned. Where would flex pvc be good for? Do you mean near the pump? I have a rubber mat under the pump and will put down vinyl under everything but tank to keep the wood stand / platform dry. I am going to be having a lot of rock, nearly 70lbs and I dont think you will see the over flow to much. Also, I have quite a LOT of holes in the spray bar so that it shoudnt clog cause once I put the rock in plus it will get about 700GPH through it. I am not going to be able to get to it... I hope this does not provide me with any trouble. My sea swirl has one of the thin spray locline pieces on it, should I put a "Y" connector and use two regular nozzles instead of the wide pread thin nozzle??? THANKS A LOT... And keep the comments and ideas comin!!!!!!

 

[samsfishnchips]

THEPHISHGUY,

mobile fitting its called loc-line fittings
http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_plumbing_parts__index.asp?CartId=

I would really reconsider the spray bar, if you can't take it and clean it every few months it will be an issue,

I really would like more, a few output line made of loc-line fitting to keep the bottom clean, and that will be trouble free down the road

I like to use flex pvc where there are angles, 45's, 90's just cut flow, you seem good with hard pvc with the angles, but I have a better time with angles and stuff and aligning the pumps better,

ex. with flex pvc, you can place different mats under the pumps without issues, but with hard pvc, you will need to be more exact, pressure on the glass and so forth,

"... I dont think you will see the over flow to much..."

good luck on this one, low flow and light ( not just from the top, which can be taken care, but specially light that passes through the clear acrylic) = a mess of bad looking algae, ect,

I would leave the sea swirl like it came.

don't forget about this one,

"but might need T so you don't get the flushing, toilet sound..."

for the top output, loc-line fittings too

have you decide on skimmer, lighting, additives, ect.

sam

 

[panic]

Cool setup. You might think about setting something under your spraybar or using a capped tee at the end in case a rock falls on it and cracks your glass. I lost a tank to a rock falling on a bulkhead screen, and that spraybar is a much easier target.

Good luck getting any work done with that in your office!

 

[THEPHISHGUY]

Skimmer is a EUROREEF, Dual PFO 400 14k phoneix, but will only use one light for know. Tsunami auto top off w/ kalk and Kent Liquid Reactor and all other trace, stron, mag, iod. etc... How can I get lockline ot come out of that bottom bulkhead where the spray bar is? Or should I just foget anything and just the flow that come out with nothing inhibiting it. Remeber I will have 80x+ turnover in a 30 cube... So, what should I do about the overflow? Paint it black? What type of paint to use? Thanks for all the suggestions thus far, keep em comin...

 

[samsfishnchips]

panic,

very good point

THEPHISHGUY,

for the locline, just threaded bulk heads, and adapt to a few exits

they sell expoxy paint, but don't know if it will stick to acrylic, I would just order a piece of 1/4" black acrylic, less than 10 bucks shipped, if you don't find it locally, usplastics.com

I like triangular overflows, might experiment with it...

plan ahead, the worse thing that can happen is ending up with something you don't like and them trying to go back to re-do, which is a PITA in some cases...

sam

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

thats an aweful lot of flow through the sump? may i ask what your intentions are with the sump?

 

[trueblackpercula]

good luck with the project. I also have started a in wall tank.

 

[THEPHISHGUY]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6778599#post6778599 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by E-A-G-L-E-S
thats an aweful lot of flow through the sump? may i ask what your intentions are with the sump?

What do you mean? You think a mag9 slowed down with a ball valve is to much?

 

[samsfishnchips]

E-A-G-L-E-S,

if all that flow went through the sump, that would be awful indeed, but as noted on the pics and description at top, most of the flow will be accomplish by the closed loop

sam

 

[THEPHISHGUY]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6766427#post6766427 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nunez1980
THEPHISHGUY,

about the strainer, the idea is if something goes in, not to block the flow,

but I like the idea of a top lid, that way no need for a strainer, and nothing will get in, snails, fish practicing their jump moves, light to grow algae, ect,

but might need T so you don't get the flushing, toilet sound...

how about a mobile fitting on top output instead of strainer?

overflow box, made out of your color background?

rethink output bar, can clog, ect, removable?

use of some flex PVC for vibration reduction?

and a few more I will think about later

looks like a great start,

sam

I switched the spray bar to a locline t with two outputs. I bought the oceanic dual return kit and used that piece. As you said above, I am getting the flushing sound with the mad fully open. What do you mean by adding a T? How would that work? I would love to be able to open the mag all the way back up. Thanks a lot... Dave

 

[samsfishnchips]

THEPHISHGUY,

the flushing is created at the input of the overflow leading to the sump, in other words the sound is made by the siphon created and thus break (sound)

you need to add a T with cap and on the cap a small hole to let air in, a good idea is a valve to control the flow, more air less flow, more air more flow, but not close so you don't get the siphon

here is a pic

nice move on the loc, that will be trouble free in the future, I have mine keeping my bottom clean, love them, and the wider the tip, the better,

sam