Too much time - 90 gallon SPS "lab" build
- Thread starter Decadence
- Start date
reefermike1
New member
Sweet build man, I'll be tagging along. Impressive work with the sump..
Decadence
New member
Thank you. I should have more work done this weekend.
Mg4life0331
Member
Nice work!
Decadence
New member
Thanks Mg4life
Things are progressing
Cork on the tops and bottoms of the motor mounting flange so that there is no hardware or surface contact
I also used spa flex to connect to the pump to reduce vibrations and then removed the fan assembly and shroud. I will be cooling this pump with an electric PC fan for silent operation.
Things are progressing
Cork on the tops and bottoms of the motor mounting flange so that there is no hardware or surface contact
I also used spa flex to connect to the pump to reduce vibrations and then removed the fan assembly and shroud. I will be cooling this pump with an electric PC fan for silent operation.
Decadence
New member
I chose to get a little more done instead of sleeping as if Nikola wouldn't have kept me up all night anyway. It's slow at work so I may be able to sneak in a nap or two.
I got the return feed for the mini display run up to the back of the stand. I decided not to use this tank as a feed for the frag tank because it would be unskimmed. Instead, I am going to plumb the overflow back underneath the display tank and go through a filter sock over there. It's going to come back in the 2" cross-over pipe and get skimmed. Hopefully there is no added noise. The frag tank is going to be fed instead by the GFO reactor. It will have a dedicated 4" filter sock to keep particles from entering the tank. The frag tank will wind up being a phosphate-free zone but I can feed it once or twice a week to keep that from affecting the colors.
I still have to clean the 12g and glue the overflow to it, then plumb in the last foot roughly of piping. After that, I have the return to the display to build. I'm going to feed the one inch pipe over the back of the display into the overflow chamber and split it into two 3/4" return pipes to come out of each side of the overflow. Doing this, I can take the original 3/4" pipe coming up from the bottom of the tank and turn that into an additional drain as the existing 1" drain will not be able to handle the flow of the new pump. I could probably get away with leaving this completely wide open as long as it is below the existing stand pipe. I'm probably going to have to cut out the teeth from the overflow to get more flow through there too.
I got the return feed for the mini display run up to the back of the stand. I decided not to use this tank as a feed for the frag tank because it would be unskimmed. Instead, I am going to plumb the overflow back underneath the display tank and go through a filter sock over there. It's going to come back in the 2" cross-over pipe and get skimmed. Hopefully there is no added noise. The frag tank is going to be fed instead by the GFO reactor. It will have a dedicated 4" filter sock to keep particles from entering the tank. The frag tank will wind up being a phosphate-free zone but I can feed it once or twice a week to keep that from affecting the colors.
I still have to clean the 12g and glue the overflow to it, then plumb in the last foot roughly of piping. After that, I have the return to the display to build. I'm going to feed the one inch pipe over the back of the display into the overflow chamber and split it into two 3/4" return pipes to come out of each side of the overflow. Doing this, I can take the original 3/4" pipe coming up from the bottom of the tank and turn that into an additional drain as the existing 1" drain will not be able to handle the flow of the new pump. I could probably get away with leaving this completely wide open as long as it is below the existing stand pipe. I'm probably going to have to cut out the teeth from the overflow to get more flow through there too.
Decadence
New member
Do you guys have an recommendations for a fish for the frag tank? I don't think that I need a pest-eater because all of the frags will be dipped before entering the tank. I also don't think that I will have any algae in here under a Sol (no red) and being fed by the GFO reactor. I'd just like something which will take pellets, possibly from an automatic feeder and will not jump. I'm trying to get something which can poop and feed the frags basically.
m.adamschwartz
New member
Nice build thread!!! I enjoy your attention to the details, and how clean your finished work is looking. I'm tagging along on this build!
Decadence
New member
That's a pretty solid compliment. Thanks :beer:
Decadence
New member
I have been slowly getting more done on this set-up. I still have an end goal of having the sump running this weekend.
I redid the outlet for the pump because the fitting failed them "try as hard as I can to break it" test. I got the return made for the 12g, cleaned it up and glued the overflow on. I used a 3/4" lock-line return in a 1" bulkhead because that's what size the whole was. I jammed a 3/4" threaded fitting into the 1" hole which fit nice and snug. On the other side, I trimmed a 3/4" elbow and stuck it down-facing into the overflow hole. I'm going to put a 1" 'T' on the back with a vent on it tonight for silent operation and then plumb it into the 2" crossover pipe.
The return from the GFO reactor is secured, though I still have to snip the ties. It should be very easy to change the socks.
For the last stretch of the return going into the 12, I used flexible conduit.
We had a small debate about it in Japonicus' build thread on TRT. After doing some research under different brand names, I have found that a few people are using it with good results as it is made of the same PVC as flex-spa is, just without the 150psi pressure rating which I wouldn't need at all. The fittings from regular PVC fit snuggly and glued in perfectly so we will see how it holds up over time.
Tonight, I will be doing the electrical n the stand. I purchased plug outlets and boxes for each of the components in the stand which will need to be removed for cleaning occasionally. I'm going to run the wires from the boxes into the reefkeeper and then plug in the components under the stand for easier removal.
I redid the outlet for the pump because the fitting failed them "try as hard as I can to break it" test. I got the return made for the 12g, cleaned it up and glued the overflow on. I used a 3/4" lock-line return in a 1" bulkhead because that's what size the whole was. I jammed a 3/4" threaded fitting into the 1" hole which fit nice and snug. On the other side, I trimmed a 3/4" elbow and stuck it down-facing into the overflow hole. I'm going to put a 1" 'T' on the back with a vent on it tonight for silent operation and then plumb it into the 2" crossover pipe.
The return from the GFO reactor is secured, though I still have to snip the ties. It should be very easy to change the socks.
For the last stretch of the return going into the 12, I used flexible conduit.
We had a small debate about it in Japonicus' build thread on TRT. After doing some research under different brand names, I have found that a few people are using it with good results as it is made of the same PVC as flex-spa is, just without the 150psi pressure rating which I wouldn't need at all. The fittings from regular PVC fit snuggly and glued in perfectly so we will see how it holds up over time.
Tonight, I will be doing the electrical n the stand. I purchased plug outlets and boxes for each of the components in the stand which will need to be removed for cleaning occasionally. I'm going to run the wires from the boxes into the reefkeeper and then plug in the components under the stand for easier removal.
Decadence
New member
Is Nikola your son's name? I like it a lot
Cool build too. Keep those pics coming.
It sure is, thanks. We named him after Nikola Tesla.. it took some convincing on her end. :love1:
I got a little further on the 2" PVC crossover pipe and got the return for the 12L pumped into it.
This is the overflow for the 12L. I siliconed a CPR overflow to it and trimmed down a 3/4" elbow to go into the 1" bulkhead. On the back, the 'T' has a 1/2" hose barb on it and a nylon hose running down just to silence it (it will be trimmed and fastened to the pipe. If there is still any noise at all from it I will build a PVC muffler chamber. There will be no noise from this tank or the display. The display will get a Herbie style which is outlined in Japonicus' thread from TRT on page 4, in combination with a silenced durso to catch any extra.
I have had this thing laying around without any pics for a little while, it will probably be hung tonight.
If any of you guys have Facebook and want to help a brother out, I have entered my wiring in the electrical/dosing cabinet into the BRS reefer challenge for the month which is for wire management:
Vote for me!
Decadence
New member
I got extension cords and cut off the female ends, then hooked them into outlets inside of the PVC outlet boxes.
These plugs plug into the reefkeeper giving me remote outlets for each component. Now I don't have to sort through wires and cut zip ties to remove these components for cleaning.
I got the sol mounted with aluminum U channel.
There are a few components to move over from the main sump, but over-all, the sump portion is all done. I'm mixing water all over the place to get it filled and up to temperature to get the last components tied in tomorrow.
Here, you can see the outlet for the return pump is on the other side. I only did this because it had a very short plug.
I'm a little nervous about firing up this return pump. Tomorrow is the going to be the cumulative result of over five months of work and many thousand of dollars doing this addition!
These plugs plug into the reefkeeper giving me remote outlets for each component. Now I don't have to sort through wires and cut zip ties to remove these components for cleaning.
I got the sol mounted with aluminum U channel.
There are a few components to move over from the main sump, but over-all, the sump portion is all done. I'm mixing water all over the place to get it filled and up to temperature to get the last components tied in tomorrow.
Here, you can see the outlet for the return pump is on the other side. I only did this because it had a very short plug.
I'm a little nervous about firing up this return pump. Tomorrow is the going to be the cumulative result of over five months of work and many thousand of dollars doing this addition!
You have a very nice build thread. If and when I build my next tank I will make a stand like yours with a granite counter top. I love the look it gives. How did you ensure there were no bubbles in the glass silicon? Whenever I have built a sump in the past I have gotten small air pockets in the joints. They didn't affect performance but were an eyesore to me.
Decadence
New member
Thank you guys! After nearly 24 hours of all-out panic, I have it all running, drip free and seamlessly! I have yet to hook up the calcium reactor 100% because I have more top-off water from the large surface area (more evaporation). I think that I am going to put the kalk on a timer and run an additional aqualifter just for the ATO so that no matter what time of year/temperature, the same amount of kalk is being dosed to the same consistency.
Getting the two systems connecting was not as smooth as I was hoping for. I had the vortechs running in the display but nothing else. My first big hurdle was getting the two bulkheads for the overflow plumbed into the new filter sock tub under the display. Getting the tub in there and plumbed to the crossover pipe was cake-work after removing the original LPS refugium form the left side. I made a huge mistake in thinking that the original return pump was not glued inside the overflow. I glued the 3/4"-1" adapter to the bottom and then glued the dual-union valve to that and closed it so that I could pull the stand pipe from the top to trim it... It was stuck. I couldn't remove it now from either side. I stuck my smallest PVC cutter down a few inches into the overflow and started cutting it at an angle and the blade broke... The cutter was stuck inside the overflow, wedged on the pipe. I struggled for an hour trying to get it out without break the glass and wound up making a tool to free the broken blade. I made a rectangular piece of aluminum to slide down into the 3/4" pipe and then twist to push the blade back out. I then got smaller cutters to make the cut and re-secured everything. The other drain went smoothly.
The next set of issues came when I turned it all on for the first time. I had a few drips at the manifold caused by me running with all of the valves mostly closed to dial it in. Everything was under too much pressure. I finally decided after attempting to fix many leaks just to have them leak again, that I would open up the valves and hope for the best. "The best" wound up coming in the form of the return pipe for the 12 long being pointed too high and it shooting water over the edge across the room. As soon as I plugged in the pump and heard the gargle of the air escaping, I looked up and saw the return pointed up and ran to it, catching it just as water was flying at me mid-air. I got it pointed down just in time to get everything on the granite top, me and a good portion of the ground wet without losing any significant water. The tragedy of it all was my open bag of candy hearts.... There's always next year. :sad1:
After getting it all going with the valves all open, I didn't watch the 12L close enough and overflowed it slightly. After that, I dialed to a good spot and then turned it back a little for wiggle room. The display is wide open as was the GFO for a good portion of the night. I wound up dialing the GFO slightly back when I woke up and saw the sponge from the bottom almost all the way to the top. I removed the reactor, cleaned the sponge and put zip ties on the inner pipe to hold the sponges down. The reactor can handle a lot of flow, which is good because it supplies the frag tank with water. I still had a couple very slow leaks on the manifold which "repaired" themselves overnight. The fan and power supply that I got for the pan world pump wound up being a huge frustration because it didn't work. I tested the power supply to find it producing the advertised voltage on all settings... I tested the fan and found an open... Just for the hell of it, I switched the leads and got continuity, meaning that they installed the diode inside of it backwards... whatever.. I switched the wires up and ran it in the reverse direction. It was a little louder than I would like so I decided to run it at 9v instead of 12v and it still keeps the pump cool to the touch.
That's all of the update I have for now. I will return with pictures soon.
Getting the two systems connecting was not as smooth as I was hoping for. I had the vortechs running in the display but nothing else. My first big hurdle was getting the two bulkheads for the overflow plumbed into the new filter sock tub under the display. Getting the tub in there and plumbed to the crossover pipe was cake-work after removing the original LPS refugium form the left side. I made a huge mistake in thinking that the original return pump was not glued inside the overflow. I glued the 3/4"-1" adapter to the bottom and then glued the dual-union valve to that and closed it so that I could pull the stand pipe from the top to trim it... It was stuck. I couldn't remove it now from either side. I stuck my smallest PVC cutter down a few inches into the overflow and started cutting it at an angle and the blade broke... The cutter was stuck inside the overflow, wedged on the pipe. I struggled for an hour trying to get it out without break the glass and wound up making a tool to free the broken blade. I made a rectangular piece of aluminum to slide down into the 3/4" pipe and then twist to push the blade back out. I then got smaller cutters to make the cut and re-secured everything. The other drain went smoothly.
The next set of issues came when I turned it all on for the first time. I had a few drips at the manifold caused by me running with all of the valves mostly closed to dial it in. Everything was under too much pressure. I finally decided after attempting to fix many leaks just to have them leak again, that I would open up the valves and hope for the best. "The best" wound up coming in the form of the return pipe for the 12 long being pointed too high and it shooting water over the edge across the room. As soon as I plugged in the pump and heard the gargle of the air escaping, I looked up and saw the return pointed up and ran to it, catching it just as water was flying at me mid-air. I got it pointed down just in time to get everything on the granite top, me and a good portion of the ground wet without losing any significant water. The tragedy of it all was my open bag of candy hearts.... There's always next year. :sad1:
After getting it all going with the valves all open, I didn't watch the 12L close enough and overflowed it slightly. After that, I dialed to a good spot and then turned it back a little for wiggle room. The display is wide open as was the GFO for a good portion of the night. I wound up dialing the GFO slightly back when I woke up and saw the sponge from the bottom almost all the way to the top. I removed the reactor, cleaned the sponge and put zip ties on the inner pipe to hold the sponges down. The reactor can handle a lot of flow, which is good because it supplies the frag tank with water. I still had a couple very slow leaks on the manifold which "repaired" themselves overnight. The fan and power supply that I got for the pan world pump wound up being a huge frustration because it didn't work. I tested the power supply to find it producing the advertised voltage on all settings... I tested the fan and found an open... Just for the hell of it, I switched the leads and got continuity, meaning that they installed the diode inside of it backwards... whatever.. I switched the wires up and ran it in the reverse direction. It was a little louder than I would like so I decided to run it at 9v instead of 12v and it still keeps the pump cool to the touch.
That's all of the update I have for now. I will return with pictures soon.
Decadence
New member
I don't have any air bubbles because I used a lot of silicone so that it had a nice round heap to it. I put all of the glass together, smoothed the inside along the tape and then let the outside dry. Since the glass was all polished on the edges, I was able to clean up all of the excess silicone with a razor blade. The result was bubble-free silicone.
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