Any thing new Mike??

Well, as is my lot in life for living in this Saltwater desert.
I am waiting on plumbing supplies, one order from Go Reef and another from MOPS. Looking at building a manifold for return and reactors etc.
Stand is almost ready, not taking any chances and giving it many coats:biggrin:
Got eurobraces cut to length ready to attach.
Lots of little projects now :smile:
Son's hockey tourney this weekend and wife is leaving in the morn for her best friends 40th Bday, so tank is on backburner till next week..

Some progress
 

Received the latest order of plumbing supplies, so I felt that I should get it in gear.

Stand is complete , will skin it out later.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...08-001-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...08-002-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...08-004-800.jpg

I am going to try a Durso drain on this tank and this is my attempt, it has been suggested that a valve on top would be a good way to control the air and adjust the noise. This is what I have come up with... Can this work ?????? I won't be testing until I get the eurobracing completed and finish plumbing...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...08-005-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...08-006-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...08-007-800.jpg

Interested in your opinions .....

Heya Wayne
Have you thought about using a Herbie instead of the Durso?
Much quieter and easier to adjust. You already have 2 holes for the drains and a third for your return, so I thought I'd throw it out there. You won't have to run your return over-the-top like so many of us. Plus, you may gain some clearance as Dursos tend to be tall.
I've been testing mine with freshwater for the last 2 weeks and am extremely happy with it.
Here's a link for you to look @ Delphinus' ... scroll down a bit for his pic of the standpipes.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...&postcount=244
My tank is a 19" 75g. I run my 1" drain about 4-1/2" from the overflow height and the emergency is @ max height to the lip of the overflow.
Both of those measurements include the 3/4" strainers pictured in Del's link.

There's only 2 holes at the bottom of the OF, 1 - drain & 1 - return.

I would suggest to raise the the tee so that the top of the 90 degree elbow is about 1/2" below the bottom of the egg crate. Take the tee & cut off some of the top & bottom of it so there is only 1/2" of the slip in section left. Also cut down the top reducer so that it is flush in the top.

I see that now ...
Why couldn't he run over the top and use/not use the bulkhead on the overflow box sidewall?
Just a thought as I am a Herbie fan

Personally if it was my tank this is what I would do, K.I.S.S method. All my tanks are Durso & are completely silent & with out issues.

The problem with that is that it is awful tight in there and if i go any higher with the tee and 90, I won't have enough clearance for the return. As it is I have to use flex hose off the 90 on the return to the bulkhead.
I'll play with it and see what i can fit in there.. might have to break out the KY :biggrin:

I'm a huge bean animal fan myself, but will try the KISS method here.Just to see if I can make it work. mostly I'm trying to avoid external plumbing , but if it comes down to it, I will break out the drill and go thru the back for the returns and do a Herbie

To give yourself a little more room you could cut a little off the bulkhead at the top of the OF. I would deffinately use spa flex for the return, that's all I am going to use from now on.

BTW: when are you coming to Edmonton?

Thanks, will take a bit off that bulkead. I think I will use only Spaflex for everything but close fittings, any runs will be flex.

In the city Sunday to Wednesday, hope I have big enough suitcase LOL
Unfortunately, with my tank acting up last week , I am having second thoughts about picking up any livestock or the nice clam that Ken has for me....

I will be in Edmonton on Sunday as well, have to pick up a couple tanks.

:rofl: more tanks go figure LOL Get to the city around 4:00 when are you there ?

Shyte!! I need to be home before 4.

Next time, how is your hoodie collection ?

About to get smaller, the wife is making me toss anything that has a hole in it from work :lol:

harleyshardrocksaloon dot com/harleysgear.html

Not much to update.
 

Been far to busy to spend much time on this project lately, DAMMIT.
But lotsa shopping online :biggrin: things are coming together for when I actually get some water flowing.
A few goodies:

From Concept Aquariums:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...30-003-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...30-004-800.jpg

From BWA:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-005-800.jpg

Set sump in place so I can get plumbing on the go.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-001-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-002-800.jpg

Making 2 return lines , one with manifold for reactor lines and one direct return.

Direct Line
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-004-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-008-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-009-800.jpg

Manifold
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-003-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-006-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...16-007-800.jpg

I am still not sure about the overflow, but will fill with water and run it for a bit and see if the Durso works for me. Might have to drill a few more holes. :twised:
Looks like the pumps I have are big enough, but I think I am going to pick up a DC pump and try it out.

OOOOOOO I love getting stuff in the mail!! It's like christmas. Especially when they are nice gifts like the Ecotechs!

Nice progress

Oooo ... toys :smile:

I soooooo happy to see that everything is still in one piece :twised:

lol well you kinda build a bomb shelter around it!:lol:

Smart*ss :lol: Stand is anchored to floor with 3/4 inch bolts and tank is PL400'd to stand. Ain't goin nowhere.

:wink::wink::wink:

Small update
 

A new toy to play with, I ran a poll on return pumps and this one looked very interesting to me. I talked to a couple of people who tried it and decided to try it.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-001-800.jpg

Sorry about the french for the english speaking folks.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-002-800.jpg

Got all the glass for the eurobrace, so that was the next step.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-003-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-005-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-007-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-008-800.jpg

Getting closer now, Tweaked the plumbing to accommodate the different heights in pumps. Will be doing a leak test and run the pumps to see how the flow is working out.

WET
 

I know its only tap water, I know its crappy Iphone pics,
BUT IT IS WET... YEAH

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-009-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-010-800.jpg

So far there are no leaks and with everything running wide open there is good flow, I haven't had to throttle anything back at all and it runs very quiet with the Quiet One 4000. I haven't even tried the new pump on it.

The only issue I am having right now is that I am having a problem breaking the siphon on the return line when I shut the power off. As you can see by the following picture, I teed off and used dual loclines with wide mouth flows.
The top one is out of the water as soon as the pump is shut off. I think the problem is that the actual return line sits so low in the overflow. What do you people think? I could get rid of the dual locline and go with a single, but i was hoping to have that flow down low on the backside of the rocks.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-011-800.jpg

I could just scrub the return line through the overflow and drill another return hole up high in the back and use the second hole in the overflow for a Herbie.

Just trying to get some ideas.

Looking good Mike. For the syphon break how about drilling a hole big enough to put a piece of 1/4" air line in the 90 degree elbow of the return in the overflow & stick it out the corner of the eggcrate into the tank.

Can't wait to her what you think of the waveline pump.

That will work. water level in the overflow drains quicker than the tank does, could probably get away with just the hole and not the line. I will have to give them both a try.
The pump goes online tomorrow for a test run. I can't really hear the Quiet one , but I bet the Waveline is even quieter. Hope that it has a little more power than the pump I have now, I think the sump can handle a bit more flow.

If you don't put a piece of air line in the hole it will spray every where, the air line will control it.

Depends where you put the hole but I think your idea would be cleaner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice pump how does the controller work?

I just read through your tank journal. From my completly inexperienced perspective it is looking good. I'm looking forward to following along.

I will fire it up this weekend and let you know, It has a +, - button to ramp the power up and down and it has a feeding button that shuts it down for a short time
Thank you, not a lot of experience here. Second attempt, so i hope I learned a few things from past mistakes.
I have been following your thread as well, great job on the stand .

First Impressions... Waveline DC5000
 

Hooked up the Waveline DC5000 tonite and I must say that I like what it does so far. Started it at it's lowest setting and started to ramp it up. There are 6 speeds and by the 4th light I was surpassing the Quiet One 4000. Up all the way and I had a large ripple going across the top of the tank.
The remote is a nice feature and there is a 10 minute feed mode that shuts the pump down.
If quiet operation is the goal then you might want to check this pump out, had to stick my head into sump space to try to hear it. The durso drain is far louder than this pump. I will have to see about fixing that drain noise a bit.

Sump Issues
 

I have been playing with the sump today waitng for a check valve for the return line. I have found 3 issues that I would like to try to solve and I need some help.

Issue #1) As mentioned before, I am having problems breaking the siphon on the return line when I shut off the power. Right now I have a dual Locline return nozzle in DT that I would like to run. One nozzle at the top and the other pointed down to get flow at the back. When I cut the power and if either one of the nozzles are below the water level it will drain and not stop until the water drops below the bulkhead. The bulkhead inside the overflow is 2 inches below the water level in the Display tank. I drilled a hole in the elbow inside the overflow and ran it into the DT, just below water level so that it is exposed quickly to draw air. Still the same problem, even when the line is exposed it draws air but not enough to break the siphon.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...18-011-800.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...22-001-800.jpg

Solutions that I am thinking about:

1) Check valve somewhere. I'm going to add one anyway for redundancy, but I don't really like having this as the only safegaurd.
2) Rebuild return inside the overflow using flexline as it is now, but raising the elbow up higher so that it is higher than the water level in the tank.
Will this difference in height do the trick. I would still need the airline wouldn't I ??
3) Make this a Herbie instead and drill a return line.

Drain Issue
 

Issue #2) My durso drain setup is noisy, I know it isn't a conventional setup, but I thought the valve made it adjustable. The problem is the bubbles and noise. While they aren't extremely loud, I just think that I should be fixable. I have adjusted the top air valve and the lower gate valve. The noise from the Gate valve is quite loud if I throttle it back very much. Sounds like a deep fryer in a restuarant LOL I added a fitting to the bottom of the drain pipe, but it hasn't made much difference.
Is there a problem with the design of my standpipe?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18798128/New...08-005-800.jpg

Solutions:

1) Make it a Herbie. LOL I would like to make this work though. Just can't dial it in as good as I would like. The noise isn't deafening by any means. skin on stand would probably block it right out.

Flow Issue
 

Issue #3) Sump flow, I know the goal that all drain water should run through the skimmer before going to the return chamber. With that in mind I decided to see if my sump would make that possible. What I found is that either my pump is to big, or in combination with my drain problem, I can't throttle it back enough for the skimmer to handle the flow. My pump is a Waveline 5000 with 1300 GHP but I run it at half so probably 700 gph . The sump can handle full throttle but the skimmer can't. It's a SWC Cone 160. Not sure of handling capacity for skimmer . If I throttle back the drain enough for the skimmer to keep up, then the drain gets really noisy from all the air through the gate valve. So if I can solve the drain problem to some degree I can solve this one.:lol: Although I would like the most water flow thru the sump.
Can I live with not all the water not getting skimmed??
Can I mod the skimmer for more flow ?
Making this a herbie won't solve this one :twised:

Although The Grizz may be able to help you quiet down your Durso, I hate to say I mentioned awhile back in your build that Herbies are notoriously easier to deal with :rolleyes:

I'm not by any means saying I told you so :wink: but it's something you should consider before you get too far along with your build

If you recall, I rebuilt my sump 3 times before I was happy with the noise and flow

It wouldn't hurt much right now to try some other plumbing, right ???

Herbies don't require downturned pipes or air inlets. Just a submersed main drain. Once the air is flushed, away they go with their full flow

I installed a gate valve on my main drain ( thought I would need it ) and I keep it wide open , with the pump bypassing in the sump as the pump is more than my overflow can handle ( my situation doesn't count here - my sump is only a few inches below my tank so there's not enough pressure to flush the drain )

I keep my main high enough that the box doesn't drain much when shut down and the emerg is close to over-full with a float valve above that to shut off the pump, just in case :wink:

Very simple
I haven't had to adjust it once since I started it last month and it doesn't go up and down more than a 1/4" in the overflow box

I wish I could say the same for the level problems I have with the other pump in my sump with the chaeto tank, uv, chiller, skimmer and reactors :neutral:

I wouldn't be so concerned about all the drain water going through your skimmer
If you sat down and calculated what it takes to cycle your whole tank through your skimmer, you'd agree
Keep your return water flow where you want it. 5 - 6 times or so per hour is fine.
My 75g, with 110g total water, flows about 650gph. I've been told that's lots, otherwise the socks and skimmer can't do their job effectively

The rest of your flow happens inside your tank

If you're thinking about 15-20gph flow, that's the total of everything with a full-blown SPS tank, not what runs through your sump, and not what a new tank needs :wink:

You and I only need about 10 times per hour to start with, give or take

When the tank is running Mike, where is the water level inside the OF box? From my experience with the durso the top of the Tee where it meets the 90 should be just below the bottom of the teeth on the overflow and your water level should be about the halfway mark on the tee to 90 section. I also cut down the top of the tee as short as possible and have cut the 90 end facing down shorter as well.

I'm right at the stage of still having these options, I just hate not being able to get this system right :twised:
I'll tweak it a bit, and try the Durso guru's advice (Grizz) and will see what happens.