My 38g Setup (Mega Pics)
 

I've got various pictures floating around. Now that I finally got my stand, I figured i'd start a new post of everything going into putting the sucker together. Sure its only a 38g (soon to be 75!) but its the building up that counts ;) I've taken lots of pics, because like a bunch of you, I enjoy seeing how setups are built.

If you missed my stand post, here it is.

Few Pics of the Stand:

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...andframe08.jpg

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...andframe15.jpg

Dim: 16wx48lx42h (yes its high!)

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF0718.JPG

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF0875.JPG

I was going to turn a 20g tank into a sump (build baffles and all), but I ended up getting a smokin' deal from Darren, and picked up a Sump that, bigger, better, pretty much finished, and fit my stand perfect. After a little scrubbin', and cleaning, here are the test pics in my stand.

Here's the sump in all its glory. Only real thing I need to change is the output. You'll notice the hole in the back. I need to change that to the right side instead. I'll just cut a peice of acrylic and fit it in the hole.
http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF0879.JPG

Big Baffles = Lots of flow.
http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF0881.JPG

Perfect fit. There is about 1/2" of space between the removable brace and sump.
http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF0887.JPG

I remember that sump! :lol:

Couldn't of been a better fit! Eh?

no kiddin'! And there is perfect space on the right side for the T3. I had to break off some of the acrylic ledges that were on the sump, but it all worked out okay.

Look'n Good. Love the Laminate on the stand, Now I know who to go to for my next Stand :rolleyes:

J

next ahy? Already thinking of another setup? ;)

I painted the inside of the stand, and drilled the top surface for the overflow and returns.

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1071.JPG

Yes I'm missing one of the grommets. What I figured is once I get my new tank, the right side will be a complete overflow, where the returns will also come up thru it (reasons for keeping 4 holes, 1 will be overflow and 3 return).

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1117.JPG

I finally picked up a 12V switching power adapter to run the LED fixtures I bought. I grabbed the following: 3x 8LED White, 2x 8LED Blue, 2x 3LED Blue. Each fixture runs anywhere from 10-15.8V, and .05-.08amp.

I'm gonna test using the 8LED fixtures (5 of them) on my 5g fuge, and using the other 2 blue LED's as moonlighting. The 8LED fixtures puts out 90,000mcd each. The power adapter will also run the Vantec Stealth fans for in/output air of my stand.

(click on pics for bigger versions, more pics here

The Move
 

So last night (at about 8pm) I started the move. Moved the tank from the computer room, into the living room where the new stand was waiting. (click on any pictures to see bigger versions)


Before:

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1128.JPG

After:

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1147.JPG

I was up until the wee hours of the morning (230am). I removed everything from the tank, including the sand. I wanted to properly put the egg crate I had, right at the bottom, and the only way, was to remove all the sand. Also I wanted to add another 15lbs of sand, so I slightly mixed it with the sand that was in the tank, which left a bit of a sand storm after I moved the tank.

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1137.JPG

I ended up leaving the fish/inverts in a bucket overnight (with a PH, heater, airstone). Few reasons, 1), the tank was pretty cloudy. 2) I didn't have enough containers for the water, so I had to make some new water overnight.

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1132.JPG

Also, couldn't have mom be mad while I was working all night, and most of today, so I went to JL to pick up a purple firefish. OMG, one of my favs. I've been waiting for one to come in for a while, and the color on this guy is AMAZING (recon's why the price is more than the red ones!). He spent most of the day in the back on the tank, but when I came home tonight after dinner he was out and about, so he's hopefully adjusted well.

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1146.JPG

Tank is still kinda cloudy, but hopefully it should clear up over night. Haven't setup the sump yet, thats next on the list now that the tank has been moved. More pictures located here.

tank looks really good love the firefish

mike

Thanks Mike! Its slowly getting there. Having a small budget doesn't help the speed of things, but makes you appreciate it ;) That firefish is great. At first he kept under the rocks, but lately he stays out all day. Just hangs around in the same corner, which is fine by me, the colors are amazing to look at.

So today I finally finished off my HOB overflow box. This was the missing peice to setup my sump. I haven't set it up on the tank yet, that will be this weekend project. I'm using a T3 for a return, and even though its has about 6' of head, i'm worried that the 900gph will be a bit much for my overflow to handle, so I will probably T off some of the return back into the sump.

So in case you haven't seen the actual overflow box itself, that link is here.
I made it sometime back, but I slacked on making the rest of it, which I finally got around to this week. Decided to work a Durso in there to keep things quiet as the tank is in the tv room, so silence is of importance. Btw, please excuse the brutal glue job. I'm still working on my acrylic skills. Here is the finished project:

Front View:
http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1245.JPG

Back View:
http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1246.JPG

Overflow Box: You can see the teeth that I milled out on a ramp, which makes a big difference with the water flowing in.

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1250.JPG

(click on above pics to see bigger versions)
(click here for more pictures)

Lookin really nice man. Cant wait to see your tank finished!

Thanks!

Well for the last week I've been trying to get my sump going. Right now, I'm just trying to setup the T3. I've set it up, so the pump is just flowing back into the sump as I want to leak'proof' everything. After 5 tries, I've still got leaks.

The first time it was the bulkhead, but I fixed that with some silicone. Now its just the connections after the pump which goes thru a gate valve, union, T, and then the output. I've tried numerous times putting a good amount of white tape on the threads, and even putting silicone on the outside, but that water still finds it way out. What is the best way to seal these for good? Using the actual PVC glue? I'd rather not, just for the fact of being able to remove the parts later if I ever have to, but if gluing it is the only way, then thats what I'll do. Any recommendations?

Secondly, the last time I ran the pump (few hours ago) I left it going for a good 2-3 hours. Everything seemed fine, cept for the SMALLEST leak, which I didn't notice till after. I noticed that the pump (T3) runs very hot, almost too hot to touch. Is this normal? I'm wondering if putting a small computer fan on it, will help with the longitivity of the pump?

TIA!

I am not sure what you are saying with gluing the pvc stuff. Personally, I would glue the pieces together. Hand tight will not be water proof and I dont know how well silicone bonds to pvc in the long term?

the white tape in the threads only, I wouldnt glue anything thats threaded...

the velocity pumps run hot, because they are water cooled only - to reduce noise. I am not sure if a fan on the pump will prolong its life, but I am pretty sure it will reduce your tank temps - the velocity pump will raise your tank temps a degree or two.

hth.

Sorry, should of been more clear. All the slip fit connections (whichever ones there are) have been glued. Its the threads where I've got leakage from. I've put on a generous amount of white tape, but still doesn't seem to be sealing as good. I was told just to hand tight them together, but should I be using a pipewrench?

Gotcha. Well I'm sure taking out a powerhead, and adding the extra 15g of water from my sump, should even out the heat from the pump so I should be okay in that terms. Still may put a small computer fan on it, just to keep things cool.

Hey Gujustud, Were are your threaded fittings? Are they all bulkheads between Glass and PVC fittings. Or between pumps and PVC?

Jason

I knew a picture would help ;) I'll post one when I go home, but for now, and from my memory, this is what I have

Sump -> bulkhead (slip) -> reducer (1-1/4 - 1)(slip) -> slip/male adapter -> union (slip) -> reducer slip/male (1 - 3/4) -> T3 -> adapter male/male -> union -> adapter male/male -> gate valve -> adapter male/male -> t-pvc ->

Thats about it, all the leakage is before the T-pvc pretty much. If you can't follow that I'll be sure to post a pic of it, which will make much more sense.

A question that comes to mind, how much white tape do you generally apply? How many rounds around the threads?

So if you didn't read already, I had a small disaster.

Anyhoo, I can only look foward. I picked up some macro lense for my camera, so I thought I'd take some Macro pictures to check out the new closeup's. (click on all pics to see bigger versions)

Zoo colony. Finally opened up and looking good. This has to be one of the best macro shots I've taken ever. I've seen so many pictures like this, but could never get it. There is zero photochop work done to this pic.

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF1983.JPG

Purple Firefish

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF2008.JPG

Cleaner Shrimp

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF2053.JPG

Green Mandarin, a rare sight, as she's always hiding.

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...l_DSCF2068.JPG

more pics

Very nice.

What camera do you have? Digital SLR?

These photos rock! What camera, lens?

I'm using the Fuji S5000 (DPreview.com)

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0307/finepixs5000-001.jpg

Awesome camera with great features: 1/2.7" SuperCCD IV HR, 3.1 million, 10x Optical Zoom, 37 - 370 mm equiv, F2.8 - F3.2, Macro: 10 cm - 200 cm, manual focus. Its not a exact SLR camera, but it looks and feels like one.

I picked up a CLOSE-UP Kit on ebay for cheap. But it was a Hoya kit, and they make awesome lenses. With the adapter ring I was able to join the 4+ 2+ 1+ lense (3 in total) for these pictures. Makes a huge diff as you can see.

Been a while since my last update. Summer flew by as I took almost 2 months off for school to finish my private license, then the next month was taken up with my sisters wedding. Back to the normal life of work however.

Still haven't got a whole lot done with the tank, as the last month was extremely busy with work, but its actually going to be slow for the next week, so i'm hoping to finish up some of the important things. 3 main things on my list, 1) new lighting, 2) sump, and 3) skimmer.

Most of my plumbin' and repairs on the sump is almost done. I hope to finish it tonight. Everything is bought for my new lighting, just needs to be made, and setup.

In the meantime, I did add a new addition to my tank, a Bicolor Blenny. The guy has tons of character, and his moving eyes rock.

http://www.mazda6club.com/images/guj...qua/smokey.jpg

Yesterday I dropped by OA, and picked up a Button Coral (or is a Open Brian Coral?). Jack spotted it out for me, but its a nice addition. The red really makes it stand out:
http://www.mazda6club.com/images/guj.../DSCF4871s.JPG
http://www.mazda6club.com/images/guj.../DSCF4872s.JPG

My dad has an S5000 but I'm not overly impressed by it, as the default compression cannot be disabled, and so far we haven't figured out how to get raw mode working properly. Do you have any suggestions?

Really? I've compared the quality of photos to a number of cameras this summer, specially with all my relatives in town from England. We took a few picture of the same subject, and almost everyone said the S5000 looked better. This is compared to several 5mpx cameras. Infact my sister and her husband went and bought the new model (S5100 which is 4mpx) because they were so impressed by the pictures I took during the wedding.

Regarding the CCDraw format, sorry I can't help you too much. I haven't had time to worked with it too much. However, check out this link: http://www.s5000.net. Dedicated to the S5000, and now s7000 and newer models as well. Tons of info there and I'm sure you'll find the info on raw format.

wow, those macro shots are AMAZING

Stupid sump
 

Thanks!

Sump update. I finally got around to removing all the silicone from the sump, and put weldon-16 on the seams to make sure that I wouldn't have a problem like I had last time. I let it sit for a good week before I put water in it. I put the sump in the laundry room, filled it with water, and vinegar, and ran the pump on it, to recirculate for a good 2 days. I figure this would clean out everything, and make sure no leaks. 2 days later no problem. So I finally moved in the sump under the tank, and ran all the plumbing.

Took about 1 day to make enough water. I ran all the water straight into the tank, that way all the water would get mixed well before going into the overflow (to the sump). Once the sump was filled, I started it up, no problems. Oh wait. There is. A LEAK. The sump was leaking on the backside somewhere. 100% sure not the bulkhead (put a tissue next to it), so the leak was coming from one of the seams on the backside of the sump which I can't see.

So I think there is a possibility of me tossin' this sump, and building a new one with Lostmind. When you wanna start?

Also on another note, during the few minutes I ran the sump for, I figured my overflow can't handle the T3 return. I have the return T'd off back to the sump, but I find it a waste of power/flow, so I may inturn use the T3 as my pump for my skimmer, and use a Mag5/7 for my return instead.

Woot, my picture above of the Button Coral got picked to be displayed on this months Reef Keeping Magazine

http://www.mysmilie.de/smilies/froehlich/3/58.gif

That's super ! :cool:

Nice work :exclaim:
Looks :cool:

Hmmm, I have that same camera and there's one major gripe I have with it: NO MANUAL FOCUS!!!!

Heh, anyway, nice set up! You have any full tank shots going?

Actually the one reason I did buy the camera was because it DOES have manual focus ;) Are you sure its the same model?

Yup, same camera. You SURE it has manual focus? User boards and my non-stop tinkering say otherwise... haha

Nice job on the pic!!
I see Jamie Cross has a pic in there as well. http://www.muiscontrols.com/ryan/eusa_clap.gif

http://www.s5000.net/phpBB2 Is the best site regarding forums for this camera (keep in mind they just change to a new database, but you can still access the old forums).

Positive it has manual focus, I use it all the time, specially for macro shots.

Check the review here at dpreview.com. On the first page there under the comparison between the S5000/S7000 you'll see under Manual focus it says "yes buttons".

The camera has 3 focus modes: Single AF, Continuous AF, and Manual Focus. Its the switch on the top, on the left side, take it off LOCK, then press the button till you get MF on your LCD. That puts you into manual focus mode. Then while holding down the +/- button on the top, press the wide/tele (zoom) buttons to adjust the focus point. Volia, manual focus ;)

OMG, you just made me a very happy man!

Man, I swear, I poured over that user manual for hours...

No problem, glad to be of help.

overflow box
 

That overflow box you made, is it a continuous flow design? Will it keeps it's siphone after a power outage?

Re: overflow box
 

Yes, it is continuous flow. I was worried at first about poweroutage, and how it will respond to it, so for the first 2 weeks every other day, I would kill the power to the pump to see how it would handle. No problem, starts up fine. I've had it running for about 4 months now with no problems.

My only issue is that it doesn't seem to handle a lot of flow. I run a Mag7 which has about 5' of head, and I still have to T of some of the flow back to my sump. Its not really a issue (will soon run the T to a refuge), but i'd like to use the return for more flow. I would think the 1" of the U-tube would handle the 3/4" return. Any ideas?

Re: overflow box
 

Mag 7 with 5' of head is not whole lot of flow and if it can't handle that, then it's probably too small. Looking at your black box, it does look rather small. what's is the actual dimension of that? The 1" U-tube shouldn' be a problem. What's the diameter of the tube leaving the box?

Re: overflow box
 

Thats what I thought. The dim's are about 2"x6". Dia of tube leaving is 1", however I upgraded the durso to 1-1/4".

where is the water level in the black box when it is operating? Is there any vortex created on the surface of the box?

Nope, just looks as though the water is sitting there. I've taken some pictures to show (btw, the bubbles you see are not being made constantly. They pretty much just sit there):

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...s/DSCF6254.jpg

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...s/DSCF6252.jpg

Here's what i've been thinking now that I took a good look at it. I'm wondering if the actual overflow box (thats hanging outside) is too high? If I lower it, would it create more of a suction? In a sense, it would lower the water line in the box, which I think would help out. Dunno for sure tho?

While I was taking these, my blue neon goby decided to show off. Here he is showing how strong he is by sticking on the glass where the 2 seio's turbulence is greatest:

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/alb...s/DSCF6255.jpg

Also would anyone be able to chime in here? I wanted to get another neon goby, but a yellow neon goby. Are they okay to mix?