Setting up sump...

[Wayne]

Originally Posted by russp

If you are planning to put a skimmer in the sump you might want to make sure & leave room for it , don't make the mistake that I did & cut yourself short. I left enough room for the skimmer I was using & now I want to upgrade but the space limits my skimmer options big time

I now have 2 different compartments that can be used for skimming. When this skimmer goes for a poop I plan on going to a AquaC Urchin. I know it will fit in either compartment just not sure what water level is recommended (hopefully either 9 or 10") Other wise I would be into building another sump. Thanks

[Wayne]

I just bought some Cheato from the LFS and I am on my way out to pick up some plumbing parts. My local "big orange" named hardware store didn't carry IPEX so now I am on a quest

[MitchM]

Originally Posted by Wayne

Pipes are 1" and there are holes in the caps which do sit below the water line. How do you start the siphon or is it just a pressure differential that automatically starts it.

How do you determine over flow size? The boxes are 4.5" x 4.5" x 18.5" and the current tubes (which I will rebuild) are 18" tall. Thanks

Yes, that's what I meant about overflow size.
When you re-plumb your overflow drains, make sure to design it so that you can get your hand down to the bottom of the overflow for when (not if) you need to retrieve something.

It looks like the old style was a Durso type return and I also recommend changing that to a Herbie style. I had a Durso for a while on one of my tanks and found that the hole that should be at the top of the return pipes kept plugging up with salt creep.
When that plugs you get a constant toilet flushing sound in the background, which is just lovely to listen to when you're on the phone!

Mitch

[Wayne]

I found out the top portion of the drains are removable to facilitate my arm if something goes into that area. I will drill the hole out to a bigger size to help combat the salt creep, but with it removable I can always take out and clean. Converting to a Herbie would be as easy as removing the top and having seperate drain pipes correct? Thanks

[Wayne]

Well I siliconed the bulkheads to the tank as I had no other options (besides taking the tank off the stand and making the thickness smaller to get the nuts on). Now I am just finishing gluing the drains and finally I pick up my return pump tomarrow