My New 72"x20"x20" Tank Build - Page 3

Phanman · #21 10-29-2007, 09:41 PM

Sorry acrylic like tony said. Not really sure where to get it at this point, but if you find out let me know.

GreenSpottedPuffer · #22 10-30-2007, 02:25 AM

I ended up just getting the fiberglass parking poles from Canadian Tire for real cheap. I will post a pic of how it goes in a few days.

GreenSpottedPuffer · #23 10-30-2007, 02:52 AM

Just did a quick "test" with some dried out LR I have laying around. I am going to paint the rods with Krylon Fusion paint so they are not yellow but I thought I would take a picture with the yellow so you can really see the rod.

adidas · #24 10-30-2007, 03:27 AM

cool..cant wait to see the finished product

GreenSpottedPuffer · #25 10-30-2007, 10:37 PM

I went to HD today and got some nice Zip ties to support the plumbing and keep it from hanging off the bulkheads and stressing them. Thats all I went for but why do I always end up leaving with a $100 plus receipt???

Anyways, does anyone think I should put a protective acrylic shield just under the T5's? I have some 1/4" acrylic laying around and was thinking about it. It would be a bit of a pain to install but probably could be done. Would the acrylic warp or melt though? I know its a bad idea with MH's but Im not sure about T5's. I was just thinking that even to keep the moisture off the reflectors, bulbs and wiring would be nice. What do you think?

I also picked up some of the foam used under carpeting for under the pumps. Its the stuff kind of like yoga mats I guess but thicker. I figure I will triple it up and see if that gets rid of all the vibration.

I will post a pic of the dry fit plumbing when Im closer to being done and get everyones advice.

GreenSpottedPuffer · #26 10-30-2007, 10:39 PM

Oh and I measured the tank today to see how big I will end up making the pillars and realized the tank is taller than I was told. Its not 19" but 20". So with those dimensions, I guess the tank is a 125G, not 110. Either way, its pretty shallow and I think it will looks cool with a few tall pillars that reach the surface. Im only using 2 tall ones and a short one in the display and then the rest of the rock will be in the fuge and sump. I want a very open tank for the puffers to swim freely.

GreenSpottedPuffer · #27 10-31-2007, 12:08 AM

Now for a few work in progress plumbing pics. I have the overflow return to refugium and sump pretty much dry fitted and ready to cement as long as I (or anyone else for that matter) do not see issues with it. Basically the "herbie" overflow is controlled by the 2" gate valve right under the bulkhead there and then the return tees to the refugium (right) and sump (left). The refugium is reduced down to 1.5" flex PVC and flow is controlled with a 1.5" ball valve. Right now I only have the 1 2" union but I may add another. The sump drain will not be left like that, it will have PVC running down into the sump, Im just holding off on that at the moment. As you can see in the first pic, the overflow is not built yet. I want to get the plumbing worked out and then I will go buy the glass for it. I still need to build the emergency drain but will not do so until I build the overflow so I know the height that is needed. The emergency drain will just go into the sump but water will fall a bit, splashing to let me know that for whatever reason, the emergency drain has been needed.

Anyways, let me know if you catch anything I miss...

GreenSpottedPuffer · #28 10-31-2007, 12:15 AM

I also kind of started to think about how the closed loop would be plumbed. Still not sure yet but I am trying my best to avoid over the back! I think I will go through the extra bottom bulkhead I have and then up to the eurobracing. I took a picture of how I think I will have the return get up to the top. It will be painted black and also have a rock column in front of it, so it will not look too noticeable I don't think.

I guess the one thing that may happen is that the flow on the left side will be much weaker because the return would be on the right side. BUT the mag 24 return from the sump will be on the left, so I think that will even it all out. What do you think?

Im also wondering if I do it this way how to have the outlets. Im thinking about 6-8 but Im not sure. Its a big 6000 GPH pump, so I think it could easily handle 8. The head loss is just under 5' and no 90's until it hits the top "t". The outlet of the pump will be directly below the bulkhead.

What would you do with the 2" outlets? Leave them just as 2" 45's or 90's? I do not want to restrict a lot of flow coming out of them. Im kind of lost right now on this...

untamed · #29 10-31-2007, 01:18 AM

I would upgrade that gate valve you have on the Herbie drain. I think what you have there is called a knife valve, and I don't think you'll get the fine adjustment that you want from it.

I could be wrong, but most gate valves have round, screw-type handles like this. I know that on my system, an adjustment of almost immeasurable rotation causes an effect.

untamed · #30 10-31-2007, 01:29 AM

I realize that you haven't built the overflow box yet, but your plumbing mock up shows the primary (Herbie) overflow intake as being quite high in the tank. You don't want that. That line should just be a bulkhead right on the bottom of the tank.

Your emergency flow drain should have a vertical riser like that. The surface will be skimmed by the overflow box, and the water level in the overflow box will be between the bottom of the tank and the level of the emergency overflow.

The closer to the top of the overflow box that you run the water level (controlled by your gate valve), the quieter the overflow box because the only noise is the water falling from the tank surface down to the water level in the overflow box.

Optimally, you will want the water in the overflow box to be almost as high as the tank surface, with the emergency drain standpipe, just higher than that.

Finally...consider using the Herbie AGAIN for the water that drains from the refugium into the sump. As is, you'll have silent flow right from the tank to the refug and sump, but the water that drains from the refug to the sump might be noisy. Use the hole you've already made as the emergency, and create another bulkhead at the bottom and run it as a Herbie. That's what I did and it works perfectly.

There are actually quite a few similarities between what you are doing there and what I have already done. You are welcome to drop by and examine and listen to plumbing, if you like. (I don't know how close you are to Coquitlam...)