So, I'm about 85% done with this build, and while I wait for the tank to cycle so I can aqua-scape it, I figured I might as well make a thread for it. I bought the tank and stand in late July and have been slowly piecing this thing together. I will try to explain how and why I did things in the manner I did. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the tank.
Obviously, it has not been aqau-scaped yet, but I'm waiting for the BRS Pukani to cycle because we have some rocks from our 30G setup that we would like to include.
The obligitory cloudy tank shot
This picture actually is the backside of the 29G sump. I have the main drain T'd off to feed the refugium and the skimmer compartments, both have a gate valve to control flow since I am using the Herbie drain method. The reason the return section is in the middle is because I wanted to control the flow of un-skimmed water going to my refugium, I did not want the water from the 'fuge getting skimmed because I would rather have pods and other goodies from the 'fuge making their way to the display tank rather than my skimmer cup. (Note, I used permanent marker to help me place the baffles vertically. and I used small pieces of 3/4" PVC pipe to raise the center baffle in my bubble trap, I left them in place because it was easier, and it helps support the center baffle )
My silicone job...well...sucks, next time I do something like this, I will definitely smooth out the joints because I ended up having leaks. Not a huge deal though because the water all ends up in the return pump section one way or another.
Return plumbing. ( I ended up eliminating all that PVC on the return pump because it was causing the hose I had to crimp, and severely impacted the flow in my tank to the point where a tiny little 210GPH powerhead was filling up the return section faster than the Quiet One 2200 return pump was pumping water to the display tank)
Drain plumbing.
The return plumbing in place.
A closeup of the display tank side of the return. I split the return outlet for more control over the flow, although I will probably end up using it to agitate the surface of the water and use power-heads to create flow in the tank.
Here you can see how restricted the return hose was.
And here it is after I removed the PVC. (you can also see the drain line for my fuge here, it's the 1/2" PVC pipe that the hose is ziptied to.)
here is the skimmer section of the sump. I actually sized both the return pump, and the skimmer sections for larger of both just in case...it turns out if I hadn't made the skimmer section larger, my plumbing would have gotten in the way of my skimmer. So the lesson I learned here is, give yourself some room kids! If you don't you could get boned!
As a last minute decision, I added this threaded union to my main drain as a just in case...turns out it was a lifesaver, I had to remove it about three times while jockeying the skimmer in place, shortening the vertical 'fuge line, and to get my return pump out so I could remove the PVC crap, had I just glued it in place like I was originally planning, I would have had to cut it out, then wait for a week till a new bulkhead and gate valve came in.
You can see here that one byproduct of my adding the threaded union to the main drain, I had to remove the handle on my gate valve in order for the skimmer to sit properly in it's compartment. No problem though, I just put a hook up in my stand, and hung the handle with a ziptie so if I ever need to make an adjustment, I can easily get to it.
Here is the 'fuge with it's light before I filled it with water, I also ended up shortening that drain pipe quite a bit.
I wanted to place a large chunk of LR in my 'fuge and I wanted it to have good flow on all surfaces with no dead spots in current, so I built this little stand to lift the rock out of the water.
And here it is in the 'fuge. I don't have a chunk of rock picked out for it yet, but I placed it right below the drain line so that water flowing from my display "washes" over it, also I put a tiny powerhead in the 'fuge pointing straight at the rock. There seems to be the perfect amount of flow overall in that fuge.
Here is the power center. I have both the whites and actinics on separate timers, the 'fuge light and moonlight LEDs are on a dual outlet timer since they both have the same light cycle. Since I live in an apartment, I bought a LCDI (kinda like GFCI)power cable from Walmart and have both power-strips plugged into that.
I am also planning a DIY auto topoff which uses gravity feed and a float valve. so far, I have purchased an H2O 2.5gallon jug with a spout on it from Walmart, I tapped the spout so it would accept a 1/4" water line adapter. (the threads are 1/8" - 27 pipe tap BTW), and I put it on a small shelf in my stand. I'm still waiting for the float valve to come in so I can complete this, but here is what I have so far.
And now for the lifeblood of the system. The water supply! I bought a 100GPD RO/DI system a while back which used a connector that connects to a faucet, what a hassle. So, I "fixed" it, it is now a stationary system. I also made my own RO membrane flush kit while I was at it. Yes, I did drill a hole through the wall in my apartment.
That's all I have for now. I have to wait for the tank to cycle before I can go any further at this point in time.
In the near future, I plan to make a hood for the tank, and a diy LED lighting system. I bought an Odyssea 48" PC quad T5 w/ moonlight fixture from a member on the forum with the intent of using it as a temporary solution till I get enough money to do the LED setup, also, I figured it would be nice to have a backup in case something happened to the LEDS.
Obviously, it has not been aqau-scaped yet, but I'm waiting for the BRS Pukani to cycle because we have some rocks from our 30G setup that we would like to include.
The obligitory cloudy tank shot
This picture actually is the backside of the 29G sump. I have the main drain T'd off to feed the refugium and the skimmer compartments, both have a gate valve to control flow since I am using the Herbie drain method. The reason the return section is in the middle is because I wanted to control the flow of un-skimmed water going to my refugium, I did not want the water from the 'fuge getting skimmed because I would rather have pods and other goodies from the 'fuge making their way to the display tank rather than my skimmer cup. (Note, I used permanent marker to help me place the baffles vertically. and I used small pieces of 3/4" PVC pipe to raise the center baffle in my bubble trap, I left them in place because it was easier, and it helps support the center baffle )
My silicone job...well...sucks, next time I do something like this, I will definitely smooth out the joints because I ended up having leaks. Not a huge deal though because the water all ends up in the return pump section one way or another.
Return plumbing. ( I ended up eliminating all that PVC on the return pump because it was causing the hose I had to crimp, and severely impacted the flow in my tank to the point where a tiny little 210GPH powerhead was filling up the return section faster than the Quiet One 2200 return pump was pumping water to the display tank)
Drain plumbing.
The return plumbing in place.
A closeup of the display tank side of the return. I split the return outlet for more control over the flow, although I will probably end up using it to agitate the surface of the water and use power-heads to create flow in the tank.
Here you can see how restricted the return hose was.
And here it is after I removed the PVC. (you can also see the drain line for my fuge here, it's the 1/2" PVC pipe that the hose is ziptied to.)
here is the skimmer section of the sump. I actually sized both the return pump, and the skimmer sections for larger of both just in case...it turns out if I hadn't made the skimmer section larger, my plumbing would have gotten in the way of my skimmer. So the lesson I learned here is, give yourself some room kids! If you don't you could get boned!
As a last minute decision, I added this threaded union to my main drain as a just in case...turns out it was a lifesaver, I had to remove it about three times while jockeying the skimmer in place, shortening the vertical 'fuge line, and to get my return pump out so I could remove the PVC crap, had I just glued it in place like I was originally planning, I would have had to cut it out, then wait for a week till a new bulkhead and gate valve came in.
You can see here that one byproduct of my adding the threaded union to the main drain, I had to remove the handle on my gate valve in order for the skimmer to sit properly in it's compartment. No problem though, I just put a hook up in my stand, and hung the handle with a ziptie so if I ever need to make an adjustment, I can easily get to it.
Here is the 'fuge with it's light before I filled it with water, I also ended up shortening that drain pipe quite a bit.
I wanted to place a large chunk of LR in my 'fuge and I wanted it to have good flow on all surfaces with no dead spots in current, so I built this little stand to lift the rock out of the water.
And here it is in the 'fuge. I don't have a chunk of rock picked out for it yet, but I placed it right below the drain line so that water flowing from my display "washes" over it, also I put a tiny powerhead in the 'fuge pointing straight at the rock. There seems to be the perfect amount of flow overall in that fuge.
Here is the power center. I have both the whites and actinics on separate timers, the 'fuge light and moonlight LEDs are on a dual outlet timer since they both have the same light cycle. Since I live in an apartment, I bought a LCDI (kinda like GFCI)power cable from Walmart and have both power-strips plugged into that.
I am also planning a DIY auto topoff which uses gravity feed and a float valve. so far, I have purchased an H2O 2.5gallon jug with a spout on it from Walmart, I tapped the spout so it would accept a 1/4" water line adapter. (the threads are 1/8" - 27 pipe tap BTW), and I put it on a small shelf in my stand. I'm still waiting for the float valve to come in so I can complete this, but here is what I have so far.
And now for the lifeblood of the system. The water supply! I bought a 100GPD RO/DI system a while back which used a connector that connects to a faucet, what a hassle. So, I "fixed" it, it is now a stationary system. I also made my own RO membrane flush kit while I was at it. Yes, I did drill a hole through the wall in my apartment.
That's all I have for now. I have to wait for the tank to cycle before I can go any further at this point in time.
In the near future, I plan to make a hood for the tank, and a diy LED lighting system. I bought an Odyssea 48" PC quad T5 w/ moonlight fixture from a member on the forum with the intent of using it as a temporary solution till I get enough money to do the LED setup, also, I figured it would be nice to have a backup in case something happened to the LEDS.
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:mad_3:
