My Slice of Nature (Part 3)

[SubzeroLT]

Hi bro.

I have the longer version which is 1" type.

You can get it from malaysia or a HW shop at AMK industrial park.

Really? Thanks for the good info.



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[leejwa]

can you organise a open house when your new tank is setup ? Wanted to learn from you on all the interesting diy.

[SubzeroLT]

11 hours ago, dsam said:

Thanks for the reply. Wonder if you compare the cost with BRS? Yea, Sch 80 is always a pain to construct with compatibility issue. But their Sch 80 bulkhead is very solid.

BRS economical gate valve appears cheaper but with the shipping factored in, its not that economical after all.

 

And thanks all for the comments. Still relatively new to the hobby. Still learning....

[SubzeroLT]

After closer inspection, some scratches were still noticeable on the tank. And more obvious when lights are on.

So change of plans -  to get a new tank instead. The current tank has been reserved by a bro who will re purpose it as a terrarium. I'm damn keen to see when that's done up.

 

Other updates

The original sump was quite simple (left & right compartment). Inspired after seeing some nice sump designs done by Iwarna & another from LCF425's tank, it would be nice to add some compartments in the sump for filter wool, bubble trap etc. Glass is hard to work with. Acrylic is easier for DIY but bonding acrylic to glass may be an issue.

Did some checking up & found that using a structural adhesive to bond glass-acrylic is possible.

Dow Corning 795 is a RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanization) structural adhesive & does not use acetate accelerators (i.e. does not smell of vinegar). Because it cures 'naturally', it takes 2 weeks to fully cure. A check with the distributor showed this is supposed to be one grade higher than regular sealants.

 

Pic of the additional panels inserted. They hold up very well.

 

 

[SubzeroLT]

Electrical panels done. 

 

The breaker has a MCB for over current, RCD for earth leakage and individual breakers for each extension plug.

From past experience, when something trips, the entire socket trips in the home's main circuit breaker. Hence for this setup (hopefully it works), the idea is such that if one extension chord trips (eg. pump), it does not affect the other extension chords (eg. wavemaker)

 

[Harlequinmania]

Are u running two return pump or one? Do consider having your sms power failure connected to one of the key equipment.

I has some experience that the problem of having the breaker is that if the main return pump faultly and cause the trip, the whole house electricity might still be running thus does not trigger the power failure notification to you.

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[SubzeroLT]

2 minutes ago, he said:

Are u running two return pump or one? Do consider having your sms power failure connected to one of the key equipment.

I has some experience that the problem of having the breaker is that if the main return pump faultly and cause the trip, the whole house electricity might still be running thus does not trigger the power failure notification to you.

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Current plan is 1 return pump though i'll be having piping that caters for 2 pumps.

Thanks for the tip...i recall that incident you had  

[SubzeroLT]

OK...so i had a big reset on the tank. Sad realization that i missed polishing some spots & scratches could still be seen. A fellow reefer took the tank & re-purposed it as a large terrarium.

 

Got a new display tank made by CRA. It was delivered earlier this week. Fixed up the piping, light stand & finally filled it.

 

Took the opportunity to have bigger Durso style pipes for the new tank.

- Left :  siphon drain. That's a King's Brothers gate valve from Amazon

- Middle : Emergency drain

- Right : Spare pipe. May be used for 2nd return pump if needed

 

 

Rockscape preparation - hacksaw & rough file used to create flat surfaces at the bottom of the rocks so they are more stable.

 

 

 

[Davissim]

Looking forward for more updates!

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[Darren Sim]

Looks good! Are you going to use 4-5 hydra?


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[C.ZhengXi]

Nice! Major project


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[daveyy]

Nice !

Bro can share where you buy the pvc trunking for hiding the wires?

[SubzeroLT]

10 hours ago, Darren Sim said:

Looks good! Are you going to use 4-5 hydra?


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I've put up the 3 Hydra52. Will transfer my existing 3 Hydra26 over later once the tank is ready.

 

8 hours ago, daveyy said:

Nice !

Bro can share where you buy the pvc trunking for hiding the wires?

Many good neighborhood shops sell the PVC trunking.

I got mine at the shop at Clementi Ave 2 near MarineLife and also at the shops at Kelantan Lane area.

[daveyy]

Many good neighborhood shops sell the PVC trunking.
I got mine at the shop at Clementi Ave 2 near MarineLife and also at the shops at Kelantan Lane area.

Thankyou!

[Sherilyn91]

Very nice project in the make!


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[sherman]

Wow another big project I almost miss.

 

[illumnae]

Very nice and well thought out project!

[quarantasei]

Always nice to see a new tank build thread. The thought planning process just keeps getting better and better which in turn helps other reefers create a successful system.


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[sharonleong]

Really keen to see your sump orientation.

[sharonleong]

I also notice the tank base only have two hole. where and how you insert the emergency piping?

[SubzeroLT]

Thanks for the comments. 

 

On 10/11/2016 at 5:56 PM, sharonleong said:

Really keen to see your sump orientation.

 

On 10/11/2016 at 6:01 PM, sharonleong said:

I also notice the tank base only have two hole. where and how you insert the emergency piping?

Here are 2 views of the sump.

The original tank had the overflow on the left side of the tank with 2 holes in the glass. The new tank had the overflow located at the back left corner with 3 holes. 

 

Some thoughts on the sump design

- Inlet water to sump under water to minimize noise (not fall on top of filter wool)

- Use filter wool instead of filter sock. Wool is cheap & easy to replace. 

- Middle partition has an adjustable panel to adjust the overall water level in the sump. At that time, i don't know how much backflow there is when the return pump is off. The amount it rises also depends on how much stuff is placed inside.

- Inlet to the right most (return pump) compartment from the bottom. The compressor coil will be placed in the right compartment. The bottom flow should provide increased flow across the coils

 

 

[sharonleong]

On 10/12/2016 at 4:10 PM, SubzeroLT said:

Thanks for the comments. 

 

 

Here are 2 views of the sump.

The original tank had the overflow on the left side of the tank with 2 holes in the glass. The new tank had the overflow located at the back left corner with 3 holes. 

 

Some thoughts on the sump design

- Inlet water to sump under water to minimize noise (not fall on top of filter wool)

- Use filter wool instead of filter sock. Wool is cheap & easy to replace. 

- Middle partition has an adjustable panel to adjust the overall water level in the sump. At that time, i don't know how much backflow there is when the return pump is off. The amount it rises also depends on how much stuff is placed inside.

- Inlet to the right most (return pump) compartment from the bottom. The compressor coil will be placed in the right compartment. The bottom flow should provide increased flow across the coils

 

How does the glass level get adjusted ?

Quote

 

Thank you for your detail description.

The second last compartment to last compartment you design a under flow.... May i know how did you get this idea from?

Meaning to say the previous owner came out with this design too?

I also notice that the skimmer you place so high why is that so?

How does the glass level get adjusted ?

What will you place after the skimmer compartment ?

Oh for the acrylic panel  will it cure over time and be able to retaint he water pressure?

Lastly what the thickness of your sump tank?

 

 

 

 

[SubzeroLT]

On 10/12/2016 at 7:38 PM, sharonleong said:

How does the glass level get adjusted ?

Thank you for your detail description.

The second last compartment to last compartment you design a under flow.... May i know how did you get this idea from?

Meaning to say the previous owner came out with this design too?

I also notice that the skimmer you place so high why is that so?

How does the glass level get adjusted ?

What will you place after the skimmer compartment ?

Oh for the acrylic panel  will it cure over time and be able to retaint he water pressure?

Lastly what the thickness of your sump tank?

How does the glass level get adjusted ?

- I'll post some pics another time once its installed (misplaced the nylon screws for it). 

 Essentially a screw-on acrylic sheet that slides up/down on one of the panels which then change the effective height of the panel/baffle.

 

Meaning to say the previous owner came out with this design too?

This was the original sump which only had a left / right compartment separated by a glass panel.

 

The second last compartment to last compartment you design a under flow.... May i know how did you get this idea from?

Fellow reefer RedDevils highlighted that the compressor coil needed high flow. Thanks for the tip

Hence the underflow idea. Not sure if this will work. Workaround is to place a wavemaker in the compartment.

 

I also notice that the skimmer you place so high why is that so?

That's a Skimz recirculating skimmer - external water level does not affect the internal water level. To maximize water volume, i will place it above above water and straddle it over some bio media

 

What will you place after the skimmer compartment ?

The compartment where the skimmer is will have bio media, basically whatever i have accumulated from my current tank will be moved over. (marinepure block, marinepure block, siporax, bacteria king)

 

The 3rd compartment will be a refugium. The underflow area is covered with a netting to prevent fishes from getting into the return pump section. As the name implies, it'll be a refuge area for injured fishes (if any)

 

Oh for the acrylic panel  will it cure over time and be able to retaint he water pressure?

- I sure hope the acrylic will hold. From my understanding, Dow Corning 795 is quite strong & adheres fairly well to acrylic.

 

Lastly what the thickness of your sump tank?

Sump is 8mm glass with bottom bracing. The brace helps ensure the bottom does not bow.

 

Hope this helps. 

 

[Kelvin Ang]

Y ur skimmer so high ?

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[SubzeroLT]

7 minutes ago, Kelvin Ang said:

Y ur skimmer so high ?

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Its a recirculating skimmer, so it should be able to run in any position. Current placement clears the cabinet top when the cup is removed for cleaning.

I did cater enough space for a regular in-sump skimmer though. The Nyos 160 looks interesting.