Blog Comments

It does make sense and I need to give it a good hard look since I plan to put a small frag tank on top. I want to make sure that stuff stays dry.

It is a flow accelerator. As water shoots through the center, it draws in more water around the openings like a venturi. With a system that uses one on every return, the back pressure is correct and you get four times as much flow from each one. Let's say each one moved 500gph. Now each one would produce 2000gph.

The caveat is you have to look at it, and it has to be 2.5" beneath the water's surface to avoid vortexing air into them. One person had a snail crawl into the opening and sent a jet stream out of the tank, so he modded them with some fishing line to keep snails out.

Marc,
You have some amazing ideas.
I like all the thought that went through with everything that you did.

I have an opinion/idea that you may think about.

The DJ switches are amazing and i have/use them myself.
but something that you should look into, is a water guard.
i would take a sheet of acrylic place it on the top of the top switch. then, let it extend past the back by 2 inches, then put a 45deg bend down with about 1in of acrylic after that.
then, have the same acrylic extend past the front by about 1in and bend it at either 90deg or 45deg upward.
this way if any drips or splashes come from the tank, it wont seep down in the panel. (bad thing)

you may choose to bend the 1in front portion down so any splashes drip past the toggles and drip down on the floor away from the panel.
also, you may want to secure it to the DJ panel so when you bump it or touch it, it doesnt slide and allow water to drip on the switch. (making the guard useless)

i hope this makes since as well

I was thinking about inserting a Tee facing upwards in a blank spot where the 1" pipe is now. Put the check valve upside down above it, and a couple of elbows to redirect any flow downward. I actually have that check valve in a drawer here, new and unused. I have the black Tee and elbows, but I'd need a fitting with threads on both ends of the union.

Something like that, anyway.

Originally Posted by melev

This thing right here:

OK, what is their purpose?

you dont "have to" buy a valve with unions. you can just buy the one that is threaded. that way if any modifications or change down the road, you wont have to cut and trash it. just unscrew it.
(also, this way, there is no water to grow algae and slim on the seal and it will always be clean and seal good. (unlike those that have water flowing across them)

you just want to make sure that the flap is hanging down. this way, when the dart cranks up, it only has to move a fraction of an inch to close.
when the pump is turned off, it will create a vacuum and instead of back siphoning water, it will suck air and open the flap.

on your setup, i would replace the 90 where the water points down in the "spray bar" and put a tee in there. because all your fittings are glued tight and butt to butt, its kind of hard to put it there.
but you can put it between the union and 90. that would work good.
(it prevents any "real Modifications" and will let you keep everything as it is.)

dahenley - I see what you mean. So you are using the check valve upside down basically. I may have a spot to insert one with a couple of 90s.

This thing right here:

What is a penductor?

hope this helps explain what i was talking about.

I wouldn't drill an anti siphon with penductors.

What I would do, is put a tee in the tallest part of your plumbing and place a swing valve/check valve sideways. This way when your pump is going, its closed. When shut off, it allows air in the system and prevents and back siphoning.

If you drill a hole, it will act like a water gun with the back pressure and spray. Water everywhere and or make some serious saltcreep... (trust me.)

With the swing valve, you can glue a 90 pointing down just in case there is a squirt of water before it seals, it will be directed back in the tank and not at the wall. (Just make sure there is a air gap so it will suck air and not water when shut off)
Hope that makes since....

Yea phils right take your time speed breeds regrets. We would all hate to see you have after the fact problems with your new nano tank :P been this long few more days wont kill ya

Brutal timing. Even with "proper" ventilation, you will have a battle with condensation due to the amount of water you are housing. I also put a couple of marine dehumidifiers in my tank room to help out. Love the flow. That is looking really nice!

I hate sharing bad news, but it's better to tell it as it is and help others avoid similar circumstances or at the very least I hope to convey the thought process that I go through so that hobbyists will do similar when they are looking at a situation.

For example, with the water pumping between the two sumps, I opted to sleep in the living room last night. That way whenever something acted up, the gurgling would get my attention and I could fix it instead of slumbering for 8 hours to wake up and find out what transpired. Needless to say, I had to get up often to make minor adjustments and didn't get much rest. Then today at 9 a.m. the power went out to the entire home. I've not drilled the anti-siphon holes in the new return section, and with the combined water of two systems I had a feeling it was about to get interesting...

The two 100g troughs drained like normal, filling up the old sump. The refugium section has been drained since Sunday, essentially rotting since it was sand and some left over macro with no flow and no heat. The sump filled up to the point that I watched good clean water pour over into that zone, losing about 10g or more that wouldn't be usable when the power resumed. Even if the water was good, there was no method in place to get the water out of the refugium back into the system without my doing something.

The 400g continued to drain into the new sump, but instead of just watching that happen I quickly climbed up to the return assembly and unscrewed the 1.5" union to breathe air into the pipe and stop the draining. I half-expected the power to restart as I did this and hoped to avoid getting drenched.

Then I wondered how long until the power would be restored, including how would I heat my home today with 12F weather. If I ran the generator, where would be the best place to put it, and how would I run the wires into the house to keep the cold air out where a door had to be left open (even just a gap) for those wires. Fortunately, 30 minutes later power was restored.

Because of the excess water in the new sump, the skimmer was sitting in extra water and the cup started to fill up quickly. I turned the valve to stop wasting water. I watched the old sump's water level drop due to the trapped water in the old refugium, and when everything was sorted out, the new sump's water level was low enough that air was being sucked into the return pump and being injected into the display area. I turned off the skimmer entirely to let the body drain a few gallons into the sump, to stop the air injection and get the water level up in the return section.

Then I cleaned out the skimmer's cup of the gallon of skimmate it has amassed. I need to mix up new saltwater today. And hopefully the power won't go out again.

Wow reads better than a novel. It helps so many of us to see even the master having so many set backs, I don't feel like such a loser. Thanks for sharing the good the bad and...

Ouch! Sorry to hear about the loss of your SPS's. As you know I'm just starting to get into those myself, but if you want any frags from what I've got you're welcome to them. And my offer still stands, if you want a frag from my toadstool, it's lime green with white polyps.

Phil

This system, like the last, will be up with frags from the previous system and from those I can acquire. I'm sure I'll bring some home from my trips around the U.S. as well as from DFWMAS members and frag swaps. I'm trying to look at this from a positive POV, but it's tough because I lost a perfectly healthy reef due to a leaking tank, not because of some stupid mistake that wiped out my system. Had I been able to fix that corner, the 280g would still be bursting with life while I fretted about what to do next. The upgrade was real - not merely an option. However, how I went about it and the time it took affected everything.

Bigger colonies in the new tank would have been very tough to place, so frags are really better with the new aquascaping.

Marc
1. remember that only bad things happen fast. Take your time. Your livestock has been in it
it's temp quarters for a while now, another week won't hurt.
2. Looks awesome so far. for god's sake don't rush and crash thing now! (see #1)
3. get it level and right now, you know how much harder it is to make changes once you add the livestock. Your original 14 day build was impressive, but get it right before adding the livestock, you know it's worth it (see 1 and 2).
4. I bow before your knowledge, you are the inspiration behind my 150 build.
5. Thanks again for sharing the good and bad, and the lessons learned along the way.

Phil

Congrats Marc on a job well done so far, it really looks awesome. Can't wait till the tank settles down and we can watch you can take the next step with the set up.