melev

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

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...

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.

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!

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

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....

hope this helps explain what i was talking about.

What is a penductor?

This thing right here:

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.

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.)

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)

Originally Posted by melev

This thing right here:

OK, what is their purpose?

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.

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
if you put the check valve to where the flap sitting in the closed position, then it will work. that way it doesnt require actual water flow across it to force it to close it, the actual air/water pressure produced when the pump is turned on will close it, then thats perfect.

Alaska_phil
The penductor acts like the enductors.
if your familiar with oldschool "carberators" the inside of that fitting on the end of the locline necks down from 1" to about 1/4 of an inch and increases the velocity of the water. (like putting your thumb on the water hose) then the open area between it and the funky shaped tip allows water to be sucked in with the supercharged water which increases the flow by 4X

Chevrolet took this idea and used it on the new Duramax trucks. if you look at the exhaust, when the smoke comes out, it is mixed with fresh air and thus disperses the smoke and looks better. (it was their way around the new NO SMOKE laws.)
ford did the same thing under the truck and again with that funky double tip as well.

I agree with Dahenley I have a siphon hole and it makes my overflow noisy and sprays water everywhere. Not fun.

My anti-siphon holes are always submerged. I was going to drill one in the base of the Tee that touches the water, but I've never had penductors before and wasn't sure what would happen. Pete had them on his last tank and didn't have a problem though.

keep posting because i just ordered 4 today and have never used them before either

are those 1/2 or 3/4 Marc