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Midnight

plumbing question.

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by
Midnight
, 04-18-2010 at 10:24 PM (1452 Views)
I am restarting an old tank and have a question or two. My tank is a 135 flat back hex acrylic aquarium. I have built a pedestal style stand for it which i think will look great once finished (a carpenter buddy of mine is going to skin it for me.) the two corner overflows are rather small like 5" by 5". the manufacturer put in holes in the bottom of the overflows for 1" drains and 3/4" returns. I said this was OK when they asked me back when the tank was built( ya I am a dumb *** and it was my first reef ready tank.) Obviously, these holes are lacking. I think what i would like to do is cap off the 3/4" bulkheads and use the 1" bulkheads for the returns. Then I would drill 1 1/2" bulkheads out of the back of the overflows close to the top. Does this sound like a good solution or is the maybe a better way. I don't believe the bottom of overflows have room for me to open up the existing holes.


I am going to get some pictures up soon

Other equipment that I will be using is as follows

I have a reef octopus skimmer with 8" body (I don't remember the exact model number)
I have a mag 18 pump which is too big for my current plumbing (so either i need smaller pump or bigger plumbing)
200 watt glass Rena heater...wanting to replace with titanium
outer orbit t5 and MH light set (gotta check wattages)

I am in process of getting a three chambered sump skimmer/return/refugium (to replace the old rubbermaid)
Reefkeeper lite lvl 1 is on order from express aquatics...(which I am finding not to be very EXPRESS)

I have about 100 lbs of fine aragonite
50 lbs dry base...mainly small pieces
Was thinking about getting rock form Tampa Bay Saltwater as I like the fact that it is not from a reef but it is cultured

As far as inhabitants I am not reall sure...I have had fish only salt tanks before and I am ready to try for some corals.

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Updated 04-19-2010 at 01:38 AM by melev

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‎ Plumbing

Comments

  1. melev's Avatar
    You could make all the holes drains to your sump, and have the return come up the back and over the top. That way the existing holes are usable.

    A Mag 18 needs 1.5" return plumbing (double the thread size which may actually be 1" - so it should be 2" but that'll look heinous) to get adequate flow, but you better have a long sump to avoid microbubbles. I'd use a smaller pump that uses less electricity, adds less heat, and doesn't add to the microbubble problem.

    The heater isn't big enough, but honestly you'll need two 200w heaters. Why not add a titanium one to the glass one you have now? That way neither has the juice to cook your tank, but together can get it where you need it to be. The rule is 3w per gallon.
  2. Midnight's Avatar
    <You could make all the holes drains to your sump, and have the return come up the back and over the top. That way the existing holes are usable>
    I am planning on hanging my lights from the ceiling so no hood, I think over the top plumbing would detract from the overall appearance of the tank.

    Question, should probes be in the skimmer area? To start I will just have temp and PH. I figured probes in the skimmer area and heater(s) in the return area. The sump I am getting is a Melev knock off from Advance Acrylics. It has skimmer/return/ fug type configuration.

    (Skimmer Area) is 13x15.25, Middle(Return Area) is 9.25x15.25 and the right side (Refugium Area) is 9x15.25. The baffles water level is 8." high and the water level for the refugium is 14" high with 1.25" teeth. there is a 1.25" space in between the bubble baffles.

    Getting upset with Express Aquatics. They have had my money since last Monday and still no status about shipping my Reefkeeper Lite.

    Anyone had experience with this company?
  3. melev's Avatar
    The probes should be where the water level is steady. If you like them in the skimmer section, the baffle area, or the return area - that's up to you.
  4. Midnight's Avatar
    Sorry its been awhile since I posted. Been working overtime and not had time to post anything. The tank is setup and cycling, though I am still fine tuning the aquascaping. I almost overflowed the sump last night while filling the refugium section of the sump with rodi water(I forgot it was running when the family and I went to the neighbors house for a drive in movie.) By the way the movie "How to Train a Dragon" is great. I amgoing to get some photos up in a few minutes.
  5. Midnight's Avatar
    here are some pics:



    This is one of two holes I drilled for 1 1/2" drains



    The original holes drilled by Tenicor, I thought this was a neat picture



    This shot you can see the plumbed drain lines



    Full of RODI water with salt mixed in...you can also see the temporary sump set up. The stand is painted with marine paint and will be wrapped in hardwood skin to bring the appearance up to show quality.
  6. Midnight's Avatar


    Here is a shot of the Sump from Advance Acrylics. In my opinion they did an excellent job.



    Here is a shot of my Reef Octopus skimmer



    Full tank shot with Fiji live rock. As I said I still have to do some aquascaping