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melev

Could I be any busier?!

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by
melev
, 09-02-2011 at 03:18 AM (6086 Views)
This has been a heck of a week. Lots to get done before MACNA 2011 in Des Moines. MACNA is always my busiest season, getting ready for the annual blast that we hardcore hobbyists converge upon, no matter where it takes place. Of course, Reef Addicts is going to be there, so I had to pack up and ship our booth today so it will be there in time. We will be doing more interviews to share with y'all. In addition, I had to build a custom sump that will be part of a reef set up that will be awarded Saturday night. I'm not sure I can say more, so let me just show some pictures.

This a Model-M on steroids, made to fit under a cube tank. It's 26" x 26" x 16" using 3/8" cast acrylic. The large area in front is the refugium zone.


The filter sock is in the skimmer section. Had to make that beautiful holder by hand.


The return section is where both the skimmer section and refugium drain into. A probe holder measure's water quality, if the recipient opts to use a controller.



Another item shipped was this little Frag tank. Someone will go home with this beauty. It is 23" x 18" x 6", made with 3/8" cast acrylic. It's ideal for frag swap events. Some eggcrate holds the filter floss in place to remove any particulates, and a small Maxijet keeps the flow moving from the rear section back into the display zone.




And then finally I had this MASSIVE sump to build. It's the biggest sump I've ever taken on. Measuring in at 72" x 40" x 16", this sump can hold a whopping 199g of water. It's going under a 750g display tank for a local hobbyist. Built with 3/8" cast acrylic and a lot of TLC, this sump is mostly a DSB refugium and live rock zone. Some of the gear will be run externally, while other items will be sitting on removable shelves I installed above the normal water line.


Water enters in the back left corner. The tank will have four 2" drains pouring in, and the skimmer will draw its 'dirty' water from that spot and return it into the same area. It will flow under a baffle and through the eggcrate into the 55" long refugium zone that is 19.5" wide.


Viewing the sump from behind: From the refugium zone, the water will flow through eggcrate into the front section that will hold live rock. Water then passes through the final eggcrate, under a baffle and into the return zone.


The return zone holds about 31g of water. When the return pump turns on, it will pump up about 25g of water before any begins to fall back down the drains into the sump. An external pump will push the water back up; the owner will drill the sump himself for the necessary bulkheads. The three shelves are removable and can slide from side to side on the support rails to find the optimum spot for the equipment to stand upon.


This sump is designed to take on an excess of 55g of water during a power outage. 1" of water in the 750g display equals 25g of water, so the maximum drainage allowed is 2" worth ... but with anti-siphon holes properly drilled in the return lines, 1" would be all it should drain.



The owner is sparing no expense on this project. I hope to get to see it in person at some point so I can take a few pictures to share with you. His display is an island that can be viewed from all four sides, 10' x 4' x 2.5' -- an enormous setup in a sun room.

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Comments

  1. Reefski's Avatar
    Marc- you do beautiful work! i would love to see that tank and setup. what stage is it at?
  2. T.A.R.'s Avatar
    The sump at the top is part of the aquarium set up being donated to The Smouse Opportunity School.
  3. dahenley's Avatar
    Marc, what do you use to remove the paper from the acrylic? Some say alcohol, and many others, but wondered what you prefer?
    Thanks..

    Those Sumps look sweet!
    It makes me want one of those frag tanks now.....
  4. dahenley's Avatar
    also, i noticed that your using eggcrate for these sumps. do you like it better then the cut teeth?
  5. Jnarowe's Avatar
    Love the big sump Marc. Is that actual egg crate, or PVC?
  6. melev's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by T.A.R.
    The sump at the top is part of the aquarium set up being donated to The Smouse Opportunity School.
    TAR stands for The Alternative Reef, the company that makes those rocks to hold corals magnetically to the walls of your tank. TAR ordered this sump as part of the aquarium setup being donated to this school that focuses on kids with special needs. Thanks for registering on RA, Scott.

    Check out The Alternative Reef's double booth at MACNA Iowa, y'all.
  7. melev's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by dahenley
    Marc, what do you use to remove the paper from the acrylic? Some say alcohol, and many others, but wondered what you prefer?
    If you don't leave the paper on for too long, it peels off relatively easily. For big pieces, you can use a section of PVC pipe or a large diameter dowel to roll it off, allowing the film to wrap around the pipe akin to what Saran Wrap looks like, for lack of a better visual. Using two hands, roll the pipe away from you and the paper wraps around and around, peeling off the acrylic sheet.

    I tried to use some very old acrylic yesterday for a small project, but the paper wasn't coming off. I threw it away and opted to use a fresh piece that of course peeled off perfectly. I need to go through my garage and start tossing out leftover pieces I've been hoarding for no good reason.
  8. melev's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by dahenley
    also, i noticed that your using eggcrate for these sumps. do you like it better then the cut teeth?
    When routing out teeth in acrylic, I've found out numerous times that 3/8" cast acrylic ends up snapping off a part of one tooth. I can have 20 perfect ones, but one broken one spoils the look, right? It never breaks cleanly to the point that I could just glue it on. It shears off jaggedly, looking like Chunk from the Goonies. I've made teeth in 1/4" acrylic and then bonded that to the 3/8" panel, but it looks odd.

    I've chosen to use black eggcrate in sumps made with 3/8" because it looks good. It's what I've used with my own sump's refugium zone. It is easy to clean, doesn't clog up with plants, and if push comes to shove can be snapped out and a new piece glued in.

    I don't know what it is made of, Jonathan. I bought two or three sheets a few years ago, and kept them in my inventory. I'm ordering two more sheets since I use it for the frag tanks too, so I'll ask what it's made of.
  9. Robb in Austin's Avatar
    Post pics of that last beast once it's running!
  10. larry.beck's Avatar
    Beautiful work, Marc. I'm actually visiting family in Plano this week and contemplating seeing if a tank visit was an option, but once I realized how far away you were I figured it wasn't very realistic.
  11. melev's Avatar
    Yes, I'm the opposite end of the metroplex and hate driving to Plano. I make that drive once or twice a year, begrudgingly.
  12. maroun.c's Avatar
    Love your work Marc. That big sump is just amazing. doesn't macro or chaeto escape when using eggcrate instead of a honeycomb screen.
  13. melev's Avatar
    No, it stays it it's zone quite nicely. From time to time you do need to trim it back and that is a good time to clean out the eggcrate of any accumulations.
  14. Jnarowe's Avatar
    you could also use the removable combs. they have a nice contact surface for the female part, so gluing them up is easy. I just really like being able to pull the comb, clean/soak, whatever, and replace. Having extra means you can swap and clean at your leisure.