Greg's 75g

[gregzz4]

Well, it's been over 4 months since I decided to take the plunge. I sold almost all my freshwater gear, and had to buy even more saltie stuff.
I feel I am close enough now to start my build thread.

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who has been helping me:
Canreef staff and members for their posts, both questions and answers; All members who I have bought from; Sponsors who I have bought from; Myka, both for your posts and communications; neven, for your tips and tricks; My Wife for her understanding and patience; and finally, my wallet, for not caving on me when I really needed you the most :wink:

The RO/DI system is running. Gotta love the water here in the GVRD. Last week I tested the tap @ 16ppm and today it's 8ppm. I'm glad I rigged the DI to only run when I need it.

Here's the Drum. And yes, that used to be our Master Ensuite :biggrin:
I had to put a sheet of ply under the drum to clear the sink
Pretty, isn't it ? Doesn't matter, only I use this room.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/Drum2.jpg



Here's the RO/DI. I installed it inside the cabinet on full extension drawer slides. Yes, it's a whole lot of plumbing, but I can run the RO with or without the DI with the turn of 2 valves, and I can monitor the TDS 3 ways; raw, RO and DI. Plus I have 2 pressure gauges; one is raw and the other is RO.
The pressure is low in the pics as I was flushing the new filters
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/RO-DI3.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/RO-DI4.jpg


I am waiting for my new 75g Aqueon RR and Pine Stand to arrive. It will go in the Living Room here
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/TankLocation.jpg


A used 50g Aqueon for my sump. After a bulkhead leak upon pump install on Jan 30th, I chickened out and decided to put the pumps in the sump.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SumpTest.jpg


Here's the pedestal for the sump. A 1" x 0.125 tubing frame under the foam, and wrapped in a garbage bag as I feel it'll last longer than paint, and not stain the carpet with rust.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SumpPedestal-1.jpg
(http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/55GallonAqueon.jpg)


The Sump is going in my Office, with the plumbing through the wall to the Living Room above the Coax lines. It'll sit where the boxes are, perpendicular to the tanks.
Next to it's space you see the 10g ATO under the 20g New water holding tank and beside that is the 20g QT above some storage
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SumpLocation.jpg

The Sump, ATO and New water tanks will have Pink Styro under them as their stands are not true.
The 20g QT and 75g DT will not need Styro

I have;
Skimz 181
Reefkeeper Lite w/Moonlights, a Hub and 2 x PC4s
Tunze 3155 ATO
3 x 200watt Jagers, with a pair of 250watters on a Ranco for backup (only because I already had them)
Eheim 1262 for the Return
Eheim 1262 for Chiller, UV, Chaeto and Reactors
ATI 8x54w that I modded (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=82405)
2 x MP10wES w/home-made battery backup http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=663794#post663794
2 x TLF 150 reactors
1/10HP Eco-plus chiller
15w UV
40 LBS Base rock (to start, although I may buy more)
60 LBS Caribsea Select (although I won't use it all)
15 LBS Live rock
And numerous testers/kits etc

I think, when the tank arrives, I will almost be ready to fresh-test everything.
Of course, I'll still have to plumb the tank, sump, ato, and new water.
Plus, I still have to drill the sump and new water 20g.
I'll be at it for awile yet.

This project is teaching me patience :mrgreen:

[msjboy]

And do not forget, it take a while to cycle the tank especially if you dont have much liverock and sand. Welcome to the salt water plunge.

Msjboy
Ps...what part of burnaby are you.?

[gregzz4]

And do not forget, it take a while to cycle the tank especially if you dont have much liverock and sand. Welcome to the salt water plunge.

Msjboy
Ps...what part of burnaby are you.?

Thanks, and I'm just 8 blocks east of BCIT

I will fully 'Cook' my rock as per Myka's instructions before anything goes into my tank.
I will Not be using live sand.
I plan on starting this tank Very slow.
Live Rock first, small clean-up crew next, then one or 2 easy Corals, next more clean-up dudes and so on.
Just one critter at a time. And each critter (besides the inverts) will go in the QT before the DT (except when I get a Yellow Tang as I know they can be touchy).
I don't have a well-thought-out plan, but you get the idea.

[fishytime]

Looks really good so far..... You already have the most important part covered ........ An obviously understanding and supportive misses:mrgreen:

[Skimmerking]

love the progress so far man can't wait to see it

[lastlight]

Love the drawer slides!

You're off to a great start having mastered the wife's tolerances and your own patience. The rest should be easier =)

[paddyob]

How did the partner ever let you use the master bath like that?

Is that temp or permanent home for your reservoir?

My wife would slap me for even considering that ha ha ha.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Looks like someone's been on a major spending spree:wink:

Bring your wife over for a visit some time Gregg and we'll talk some more about reefing:biggrin:

BTW, all your ex-fw fish are doing great, including the Sterbai family.

[gregzz4]

How did the partner ever let you use the master bath like that?

Is that temp or permanent home for your reservoir?

My wife would slap me for even considering that ha ha ha.

Ha, ya that's a permanent spot. My wife never uses the ensuite. Just lucky I guess.

[gregzz4]

Looks like someone's been on a major spending spree:wink:

Bring your wife over for a visit some time Gregg and we'll talk some more about reefing:biggrin:

BTW, all your ex-fw fish are doing great, including the Sterbai family.

Ya you're not kidding. I already spent all the fw money.
We'll definately have to come by one of these days.

[gregzz4]

Love the drawer slides!

You're off to a great start having mastered the wife's tolerances and your own patience. The rest should be easier =)

Thanks. I'm actually quite proud of the epiphany about the slides as I didn't want to have to lug water upstairs all the time from the laundry room.
My wife is great, plus she likes sw fish a lot.
I hope the rest is easy-ish, but I know I'm going to have a hard time going slow :smile:

[lastlight]

Haha and I see uniseals on the counter too now that I'm looking closer. so there's going to be piping involved there too? I can't wait to show this to my (much) better half :lol:

[gregzz4]

Yup, some plumbing, but nothing like you are thinking.
The plan is to have an RO shut-off float, with an overflow above it for emergencies. That will spill into the sink.
The other uniseal will just be for a drain tap (ball valve). I may put a barb on it down the road but would need about 60' of hose to reach the tanks.
I was considering just a garden hose but ... what are everyone's ideas on a garden hose?
Maybe I should just bite the bullet and by vinyl?

[gregzz4]

Welp, I almost pooched the sump drilling holes ...

I bought the glass for the bubble trap, chaeto tank, and a skimmer stand.
I asked for an x-tra piece to practice drilling.
I drilled 3 holes in the practice piece, the last of which turned out OK, and proceeded to drill the chaeto hole, thinking this would be the next least valuable piece to destroy.
It turned out alright, so I then drilled the bottom of the 20g new water holding tank.
Let me tell you, drilling 1/4" vs a 20g is no comparison. I was planning on drilling the 20 only part way from the outside, and then match the hole up on the inside in the hopes of having a clean hole.
Well, before I knew it, I was all the way through the 20. And it chipped like I had used an axe. So, strike one. At least the gasket covers the chips.
I then proceeded to drill the sump.
This I took my time with, carefully planning where I want my holes in relation to drainage and pump placement, and where the bubble trap would be. I also didn't want any 'chip-out' this time.
I succesfully drilled the first of two holes, and decided to take a break so as not to rush the whole procedure. Basically, I felt really confident that I was making progress, but felt I should slow down so I wouldn't make any mistakes.
So, after spending a few minutes on Canreef with a beer, I went back to it.
I did everything the same as the first sump hole ...
Nicely taped jig, dam with enough water, circling the bit around, then ...
OMGWTF am I doing
I had placed the jig on the wrong side of the tape :frusty:
See, I had placed the tape on the outside of the sump, with the arc showing me where to drill, and I was drilling from the inside out. The arc was not visible through the tape, hence the dumbass move.
Thankfully, I only went in about 1/16", and can put a plate over it. Plus, it's on the inside, so it'll be strong enough.
But what really bothers me is the lack of attention ...
I wanted everything to be just right :twised:

Now I have this partially drilled hole visible from the outside of the sump, which is in plain view on the floor of my office.

[gregzz4]

So the sump isn't turning out half bad, even with the near-miss on the drilling. I moved the baffle positions a slight bit and one of them intersects the bad hole ... problem solved. The silicone is curing, so there won't be any pics yet as I want to clean up all the finger prints and such.
I did have a couple small setbacks today ...
-I have to order another piece for the light mod, so that's on hold.
-I tried to find a way to mount a filter sock in the sump, but it's not going to happen.
Plowing along with the blinders on, thinking I want as much return pump volume as possible, I didn't take the time to think about where I might mount a filter sock next to the skimmer. I bought 7" rimmed socks to swap one a week or so, but I just cannot make a bracket due to my shortsightedness. I may be able to use the socks, but think I am going to have to use a filter bag slipped up the outlet pipes. Oh well, not a big deal.
The rest of the RO/DI shipment should be here Thurs or Fri so at least I might be able to start making water by the end of the weekend.
And the tank/stand may be here next week so I can start cutting the wall apart for the plumbing/electrical.

[msjboy]

Hi,

You blue pail is going to be heavy and may cave in the stand over time if left full..,at 55g, it is about 800lb.
Let us know your progress... Maybe we can have a burnaby tour when setup by spring...i count about 6 member including me within the upper deer lake / your area.
Brw, howvmuch rock is being put in.
Regs
Msjboy

[gregzz4]

Hiya yourself
I'm starting off with 40lbs of base and somewhere around 25-30lbs of LR. Haven't bought the LR yet, but it's almost time.
As for the drum, your math is a bit off. 55g x 10lbs (which is very generous) is only 550lbs. Freshwater, on average, only weighs 8.34lbs/g @ 32F. You are saying the water weighs 14.55lbs :surprise: That is a closer estimation for a loaded aquarium.
Because of the not yet pictured emergency overflow, there will only ever be 40g at a time in my 45g drum, so less than 350lbs. If you look close enough at the picture, you'll see I braced the counter with 2 x 6s and the drum sits on a piece of 3/4" ply. It would easily hold double what I'm asking it to do.
But thanks for the concern :mrgreen: , it never hurts to point things out

EDIT:
OOPS, it is a 55g Drum
Hi,

You blue pail is going to be heavy and may cave in the stand over time if left full..,at 55g...
55*8.34=458.7 so it potentially could weigh 460lbs. But the build is still strong enough

[gregzz4]

Got the drum finished and updated the pic in the first post

[lastlight]

You were very careful with the primer. The plumbing looks so clean maybe the wife won't even notice the barrel? :mrgreen:

If you've got matching 2x6 or whatever on the other side of the barrel (hard to see) that thing will hold a bunch of those barrels.

[gregzz4]

You were very careful with the primer. The plumbing looks so clean maybe the wife won't even notice the barrel? :mrgreen:

If you've got matching 2x6 or whatever on the other side of the barrel (hard to see) that thing will hold a bunch of those barrels.
:razz: Thanks. Good thing she only uses the main commode :wink:
It was actually Primer/Cement recommended by the Irrigation guy. It's an ugly grey and it's quite messy. It leaves a big skin on the inside. I'll grab some primer and clear cement today.
The 2x setup is 2 studs under a header and yes, on each side. Really, REALLY hard to get a good pic in that room. I had the camera against the jamb. It's even a 28" door, which I had to take off to squeeze the drum in.

[gregzz4]

With Quagmire's voice in mind ... aalllriight
The RO/DI is finished. I updated the pics
The filters are currently flushing and then I'll start making water. And not the yellow kind :smile:
Looks like I'll be able to buy some live rock next week
I'm pretty sure I have come up with a solution for mounting the sump socks and hope to work on that this weekend. I grabbed some plex today just in case
Wow, so much left to do. I've still got to finish the light mod, get comfortable mixing salt, pre-set 8 heaters, bah, you guys don't need to hear all this. You know what's involved
At least these are things we LIKE to do :wink:
Maybe the tank and stand will arrive next week too so I can get on the plumbing and house wiring. I still have to cut a hole to the sump in my office

[gregzz4]

I finally got the fixture mod finished. I'm just having troubles linking the pictures to the mod. I haven't had this issue before. ??? WT ???

[gregzz4]

Fixture pics up !!!

[gregzz4]

Awesome man get that thing going! Have you updated your thread with pics doesn't ring a bell.
Thanks for askin' ...
Nope, all I've done is link the light mod. It took me 2 days with the wiring, and the burning of a ballast, and the crushing of a new ballast, and then the figuring out how to make the 2nd new ballast fit. So, no, there's been no build progress :sad: :mrgreen:
Sucks to be me.
I hope to make some progress over the next couple of days, in between the job hunting.
I want to next tackle cleaning up our rec-room to make room so I can pull down all the suspended tiles and run some wiring. This will get me much further along as I will know 'exactly' where I can cut the wall for the plumbing and electrical.

[gregzz4]

I'm gettin' close to buying Live rocks, but I can't find any close to home
Come on guys, .....
Sell me some rocks in GVRD

[gregzz4]

Monday was a whole lot of fun. I got to be the first one to ruin our new carpet Woohoo :frusty:
I was plumbing the pumps from the sump in my office and some spa flex was not co-operating. So I decided to spin a bulkhead that had been tight for over a week. Next I water tested it. Not the brightest thing to do in the middle of the night. I should have just waited 'till Tuesday and bought a new bulkhead as I knew the gasket would leak.
Long story short, I had to pull all the gear out of my office and roll the carpet & underlay back. I ran a blower fan for 2 days and just now finished putting the carpet back. Plus I washed every towel we own as I used them all sopping up the leak.
Thankfully it was only RO water.
I have also decided to NOT run my pumps external. Call me a chicken, but even while I was installing new bulkheads today, I was having issues with the whole shebang, so I ran out and bought some glass squares to cover the bulkhead holes. The silicone is drying now and I will test the sump on Sunday.
There is enough room in the sump for both Eheims and that is the new plan.

Lets sum up my booboos thus far;
-Blown ballast
-Destroyed ballast
-Soaked new carpet and underlay, which now will not sit as flat as new
-Wasted 2 bulkheads, and have 2 more I shouldn't have bought

[gregzz4]

On the plus side, I finally bought some Live Rock. Timing wasn't on my side and I ended up buying it from J&L instead of a member. I picked through 2 160g Rubbermaids and only bought 14lbs, but it will do for a start. It's going to cure while I put things back into perspective. Too bad I didn't buy some 2 months ago, but ce la vie.
Like the wife says, 'What's the rush?'
Maybe this rock won't need to cure ... I'll find out soon enough. It has been sitting @ J&L for quite some time already.
So, to end ...
It's official, I'm a Dad again. I have so far spotted 6 brittle stars and a very shy crab.

[The Grizz]

Ummmm........... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh..............hmmmmmmmmm........... ........


We need more pics!!!

[gregzz4]

You wanna see flood pics, go watch 2012 :mrgreen:
There's nothin' to document at the moment, but I will definately put 'em up when there's something worth lookin' at
As for the stars and crab, there's no way I could get you pics of them in the rubbermaid. They are, for lack of a more manly word, teensy :wink:

[gregzz4]

OK, OK, pics
Last weekend I managed to get 2 circuits for the tank and sump run, and a third for the office AC. The tank outlet is not visible as it is on the other side of the wall, but you can just make out the back of the stand.
What you see here is the 20A for the AC and my guitar amp on the left, and on the right is one of the 2 15A circuits I ran. This one is split between a regular and surge outlet. The surge is for things such as the RKL and ATO. The other duplex is for simpler things like the pumps and some ( lots ) of GFCIs. I am only surge protecting the solid state stuff.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/Outlets.jpg

Next is a shot of what the base rock might end up looking like.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00793.jpg

And this last shot is of my puny Live Rock purchase. Do you see the stars and crab? Ya, I thought you could :mrgreen:
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00796.jpg

[gregzz4]

Happy to finally have critters again. I see amphipods, brittle stars, at least 3 different types of crabs and a worm that sorta looks like a Baseodiscus hemprichii, except it's center red line is thicker, and the outer white is thinner, if that makes sense. It tried to have sex with the heater, until that came on. Then it curled up really fast to be blown away by the powerhead. I thought it was dead at first, but it hooked onto the edge of the rubbermaid and carried on.
The rubbermaid got a 100% WC today.
I've had no ammonia since thursday, nor nitrites, and the nitrates are well below 5ppm ( almost unreadable ). Plus no Phos.
Maybe I'll get lucky and be able to put the rock in the tank in the next couple of weeks.
Tomorrow I'll carry on re-testing the sump and put it into place. Then I'll consider plumbing the overflow, or maybe run some more wiring.
There's enough left to do that I won't run out of projects.

[gregzz4]

No luck re-testing the sump yet as it's been too cool outside.
With my wife's help, I got the backdrop finished up. It's a sheet of black nylon ($6 Fabricland) and some industrial velcro to 4 corners. I haven't decided yet whether I will be cleaning the back glass, or let coraline cover it.
I cut the eggcrate for the tops and overflow
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/OverflowEggcrate.jpg

[Nano]

Nice!

[gregzz4]

Well the sump is finally re-tested.
Pics of it and the pedestal have been updated.
The original 2 x 4 pedestal I designed was too tall as I assumed the stand would be 2" taller than it is, so now it's 1" square tubing. Plus, with the pumps now going in the sump, I didn't need a base for them.
I hope to put it in place tonight so I can start plumbing/wiring.

[gregzz4]

Definately have some kind of a shrimp in my rubbermaid rocks as I just found a molt about 1/4" in length. 2 crabs have died. One the day after I brought the rock home, and the other when I put too much RO in and hit 30ppt. Oops. but I still see 3 more. And lots of brittle stars. They may be Ophiomastix variabilis'

[gregzz4]

Got the sump in place. Had enough time, before the sick wife fell asleep in the livingroom, to level it and mount the board for all the wiring/boxes/panels/powerbars.
I did get the Jager heaters mounted.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00813.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00810.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00812.jpg


Can't do much else tonight unless I move the wife to the bed.
She's sick, sleeping in front of the TV, and I am going to leave her alone.
Nobody ever made a wise choice poking any kind of sleeping predator .... especially when they are sick/cranky :mrgreen:
Hope you like, use, learn from my idea of the heaters location.

[gregzz4]

I finally got some time to start plumbing the tank to the sump. I started with the return line to make sure I wouldn't have to move the tank again and think I'll be happy with it. Of course I hate the 'over-the-back' look, but we don't see the pipes from our seated area.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00816.jpg

So I moved on to the drains.
I feel for those of you that have to do ALL of your plumbing inside the cabinet. Man, getting the lines to leave the stand just right is a chore/pain on the ol' bod, nevermind all of you having to deal with a sump in the way and such.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00817.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00818.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00819.jpg

I'm moving along well, taking my time to get everything just the way I want it, and I run out of 90s.
I was hoping to test the overflow bulkheads tonight, and the plumbing running tomorrow. NOT :smile:
And to add for all of us who deal with shipping stuff ...
I waited 4 weeks for new Vortech motor bearings. I e-mailed the supplier today and they are re-shipping. Not a set back, but just a typical reefer's shipping woes.

[gregzz4]

Forgot to mention I changed the non-surge outlet in post 30 ( bottom right of pic ) with another surge duplex.
This is because I have decided to get a Reefkeeper Elite. I'm waiting on a package price. I'll run the Lite on the QT and won't need a cheap surge/powerbar.
Once I started adding up all the goodies that will be plugged in, it only made sense to go with the Elite so I may have everything on the controller ( minus the backup heaters and Vortechs ). This way, when it fails, EVERYTHING will fail and I won't have to try to figure out what caused the crash :mrgreen:

[lastlight]

Things look nice and clean great work. Really love the army of heaters in the baffled area that's a great idea and use of space.

So weird looking through the bottom of the tank into the sump!

[gregzz4]

Things look nice and clean great work. Really love the army of heaters in the baffled area that's a great idea and use of space.

So weird looking through the bottom of the tank into the sump!
Thanks. I saw lots of good ideas on the web, but never saw verticle heaters. I don't want them to eventually leak. They'll never be dry and the accessory pump will keep them active during WC. You'll see when I'm done.
The heaters are;
1-3-5 200w on the Reefkeeper
2-4 250w on the Ranco
Can't wait to get water running.
And, ya, I know what you meant, but HELLO, there is no sump under the stand. It has helped with the plumbing not having styro blocking my view.
No bare bottom here either, so no worries about weird reflections.
I don't know what I'll do with the cabinet space, besides food and salt buckets. I have enough space under the 20QT for all the test gear and so on. Maybe I should set up a curing tank, or better yet, a FRAG tank. Oooooo, the wife will hate that little money pit :lol:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I run two heaters on my 165g. Not sure why so many heaters are in your sump. That's waaaaay overkill.

[gregzz4]

I run two heaters on my 165g. Not sure why so many heaters are in your sump. That's waaaaay overkill.
There is redundancy here, yes, but I'm not running them all, just the 200 watters.
The 2 x 250w heaters are backups on a Ranco, just in case the main heater circuit craps out due to either a Reefkeeper failure, or a Heater failure tripping the GFCI.
As for the 3 x 200w heaters; I prefer smaller heaters rather than large ones that can go haywire and cook things. I feel 3 x 150w just wouldn't cut it as it can sometimes hit 68F in our Livingroom.

[gregzz4]

Just ordered the Reefkeeper Elite, some switches and a Hub. I received a decent offer from a member for used, but for the cost difference, new it is.
Time to get some more plumbing done.

[Nano]

cant wait to see more pics!

[gregzz4]

OK, more pics, but only 'cause you asked :mrgreen:
I wasted half my night on the phone with 2 members ... 2 1/2 hours talkin' 'bout reef stuff. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but, trying to be polite while doin' plumbing is difficult.
So ... here is what I got done tonight.
And because we can't edit our posts, I have to post new pics of where I'm at;

I re-arranged the drain plumbing under the tank. I still want to brace the main drain line to alleviate any stress from the bulkhead while I'm crankin' the valve. Only issue is I haven't found a chunk of something to stuff in there yet (see second pic to understand space between pipes and wood).
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00821.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00823.jpg

I got the lines run to the sump ( on the right you see my SW holding tank with it's outlet valve )
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00824.jpg

I had to re-arrange the heaters as the drain lines interfered with their locations, so this is where we're at now
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00826.jpg

It's kinda hard to see in the last pic, but that's my skimmer stand. It's reflecting off the back glass.
The wife used to work with stained glass, so I used her glass grinder to round out the upper corners of the gussets to let the bubbles out.
Maybe tomorrow I'll get enough done to glue the pipes and do a water test.
I still have to plumb the DT pump before that happens. After that there is the Sump pump with it's circuit of 2 x reactors, UV/Chiller and Chaeto.

[Nano]

Looking good dude! I see what you mean with the heaters :lol: can never be too careful

[Seriak]

Keep those pictures coming. I love how everything is setup up so cleanly. Great work. Gives me plenty of ideas for my tank.

[gregzz4]

Thanks guys.
Since the rock is still cooking, I'm being overly fussy. I think I spent 2 hours just on the drains under the tank :smile:

[FishyFishy!]

Thanks guys.
Since the rock is still cooking, I'm being overly fussy. I think I spent 2 hours just on the drains under the tank :smile:


Thats totally the way to go though... Do it right the first time, and make it look nice so you don't look at it every day and want to rip it apart.

Very nice progress, I'm glad to see someone else doing a sump room build thread with detailed pictures. I'm about to start mine and already you have given me a bunch of awesome ideas.. Keep up the good work!

:biggrin:

[gregzz4]

Makin' some headway now. Got the plumbing to the sump tested and re-done. Had water running through the DT for the first time.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00844.jpg

Think I'm happy with the overflow levels and such. Still can't adjust the sump level until all the rest of the gear is plumbed in, but it's a start.
I added an extra return valve for feeding/pictures and it's working out great.
I've started to play with the Herbie overflow levels, and think I'm happy with where the levels are to start with. I have a Gate Valve that I haven't used yet on the return line, a True Union Ball valve on the bypass and a Ball valve for a shut-off. I think this will cover it.
The main drain inside the overflow is about 6" tall with a 3/4" strainer on top of it and the emergency is about 2-1/4" from the DT level, minus the strainer. It's all good for now with the testing.

Got the light mounted and holeeeeeeee is it ever briiiiigggghhhhttttttt.
And right here I'll give a shout out to viper901 for sellin' me such a great light :mrgreen:
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00837.jpg

Good thing I modded it.
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=82405
If I could not control the 8 bulbs there might be an issue

I changed the eggcrate overflow thingy and though you all might like to see this. There's no noise as it's above the water line.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00835.jpg

More pictures to come when I plumb the next circuit.
This will involve the chiller, uv, chaeto and 2 reactors.

[gregzz4]

Wow, it's been almost 3 weeks since my last post. Time is flyin' by.
I've plumbed the Return and Chiller/UV/Chaeto pumps a couple of times.
I'm happy with the return, but the other is about to change again, so no pics.
And I've also decided to make a sump design change.
With the sock hanger after the bubble trap, it's counter-productive. It's noisy and creates bubbles.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00826.jpg

I'm moving the Heaters to the right, and putting the Sock hanger in their place, with the Reactors hanging inside the sump in front of the Skimmer.
The overflow will go through the Skimmer chamber, down through the Socks, then up and over the Heaters as it exits the bubble trap.
I'm mostly happy with the other pump circuit, but need to re-route the Reactor circuit, so pics later.

I tried cutting the silicone out, even with a guitar string, but no go. I ordered the original glass snug enough that I couldn't get a blade through.
I ended up taping the glass, scoring it, and smacking it. It took a freakishly hard blow to break it.
Tomorrow I pick up the new glass.
I'll post a pic next week once I'm happy with the setup.

While the silicone is curing, I'm going to finally tackle the wiring.
I picked up a new Reefkeeper Elite last week and can now start all that planning etc.
If you missed it, and because I can't edit the original post ...
I originally bought a Reefkeeper Lite, but will use it on the QT as I now want more modules on the DT than I had originally planned on.

[gregzz4]

Sigh, another disappointing post, but, on the upside, I have what I think will now be a killer sump.
Sump v2.0 didn't pan out. The baffles couldn't keep up with the pump.
So, I have yet again cut the glass out, ordered more, and cleaned up the tank.
I picked up the new pieces of glass tonight and, for the first time, my buddy Wayne @ Cando Burnaby messed up a measurement.
Another day of waiting before I can install the new pieces :sad:

I might as well show you the second plan that didn't work, and I was thinking it wouldn't as the linear overflow wasn't enough, but I had to try. Good thing the DT is still empty.
The whole idea here was to get as much 'pump' area as possible and have a small skimmer chamber while being able to have the heaters inside the bubble trap. Not an easy feat to accomplish while using an Aqueon with a center support in the way.
The whole layout has now changed, and I am really stoked about it.
I researched skimmers and have a plan now that will accomodate a Vertex Alpha 170 down the road, so onward and forward.
So here is what couldn't handle the flow. I was so disappointed I forgot to get a pic of it with the socks and heaters installed. Anyway, it'll give you an idea where the next plan is going, but without the front to back flow. And for those of you liking this layout, it will just barely handle 600gph. The sock tray was 4-3/4 x 10-1/4ish and the outflow was 4-3/4 x 7-1/4ish

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00854.jpg

Just to clarify, the new layout will have full-sized 17-1/4 baffles. It will now be ... Inlet to skimmer chamber, down through 3 x 4" socks, then up and over the heaters right before the cross-support.
Kinda-sorta like the layout in the previous post pic, but with the socks between the skimmer and the heaters.
I'll have enough room to get a mag-float in there and still retain almost 25g of pump area. Lots for water changes without turning the pump off on a 110g system.
If you've seen the earlier pics of the 'finished' plumbing, you'll appreciate what I have planned once you see it. Very tidy with lots of access to everything.
Plus, the baffles should now be able to handle almost 1200g/hr, so plenty as I'm only needing 900-1000. v2.0 could only BARELY handle 600 and it was spilling over. Man am I glad I don't need to have this system running anytime soon.
The chaeto tank is being moved to the back from the front and all the plumbing is being re-done to clean it up.
$200 in wasted glass, silicone and PVC, but hopefully I'll be happy with sump v3.0.
Stay tuned ..... time for a frosty

[gregzz4]

And to add, I'm sure everyone's becoming bored with the same updates.
Thing is, I have so much left to do that I can't get to until this damned sump is ready.
Once I get past this weeks-long hurdle, you may actually see me make some fast progress.

[gregzz4]

Alright, some progress. Sump v3.0 works :biggrin:
In the pics to follow, there's some split loom missing 'cause I ran out, and the final Chiller stand hasn't been made yet, but you get the idea.
Now I can start on the electrical panel.
Plus the long list of other things I won't bore you all with.
I'll only post these pics due to the edit restriction.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00898.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00899.jpg

[FishyFishy!]

Nice progress! I actually love the loom idea! Looks a lot better than clear tubing. Nice and clean.

Keep up the good work!

[Doc_Polit]

Sump v3.0 is awesome!

Your persistence definitely paid off. :biggrin:

[bauder1986]

Whoa that sump is crazy!

[Nano]

Whole macrel that sump got full fast! Looking good dude! Can't wait to see it all wet!

[gregzz4]

Thanks all.
Ya it sure got crowded fast in there. I couldn't imagine using something smaller.
The loom is supposed to block light so I don't have to clean out the hoses. Only time will tell.

[RDNanoGuy]

How much gap is there between the loomed hoses and the filter sock holder? That could be a pain in the neck to change them when you have do it every3 days or so.

[fishytime]

you could hang the reactors on the outside of the sump to the right-ish side if you find it a pain to get the socks out....

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the thoughts. This is why I'm glad it worked out that the manifold outlets ended up right in the middle.

How much gap is there between the loomed hoses and the filter sock holder? That could be a pain in the neck to change them when you have do it every3 days or so.
There's about 4" clearance

you could hang the reactors on the outside of the sump to the right-ish side if you find it a pain to get the socks out....
I don't want to take a chance on an external leak

If it becomes a pain in the but, I can put the reactors in the return area. Plus, if in the future I buy something like an Alpha 170, that's where they will have to go.
To start with, I wanted them out of the way of the pumps but I most likely will put them there anyway. It'll look tidier with shorter hoses and I'll only have one hose to work around.
Then I would route the chiller hose behind the skimmer so I can see better what's going on there.

[gregzz4]

So a teaser for y'all.
If you like seeing hardware and so on, stay posted for pics of my electrical panel ( If all you want to see are live things, you'll have to wait awhile longer ).
I got it 90% finished this weekend. All I have left to do on it is finish labeling all the cords.
I'll get a pic of it up over the next couple of days.
And a word of warning;
If you like over-kill, check back.
If you are inclined to bash, be nice and just looky-no-talkie as it's quite the, well, you'll see :wink:

[gregzz4]

Aaarrrrgh
One or two more days before I post pics :neutral:
I woulda put pics up tonight, but I don't wish to fill Photobucket with stuff I can't delete. Not liking the 'can't edit' limitations ........................... :sad:
Anywayyyyyy
I thought I had all needed parts, but have to make yet another trip to the electrical store.
Stay tuned, it will be quite the pic :cool:

[gregzz4]

OK, here's the panel. Yes, it's crazy alright, just like I promised :mrgreen:

I can't help but hear in my head the theme song from 2001: A Space Odyssey

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00905.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/Panel.jpg

I've still got lots left to do, but I'm this much closer.
I need to make a light barrier for the Chaeto tank, a splash guard for the electrical panel, the final Chiller stand and a bunch of stuff under the DT needs to be connected and labeled.
Also a light barrier ( sorta like a canopy ) for the DT and maybe screens instead of eggcrate.
And I haven't programmed the RKE yet either. Oh, plus a float switch in the overflow box. I'm sure there's more.
I'm hoping, when I test the cooking rock over the next couple of days, that I will be able to fill the system soon.
I'm still following Myka's cooking advice, but it's killin' me waitin' so long for the nitrates and phosphates to go away.

[Doc_Polit]

Are you cooking with Lanthanum?

That will erase your phosphates.

[gregzz4]

Are you cooking with Lanthanum?

That will erase your phosphates.
Thanks for the tip.
I've read about Lanthanum and have opted to do it naturally with weekly 100% waterchanges.
Today I have 1.0 NO3 and about 0.04 P4. It's gettin' there :biggrin:

[Casey8]

I really like the way you built your sump and love the look of your organized wiring. I think I am going to ask my husband to re-orginize mine like yours.

[gregzz4]

I really like the way you built your sump and love the look of your organized wiring. I think I am going to ask my husband to re-orginize mine like yours.
Thank you :biggrin:

[gregzz4]

Here's another overflow cover mod. I'm thinkin' this is the one I'll keep.
I tried eggcrate, thought about using mesh, but this is it. Now I can remove my standpipe strainers and have full flow.

It just happens to hold the flood switch at the perfect height and I slotted it for my ground, temp and pH probes. Plus it blocks light, so no huge algae issues in the box.

The only critters that make it into the box have to go through the teeth and, unless they grow to huge proportions, will flush through if they decide to go down the waterslide.
I glued small pieces on the underside to stop it from sliding too far left/right/forwards.
Guess I should clean up the edges a bit as it looks like poop in the pic.
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00910.jpg

Now I have to make my mind up about using a mesh cover vs eggcrate.

[gregzz4]

Tonight's progress starts with re-arranging the loc-line outlets in the hopes of not having to drill anti-siphon holes

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/ReturnNozzles.jpg

Then I finally got some wiring done under the tank

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00928.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00927.jpg

Just that much closer
The liverock in the rubbermaid readings are getting harder to decipher;
Today, 2 days after a 100% WC, I get hard to decifer NO3 and maybe 0.04 PO4.
So I did a control test to help me with the colors.
The PO4 is definitely there but the NO3 is Soo hard to read.
Guess I'm still waiting.
I'll keep up with the rubbermaid WC's while I find more things to finish with the build.
Once I run out of things to do, I might get impaitent and fill this thing :twised:

[gregzz4]

Forgot to mention;
I moved the SL1 from the electrical panel in the sump room to under the tank. I put the Hub in it's place on the panel

[gregzz4]

So I've decided to change something again
I hope the rock finishes curing soon, before I waste any more money on re-doing stuff. ( the rock is actually really close to ready )

I didn't like the idea of having a chaeto light in the sump to promote all kinds of stuff on my pumps, heaters and skimmer, and I was wasting some return volume, sooooooo .......
I bought a 5.5g and am in the midst of plumbing it on top of the shelf above the sump. What the hey?, it only weighs 40# full. This will give me about 20g of running water during a WC

The baffling didn't go so well due to my surprise of the black silicone I thought was clear, and now it looks like something Bill the Cat left behind, but whatever. It'll work. The premise is to have an 8 x 8 x 8 Chaeto tank overflow into what may become a frag tank that drains back to the sump. The frag tank is surprisingly large considering the tank size. In half a 5.5g I have enough room for one of those pricey racks @ 6x6 :rolleyes:

Keep in mind I don't have any critters right now, so this me planning ahead and I know it will need to grow.
I already have plans in mind to shuffle the room a bit.
I have room for another 30" of tank beside the sump, not to mention all that space above if i build strong enough shelving/stands.
Ok, I may be going on a bit, but I have no Reefie friends to talk to :biggrin:

I will post some pics after I test the flow through the sump again
I've included an emerg overflow and suspect all will be good

[msjboy]

you should also plumb in a algae scrubber since you are doing such an elaborate job on your build! Look forward to the final day when it goes live with stock.

msjboy

[gregzz4]

you should also plumb in a algae scrubber since you are doing such an elaborate job on your build! Look forward to the final day when it goes live with stock.

msjboy
Thanks, I am also really looking forward to seeing some livestock !
I am hoping with the Chaeto and HC GFO I won't have to add the extra maintenance of a scrubber. Only time will tell
There will be room for it later, but I won't need it to start with as the stocking will be gradual

[Nano]

............ So when are you going to be done? :lol: I've been waiting for months ;)

[gregzz4]

I've been waiting for months ;)
Tell me about it. I've been stalling as I hope to fully cook the rock. I've been doing weekly WCs.
I did a WC on the 7th. On the 9th I had less than 1ppm NO3 and 0.04ppm PO4. Today I still have the same readings.

Once I get the chaeto tank ready I'll re-test the system. At that time I'll set up the ATO, pump hi/low switches and work out any bugs I can find. Then I'll run it up to temp and test the chiller, backup ranco and whatever else comes to mind.
I'll also set up the RKL.

Once that is all done, I may lose patience with the rock. But honestly, I want to at least see the NO3 go away.

So, to answer your question;
I'll wager you have a new mouth to feed before we do :razz:

[Nano]

So, to answer your question;
I'll wager you have a new mouth to feed before we do :razz:

haha, most likely, the wife will be getting induced next week if it doesnt happen over the weekend, as she is now 39 weeks! (almost 10 months!)

[gregzz4]

haha, most likely, the wife will be getting induced next week if it doesnt happen over the weekend, as she is now 39 weeks! (almost 10 months!)
Holee that is long. Kid must want to come out full-grown.
Well, if I don't talk to you before then, here's to everything going swimmingly
Don't forget to maybe not eat before you go into the delivery room and remember, no matter how much your wife will hate you, she still loves you !

[Nano]

LOL I can hardly wait for "this is all your fault". :lol:

[gregzz4]

The build has been stalled again.
I broke the 5.5g chaeto tank, minutes before I was to flow test the system.
I'll go shopping Sunday and hope someone has another tank. Good thing I bought more than one hole saw from Princess Auto.

[gregzz4]

I was going to remove the baffle from the broken 5.5g and post the tank FF.
I broke the back panel. Now there's nothing left worth using except the ends.
Thanks Murphy
It's forcefully going in the garbage tomorrow with much pleasure :twised:

[gregzz4]

Think I won't take a chance on another store bought 5.5g as they are just too thin
I'm going to attempt to use the broken one's frame and make my own out of (hopefully ) 6mm

[Reefie]

I NEED more pitchurs!!!

I love the Sump!!! Very well planned out with LOTS of thought put into it!

[gregzz4]

I NEED more pitchurs!!!

I love the Sump!!! Very well planned out with LOTS of thought put into it!
Thank you :biggrin:
I'll get more pics up this week after I finish the chaeto tank install

[Casey8]

You are wwwaaaaayyyy too patient !!! Don't know when I can see your tank is running.
I was looking to get the same baskets you have under your stand but I couldn't find it. Where did you get them ? I am trying to copy the way you organize your things, but I have to say I gave up ! Too much work ... and need patience .... I don't have patience like you :twised:

[gregzz4]

I don't have patience like you :twised:
It may be OCD :wink: Everytime I think of a different or possibly better way to change something, I obsess about it until I can't help but do it.

I got the baskets a couple summers ago @ Home Depot. You may have to shop around though as I don't recall seeing them there lately.

[gregzz4]

Found 'em
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/2-tier-door-wall-rack/967730
They also come in a 3 tier unit
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/3-tier-door-wall-rack/966755

I put one recently on the inside of my left door for pellets, mag cleaners etc

[Casey8]

You are SOOO sweet :razz: I am going to get a couple of them tomorrow.
Thanks Greg :mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

You're most welcome

[gregzz4]

Chaeto tank is built and curing.
With a whole lot of elbow grease, I managed to remove all the glass from the broken 5.5g to re-use the trim.
I was quite shocked to see how much silicone Aqueon used. The whole upper trim was sealed to the glass.
I couldn't fit 6mm in it, but 5mm fit perfectly. A FAR cry from the flimsly 2mm the original came with. It feels nice and solid now.
Pics to come in 2-3 days when it's tested and plumbed.

I'm gettin' a little impatient with the rock cooking. We'll see how long I can hold out.
Once all these fussy things are done, it may be time to fill the system, scape it and put some fish in the QT :razz:
After all, it's only been 3-1/2 months since I started this journal, and 6 since I decided to go SW :mrgreen:

[Casey8]

You are a little "impatient" with the rock cooking ? .... hahaha ... nice try to say that, Greg :mrgreen: You have LOTS of patience and I think you are actually trying to torture everybody, especially ME, to have to wait to see your tank when it is running :becky:
By the way, I got 2 racks from Home Depot. LOVE IT !

[Nano]

your way too patient dude :lol:

[fishytime]

You are a little "impatient" with the rock cooking ? .... hahaha ... nice try to say that, Greg :mrgreen: You have LOTS of patience and I think you are actually trying to torture everybody, especially ME, to have to wait to see your tank when it is running :becky:
By the way, I got 2 racks from Home Depot. LOVE IT !

your way too patient dude :lol:

well Im gonna give Greg props for taking the time to do it right and not settle for "good enough".....I think way to many people settle for the way things work out instead of taking the time and expense of re-doing something that isnt functioning or looking right.....

Great looking build Greg!....

[gregzz4]

Hehe, thanks everyone. I know you may think I'm too patient. As I told Casey, it may be a case of OCD :wink:
Ya, I do feel like I'm torturing many, myself included.
I'm also worried you're all going to be disappointed once you see it wet. I only bought 14# LR and am not going to stuff it with critters right off :mrgreen:
Thanks fishy for your thoughts. I'm hoping I'm not fussing with it once it's wet :rolleyes:

[gregzz4]

Chaeto ( maybe /frag tank later ) is up and running.
I'm quite happy with how it turned out. All I need is a swing check-valve for it's plumbing as the anti-siphon hole I drilled interferes with the secondary system's ease of re-start .... I get loads of air in the lines that cause the UV/Chiller line to spew loads of water that splashes everywhere.
Tonight I tested the new tank with full flow. Surprisingly, it will handle all the flow from it's Eheim 1262. Good to know in case I turn off the UV/Chiller and TLF reactors at the same time.

Besides the emerg overflow, I also built a flood perimeter as I like redundancy.

So, without further ado, here's the sump before
( I still need to build the new Chiller stand )

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00898.jpg

And after
Notice the removal of the in-sump Chaeto tank ?
Now there's piles of room to remove the pumps

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00944.jpg

The whole thing so far

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00939.jpg

And the Chaeto tank running

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00945.jpg

Next, I'm on to the list I started of 12 more things I found need doing, of which at least 8 have to be done before I go salty. I am going to fully test this system running before it gets salt, making sure the kill switches work correctly. Then it's getting another test salty to make sure the ATO is working right. I might as well be as anal-as-all-get-out at this point, otherwise, what's the point in taking so much time and effort ? Right ? Ya ? Would you rush it at this point ? :mrgreen:

Thanks to RDNanoguy and fishytime for their thoughts on my TLF reactors interfering with the socks. You'll see they have been moved.
And thanks to the rest of you for the support.
Keep the nice comments and suggestions coming :razz:

[wmcinnes]

Looks like a professionals work to me! Nicely done Greg!!

[ensquire]

That is OCD in it's truest form, well done Greg.
Looks awesome.
Is that a main drain and an emergency drain in your Cheato tank ?

[gregzz4]

Looks like a professionals work to me! Nicely done Greg!!
Thanks so much Wayne. Is your build progressing well ?


That is OCD in it's truest form, well done Greg.
Looks awesome.
Is that a main drain and an emergency drain in your Cheato tank ?
Thank you, I think :smile:
If it's not officially OCD, then we'll call it boredom
Ya, there's both, plus the 'trough' in case it ever overflows the overflow

[gregzz4]

Whoops
I forgot to mount the light before I took the pics
Oh well

[wmcinnes]

It's coming along! I'm leaving for a week long trip to Mexico on Monday so I am just trying to get things all tuned in and stable before I leave.

[Casey8]

Finally I see some water is running, not really salted water yet but there is something to look at for now ... :razz:
I have the same Eheim pump just like you. I think if you use vinyl tubing instead off the pvc pipe and use a mouse pad to put underneath it, it will reduce the vibration humming sound from it. Maybe not a big deal for you, but my tank is in my bedroom so I am very fussy about noises. I try to reduce any unecessary noise as much as I can.

[gregzz4]

Sorry I missed some of your build Wayne. Guess I was sleeping :razz:
Your's looks amazing

[ensquire]

Thank you, I think :smile:
If it's not officially OCD, then we'll call it boredom
Ya, there's both, plus the 'trough' in case it ever overflows the overflow

Redundancy on these tanks is essential, as far as i'm concerned.
You can never be too safe. The trough is such an easy piece to add so why not.

[gregzz4]

Finally I see some water is running, not really salted water yet but there is something to look at for now ... :razz:
I have the same Eheim pump just like you. I think if you use vinyl tubing instead off the pvc pipe and use a mouse pad to put underneath it, it will reduce the vibration humming sound from it. Maybe not a big deal for you, but my tank is in my bedroom so I am very fussy about noises. I try to reduce any unecessary noise as much as I can.
Our DT is in our livingroom, and we sleep next to it, so quiet is of the utmost importance.
I have many pumps in my office to listen to. Besides the powerheads/filters in my QT and curing rock tub, I also have 2 x Eheim 1262s in the sump :razz:
If you look over my pics, you'll see there's one for the UV/Chiller/Chaeto/Reactor circuit and another for the DT return :wink:
I use this filter material (http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/cl-amgr19/Lifegard+Aquatics+Aquamesh+Filter+Material+%28Gree n%29+19x24+Inch.html) for dampening and it works great. As it wears out I can replace it as I only use small squares.
I have used Spa-flex where needed instead of vinyl tubing.

[gregzz4]

Redundancy on these tanks is essential, as far as i'm concerned.
You can never be too safe. The trough is such an easy piece to add so why not.
Ya, exactly. Thanks for your support :razz:

[Delphinus]

Wow, wicked setup! Nicely done man!

[gregzz4]

Wow, wicked setup! Nicely done man!
Wow, thanks Tony.
Coming from you, I'll take that as a definate compliment :smile:
Guys and Gals like yourself inspire me to build The Reef
I hope, one day, to have a tank as nice as Reefers like you.

[gregzz4]

I mentioned earlier that I forgot to post a pic of the Chaeto light

Here's the light on the tank. Sorry about the bad lighting

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00948.jpg

[gregzz4]

Alright, how many of you saw the verticle blind cables in the picture ?
Or even the rules ?

[Delphinus]

Is there even a tank in there?

[Delphinus]

Wow, thanks Tony.
Coming from you, I'll take that as a definate compliment :smile:
Guys and Gals like yourself inspire me to build The Reef
I hope, one day, to have a tank as nice as Reefers like you.

Oh man you're too kind. Other than that it's inwall mine is pretty basic. I love builds like yours where you have clearly thought things through with a plan. You are well on your way to having an amazing reef in there before you know it.

[ensquire]

Alright, how many of you saw the verticle blind cables in the picture ?
Or even the rules ?

Missed everything on left side of picture, was there even a tank in that pic?

[Casey8]

Is it the air conditioner on the window ?

[Cugio]

Hi Greg, this is amazing. I remember reading the first page and pointing out to my wife that he was able to steal the bathroom for his RODI station. She scolded me on that comment.

I don't know if you answered this or not already, but won't you have a detritius trap underneath that stand for your protein skimmer? It doesn't look like the water flows underneath that first baffle, but rather it goes over top.

[FishyWoman]

WOW! Very cool build. So neat and tidy! Some day... Some day...

[Madmak]

Looking very nice! I think we should compare notes sometime, spread the OCD around a bit!

[gregzz4]

Thanks everyone. The encouragement is helping my patience :razz:

Tony, you're too humble.

I'm glad you guys like the print. I have to keep it 'cause my dad printed it. He was even at the photo shoot - lucky bugger.

Yup, that's an A/C unit in the window. We have another in the Master. When it's too hot I leave the furnace fan running and they cool the whole house. I usually put them away for winter but got lazy this last fall.

Ya, I'll get some detritus under the skimmer stand, but I figured it's worth it. If I had the socks before the skimmer I'd lose too much return area which is why I decided to incorporate them with the bubble trap. The trade-off will allow me to do up to about a 20g running water change.

[gregzz4]

This is the skimmer stand

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SkimmerStand.jpg

I have about 4" of clearance between it and the drain lines so I'll be able to slide the skimmer back to clean out that chamber. I'm thinking I'll probably use a turkey baster and dump it into the socks before a sock swap.

[gregzz4]

Hi Greg, this is amazing. I remember reading the first page and pointing out to my wife that he was able to steal the bathroom for his RODI station. She scolded me on that comment.
Thanks, I'm quite pleased with it all so far.

I got lucky with the master bathroom as my wife only uses the main. Since it's always been 'the boy's' bathroom, why not take advantage of it :smile:

[Casey8]

If you have 2 air conditioners, you probably don't need the chiller at all. I also run 2 air conditioners in my apartment, but the portables I have are not as strong as yours, because each of mine only cover 600 square feet, that is the biggest size I could get at that time. In the summer time, when both of them are running, my tank only goes up to 1 more degree but that is it. I run 2 metal halides, 1x400W and 1x250W, plus other source of heat adding into the tank like pumps and powerheads, so I get more heat than your T5. On a hot day like today, I had already let 1 of my air conditioners run from 11AM to 5PM on the timer.

[gregzz4]

I wish my tank only rose by 1 degree. The old tank we had usually ran 4 degrees hotter than room temp, so I had to keep the house at around 76 degrees - Brrrrr - the wife was freezing.
It costs too much to chill the whole house continuously. There's 1800 watts of A/C here :lol: It was very noticable on the next utility bill.
The chiller is only 280 watts, so it'll have to do the majority of the work.
On the plus side, I run the A/C in my office when I need it while I'm surfing, so it should benefit the tank through the sump.

[Casey8]

Aaahhhh ... I forgot you live in a BIG house :twised: I am jealous ! I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment. I hear you, my air conditioner is sucking 1800W for each too. But I can't let the fish enjoy all the cool with the chiller and let us suffer with the heat, so we bought the air conditioners instead :mrgreen:
I showed my husband all the pictures from your sump and your electrical boards (because I want him to do it for me the same) and he said he couldn't believe they were built from someone that is just getting into reef hobby. He said you must have done a lot of homework beforehand and must be a very talent handy person too.
Unfortunately, I don't have a husband who has a talent like you :twised::twised:

[gregzz4]

More compliments ! My head is swelling :biggrin:
Your husband's right. I starting reading here back in Oct and haven't stopped since - hours and hours every day.
I bet, with enough reading, he'd be able to get done what you need.

[tim the toolman]

I am in awe of your system. I know who's brain I will be picking when I tear mine down and go bigger.
Can't wait to see this kitten purr.

[gregzz4]

Sure, I'll answer what I can.
I'm itchin' too ! Once the rock goes in the QT will be put to use asap :biggrin:

[lastlight]

you've taken perfectionism to new levels with that sump and equipment room I'm impressed! Looks like it will be pretty nice working on things in there which is 50% of the battle (the other half being luck). :mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

Thank you Brett. Compliments from a guy with such a beautiful tank, cool fish room and impressive room build :redface:

It's funny how just wanting a clean-looking DT has progressed to such a monster sump build. Well, it's monster considering it's all for a 75g :lol:
It's worth everything I'm doing knowing that, besides a quiet living room, I can putz away whenever I like and not disturb the wife's down-time

[Nano]

It's funny how just wanting a clean-looking DT has progressed to such a monster sump build.

Speaking of which I may have missed it, but are you going to try an algae scrubber on this tank? I know Reefwars(Denny) has one, and his tank is super clean, mind you he has a dozen types of macro algae as well lol

[gregzz4]

I'm going to try to avoid a scrubber. I'll try Chaeto and HC GFO to start with. If I need to expand the system, I can move the beer fridge and add another tank.

[Nano]

I'm going to try to avoid a scrubber. I'll try Chaeto and HC GFO to start with. If I need to expand the system, I can move the beer fridge and add another tank.

I dunno.. the beer fridge is a must IMO :wink:

[gregzz4]

Woah there big fella !!!! I didn't say remove. I'm crazy, but not certifiably so :mrgreen:
There's room on another wall beside my desk if I get rid of a useless hutch

[gregzz4]

I posted this for lockrookie so thought I may as well add it here in case it inspires someone

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/Pumps.jpg

[gregzz4]

I went shopping today for a simple check valve for the chaeto system.
For those of you out of the loop, the new system bleeds loads of air into the lines that causes the system to puke loads of water over the sump sides on re-start.

For those of you looking for the short story;
I drove over 70 miles and spent 5 hours to bring home the needed plumbing


For those of you willing to read the long story;
I left home @ 9:30am and drove to Ocean Aquatics. When I got there, I found out they didn't have the 1" clear union swing check valve I wanted, so I bought a 1-1/2" one. I then left Delta and headed for Corix in Coquitlam. Little did I know about how bad the construction delays are on the Fraser River Perimeter Road. It took me an hour and 25 minutes.
OK, no biggie, I've got time today and it's still only 12:30.
I found all the adaptors I needed and got out of there for under $6. Woohoo !
Out to the truck go I and, before I drive away, I decided to test fit a couple fittings in the new valve. To my dismay, the slip fittings fall into the valve. So back into Corix I go and attempt to solve the problem. Sorry, Charlie ....
The new valve was manufactured wrong.
OK .... deep breath ........ ( I need a beer ) .... I have to go back to OA.
I love driving my truck, but I have a tank to finish.
40 mins back to Delta ..... good thing I get great reception ... I forgot my media.
I get back to OA and show bud the issue. Even He's shocked. They had one valve left the same size and, lo and behold, the fittings are correct. I just happened to grab the one in stock that was made wrong.
No biggie, away I go with one that works.
Out the door, into the truck, out the driveway, hmmm ... this valve is too big for my space.
Back to the store, exchange for the only 3/4" one they have, test fit with a 3/4" fitting I have with me, all good.
Hit the road. Hit the ..... Alex Fraser traffic ........ on River Road ..... puddle along for another 1/2 hour.
Alright, I'm in New West, I'll take the Marine Way exit for Burnaby and .... Oh crap, they changed the off-ramp. Now I'm really in New West ... and look at all the cars ............................................
It took me another 1/2 hour to get to Kingsway .... Oh look, a :drinking:beer store. That'll come in handy in about 15 mins.
I got home @ 2 flippin' 30

I'll post a pic or 2 of the finished plumbing when it's done. I'm still messin' with it and knocking down some liquid prozac :twised:

[gregzz4]

Success :clap2::whoo:
The new valve works very well. I am again very happy with my decision to make a change.
There's no more air/draining issues causing a huge mess on pump re-start.
I've turned the pump off/on over the last hour, letting the sump equalize between tests, and it's awesome
Keep in mind ... this change was not done to eleviate back-flow per se, but only to stop air intrusion.
So, forward and onward again to get this little tank salty :mrgreen:
Here's the new setup

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00950.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00952.jpg

Ya, Brett, I have become lazy with the cement.
Brett commented on the neat-ness of my first few joints way back when I began. I started off making everything really clean looking, but have, after 50' of pipe and $100s of dollars in glass and fittings, lost my patience and went with 'just glue it, who's gonna see it ?' :lol:

[lastlight]

It's ok man I didn't even iron the sheets I hung behind my tank =) Not sure I even have an iron these days actually lol.

I can relate to the air bubbles/splashing. When I bring my water-change section of the sump back online I have to do it really slow. Huge bubbles fly out and the water level is less than an inch from the top of the sump in that compartment. I've 'gone over' many times :lol:

[fishytime]

sloppy joints make for a better seal:wink:.....thats my theory anyway:biggrin:.....

man it looks like you JUST got that valve in there!

[Nano]

It'll definitely help you sleep easy once the power goes out

[gregzz4]

It's ok man I didn't even iron the sheets I hung behind my tank =) Not sure I even have an iron these days actually lol.

I can relate to the air bubbles/splashing. When I bring my water-change section of the sump back online I have to do it really slow. Huge bubbles fly out and the water level is less than an inch from the top of the sump in that compartment. I've 'gone over' many times :lol:
Too funny you got in right there.
Oh, I probably haven't even washed any sheets in awhile ( don't tell Donna )
Glad you understand the splashing thing. It drove me nuts.

sloppy joints make for a better seal:wink:.....thats my theory anyway:biggrin:.....

man it looks like you JUST got that valve in there!
Ya, it was kinda sketchy. I almost brought home a 1-1/2" instead of the 3/4" one. That would have set me off like, umm, set me off :twised:
I'm glad I turned around and exchanged the valves.
I can see me now, going to Home Dee Pot for the umteenth time and spend another $15-20 to replace something I botched

For the record, I enjoy talkin' with you guys, All you guys, 'cause I really like the contact, but, Man, I really need to get some local Reef friends to talk to :wacko:
If it wasn't for you all, my wife would have been eligible for parole by now :snipersm:

[gregzz4]

It'll definitely help you sleep easy once the power goes out
Kenny, it's not for the back-flow .... It's to stop air getting into the system. The sump can handle the small amount of this tank :smile:
The problem was air getting back into the circuit, from that tank being so hi above the sump, and bubbling out when the pump re-starts.
It made a huge mess with all the air coming out of the lines, overflowing the sump and splashing everywhere.
I'm running switches and so on for 'sleeping' security, but they aren't ready yet.
That will be for a later post
You'll see some more 'too much' if I do what I'm thinking :crazy:

[Nano]

Ahhh I see

[gregzz4]

Ahhh I see
That's it ???? Ahhh I see ???

[burgerchow]

crazy build Greg. Only one major problem I can think of.

Your Display is " TOO SMALL" Lol

with all the effort and equipment in the background, you should go for a Big Display tank. Hmmmm 210 or 300.

[gregzz4]

Ha, ya I know. I actually sold my 125 last Nov. It didn't fit the livingroom well enough and I didn't like the deflection it caused to the floor

[gregzz4]

I finished the 20g QT today. It's not pretty, and will never be.
I tried to use some 3/4" pipe with a union and such, but it was too snug. I wanted to avoid using hose for the algae issue but this is the most quiet and flexible setup.
I have some 5" PVC for caves that isn't in the pics. It'll do the job.
There's an AC50, an 8W UV w/Quiet One 1200 and Eheim 100W. Maybe it's overkill, maybe not. The QO 1200 is padded by a piece of filter material from J&L (http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/cl-amgr19/Lifegard+Aquatics+Aquamesh+Filter+Material+%28Gree n%29+19x24+Inch.html). I tested it in the sink and there's no way I'd ever have the suction cups holding the pump in the tank.
And, ya, I wasted $15 on one of those Hagen surface skimmers for the Aquaclear. I'm a sucker for gimmicks :smile:
It'll all be run by an RKL as I had it already. The heater and UV/pump have their own GFCIs plugged into the RKL

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00955.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00959.jpg

And of course, everyone wants to see the prints my Dad made :mrgreen:
Here's, from right to left, the QT, new water tank, and nothing else worth describing

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00957.jpg

[Nano]

That's it ???? Ahhh I see ???

Lol I was tired gimme a break. :lol: builds looking awesome as always. This will definitely be one clean tank

[ensquire]

Nice ass , ummm errr I meant nice glass..

[gregzz4]

Here's another project I dealt with

Digital Aquatics decided to make their float hangers capable of only reaching tank depths of 11-1/4" max. This is with the float touching the bottom of the tank.
How does that work for me when my sump needs an 18-3/8" hanger ?
I need a low-level pump shut-off that works with my 50g sump

So, out come the tools ....

I used a 20" piece of 1/4" x 1" plex and made my own hanger.
All I needed was 2 pieces of metal to clamp the acrylic to hold the bend area, and a 3rd piece of metal to create the isolation area for heating.
I exposed about 1" of the acrylic holding the 3rd piece and heated it, then moved the 3rd piece under, along with the gun.
When I saw the acrylic starting to become a different clarity, I bent it and held it in place. I then un-clamped it and cooled it with water to speed up the process.

Next I drilled 13/64 holes and tapped them with a 1/4" ( 20 ) NC tap.

It's a slice of pie if you take your time. Just back the drill bit out every 1 second or so. This will alleviate breakage. Pressure, off, pressure, you'll see what I mean. Just don't let the bit bite into the acrylic.

Now I can adjust my floats to any height I choose :mrgreen:

I don't think there's much else to say .... here's the pics

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00970.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00971.jpg

[gregzz4]

Somethin' else that irks me with DA switches is you only get 14" of wire to work with.
No amount of heatshrink is going to fully protect the wires from saltwater.
Stupid DA

[Delphinus]

I thought there was such a thing as waterproof heatshrink? .. I'm not sure, I remember someone else mentioning that on the forum a few weeks ago though...

Nice work on the hanger!

[gregzz4]

Thanks Tony

Today was just some puttering ...
Installed the hanger, the new Ranco, sump ground probe
I was going to cut some wood for the chiller stand and make a cover for the electrical panel, but it kept raining. Now I'm not motivated

I was bored and made some level markers with clear label sheets. Now the 10g ATO and 20g new SW water tanks have measured marks. I wanted to know how much ATO I go through and make it easier to mix new SW. Yawn .... boring pics

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00976.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00977.jpg

[daplatapus]

I thought there was such a thing as waterproof heatshrink? .. I'm not sure, I remember someone else mentioning that on the forum a few weeks ago though...

Nice work on the hanger!

Cheap way to do it if you have some aquarium silicone handy... Put some where the heat shrink will go, slide the heat shrink over it and apply your heat. As the heat shrink shrinks the silicone oozes out a but and Bob's your uncle .

[gregzz4]

Good thought, thanks dude

[The Codfather]

I thought there was such a thing as waterproof heatshrink?


There most certainly is, we use them with submersible pumps all the time in potable water systems. Should be available in the electrical department of any big chain store. Just make sure you use a heat gun to shrink and not an open flame...........

[Nano]

There most certainly is, we use them with submersible pumps all the time in potable water systems. Should be available in the electrical department of any big chain store. Just make sure you use a heat gun to shrink and not an open flame...........
lol Vac trucks?

Try WSI (Warehouse services) If you have one near you Greg, the price is good, but I think they may only supple bulk?

[The Codfather]

lol Vac trucks?


Not even close. No submersible water well pumps, potable sytems. Good God honey wagons give me the shivers..............

[gregzz4]

No amount of heatshrink is going to fully protect the wires from saltwater.
I gather this was a bit misleading ...
I used heatshrink, and a heat gun, I just don't have faith in it being 100% water tight. I have various sizes and used the tightest fitting possible.

[gregzz4]

I'm feeling a little pressure here - not only from all the fantabulous builds going on around me, but also from some so-called friends :wink:
With all the planning I've been doing, I've probably been stalling as I'm leery of what I may be missing

One thing that has slowed me down, besides all the re-plumbing, has been the rock curing.
I think every time I change the water, it cycles a bit again. But that doesn't explain the PO4, or does it ?
I just tested the rubbermaid after 10 days and I still have 0.1 NO3 and 0.025 or so PO4

Mindy, I tried my best, but 3 months of cookin' in the dark and I can't take it anymore :crazyeye:

I was going to have a serious sleep on what's keeping me from puttin' water in this thing tomorrow, but I'm now thinking I may as well start tonight. Then the RO can start re-filling while I sleep ( nightmares of flooding )

- I have the floats installed, they just need to be programmed, but I don't want to do that until it's running

- Heaters and chiller are good to go, just need to set up the ATO, but can't do that until it's running

- Still need to build a splash barrier for the electrical panel, but that can wait a bit. A garbage bag will do in a pinch for now :razz:

- I'm still planning the light-bleed barrier for the ATI, but I think I have finally figured that out today.

So ... I guess I'll start draining that big barrel tonight :mrgreen:

Dam you Kenny :wink:

[gregzz4]

That didn't take long. Now we wait for the drum to re-fill http://www.en.kolobok.us/smiles/artists/big/Connie_twiddle-thumbs.gif

Sump is full and I'll turn on the sump recirc pump and Ranco heaters to help speed things up.
I'm thinkin' Sunday morning / afternoon before I can turn on the pumps and RKE heaters, sunday night for salt, and monday night or tuesday the wife and I will start 'scapin :razz:

http://images.clipartof.com/small/1067504-Clipart-Pig-Sitting-On-A-Stool-Royalty-Free-Vector-Illustration.jpg

[lockrookie]

calculate teh total volume meaasure out corect amount of salt put it in a pile in main display (if tank is dry).. take a picture. then you can say you finally got it salty. i was thinking of doing this myself other than it may be eaier just to set a bucket in the tank les mess

[gregzz4]

then you can say you finally got it salty
:pound: now why didn't I think of that
Can't put the bucket in there now, though. Already have some base rock in there and leftover water from the RO barrel

I'm commited as I'm not going to drain the RO water again ( I've already done it once )

Gettin' kinda excited here :drinking::pray:

[Madmak]

Can't wait to see it!

[gregzz4]

Can't wait to see it!
Me too, but it's not going to look as kool as yours !

[lockrookie]

:pound: now why didn't I think of that
Can't put the bucket in there now, though. Already have some base rock in there and leftover water from the RO barrel

I'm commited as I'm not going to drain the RO water again ( I've already done it once )

Gettin' kinda excited here :drinking::pray:
you've done your homework
you've tested redone retested everything
your good to go.

next challenge keeping things alive and fighting algeas and issues for the rest of your life. lol i know sounds glamorus. but its worth it

i have one more online order tomake and im doenfro equiptment for now. just havent had the time to get the stand done .. so for now ill live through yours...

[gregzz4]

you've done your homework
you've tested redone retested everything
your good to go.

next challenge keeping things alive and fighting algeas and issues for the rest of your life. lol i know sounds glamorus. but its worth it

i have one more online order tomake and im doenfro equiptment for now. just havent had the time to get the stand done .. so for now ill live through yours...
You're right, I should be comfy and just get it goin' .. so that's what I'm doin' - enough thinkin', more doin'

You can't live through mine, there's no size comparison :razz:

What's your next order for ? And we're waitin' for the stand update, plus the final on the rock wall

[lockrookie]

You're right, I should be comfy and just get it goin' .. so that's what I'm doin' - enough thinkin', more doin'

You can't live through mine, there's no size comparison :razz:

What's your next order for ? And we're waitin' for the stand update, plus the final on the rock wall

my next order is 2 more koralia powerheads 750gph and 100 feet of 1/4 tubing to run to my ro unit and a module for an apex controller. i found an apex lite used for 6 months for 250 bucks from a reefer on our provincial forum. i could not refuse. with that i can finally start the stand and design the power center for the system. i will still have to eventually order another power bar for it. but that can happen after its running. no rush.

lol as for the rock wall update that will be awhile yet theone wall is still airing out in the rain and the girls havebeen sick withthe flu so my attentionis on them. the framework is made just have to attach rock and foam. then seal. besides i haveto have some sort of suspence onthe build lol. cant show everything...i should have a couple updates after the weekend maybe if weather permits.

[gregzz4]

OOoohhh, cool gear. Nice score on the Apex too. I gather you've already found all the local used Energy Bar 8's near you

Damned family, gettin' in the way of the build an all :wink:

Sure, you can keep us in suspense throughout the rest of your build if you like, but some of us may get bored waiting :faint:

I can prove this as there are not near as many lookey-loos on my build anymore :mrgreen:

[lockrookie]

OOoohhh, cool gear. Nice score on the Apex too. I gather you've already found all the local used Energy Bar 8's near you

Damned family, gettin' in the way of the build an all :wink:

Sure, you can keep us in suspense throughout the rest of your build if you like, but some of us may get bored waiting :faint:

I can prove this as there are not near as many lookey-loos on my build anymore :mrgreen:

yeah not too many ppl using controllers in this neck of the woods oh wait sask has no trees. all i need is 2 bars and one comes with the lite so im good to go

yes the past three nights they have woken due to throwing up on themseles. but the worst is the diarea....oh how nasty that is lol

im not worried how many ppl view my build.. its more of a refrence for me to look back at all the mistakes i make to fix in the future.. if ppl enjoy the build cool if they think it is crap so be it... its just fun to create

[Blue World Aquariums]

Looks very clean...nice work!

[gregzz4]

yeah not too many ppl using controllers in this neck of the mosquitoes

but the worst is the diarea

im not worried how many ppl view my build.. its more of a refrence for me to look back at all the mistakes i make to fix in the future.. if ppl enjoy the build cool if they think it is crap so be it... its just fun to create

Hehe, woods, ya right ( editing was a must )

Yikes, I don't envy you the fact that we missed out on having kids :smile:

I, too, like the idea of being able to look back on it an laugh at what I did. Unfortunately, I like the praise

[gregzz4]

Thanks Spencer !

[gregzz4]

Mangia mangia
Night all

[lockrookie]

Hehe, woods, ya right ( editing was a must )

Yikes, I don't envy you the fact that we missed out on having kids :smile:

I, too, like the idea of being able to look back on it an laugh at what I did. Unfortunately, I like the praise

yeah praise i nice. i know my pics wont do the intricity justice. most he time i get why areyou doingthis nd areyou ondrugs looks.. for example ppl say i need more flow for sps.. my flo is nowhere near what ppl recomend but i plan on adding alot of sps. my hopes and want list for sps is 50 different sticks minimal softies.. lps off to one side zoas along the bottom and of course my anenome island

right now i have 10 sps frags in my 50 waiting for thier new home.

fish stock will be minimal

[lockrookie]

nuff bout me this is your thread and its time to attempt sleep

[daplatapus]

I can prove this as there are not near as many lookey-loos on my build anymore :mrgreen:

Not to worry, I'm sure there are people like me new to the site keepin' an eye on ya and watchin' every move you make :suspicious:

[ensquire]

I think I hear water running, Keep us updated on this progress.
I have been in the same boat as you, not sure if I'm ready for the next step.
Got the last of my eurobracing today and just waiting for gate valve and new return pump. Then there will be no more excuses.
My rock has been cooking for 4 months, it is what it is at this point.

[gregzz4]

Finally ..............................

4 months after starting my journal, and 7 months after thinking I'd like to go SW .....

I couldn't find any reasons to stop me from adding salt
Hope I didn't miss something ....

So

http://bestuff.com/images/images_of_stuff/210x600/giggity-giggity-giggity-78490.jpg?1184366699

It's salty :mrgreen::whoo::mrgreen:

Tomorrow, after SG testing, will be "add LR from Rubbermaid" day :cheer2:
Then I'll recruit my wife to help me 'scape it and on we go from there :D

:new-bday: 75g

[Madmak]

You look a bit more "tropical" already!

[Nano]

:bananahuge:

[gregzz4]

You look a bit more "tropical" already!
Oh, good thing my wife didn't see this ...
We coulda gone back to Cancun for what I've spent :wink:

[Casey8]

Another 2 hours for me before I go to bed, but am I dreaming or what :suspicious: Are you really ready ? :mrgreen: Congratulations, Greg !

Please post all the pictures tomorrow :smilecol:

[gregzz4]

Quote Nano, had to delete the big banana ......
YEAAAHHHH :razz:
Hope all is well, considering the puke on your clothes and all :wink:

[gregzz4]

Another 2 hours for me before I go to bed, but am I dreaming or what :suspicious: Are you really ready ? :mrgreen: Congratulations, Greg !

Please post all the pictures tomorrow :smilecol:
Yup yup yup :mrgreen: You're not dreaming !!!!!!
Thanks
I'm so excited I think I'm :drinking: too much
I'll pay for it tomorrow, but it's worth it :wink:

I'll get some pics up this week after we like the 'scape :biggrin:

I bought some extra epoxy today too just in case. Not going to run into a roadblock now

[gregzz4]

Not that this is what the tank will look like, but with the cabinet light on, I thought this effect was worth posting

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00986.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00990.jpg

[Nano]

Sorry about the giant fruit ;)
Glad to see your finally salty!

[ensquire]

WOOOP WOOP

[Casey8]

Need more pictures :multi:

Are you ready for this ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ6CcEOmlYU

[gregzz4]

Sorry about the giant fruit ;)
Glad to see your finally salty!
No worries, I just didn't want to look at it twice :razz:

[gregzz4]

WOOOP WOOP
Agreed :biggrin:

[gregzz4]

Well now the skimmer is working :doh:

The little clear spinner washer was installed on top of the plate, instead of underneath.
Either the manufacturer, or the member I bought it used from, put it above the plate and it wouldn't close the door enough
Maybe it worked for the member with his sump level ....

Anyway, I'm finally getting some NOG and can start dialing it in :biggrin:
BTW, all that's in there is the base rock, so I guess 'tis dirty

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00992.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00995.jpg

[apexifd]

Love that skimmer

[gregzz4]

Love that skimmer
Are you still happy with yours ?
I'm just learning how to use it

[gregzz4]

This is not the scaping plan
Just evidence that the LR is finally in :mrgreen:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00996.jpg

[Nano]

:mrgreen:and it begins :)

[gregzz4]

:mrgreen:and it begins :)
:mrgreen:

LR cured for 3 months in the dark
I lost all the mini brittle stars, don't see the mini hermit and don't see any amphipods anymore
Still have a couple mini clams and a small snail

Can't wait to add stuff !!

SG 1.026
pH 8.14
NO3 0.00 +/-
PO4 0.00 +/-

No other testing yet ... no point :wink:

[gregzz4]

I finally got around to setting up this Tunze ATO 3155
I gotta tell ya, when I first walked away from it, I thought it was all good. I tested it by pulling water out with a jug, and then putting it back, and all was great.
I went to the kitchen and started a conversation with the wife ....

Not long after, the Hi alarm went off and we thought it was something on the TV :rolleyes:

I ran to the sump room and, after viewing the problem, I unplugged the power supply to the ATO. It had already dumped 1 gallon of RO into the sump !!!!!!!!!

I then spent the next, say, 2 hours, setting it up and I think it's all good now.
So, problem solved, at least overnight, and we'll deal with it tomorrow :wink:
I had to add some salt and remove some water ......

My problem, I think, was the chaeto tank.
For those of you that haven't been following along, it's above the sump on a separate pump.

I watched when the chaeto tank level raised, and, of course, the sump level dropped.

I never thought this would be enough to upset the ATO, but it did.
The trick was to set the ATO to ignore all this, yet still work properly

I ended up having to set the Optical sensor much higher than originally planned. It is now very close to the HI level float.

Seems to work so far ... 3 hrs running and no stupid cycling :mrgreen:

I cannot post a good pic as the location of the mounts is tight


Useless pic .....

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01009.jpg

[gregzz4]

The Tunze ATO started acting up
It has been giving me the 'wet internals' alarm
There's no way it got wet, but I took it apart anyway to ensure there's no moisture inside it. None.
So, I've done 2 things hoping to solve this issue;
First, the ball valve from the chaeto tank was not sensitive enough to get the drain level perfect. It was sucking air intermittently, filling the sump with bubbles.
Possibly those bubbles were upsetting the optics
The ball valve was just replaced with a gate valve
I've gone from this ( blue valve )

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00944.jpg

To this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01014.jpg

The other thing I've done is move a relay away from the Tunze Controller, just in case an electrical or magnetic field was the issue
From this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01012.jpg

To this

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01013.jpg

Only time will tell now if it's resolved

[Nano]

Now your the one with ocd ;)

[gregzz4]

Lol, ya think ?
Seriously though, the ATO warning was going off a couple times a day
It don't work so well in that mode :sad:

[gregzz4]

ATO tank pic
I may unplug the heater - haven't decided yet
Looks like I'm using about 1g/day, so I'll get 8 days before the pump is shut off
The upper float kills both the powerhead and heater, and the lower kills the ATO pump
The relays in the previous pics are for these 2 floats

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01015.jpg

[FishyFishy!]

ATO tank pic
I may unplug the heater - haven't decided yet
Looks like I'm using about 1g/day, so I'll get 8 days before the pump is shut off
The upper float kills both the powerhead and heater, and the lower kills the ATO pump
The relays in the previous pics are for these 2 floats




Man, when I get to this stage in my build imma have to ask you some pointers on the float switch's. I want to rig a few to cut the return pump in the event of a blockage. And the same in the ATO tank.

Everything's looking fantastic. I thank you for having such a detailed build thread. Theres a lot I can learn when my sump room build is under way. I will have 6 tanks total plumbed into the same system, much like yours.

[gregzz4]

No problem, whenever you're ready send me a PM

[tang daddy]

May I make a suggestion, no need for a heater in the ato as it adds small amounts of water to the system at various times. Cover up the ato resevoir and add an airstone to circulate/aerate/agitate the water. If you dose liquid supplements you can add magnesium and alk to the ato and it will act as a doser. To cover up the ato tank you can use plastic sign board, easy to work with, make cuts for tubes, plugs, hoses. I found a sheet of 4x8' at industrial plastics for cheap, you can also use it to cover parts of your sump. Since covering my sump I have lost 25% less water than when I didn't. My sump has a middle refuge which I used glass the rest was the sign board.

Nice progress btw, are you adding sand or is it BB?

[gregzz4]

Thanks for the suggestions
I have unplugged the heater and may use it in the winter months
I may add an airstone but for now am relying on a maxijet 600 for circulation
I haven't put any thought yet into covering the tanks
As for sand, I just added it tonight and am waiting for it to clear before I take any pics
I picked up some chaeto today and am hoping to add some coral soon so I can start feeding the tank :smile:, but I will wait until my nutrients are under control
Tomorrow is testing day

[Nano]

up some chaeto today and am hoping to add some coral soon so I can start feeding the tank :smile:, but I will wait until my nutrients are under control
Tomorrow is testing day



!!!
Nice can't way to see more progress on this beast :lol:
I myself finally painted the back of my tank lol... the wires finally started to
give me a headache! now its all black. (I think next time I will go blue):sad:

[gregzz4]

Picture time !!!

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01041.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01042.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01043.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01044.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01045.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01046.jpg

[Nano]

Nice! That looks boss

[gregzz4]

Thanks :mrgreen: My wife was a really big help with the rock

Looks like I get to go shopping soon;

79.9 - 80.3 F
pH 8.13
Silicates 0
Copper 0
NH3 0
NO2 0
NO3 0
PO4 0
KH 9
Ca 460
Mg 1350
Sg 1.026

My temp will never go outside those #s barring an equipment failure. My Sg should stay nice and stable as the ATO is doing a great job keeping the sump level rock stable.
I know my KH and Ca are a bit out of whack with each other. I'll re-test them over the next few days and see what's up.

I still have a small list of things to do, but nothing pressing now :biggrin:

[wmcinnes]

that aquascape looks awesome!! well done!:mrgreen:

[Madmak]

that aquascape looks awesome!! well done!:mrgreen:

Very nice indeed!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Love the aquascaping Gregg. Give your wife a big high five for us.

[lastlight]

Rock work looks great Greg :) nice to see you're so close to adding some life to your system.

[fishytime]

Its alive!!!!:biggrin:.....the scape does indeed look spiffy........

[gregzz4]

Aw shucks :redface: Thanks everybody
Anthony I'll let Donna know you like it

[gregzz4]

After bringing some critters home from J&L and testing their water, I've decided to drop my Sg from 1.026 to 1.024
I'll keep it there for now as I feel it will be easier to acclimate critters to a lower Sg as opposed to a higher level
So, with that said, and after over an hour of dripping ..... ( I trippled their bag water )

I added 2 Astrea snails and 1 Red Scarlet hermit tonight
I know, I didn't want hermits in the tank ( or all the shells ), but, well, we'll see ....

Before acclimating, one of the snails had a green shell.
When I put them in the tank, the green shell was clean :smile:
They separated after about 1/2 hour and are milling about nicely

The hermit immediately started in on some guck on his rock. He kept at it for over a 1/2 hour. I think he's full and now taking a break, but here he is busy at work

Pics suck as I don't have a super-duper camera and the main lights were off

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/FirstRedScarlet.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/FirstAstreaSnails.jpg

After some food I am going to add salt to the QT I just finished flow testing and will also add some to the NSW tank that is now up to temp

Tomorrow will be a 15% WC for the DT and maybe some new fishies into the QT after a trip to J&L :razz:
Plus, depending on the wife, we may end up with some corals too :wink:
Hell, we may even find some time tomorrow or Monday to hit OA as well :smile:

[Enigma]

Very nice!

[gregzz4]

Thanks Shelley

Got tied up yesterday and did nothing

Just completed my first WC
I did 15% and now the skimmer is functioning normally again. I got a great tip from Kenny. It looks like either some leftover glueing guck, or the new sand, or both was/were the issue
I'm hoping my pH will come back up now as it dropped from 8.13 to 8.0 after I turned the skimmer off. I'm not worried about it right now, just making an observation

I split the chaeto into 2 balls - one on each side of the overflow and both are tumbling nicely

After this post I'm going to get the GFO running
I'll probably leave the carbon reactor empty for now

The QT is functioning nicely;
No leaks, stable Sg temp etc

I'm going to try to get the wife to J&L tomorrow to see what peaks her interest

[gregzz4]

I just brought home another 57lbs of LR :mrgreen:
When I'm ready it'll go in the sump. Whatever won't fit will go in the QT
I'm going to give it a quick RO dip and put it in a rubbermaid for a couple days to see where it's at

I'm not going to cure it, unless I get some heavy readings over the next days. It was in the seller's tubs long enough and now's the time to have a tank cycle anyway :wink:
Obviously I'm going to get a cycle with it, but I agree with everyone that I didn't have anywhere close to enough @ 15lbs

[gregzz4]

I'm waiting for the rubbermaid water to warm up, so .... more pics

The GFO is running. I moved both reactor outlet lines so they go through the socks and maybe some will even get into the skimmer. There's still all the room I need to easily change the socks too

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01056.jpg

Here's one of the kinds of sponge that survived the cooking - the white ball that looks like an urchin

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01055.jpg

And today I spotted some mushrooms that I thought were only coralline
They are purple in this pic. Looks like about 8 or so
Bad, bad picture

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01054.jpg

[gregzz4]

I'm really happy with the LR I bought from TaioneReefer. He let me pick through two different tubs and his smaller SW tank. Lots and lots of coralline, lots of Tonga, lots of nice shaped base pieces too and it's light, porous rock. Great guy. Thanks Kevin

If you're lookin' for LR, you'd best contact him soon. He still has a lot of great pieces left - some huge ones too

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=85705

I filled my rubbermaid and then had to 'scape the 20g QT too 'cause I bought way too much for one rubbermaid !!!
Looks like I can't buy any fish this week now until I get the rock out of the QT. But that's OK as now there may be some seeding going on in the AC50
Later, probably this coming weekend, I'll put as much as I can in the sump and decide what to risk in the QT

So far there are loads of micro brittles, and some asterinas, amphipods, tube worms/feather thingys, mushrooms, some sponges and also a bunch of some kind of polyps spread out
Also lots and lots of coralline

I gave everything a quick RO dip and managed to pull out what was left of some live Fireworms that he missed. No biggie - it's LR so it's expected
No crabs to be found and, unfortunately, no bristle worms. Ce La Vie

Great find - way more life than the LR I got from the LFS that someone traded in

I transfered a few micro brittles to the DT but I'll leave the Asterinas for now

So, as I stated earlier today, I'll watch the rubbermaid LR this week and if there's no spikes and no PO4, I'll load up the sump.
The wife already has her eye on a couple small pieces to add to the DT as well :wink:

And, 'cause Photobucket seems to be endless ...

The rock is not green, it's just my camera

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01058.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01057.jpg

[gregzz4]

Micro star ( like no one's seen them before :rolleyes: )

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01063.jpg

Mushrooms on Kevin's rock. There's lots more - probably over 1/2 dozen I can see

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01060.jpg

Are these tube worms the kind that grow in your sump and such when there's too many nutrients ???

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01064.jpg

[gregzz4]

Nothing exciting here. Just trying my hand at a youtube thing
Here's the chaeto tank in action

http://youtu.be/B3B2yIX97-4

[Nano]

looking good Mang.

I could be wrong but if your using the chaeto fuge to grow pods as well, the flow might need to be a bit slower

[gregzz4]

I'm not overly worried about pods yet but that's a good point
It's funny you mention that as I'm still kinda fine tuning all the flows and while it may be a lot for the chaeto I'd still like to have it rolling some
Each time I turn it down I have to adjust the drain rate so it's a slow process

[gregzz4]

Things are lookin' up

Diatoms started a couple days ago, so the cycle isn't stalled. Nothing out of control to speak of, just some here and there. I wonder if all the snail poo has re-started the cycle - hmm ...
All DT params are great. Nothing to measure except a trace of NO3

Last night we started seeing copepods all over the glass and now they are visible daytime too. This makes me happy. They must have come from the chaeto

We now have 5 astreas, 12 margaritas and 4 red scarlet hermits. All are busy cleaning the rock and giving us something to watch.
I installed the red moonlights today, on a 1 hour timer, so we can watch stuff after the lights go out

Waiting to put the new LR in ... probably this weekend
I won't say the rock is ready by any means, but now is the time to mess the tank up
Today's readings, in 9g of water, are NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 1+ and PO4 1-2 ish

I don't want to wait another month or 3 curing the rock in a tub, so into the system it goes :lol:

And something funny to me ...
I turned my back on the DT for about 5 mins, after watching the hermits for awhile. I come back and one of the dudes has gone from the extreme left rock pile to the extreme right one. He's pickin' away at another hermit, they get quite close for a min or two, then he leaves. The other hermit carried on afterwards, so no harm.
He had gone down the tower of rock, across 3 feet of sand, up another tower of rock and straight to another hermit.
Only conclusion I come to is mating

[gregzz4]

looking good Mang.

I could be wrong but if your using the chaeto fuge to grow pods as well, the flow might need to be a bit slower
I ended up having to keep the flow where I had it
The chaeto wouldn't tumble otherwise and I'm not overly concerned how it will affect the pods as it's just motion, not flushing :smile:
If the pods can't hang onto a ball that big, they deserve to end up in the DT :mrgreen:

[fishytime]

And something funny to me ...
I turned my back on the DT for about 5 mins, after watching the hermits for awhile. I come back and one of the dudes has gone from the extreme left rock pile to the extreme right one. He's pickin' away at another hermit, they get quite close for a min or two, then he leaves. The other hermit carried on afterwards, so no harm.
He had gone down the tower of rock, across 3 feet of sand, up another tower of rock and straight to another hermit.
Only conclusion I come to is mating

my guess would be, attempted shell-jacking.....hermits are somewhat criminal:twised:

[lastlight]

exciting times when those pods start taking off (or appearing at all). it's amazing how long you can sit and watch them when you're in that phase of a build.

i've got hawk eyes for seeing little things in my tank and i have not seen a pod in ages during lights on. the wrasses are masters of the hunt.

[gregzz4]

my guess would be, attempted shell-jacking.....hermits are somewhat criminal:twised:
That's what I thought at first, and the attacker was quite a bit larger, but nothing came of it
There are lots of similar shells at the base of both rock piles
I guess when you want that particular one, you're gonna go for it

[gregzz4]

exciting times when those pods start taking off (or appearing at all). it's amazing how long you can sit and watch them when you're in that phase of a build.

i've got hawk eyes for seeing little things in my tank and i have not seen a pod in ages during lights on. the wrasses are masters of the hunt.
I know once we start adding hunters they'll disappear, but it's nice to know there's some food about

[gregzz4]

With any luck, Saturday will be "add more LR to the system" day

I can't add most of the new rock until the wife picks through it to put some pieces in the DT

I may start adding some to the sump as I know which ones I don't want in the DT, but I can't get too carried away yet

Hard to not just do it on my own :mrgreen: but I like her opinion

It's been said recently on someones else's build ....
Happy wife ... happy life

[lastlight]

You're going to keep rock in your sump as well then? I used to but wow did it ever collect debris no matter how well I stirred the sump up with flow.

[gregzz4]

Ya, I know it's going to be a big problem, but thanks for the warning. I see myself having to clean out the drain section of the sump weekly for the next year or so ... whoooppeeee

Thing is, I couldn't find any LR worth buying back in Feb.
You'll recall when I found the aiptasia ... that was the rock I bought back then
I cured it for months and, by the time we were ready to fill the tank, all we had was 14# of LR and a bunch of base that we had already scaped. I didn't want to ruin the cured rock with more, uncured, so, well ....

I thought we could wait for the base rock to mature, but now I don't want to do that

I'm seeing I need a lot more LR than we started with and I don't want to ruin our original scape. Plus, I'm not going through the epoxy thing again. That crap messed everything up

So, I'm left with filling the sump for a year or so until the system matures

[gregzz4]

And, to add, I'm going to end up with a whole lot of algae problems now with the leaching from this newer rock

[Enigma]

Hard to not just do it on my own :mrgreen: but I like her opinion

It's been said recently on someones else's build ....
Happy wife ... happy life

Your wife appears to have pretty good taste (at least with the scape . . . Which looks great). All of my guy's taste is in his mouth.

You're build, with spouse involvement, is going to turn out much better than mine. :lol:

[gregzz4]

Oh don't say that
I'm sure that, once you two make your minds up about your background, you will have an awesome 40 long :wink:

But thanks for the encouragement :mrgreen:

I only hope it goes well enough regarding the parameters :surprise:

[Aquattro]

Oh don't say that
I'm sure that, once you two make your minds up about your background, you will have an awesome 40 long :wink:


Shelley made up her mind, trouble is hubby isn't going along with it -lol

[gregzz4]

Shelley, do you need a little help from us ????
We could always start some kind of riot or something :mrgreen:

Honestly, I wish we could show your hubby what it's like with weird backgrounds and such :hug:

[gregzz4]

The new LR is leaching too much NO3 and PO4 to go in the DT system now
Looks like I'll have to do some WCs and be patient while it cooks some more :sad:

On the plus side, the snails and herms are doing a nice job of keeping the DT fairly clean

I've been messing with the MP10 settings and placement and am happy so far with the detritus situation

[Enigma]

Shelley made up her mind, trouble is hubby isn't going along with it -lol

Shelley, do you need a little help from us ????
We could always start some kind of riot or something :mrgreen:

Honestly, I wish we could show your hubby what it's like with weird backgrounds and such :hug:

I have decided that if he keeps working weekends (flooring contractor) that I am going to paint the tank when he's at work.

I think it a bit unwise that he leave us (our three-year-old and myself) to our own devices on a weekend.

I've purchased the paint already. He hasn't noticed it sitting there, yet.

The new LR is leaching too much NO3 and PO4 to go in the DT system now
Looks like I'll have to do some WCs and be patient while it cooks some more :sad:

On the plus side, the snails and herms are doing a nice job of keeping the DT fairly clean

I've been messing with the MP10 settings and placement and am happy so far with the detritus situation

Where did you place the MP10s? I'm very interested in their placement, as I'm undecided over using them. Your tank is 12 inches longer and 5 inches taller, so if they work for you they should work for us.

[gregzz4]

Our 2 x MP10wES are centered about 30% from the front ( to center )
I had them about 25% down from the top ( to center ), and that was great for surface agitation, but not for detritus settling
Currently they are about 40% down
I set a mild wave ( less than 1/2" total travel ) in Short Pulse and am now running them in Nutrient Transport Mode @ 80% ( 10 of 12 LEDs )
This gives me a wave with about 1/4" travel
So far so good

If you do decide on a pair, you'd be able to turn them down low enough in that tank that I doubt you'd hear them

[Enigma]

Wow! I'm surprised you have them cranked up to 80%. That's 1260 gph for each pump (unless the change is logaritmic . . . which it might be). 1260x2/75=33.6 . . . so that's 33.6 times the tank volume per hour. 20 is recommended for SPS. Does that mean that the flow seems quite gentle?

[gregzz4]

It may seem like a lot of flow if you look at it that way. I'm sure I'll have to change things once I start adding softies and LPS
I'm only basing my settings right now on the amount of snail poop that settles on the sand :wink:
Until you make your mind up about buying some, you could ask around if someone would let you see their's running

They way mine are set right now, they pulse left - right - left - right
It's about a 3/4 second pulse each side, back and forth. This creates the wave. On the setting I'm currently using, they run this way for about 1/2hr or so, then there's a big surge. It's supposed to mix everything up and then flush it out the overflow

BTW, every tank is different, so where you start off with them placement-wise is up to you
I just raised mine back up closer to the top by about an inch as I didn't like the dust that was collecting on the surface in some areas
I'm still going to have to fool around with them until I'm happy

[Enigma]

I could be lookin' at it totally the wrong way. The change in the gph could be logarithmic, or the wave patterns could effect it. I'm trying to figure out if I could get away with a pair of MP40s (already thinking about the next tank :lol:). I don't think I can twist the numbers in a way to convince myself that I could. In looking at the flow diagrams I prefer the 40.

Scape can have a huge impact on the flow, too.

[gregzz4]

I don't think you're lookin' at it the wrong way
Just keep in mind that it takes the pumps running full speed to acheive maximum flow

There's nothing wrong with you buying 40s if you're gonna use them for an upgrade later. You would just run them very low speed-wise on your 40b :smile:

Keep in mind ...
40s cost a fair bit more and cost lots more for replacement and repair parts
Good thing about them is the wet-side parts are available separately

[gregzz4]

Nothing exciting lately

Just did a WC on the curing LR
I had the rock in a covered rubbermaid while cleaning out the main one and decided to inspect it all again
Found another fireworm and, stupid me, grabbed it with my bare fingers :surprise:
Looks like all my years of manual labor has toughened my skin enough to protect me :smile:
I broke the bugger, so I took the rock to the sink. I turkey-basted hot water into the hole a bunch of times and the worm oozed some black stuff
I broke away some rock around the hole and, when I grabbed it with tweezers, it came right out :twised:

[gregzz4]

I'm seriously considering removing the in-sump 1262 that runs my accessories. It's been driving me nuts for days. It may have something to do with all the Highway construction that runs from dusk 'till dawn, but regardless, I have become sensitive to humming ....

I have found that, because of the way I plumbed the PVC and Spa flex for the accessories, I had to clamp the plumbing to the wall to stop sagging, and now the humming is too much
Even with the acc pump off, the noise from the return pump is still transmitted through the plumbing, so I need to make some changes
I'm glad this came up now, before I start stocking the tank

I am considering buying some Eheim compacts to run each accessory by itself with vinyl hose, thus ( hopefully ) eliminating the need to clamp stuff to the wall

I have some return re-plumbing to do that is also vibrating
I may or may not wait until I do that before I decide what to do next ........

Is there an icon for 'pull-your-hair-out' :lol:

[Nano]

There's this :drinking::frusty:

[gregzz4]

There's this :drinking::frusty:
I have been doing this :drinking:and am close to the other :lol:

[Casey8]

Oh no ... waiting for you to tearing apart and redo your plumbing, it looks like you are trying to torture me again :sad: Your building thread is the only one that I am following closely because the size of your tank is like mine and you have a terrific building skill too. I understand the humming sound can easily drive you nuts when you are sleeping next to it. My tank now is quite quiet, the only thing that still makes me go nuts sometimes when I have a difficult time to sleep is from the water sloshing down from the overflow box.