hahaha awesome avatar.

beer always makes projects go more smoothly. Im a sleeman's fan myself.

A couple of small projects,

The Stirrer was a simple mod,

If you look at the top flange set of the old ca reactor in the pics above, you can see where the new stirrer body came from. :)

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ingHead017.jpg

I just hacked the top half off and replaced the bottom, and routed out the flange to accept the motor casing off the old stirrer.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ingHead018.jpg

All i really did here was increase the body size so it could accept more kalk without bogging down the stirrer too much.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ingHead021.jpg

You know your in a sad state when you take a Deltec and make it into a DIY. :D

The reseviour,

This was an old 220 plexi that had a corner blown out of it...so i repaired it and put it into use.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Scaping018.jpg

I wanted to keep it simple and use only one pump for mixing and pumping to the tank.

In this pic`s lower left you can see the valves used to do this.
When they are in the position shown, the pump inside is feeding up through and back into the res for mixing.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Scaping581.jpg

Then when waters needed i just have the valves oppposite to what is shown, then it uses the same pump to push water into the sump after a water change.

Also in this pic you can see a small blue valve....this is plumbed into the intake of the pump, this was done becuase the feed to the sump is running along the floor back up over the sump edge.
I didnt want water to go stagnant in this line when not in use....so this small line acts as a venturi, when the water change is done, i open the small blue valve and it suck all the unused water out of the lines running along the floor.


Many Projects yet to come....

Can you provide some details on those vaccuum hoses that are hanging on the side of your mixer? It looks like you've got a powerhead hooked up to one, and they both have union fittings on one end...I would love to see how these work because I need to create something like that myself.

Marc enjoying the ride, I am learning more on this thread, than if I were paying attention in class instead of reading this!
Also that is a hilarious quote at the bottom of your signiture.

Keep it coming,

Kris

this is a great thread giving me many ideas for when i move and redesign my setup

Ya those vacuum hoses interest me also.Its to hard to get into my sump to siphon.A mark mod would be great.By the way thxs for sharing your ideas.

Any pictures of setting and sealing of the viewing panels?

Untamed & Blaster,

I have the opposite end of the union attached to a bulkhead fitting in the side of my sink.

One set is for siphoning the tank, one set is for vacuming the sump.
Since the sump is too low to start a siphon one was made seperate.
It was just attached to the intake of a mag 5, so i could suck it out, but then i can still use the same union on the sink.
I just did it this way so the line stays in the sink when im pulling on it all the time as i walk around the tank with it.
I made the union high enouph in the sink to use a gravel trap before entering to the drain.

Mark,

Unfortunatley i didnt take pics of mine, maybe if jamie see`s this he can find a few pics of the same type of install we did on his window.
All i remember is like using 7 caulking tubes on the face pane....

Dual closed loop w/OM 4 way`s .
Ill put this one on as it still may help others with idea`s, but i no longer use this on the system.

When the tank was being built, i placed 10 holes in the perimeter bracing to accomodate 8 Closed loop outlets and 2 for the main system feed lines.
These were each a Sequence 5800 fed to its own Ocean motions 4way.
I didnt want these lines fed on the backside of the overflow, so the line ran back up through the overflows to the 4 way`s.

Some pics of that all being set up...
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...nkshots066.jpg

The loops plumbing had to bend so it was somewhat straight when it came up through the old walkway, because the walkway was still removeable at this point.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Details116.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...nkshots193.jpg

The outputs and the OM`s still had to all sit as flush to the tank so the canopy could slide in and out.
But the OM`s needed still to be at the high point of these loops, so when i did need to open the OM`s, i didnt have to drain the loops everytime.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Details122.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...nkshots074.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...tails142-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Details141.jpg


I wasnt happy for long with this set up due to a couple reasons,

-Heat....3 degrees per pump difference.
-clutter...i hated leaning over on the plumbing while worked on the tank.
-noise...by far that was the noisiest part of the whole system.
as much as i loved the OM`s i dont miss opening them up either.
I felt as though this were also a weak part of the system, due to the fact the intakes for the pumps were low, and i had nightmares of a pump housing cracking or a pipe let loose...draining the entire system.
I also wanted a more permantent walkways that also wrapped around the side of the tank aswell.

I loved the movement it offered however, aswell as the "in tank" views was overall cleaner.

The substitute....

I opted to use wavy-sea`s with tunze`s attached to them.
Heres how i attached them together,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...touches042.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...touches043.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...e/May25098.jpg

At this time a pair of waveboxes was also added, to help pick up detritus off the floor.

I am very happy with the change and glad i switched it, heat was drastically reduced, the system actually became more simple.
Aswell, combining the variable flow from the tunzes and variable movement of the wavy-sea`s made for the most adjustable and versatile flow patterns that i have seen.

Marc.

Bulkhead the sink! What a brilliant idea!! That will be done pretty soon at my place for sure.

OM's a the highest point. I'm not certain that I could have done that...but I never thought to do it, either. Draining them for service is certainly annoying.

Nighmares...Thanks for sharing that one. I don't think I'll be sleeping so good for the next little while...

Sorry...im slow i know, being sick this weekend allowed me to have time to scour for pics.


The largest amount of time and effort was put into the skimmer(s).
Always an ongoing saga for me, on this system it started here....

The first trial was another single beckett injected skimmer similar in size to a Bullet 3.
This one i knew was a bit undersized at the time, so an experiment was done using a single housing, but 2 becketts in it.
This one also had a spray bar to clean the neck, a later scrapped idea.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...inshing018.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...inshing017.jpg

To be honest, i dont think that one even got anymore than tested before another was built.

The next one i wanted to try several idea`s, I hated most venturi`s becuase of the too small holes in them...so i wanted to make my own type.

These i made out of solid acrylic, so i could see if they got plugged or not.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Skimmer002.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...iscroom047.jpg

Here is how i tested them,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2.../may7021-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2.../may7020-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ge/may7015.jpg

The skimmers injector housing had to be removable to continuously change and test these, aswell as injector tower hieghts.

Here`s a version with 2 of them,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Skimmer009.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ge/may7034.jpg

These were being tested while the skimmer had no change in neck diam and no cup to speak of.
In these pics you can see i just bulkheaded the top, and it just spit the foam out the side. :D

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ge/may7031.jpg

Then another injector was added ,aswell as heightened injector towers.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ge/may7037.jpg

And an auto shut off.... good testing requires that you flood out your house several times during your build before making one of these.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...iscroom012.jpg

Then, for some unknown reason, i had to play more...

I later was able to make a cup and neck, but at this time i wanted the skimmer to recirculate, use 4 injector`s, and raise the injector column height.

I took the previous idea of single house for multiple becketts, and stuffed 4 of them in a single 5 " diam housing.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...e/May25003.jpg

Becketts proved to be easier to work with, and less time consuming so was finally all put together here.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...May25058-1.jpg


Last but not least, actually..probably not last either. :)

Was as my fellow reefer Tony dubbed it, "Dalek" a monster Dual dart meshwheel skimmer.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Skimmer048.jpg

Most of its build was posted here.

http://216.187.96.54/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=30974

Marc.

Almost forgot,

I made a self cleaning head a few weeks back aswell,

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...immer007-5.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ge/Misc001.jpg

heres a crappy vid i did with the camera, excuse the poor quality.


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...kimmerhead.jpg

Marc.

OMG that is just amazing!!! Man, your DIY skills continue to astound me :eek:

What will you think of next, An auto-cleaner for the auto-cleaner.:mrgreen:
Seriously good job.

Jeez mark... your insane, thats awesome... now come over and build me an exact replica of everything!!!! LOL.

Man you think of everything. That's awesome.

Ok .. I have to pester you for some details .. :p What's the motor? What material is the wiper thingymabob?

Tony,

The motor is a 4 rpm that i swiped out of a small rotating nano tank that i had sitting here for a year.
it is almost identicle to a BBQ rotissery set up.

I used a bearing set that i routed and inset into the center of the lid.

The squeeges (sp?) are a windsheild wiper replacement blade cut down and held with an acrylic fork that hugs the inside and out of the neck of the skimmer.

Marc.

And to think I'm intimidated by the DIY coil denitrator! :redface:

marc, i think of you as a good friend and a saltwater guru, but buddy i think you may be insane :lol: . just kidding. amazing job as usual. you never seize to amaze us. i cant believe you are already thinking of building another skimmer.

IS this a "roll up the rim to win" contest prize?

I think you could be right, i think both of me might be....

We`ll be at the looney bin if anyone needs us....


:P

Looks Great Marc, So when do they go in to production.

You coudl call them SuperFudge Skimmers

J

I just have to say I checked out Marcs set up the other day and that skimmer really is awsome! We both fit in it perfectly and it felt just like a hot tub.

Sorry about spilling the nachos though...

Marc you continue to amaze! You do more things than the rest of us even think about - even the rubber skirt super hero stuff!:biggrin:

Incredible!!!

It's awesome that we have a Canadian reefer with DIY skills like these. Do you post on the other sites too?

- Chad

Thanks guys,


Jason, problem is, id have a total market of size of about 1, and thats providing that he/she is deranged as i am. :P

Superfudge skimmers...lol, "removing superfudge since ... "

Dale, your really scaring the crap out of me man.
It wasnt so bad , but the speedo`s and goggles were totally uncalled for. :D
Dont worry about the nacho`s...the skimmer pulled em out before you were even finished spilling them. :P

Ruth & Fish Thanks, even without the added bonuses of a fun DIY project and a greatly improved skimmer, it makes all the projects worth the time and effort when i hear comments like that, Thank-you.

Fish, i do post on RC, but im a bit of a lurker there...i think ive been a member for almost 8 years there, and made about 120posts....lol.
Marc.

I think i could be that 1 deranged person. I am interested in the exact products that you used to coat the fiberglass (gel coats/epoxys~as you stated~vaguely), and if you used epoxy resin or polyester resin to do the fiberglass work. I am making a system similar to yours, but different dims, and the more specific you can be in this area, the more confident i will be about doing the same to my own system, and it will be of greater assistance. I have sent you a pm as well. I know it takes a lot of time and patience to document / post, and anwser everyones questions. For that i am truely greatful.

Dan,

Sorry so slow to respond.

Wow, that would be truly a wonder to see a tank that big.
Anyways, ill try to also answer your questions from the PM aswell.

On the tank, i used both types of resins...for several reasons.
All the initial layups were done with polyester type resins (unwaxed), this was becuase i wanted time....with polyester there is no need to layup the next coats before or at the "gel" stage as is required of epoxy type resins.
I also did this during late fall, it also allowed me the most play in drying times with the use of different amounts of catalyst....also not allowed with epoxy.

This allowed me to get a very thick overall moisture barrier that is very strong...totally uncalled for it seems compared to what others are doing with their plywood tanks, but i wanted to sleep at night.

With polyester, the actuall moisture barrier comes with the use of a product called gelcoat, this is another polyester resin that is tinted for the final stages of your product....boat builders use this to finish the final stages.
It is also required becuase it is waxed, all layers of polyester never truly "set" without the waxed portion....this is why polyester is more flexible than epoxy here.

After the final waxed gelcoats, i sanded, and applied tinted epoxies (a few additional topcoats....also tinted incase i sanded through gelcoats)
This was done because epoxy is superior in moisture resistance to polyester.
Keep in mind, the two only work together if epoxy is the top coats, therefore polyesters cannot be laid over epoxy.
Any additional work i do to the tank, will always be epoxy now as i cannot go back.

I couldnt recomend urchins, but your guess is as good as mine here regarding the acryic protective layer. i think my concern is water getting trapped underneath and becoming anoxic....doubtful, as a lot were using the same type application with the starboard.

"Long term durabilty" Hmm, to be honest i am unsure, i would expect to match any glass tank of today...i would guess 10 yrs before a drain and an inspection...shorter on a thinner moisture barrier.
Its been just shy of 2 yrs on this one and im sure its as good as the day i finished it, with the exeption of fading on the euro brace due to the lighting.

Hope that got most of your questions answered, And WELCOME to Canreef !

Marc.

The rockwork,


I wanted very open structures with less rock.
This requires way too much patience on my part to wait for corals to fill in the bare spots....but i think the end result will be what i am shooting for, with more corals and less rock in the views...But even after almost a couple years i still can see alot of the original pipe....owell its coming i guess.
With a goal of a dedicated SPS system, i felt it was also important here to be able to acsess all detritus and keep waterflow as much as possible in all areas.

I probably ended up with about 300 lbs total, a little over 1/2lb per gal. theres about 250lbs in the display, the rest in the sump.

I started trying to draw what i wanted to see while the tank was being built, it was important to me to know what i wanted before finishing building. i fiberglassed tabs in certain spots on the back walls and floor of the tank to help give me this open look without the additional rock support that it would have needed otherwise.

The tabs that were applied for this:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...elcoat_016.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...elcoat_008.jpg

There were 10 in total, including a few that were put on the bottom.

Starting the pvc structure:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Details165.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...etails_166.jpg

Started to pile rock in:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...venturi017.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...venturi016.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...venturi015.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...venturi014.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...venturi013.jpg

Finally, starting to cover it all up, and toying with different pieces:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ockwork014.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ockwork041.jpg

............

Some of it was pretty labour intesive requiring a couple holes in most of the rock...and if it didnt fit right i drilled more...

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Scaping235.jpg


From the first top down view you can see a half arch, with one end suspended. On this arm i wanted to have it continue up to or even sticking out of the water line.
I didnt want too much weight on this arch, so some of the rockwork was hung from the euro brace to come down and meet the existing rock halfway.

hanging part:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Scaping254.jpg

Putting top half on first...i know it looks halarious at this point:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Scaping239.jpg


Its not quite finished here, but roughed in atleast.


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...nkshots341.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...nkshots317.jpg


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...nkshots313.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...nkshots219.jpg

Finally, top & bottom connected and it growing in eveeeeeer so slowly :(.
Again, from a number of months ago, i hope to have a few more recent ones soon...aswell as some more corals to help fill it all in.


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...Scaping011.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...scShots090.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...scShots088.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...scShots101.jpg

Marc.

The amount of thought and planning that went into your tank never stops amazing me. With each post I'm even more blown away

J

self cleaning head
 

OK that self cleaning head video just made my jaw drop. Marc can you take close up pics please????? I need to incorporate that into my new skimmer design.

NOT BAD I GUESS:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Marc , Incredible !! I think you should be Prime Minister or failing that, King !!!!

....................................Dave

wow. amazing. dude, you are freakin brilliant

Marc,
Thanks very much for taking the time to anwser my questions with so much detail. it is truely apperciated.

when doing the epoxy resin top coats, did you add anymore layers of fiberglass, or was it just topcoats?
whats your feeling on sanitred and why didnt you use it

Thanks again for helping me soo much. I feel alot better about using fiberglass and resins.

reply
 

Wow, thats all I have to say. I know who I'm gonna call next time I venture out west.

Any chance you could back up a bit and take a shot of the whole tank? Maybe get something in the photo to show the scale of this beast?

Marc,

I must say, your system is probably one of the best thought-out I have yet to see around. It has alot of the primary features I've thought of or considered adding to any future upgrades for myself, and more, and you've managed to make them all work so well together.

I have only two questions:

1. The tank's 'body'(the wood frame/sides) does not appear to have much bracing or be very heavy? And the plywood doesnt look to be extremly thick, I would guess at maybe 5/8... 3/4" at most? What are the dimensions of the 'main' tank?

2. I notice on your (ingenous ofcourse) self-cleaning head for the skimmer, you 'squeegee' both sides of the cup neck, both inside the neck, where the column of foam rises, and also in the cup itself, where the foam would simply pass over the edge causing the bubbles to pop and skimmate to fall into the cup. Skimmate buildup in the cup itself I wouldnt think would affect the skimmate production? Aside for on the top rim itself, and maybe 1/4" down into the cup itself on the neck? Also, does your cleaner target the top lip or rim of the neck at all? Im sure the second squeegee inside the cup however would add stability to the 'tool' itself as it rotates as well?

Thank-you for entertaining my questions!

And thank-you very much for sharing your system here with everyone! Im sure your ideas have helped motivated many people in here and possibly helped solve some of their problems!

Cheers,

Chris

Marc,
I don't know how the heck I missed this thread and the one on Reef Central but I am definately watching now. As Christy said I must have been living under a rock. Anyway this set up is absolutely fabulous. I knew you had a great tank but I didn't know it was to this extent. You are truly an inspiration to the "humble little reef" people like myself. I will definately be looking you up when I'm headed to the coast this summer. Maybe I can trade some frags for a tour.:wink: To heck with nominating you for FTOTM you should be Featured Tank Of The Year (maybe the decade).

Thank you guys...ill apologize again for being so slow.

Chin, ill fire a few up this sunday..i have been revamping it to work a little better and ive takin a bunch of pics of how its being done.


Lucky, no, i didnt use any fiberglass beyond the polyester layers.
I am sorry i am unsure what sanitread is.

Danny, thank you..ill get a couple for you on sunday when i have a chance to update on the self cleaning head.
Ill see if i can bribe my daughter to stand beside it to show scale for you..at 16, she`s much too cool for fish tanks..but ill see what i can do. :)

Funky,

The ply is 3/4" on the bottom, back and sides. euro bracing aswell as exterior bracing was used to achieve the rigidness i wanted to see.
On the front, the ply is laminated to 1.5" thick, and i bet stronger than most glass tanks.

Sludge buildup on the inside of the neck on most skimmers i built or used extends to about 4" down on the inside of the neck and in my experience greatly reduces skimmate production, i felt this was the most important feature of the whole unit.
I can watch production improve after the first pass with the squeege.
If you were refering to the outside of the neck, yes, it doesnt help with production, but was important for two reasons.
First i always watch here to guage the skimmate production and adjust accordingly, so i like it clean so i can watch this daily.
second and most important, it stabilizes the whole rotation of the unit and keeps both squeeges clamped against the neck while rotating.
It was very difficult to build everything by hand and get it precise enough to rotate exactly on center of the neck, so there needed to be a little play here.

The things to consider when i was building for this were many :
The lid for the cup had to be drilled and routed dead center for the bearing and motor casing or the pivot would be off center.
The outer groove routing where it seats onto the cup had to be precise, so the center hole wasnt shifted in any way.
The neck had to be dead center coming up from the base of the cup so the cleaning head would spin freely.

all considered, i was about 1/8" out after all pieces where placed together, and i hoped the squeege flex would absorb this difference while spinning.

One day, i would love to have a CNC....

I will explain what i have changed recently on the head when i next update on sunday.

Greg,

Sure, id be glad to give you a tour...and yes FRAG TRADES are always a bonus !

thanks all, Marc.