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:

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:

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?

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.

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.

That 55g pail is heavy...
 

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

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
55*8.34=458.7 so it potentially could weigh 460lbs. But the build is still strong enough

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

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.