Budget doesn't exist in this hobby: Brian's 45g Build

[Etaloche]

I managed to make the brace last night before sleeping so that I can have a peace of mind when the tank is filled.



As you can see even after couple practice pieces my plastic bonding technique is still quite lacking...
Never done a piece with a big area to bond and didn't realize the cement wouldn't seep all the way to the middle.



Second try went better but still getting lots of bubbles



After all that, the long piece was scary to tackle but it actually ended up being my neatest bond yet.



Here's how it looks like on the tank. Luckily the imperfections on the bonds aren't really visible when looking at the tank so it won't bother me and keep me up at night haha



Leak testing!



Everything looks good, overflow working as it should.
I found that the airline tubing was not needed to allow the open channel to achieve a full siphon once the water level gets high enough.



All good in the sump too.



Uhhhh... so I think I'm ready to get some saltwater into this tank now!?

[The Guy]

Looks good Brian, your workmanship is very tidy and well thought out.

[maron6977]

Is there enough volume in your sump if return pump is turned off ? Watch out for back flow from returns !

[The Guy]

A small hole drilled at the water line on the back side of the return pipe also works well to break the syphon in the event of the return pump going off or a power loss, on page seven I think I see a check valve in the return piping which is a good idea too, make sure to keep it clean as those pesky little snails can cause it to stay open sometimes.

[Etaloche]

Originally Posted by maron6977

Is there enough volume in your sump if return pump is turned off ? Watch out for back flow from returns !

Did a quick test
In my leak test the pump chamber was way overfilled so it won't normally be that full
Here's how high the water gets when the pump is off. It doesn't even fill up to my 1st chamber even when overfilled so I think I'm in the clear

Originally Posted by The Guy

A small hole drilled at the water line on the back side of the return pipe also works well to break the syphon in the event of the return pump going off or a power loss, on page seven I think I see a check valve in the return piping which is a good idea too, make sure to keep it clean as those pesky little snails can cause it to stay open sometimes.

Ya I don't trust these things completely. I've been trying to find the check valve for the loc lines as a second measure but it's either not available or ridiculous to ship.

[Myka]

Make sure you have enough volume in the sump without the check valve. It will fail at some point - usually when you're not home. Murphy's Law.

You mention the return chamber was overfilled in your leak test photo, but it's actually at the level where it should be - it should be about 1/4 - 1/2" higher than the last baffle so that there isn't a waterfall into the return chamber. If you have a waterfall that makes the baffles a moot point.

Looks like it's time to get salty!

[Etaloche]

Originally Posted by Myka

Make sure you have enough volume in the sump without the check valve. It will fail at some point - usually when you're not home. Murphy's Law.

You mention the return chamber was overfilled in your leak test photo, but it's actually at the level where it should be - it should be about 1/4 - 1/2" higher than the last baffle so that there isn't a waterfall into the return chamber. If you have a waterfall that makes the baffles a moot point.

Looks like it's time to get salty!

When I ran the test in the previous picture the return nozzles were placed high enough and when the pump was turned off they weren't submerged so didn't even use the check valve.

I never thought of that in terms of the water level in the last chamber. Totally makes sense though.

[Etaloche]

I think it's safe to say at this point that this build is proudly sponsored by Anthony

Had a post up looking for some rock and he was quick to contact me and give me a deal I couldn't refuse
Got them sitting in some water for now to get some of the debris loose



Got a refractometer in the mail but it's taking longer than I had hoped, luckily I was able to borrow one from him



Also a 50g bucket for the initial mixing and filling



Without the help from Anthony this build would've been much more difficult and time consuming. Can't thank him enough!

[Etaloche]

Can't believe my tank is finally up and running!
5 years of wanting to get into this hobby and well worth the wait so far!

Here's a light fixture I whipped up from 3/4" polycarbonate



Figuring out the aquascape. Anthony told me that he never epoxied any of his rocks together so I did the same and simply piled up the rocks where they were structurally sound



I shipped one of the PC4 modules that wasn't working in for repairs so I couldn't finalize the wiring so it's a little messy but this is what it looks like



Tank finally filled with water!!



After the water has settled a bit and cleared



Sitting at 78 degrees F and pH of 7.80 for now



Day 1 of reef keeping and I couldn't be more excited!
I want to thank everyone that gave me great advice and help. Couldn't have done it without the help of this great community

[The Guy]

Wow looking awesome Brian.