The Tank is Finally Running!!!!!!!

[TripsieD]

Well, after several months worth of planning and several months worth of work, the new tank is finally up and running, though there is still much work to be done. There are a few things that aren't functioning as intended, however, I think it will be fine once the tank is fully filled and running full tilt.

Tank

The tank is a 29 gallon, with a 1 inch overflow. A Mag 9.5 is functioning as the return pump. The return will eventually be a Sea Swirl, however, at this time the return is a Fluval "U" return. The sand is 40 pounds of CaribSea Aragonite Seafloor Special Grade Reef Sand.

Here is the tank shot, loaded with sand and partially filled with water.

Sump

This is the sump, gotta love the "cop drama" lighting scheme lol. The sump is a standard 29 gallon tank, with baffles added. It is set up for (from left to right) Intake, Refugium, Return. While not perfect, it's not that bad for not having built a sump before. I seriously doubt that I will be winning any "Prettiest Siliconing Job" awards but it gets the job done.

Again, the return is a Mag 9.5 (with EPDM weatherstripping zip tied around the bottom to lessen vibration noise, almost a 75 to 90 percent reduction if I might add) plumbed with 3/4 flex tube that will eventually be tied to a Sea Swirl return.

This is the part that is not functioning as intended, as I believe that the bubble trap baffles are waaaaaay too short, however, it may not be functioning as intended, but I think it will work and do the job its supposed to as is. I think the silicone fumes got to me or I just do not correctly understand sumpage LMAO.

This weekend I am going to purchase some rock and that should get this thing functioning as complete as possible, until I can get the Sea Swirl and the 150 or 250 watt Ice Cap MH Pendant with 20k bulb.

Tom

 

[Phyl]

Tom, You may well win the Prettiest Silicone Award. I've seen some pretty bad silcone jobs (around our house, lol). You definitely wanted that first baffle stop to be higher to force the air to the surface. If you find you're having micro bubble problems you could always add more plexi/glass directly above those two baffles currently in place. Hopefully it will have the desired affect with no modification though.

Enjoy your new setup!

 

[RevClyburn]

is that a gap in the 3rd baffle? if so, why?

edwin

 

[TripsieD]

Thanks, Phyl, that made me feel a lot better about it!!!! At this point I don't see micro-bubbles as too much of an issue, due to the top baffle and the bubble trap being perfectly even, though we shall see when the system is running full tilt. If the bubbles are an issue, like you said, I can add an extra piece in there and fix it!

Rev, yes, that is a gap in the third baffle. I am not sure what the heck I was thinking, but the thought process was: that the water would hit the top baffle and rise to 12 inches (the height I wanted the fuge) without raising the level in the bubble trap (a very flawed idea in retrospect, geesh those silicone fumes can be bad lol), mostly though, it would keep sand where it is supposed to be and keep the macro algaes from floating too far around the sump, whch I think it does a much better job of.

Tom

 

[mfisher2112]

Nice. Keep us posted on how that works out. I'm running a 9.5 on my return as well, I'll have to try that weatherstipping idea to cut down on the vibration.

 

[jazzsam]

GREAT JOB! I hope mine comes out as good as yours. I will definatly be hitting you up for advice when I get to the sump portion of the new tank.

 

[TripsieD]

Thanks, Sam! Hehehe I am definitely no sump expert by any means! RichT or JohnS_323 are probably much better resources lol. Though if you need any help, I'm glad to help out in any way I can!

Tom

 

[TripsieD]

Well...the tank is finally seriously up and running, man what a great feeling lol. Here are some updated shots and a quick tour!!!!!

Let me take you on a quick tour of the new system!

The Sump

First up is the sump. The sump is everyone's favorite thing to play with when it comes to tanks, most likely due to the tfact that we can tinker in there all we want and no one is going to get upset!

As stated above, the sump is a 29 gallon tank that I added baffles to (incorrectly but hey its working).

The sump is comprised of 3 compartments:

The Intake

The Fuge and the Return

The return pump is a Mag 9.5 is really nice and quiet since I added the EPDM weather stripping to the bottom, just motor hum.

The Display Tank

The display tank is a 29 gallon, drilled with a 1 inch overflow (I think I would do 1 1/4 if I had it to do over again) that drains to the sump via flex tubing.

Full Tank Shot
They don't call the ocean "The Big Blue" for nothing, and this tank is no exception! lol

The tank is located next to my desk. It is really for my viewing pleasure and no one else's to be blunt, so it is where it is most convenient for me.

This is the view from my desk:

This is what the fish will get to see...well its a bit hazy but kind of a cool shot though.

There it is, the grand tour! I can't wait to get the rock in and start getting thetank settled in as I have some inhabitants that are waiting for their new home!!!!!

I couldn't have done this project without all the help you guys gave, so thanks and here's to you guys!!!

Tom

 

[mfisher2112]

Nice! ;D

 

[kabal2]

nice job tom, but be careful with the return section, i looks pretty small, and your evaporation will happend there, so if you are not going to have a out top off, your pump my run dry, just something to tink about, and i like that silicon job

Gabe

 

[JohnS_323]

Looks Tom! I'm looking forward to seeing it stocked (probably not as much as you are, though!).

 

[jazzsam]

I love what you got going. I am anxiously waiting to see what you end up with in there.

 

[TripsieD]

Thanks for all the great comments!!!! Yeah, I'm flipping out, I can't wait to get stuff in there lol. All the stuff from my 5 gallon is going to move over there, it's just getting the tank cycled now lol.


Gabe,
Evap looks pretty good for the first few hours it's been up. I think the return has about 1 or 2 gallons...maybe 3 at the max. Thanks for the heads up, I will definitely keep my eye on it and see how it goes over the next few days!

Am I crazy or is that really a whole LOT of sand in that tank??? I should prolly move some to the fuge???

Tom

 

[kabal2]

nah, thats about good with the sand, again Tom, you did a nice job

Gabe

 

[panmanmatt]

Looks great so far. Something you can do to lessen the chances of your pump running dry is to put a 90 degree elbow facing down on the pump's intake, this will draw the return water off the bottom and give you and extra couple inches of safety room.

 

[Brian]

Looks great so far. Something you can do to lessen the chances of your pump running dry is to put a 90 degree elbow facing down on the pump's intake, this will draw the return water off the bottom and give you and extra couple inches of safety room.

I do that as well, it also helps with the microbubbles!

Tank looks great so far! I do have a question about the last chamber where the pump is located. I can't tell from the pic... does that baffle allow water in from the top and the bottom?

 

[blange3]

Am I crazy or is that really a whole LOT of sand in that tank??? I should prolly move some to the fuge???

Tom

I think it looks great! Especially the crater in the middle. ;D Make sure you keep that just the way it is!

Seriously, that is about the depth i usually keep. Next Reeftopia buy get some cerith and nassarius snails. I can give you a few to hold you over in a couple of days .

 

[TripsieD]

Wow! Thanks for all the great comments! Alot of work went into this system and it's only getting better.

I kinda like the crater too, it wa made by dumping water in the tank, very cool effect!

I hadn't even considered the 90 degree elbow on the return pump. That is a really great idea, which I intend to do.

ReefDrumz, no, the water actually cascades over the wall and drops into the return area as can be seen in the blurry shot below. The baffle is 12 inches high and 11 3/4 wide. The baffle before it (the other side of the fuge) is a total of 13 inches (2 6 inch glass pieces with a 1 inch gap). The water acutally rises above the baffle by about 1/8 to 1/4 inch.

Hope that explains what's going on, if you need further clarification let me know.

Tom

 

[Brian]

I am hardly an expert with this stuff, and I really have no experience with baffles, but if the water level in the sump drops below that last baffle wont the pump run dry in minutes? I'm sure I'm missing something here, but I can't think of what it is!

 

[malulu]

Brian,

you are right... I was always wondering how come that baffle on my sump was so low, now i know why...
;D

being be the baffle as so low, i was doing daily water top-off of about 3 gals during the summer time (cause i am too cheap to buy a chiller, and have a 20" fan blowing on the top of my tank to cool it down).

If Tom have this 13-in baffle, it probably won't be good, you'll have to be 100% sure your auto top off work perfectly, otherwise, you pump will run dry very fast...

-David