wayneb's Blog

[wayneb]

This blog was set-up for various reasons.

Probably first and foremost I have to admit I am 'puter ill-literate (not a misspelling but a way of life) and this is one way to gain knowledge and experience in the 'high tech world we now live in.

Next reason is I feel that this is one way to gather and record my thoughts, ideas, etc., no mater how silly I think they are or dumb they sound to me. That I choose to post them is probably my first silly idea. However the one thing I value most, outside of family, is knowledge. And I don't mean book learning per se, but that gained from practice and repetition, and feedback from others more wiser in the subjects. The comments received can be read, saved, and reread again and again until it sinks in. As I get older the one problem I have in receiving face-to-face advice is that my photocopy mind soon runs out of ink and becomes blurry in a short time.

The third and final reason is that although I have experience with freshwater aquariums, etc and koi and lily ponds, I realize that saltwater reefs are a whole new ballgame. With the freshwater aquarium and ponds it was easy to set up and expand with minimum cost, equipment, and foreplanning. I found real quick that it is not so with saltwater set-ups. So as I subtitled this blog "building on the cheap", I will value any ideas and comments received to my ideas that I 'blog' on setting up my aquarium room. Being semi-retired and inflicted with many hobbies and interest, my CoH is limited (cash on hand) so will rely on recycling what I have, buying used, building my own, etc.. However to do so I need the viewer/reader to tell me "sounds okay, might work, worked for me, that is dumb, I tried it and it didn't fly, don't do it because ...".

I hope to get serious with setting-up an aquarium room starting in the new year as this month we have a new kitchen coming in. But one must prepare first. So my first question concerns: Can I recycle my old kitchen base units and along with cheapo laminate countertops from one of the local DIY places - as aquarium stands? Anyone know what the weight is of a properly filled 55g long retangular tank with water, live rock, sand and rubble? And what is the load weight of the cabinents/countertop combo. It would be hell to find out that the load wt. vs aquarium wt. is a few pounds less.

[labradorduck]

55gallons times 8-8.5 pounds per gallon (min 440lbs) is probably more than your cabinets can handle. Add in 40 lbs of live sand, another 50lbs of live rock. If your cabinets are pretty, you may benefit from building a skeleton of 2x6's with good cross braces. You cannot over-build a stand. Add in some pink foam insulation, the firm stuff not fiberglass rolls, to account for any unevenness.

Hope this helps you.

[labradorduck]

First comment didn't seem to take, so here it is again:

a 55 Gallon aquarium not including its own weight is 440 lbs (55*8lbs/gallon saltwater), add in 50lbs of live rock, 40 lbs of live sand. It needs an extremely sturdy stand to sit atop. Kitchen cabinets are usually pressboard and ill suited to carrying the weight of a full tank. Just my two cents.

[wayneb]

First comment didn't seem to take, so here it is again:

a 55 Gallon aquarium not including its own weight is 440 lbs (55*8lbs/gallon saltwater), add in 50lbs of live rock, 40 lbs of live sand. It needs an extremely sturdy stand to sit atop. Kitchen cabinets are usually pressboard and ill suited to carrying the weight of a full tank. Just my two cents.

Thanks, that is the kind of feedback I needed. Back to the drawing board. Thinking of now using the cabinents as storage-and fitting them between the

2x6 framework. Putting 3/4" plywood on top of the 2x6s and the laminate countertops on top of that. Mainly to get a waterproof working area. Then cutting out the foam insulation to fit the tank bottom plus 1" all sides and rest the tank on that. Looks as if it will put the tank at eye level when sitting

down. Also giving second thoughts to tile as it would be slippery when wet.

again thanks,

wayneb

[wayneb]

Continuing comments to building on the cheap. Part 2

12/9/9

The overall dimensions of the ex-spare bedroom, ex-train room, and hopefully soon to be fish room is: 11’ x 9’ - which I guess is standard. However I need to move a desk and chair into it, our computer, TV, and a daybed or futon. What is planned is the stand/countertop area (which is on hold due in thanks to Labradorduck's comments) is to be placed into the outside wall corner in L shape, the desk between doorway and closet with computer, printer, and monitor on shelves above the desk. The bed against wall between door and window, opposite outer wall.

The room still has residue from the tear out of my train layout and needs to patched and repainted. Also still up is some of the shelf tracks I used to hang the florescent 48" shop lights from to light up the lower layout tier. The upper tier lights are still in place behind the masonite fascia. Another Question: What would be a good color to paint the wall as a background for viewing the aquariums?

Area for desk and computer. This is now on-going with Time Warner coming in to add a new Modem drop.

Next question: As I need to tear up and trash the carpet - should I spring for a new cheap (indoor/outdoor) one or go with tile? Or do both and just tile the area around the aquariums and use rubber matting in front to prevent slipping.

Have just about decided to have the bed fold up against the wall, to free up space. Have to check my woodworking books and magazines (and surf the web) to see what designs are available and hardware needed.

Have been given thought to the lighting requirements. And going with the theme of this blog "cheap", am thinking of recycling a few of the 12"x24x3" florescent u-tube fixtures salvaged from a telephone office tearout. Need to read up more on lighting though I'm thinking of staying away from halites due to the heat generated. Crazy as it sounds - will probably post something in ARC requesting used/unusable, burnt out lamps of various types (T-5, T-8, etc) of less then 24" so as to do retrofit/mockup of one of the units. I am thinking that I should be able to get more then enough wattage needed for the tanks. By remoting the ballasts, adding whisper fans, any heat issue should be minimal. Have to talk to Shane some more though and again I welcome any feedback.

Will stop here for now as my brain has fallen and can’t get up!

[wayneb]

Initial comments to building on the cheap. Part 3 - Dec 15, 2009 Well my plans on using the old kitchen cabinets base units as storage is no longer possible. It seems as if the old ones were custom built and nailed/spiked in. The tear out crew had to use sledge hammers to remove them. Was able to salvage some of the doors and hardware to use though.

For the time being the spare bedroom/ fish room is on hold. Ran out of space in the garage and POD unit (especially after putting the 120 gal tank, stand, and canopy bought from Capt Obvious into it.) Anyway had to move boxes of kitchen stuff into the bedroom. The new kitchen cabinets took up all the dining room space (almost blocking my access to the 29g bio), the living room and hallway. They started installing the cabinets today so space in both the dining room and living room is clear. Hopefully within the next day or two they will be finished, though still have the appliances, countertop and back splash to go.

As I couldn't do physical work in the bedroom, I've spent the time planning/researching RO/DI units and lighting for the 120g. Decided to go with BRS' 5 stage plus RO/DI and will order it next month. The lighting planning was more involved. I've spent quite a few hours surfing the web and sponsor's site, plus ARC's archives for information and ideas. The 120 is 4'x2'x2' and I was afraid I might have to go with Halite's which I wanted to avoid, mainly due to possible heat issues and cost (ballast and the necessary chiller).

21 Dec 09

Have cabinets installed and appliances on hand but not hooked up yet. Don't have the back splash nor floor done yet. And am resting between detail work of painting, plastering, electrical and the myriad of other things to be done.

Came back from the meeting yesterday with a very welcomed 'white elephant' gift of a top-off kit. Now my brain is working on how I want to do the RO/DI in preparation of the 120g and in support of my 29g bio. Getting RO water from HEB when its cold out, is not fun. Did go ahead and order the RO/DI unit from BRS since I got to get the plumbers back out to hook up the sink, dishwasher, and filter to the fridge anyway. Of course I have to wait on the countertop installation.

Brings up some questions/verification: Copper line into the RO/DI is okay? But thereafter all plumbing should be tubing or PVC? Should have a RO holding container, salt mixing container, and smaller transporting containers (too old and feeble to cart around 30 gal of water). Reading the blogs and stuff - guess I'll go with the trash containers for RO and salt, and I was thinking of a large picnic ice chest with wheels to cart to the tanks to fill top-off containers (smaller trash cans, etc) nearby. Any Pros or Cons or further suggestions? Any and all are always appreciated.

Back to work here before getting ready for work in Austin.

Wife and I really enjoyed the meeting and look forward to the next ones.

[+dapettit]

The RO membrane should pull out all metals and if you are really worried you could add another DI cannister so it passes twice through DI resin. My source water comes from the washer which has copper pipes. Then I use the 1/4" tubing that came with the unit as water feed to the unit.

I notice you are using "on the cheap" not sure how much you are spending on your RO/DI unit. I got mine on e-bay for around 130.00. Mark Callahan has the same unit. Produces 150 gallons of water per 24 hrs. My RO/DI Unit

Are you going to be able to store water as you make it from the RO/DI unit? The reason I ask is several of the club memebers ATO their systems using the stored water. One 55 gallon drum for top off and another drum for mixing salt. You can get the drums for 10.00 Austin Home Brew. Just down the street from Aqua-Tek.

Glad I didn't steal you white elephant gift!

If you would like to look at our RO/DI set up you are more than welcomed. Just let me know.

Hope this helps. . .

Dave-

[wayneb]

Dave,

by on the cheap - I mean recycling materials I have on hand or can obtain. However I am realistic enough to know there are certain basic items that I can't or don't want to scrimp on or jury rig. The RO/DI system is one of them, as are skimmer, reactors, pumps, etc. To have them fail or constantly need to be worked on can dampen ones enthusiasm for the hobby.

Will have to swing by Austin Home Brew and check them out on my next R&R run to Austin. Thanks for the tip. (again goes back to our earlier conversation about info for newbies.

Your grasshopper,

wayne

[caferacermike]

Halides do not necessarily mean "chiller". Keep that in mind. I've been running 2x250w halides over my 75g tank for about 6 years now and have never felt the need for a chiller. Items such as cool running Eheim pumps instead of heat sinks like MagDrives can affect the heat of the tank much more directly than lighting.

[wayneb]

Had to contact the company that built our cabinets to order a replacement part. Asked about load weight and was transferred to the technical department. Guy I talked to said since the load weight of the aquarium is distributed over a wide area, the cabinets should be okay to use.

I am leery of that "should be" statement, so will go with my revised plan of using them for storage only and rely on 2x6 to support the weight.

wayneb

[JohnG]

Halides do not necessarily mean "chiller". Keep that in mind. I've been running 2x250w halides over my 75g tank for about 6 years now and have never felt the need for a chiller. Items such as cool running Eheim pumps instead of heat sinks like MagDrives can affect the heat of the tank much more directly than lighting.

my two cents: To me, with having as much money in my tank as I did and not have both high and low temps protected is "jumping" on thin ice. At least if a relay sticks and your lights stay on all night or all weekend when your gone at least the chiller will pull the heat out for you. I had a heater stick on all the time a couple years ago and the only way i knew it was that my chiller stayed running for a hole day without turning off. If I hadnt had a chiller all my corals would have been dead. Chillers are too cheap at under $1000 to not have one. thats my two cents but may only be worth 1 penny..LOL

[wayneb]

building on the cheap. Part 4

The kitchen is still taking up most my time, but am gathering materials to have on hand when I begin converting spare room. At least the wife made it official - my fish room. Also still need to set up the 120g show tank in the Living Room, however the wife wants the rug replaced with wood floors first. No telling when we can get to that. Whichever I definitely need another tank set up as my 29 gal Nano is maxed out with zoa frags (with more on the way).

Made an R&R run into Georgetown and Austin last week. I am now the proud owner of two more tanks from Garrett and the Vortex IN-250 protein skimmer from Gabe. Gives me a total of 8 tanks to play with (3 tens, a 20, a 30, a 40, a 55, and of course the 120 gallon) besides the 29 Nano. The wife just shakes her head. Anyway have plans to use the 40 as a sump/fuge for the 120. Looking at the stand that came with it coupled with old age have decided I need to build a bigger stand. Want to give it a more built in look and be more accessible underneath.

After reading blogs and comments from other ARC members concerning stands, height, materials, etc., decided to go with a 46" height with an overall footprint of about 6' x 3' That will place the tank at eye level. Realize that I'll need a step stool to do anything in the tank, but that is easier on my bod then bending over. And as I said will give me enough space underneath to work comfortably sitting on the floor. Plan on using 2x6s in back and 2x4s sandwiching angle iron front and sides. Should be more then adequate to give me at least a five foot braceless span across the front (again for access).

Plan on using the modular construction approach in case it ever needs to be torn down and moved. The base, top and side sections will each be separate, joined by screws and carriage bolts. Have the plans in my head, just have to draw them out. Will take a run into our Lowes and do some pricing tomorrow. Besides I have to check on the status of our kitchen countertop.

Probably have to change the name of the blog to something besides "building on the cheap". Oh, well as I told the wife- that's why I work part time "to pay for my toys". So much to do, so little time to do it.

　

　

[+Mitch]

be careful with the 46" height... you might want to consider finding a way to tether it to the wall... not sure which of your 8 tanks you will be placing on this stand, but it might be pretty top heavy... mine is a 90g on a 42" stand... love the height! besides being at eye level, i have all this extra room underneath... oh, also put doors on the ends...

[+Mitch]

since you are looking to be on the cheap/recycle materials, mhart032 used a compact refrigerator as his chiller.

[+Mitch]

since you are looking to recycle things, mhart032 used a compact refrigerator as his chiller... i believe he drilled a hole on 2 sides, then ran a hose thru with it coiled up inside...

[wayneb]

be careful with the 46" height... you might want to consider finding a way to tether it to the wall... not sure which of your 8 tanks you will be placing on this stand, but it might be pretty top heavy... mine is a 90g on a 42" stand... love the height! besides being at eye level, i have all this extra room underneath... oh, also put doors on the ends...

Mitch,

Plan on bolting the back 2x6 to the wall studs as extra security. also I gave the height careful consideration and 46" is the minimum I want to go and still have room for fuge, lights, fittings, etc. (3.5" base studs{2x4 on end}+ 5.5" support studs +3/4" plywood base + 32" skimmer height = 41 3/4"). Do have plans for access panels at each end. The right side of the stand will be next to the hot water heater closet and want to use pond liner under the plywood base with a bulkhead fitting to run to the drain in the closet in case of leaks or spills. Will make the wife happy and keep from possibly ruining the floor.

Will be using the 120g as a show tank. If I ever decide to go to a bigger show tank - the 6'x3' top should be big enough to handle the upgrade.

Again I appreciate yours and any comments received.

wayne

[+dapettit]

Need pics. . .

[wayneb]

Dave,

That's one of the things I hope will be included in the next meeting. "How to add pictures (or at least get them accepted) into the forums/blog". Mine keep getting refused for being too large.

wayne

[+dapettit]

Get with me at the meeting. . .

[wayneb]

Part 5 - Progress?

As the title says I was able to take a couple of small steps toward the goal of setting up my other tanks.

1. Took the tall 30g to Shane at Fishy Business to convert to a fuge/sump. As much as I wanted to try and do it myself just don't have the time. He called earlier and said it was ready so will try and pick it up today.

2. Got a couple of small containers (18g) and set one up to cure some live rock pieces I had on hand. Need to get some Vinegar, dilute it (1 to 10?) and start to clean up the evil holy rock, before adding it to the LR curing tub. Also plan on getting some more live rock from Shane when I pick up the sump.

3, Started moving items back to the new kitchen cabinets and clearing up space to work. Even if we don't have a countertop yet. It was suppose to be in by this past weekend, however the weather elsewhere delayed delivery of the material to the installers. Hopefully by next weekend, we will have a complete kitchen.

4. Attempted to move the old refrigerator to the garage, but found out that we need to remove the doors first. Good news is we can get it past the 29g Bio tank. I was afraid that it wouldn't clear it and that I'd have to tear the tank down and move it first.

5. Got most of the mill work stained and varnished, even with the cold weather. Wife is visiting a girl friend in Canyon Lake for a few days next week, which will allow me to move back inside to put one more coat of varnish on the crown molding and start cutting and installing.

6. Finally started moving items back to the new kitchen cabinets and clearing up space in which to work. This includes my fish room and the garage.

Still in the designing stage of my show tank stand. Know what I want to do and have an idea on how to do it. It is just getting the plans on paper and seeing what other materials I need before starting. Made the decision to just remove the old carpet from just the footprint area of the stand. Of course I haven't told the wife this, so that can change. My reasoning is that it will add to the built-in look if the new wood floor is placed up to and around the stand. It will insure a stable concrete floor to work on and easier to shim if need be. Of course will have to buy the flooring material and store it someplace in case the tank/stand is ever removed and we need to cover the spot. Finally it will allow me to start working on it sooner.

Well I was looking forward to being able to work outside since the cold spell broke, but now we have rain in the forecast which shoots that to hell. Guess I could clean up my work shop or rearrange the garage and work there. Have to scope things out come Thursday when I'm off. Do have an eye appointment Thurs in North Austin plus as I stated above need to go to see Shane. Might as well make it and R&R day of it and hit a couple of other places too.

Sitting here thinking of what else I need to do and my list gets longer and longer.

1. Set up the RO/DI unit in the garage. I.e. mount it on a plywood base and figure where I want to place shut-off valves. Clean the garage and locate the place to put the RO and saltwater containers, possibly building stands.

2. Finish cleaning out the fish room. Need to remove the old carpets and trash, patch and paint the walls. Move a desk into there and install a telephone jack and run a telephone line from where the modem will be to the master bedroom jack. Move the computer into the room. Begin building the fish tank stands.

3. Start building the show tank stand and canopy.

4. Finish up the mill work in the kitchen, get the materials to tile the kitchen floor.

5. Clean out the dining room, move the refrigerator to the garage, and decide what to do with the shrunk and stereo gear. Remove the old wall paper and paint walls and ceiling. Install new mill work.

6. Replace the kitchen overhead fluorescent light fixtures with Pod 12v light units and do wood work to blend it in with the rest of the kitchen.

7. Install two outlet boxes and run two 115v, 15amp cables from living room to breaker box in garage for dedicated GFI power circuits. Two will insure backup capability. Also need to run dedicated 20a cable from fish room to GFI circuit breakers.

Well hell - got home to a $1000 plumbing and septic bill. Old pipes and commode in the master bath finally gave way. Had to get them fixed/replaced and get the septic pumped out. Who can believe sh** can be so expensive - from what I understand it is the cost of dumping the waste in Austin that raised the bill so high. Plus I went ahead and bought a year's supply of super duper pooper souper material that is suppose to work wonders on septic systems. They said Ridex is one of the worst things to use for septics. Also bought and paid for a fancy tall commode (happy birthday honey). Note: did get her flowers for her birthday last Friday.

The only bright spot is that we were replacing the bedroom carpet with wood floors anyway, had paid for it, and were just trying to decide when.

Looking a Fox News and the disaster in Haiti, so shouldn't complain, will close and post this. Then going up online to Red Cross and make a donation for the relief effort.

　

　

　

　

[+dapettit]

Wow you gotta lot of work ahead of you!

Dave-

[wayneb]

Well the weekend wasn't a total loss -

1. Mounted a water filter unit in the sink for the separate drinking water tap. Still need countertop. Got a rough quote from the plumber for the work/hookups I wanted. Coming after the Wednesday crisis, I now realize that I'm in the wrong business.

2. Got the RO/DI location in the garage picked out - mounted a 2'x2' piece of plywood to the wall, and ran a reinforced poly line from the laundry room to the plywood. Bought almost all the fittings needed to hook the water supply up. Still need more - ie adapter fittings for shut off valves, timer, etc.

3. While at Lowes - bought a 50 gal tub to start cooking more live rock, etc.. The 18 gal was too small for the Rio 1100 pump. Added some saltwater to the tub and a thermometer for right now. Will have to figure out lighting and timer.

4. Nuked the hell out of the holy rock with distilled vinegar (8 to 1) solution.

5. Cleaned out the 55g barrels from Austin Brew and filled them with a weak bleach solution. Note: For those who get some, try to avoid the ones that contained dark extract - It was a b**** to rinse out.

6. Picked up the Sump that Shane at Fishy Business converted from a 40 gal tank (He said it is a 40). Excellent job. However didn't pick up any live rock yet. (see 3 above).

7. Got the okay from the wife to remove carpet from stand area. Can now start building stand.

[wayneb]

Friday was spent cutting some of the 2x4s I had on hand to size for the show tank stand. Then spent time cutting crown molding. Fun trying to figure out the angles required to get the molding looking right. Luckily bought and stained extra lengths of the molding. Look at it as getting to play with my new compound miter saw toy. Need to make another run to Lowes and pick up some more 2x4s, 2x6s, and the angle iron. Plus a supply of ¼" lag and carriage bolts.

I re-measured the space for the stand again before cutting any wood and found my dimensions/conversion was way off. Instead of 6' length, it is actually a little over 5'. A lot of this is due to the hot water heater closet door frame, as I decided not to remove it. The other is that the wife doesn't want the stand to extend into the hallway. Even at a 5'x 3' footprint, the size should be sufficient for any future growth.

I keep trying to transfer my plans to paper, but brain doesn't want to work. I can visualize what and how I want to do it so the build will probably be on the fly. After Saturday's meeting and the photo lessons, will try to take pictures of the build as I go. Some things I do know is that I will probably overbuild it and the wood of choice will be poplar for the visual surface, doors, details, etc.. Poplar, mainly cause I have a large supply on hand, and have used it on past projects and its easy to work with. Plus the fact that Lowes carries it and that Fine Lumber and Plywood off Brown Lane has the moldings in Poplar that I want to use to detail the stand and canopy. Besides, Poplar takes a stain well.

I stated earlier in a Blog that I wanted to build the stand in sections: I.e. Base to include bottom, walls, and tank platform sections. I also plan on building the canopy the same way, but that is still in the visualizing stage of planning.

1. The bottom will be a framework of 2x4 with a footprint of 57"x 30 ¼". It will be inset by ¾" at front and sides to the legs which will be 2 2x4s sandwich together. Still trying to decide if I want the legs to sandwich ½" plywood to make their overall dimension of 3 ½" x 3 ½". Will decide that when I get to the walls build. Cross bracing on the bottom will consist of 2x2s and 1x2s. On top of the bottom cross braces will be a piece of paneling on which the pond liner will sit. Again haven't decided at this moment if I want it to slope toward the middle or toward the hot water heater. Either way when coupled with a bulkhead fitting, will provide good drainage and should prevent water from sitting and going stale should there be a spill over. On top of the top cross braces and framework will be ¾" plywood bottom for the sump/fuge. All wood will be stained and varnished or at least varnished to protect against water damage.

It is now a couple of weeks later, and due to other considerations (weather, work hours changed, eye surgery, and other "to do" things the wife wanted done) was not able to do much more on the stand. Did go to Lowes and pick up some of the materials I needed. Also got my 50g "curing tub" up and running. Even got a start on the RO/DI set-up. At least got the water supply from the wash room to the garage with no leaks. As soon as I can locate all my tools will finish up on that.

Was able to work in the workshop, so bisquited/glued up various widths of poplar boards for the stand doors. Still have to sand, cut to size, route details on them and then stain and varnish. But again it is progress. Need to finish the stand before I can custom fit and finish the doors.

Saturday- 6 Feb 10.

Friday was a constructive day. Finished and varnished the base framework.. Still need to add pond liner base, liner, and ¾" plywood top. Found that I did not need to use lag screws as 3" wood screws provided the stability I was aiming for. Also got 3 of the glued up door panels sanded and was working on the fourth when I quit for the day. Hope to finish up on base today if the weather remains nice. Pictures below showing my own tailgate party.

Complete frame with liner supports added. Note: supports were angled so that water would drain toward the back right of base.

Three of the glued up door panels which have been sanded.

Sunday - 7 Feb 10

Wife had more “honey do” projects, so accomplished little on the stand. Did work some more on the RO/DI setup in the morning, as I redid the water connection from the washer into the garage. Wanted to eliminate a couple of the fittings used and add a 2 hour garden watering timer. Figure that 2 hours equals about 6 gallons of RO daily which should be more then sufficient for my immediate needs. Still need to obtain some hose to wall clamps to neaten up the look. Plus still trying to decide how I want the set-up to work. As with everything, do a little, rest a lot.

Did cut out the liner support panel and got it varnished. I decided to go with 3/8” particle board to provide a bit more support for the liner. Looks as if I will have to cut a hole in the panel corner to provide clearance for the bulkhead fitting obtained from BRS. Thinking this should work even better as it will form a pocket for any spill over to collect in. Hope to get the pond liner installed and attached to the frame and the ¾” plywood base cut out today. Again depends on the wife and weather.

Finally on Saturday, worked on the fourth door panel a bit. Still have more sanding to do. Also trying to decide if I want to biscuit/glue up more boards now for the canopy. Probably will wait until I get a better idea on how I want it set-up first.

Liner and support screwed to base. Note bulkhead fitting in corner.

Friday morning: 12 Feb A.M.

Still haven’t progressed beyond mounting the liner and support to the base. The weather and eye surgery has prevented me from going any further at this time. As soon as I can see well enough to drive, need to hit the DIY stores for some more items, mainly ¾” plywood. Wasn’t happy with the quality of the sheet I had on hand so decided to get a better grade. Realize that it won’t often be seen, but still want to build it right. A show tank is a show tank. Figure will post this chapter today, and add a Chapter 6, part 2 later. Have to work out how to add the pictures, etc.

As with all my blog and forum entries, always appreciate any comments and suggestions, be they positive or negative.

[wayneb]

CONNECTING TANKS BUILD (formerly Building on the Cheap)

July 14, 2010

Have changed the title of my Blog to "Connecting Tanks". Due to various reasons, have decided to put the 120gal tank setup on hold and focus on the spare room and getting the smaller tanks established. (See my "Connecting Tanks" ideas in the DIY forum). As I have gotten good feedback, decided to redirect that build to this Blog. To bring readers up to date, have included my posts/ideas I entertained in the forum:

　

20 May 2010 entry:

Have a question which I can't find any answers to on the various reference sites.

Have 3 tanks of similar width and depth: 48"x13"x20" 55g, 30"x13"x20" 29 gal and 14"x13"x16" 20gal

that I was thinking of setting up as frag, holding and specialty tanks (SH), etc. (but not as quarantine tank).

I also have a 30gal already plumbed as a fuge/sump.

I am looking for both pro and con inputs and how-to ideas on daisy-chaining the 3 tanks together and using

the one sump with skimmer for all 3. My idea is to have in-tank overflow boxes (trying to avoid the probs

that people seem to have with HOB equipment).

Any feedback would be appreciated.

5 June 2010 entry:

Have started the build somewhat. At least got a good idea on how I want it. Decided to go with 3 separate return pumps from the sump after talking with Shane, though he did bring up a possible heat problem with

running 3 pumps. Have to look at what pumps are available, size and wattage used (lower wattage=less heat). Plus plan on adjusting pump size to each individual tank, figuring a gph turnover rate at 6-8 times quantity. Like the idea of Hydro's and others on using SPA flex tubing instead of rigid PVC. Still have to investigate more concerning the siphon break holes.

Stand will be along the wall enclosed L shaped shelf type and about 20/22" wide on the long section and 26/28" on the short leg. It will be braced/crossbraced 2x6s and 1/2 plywood skinned (top of course 3/4"). All to be painted dark blue. Height still to be determined although I'm leaning toward 38", as I would like to comprimise between viewing sitting down and being able to work in tank. Lights will be hanging retrofit T-5 fixtures hidden by removable false-front canopies sized for each tank.

Again ideas and feedback welcome

(Note: The corner where the stand will be can be seen in Chap 2 of this Blog.)

4 July 2010 entry:

Decided to use the sump/fuge that I got when I bought my used 120gal last year. Got it out of storage and found that it was actually two diy acrylic units connected by a 1 1/4" bulkhead fitting. The smallest of the two tanks is 15.5 gal (14.5w x 15"l x 16.5" h) divided equally into two sections by a fish guard baffle across the width of the tank. The other part is 28g (14.5"w x 28"l x 16.5"h) is also divided into two sections, however the largest area is about 2/3 of the tank (fuge?) and has the bulkhead fitting.

If I figured it out right - the input (smallest area of the large tank) flows into the fuge thru bubble trap baffles and out thru the bulkhead fitting to the output pump(s) area with the other part used for top off resevore.

Which brings up questions - Is a single 1 1/4" fitting large enough to handle the input from four aquariums? (Picked up another 30 gal at garage sale and had it drilled)

As there doesn't appear to be a skimmer area, I think I either need to divide the fuge area to allow for one or add a spare 10gal tank between the two units. As I want a large fuge area, I am leaning toward getting the 10g drilled and using it. But again would appreciate any suggestions.

Note have pics, but work computer will not let me access photobucket site. Will add when I get home.

thanks,

wayneb

http://s740.photobuc...%20refuge-sump/

　

The build is going very slow, due to various reasons- mainly the physical aspects of my part time job, hours, and my age, etc. Have almost finished the basic framework of the stand. Working under the concept of "plan, then do a little and rest a lot then plan some more".

Received the four ViaAqua return pumps I ordered from Foster and Smith today. Went with these instead of the others due to their better gph/ft ht. capability. Last week I picked up the Deltec AP600 skimmer from DoMa and KaceyJ's sump. Had decided to use the 20gal as an isolation tank and wanted a sump instead of an in-tank filter (Besides I had already had Shane drill it.). I also painted the back of the 55g as I plan that to be the first tank to be set up.

Can't believe it but have decided to go with halides and T-5s retro-kits. Will probably use the Aqualight Pro fixture I got from Crab Ragoon back in March for the 55. Comes with 2 150 w halides and compacts, though I think I will have to modify it a bit and use only the halides and add T5 retros to supplement them.

For the 2 30s and the 20 will get 70 w halide kits (1 for each tank) with T5 retros. Also plan on adding lunar lights.

My To-Do list:

1. Run dedicated wiring from the room to the area of the power distribution box in the garage and have an electrician wire it to a 20 amp GFI breaker.

2. Figure how I want to do the lights, I.e. hanging or canopy.

3. Modify the sump/fuge and decide if I want the skimmer in or out of a container.

That's it for now. Will post pictures later.

[wayneb]

29 July 2010

Has been an interesting few days since I made my last update. What I was blaming on the physical aspects of my job and old age turned out to be only partially correct. My physical condition finally got to the point where I could barely walk at work on Monday. Did something I very rarely do and went to the emergency room to get checked out and was immediately hospitalized and put on IV and antibiotics Turns out that I was diagnosed with cellulitis (skin infection) in both lower legs. Released last Thursday and told to stay off my feet until a follow on check with doctor Monday. To my regret it meant missing this months ARC meeting. Still had problems with my left foot and he believes that I may also have the beginning of gout. More blood tests and x-rays were done and should soon find out the results, Given more prescription medicine and ordered to stay off my feet for a while longer, Inactivity is driving me up the walls,

While laid up have spent my time getting to know my laptop. Although I've had it for a while, never really used it except as a fancy "Kindle" to read my e-book cds. Am now able to access the web and sites (including ARC) from my laptop plus have transferred files from my PC using zip drives. So while laid up and unable to physically work on stand, am able to surf and plan on what I need to do. Mainly focusing on what I need to do to modify the sump/refuge and skimmer for best advantage.

What I came up with is to have the sump/refuge/skimmer as three separate parts tied together thru Sch 80 bulkhead fittings and pipe. Inspiration for going this route was http://www.melevsreef.com/, and his DIY for building a separate unit sump (Model C). However I opted to go with three units consisting of 1. Input/refuge 2. Mech filter/output 3. Skimmer container. The skimmer input will be teed off of the over flow from the aquariums to the input/refuge and the skimmer output fed back to the input/refuge (again another idea from Melev. Between each of three parts want to add unions and where/when required ball valves.

Questions to the readers are: 1" or 1 1/2" piping/fittings (thinking of cost difference) and can I use or even should I use wood hole saws or go with the glass hole saws for Acrylic material and the Rubbermaid container?

Note: for some reason cannot access the sump/refuge pictures I added from Photobucket. Will attempt to add the individual pics as I discuss them.

The input/refuge unit (see picture below) requires some work besides changing location of bulkhead fitting to allow refuge to hold more water. Need to modify bubble trap area baffles, first by increasing height of first baffle so that more live rock can be added to aid in dissapating any bubbles from the inputs from the tanks and skimmer. 2nd is to lower the next baffle to about 1-2" from bottom and 3rd is to add a new baffle from bottom to near top of fuge with critter guard to raise fuge area.

Although the input area has a cutout to hold a filer sock, I am not planning on using one, As inferred from above will be adding rock rubble/live rock to dissapate bubbles. I also need to patch the hole left for the original bulkhead and as stated move the new bulkhead fitting(s) (one 1 1/2" or two 1") up 3 or 4".