Rick & Kenda Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Well we have begun the slow process of building and setting up our saltwater tank. The plan is to have fish, LR, inverts and maybe soft corals. We are starting with an old Oceanic 55g tall I bought for $100. I stripped off the plastic trim and drilled the back of the tank. I drilled 3 outflows for 1-1/2" pipe and 1 return flow for 1" pipe. Here is a pic of the bare tank stripped and drilled. I bought some bulkheads from Amazon and then this weekend I built a stand frame. I will sheath the frame in plywood and paint it. You can see in the background, I bought a pretty nice Coralife T5 fixture from ckyuv (Patrick). Thanks Dude! Still lots to do but look for more posts soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 looks promising... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Capt. Obvious Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Off to a good start! ...did the larger holes "chip out" a bit or is that just an optical illusion from the picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted May 6, 2013 Author Share Posted May 6, 2013 Yeah, there is a little chip out. If I could drill it over again, I would start on the inside of the tank so the chip out would be on the outside. But, the gasket around the bulkheads easily covers any chip out and none of the chip out was very deep, just sliver chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Looking good! I love the tank it looks really clean! I'll be following along Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Looking good! I love all the diy stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogdan Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Good luck with the build. It sure does look like you know what you are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 Ok, so I am plumbing the inside of the tank, the over flows and return. The overflows are 1-1/2" and the return is 1". The return is a slip on the inside but the overflows are threaded on the inside of the bulkheads. On the return I am using a 1" slip to 3/4" FIPS. Then a Loc-Line 3/4" adapter to a 4" long loc-line extension capped with a 3" wide flat nozzle. Seems legit right? So on the over flows, I need an elbow with a screen/cover/drain/somesuch and I cannot seem to find anything in a 1-1/2" size. I can use a regular 90 degree elbow but what can I use at the opening to block fish or other stuff from getting into the drain? Any ideas? I am open to DIYing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 You can make a small acrylic box to silicone to the inside that is grated (like normal overflow boxes) to allow the water through and to stop the fish and other stuff. You can even add a lid to prevent fish from jumping into the overflow compartment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 Ok, so I am going to have an overflow box. It will run from the left end of the tank to a couple inches short of where the return bulkhead is located. Do you think I also need a screen or drain cover or something over each overflow pipe? Or, is this redundant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 I hadn't thought of putting a lid on it though...hmmm...I like it. It could even help quiet it a bit more and slow splatter from building up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 You shouldn't need anything over the drains if you have an overflow box, especially if you put a lid on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 . . . So on the over flows, I need an elbow with a screen/cover/drain/somesuch and I cannot seem to find anything in a 1-1/2" size. I can use a regular 90 degree elbow I'm inclined to go with an overflow box as mentioned above but one of ARCs sponser Flexpvc.com has several different 1.5" screens. Just type "screen" in the search bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 . . . So on the over flows, I need an elbow with a screen/cover/drain/somesuch and I cannot seem to find anything in a 1-1/2" size. I can use a regular 90 degree elbow I'm inclined to go with an overflow box as mentioned above but one of ARCs sponser Flexpvc.com has several different 1.5" screens. Just type "screen" in the search bar. These are exactly what I was looking for but after discussions above I don't think I will need them now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 I used small pieces of egg crate and ziptied them to the intake on mine. this kept the fish out of the pipe, but in most cases killed them. i ended up putting mangroves and chaeto in the overflow. No more dead fish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 Hmm, Macro in the overflow? Sounds risky but interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I've got mangroves in my overflow. Works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted May 16, 2013 Author Share Posted May 16, 2013 Ok, I have a sump design. I am unsure of the measurements but I will make it as big as I have room for. Please give me your feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 im not sure what path you're attempting to take, if you could illustrate it with pathways, arrows, or midgets dressed in drag, it'd be more helpful Overall it looks good, my only concern is controlling flow into your fuge area, without causing flooding of the other compartments. Also, keeping macro out of your return pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 Ok, new pics. The plumbing is laid out and tested. Still need an overflow box but I was able to get the drains to balance and they are pretty quiet. Now to finish the stand. That's a Quiet One Lifeguard 819 gph running the flow. I externally plumbed it by drilling into the sump. This gives me more room for a skimmer in the sump. Still debating switching the bioballs for macros or liverock. Since this is planned to be a FOWLR tank, the bioballs may be fine. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Lookin good! Are you going to use any poly filter or something in the sump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 Yeah, I think I will wedge a piece in the bottom flow between the chambers. I am seriously considering getting rid of the balls and switching to cheato or just extra LR. I can plug the bottom slot and make it overflow near the top. The I would need a filter between. What do you think? Also, another option, I have so much flow, I could run a feeder over to a separate refugium. The only problem is getting the water back from the refugium to the return chamber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted June 30, 2013 Author Share Posted June 30, 2013 Ok, so the tank is complete. It is now running, testing, but all looks good. I need some chaeto if anyone has a clipping I can have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick & Kenda Posted July 4, 2013 Author Share Posted July 4, 2013 Well, bad news....tightening the pvc connections today and torqued the glass and cracked it....tank is now useless. Anyone got a spare they want to get rid of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nwehrman Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 that stinks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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