Zibba's Reefs
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zibba
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Good question. Very few houses have basements in AZ and I'm not in one of them. The house is on a cement slab and there is saltillo tile throughout the house, which is pretty brittle (and inconsistent) but makes it easy to clean up spilled saltwater and pet hair (we have a dog and a cat). The tank stand has 8 "legs" that have bolts in them to make leveling the tank easier. To distribute the weight of those legs, we had oak wood cut to the length of the stand and placed one board along the bank and one board along the front. Both boards were covered with killz to reduce the risk of mildew. It wasn't the perfect solution, but it's working fine so far. If the tile was going to crack, it probably would have done so by now.
Thanks Joel! They worked great over my last tank. Have 2 and planning to add 4 more to this tank down the road.
Mike&Terry
Wrasses, Angels, & Tangs, Oh My!
WOW! Nice upgrade! Looking forward to following your progress...
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zibba
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M&T, thanks for compliment. It all happened very fast, but seems that things are going according to plan. We'd certainly welcome your guys' input throughout this process so thanks for following.
Awsome!
Greets from the Netherlands
Hi Brem! Thanks for joining. Greetings from the Arizona desert! It's 115-degrees today but I'd imagine it's about perfect this time of year for you.
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zibba
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So again, a huge THANK YOU to Hunter (evolved) for coming over last night to help fix a minor leak and install the UV sterilizer.
The former owner, Chris (Siasl), ran this tank with a UV sterilizer and after a few email exchanges with him and other reefers, along with my own research, I thought it would be a good addition to the tank. It's a 114-watt AquaUV sterilizer that I'll be running it according to Mojo's recommendation in this post, which at about 325 gallons/hr should kill ich. And, from Elliott's recommendation, I'll be running it for about 4-6 hrs in the morning, say 4am-10am, or something like that because that's when ich is most active.
I wanted to give some more details on the plumbing and took some pictures with my cell phone last night. Hopefully they can help demonstrate what was done.
The tank has 7 holes in the overflow: 1-1.5", 4-1", 2-0.5" drains. The tank is set up to run "Herbie" style, meaning it runs at full siphon with an emergency drain that is capable of handling the entire flow in-case the main siphon is clogged.
So here's how it's set up:
1.5" drain has a 17" piece of PVC in the overflow box. The 17" is the height that the water will backflow to, so you cut this according to how much room you have in your sump. Underneath the tank, it attaches to a gate valve (very important to use a quality gate valve for accuracy). The gate valve is on spa flex so I can toss a filter sock underneath it if necessary (for example, when I start adding sand to the tank).
A single 1" drain acts as the emergency and at full siphon can handle the water volume being pumped into the tank. It's cut just just above the running water line, at 28-inches. I run the overflow around 27" so that there's no trickling sound. Again, you need a quality gate valve to make fine-tuned adjustments and it's easily achieved with the gate-valve. The emergency line drains through 1" spa-flex underneath the tank without any restriction.
You can see the gate valve and emergency line (the closest black spa flex line) here:
Two 1" lines are used for the returns. They are controlled via ball-valves because they operate as on/off. Actual flow is controlled using the Waveline (a DC pump) controller. Hunter cleverly split these with a "y" and it came out very clean:
The remaining bulkheads are used as "pass-throughs" for cords. They are cut about an inch above the emergency drain line and water shouldn't ever enter them. If they do for some reason, water will drip into the sump and I'd have far more serious issues on my hands to deal with (water would literally be overflowing from the top of my tank. The only way that happens is if both the full 1.5" siphon and 1" emergency drain are clogged. Very, very unlikely -- **knocks on wood**. I've only utilized one of the 1" drains so far because I'll have to cut and reconnect cords when everything is set up. I'm going to wait to do so until the aquascaping is finalized before tackling that project.
The heart of the plumbing is a Waveline DC12000, which feeds the main display tank, the smaller 50-gallon ADA on the otherside of the wall (via ball valve), the UV sterilizer (via gate valve) and a "quick-water change" port that I'll eventually get fitted for a garden hose to pump water directly into our desert rock-scaped front yard or into the sewer. You can see all of that here:
In the picture above, you can see a 50-gallon aquarium that is going to be used for ATO. It's currently set up with a Tunze Osmolator.
The UV sterilizer is attached to the underside of the aquaruim for easy access and cleaning. Unions were used for a quick dismantle and it's held in using straps that are drilled into the plywood base. It feeds into the sump's first chamber that feeds into the chamber where the skimmer sits.
A few other things worth mentioning: The overflow from the smaller 50-gallon tank that sits in our bedroom is routed into the refugium and has a gate valve to regulate the flow if necessary -- I'm planning to keep this running at full speed. I placed a Jaebo wp25 in the fuge to tumble chaeto-- it's currently bare bottom and I'll likely leave it this way. A "maggie muffler" keeps the smaller bedroom tank pretty quiet even with a good amount of flow coming in. Hunter and Jason created a slight slope to both the ADA overflow and the AGE return lines to help facilitate waterflow back into the sump in case of power-loss.
Hopefully that all makes sense!
The former owner, Chris (Siasl), ran this tank with a UV sterilizer and after a few email exchanges with him and other reefers, along with my own research, I thought it would be a good addition to the tank. It's a 114-watt AquaUV sterilizer that I'll be running it according to Mojo's recommendation in this post, which at about 325 gallons/hr should kill ich. And, from Elliott's recommendation, I'll be running it for about 4-6 hrs in the morning, say 4am-10am, or something like that because that's when ich is most active.
I wanted to give some more details on the plumbing and took some pictures with my cell phone last night. Hopefully they can help demonstrate what was done.
The tank has 7 holes in the overflow: 1-1.5", 4-1", 2-0.5" drains. The tank is set up to run "Herbie" style, meaning it runs at full siphon with an emergency drain that is capable of handling the entire flow in-case the main siphon is clogged.
So here's how it's set up:
1.5" drain has a 17" piece of PVC in the overflow box. The 17" is the height that the water will backflow to, so you cut this according to how much room you have in your sump. Underneath the tank, it attaches to a gate valve (very important to use a quality gate valve for accuracy). The gate valve is on spa flex so I can toss a filter sock underneath it if necessary (for example, when I start adding sand to the tank).
A single 1" drain acts as the emergency and at full siphon can handle the water volume being pumped into the tank. It's cut just just above the running water line, at 28-inches. I run the overflow around 27" so that there's no trickling sound. Again, you need a quality gate valve to make fine-tuned adjustments and it's easily achieved with the gate-valve. The emergency line drains through 1" spa-flex underneath the tank without any restriction.
You can see the gate valve and emergency line (the closest black spa flex line) here:
Two 1" lines are used for the returns. They are controlled via ball-valves because they operate as on/off. Actual flow is controlled using the Waveline (a DC pump) controller. Hunter cleverly split these with a "y" and it came out very clean:
The remaining bulkheads are used as "pass-throughs" for cords. They are cut about an inch above the emergency drain line and water shouldn't ever enter them. If they do for some reason, water will drip into the sump and I'd have far more serious issues on my hands to deal with (water would literally be overflowing from the top of my tank. The only way that happens is if both the full 1.5" siphon and 1" emergency drain are clogged. Very, very unlikely -- **knocks on wood**. I've only utilized one of the 1" drains so far because I'll have to cut and reconnect cords when everything is set up. I'm going to wait to do so until the aquascaping is finalized before tackling that project.
The heart of the plumbing is a Waveline DC12000, which feeds the main display tank, the smaller 50-gallon ADA on the otherside of the wall (via ball valve), the UV sterilizer (via gate valve) and a "quick-water change" port that I'll eventually get fitted for a garden hose to pump water directly into our desert rock-scaped front yard or into the sewer. You can see all of that here:
In the picture above, you can see a 50-gallon aquarium that is going to be used for ATO. It's currently set up with a Tunze Osmolator.
The UV sterilizer is attached to the underside of the aquaruim for easy access and cleaning. Unions were used for a quick dismantle and it's held in using straps that are drilled into the plywood base. It feeds into the sump's first chamber that feeds into the chamber where the skimmer sits.
A few other things worth mentioning: The overflow from the smaller 50-gallon tank that sits in our bedroom is routed into the refugium and has a gate valve to regulate the flow if necessary -- I'm planning to keep this running at full speed. I placed a Jaebo wp25 in the fuge to tumble chaeto-- it's currently bare bottom and I'll likely leave it this way. A "maggie muffler" keeps the smaller bedroom tank pretty quiet even with a good amount of flow coming in. Hunter and Jason created a slight slope to both the ADA overflow and the AGE return lines to help facilitate waterflow back into the sump in case of power-loss.
Hopefully that all makes sense!
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evolved
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That font size is rather unnecessary.
I'm still thinking about the electric panel; I have an idea I should sketch up for you which would be pretty easy to implement - building off the 3 section idea.
I'm still thinking about the electric panel; I have an idea I should sketch up for you which would be pretty easy to implement - building off the 3 section idea.
TJ's Reef
Valuable Member
WOW!!! This is an awesome upgrade to say the least Eric, and is funny that like Brett these dimensions are the same as my dream build as well and had a quote worked up on using 1" acrylic a year ago or so. We plan on downsizing in retiring to our Beach House soon so now will just increase the height of my 125g by 10" which will barely fit to around 187-ish for a new build.
As others have already stated above cannot wait to see what you do with this one, as you've set the bar pretty high on your 100g already. The plumbing looks fantastic, great job and Kudos to all of you for putting it together so clean.
Cheers, Todd
As others have already stated above cannot wait to see what you do with this one, as you've set the bar pretty high on your 100g already. The plumbing looks fantastic, great job and Kudos to all of you for putting it together so clean.
Cheers, Todd
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zibba
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That font size is rather unnecessary.
I'm still thinking about the electric panel; I have an idea I should sketch up for you which would be pretty easy to implement - building off the 3 section idea.
I like the three section idea. If it can be built out of plywood that would be great, since I have an 8'x4' section at my place already. If not wood, maybe I can source some acrylic tomorrow or Friday and bust out the weldon -- it's been a few years but I think I can put something together.
Thank you so much Todd for the great compliments and I'll pass them along to the others who don't check the forums as regularly.
The extra 10" on the 125 will seem like a lot and certainly give your fish extra room -- I've already noticed more personality in a few fish with the new-found space.
Really itching to start aquascaping and getting this thing rocking. Wiring and organization will come first though.
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The sheet of plywood, some 2x6s, and two pieces of angle iron would make the idea happen. It's essentially a shallow wooden box that's partitioned and stood up vertically. I'll CAD a pretty picture later if I have 15 minutes.
rocknut
Active Member
"A single Waveline DC12000 feeds the return to the AGE and the 50g, the UV sterilizer (via gate valve) and a quick water change line (via ball valve). The DC12000 is internal in the last chamber of the sump and the three bulkheads that were for external pumps have been capped off -- they can be utilized later by simply removing the internal caps."
Were you running a Waveline pump on either of your previous tanks? I have a Speedwave 10000 as my return pump right now and discovered quite a bit of rust on and around the screws that join the impeller housing to the pump body. I contacted the online vendor that sold me the pump, and was referred to the a distributor hoping to get some replacement screws. They informed me that the Speedwave's have been discontinued because of "quality control issues" and generally have failed after a year of use. I was told that the Waveline is a better pump for sure, but still seem to be unreliable long term. Obviously, I have know way of backing up this claim, so take it with a grain of salt, but might be worth keeping a back up return pump on hand just in case, based on what I was told.
Were you running a Waveline pump on either of your previous tanks? I have a Speedwave 10000 as my return pump right now and discovered quite a bit of rust on and around the screws that join the impeller housing to the pump body. I contacted the online vendor that sold me the pump, and was referred to the a distributor hoping to get some replacement screws. They informed me that the Speedwave's have been discontinued because of "quality control issues" and generally have failed after a year of use. I was told that the Waveline is a better pump for sure, but still seem to be unreliable long term. Obviously, I have know way of backing up this claim, so take it with a grain of salt, but might be worth keeping a back up return pump on hand just in case, based on what I was told.
Siasl
Community Member
Looks awesome so far!
If you have the right guard on the 1.5" drain pipe, I doubt your 1" will ever even activate in practical sense. The drop from that height is more than enough to cause a siphon flow rate greater than one waveline pump can output (but understanding you fine tuned it with the needle valve).
Rocknut's comments above is why I ran the wavelines as external pumps. Great DC pump for the price / value / electrical bill - but I was worried about the rust as well. Don't remember / know if the screws are titanium on the outside or not (probably not). Worse case is swap the other pump in as rust builds up and then get a solid other option.
When are we going to start seeing some rockwork / landscaping? You've had like 3 or 4 days already to get that stuff done! Sleep is for wimps!
If you have the right guard on the 1.5" drain pipe, I doubt your 1" will ever even activate in practical sense. The drop from that height is more than enough to cause a siphon flow rate greater than one waveline pump can output (but understanding you fine tuned it with the needle valve).
Rocknut's comments above is why I ran the wavelines as external pumps. Great DC pump for the price / value / electrical bill - but I was worried about the rust as well. Don't remember / know if the screws are titanium on the outside or not (probably not). Worse case is swap the other pump in as rust builds up and then get a solid other option.
When are we going to start seeing some rockwork / landscaping? You've had like 3 or 4 days already to get that stuff done!
Sleep is for wimps!
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zibba
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Perfect. I'll get waterproof caulk and some paint to finish it off. Should look pretty good and certainly better than my previous wired mess.
Thanks for the info Rocky. I'll keep a close eye on it. I can say this for sure: Waveline's customer support has been very responsive on another issue I had and certainly seem to stand behind their product.
I ran a coral vue diablo dc on the other tank and really liked it.
Looks awesome so far!
If you have the right guard on the 1.5" drain pipe, I doubt your 1" will ever even activate in practical sense. The drop from that height is more than enough to cause a siphon flow rate greater than one waveline pump can output (but understanding you fine tuned it with the needle valve).
Rocknut's comments above is why I ran the wavelines as external pumps. Great DC pump for the price / value / electrical bill - but I was worried about the rust as well. Don't remember / know if the screws are titanium on the outside or not (probably not). Worse case is swap the other pump in as rust builds up and then get a solid other option.
When are we going to start seeing some rockwork / landscaping? You've had like 3 or 4 days already to get that stuff done!
Exactly, I'll pilfer parts from that other DC12000 if necessary and I'm pretty sure RLSS will stand behind their product as mentioned above.
Lol at the aquascaping! I'm planning to do that this weekend. Or at least get a jump on it. Once I have a plan in place, I'm planning a muratic acid wash followed by a LaCl3 treatment. Will add rock in sections as a precaution against a cycle. Sand will go in last after being washed, dried and LaCl3. Not really looking forward to trying to meld my current rock with the new design and would prefer to just remount everything. If there's a time to do it, it's now.
evolved
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Alright here. The green bits are two pieces of angle iron at the top/bottom, sheet of ply on the back, and 2x6's (blue) to make up the rest. This gives you 4 compartments: 1 for displays/controllers, 1 for EBs/power strips, 1 for ballets/power supplies, and the last one to stuff cords into. The sizes of those four compartments could be whatever, and the cord area and power supply areas could have a fronts/doors on them as well to make it cleaner too.
evolved
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Exactly; 2-3" off the bottom.
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zibba
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Have a few more pictures from the move that were sent to me.
Our rig for moving the aquarium, thanks to Ryan (sn: NaClH20NMYVEIN) for allowing us to use his truck/trailer. Gave us plenty of room to haul this beast.
Seems like a setup for a joke: "How many reef-nerds does it take to plumb an aquarium?"
So thankful for everyone's input and hard work.
Per a recommendation from Ryan, here's a picture of me siliconing the gap between the wall and the back of the aquarium. This is to avoid any potential water splashes down the backside of the tank that would forever leave a water stain after the tank settles into its final resting place. Again, an idea I wouldn't have thought of until it was too late!
Our rig for moving the aquarium, thanks to Ryan (sn: NaClH20NMYVEIN) for allowing us to use his truck/trailer. Gave us plenty of room to haul this beast.
Seems like a setup for a joke: "How many reef-nerds does it take to plumb an aquarium?"
So thankful for everyone's input and hard work.
Per a recommendation from Ryan, here's a picture of me siliconing the gap between the wall and the back of the aquarium. This is to avoid any potential water splashes down the backside of the tank that would forever leave a water stain after the tank settles into its final resting place. Again, an idea I wouldn't have thought of until it was too late!
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zibba
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Dragonfish, thank you very much for the compliment. We're using the AI Hydra52 leds, we'll be adding 2-more relatively soon and likely 2-more down the road for a total of 6-Hydra52s. The energy savings was significant when we made the switch from halides+vhos to the hydra52 over our old tank and the corals all responded very positively.
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