40Br ready for water

[cichlidtx]

I've had my first SW tank running for 1 1/2 years now and decided to upgrade. I currently have 12Dx nanocube that has been a great learning experience for me. When petco had their $1 gallon sale I decided to get a 40br and 20l for the upgrade. This build enabled me to learn how to drill glass and setup a sump. It has been slow going and a lot of fun. It's just about ready for water. Anyway here's some details and then on to the pics. Any and all feedback would be appreciated.

Tank: 40br using Beananimal design drain and dual returns
lighting: 36x4 T5 retrofit
Sump: 20l w/ Mag 7 return skimmer/return/fuge design
Skimmer: SWC150 BMK from group buy on R2R

Enough talk on to some pics. I will update some more later.

75gal stand as it is built into a desk. It was from my previous FW tank.

built a platform on top of the stand to give more height

drilled tank

beananimal failsafe drain system

 

[cichlidtx]

Here's another update.

Mesh screen top to prevent carpet diving

Beginning and installed glass overflow using Dow 999-a silicone

 

[_Alex_]

very nice job, looks really good. keep the pics coming

 

[OMG Corals]

Nicely done!!! Let's see it running...

 

[cichlidtx]

Thanks for the compliments. I hope to do a FW test tomorrow. Here's some more pics of the sump build and plumbing.

cd cases for baffle spacing

silicone bead. I had to fill it in a bit as the glass shop cut a little to much

completed sump w/ skimmer and plumbing

 

[cichlidtx]

Ok, here's a few more pics of my setup.

back of tank plumbing

drains with acrylic holder

Pic of preliminary rock scape, this may change. I used 1/2" acrylic rock to secure stacked pieces.

 

[RZ5T]

Looking good.

 

[cichlidtx]

I did the leak test today and it went well except for one pin hole leak. I put silicone on it and will try again tomorrow. I did find out that I need to extend the drain pipes going into the sump as it makes quite a bit of noise. The pipes are supposed to be 1" below the water surface but the angle cut changed that. I will extend them tomorrow. The overflow worked really nice but I need to make a cover for it keep livestock out. Overall I would say, a success with the exception of the small leak.

 

[cichlidtx]

Well the leak is fixed and the pipe extended and its alive and running great. There is a slight water sound but it's overshadowed by the hum from the Mag7 pump. It may have to be replaced in the future. I will let it run for a few days for extra insurance and then add water, rock and sand. I still have to make the overflow cover and the canopy so I can have some lights. All in all this was a great learning experience and a lot of fun, as well as frustration. Here's a short video showing the overflow and sump. Feedback is always appreciated.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I would recommend some shut-off valves before and after those quick connects, other wise you'll have to drain you tank way down in order to disconnect the overflows and returns. Just my $.02 worth.

 

[_Alex_]

I would recommend some shut-off valves before and after those quick connects, other wise you'll have to drain you tank way down in order to disconnect the overflows and returns. Just my $.02 worth.

+1 cant go wrong with some ball valves that way you can shut down everything and take plumbing apart without losing water.

 

[cichlidtx]

Thanks for the input. I think I will add the ball valves to the returns.

 

[cichlidtx]

It's wet.:bigsmile: The cycle has begun. All went well except for the waiting on the rodi water. The water is not as cloudy as I thought it was going to be. I ended up using 60lbs of sand. I need to go to the store and get a cocktail shrimp to help boost the cycle. Next week I will start on the canopy and overflow cover. Anyway here's a couple pics.

 

[cichlidtx]

For some reason the 1 pic didn't work and I'm unable to edit the post, so here it is.

 

[cparka23]

Right now, your photobucket album is called "40 Breeder." Go to photobucket and rename it to something without a space. That should fix things unless you run into a separate issue. The downside is that you'll have to redirect all your photos.

 

[skinz78]

Looking great, nice and quiet too!

The problem is actually a R2R problem with the percent sign in the URL of the first image. For some reason the site removes the percent sign and puts in a few other symbols. I edited the URL and fixed it for you.

 

[cichlidtx]

Thanks skinz78, I will check that in the future. I have one question about whether I should run my skimmer during the cycle process? Do you think this would be a good time for it to break in? I decided against using the raw shrimp and instead used a couple small pieces of LR from my nanocube. Will see how that works.

 

[skinz78]

Yes I would definately use the skimmer during the cycle.

 

[cichlidtx]

Well all is still running good. I'm having to add about a 1/2 gal top off everday. I see a DIY ATO in my future. I finished the overflow cover which came out ok. I did make a mistake and tried to polish the edges and kept the heat on a little to long and slightly warped the acrylic, I may make another one. Here's some pics.

before cover

after cover

cover closeup

skimmer breaking in

fuge running

mesh top installed

 

[Lt Nos]

Looks great, I'll have to look up the sump style, but could you give the short version of why the return is in the middle of the sump? I've traditionally always seen PS, then fug, then return.