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Ok, so I think I have a serious issue. I have filled the tank with about 50% water. It is sitting on 1/4" thick black neoprene. I thought the table top of my stand was level but what I'm seeing is that each of the corners of the tank is not being supported by the top beneath it. So my table top must have a slightly downward bend to it both towards the sides as well as towards the front and back. The tank is supported along the side as shown in the black areas of this mock up:

upload_2017-12-27_15-13-55.png


Here is a picture of the small gap under the corner

upload_2017-12-27_15-14-33.png


I'm terribly frustrated at this point so now I'm trying to figure out what to do. This tank has a phantom bottom and armored seams. DO I shim under the tank, or tear everything down and tank the tank off the stand and somehow plane it? Or is the tank ok since the bulk of the weight is being supported rather evenly across 95% of the tank? Looking for some advice.
 

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I had a similar situation.
I used shims to level things out and give support where necessary.
 
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Ok well that gives me a bit of encouragement! I was thinking the same thing. One thing I will say is the tank looks incredible with water in it.
 

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Let's see what Felix says! I'll ping him.
 
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So just as I was reading this my phone rings. Its Felix from Reef Savvy - thank you Rev! I had emailed him but its nice to know he's only a call away. So Felix set my mind at ease. First, Felix assured me the tank is well.... a "tank" - the way we typically talk about armored vehicles. Then he told me that stands are hardly ever perfect. And he assured me this tank will be fine. And now as I have filled it more, the gap has disappeared as the neoprene compresses. So I wanted to take a moment to reflect on why I love this hobby:

Let me start with Reef Savvy. Everyone knows that there is a wait for these tanks and they are high end. But they are more than high end. They are incredible and the owner of the business stands behind his product like no other company I have done business with. As all reefers know, we tend to freak out when things aren't perfect. So for Felix to call me when he is off for the holidays is simply incredible.

Then as you all know, I have been having an issue with a bad ballast. Yesterday on another forum, a reefer PMs me and says "I have an extra M80 ballast you can have - just pay for shipping". So many people in our hobby are generous beyond belief. I truly feel honored to be surrounded by so many people who are striving to help us succeed.

So on that thought I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday and feeling the spirit the way I am today. Thank you Felix, thank you Rev, and thank you other members of the reefing community for being awesome.

Cheers to you all and happy holiday wishes.

Chris
 

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That’s so awesome to hear that. It’s one of the things that makes our hobby so great.
 
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Ok so yesterday was the day of trials and tribulations. And some stress. After speaking to Felix and getting reassurance on the tank situation, I filled the tank to the teeth of the overflow. The return lines created a siphon, as I had accidentally left open the manifold union ball valve. So first some water splashed on the floor. I shut the valve only to notice that water was pouring out of a union. After some panic and a gallon on the floor, I drained the water down some and began working on the union. I took it apart and reconnected. The only thing I could think of is somehow I had mis-threaded it. Having reconnected it I spotted a small trickle running down my left return line. Just below the ball valve I have there. Ok, no sweat - just take off the union and we'll see what's wrong. I was a bit concerned as the trickle looked like it was coming from the PVC connection....

Well it turns out, this was one of the last pipes I put in place and I forgot to cement the pipe to the union! It was just dry fit. So last night I glued it in place and today I filled the tank all the way and started testing the siphons in the Bean Animal. As i grew in confidence I filled up the tank some more wating the siphons kick in and fill the sump. No leaks this time! So i decided it was time to fire up the Varios 6 pump.

The Varios 6 is a DC pump that pushes a reported 1720 gallons per hour. I started it at 20%, then began increasing. No leaks, and the Bean Animal was quickly adjusting to the new volume. Lots of interaction with the secondary siphon (open channel). Initially the system was very loud. I decided to push the pump to maximum output (which is significantly less due to the 3/4" pipe, elbows, split lines, and check valve). Now that it was running full tilt I started restricting the gate valve to ease the primary siphon. Its now fairly quiet but not yet dead silent. I will have to play with it some more but I'm really happy that she's holding water and things are running leak free. Here is a video of the tank. I'd love some suggestions on how to further tune the Bean Animal. I also wonder if the fact that my pipes run down and then at a right angle, in some way affects the small amount of water that you want to run down the open channel pipe. Thoughts?

Enjoy.

 

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That looks great.
To make the overflow quiet I found that there are several things to adjust:
- pump flow. Not always is it necessary to have the pump at maximum. Just try to get an idea about the flow you need through the sump.
- gate valve... the obvious one. But for me that was the last thing to tune.
- the height of the stand pipes in the overflow box. Sometimes, depending on the flow, you have to get the open siphon a little higher/lower to find that sweet spot.

It is all in try and error.
But once it is quiet and you do not adjust the pump flow any more, it stays quiet.

Good luck.
 
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That looks great.
To make the overflow quiet I found that there are several things to adjust:
- pump flow. Not always is it necessary to have the pump at maximum. Just try to get an idea about the flow you need through the sump.
- gate valve... the obvious one. But for me that was the last thing to tune.
- the height of the stand pipes in the overflow box. Sometimes, depending on the flow, you have to get the open siphon a little higher/lower to find that sweet spot.

It is all in try and error.
But once it is quiet and you do not adjust the pump flow any more, it stays quiet.

Good luck.

Janci - all good advice. The first thing I tried was pump speed. I love the Varios. So easy to adjust up and down. But to no avail. The flow in the overflow box would sit right at the air hole in the open channel siphon. So I started to theorize that the primary siphon wasn't flushing the air and not hitting full siphon. I raised the open channel siphon just a bit - no change. Then I read that the output pipe for the primary siphon should only be just beneath the surface in the sump. I had the pipe almost to the bottom of the sump. 5 minutes later I had a shorter pipe cut, about 1" beneath the surface, and now the primary siphon is at full blast. A few tweaks later on the gate valve and now it mostly silent. Once I enclose the sump it should be minimal. Tomorrow, I finish hiding the electrical, then drain the tank and start with RODI water. Only issue left now is whether to scape with dry rock or live. Still debating.
 

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Choss great update man.. love the video addition as well .. the whole setup looks amazing . I have to agree with Janci on the 3 adjustment factors for the overflow . I had to play areoynf with it so much to adjusting stand pipes and reducing my pump output. So I talk all trial and error ! Lol but I didn’t know about the primary siphon line to only be a 1in below the water in the sump I may need to do that to mine . Did you come across a link where it says that or where you read it choss ?
 
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Choss great update man.. love the video addition as well .. the whole setup looks amazing . I have to agree with Janci on the 3 adjustment factors for the overflow. I had to play around with it so much to adjusting stand pipes and reducing my pump output. So I talk all trial and error ! Lol but I didn’t know about the primary siphon line to only be a 1in below the water in the sump I may need to do that to mine . Did you come across a link where it says that or where you read it choss ?

I don't recall the exact thread ( I read many) but in one thread there was a claim that if the pipe is too far below the water line, the pipe has trouble clearing out the air. Because I systematically tried all the variables, it became clear to me that my primary siphon just wasn't firing. Shortening the pipe did the trick for sure. The result was immediate. Luckily I hadn't glued that pipe in. It is now also easier to change the filter sock so that is benefit #2. My open channel pipe is still pretty long - about 3 inches from the bottom of the sump so that might be an issue still but unfortunately that pipe was glued in place. I'd have to remove the union above it to cut it which is still doable.

The tank is now relatively silent. I can still hear water running through the pipes so that may be some adjustments needed from my gate valve to reduce the flow in the open channel to a small trickle. I may still have too much water running through.

So today I will be hooking up the rest of my electrical - MP40, backup battery, secondary lighting, fuge light, and connecting the GHL probes, hiding wires, etc.

I also need to drain the tank which I will do using one of the John Guest tubes that will be supplying my saltwater for the AWC system. I just need to create a siphon and put the other end in the sink downstairs and that should do it. I will then use the same pipe to push RODI water back to the tank to fill it.
 
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Small Update:

A few days ago I hooked up my Tunze Osmolator. The main pump sits below the Display tank room in my fish room off the garage. If you recall, I set up a 35 gallon RODI tank which I placed directly below the sump on a 6 ft stand. The tank sits near the ceiling and is probably 6 feet below the sump. The question was whether the stock pump would be able to supply the needed water with the head pressure. In reading about the pump it seems to have a maximum 8' head. Well I'm happy to say it works! ;)

 

Janci

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... Lol but I didn’t know about the primary siphon line to only be a 1in below the water in the sump I may need to do that to mine . Did you come across a link where it says that or where you read it choss ?
There is some information on the website for the ghost overflow of Synergy I think. At least they give a good indication.
And a level in the overflow box equal to the display tank makes sense... less waterfall effect outside of the pipes.
 
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There is some information on the website for the ghost overflow of Synergy I think. At least they give a good indication.
And a level in the overflow box equal to the display tank makes sense... less waterfall effect outside of the pipes.

I think the Ghost Overflow is significantly better designed than the Synergy Reef overflow. I've read about a lot of noise complaints because the back chamber is lower.
 

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There is some information on the website for the ghost overflow of Synergy I think. At least they give a good indication.
And a level in the overflow box equal to the display tank makes sense... less waterfall effect outside of the pipes.

Thank you Janci , I am going to have to look into it for sure ! It all makes sense !
 

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Also, the pipe for secondary in your external box should be just below the bulkhead of the internal box. It took some tuning for me, but also got there. My drain probably drops 1/4" below the water level in the sump, and the only thing I hear is the skimmer pump and ati fan.
 

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I think the Ghost Overflow is significantly better designed than the Synergy Reef overflow. I've read about a lot of noise complaints because the back chamber is lower.
Right about that...:(
I still hear mine...
 
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So I checked with TBS and Richard (owner) is laid up post surgery. So it will be a few weeks before he can go get my rock from the bottom of the ocean. So now I have to either make some other plans or wait. Any advice on other sources for high quality live rock?
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

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