How would YOU measure these final plumbing cuts?

[UncommonSense]

I like the strainer a lot right now.

It seems like it might be the move.., especially if you can slide the mixing tube forward a tad bit more to make it fit!

My other thought is this funny little flare nozzle from an old Lifegard fluidized sandbed filter; though I cannot find it for sale anywhere online! (It’s also at my LFS right now, so I’m referencing an old photo!)



Maybe you could do something similar to control the direction of water flow out of the strainer? Basically seal off one half of the strainer mesh so water fires out at an angle from the strainer!

 

[Schulks]

It seems like it might be the move.., especially if you can slide the mixing tube forward a tad bit more to make it fit!

My other thought is this funny little flare nozzle from an old Lifegard fluidized sandbed filter; though I cannot find it for sale anywhere online! (It’s also at my LFS right now, so I’m referencing an old photo!)



Maybe you could do something similar to control the direction of water flow out of the strainer? Basically seal off one half of the strainer mesh so water fires out at an angle from the strainer!

That piece would be absolutely perfect right now. Maybe I'll try searching the corners of the internet for a while too.

I considered covering the holes pointing up so there is less potential splash. Ill probably do it

It doesnt seem too hard to make a piece that could fit around the strainer and direct flow.
I might try asking someone to design and 3d print it. I wish I had one of them!

 

[UncommonSense]

That piece would be absolutely perfect right now. Maybe I'll try searching the corners of the internet for a while.

I considered covering the holes pointing up so there is less potential splash. Ill probably do it

It doesnt seem too hard to make a piece that could fit around the strainer and direct flow.
I might try asking someone to design and 3d print it. I wish I had one of them!

What about taking one of those street elbows you have laying around, cutting the center out of the female side, and pipe cementing the two exterior pieces back together?

Like so! — you could also adjust one of the two exterior pieces to a wedge shape, making the final glued part taper down to a restrictive oval flare nozzle!

 

[UncommonSense]

Maybe I'll try searching the corners of the internet for a while.

This may help you find it! — it’s the return nozzle at the top of these tall, skinny fluidized bed filters!

 

[Schulks]

What about taking one of those street elbows you have laying around, cutting the center out of the female side, and pipe cementing the two exterior pieces back together?

Like so! — you could also adjust one of the two exterior pieces to a wedge shape, making the final glued part taper down to a restrictive oval flare nozzle!

The bulkhead is 3/4 so my streets are too big. I am going to order one of these strainers in the right size.
I'll just cover the feeder hole for now and use a normal nozzle so I can get the fish back in a better home.

 

[UncommonSense]

The bulkhead is 3/4 so my streets are too big. I am going to order one of these strainers in the right size.
I'll just cover the feeder hole for now and use a normal nozzle so I can get the fish back in a better home.

Hmm.. The lifegard strainer is ABS plastic… you can always cement an ABS pipe cap around the perimeter of the strainer, with a wide slot or hole in the cap to serve as a low-profile nozzle!

 

[Schulks]

Hmm.. The lifegard strainer is ABS plastic… you can always cement an ABS pipe cap around the perimeter of the strainer, with a wide slot or hole in the cap to serve as a low-profile nozzle!

That is a great idea. I will have to see what fits over it.

But maybe it won't be a problem with just a strainer.

Here is some more things I have done!
I should start a build thread at some point.







I'm really behind schedule. The coral looks pale but most of the fish have gotten comfy at least.

 

[UncommonSense]

That is a great idea. I will have to see what fits over it.

But maybe it won't be a problem with just a strainer.

Here is some more things I have done!
I should start a build thread at some point.







I'm really behind schedule. The coral looks pale but most of the fish have gotten comfy at least.

Wow! You’ve been busy!!

It’s looking fantastic, great work!!

The modular control board is clever too; you can just swap it to any tank, plug and play!

 

[Schulks]

Wow! You’ve been busy!!

It’s looking fantastic, great work!!

The modular control board is clever too; you can just swap it to any tank, plug and play!

It is an ikea wall cabinet and I used brackets from amazon to screw the shelves upright. I already had it and came up with the idea. It does look pretty good!

 

[slowride175]

@Schulks Did you put HDPE under the tank there? I have a 24x24x36 Alufab stand that I am stalled out on because I can't figure out what to put under the tank and also under the feet of the stand on top of my carpet, but I see you didn't put anything down under yours. Is it level and no problems from the carpet?

My entire stand is built, but I'm frozen in place because I thought HDPE was too slippery for under a tank and the carpet surface had me freaked out that I wouldn't be able to level it without either cutting out the carpet or putting something on it and then placing the stand on that.

 

[UncommonSense]

@Schulks Did you put HDPE under the tank there? I have a 24x24x36 Alufab stand that I am stalled out on because I can't figure out what to put under the tank and also under the feet of the stand on top of my carpet, but I see you didn't put anything down under yours. Is it level and no problems from the carpet?

My entire stand is built, but I'm frozen in place because I thought HDPE was too slippery for under a tank and the carpet surface had me freaked out that I wouldn't be able to level it without either cutting out the carpet or putting something on it and then placing the stand on that.

HDPE is indeed quite slippery, HIPS might be a wiser option between stand and tank, as it also deforms at >=250PSI compression, vs. 10x that for HDPE!

I’ve discovered that many manufacturers don’t account for the floor’s surface, either! — I’ve seen several 120-140g professionally built systems which put upwards of 120PSI on the flooring under each foot! — this can actually damage wood floors over time!

— I typically just do some quick math, and hole saw an appropriately sized set of aluminum discs from an aluminum plate, placing one under each leveling foot to increase it’s contact patch with the flooring!

— You can add a few inches of water to the tank during leveling on carpet; both using the water as a second level, and relying on water weight to compress the stand into the carpet and padded underlayment… double check level after filling the tank 1/4, and again at 1/2 full!

 

[Schulks]

Yes, I did use hdpe but i would not recommend it. When the tank was about half full I could wiggle it around the top easier than I like.

I plan to finish the stand and add some kind of lip to keep it still.
But I am the only one who uses the room so i have not worried about it.

I thought alufab included something for a top. Have you asked them what to put there?

For leveling on the carpet I just used the nuts on the feet to level it while filling and it hasn't moved yet. I believe I could just relevel it with those nuts if it shifts.

 

[slowride175]

HDPE is indeed quite slippery, HIPS might be a wiser option between stand and tank, as it also deforms at >=250PSI compression, vs. 10x that for HDPE!

I’ve discovered that many manufacturers don’t account for the floor’s surface, either! — I’ve seen several 120-140g professionally built systems which put upwards of 120PSI on the flooring under each foot! — this can actually damage wood floors over time!

— I typically just do some quick math, and hole saw an appropriately sized set of aluminum discs from an aluminum plate, placing one under each leveling foot to increase it’s contact patch with the flooring!

— You can add a few inches of water to the tank during leveling on carpet; both using the water as a second level, and relying on water weight to compress the stand into the carpet and padded underlayment… double check level after filling the tank 1/4, and again at 1/2 full!

Where do you buy the HIPS from? The panels on my stand still have the plastic wrap and they are sourced from here, which also has HIPS:

https://www.curbellplastics.com/pro...lystyrene/page/2/?skus=true&orderby=thickness

 

[UncommonSense]

Where do you buy the HIPS from? The panels on my stand still have the plastic wrap and they are sourced from here, which also has HIPS:

https://www.curbellplastics.com/pro...lystyrene/page/2/?skus=true&orderby=thickness

Oh, I have a local plastic fabrication shop which has 1/8” HIPS, polycarbonate, ABS, etc by the 4’x8’ sheet in stock!

They also have CNC router, laser, etc capabilities so I usually get it cut by them for a nominal fee!

— you might want to look for local plastic fab shops to see if you can get a competitive quote, given how much shipping large sheet goods can cost!

(It should be noted that the plastic is only there to slightly deform over defects in tank/stand, and create a relatively smooth surface! — it doesn’t need to be particularly thick! In fact, plastic in general isn’t a very good at unsupported load bearing, making thicker stuff very use case specific [such as, thick HDPE cutting board])

 

[slowride175]

Oh, I have a local plastic fabrication shop which has 1/8” HIPS, polycarbonate, ABS, etc by the 4’x8’ sheet in stock!

They also have CNC router, laser, etc capabilities so I usually get it cut by them for a nominal fee!

— you might want to look for local plastic fab shops to see if you can get a competitive quote, given how much shipping large sheet goods can cost!

(It should be noted that the plastic is only there to slightly deform over defects in tank/stand, and create a relatively smooth surface! — it doesn’t need to be particularly thick! In fact, plastic in general isn’t a very good at unsupported load bearing, making thicker stuff very use case specific [such as, thick HDPE cutting board])

I called a local shop called Piedmont Plastics and they told me they don't mess with small sizes like 2ft x 2ft so it looks like i might be paying some shipping haha

 

[slowride175]

HDPE is indeed quite slippery, HIPS might be a wiser option between stand and tank, as it also deforms at >=250PSI compression, vs. 10x that for HDPE!

I’ve discovered that many manufacturers don’t account for the floor’s surface, either! — I’ve seen several 120-140g professionally built systems which put upwards of 120PSI on the flooring under each foot! — this can actually damage wood floors over time!

— I typically just do some quick math, and hole saw an appropriately sized set of aluminum discs from an aluminum plate, placing one under each leveling foot to increase it’s contact patch with the flooring!

— You can add a few inches of water to the tank during leveling on carpet; both using the water as a second level, and relying on water weight to compress the stand into the carpet and padded underlayment… double check level after filling the tank 1/4, and again at 1/2 full!

I was digging around for some discs per this idea, wondering what thickness aluminum you went with? Thinking about 3 or 4 inches for the width but not sure how thick to go on them.

https://shop.wagnercompanies.com/ro...ZHkLQXh-25mGROoaDQThQdCoBuL9&tabtypes=Product

 

[UncommonSense]

I was digging around for some discs per this idea, wondering what thickness aluminum you went with? Thinking about 3 or 4 inches for the width but not sure how thick to go on them.

https://shop.wagnercompanies.com/ro...ZHkLQXh-25mGROoaDQThQdCoBuL9&tabtypes=Product

I used ~.175” (3/16) aluminum for the 130g system I did last; just a sheet of metal I took a hole saw to! 1/4” thickness would also work great!

— wood hole saws actually work quite well on aluminum, especially if you spray a garden hose on the cut for cooling!

— Here’s some math I did recently for a local reefer regarding leveling food diameters, and how quickly their surface area increases:

“~1,000lbs (120g) saltwater, 270-400lb tank, 200lbs sand/rock, 50lbs sump/equipment, 200-250lbs stand… ~1,700-2,000lbs total

6x contact points with the floor:

— 1.625” factory foot diameter: 2.074in2, 12.444in2 total contact patch, 136-161PSI

— 2” foot diameter: 3.1416in2, 18.85in2 total contact patch, 90-106PSI

— 2.5” foot diameter: 4.909in2, 29.45in2 total contact patch, 58PSI-68PSI

As you can see, just increasing the foot contact patch diameter by .875” more than halves the point pressure on the floor!”



— you can use this same math to determine how large these discs should be in your application to reduce point pressure on the flooring!

 

[slowride175]

That is great information, I appreciate you sharing the hard work with me to figure this out, you saved me a ton of time and headache. I'm pretty excited, once I order the discs I will be ready to transfer the existing 24g over and get going on my new tank after long last

 

[UncommonSense]

That is great information, I appreciate you sharing the hard work with me to figure this out, you saved me a ton of time and headache. I'm pretty excited, once I order the discs I will be ready to transfer the existing 24g over and get going on my new tank after long last

Of course! — happy to help!

I should also note that I’ve gone back and forth on what material to use on the bottom of these aluminum discs over time…

— either an adhesive backed closed cell neoprene foam padding, or a adhesive backed felt padding, around 1/4” thick seems to be best-bet to prevent the aluminum discs from leaving an impression on softer flooring from the edge of each!

— felt MIGHT be the better bet, because it will actually dry out eventually when water is spilled on it, instead of trapping water between disc/padding and floor!