Josh's first and a half reef

[Vanessa O.]

Thanks for sharing all your photos with us Josh! I personally like the blue background too.

 

[joshbbert]

Thanks for sharing all your photos with us Josh! I personally like the blue background too.

Thank you for looking!

 

[joshbbert]

Is your overflow a siphon? or does the water get pulled out via a pump?

Just a simple 1/2 pvc siphon with a gate valve just use a pump for the return and adjust the siphon to match the return. I just keep some decent movement in the surface to avoid oils and scum since I dont have a surface skimmer

 

[MrDJeep123]

Just a simple 1/2 pvc siphon with a gate valve just use a pump for the return and adjust the siphon to match the return. I just keep some decent movement in the surface to avoid oils and scum since I dont have a surface skimmer

I made a pvc overflow, mine surface skims and makes a god awful noise. Yours looks so much more simple. How do you cope with power loss? The pump goes out, your siphon will continue, what did you do so that it will break?

 

[joshbbert]

I made a pvc overflow, mine surface skims and makes a god awful noise. Yours looks so much more simple. How do you cope with power loss? The pump goes out, your siphon will continue, what did you do so that it will break?

Mine makes literally no noise idk if that has to do with the size pvc I used not sure they go about halfway down the back side if the tank into 1/2 hoses, for flooding I just cut the siphon shorter then in the pic so its about 1/2 inch in the water now, same with return then I just leave enough room in the sump and display for the flood (an inch in both) until the siphons break. Not the best but it works no floods yet. If I could do it over again I would have gone to glass holes for the surface skimmer. Tank and plumping cost me 30$ and there are alot of methods on google with fail safes you can look up what are you using atm?

 

[MrDJeep123]

Mine makes literally no noise idk if that has to do with the size pvc I used not sure they go about halfway down the back side if the tank into 1/2 hoses, for flooding I just cut the siphon shorter then in the pic so its about 1/2 inch in the water now, same with return then I just leave enough room in the sump and display for the flood (an inch in both) until the siphons break. Not the best but it works no floods yet. If I could do it over again I would have gone to glass holes for the surface skimmer. Tank and plumping cost me 30$ and there are alot of methods on google with fail safes you can look up what are you using atm?

Mine looks like this, except I painted it black and is 3/4". It's plumbed to under the tank to the sump, with a mag 3 for return coming up a hose out a directional u-tube.

 

[joshbbert]

MrDJeep123, Ah yes I looked into that actually. I think, but not sure, it might be noisy because thats more of a drain right? Heres mine the siphon is the same thing just with a gate valve. I just start the siphon over a bucket then close the valve to preserve the siphon while I hooked it all up. I also put a sort of grate in it to keep any critters from getting sucked up

 

[MrDJeep123]

I suppose it could be considered a drain. I mean it does drain down and up through a siphon. I have to close the valve a bit that slows the water coming into the sump. I like the look and simplicity of yours. My issue would be the tank I use for a sump is not big enough that I could make something like that workable.
I don't know if you can see, but where mine is in the water if the level gets just below the lip of the pipe it breaks. I hope you don't mind me posting the picture in your thread as well. I promise I'm not trying to hijack it. I just seen your overflow design and thought it was cool and simple. I love the room it's in by the way. Unfortunately it would be too much of a temptation for little fingers in my house. Great looking tank.

 

[joshbbert]

I suppose it could be considered a drain. I mean it does drain down and up through a siphon. I have to close the valve a bit that slows the water coming into the sump. I like the look and simplicity of yours. My issue would be the tank I use for a sump is not big enough that I could make something like that workable.
I don't know if you can see, but where mine is in the water if the level gets just below the lip of the pipe it breaks. I hope you don't mind me posting the picture in your thread as well. I promise I'm not trying to hijack it. I just seen your overflow design and thought it was cool and simple. I love the room it's in by the way. Unfortunately it would be too much of a temptation for little fingers in my house. Great looking tank.

Oh I dont mind at all, the nerd tank is actually one I set up for my little brother mine is the 10g nano. Mine is deffinetly a simpler design and I appreciate the compliment. I looked into that style overflow that you have I just have limited space so I didnt want anything in the tank taking up space or diverting my eyes from the livestock so its just the ends in the water a 1/2 inch then painted them the same color as the back. Have to say It disappears with the black alot better then the blue tho. Pvc was pretty cheap and its a very simple design if you want to give it a shot. Like I said its completly silent which was really just a happy accident im still new and learning

 

[joshbbert]

Its also worth mentioning that my sump layout is a bit strange its a modified 4g hob fuge with skimmer I got of ebay heres the back and the front

 

[MrDJeep123]

I suppose for a smaller tank it wouldn't work out well. I have the 40 breeder. I have it positioned in the far back right and it's mostly out of the way. I don't really realize it's there and sometimes forget about it. It's also how the rock work is positioned and the fact that my tank isn't 100% lit. The middle is the main portion with light falloff on both sides. There's a lot of dark places and areas that I can't see very well into most days. I may consider building it.

I'm going to follow along for updates, thanks for the info to get started.

 

[joshbbert]

I suppose for a smaller tank it wouldn't work out well. I have the 40 breeder. I have it positioned in the far back right and it's mostly out of the way. I don't really realize it's there and sometimes forget about it. It's also how the rock work is positioned and the fact that my tank isn't 100% lit. The middle is the main portion with light falloff on both sides. There's a lot of dark places and areas that I can't see very well into most days. I may consider building it.

I'm going to follow along for updates, thanks for the info to get started.

Np thanks again for the compliments man. The black pvc def disappears on the black background might steal that from ya

 

[joshbbert]

New friends, moved the dragonet to a much bigger tank he was my favorite

 

[joshbbert]

Current fts and my fav acans

 

[lionfish5740]

Tank is coming along nice!

 

[joshbbert]

Tank is coming along nice!

Thanks! Now if I can just catch this bobbit worm

 

[lionfish5740]

:squigglemouth: Those things look scary. Hope it isn't too big!!

 

[joshbbert]

Ill have him soon enough I hope so far ive seen about 8 Iches of it

 

[joshbbert]

Updates! Still have the Bobbit worm changing tanks soon though so ilk deal with him then as he's not causing any trouble at the moment. I recently made a new pvc overflow and return since I was just asking for a flood with the old one, used the mame glass overflow design just not as complicated but my water surface has never been cleaner. Picked up a few acans from a local reefer as well other than that all is well with my little reef fish are happy lots of growth new Duncan heads acan heads the montis are growing nicely and my new zoas are going crazy as well, I love this little China led it def does it's job going to upgrade to a kessil with the tank swap but this light definitely exceeded my expectations. here's a few pics and updated fts. my urchin sorry about the blues that's the only time he comes out to play

 

[joshbbert]

Got an ai hydra 26! Playing with the director now its so cool big change from my China led