Possible Divorce Frag Build

Current State:

In process of tearing down all tanks and putting things in tanks in the house.

One tank down and one to go.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

It’s full, no water leaks, but has an air leak. Main drain is sucking air somewhere. Running to Lowe’s to get some more pipe and gonna redo it lol.

 

[Silent]

Are you not using a full siphon on a drain?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Are you not using a full siphon on a drain?

Full siphon and an emergency. The full siphon is pulling air at one of the connections. I can hold my cigarette over the pipe and watch the smoke get sucked in. I have one of the compression sleeves on that drain line and it is just not sealing perfectly.

No worries though, I will fix today in between calls lol.

 

[Silent]

I see what you are talking about now. Are you using hard or soft plumbing?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I see what you are talking about now. Are you using hard or soft plumbing?

Hard plumbing for the drains. Spa flex to hard for the return. Just gonna replace the compression fitting with a piece of pipe and a coupler. Was being cheap and used the compression fitting, as I had it laying around lol.

 

[Silent]

Makes sense. Throw some plumbing pics up when you get done.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Makes sense. Throw some plumbing pics up when you get done.

Will do.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Makes sense. Throw some plumbing pics up when you get done.

As requested. Ended up being the ball valve leaking air also. Easy fix was to use that for the e-drain and open the valve all the way. Then install my new coupler and gate valve on the old e-drain. It is now the main drain and is actually better for the main, since it is at the front of the sump. Makes running a sock easy if I need to.

Overflow box

Top views of back side

Side view of back

Underneath

Full sump (ignore the mess of wires. All will be in panduit and dressed neatly when done.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

As requested. Ended up being the ball valve leaking air also. Easy fix was to use that for the e-drain and open the valve all the way. Then install my new coupler and gate valve on the old e-drain. It is now the main drain and is actually better for the main, since it is at the front of the sump. Makes running a sock easy if I need to.

Overflow box

Top views of back side

Side view of back

Underneath

Full sump (ignore the mess of wires. All will be in panduit and dressed neatly when done.

Sump setup is as follows from right to left.

Large fuge area, dosing/heater section (skimmer if needed), and return section.

Between the fuge section and the dosing/heater section there is enough gap in between the baffles for a 4 hole egg crate media/sponge rack. May not need it, but better to have it.

Also have a single out from the return for a reactor if it is needed.

I hate cutting and redoing stuff after all is setup. The fitting for the valve is also threaded, so I can modify it to allow for more valves if needed.

Better to over engineer things in the beginning imo.

 

[Silent]

Great job using a gate valve, also using so many unions. Wise to add the available connection off the return just in case you need it. You should think about adding a cover over the overflow to keep snails, fish, and light (algae) out of the drain pipes. I added a little porous rock inside my overflow for a little extra biological filtration.
Looks great and can't wait to see it come along.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Great job using a gate valve, also using so many unions. Wise to add the available connection off the return just in case you need it. You should think about adding a cover over the overflow to keep snails, fish, and light (algae) out of the drain pipes. I added a little porous rock inside my overflow for a little extra biological filtration.
Looks great and can't wait to see it come along.

Cover is already on the overflow lol. Took it off for the pic. I use covers on all my tanks overflows. Makes life so much simpler.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Well I had my first oops lol. I knew my salt had a little moisture in it, which reduces alk when mixed. Knowing this, once all was dissolved, tested alk, it was 6.4. Around what I expected it to be, since the last batch used out of this box mixed to that. Should be around 7.6-7.8 lol. So tested calcium and mag while I was at it, those were all good.

Now for the funny part and thank god there was no livestock in there.

Did my calculations and I needed 14 grams of soda ash to bring the alk up a bit today and then some tomorrow to bring it the rest of the way up. Well...... got a call while scooping onto the scale, thought of 140. Measured 140, dumped 140 grams and MILK!!!!!!

Ph is 9.4, alk is 16.9, yayyy!!!!! Calcium slushee!!!!

Luckily that was the last of that box of salt and the new 2 boxes was mixed up in the storage tank yesterday.

I could just let it ride, clear up and fight with the precipitate, but heck with that. I have 400 gallons of water ready!!!!

So gonna drain this bad boy, fill up with all new water and all will be good lol.

The joys of not stopping what I am doing after 46 hours awake, taking a very technical call where I have to seriously think and then weighing soda ash!!!!!!!!!

MILK!!!!! Yum yum yum.... Mag 18 ftw on draining the tank lol. Halfway there.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Filling it up again lol.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I will suck out all the precipitate when it is full. Get to break out my DE filter lol.

 

[brett_schn]

I love shallow tanks! Turn this into the display tank lol

 

[Silent]

I love shallow tanks! Turn this into the display tank lol

Ive done that before. 2 shallow display tanks. It has its challenges though.

 

[brett_schn]

Ive done that before. 2 shallow display tanks. It has its challenges though.

Looks good!

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I love shallow tanks! Turn this into the display tank lol

It will be display worthy at some point. I plan to add a few mangroves in there once I get it situated and get all of dosing stuff setup. Only inverts are the plan for critters. At least until I can get some speckled blennies or hairy blennies and get them all qt’d and such.

Got to make a trip to Florida to visit my dad to get the blennies and my mangroves. I have 3 mangroves in pots that are 3 years old and gonna go in there. Dad fishes every day and dumps some nasty bait water in the pots every few days lol. Shrimp and greenback fertilizer.

 

[living_tribunal]

Well, since I haven’t updated any of my build threads, this is going to hopefully kick that back into gear.

Ended up buying a frag tank from @dantimdad, as my tanks are full. Well overfull actually.

Got home and Kristy about lost it. She said no more fish tanks. Well this isn’t a fish tank, right? Frag tank is different, I think?

Tank is a glass cages custom frag tank.
measures 84”x30”x12”. Was 12” before I removed the top euro bracing. Now 11.5”. Luckily Stephen already started on doing that, but was still a bear to do. No pics of that sadly. Sorry. I figure will be about 110-120 gallons when the sump is factored in.

Another person is partially responsible for this as well. @Katrina71 has some things sitting in my tanks for her cube, but it isn’t up yet and the stuff is growing lol.

Tank has been leak tested and no leaks. Also not a bit of bowing, even with some old mp60s maxes out making a wave a surfer mouse could ride.

So far I have the overflow built. I hate acrylic. Used a table saw and then polished the edges. All those little acrylic bullets are as bad as welding slang hitting you lol.

Now for the tank.



And the overflow. It will be painted black, as will the backside of the tank. Not the prettiest, but will work. Even has the bottom notched for the bracing on the bottom of the tank.

Spect

 

[brett_schn]

It will be display worthy at some point. I plan to add a few mangroves in there once I get it situated and get all of dosing stuff setup. Only inverts are the plan for critters. At least until I can get some speckled blennies or hairy blennies and get them all qt’d and such.

Got to make a trip to Florida to visit my dad to get the blennies and my mangroves. I have 3 mangroves in pots that are 3 years old and gonna go in there. Dad fishes every day and dumps some nasty bait water in the pots every few days lol. Shrimp and greenback fertilizer.

I can collect and ship for you if you want?
Also can I still buy some coral off you soon?