Two shallow tanks & one sump setup

[Levinson]

At last, the build has begun. 2 shallow tanks (350*450*900mm) sharing one sump (also a shallow 350*450*900mm). It will be for my shrimp breeding experiment so I guess this would be what they call a 'frag build'? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Drawing up the plan took quite a while. It kept on changing and even now I don't have a 100% complete plan for it but most of the ideas are there. Some of the things I will have to decide as I go.
The ordered things are coming in one by one and I've started to put them together. I'm taking things slow (partly because some of the things needed are coming from aboard and partly due to me not being confident enough). I expect this project to take quite some time. I have never had or built a setup this size before.
A lot of DIY work will be involved, most of which I have never tried before. Just hoping and praying that they'll work. Can't say I'm any good with DIY but I just can't have the build in the way I want to without having to resort to such measures (or paying someone many thousands of $$$$).

First is the aquarium stand. I've ordered the aluminum extrusion parts as designed and put them together. This was my first time working with the aluminum extrusion.

Opening the package.

I found these joints pretty handy. No tap or holes on the side are needed.

I have made 3 stands, 2 for the tank and one is just a platform for the sump to go on. It was very important for the tanks to be placed as low as possible for their purpose so I won't be placing the sump directly under the tank (there won't be enough vertical space).

The stands are slightly elevated from the ground with aluminum foot-base units. I didn't want the water getting under and in between the stand and the floor. I got some cheap Teflon furniture feet to go under the legs to protect the wooden floor. These feet protectors were actually pretty slippery which was nice while I was working on it cuz I can push them around easily but I will see how they go with the tanks on the top. If they still slide easily I might have to put something else under it.

A few days later, the film plywood panels (12mm thick) have arrived. After wiping them clean, I applied some coats of varnish just on the sides. Less than $2(US) worth of it.

For the bottom panels, I cut out some yoga mat pieces (leftover from another project in the past) to fill the gap between the pillars and the panel so they stay in place. Worked pretty well.
The top panels are actually just sitting there. No screws, glue, or anything. I'm not sure if I should do something to hold it in place, like put some tape from under it (not directly between the panel and the stand but sticking some tape from underneath to hold them together after placing the panel on top). I don't want to use screws or glue.

A few more days later, the tanks have arrived. 3 in total. The delivery guy wasn't very pleased. The tanks were actually a lot heavier then I had expected and these are just shallows. I don't think I will be able to place it on top of the stand by myself. I feel so weak. I've only opened one up for now so I can start working on the sump later. The rest of the tanks can wait till the hole saw arrives. When it does, it will be my first attempt at drilling glass. Hope I don't F it up, I'd be forced to buy another tank, and waste all that money.

Cut out a new yoga mat to go between the tank and the plywood. Why yoga mat? Because they are cheap. I got one for about US$4.20 each. The one in the picture will go under the sump. The seller didn't have 3 sets of yoga mats in the same color that I wanted. The 2 that will go under the tank will be grey. I haven't cut those out yet.

Well, that's it for this post. There were also other things happening but maybe I will post about them another time.

 

[blaxsun]

Looks like an interesting project - can't wait to see more! Yes, frag tank or "lagoon" style. What's going to go under the pair of tanks? Electronics, storage, saltwater and RO topup?

 

[Levinson]

Looks like an interesting project - can't wait to see more! Yes, frag tank or "lagoon" style. What's going to go under the pair of tanks? Electronics, storage, saltwater and RO topup?

Thanks! I was thinking of putting electronics and some culture bottles under the tanks.
Would be nice to also place RO reservoir there but I think it might be difficult to access it cuz it's a bit too low.

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks! I was thinking of putting electronics and some culture bottles under the tanks.
Would be nice to also place RO reservoir there but I think it might be difficult to access it cuz it's a bit too low.

You should check out the ones Innovative Marine has. Even if you don't go that route it might give you some ideas on designing your own (the pull-out drawer on top for refills, for example).

 

[Levinson]

You should check out the ones Innovative Marine has. Even if you don't go that route it might give you some ideas on designing your own (the pull-out drawer on top for refills, for example).

Wow I haven't seen this before. Looks like a great idea. Dunno if I can come up with a cheaper DIY copy but I'll bear that in mind. Thanks!

 

[Levinson]

Bought some secondhand dry rocks. I think bought far too much. I know it's good to start curing them early but I'm too lazy to do it now and I don't have a big enough container to do it in.

Today I cut out some sheets of glass myself for sump baffles. This was my first time cutting glass and I didn't have any spare to practice on beforehand or redo. There were some mistakes and risky moments at times but I think they turned out ok, meaning, usable. The edges were sanded by hand (inside the tub with a mask on). One sheet, in particular, wasn't clean-cut so I sanded it down a bit more. It's not perfect but I think it will work. I haven't tried placing them inside the tank yet so we'll see when I do.

The ugly cut. This is before sanding it.

Sanded, washed and left to dry. There are some larger ones that are not shown in this pic.

 

[Levinson]

Started putting the sump together. Siliconed the glass baffles. First time siliconing glass. Almost everything in this project is first for me. It's not very clean but I'd be happy as long as it works. It's not finished yet but I'd say most of the big jobs are done. I have to wait for it to dry a bit to get to the next step. I'll work on the rest tomorrow.
I tried to keep the baffle design in a way so that any minor size differences in the glass sheets won't matter too much when putting them together (since I'll be the one cutting the glass, for the first time. I didn't really trust myself to get the measurements right).
They look sealed but part of me wants to apply more silicone once again to make sure they are sealed. Guess I'm worried because I have no experience.
Wonder if I can scrape off the bits of silicone smeared over the glass with a razor blade or something.

 

[Levinson]

One of the things I need to decide is choosing the return pumps.
I will be needing 2, one for each tank.
The water volume of each tank works out to be about 120 liters (31.6 gallons).
I'm looking at at least 4~5 times turn over per hour. So about 480~600 l/h (127~158 ghp).
The tank is about 90cm (3 feet) above the sump bottom and I'm guessing the horizontal distance would be around 45cm (1.4 feet). Soft tubings will be used for the plumbing.
I'm based in Korea so the availability of products and the prices may differ from elsewhere.

Some of the contenders I have in mind are...
1. Sicce Syncra 1.5: 23w, 1350 l/h (357gph)
Heard only good things about it and they are reliable. According to the graph, this will provide enough turnover but they say that the manufacturer's claims need to be taken with a grain of salt so I wasn't sure if this would be powerful enough. I checked with the importer and apparently, they don't import the 2.0 version (it's the only model in the Syncra Silent lineup that is not being imported to Korea! They import the rest of the models). The 2.5 version is far too big for me.

2. Jebao DCP 2500 (or other Jebao pumps): 23w, 2500 l/h (660gph)
I was surprised to learn that DC pumps use significantly less wattage to push the same water volume compared to AC pumps. Less power usage is a big plus for me. But reliability is also very important and I'm not sure if I can trust the Jebao DC pumps to last a long time. Do they?

3. Other cheap AC pumps with higher wattage (25w~30w )
Would, say, 25w~30w Chinese pumps push more water than the 23w Sicce Syncra 1.5? Or would the Sicce 1.5 perform better despite using less power due to the superior built quality? Only if I knew.. This still remains an option just because it's just so much cheaper.

4. Other non-Chinese controllable DC pumps
Not really an option for me. They just cost too much, at least the ones that I've seen.

Please feel free to comment. Cheers.

 

[blaxsun]

I would actually go with a single Sicce SDC 3.0 DC WiFi pump, and split the output to both tanks (since they're the same size and roughly same distance to the sump). This gives you 3,000 l/h, but you'll probably lose half - and then can adjust the speed of the pump as needed. I think you'll be able to run it at 40-60% to achieve the rate of flow you want.

The electrical savings alone will pay for any cost difference in a year.

 

[Levinson]

I would actually go with a single Sicce SDC 3.0 DC WiFi pump, and split the output to both tanks (since they're the same size and roughly same distance to the sump). This gives you 3,000 l/h, but you'll probably lose half - and then can adjust the speed of the pump as needed. I think you'll be able to run it at 40-60% to achieve the rate of flow you want.

The electrical savings alone will pay for any cost difference in a year.

Drooling over that SDC... These are not imported here and a bit out of my budget.
But about splitting from one pump, I haven't really considered it because I thought it would be difficult to have the flow split evenly. If not, I guess opting for one decent pump might work out to be better.

 

[Levinson]

I'm starting to lean towards the one bigger pump option now...

 

[New&no clue]

I would vote for 1 pump split into two returns as well. I’ve tried using dual pump before and it is a nightmare as they won’t pull at the exact same speed… even if they are the same pump.

 

[Levinson]

Thanks for your replies. I think I have narrowed down my options enough.
Though I won't be buying them right away as there are also other things I need to buy and I want on buying them all at once.

The tank is intended for shrimps (no corals) so it doesn't need any strong, fancy, or reef lights. Any cheap LEDs would do as long as it is bright enough for 'me' to see most areas of the tank.
But I thought I might as well consider paying a little extra to get some cheap reef light since I'm spending money on it. You know, just in case.
I've already had some vague plans for which lights to get but today I found some secondhand deals on 2 x Maxpect Ethereal (130w) + ICV6 control unit that's pretty dang cheap. Cheaper than what I had prepared to spend on the lights.
Now the lights are many many times more powerful than what I need or had plans for but it is quite tempting. My concerns are....

1. Can one of them cover the 90cm long (35inch), 35cm deep (14inch) shallow tank? (without ramping the intensity up like crazy high). By cover, I mean bright enough for my eyes to see most areas of the tank in the dark (not for the coral growth or PAR rating). I can try to make a custom mount to raise it higher if I need to.

2. Would I need to use significantly more power to light up the tank in comparison to having 2 smaller lights per tank due to having just one point of illumination? (If the answer for 1 is yes)
Initially, I was thinking of the likes of 20~40w light per tank so 130w is way too high. It's mainly for me to see (at least for the time being) so I don't want to be wasting too much on electricity (until I need to). If anything, I want to lower the power usage to the minimum.

Any input is much appreciated. Cheers.

 

[blaxsun]

1. Based on the chart from Maxspect's website, I would say no (it looks like the light extends out to maybe a 25cm radius from the center of the light (so 50cm coverage max) @24" height. You might be able to extend this to 60cm - but you're also going to end up with a lot of light spill over the sides as well - which may not be desirable.

Ethereal - Maxspect

maxspect

www.maxspect.com

2. Yes and no. I mean, keep in mind that the rated power is for 100% which you're not even remotely going to be running. Every light is going to have a certain amount of draw by default regardless. I pulled the power usage from my G5 Radions and one XR30 is running @103W, another XR30 @98W and the XR15 is running @51W (so slightly more than 4% more than the XR30 when you factor in size).

 

[Levinson]

1. Based on the chart from Maxspect's website, I would say no (it looks like the light extends out to maybe a 25cm radius from the center of the light (so 50cm coverage max) @24" height. You might be able to extend this to 60cm - but you're also going to end up with a lot of light spill over the sides as well - which may not be desirable.

Ethereal - Maxspect

maxspect

www.maxspect.com

2. Yes and no. I mean, keep in mind that the rated power is for 100% which you're not even remotely going to be running. Every light is going to have a certain amount of draw by default regardless. I pulled the power usage from my G5 Radions and one XR30 is running @103W, another XR30 @98W and the XR15 is running @51W (so slightly more than 4% more than the XR30 when you factor in size).

Thanks @blaxsun. That's a pity. This option would have made the build much easier.

By "Every light is going to have a certain amount of draw by default regardless.", do you mean that bigger lights will draw more power compared to a smaller light even turned down to the same level?
Eg. power usage100w light at 10% intensity vs 10w light at 100% intensity.

Isn't the spread info on the site more for the par rating rather than how they look in our eyes? Although I think it won't be that much different, I guess not all areas of the tank need to be bright? My current tank isn't anyway.

If I were to get the Ethereal, I'd probably mount it higher (custom mount) and run mostly white channel, little or no other channels. Turn it down a lot of course, as low as I can, like not too far off 20%~30%.

The lighting options I had in mind before were..
1. Two saltwater version Asta20 lights per tank. At one point I've ordered them from China but they were out of stock. I was looking for a new seller. They need to be shipped in from abroad.
2. One long cheap white only aquarium led light per tank. DIY legs will be needed to have them elevated more. Simple, easy and the cheapest option but no potential for soft coral & anemone in the future.
3. Two Spectra Aqua knight Nano reef lights per tank. Will need to DIY a custom mount. Too much of a hassle.

 

[Sean Clark]

Very cool, following along.

 

[Levinson]

I've gone ahead and pulled the trigger on the Maxspect lights... Oh I hope I've made the right choice. Got 2 units + a controller for about US$167.
I've factory reset the lights and they lid up. Haven't tried the ICV6 controller yet (having wifi issues with my phone and waiting on the new one). I'm trying to work out if the units are alright and not faulty but can't seem to work out how to adjust the channels manually with the knob, even after reading the manual (not very detailed instruction).
Assuming they light up as 100% after the factory reset (dunno if they are), they didn't seem 130w bright to my eyes but the only reef light I've ever owned is my current 30w Aqua knight v2 so I don't know how bright they should look. Maybe I was expecting them to blind me for a week or something. Didn't look like any of the diodes were dead but again I'm no expert.
I'm guessing they are in working order and not faulty since both units were about the same brightness and I can't figure out how to adjust them manually for both of the units.
I actually don't need to hook up the controller if I can figure out how to adjust the brightness manually. I will try out the ICV6 controller when my new phone arrives.

 

[Levinson]

Been working on the 2 external overflow boxes today. Still got more to do. I have never worked with acrylic this thick before (8mm thick), I'm not sure if the cement solvent will get far enough under the surface being joined together.
If I was to do it again, I would do it a little differently. Could have used thinner panels for some parts & the design could've been better.
Being not so good with DIY, the edges ended up being a little off in some areas.
The boxes are a quite heavy and it would get heavier with the water so I'm a little worried about hanging them on the side of the glass with a bulkhead.
That and if these will be water tight. I can't think of a way to leak test them.
I haven't applied any silicone yet.
I'm thinking if I should add the triangular acrylic rods on top of the joints to reinforce them or not. I kind of don't want to just because I can barely stick my hand in the box and I could screw it up.

 

[Levinson]

The external boxes are getting there.
Not very clean as you can see but I'd be happy enough if they don't leak. I haven't ordered the rest of the plumbing parts yet.

 

[Levinson]

Today, I drilled glass for the first time. Two tanks, one hole each.
I drilled the first tank in the room and soon regretted it. It made a mass in the room with the water (with the glass powder in it too) spraying all over. Should have done it in the bathroom. I had to move the tank to the bathroom afterward to clean it anyway. I drilled the second tank in the bathroom.
The holes aren't perfect but I didn't screw them up. It was a nerve-wracking process. I took my time drilling because I was scared.
I had a drill guide template made in acrylic (3T). I've also bought a clamp to hold the guide in place but it turns out, I didn't need one, and masking tape all over was sufficient. I think I would have screwed it up if it wasn't for the drill guide.

The first attempt in the room.

The first hole.

The second hole was drilled in the bathroom.

The one on the right is from drilling the first tank, the left from the second tank. The second try looks a tiny bit better but it isn't all that different.

I should really be cleaning the room but I'm too tired to do it.