roni February 3, 2012 Share February 3, 2012 I think I got my rods at US plastics, if i remember correctly. Google bonsai reef if you want something awesome to emulate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 3, 2012 Author Share February 3, 2012 I brought home a 10' piece of 1/2" pvc from home depot ($1.75) and a 3/4" mason drill bit ($10). The 1/2" cpvc was thinner, but it wasn't as strong as the pvc. the hole i'd need to cut in the rock for the cpvc was 5/8", and the hole for the pvc was 3/4", so since there isn't much of a difference i went with the stronger piping. now lets hope i can drill 3/4" holes into the pukani without destroying it all! i went to their super glue / epoxy section - but came home empty handed in this regard. there were so many epoxys too choose from. loctite had the most, and gorilla had several too. most were the liquid 2 part epoxys. does anyone know which of these would bond pvc/dry rock the best; and are reef safe (won't leech later on?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 February 3, 2012 Share February 3, 2012 Drill as SLOW as possible. Do NOT let the urge to go fast take over. Speed = breakage ime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella February 3, 2012 Share February 3, 2012 Drill as SLOW as possible. Do NOT let the urge to go fast take over. Speed = breakage ime. Huge +1.. And don't try to force it. I like to look for holes in the rock already to drill through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 3, 2012 Author Share February 3, 2012 (edited) I am also drilling a 1/2" hole in the 20g long for the float valve this weekend. slow there too right? the instructions say to start at an angle, then slowly make the drill flat? do you guys do that or just start flat? also - JB WaterWeld epoxy - from what I have found on google, is the reef safe epoxy sold at home depot. has anyone used that before? (the plan is to stick some on the pipe when i am ready to make it permanent in the rocks). Edited February 3, 2012 by Ryan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim February 3, 2012 Share February 3, 2012 I am also drilling a 1/2" hole in the 20g long for the float valve this weekend. slow there too right? the instructions say to start at an angle, then slowly make the drill flat? do you guys do that or just start flat? also - JB WaterWeld epoxy - from what I have found on google, is the reef safe epoxy sold at home depot. has anyone used that before? (the plan is to stick some on the pipe when i am ready to make it permanent in the rocks). It'll be a tight fit on the PVC so you shouldn't need much epoxy inside. I used the epoxy to attach the rocks to each other and, essentially, make one rock. I also used the PVC to make a base to keep the rocks off the bottom of the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainRon February 4, 2012 Share February 4, 2012 I've used tubes of this stuff to help hold rocks together and to mount corals as well. I don't know if it's really salt water safe or not, but I've been using it for 10+ years without any noticable ill effects. For mounting frags, I'll put a little superglue on the frag plug, then some of the epoxy, then some superglue on the epoxy. That hole mess gets shoved onto the rock I want to coral mounted to and it sticks right away. I'd think it'd work well for your purposes. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 4, 2012 Author Share February 4, 2012 (edited) The baffles are in the 20g long sump; but I can't help but wonder if I should go with a bigger sump for overflow purposes "just in case". Here is the 20g long I have put baffles in. No fuge. It will fit the overflow, then the Avast CS1 Skimmer and the Mag 9.5 return pump. There will be a check valve, but it will also be run at 7" depth, which will allow it to handle 1" of overflow from the DT should the check valve fail. The 20g long dimensions are 30x12x12: Another sump available from a WAMAS member is 31x17x18. You can see the baffles installed here. I would put a fuge in the end behind the tallest baffle, the return pump in the middle, and the avast skimmer in the first section if it's big enough (waiting for him to get back to me on how wide each chamber is). This tank would run at 12" of depth, allowing it to handle 2" of overflow from the DT should the check valve fail. This sump is approx 40g: Lastly, another WAMAS member has a Proflex sump for sale. I saw it in person and liked it a lot. It's 31x11x19 and approx 28g. It's shown here: Should I stick with the 20g long sump as planned or switch? The 2nd sump will cost $220 and the Proflex will cost $120. The 20g sump won't cost anything additional ($60 invested). The inside of my stand is 25"; so the 20g long has 13" clearance above the tank; the 2nd sump would have 7"; and the Proflex would have 6" of clearance. If I should make the change, now is my last chance! Otherwise, water goes into the tank and 20g long sump this weekend! Edited February 4, 2012 by Ryan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim February 4, 2012 Share February 4, 2012 The baffles are in the 20g long sump; but I can't help but wonder if I should go with a bigger sump for overflow purposes "just in case". Here is the 20g long I have put baffles in. No fuge. It will fit the overflow, then the Avast CS1 Skimmer and the Mag 9.5 return pump. There will be a check valve, but it will also be run at 7" depth, which will allow it to handle 1" of overflow from the DT should the check valve fail. The 20g long dimensions are 30x12x12: Another sump available from a WAMAS member is 31x17x18. You can see the baffles installed here. I would put a fuge in the end behind the tallest baffle, the return pump in the middle, and the avast skimmer in the first section if it's big enough (waiting for him to get back to me on how wide each chamber is). This tank would run at 12" of depth, allowing it to handle 2" of overflow from the DT should the check valve fail. This sump is approx 40g: Lastly, another WAMAS member has a Proflex sump for sale. I saw it in person and liked it a lot. It's 31x11x19 and approx 28g. It's shown here: Any reason you can't switch out the 20 gallon sump later if you don't like it? Should I stick with the 20g long sump as planned or switch? The 2nd sump will cost $220 and the Proflex will cost $120. The 20g sump won't cost anything additional ($60 invested). The inside of my stand is 25"; so the 20g long has 13" clearance above the tank; the 2nd sump would have 7"; and the Proflex would have 6" of clearance. If I should make the change, now is my last chance! Otherwise, water goes into the tank and 20g long sump this weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella February 4, 2012 Share February 4, 2012 Back to aquascaping. Here is Sanjay's way that I originally used. I know there is a whole thing dedicated to it, but I cant find it. Here you see the paver base stones. http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/66-tank-of-the-month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John February 4, 2012 Share February 4, 2012 (edited) If you're going to spend upwards of $200, just get one built that suits your needs the best...i.e. volume and dimensions that work for you...if you are going to settle on the height of options #2 or #3, just go get a 29g and make your own baffles...or, get a check valve and run your 20g with the understanding that your check valve will require maintenance. Edited February 4, 2012 by John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 4, 2012 Author Share February 4, 2012 Back to aquascaping. Here is Sanjay's way that I originally used. I know there is a whole thing dedicated to it, but I cant find it. Here you see the paver base stones. http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/66-tank-of-the-month His tank is awesome. I love the coral near the surface of the water and how it reflects there. I may go high with my rocks to achieve that effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 4, 2012 Share February 4, 2012 The Proflex sump is cheap junk. The inlet fitting is simply a male adapter screwed into a female adapter with a rubber o-ring to make it tight. It never gets tight and always has salt creep around it. The black lid that covers the top also gets tons of saltcreep buildup. You can get an AVAST skimmer to fit inside it but if you go with the recirc mod, it will be very tight with the return pump. Spend your money on something that will suit your needs better instead of buying something at a bargain price that you will regret later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 5, 2012 Author Share February 5, 2012 Thanks Rob. I am going to stick with the 20g long for now. I drilled the 1/2" hole for the float valve successfully this afternoon. When I tightened the bulkheads and water tested them, one of the two has a drip. Can I put a thin bead of silicone around the nut under the tank, and around the bulkhead up top as well? Will I be able to cut it out and still get the bulkheads out later on if I do this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainRon February 5, 2012 Share February 5, 2012 Silicone will fail. More than likely you just don't have the bulkhead tightened enough. I'd take them apart and make sure you didn't roll a gasket or something too. Otherwise put a tool on them and snug them up. Not too tight - don't want to crack your glass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 5, 2012 Author Share February 5, 2012 (edited) Rock is in. Plus 160# of sand and 6" of RO/DI water: Well darn, I siliconed it before I got any replies. So in the morning I have 2 options. 1) test it and if there is no drip, let it be. or 2) scrape the silicone off, clean the glass top and bottom, make sure the gasket isn't cracked, and reinstall both bulkheads, tightening without breaking the glass, then retrying to see if there is a drip. What do you guys think I should do? Edited February 5, 2012 by Ryan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic February 5, 2012 Share February 5, 2012 Looking great!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 5, 2012 Share February 5, 2012 It's pretty hard to crack glass by tightening it with a bulkhead. I'd do it right, rather than wait for another leak when the tank is up and running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roni February 5, 2012 Share February 5, 2012 I like what you decided on for the aquascape...It will provide completely different views depending on the angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 5, 2012 Author Share February 5, 2012 It's pretty hard to crack glass by tightening it with a bulkhead. I'd do it right, rather than wait for another leak when the tank is up and running. Well, I took your advice and started scraping the silicone away. Shortly thereafter I found the cause of the problem. I forgot to put a gasket on the leaking bulkhead. Once added, no more leak, imagine that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 6, 2012 Author Share February 6, 2012 How does the plumbing/sump look? The CS1 skimmer will go in the middle in a little bit. Almost done putting it together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 6, 2012 Author Share February 6, 2012 (edited) And with the Avast CS1 Recirculating Skimmer! (I put the output from the skimmer over the baffles into the same chamber as the overflow feed and the filter sock): Edited February 6, 2012 by Ryan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad February 6, 2012 Share February 6, 2012 That looks good, Ryan! When is the water going in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 6, 2012 Author Share February 6, 2012 That looks good, Ryan! When is the water going in? The DT is filling as we speak! I'd say it's about 1/3 full. At 75gpd, 150g display, it will be a couple days! Funny thing - I put my brand new 300w finnex heater into the DT this morning to start warming the water. The water is reading 63 degrees, the heater is set at 78 degrees. The darned heater has a high pitched alarm sound that you cant turn off or turn down, because the water is so cold. I turned it off to not annoy my neighbors today, maybe will try to turn it on tonight while I am home or wrap it in a sock or something. Super annoying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John February 6, 2012 Share February 6, 2012 (edited) Good Luck! I think that valve on the drain should have been placed on the return...you can't restrict the drain without being able to control the return. Moreover, unions would have been easier on you when you do maintenance on your check valve than your hose clamps...I would keep spare tubing in case it gets damaged when you disassemble the return portion. Edited February 6, 2012 by John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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