AlanM September 21, 2016 Author Share September 21, 2016 Good point, Tom. I think I'm convinced to use the barb on the top of my manifold stack for something else and just run the UV with a normal pass-through arrangement and back in to the sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 2, 2016 Author Share October 2, 2016 So after Haywood and Tom's advice I replumbed. If I want to run reactors I'll use a little pump rather than running them off my return pump. Here's the new layout: The 1" PVC is the full siphon. It will flow plenty of water. 1.5" PVC requires a huge ball valve to be almost completely shut for the full siphon drain. The two with flexpvc are the open channel and emergency. I have nothing in the bulkhead in the overflow box for the full siphon, just the bulkhead at the bottom. The open channel is halfway up the inner-to-outer bulkheads, and the emergency is 1 inch from the top of the box. So now my UV is plumbed with just an in and out and I can control the flow rate completely with the little ball valve. I didn't use a check valve because they always leak anyway, so I will just set my sump water level and return heights to a level that won't overflow if the power goes out. Now I have some aquascaping to do: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime October 3, 2016 Share October 3, 2016 Finally! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 October 3, 2016 Share October 3, 2016 nice job! I will have to consult you on my tank build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 3, 2016 Author Share October 3, 2016 Note that I did Dave Sun's method of marking the plumbing so it lines back up when the glue can comes out. Thanks for the tip, Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 October 3, 2016 Share October 3, 2016 Note that I did Dave Sun's method of marking the plumbing so it lines back up when the glue can comes out. Thanks for the tip, Dave! what is this method? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 3, 2016 Author Share October 3, 2016 what is this method? He pushes them together and then makes a plus sign right at the join so he knows both how deep to push it and also what angle the fitting was at relative to the pipe or adjacent fitting. Seemed to work well. The one thing that was tough is that the bulkheads are ABS and the pipe is PVC. The green transition cement is really runny and drips all over. Also the pipes come out of the bulkheads for quite a while after gluing so I had to hold them for like 5 minutes each, heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime October 3, 2016 Share October 3, 2016 He pushes them together and then makes a plus sign right at the join so he knows both how deep to push it and also what angle the fitting was at relative to the pipe or adjacent fitting. Seemed to work well. I usually get a marker and push them together and note first with a line, that's a good call on the angle relationship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 15, 2016 Author Share October 15, 2016 Filling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 15, 2016 Author Share October 15, 2016 Filter so slow! I now have 225gpd of RO/DI running between the two collection tanks filling the system. Maybe tonight will be the night I get my first flood because one of them doesn't have an auto-shutoff. 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheresTheReef October 15, 2016 Share October 15, 2016 Yea like watching has grow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 16, 2016 Author Share October 16, 2016 Getting there. Almost high enough to show me if the bulkheads will leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 16, 2016 Author Share October 16, 2016 Got a few leaks. I should really listen to Rob when he points at stuff and says that something is going to be super annoying to deal with when it fails, lol. I'm always like "why would it fail? I built it right." I think a few applications of the wrench and some teflon tape will sort it out, but it's annoying that it is happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 17, 2016 Author Share October 17, 2016 Yep. It helps to remember to glue all the pipes you fit together to check alignment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob A October 17, 2016 Share October 17, 2016 When I broke down my 2 tanks (display and frag) to move in June there were 2 different pipes that just pulled apart while I was taking it all down. I just stood there trying to figure out if the glue had failed or if I forgot to glue it. I guess I forgot to glue it. oops. Both systems had been running for more than a year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 17, 2016 Author Share October 17, 2016 Maybe the salt was holding it together. Some things leak for a while until the salt and other doodoo plug up the hole. Then they just get saltier and saltier from the creep. No leaks this morning, though, once I glued everything and took a wrench to one bulkhead nut (after first carving the hole through the drywall bigger). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k October 17, 2016 Share October 17, 2016 Wife's not going to like that bigger hole.... Let me start the tank cycle- Dr. Robs is the best for cycling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 17, 2016 Author Share October 17, 2016 Too true about the bigger hole. I may try to slip a split escutcheon around those pipes as they come out of the wall to clean them up. If I get the urge I may still start this tank the same way I started my last one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM October 23, 2016 Author Share October 23, 2016 Big big skimmer starting to pull a little bit of doodoo. I poured a sizable amount of old fish food in it. 8) I may need to do some mods on this skimmer because the skimmer pumps on it are hard core and pull a tremendous amount of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle October 28, 2016 Share October 28, 2016 tagging along Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM November 8, 2016 Author Share November 8, 2016 Got hair algae and diatoms growing so cycle is underway! At least I hope it's hair algae and not bryopsis that somehow got in there. Looks a bit fuzzy/ferny to me, but if it's bryopsis I'll soon be able to supply lots of it to morgunda for his nudibranchs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM November 11, 2016 Author Share November 11, 2016 Cycle going in earnest. Growing a luxurious pelt of green algae. The algae is doing so much photosynthesis that the tank is kind of cloudy from the bubbles coming off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruleyii November 11, 2016 Share November 11, 2016 Thats a nice garden you have there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM November 11, 2016 Author Share November 11, 2016 Thats a nice garden you have there! True. Maybe I should get a snail or something. Haven't tested ammonia, nitrate, or phosphate, but other numbers look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami November 12, 2016 Share November 12, 2016 Very cool. Like a luxurious lawn in springtime. It'll make great cover for mysids if you have them. Soon you'll be adding some turf grazers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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