New 20 Gallon Long

[nanolong]

Hello everyone! I've been out of the hobby for 8 years now and have finally started up another tank. The new tank is inspired by Scorched's Mr Aqua's 12 gallon nano long. There are two 1/2" holes on the left side and a 1/2" return. The goal was to keep the back of the tank as clean as possible. The sump below is a 10 gallon sump (my first sump so still learning). Just thought this may be of interest to some reefers looking at different tank designs. Let me know if you have any ideas! 

 

[AlanM]

Nice.  Looking good!

 

One of the longest running and nicest tanks on WAMAS was one with just bulkheads on the end like the one you have here.  He's moved on now, but here's a link to when Robert Chu was ReefCentral TOTM in 2013: http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/137-tank-of-the-month

 

 

[nanolong]

Thanks for the link! That is an insanely sophisticated system. 

[YHSublime]

Big fan of the Mr. Aqua tanks. Following along to see what you do with it!

[howaboutme]

I love this tank design and proportion. A lot of good examples here. I'm curious how the return works. The image above doesn't show where the water returns. Is it the top bulkhead?

[mattm]

Very nice. Huge fan of the Scorched tank and excited to see yours develop!

[AlanM]

3 hours ago, howaboutme said:

I love this tank design and proportion. A lot of good examples here. I'm curious how the return works. The image above doesn't show where the water returns. Is it the top bulkhead?

 

Looks like return is on the right side with some locline going in through a bulkhead.  Drains are on the left side.  

[howaboutme]

10 minutes ago, AlanM said:

 

Looks like return is on the right side with some locline going in through a bulkhead.  Drains are on the left side.  

Thanks Alan. Just realized I meant drain, not return. I'm curious how the drain works w/ the bulkheads and how the 2 returns work, like a durso? (I don't know what I'm talking about.)

[nanolong]

13 hours ago, howaboutme said:

Thanks Alan. Just realized I meant drain, not return. I'm curious how the drain works w/ the bulkheads and how the 2 returns work, like a durso? (I don't know what I'm talking about.)

There is one 1/2" drain on a full siphon and another 1/2" drain a little above acting as a surface skimmer. There are two low profile strainers on the 1/2" bulkheads. Here's a link to what they look like.

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BXRETYW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_GR2WSBBV5BZSYHKC6NZM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by nanolong

[nanolong]

Does anyone have a recommendation on a refugium light for the chaeto? Would prefer to spend $50 or less.

[howaboutme]

57 minutes ago, nanolong said:

There is one 1/2" drain on a full siphon and another 1/2" drain a little above acting as a surface skimmer. There are two low profile strainers on the 1/2" bulkheads. Here's a link to what they look like.

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BXRETYW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_GR2WSBBV5BZSYHKC6NZM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

Thank you. Can you explain what happens when you turn the return pump off? Your sump has to be able to hold the volume of water from the top drain to just below the bottom drain? That looks like a lot relative to the sump picture you've shown.

[nanolong]

30 minutes ago, howaboutme said:

Thank you. Can you explain what happens when you turn the return pump off? Your sump has to be able to hold the volume of water from the top drain to just below the bottom drain? That looks like a lot relative to the sump picture you've shown.

Yes, the sump can handle the volume that is drained when the return pump is turned off. If I could do it all over again, I probably would have put the lower drain and return drain a little higher to give the sump a little more breathing room. It's cutting it a little too close for comfort at the moment. 

[thakki]

1 hour ago, nanolong said:

Does anyone have a recommendation on a refugium light for the chaeto? Would prefer to spend $50 or less.

 

Search it up on Amazon, you will find a lot of grow lights. When I had a small sump, this worked just fine for me. Now I have that running on my phyto culture.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Spectrum-Replaceable-Flexible-Gooseneck/dp/B07PQDNFB9/ref=sr_1_26?crid=3PYZF7VSCY6LC&dchild=1&keywords=refugium+light&qid=1619184764&sprefix=refug%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-26

[nanolong]

1 hour ago, thakki said:

 

Search it up on Amazon, you will find a lot of grow lights. When I had a small sump, this worked just fine for me. Now I have that running on my phyto culture.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Spectrum-Replaceable-Flexible-Gooseneck/dp/B07PQDNFB9/ref=sr_1_26?crid=3PYZF7VSCY6LC&dchild=1&keywords=refugium+light&qid=1619184764&sprefix=refug%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-26

Thanks Thakki!

[AlanM]

In my opinion 1/2" drains are really small.  Hope you don't overflow the tank when they plug.

[nanolong]

On 4/23/2021 at 3:50 PM, AlanM said:

In my opinion 1/2" drains are really small.  Hope you don't overflow the tank when they plug.

I was concerned the flow would be too much if I went any larger. What would you have done? I can always go bigger. 

[YHSublime]

1 hour ago, nanolong said:

I was concerned the flow would be too much if I went any larger. What would you have done? I can always go bigger. 

 

Standard is 1" drain, 3/4" return. Scorched's tank is awesome, and the only difference is he runs a drain AND a return on either end. The 12 gallon nano was part of the motivation of my DT which is a 22 gallon Mr. Aqua. 

 

On 4/22/2021 at 6:19 PM, howaboutme said:

I'm curious how the drain works w/ the bulkheads and how the 2 returns work, like a durso? (I don't know what I'm talking about.)

 

No, you do know what you're talking about. They are completely open bulkheads, but the OP purchased these to screw into the inside portion as a strainer.

The OP has the drains on the left side on different levels, one full siphon, and the other higher up. What Scorched did instead was a drain and return bulkhead on either side, but modified one of the above 'strainers' pictured to cover up a 3/4 portion of it, and kept the other one as is. That way he had a trickle over and a full siphon. While this setup leaves the tank running quiet, if either of them got clogged, it would definitely start making some noise. 

 

I chose not to run that way because I personally think that nowadays there are more fail safe alternatives. While the margin for error is still very low, exists with a greater probability than, lets say an external overflow box. 

 

@nanolong I can't see how your return is drilled (middle, side, etc) but it's not to late to go with 1" drains, or 1" drains one either side with a 3/4" return like Scorched, or just take your drains up to 1" on the one side as well would be better than 1/2".  

 

Couple small things that I would consider, I imagine you liked Scorched's tank for the same reasons we all do, because it's super clean and is superfly. 

- I'd lose the locline for the return (that's if the sump can handle it if you lose power)

- I'd find a way to get the plumbing off the sides (drains and return) to go straight down. If you used PVC you're putting stress on the bulkheads and the glass. If you used plastic tubing, then it's just an aesthetic thing. 

 

 

[nanolong]

19 minutes ago, YHSublime said:

 

Standard is 1" drain, 3/4" return. Scorched's tank is awesome, and the only difference is he runs a drain AND a return on either end. The 12 gallon nano was part of the motivation of my DT which is a 22 gallon Mr. Aqua. 

 

 

No, you do know what you're talking about. They are completely open bulkheads, but the OP purchased these to screw into the inside portion as a strainer.

The OP has the drains on the left side on different levels, one full siphon, and the other higher up. What Scorched did instead was a drain and return bulkhead on either side, but modified one of the above 'strainers' pictured to cover up a 3/4 portion of it, and kept the other one as is. That way he had a trickle over and a full siphon. While this setup leaves the tank running quiet, if either of them got clogged, it would definitely start making some noise. 

 

I chose not to run that way because I personally think that nowadays there are more fail safe alternatives. While the margin for error is still very low, exists with a greater probability than, lets say an external overflow box. 

 

@nanolong I can't see how your return is drilled (middle, side, etc) but it's not to late to go with 1" drains, or 1" drains one either side with a 3/4" return like Scorched, or just take your drains up to 1" on the one side as well would be better than 1/2".  

 

Couple small things that I would consider, I imagine you liked Scorched's tank for the same reasons we all do, because it's super clean and is superfly. 

- I'd lose the locline for the return (that's if the sump can handle it if you lose power)

- I'd find a way to get the plumbing off the sides (drains and return) to go straight down. If you used PVC you're putting stress on the bulkheads and the glass. If you used plastic tubing, then it's just an aesthetic thing. 

 

 

I could take the return off and it could be just a straight bulkhead. This is what I added to the return to increase the flow. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077LHT6GP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

 

Interesting on the PVC and stress. I didn't even think of that. The problem is that I custom built the stand to fit the Mr Aqua 22 gallon for whenever I upgrade to that tank which is not as tall but longer. That's why the PVC out of the bulkhead had to stick out further. You think I should go with tubing with the fear of too much stress on the glass? 

[nanolong]

25 minutes ago, YHSublime said:

 

Standard is 1" drain, 3/4" return. Scorched's tank is awesome, and the only difference is he runs a drain AND a return on either end. The 12 gallon nano was part of the motivation of my DT which is a 22 gallon Mr. Aqua. 

 

 

No, you do know what you're talking about. They are completely open bulkheads, but the OP purchased these to screw into the inside portion as a strainer.

The OP has the drains on the left side on different levels, one full siphon, and the other higher up. What Scorched did instead was a drain and return bulkhead on either side, but modified one of the above 'strainers' pictured to cover up a 3/4 portion of it, and kept the other one as is. That way he had a trickle over and a full siphon. While this setup leaves the tank running quiet, if either of them got clogged, it would definitely start making some noise. 

 

I chose not to run that way because I personally think that nowadays there are more fail safe alternatives. While the margin for error is still very low, exists with a greater probability than, lets say an external overflow box. 

 

@nanolong I can't see how your return is drilled (middle, side, etc) but it's not to late to go with 1" drains, or 1" drains one either side with a 3/4" return like Scorched, or just take your drains up to 1" on the one side as well would be better than 1/2".  

 

Couple small things that I would consider, I imagine you liked Scorched's tank for the same reasons we all do, because it's super clean and is superfly. 

- I'd lose the locline for the return (that's if the sump can handle it if you lose power)

- I'd find a way to get the plumbing off the sides (drains and return) to go straight down. If you used PVC you're putting stress on the bulkheads and the glass. If you used plastic tubing, then it's just an aesthetic thing. 

 

 

I guess I don't understand the advantage of the 1" PVC. That would be a flow rate of 600GPH so the tank would be turning over 30x an hour. That seems like chaos to me, but I'm still new at this. First time drilling and creating a custom tank. 

[YHSublime]

30 minutes ago, nanolong said:

I could take the return off and it could be just a straight bulkhead. This is what I added to the return to increase the flow. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077LHT6GP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 

 

Interesting on the PVC and stress. I didn't even think of that. The problem is that I custom built the stand to fit the Mr Aqua 22 gallon for whenever I upgrade to that tank which is not as tall but longer. That's why the PVC out of the bulkhead had to stick out further. You think I should go with tubing with the fear of too much stress on the glass? 

 

I'm speaking from an aesthetic standpoint on both of those things. 

 

29 minutes ago, nanolong said:

I guess I don't understand the advantage of the 1" PVC. That would be a flow rate of 600GPH so the tank would be turning over 30x an hour. That seems like chaos to me, but I'm still new at this. First time drilling and creating a custom tank. 

 

Best practice to have larger drains. Reduces the chances of an overflow, less likely to clog. You can always control your return speed. 

 

You're not leaving yourself a really tight margin for error with 1/2", like Alan was saying. 

[AlanM]

Why do you think the larger drain equals higher flow? 

 

The flow is determined by what the return pump is pushing out of the sump, not by the size of the drain.

[nanolong]

12 hours ago, AlanM said:

Why do you think the larger drain equals higher flow? 

 

The flow is determined by what the return pump is pushing out of the sump, not by the size of the drain.

I just assumed a full siphon would have a set flow rate and you match the return with that rate.

[nanolong]

12 hours ago, YHSublime said:

 

I'm speaking from an aesthetic standpoint on both of those things. 

 

 

Best practice to have larger drains. Reduces the chances of an overflow, less likely to clog. You can always control your return speed. 

 

You're not leaving yourself a really tight margin for error with 1/2", like Alan was saying. 

I'll move up to 1" if you think it's best. Have a recommendation for black tubing? 

[YHSublime]

1 hour ago, nanolong said:

I'll move up to 1" if you think it's best. Have a recommendation for black tubing? 

 

I just believe it will be best for you in the long run, no amount of saltwater on the floor is a good amount. Sorry, no tubing recs. 

[AlanM]

4 hours ago, nanolong said:

I just assumed a full siphon would have a set flow rate and you match the return with that rate.

 

Normally there's a valve at the bottom of the full siphon that lets you adjust how quickly it drains.  The larger cross section of the larger bulkhead and pipe lessens the chances of that getting clogged up with stuff over time.