Standpipe for a 90g 2-hole, bottom drilled tank

[dangros]

I know there 's been much debate on what standpipe is the best but my question is "What standpipe setup would be most appropriate and safe for my tank?"
I have an old Oceanic 90g tank with a 1.5" and a 2" diameter holes drilled in the overflow on the left side of the tank. The tank has been out of commission and sitting outdoors for a couple of years in the harsh NY enviroment. Now that I'm back in VA and have a house, I'm ready to jump back into this hobby with a patient and 'do it right' mindset! I'm going to build a stand over the next couple of weeks. After that, I've been eyeing the TriggerSystems Ruby Elite 30" refugium - connecting it to whatever I decide here.

So with that in mind, and the attached pic of the tank. What do you guys think?
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2807/11922951326_02c63b85cd_b.jpg

[uncleof6]

Hi Dan,

Before going any further, I would A) take the tank to a tank builder, and have it checked for life expectancy. I would not place much stock in it, with its current condition and considering the prolonged exposure to the weather; they are not engineered for, nor intended for such extremes.

After that, assuming a good report, Herbie siphon system is your best option. Bean would require further mods to the tank. Smaller hole siphon (3/4" bulkhead) and larger hole DRY emergency. (1" bulkhead.)

[SGT_York]

Herbie will work great, run the return behind the tank.

You certainly want to do a test run outdoors, use hose water and vinegar and run it for a few days to clean it out then inspect all the silicone joints, if any of the silicone has significantly receeded the tank may need to be scrapped. Also check for any large cracks, jewlers rouge can be used to "sand" away any small scrapes, it won't do much on large, deep scrapes.

For just a few $$$ and a lot of elbow grease you can have that tank looking fine.

[dangros]

That's not what I was hoping to hear :)
Where would I find a qualified tank builder?

Hi Dan,

Before going any further, I would A) take the tank to a tank builder, and have it checked for life expectancy. I would not place much stock in it, with its current condition and considering the prolonged exposure to the weather; they are not engineered for, nor intended for such extremes.

After that, assuming a good report, Herbie siphon system is your best option. Bean would require further mods to the tank. Smaller hole siphon (3/4" bulkhead) and larger hole DRY emergency. (1" bulkhead.)

[Cdodge1]

Yeah... 90 gallons is a lot of water to risk spilling on the floor because of a bad seal. A couple years exposure in extreme temperatures can really take a toll on a tank. If you want to really do it right, go spend the $$ to get a new tank

[Biogenetic40379]

i would def. have the tank looked at as well. I am a fan of the durso stand pipe, as it has fit my needs so far in the hobby

[dangros]

I know I gouged the silicon several times, over the years, when scraping algae. So, I would reseal the tank using RTV 108 if keeping it. I guess the concern from you guys (and now me!) is the adhesive b/w the parts may have been compromised from the outdoors temperature changes, and physical movement of the tank? Can an inspector really know with any real certainty if there are no visible clues? If I am running a real risk, would it not be better to wait and purchase a new one? For that matter, I might as well go with acrylic, no? Money is a concern, but a 90g tank failure could be catastrophic and I don't want to risk that with a 1 year old and a wife who's already displeased w/the idea of that much water and drowned money in the living room.

[Cdodge1]

Hi Dan,

Before going any further, I would A) take the tank to a tank builder, and have it checked for life expectancy. I would not place much stock in it, with its current condition and considering the prolonged exposure to the weather; they are not engineered for, nor intended for such extremes.


I know I gouged the silicon several times, over the years, when scraping algae. So, I would reseal the tank using RTV 108 if keeping it.


1.)I don't really see someone being able to find a "tank builder" locally unless they are really lucky.

2.) Even IF you had a tank builder near by, you would go through the trouble of transporting a 90 gallon aquarium to the builders shop.

3.) After all the trouble and additional rough handling of the aquarium, the tank builder will probably ALWAYS err on the side of caution and tell you that you just need a new one. Why risk his reputation?

4.) IF this tank builder were to say "Sure the tank is good, but you need to re-silicone it" or you just want to re-silicone it yourself, you are going to be looking at about 5 hours of peeling, scraping, cleaning, every micron of old silicone off that tank. Then searching for the correct kind of silicone, (I assume you don't have the same tools as a guy who builds tanks) then another 5 hours of more cleaning and assembly. And after all that, would you ever be %100 sure that the tank is still structurally sound?

5.) Let's say this professional tank builder will restore it. I would assume that it's not going to be a penny less than $150? It's more laborious to restore a tank than it is to build a new one. I'm sure you can find a gently used aquarium for around that cost?

I hate to be "that guy" or the Debby downer in this case lol, but I've been through all that and a cracked tank and it's not fun at all. Trust me, cheap is expensive. Just my 2 cents.

Good luck, I'll be looking forward to updates!

[dangros]

I'ld like to add to this slightly. Even if it is 2014! I had some questions as to the viability of my Oceanic tank (purchased in late 2004) which was drained and kept under an awning, outdoors, in NY, for 2 years. So after uncle suggested I have a builder inspect it, I did some research. I found out that some of Oceanic's people eventually ended up at Planet Aquariums in Dallas. So I eventually spoke to one of the ex Oceanic peeps.
1) he was super nice. Said my tank would be ok as long as I didnt have water in it during the freezing days. (expanding and shrinking would compromise the seals).
2) they used "GE 1000 on my tank, and GE 1200 on bigger tanks"
3) u must clean the the old silicone off. He said that if the bottom bead was ok, I could keep it but to take the corners off by
a) cutting it off w/a razor blade, making sure not to get cut into the seam.
b) use windex to clean
c) use 90% or greater alcohol to clean off any residual silicone.
SO, assuming "ge 1200" is scs1200, I would go w/that over RTV108 - simply b/c it's properties are better and it's what the builder of a high quality tank uses. And yes, the peel strength of SCS1200 (http://www.siliconeforbuilding.com/pdf/speciality/Data_Sheet_SCS1200_Construction.pdf) at 61 is significantly higher than RTV108 (100 series) (http://www.momentive.com/products/showtechnicaldatasheet.aspx?id=10289) at 40 lbs/sq inch

I'm going to put aside the 2 tubes of rtv108 that I already purchased and get some SCS1200. I've got some recessed lights and ceiling repair to do as well so it may be a few days b/f I make any progress on this. I'll take some pics when I do, and post it.

[uncleof6]

I'ld like to add to this slightly. Even if it is 2014! I had some questions as to the viability of my Oceanic tank (purchased in late 2004) which was drained and kept under an awning, outdoors, in NY, for 2 years. So after uncle suggested I have a builder inspect it, I did some research. I found out that some of Oceanic's people eventually ended up at Planet Aquariums in Dallas. So I eventually spoke to one of the ex Oceanic peeps.
1) he was super nice. Said my tank would be ok as long as I didnt have water in it during the freezing days. (expanding and shrinking would compromise the seals).
2) they used "GE 1000 on my tank, and GE 1200 on bigger tanks"
3) u must clean the the old silicone off. He said that if the bottom bead was ok, I could keep it but to take the corners off by a) cutting it off w/a razor blade, making sure not to get cut into the seam.
b) use windex to clean
c) use 90% or greater alcohol to clean off any residual silicone.
SO, assuming "ge 1200" is scs1200, I would go w/that over RTV108 - simply b/c it's properties are better and it's what the builder of a high quality tank uses. And yes, the peel strength of SCS1200 (http://www.siliconeforbuilding.com/pdf/speciality/Data_Sheet_SCS1200_Construction.pdf) at 61 is significantly higher than RTV108 (100 series) (http://www.momentive.com/products/showtechnicaldatasheet.aspx?id=10289) at 40 lbs/sq inch

I'm going to put aside the 2 tubes of rtv108 that I already purchased and get some SCS1200. I've got some recessed lights and ceiling repair to do as well so it may be a few days b/f I make any progress on this. I'll take some pics when I do, and post it.

SCS 1200 is ge 1200. That said, it does have some properties that are better than RTV100 seris silicone. On the other hand it is more difficult for amatuers to use as it tends to bubble more easily than the RTV100 series. Your call.

[dangros]

Interesting. I'm assuming that the tradeoff is still in favor of the 1200 b/c I can always wipe away the silicone and reapply it if I see that I've bubbled it up. Or, is this something that is only noticed after drying?

SCS 1200 is ge 1200. That said, it does have some properties that are better than RTV100 seris silicone. On the other hand it is more difficult for amatuers to use as it tends to bubble more easily than the RTV100 series. Your call.

[uncleof6]

Interesting. I'm assuming that the tradeoff is still in favor of the 1200 b/c I can always wipe away the silicone and reapply it if I see that I've bubbled it up. Or, is this something that is only noticed after drying?

See, that is just it. You can't just wipe it away and reapply. You have to start completely over...All of it...Most but a handful of people don't have the skill with a caulking gun to lay it all down, and finish tooling in the 5 to 7 minutes you have to get it done. One continuous bead...

[dangros]

You are a smart man Jim. I'll go ahead and keep the 108 and give it a shot. It's still slightly stronger than the scs1000 so a good compromise... and I ALREADY have it.

[Joel_155]

Hi Dan,

Before going any further, I would A) take the tank to a tank builder, and have it checked for life expectancy. I would not place much stock in it, with its current condition and considering the prolonged exposure to the weather; they are not engineered for, nor intended for such extremes.

After that, assuming a good report, Herbie siphon system is your best option. Bean would require further mods to the tank. Smaller hole siphon (3/4" bulkhead) and larger hole DRY emergency. (1" bulkhead.)

I was thinking exactly what the Uncle said. Herbie is the best option once you've confirmed the tank is worthy of h2o

[dangros]

So I finally have some time, over the next few days to restart this project but I have some questions:
1) on clearing out the silicone: I've scraped most of it but cant seem to get all of the silicone off. It's either that or I've scratched the glass in a way that looks dirty. I've used white vinegar, 90+% alcohol, and water but it simply isnt coming off. Any suggestions? There's also a foggy appearance on the glass in some spots that had coraline that seem to not want to clear up.
2) Kessil lights. I ordered a used but like new 360we from saltwateraquarium via amaz. Great price but the fan is making a little more noise than I had anticipated. It's not bad but I thought these things are supposed to be dead silent. Am I expecting too much or is this thing defective? I'll order a brand new one soon as I need 2 but thought I would take advantage of the price break when I saw it.
3) I know there's been a billion posts about this but I'll ask anyhow. I tend to lean towards refugiums. I've always built my own and have no issue doing so again. What do you guys recommend size wise? I was going to go w/a 40 gallon glass body and use the rtv108 to silicone acryclic baffles. I'd go 100% acrylic but that's pretty expensive and I want to save up for a neptune controller. Having said that, a 40g acrylic tank can be had for 180 bucks. Is that too big? It would take up 36" inside the stand and that is a LOT!


In preparation of getting this going, I've also made some progress on ordering some items. I've ordered 50lbs of reefsaver dry rock. That stuff is heavy! I'll order 30lbs of pukani from BRS soon and I'll assess the differences. I know there's been some writeups on it but I wanted to see for myself. I'll include pictures as well.
The stand frame is complete but I want to add doors and finish it off nicely. I havent decided on what wood or color yet. It's difficult to get the wife's opinion when she's looking at all this money piling up. I made the stand a bit tall so the tank is at eye level and so I'll have lots of head room underneath (I have a large skimmer - aquac ev180). The stand sits at 36" high. In hindsight I probably would have made it a little shorter b/c it's hard to clean the tank w/o a chair. I'm 5'10 1/2" tall and have monkey-long arms yet it's still difficult to reach over. I think it's a small price to pay for having it at a nice viewing angle when you walk into the living room, however.
I also have the water filtration system delivered but not hooked up. I got it from water general. I've used them before and highly recommend them. They have the best price - by far... and dont give you crummy filters. Plus it's 150g/day! Cant wait to hook that guy up. Will try do it in the garage. I'll follow up w/ pictures soon but work is about to get in the way :)

[dangros]

So after thinking about this long and hard, I decided to get a new tank. The risk of sealing the trusty Oceanic simply isnt worth it. I want to enjoy the tank and do it right, not freak out every time I see a drop of water on the side.
The new tank is a Marineland 90g Corner-Flo. I also got their 40g breeder for the fuge... yeah it's HUGE FUGE!
Will work on the stand this weekend and try to contact a local glass co. to get some baffles. Did I mention how big the fuge was?!
Here's a pic of the frame and Oceanic.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2907/14303009095_47c716896e_o.jpg

[Whistl3r]

Good call, can't wait to see the finished setup.

[oceanlife83]

Nice. Glad to see that things are coming together for you. I am working on my 240 and I am so ready to have it up and running, but do not want to rush things. I want to do it just right the way I want it. Good luck on the rest of your build. Like the huge fuge and nice looking tank.

[dangros]

Thanks. Did more plan research and decided I wanted to basically make the following stand except mine is 36" tall: http://www.cuttingedgecnc.com/90stand.htm Problem is, I have to wait for my red oak sides to come in the mail... neither Home Depot nor Lowes carries 1/2" red oak plywood sheets!! Bought a sander so I'll at least be able to sand and stain the 1x6" boards while I wait for the sides to come in.
Using rocketEngineers's plans, does any one know if it matters whether the green boards are facing the sides or the front/back? Mine are as pictured in his page (facing sides) but in most plans, I see them the other direction as shown here:
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh20/ronin_man101/DIY_Stand_Template.jpg
vs
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1169964