SC Aquariums Owners Thread

[ReefCowboy]

Originally Posted by Bracka345

I have the same issue. The people at Synergy said to reduce right below the box. I wont be able to do that due to not having a supplier where i live that sells black pvc so i will be reducing mine right at the sump.

Thanks for the feedback Bracka,

I decided to drill larger holes, so the sump also has now 1.5" drains, matching the box. I wont however be running all three drains from the box, as the third would add too much work due to the way my stand is designed, the third pipe would hit the supporting frame forcing me to rearange the whole plumbing and I didnt like the way it looked.

So I figured would increase flow with the 1.5" drains and only plumb two out of three.
I might just plug the third, or even run it and tee it to the secondary pipe down close by the sump. Im finding two safety drains to be excessive and more of a hassle than advantage to my build.

What I might also do is place a Neptune FMM sensor on the seconday return, and set it to notify me and shut the return pump if flow there climbs to almost as much as the primary drain, indicating the primary had clogged. That would be safer and save me the need for a third pipe, which would stay dry almost all the time anyways.


Old 1" Drains...



And new 1.5" ones

[Bracka345]

Originally Posted by homer1475

Spray paint is your friend in this situation. I've sprayed a few pieces of plumbing and it works great! You can't even tell I sprayed it.

Although I suppose just reducing at the sump would work too.

Thanks. I actually thought about doing that.

[Bracka345]

Originally Posted by ReefCowboy

Thanks for the feedback Bracka,

I decided to drill larger holes, so the sump also has now 1.5" drains, matching the box. I wont however be running all three drains from the box, as the third would add too much work due to the way my stand is designed, the third pipe would hit the supporting frame forcing me to rearange the whole plumbing and I didnt like the way it looked.

So I figured would increase flow with the 1.5" drains and only plumb two out of three.
I might just plug the third, or even run it and tee it to the secondary pipe down close by the sump. Im finding two safety drains to be excessive and more of a hassle than advantage to my build.

What I might also do is place a Neptune FMM sensor on the seconday return, and set it to notify me and shut the return pump if flow there climbs to almost as much as the primary drain, indicating the primary had clogged. That would be safer and save me the need for a third pipe, which would stay dry almost all the time anyways.


Old 1" Drains...



And new 1.5" ones

Glad you got it worked out. Hope to have mine plumbed soon.

[michael.lemke]

So for those of you who have had your tanks drilled for the ghost overflow, does sca carry the overflow or should I just order one from brs or something?


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[soulpatch]

Originally Posted by michael.lemke

So for those of you who have had your tanks drilled for the ghost overflow, does sca carry the overflow or should I just order one from brs or something?


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You will need to order it

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[michael.lemke]

Originally Posted by soulpatch

You will need to order it

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Thanks, just wanted to give them as much businesses as possible. Steve has been great so far. My custom build should be shipped soon. Just waiting on the stand now. Your build looks great by the way.


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[Arc Katana]

Does anyone know if SCA makes custom aquariums? I'm looking for two or three tanks in a particular size, and have been impressed with their tanks.

Thanks

[soulpatch]

yes they do but you need to calla nd talk to Steve. Plenty of folks on here have gotten custom with them.

[Mikeboone]

[96 pages later] Well that took a very long time to read through...

[moondoggy4]

Welcome to Reef Central Mikeboone, SCA tanks are real nice, I will be looking at them at the next aquarium show in the OC this weekend.

[Mikeboone]

Originally Posted by moondoggy4

Welcome to Reef Central Mikeboone, SCA tanks are real nice, I will be looking at them at the next aquarium show in the OC this weekend.

Thanks for the welcome. Yeah, I like the tanks and want a 50 pnp but not too fond of the mdf or even the plywood. Trying to figure out a solution that will appease the wifey.

[soulpatch]

If you dont like the stands then dont go PNP. Honestly the only reason I would go PNP is if you liked the stand. I am not too fond of the oversized sumps, plumbing, or return pump. The skimmer is decent though for most people.

[Mikeboone]

Originally Posted by soulpatch

If you dont like the stands then dont go PNP. Honestly the only reason I would go PNP is if you liked the stand. I am not too fond of the oversized sumps, plumbing, or return pump. The skimmer is decent though for most people.

Soulpatch, what size sump would you suggest for the 50? Any particular sump come to mind?

[D805]

Another one that just got through 96 pages after a couple of day. Getting back into the hobby after a 11 year hiatus. Looking at the 50 pnp. Want to run a herbie overflow, do I need to ask to have a third hole drilled? Thank you.

[soulpatch]

Originally Posted by D805

Another one that just got through 96 pages after a couple of day. Getting back into the hobby after a 11 year hiatus. Looking at the 50 pnp. Want to run a herbie overflow, do I need to ask to have a third hole drilled? Thank you.

Tanks come with 3 holes std now. I would suggest planning to replace the return pump right away that comes with the PNP. Use the PNP pump to mix your salt water and such. It is just loud and annoying.

[soulpatch]

Originally Posted by Mikeboone

Soulpatch, what size sump would you suggest for the 50? Any particular sump come to mind?

Probably something like a trigger sump. Or if you wanted to spend the money on one getting a custom GEO or BAO sump made for your needs.

[D805]

Originally Posted by soulpatch

Tanks come with 3 holes std now. I would suggest planning to replace the return pump right away that comes with the PNP. Use the PNP pump to mix your salt water and such. It is just loud and annoying.

Thanks for the reply. Wasn't sure from the 50 description. Yeah pump upgrade is first on my list. Any pump recommendations?

[soulpatch]

hard to make recommendation not knowing your full expected setup. IE amount of turnover you want, manifolds, how plumbing will be routed and whatnot.

I will say I have been super happy with my Fluval SP return pump. Obviously you would not need the SP6 like I have but an SP4 would give you plently of bandwidth. Pumps are like powerheads though and plently have opinion. I tend to steer clear of Jabeo for my returns though I use them for skimmer pumps and additional flow in tank.

Eheim are great pumps as well...

[Mikeboone]

$650 for the 50 pnp seems like a great deal though...

[soulpatch]

It IS a great deal if you plan to use the stand. If you are going to go another route for a stand it is a lot of money to pay for a base model sump, crap return pump, and a decent skimmer as opposed to buying individually.

I always recomend to throw out the plumbing that comes with the tank as well and hard plumb as opposed to the barbs and tubing supplied.

[D805]

Originally Posted by soulpatch

hard to make recommendation not knowing your full expected setup. IE amount of turnover you want, manifolds, how plumbing will be routed and whatnot.

I will say I have been super happy with my Fluval SP return pump. Obviously you would not need the SP6 like I have but an SP4 would give you plently of bandwidth. Pumps are like powerheads though and plently have opinion. I tend to steer clear of Jabeo for my returns though I use them for skimmer pumps and additional flow in tank.

Eheim are great pumps as well...

Yeah I guess I still need to figure all that out. Still in the planning stages but have decided on picking up the 50. Looking at getting the Radion lights. Do you think the XR15 would be good enough for a mixed reef or should I go with XR30? Thanks again for your help.

[soulpatch]

I am not one to talk to about LED. I had Kessils and I find the focused points that LED light orginates from to be restrictive and if you want SPS like I do then this causes too much shadowing issues. You typically need at least 2x the LED fixtures for coverage to get rid of the shadows.

I now run ATI T5 fixture and have a reef brite XHO strip on them to give the shimmer and pop afforded with LED

[Browncoat]

Here's some SC Aquarium Top Quality for y'all after 4 months being setup. Steve said it's not going to leak. I'm not so sure. Didn't offer to replace it. Looks like crap.

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[Thornbreaker]

Originally Posted by soulpatch

Just an outer ring of silicone to seal the glass. A lot of guys do this if they want to switch to a ghost overflow except the glass is solid. You will want it drilled instead obviously.

Apply generous silicone to underside of glass pane and lay it into position. You can put an outer edge as needed

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Update on this:

I received a 3" x 3" glass piece from Steve a couple months or so ago. We've just finally moved into our new house, and I hadn't set the tank up before now to avoid cross contaminates from paint and hardwood staining that took place.

So I'm about to finally try patching the tank, and fortunately, my wife's arm is skinny enough to get to the bottom of the overflow box.

To make sure I understand correctly, I just need to put a liberal amount of silicone on the bottom, flat side of the glass piece, then lay into position, then attach the bulkhead to add pressure while it solidifies?

No silicone around the edge of the glass piece unless it's just necessary later?


I ordered a glass cutter this week to actually trim the glass piece down some. The 3"x3" didn't account for the silicone seals on the bottom inside of the overflow box :\ (though I mentioned it to Steve).

[soulpatch]

I would likely try to put a bit around the outer edge of the glass pane you are seating just to ensure you dont leave any areas for crap to build up in. It doesnt have to be pretty as you will never see it but just stops anything from getting under the glass and causing nitrate issues or such.

You could put in the bulkheads and tighten down to seal it nice and tight but make sure you tighten then loosen and pop out to clean up and silicone that comes over onto the bulkhead.

Honestly you dont need a ton of pressure here so i would likely use small clamps to secure the pane. Above all else also make sure silicone does not get on top of the replacement pane around the bulkheads as that will need cleaned so as to not impact the bulkhead seal.