drummereef's 180g in-wall build

[drummereef]

Originally Posted by Taqpol

A pictures worth a thousand words. I love thinking of your setup, you have so much ROOM to play around with:

You are the man Alex! That's exactly how I was seeing it. For some reason I thought you had 2 more bulkheads in the design but the pic helps clear it up. Plumbing this might be harder than it looks though, just to keep all the lines straight and clean where they come back into the fish room. Depending how I attach the pipes to the unfinished wall, I'm just trying to brainstorm the angles to make it all work out as clean as possible.

Originally Posted by Taqpol

That was my first thought too, but with the size of the stock tank i thought it might be hard to get a hand back there and attach any unions while the tank was in place. On the other hand if you make the holes in the wall slightly bigger then the smallest part of the union you could just slide the tank into the right place with all the plumbing attached, and then go to the other side of the wall to attach the big part of the unions and have much more room.

Indeed, a 1.5" union is ~3.5" in length which is pushing the whole tank out towards the door to the sump room. I'd rather have it sit a little shy of the door just for aesthetic reasons and still keep the access to the room unobstructed. I think I can get the best of both worlds... see next response.

Originally Posted by TheFishTeen

I see where your coming from, but wouldn't the unions go in first, then from there attach to the bulkheads on the trough?

Ideally yes... It would be better but like I was telling Alex, there's a limit to how far out I can push the tank into the room. I'd like to keep the tank as close to the wall as possible. That being said I think I'll be able to cut the door of an access panel in half, that way I could remove both halves around the pipe leaving a large enough opening to access the unions that will be located on the other side of the wall. That, or I'll think of something better in the mean time.

[drummereef]

Quick couple questions...

1. Will 2 inches of drop be plenty over 6 feet for the drains on the stock tank? Just making sure there will be enough flow without creating Niagara Falls when the drains terminate in the sump.

2. How high over the upturned elbow will the water level be as it flows over the elbows? Like 1/4" or more? Obviously depends on flow rates but what's a good guesstimate? I guess this would also effect the overall water level in the tank?

[110galreef]

Originally Posted by drummereef

Quick couple questions...

1. Will 2 inches of drop be plenty over 6 feet for the drains on the stock tank? Just making sure there will be enough flow without creating Niagara Falls when the drains terminate in the sump.

2. How high over the upturned elbow will the water level be as it flows over the elbows? Like 1/4" or more? Obviously depends on flow rates but what's a good guesstimate? I guess this would also effect the overall water level in the tank?

1.) 2" drop should be fine. But if you can do an extra inch or 2 i would. You going to have it empty into a sock or bubble buster anyway right?

2.) The water should be about 1/4-abouve the top of the elbows, just enuf to overcome the surface tension of the water.

[drummereef]

Originally Posted by 110galreef

1.) 2" drop should be fine. But if you can do an extra inch or 2 i would. You going to have it empty into a sock or bubble buster anyway right?

2.) The water should be about 1/4-abouve the top of the elbows, just enuf to overcome the surface tension of the water.

OK sounds good. I'm going to pick some pipe and fittings up tonight and check some angles. I was trying to avoid using a sock or other bubble killing device just to avoid catching pods etc that I would like to see make it into the display. Do you think that's a good or bad idea? I was going to put a 90 on the end of the down pipe in the sump and submerge it halfway underwater to make a gentle transition of flow into the sump. But maybe there's going to be too much flow to avoid excess bubbles huh...?

[110galreef]

True. Ignore the sock. Flow should be slow Enuf and at a very small slope so splashing should be very little.

I have faith Ull make it work perfectly!

[psteeleb]

I've tried several slow refugium flow return designs on my 300g and found a horizontal tee placed with the center line at the water level and the return coming in from the top (side of tee turned up) worked the best.

[drummereef]

Originally Posted by 110galreef

True. Ignore the sock. Flow should be slow Enuf and at a very small slope so splashing should be very little.

I have faith Ull make it work perfectly!

Ha, thanks! I'll try my best.

Originally Posted by psteeleb

I've tried several slow refugium flow return designs on my 300g and found a horizontal tee placed with the center line at the water level and the return coming in from the top (side of tee turned up) worked the best.

Awesome, thanks Pete.

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


A little more progress...


I brainstormed some rough plumbing designs tonight to see if I could route the plumbing with the proper drop while keeping the lines as clean and simple as possible. The first pic shows the pipe with a simple elbow. With a shallow drop to the sump, the two drains would have to overlap to keep the bulkheads in the stock tank even. This obviously won't work...

The two elbows pictured would be plumbed to the bulkheads in the stock tank. **Visualize the floor as the wall behind the stock tank.**




So I brainstormed some more... By adding a 45 along with the elbow, I was able to stagger the pipes a bit to keep the bulkheads even. The design still allows for a decent amount of drop along the total run back to the sump. Again, this would be the side plumbed to the stock tank.




Here is the opposite side that would return back through the wall and terminate at the sump. I'll probably shorten the top pipe a bit to keep the drains closer together when they return back to the sump.




Here you can see the whole run, stock tank at the top and sump return at the bottom of the pic. The total drop of the pipe is 2". If you factor in the fittings, the total drop of the whole run is 4.5". The blue tape represents a plum line so you can see the angle of the pipe for a comparison. Still need to add unions to complete the design but I'll probably fit those in as I rough it out on the wall. Let me know what you think.

[Taqpol]

That looks awesome! I think if you just use a bubble trap as opposed to a filter sock you wouldn't get rid of any 'pods, but I also think you are not going to be getting enough flow/bubbles to even really worry about it. Especially if you have the pipes terminate into the sump decently far away from the return pump inlet.

[sponger0]

Hey drummer....good to see you still have this thread going. Tanks looks great. I have to say its got to be one of the cleanest setups ive ever seen. You might actually be more OCD than me lol

[drummereef]

Originally Posted by Taqpol

That looks awesome! I think if you just use a bubble trap as opposed to a filter sock you wouldn't get rid of any 'pods, but I also think you are not going to be getting enough flow/bubbles to even really worry about it. Especially if you have the pipes terminate into the sump decently far away from the return pump inlet.

Thanks Alex. I'll see how the flow goes once I'm further along with plumbing it. I'm hoping to not use anything on the end of the drains but I'll keep all the suggestions in mind.

Originally Posted by sponger0

Hey drummer....good to see you still have this thread going. Tanks looks great. I have to say its got to be one of the cleanest setups ive ever seen. You might actually be more OCD than me lol

Haha. Thanks sponger0.

[drummereef]

Having a brain fart guys... Is there a way to transition from 1" flex pvc pipe to a 3/4" 90 elbow? So basically reduce from 1" pipe to a 3/4" elbow...

[naprestsleep]

http://www.amazon.com/Genova-30717-9.../dp/B000BPCWEG

[110galreef]

I dont think u can do it with one piece especially if you want slip x slip.
Get 1" elbow and then add a 1" x 3/4" reducer.....

Sometimes I think you can find a 1" slip x 3/4" thread elbow?


Or as shown above!

[Taqpol]

Do you need to do it in one fitting? In that case I'm sure specialty plumbing stores have "reducing elbows" that are 1" on one side and 3/4" on the other. Otherwise just buy a normal 1" to 3/4" reducer at a hardware store and a normal 3/4" elbow.

[drummereef]

Originally Posted by naprestsleep

http://www.amazon.com/Genova-30717-9.../dp/B000BPCWEG

Originally Posted by 110galreef

I dont think u can do it with one piece especially if you want slip x slip.
Get 1" elbow and then add a 1" x 3/4" reducer.....

Sometimes I think you can find a 1" slip x 3/4" thread elbow?


Or as shown above!

Originally Posted by Taqpol

Do you need to do it in one fitting? In that case I'm sure specialty plumbing stores have "reducing elbows" that are 1" on one side and 3/4" on the other. Otherwise just buy a normal 1" to 3/4" reducer at a hardware store and a normal 3/4" elbow.

Thanks guys!! My Monday brain was at full throttle Seems like an easy fix. I think I saw a reducing elbow at Lowe's last time I was there... I'll look again. Otherwise the slip bushing will make it work.


Making progress on the fuge build. I'll try and post some updated pics tonight.

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


It lives!!! As you know I've been working on a recirculating mod for the NextReef SMR1 Bio Pellet Reactor for some time now. I ended up sending the reactor in to NextReef to have them drill the two holes necessary for the recirc mod as well as have them fabricate a custom lid for the reactor. Believe it or not, it was cheaper to send it in then for me to purchase a bit to drill the holes myself... so it was a no brainer. Anyhow, the guys ended up cracking my original reactor and also a second piece of acrylic tube during the process so the decision to send it in was a good one. This apparently wasn't a job for the novice (like me). NextReef anneals the acrylic making it very difficult to drill which also makes the acrylic more susceptible to cracking. But after 3 tries they were able to fabricate the reactor to my specifications. Here it is!


The much anticipated delivery.




The new reactors are shipping in a slightly darker blue color than the original reactors. A very crisp and pleasing color scheme.




Here's the custom lid NextReef fabricated for me. It only has one 1/4" hole tapped for the effluent tubing.




I used a Mur-Lok 3/8" elbow valve to connect the effluent tubing. I also incorporated a #9 O-ring into the design which helps create a water tight seal.




Finished lid assembly.




To be continued...

[drummereef]

Here's a shot of the suction side inlet plumbing and intake screen. I had to fabricate a custom connector to fit between the intake screen and pipe that passes through the reactor wall. I used a 1/2" schedule 80 coupler, cut to fit and routed out to easily slip over the pipe.




Here is the business side. A simple elbow with a short length of pipe that sits ~1/4" off the bottom of the reactor.




And the finished reactor all plumbed up and ready for water.








And a couple action shots.

[110galreef]

(somewhere inside brett's brain!)

Hmmm...Im bored,

what can I tinker with, improve upon, elaborate , redesign, add to, or just all out re-do next!

HAHAHAHA

Hopefully you see improvement w/ the reactor.

That is one super slick looking setup!!

[drummereef]

Originally Posted by 110galreef

(somewhere inside brett's brain!)

Hmmm...Im bored,

what can I tinker with, improve upon, elaborate , redesign, add to, or just all out re-do next!

HAHAHAHA

Hopefully you see improvement w/ the reactor.

That is one super slick looking setup!!

Hahahaha! That's me!!! Thanks 110g.

[Taqpol]

I know its open on the exhaust end of the pump, but are you not worried about some pellets getting back siphoned into the pump impeller (in a power outage, maybe?)? I would think you would want to put something like this on the end of that pipe:

http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/do/pr...-Mixing-Nozzle

I don't know how well your pellets are fluidizing, but that piece might also help evenly distribute the flow.

[drummereef]

Originally Posted by Taqpol

I know its open on the exhaust end of the pump, but are you not worried about some pellets getting back siphoned into the pump impeller (in a power outage, maybe?)? I would think you would want to put something like this on the end of that pipe:

http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/do/pr...-Mixing-Nozzle

I don't know how well your pellets are fluidizing, but that piece might also help evenly distribute the flow.

I had thought about that but I got confirmation from a few owners of the Reef Dynamics bio pellet rectors that their's were plumbed open the same way as I made this one, so I didn't think it would be an issue. I need to do some ON/OFF testing to see what happens. The impellers on the Mag pumps are so open it would take a lot of pellets to jam it up but I'll test it and see what happens. Thanks for the heads up Alex.

[drummereef]

UPDATE:


Further progress made on the fuge build...


I had to address some issues with the room before I move forward with the plumbing. Originally when I built the room I had the HVAC company install a return air vent near the floor towards the back of the room when I installed our whole house HVAC system. Unfortunately with the new plans it was going to be behind the stock tank. I wanted access to the grill in case I would need to replace it at some point, so moving it was at the top of the list.

Here's the original placement of the return air vent in the sump room.




Luckily I didn't need to move the sheet metal to make this work. The HVAC company originally ran the pipe near the ceiling where the new vent will be installed. There were panels of sheet metal below the pipe assembly that were already taken off in this pic. You will see them below. Those panels directed the flow up from the vent to the intake near the ceiling.




Behind the wall there was also a 2x4 directly where the plumbing will come through the wall. This also would need to be addressed. You can see the sheet metal on the left that was attached to the wall to create the original vent.




This is about to get real.




Using the circular saw I cut out the 2x4 leaving enough area to plumb the stock tank through the wall. I had to finish the cut with a hand saw since the circular saw wouldn't cut the whole depth of the 2x4.




Then I framed in the opening with new lumber leaving enough room to plumb the stock tank.




New vent opening cut. You can see the sheet metal from the vent pipe is directly behind the wall where new opening was cut.




Vent cover installed. I also gave it a fresh coat of spray paint since it was looking a little rusty before I re-installed it.




To be continued...

[drummereef]

Here's a little tip for anyone that needs a quick drywall repair. It works best on small repairs but I will be covering the area behind the stock tank with FRP so there's not really a need to brace a larger piece like this.


Again, here's the opening that needs to be repaired.




First, cut a piece of drywall that is ~2" larger than the opening to be repaired.




Next, draw the actual size of the opening on the back of the piece of drywall. As you can see there is roughly 1" of overlap around the perimeter of the piece.




Then using a utility knife and straight edge, trace the lines with the blade.




Then, as if you were cutting new drywall, snap the drywall on the cut lines. Again, this is done from the back of the drywall.




Now, carefully remove the back of the drywall leaving the paper face intact. Continue until all sides have been removed leaving the 1" strip of the paper face all the way around the patch.




Typically I would use mud to adhere the patch to the wall. But in this case since I'll be covering it with FRP, I used some spray adhesive to install it. Here's what the finished patch looks like.




To be continued...

[drummereef]

And finally... Originally I was set on using cinder blocks to raise the stock tank, but after doing some careful measuring and seeing that the basement floor drops ~1/2" towards the wall behind the stock tank I though it would be best to build something. This time I went all black since it's a free-standing platform, not attached to the walls. I want it to be more of an accent in the room versus a part of the room. It's built with 2x6 and 2x4 lumber topped with 3/4" finished side ply. The top is laminated with the same black laminate that I used on my other projects, just some scrap I had leftover. And the rest painted semi-gloss black to match. I will eventually put black vinyl base molding around the bottom to water proof it from spills.

110galreef will surely get a kick out of this one.