29 Gallon Mixed reef build.

[AdamPLawrence]

Hi all,

So after trolling this site for a few months and getting some ideas I decided to start a build for a reef tank to put in my bedroom. Nothing crazy just a 29 gallon with a 20 gallon sump for about 40 total gallons.

I decided to use a coast to coast BeanAnimal setup. And all the construction will be with 1/8 acrylic. I know acrylic can absorb up to .4% of its weight in water but I measured everything to compensate for that.

[AdamPLawrence]

so after I cut out all my acrylic I had to drill the holes for the BeanAnimal stand pipes...... I was pretty nervous but I followed RC user 4Hummer 's advice and built a jig from a 2x4, used lots of water, and took it slow.

[AdamPLawrence]

So next I began building the overflow. I had a brain fart and didn't tape off the bottom so it looks pretty messy but the front and outsides were taped off and look pretty nice.

[AdamPLawrence]

So now I'm kinda chugging along. So I put the stand together and its a little wobbly but I'll fix that. (later post). I'm all excited and I put the lights (2 x 24in Current Orbit Marine LED) on top and cut them on. At that point I realize that an over the top return is probably not going to work. So the next day I dragged my tank back down to the garage and drill another hole for a return line in the center of the tank just under the overflow box. I calculated it and even if the worst case happens and all the water up to that point back siphons into my sump it could handle it.

[AdamPLawrence]

Here is the layout of my sump. I should have the baffles in soon.

[AdamNC]

Looks like it's coming around well thought out. One regret with my 29 is not drilling for a sump.

[AdamPLawrence]

Yea my 125 isn't drilled at all so I'm kinda building this tank as a confidence booster/practice for when I alter the it. Also just to note AdamNC, I went to high school in High Point and my sister and brother live in Greensboro.

[AdamPLawrence]

Got off work a little early and decided to cut all the PVC for the plumbing and dry fit it everything.

I teed off the return line and put in ball valves. When I go to do a water change all I have top do is cut the power, close the valve to the return pump and open the valve going to the front of the cabinet where my empty bucket will be waiting for 5 gallons of water to back siphon automatically.

[tundra1000]

The gravity drain for water changes will be nice but the system not flooding will rely on you managing the valves. What will happen in the event of a power outage? I would imagine your sump will flood. In this case will there be enough volume in the sump to handle the extra water? Just looking out...

Matt

Edit: Sounds like you have 10g in the sump extra and are only draining 5g so no issues with flooding.

[AdamPLawrence]

Thanks Tundra for looking out and that is correct. If the power goes out about 6.1 gallons of water will back siphon into the sump and I have about 10 gallons of extra volume so I should be OK.

Does anyone have any experience with wiring outlets for GFCI? Are there any good online references out there? Would I just be better off hiring an electrician?

[Wesus]

It is pretty straight forward. If you feel comfortable to install regular outlet, you can do GFCI
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how...let/index.html

[AdamPLawrence]

Thanks Wesus. Doesn't seem to difficult.

[rickztahone]

Cool build. I've building something similar with a 75g. You gave me a great idea about the T valve to do water changes. I will do something similar as I have pvc routed through a wall in my house already that leads to my front lawn. Where did you purchase the top part of the cap that has the airline tubing? I haven't came across that part yet anywhere, although I saw it on the original Bean Animal page. TFS

[AdamPLawrence]

Thanks for the compliment Rick. I got the part at Home Depot, it was in the same aisle as the irrigation equipment. I just showed an employee the BeanAnimal diagram and they took me to the right spot. It was threaded on the male end and I just used a dremel to smooth out the threads.

[AdamPLawrence]

So I finished the sump and last night I got everything setup to do a leak test.....


well it was a tid bit nipply in the garage and apparently the water was too warm and caused the tank to crack.


Not a huge deal I just went to PetCo and bought another one for $29. Additionally, it is a chance to redo some things I didn't like such as: the messy silicone job on the overflow, the slightly chipped holes I drilled, using tinted glass instead of acrylic for the overflow etc...

Next leak test will be indoors haha.

[rickztahone]

Well that sucks. Did Petco cover the charge? It seems that is a manufacturer problem?

[AdamPLawrence]

no man that was 100% user error. it was like 35 in the garage and the water was probably like 70.....I feel like an idiot haha.

[fermentedhiker]

Have you considered drilling the return through the overflow box. I know it means getting the two holes to line up exactly but you end up with a slightly cleaner look.

[AdamPLawrence]

Hiker,

I hadn't thought about it but that sounds really difficult. I'm going to cover the return with rubble so it should blend in nicely.

[AdamPLawrence]

So when I cracked the last tank, even though I was pretty disappointed, I saw it as an opportunity to fix a few things. Well two of those three are fixed so far. The first was ordering custom "Greylite 2" tinted glass for the overflow instead of being a hood rat and using Home Depot acrylic which yea I used in my sump, don't judge me. There is a custom glass shop about a mile from my house so that was nice. The two pieces cost me nearly 50 bucks tho.......that is more that the tank was on sale.......

Here is the tinted glass.


Another thing I wanted to fix was the chipping around the holes I drilled and how much play I had inside the hole around the bulkhead. The first tank I drilled using a 32mm (~1 1/4 in) hole saw, well this time around I went with a 30mm (~1 1/8 in) hole saw. Additionally, I drilled the holes from the INSIDE of the tank, this left all the small imperfections on the outside of the tank where the nut will be and left the inside where the flange will sit almost perfectly cut.

Close up:



All the holes drilled, moved the main siphon line to the outside (It's drilled 1/4 in lower than the others):

[AdamPLawrence]

Any one have any tips for keep the silicone on the Coast to Coast (C2C) nice and clean? or how I should go about it as far as what seams to do in what order?

[AdamPLawrence]

So I got the overflow in tonight. I angled the vertical portion just ever so slightly, maybe 5-10 degrees, so that fast moving water will slide down the glass instead of dumping like a water fall. This tank is going to be in my bedroom so I want it to be as quiet as possible.



Tomorrow I'll do a leak test......it's going to be 65 out so I should be good to do it in the garage...wish me luck.

[AdamPLawrence]

Here is a front view of the new overflow:


And a side view of the angle I used:

[stinkyreef]

Originally Posted by AdamPLawrence

Any one have any tips for keep the silicone on the Coast to Coast (C2C) nice and clean? or how I should go about it as far as what seams to do in what order?

Sometimes a finger works best, I use the end of a sharpie marker to get lower. I used to have a piece of 3/8" acrylic rod that worked wonders inside baffles and such. Looks great btw..

* That tinted glass is slick!

[rickztahone]

I like the way this came out. Would you happen to have a link for the tinted glass? I was just recommending tinted glass to someone and they didn't know they made it. I was sure I had seen someone using it, and of course it was you