90 Gallon Wave Front Build (A LOT OF PICTURES)

So from bottom to top on the manifold it will go like this:

-Maintenance Port
-Reactor 1 (notice the push lock fittings for the BRS reactor)
-Reactor 2
-Fuge

 

Well I spent most of the day yesterday cleaning the garage and getting ready to do the manifold. After lots of measurements and double checking I got started and chopped off the old piping from the return (always cut longer and not shorter). And got everything dry fitted and mocked up. I also wanted to add another inch to the return u-tube so that it would be raised higher in the tank to create a higher siphon break therefore using less water when there is a power outage.

Anyway so I got to gluing and messed up on one of the fittings I put it facing 90 degrees in the wrong direction! (I hate PVC glue) Anyway no big deal I guess I will just have to deal with it the way it is.

So I went and measured some more and got to more gluing and got it all set up and fired it up for the first time and it worked great. (or so it seemed)

I didn't like the height of the return connection to the new manifold so I adjusted some and fired up again. This time realizing that I had small leaks and just about all of my connections! I guess I rushed it a little bit.

So back to Home Depot (4th time) today and I will try again when I get home.

But man when it was together it sure did look sexy.

 

Update April 7,2011

Well I was able to get all my parts yesterday from Home Depot and got started redoing the manifold since the first one sprung a few leaks.

This time I used a medium setting PVC glue instead of the fast setting stuff. I like the medium more because it is a thicker compound and really looks like it is sealing up the connections.

Anyway I got it all measure up and glued together.

The offeneder:



New and Glued:





In place:





I also wanted to raise up the return pipes some so that the siphon break kicks in sooner and not rely on the small drill holes that I was using.

Right now I just have the pipes going straight down and blowing the sand up until I can get some better fittings.





And here are some update pictures of the diatom and its progression.











Overall I think the diatom out break is going well it is not uncontrolable and is keeping a slow growing pace not going crazy. I need to get my CUC (clean up crew) on order so that I can have to tank fighters in there.

I have also recently placed an order with BRS (Bulk Reef Supply) for some reactors (carbon,gfo) so that will be installed this weekend if it gets here in time.

Thanks for looking!

 

Well I got my first fishes in the tank! One year and a few months later it has finally come!

Pictures







Video:

I also finally got the skimmer worked out!!!!! I was trying to replace the mesh moded impeller with the needle and it wasn't working so I was trying to mess with that until I finally found out the spare magnet I was using on the neddle impeller was bad so I switched out the magnet with the mesh modded one and got it to run correctly.



But now I have a whole bunch of micro bubbles going to the main tank.

 

A package has arrived:

 

What could it be?! Lol.

 

Cuc!?

 

No....It is from a well known company... Full details and pics to come tonight upon unvail.

 

Like the look of the rock work and the plumbing. Congrats on the fish and getting the skimmer working. I think the micro bubbles will abate as a bio-film coats the skimmer.

 

It has really seemed to have dimished at least to what it was before I started the skimmer so I think once I get my return pump powered down some and reduce some of the turbulence in the sump it should get rid of all the bubbles.