My sump/fuge/equipment closet build.

Discussion in 'I made this!' started by Powerman, Feb 12, 2009.

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  1. ZachB

    ZachB Giant Squid

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    Looking nice so far! I would like to be able to put my equipment in a closet :)

    Also, how much will you be wanting for your EV-120? I might be interested, PM me with the price and time frame for sale, I'm looking to buy one of those in the next month or so for my 75g.
     
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  3. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    So.... took all day. I finished at a reasonable time of 1:30 am. Only had to run to Home Depot once. It just happened to be 20 minutes before they closed and it was for the only part to hook up my return pump.:eek:

    I don't have a heater, the pumps do plenty, but my tank got terribly cold. At least to me. I keep it at 78, it was 73 most of the night.

    Here is where it all started. I wanted more flow out of my 9.5 to split to the fuge. First order of business was getting rid of the very restrictive universal bulkhead fittings and going to threaded.

    Here is my return.
    [​IMG]

    And the drain...

    [​IMG]

    I'm sure you can figure out which one I'm going to.

    Here is my new 1" return pipe.... This was taken after I figured out I cut an inch too much..... yes it was after I measured twice.;D

    [​IMG]

    I went over the threaded part. I used 1" flex for the return and 1 1/2" drain. The return leaked at first. I just could not get the coupling I made to seal against the treads. Goobered it up with silicone and she is water tight.

    [​IMG]

    Figured the elbow would not hurt since I was going to a larger drain line and I saved a big loop in my cabinet.

    Finally all done... for now.

    [​IMG]

    You can see on the next pic my drain is pretty flat to the tank.

    [​IMG]

    I'll take some more after I finish a few things. Need a more permanent light holder. Need to run cords and some sort of power distribution strip. I want individual switches instead of always unplugging stuff.

    Continued....
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2009
  4. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    Problems so far... I have TOO much flow!!! The columns I had for the return don't do much to separate bubbles out. The original owner had skinny bubble traps. I made them wider wanting to reduce velocity. Still not much help. Water screams through my skimmer section. I will have to throttle my return to slow things down a bit.

    My drain is HORRIBLY LOUD! It isn't siphoning, but I'm not sure if it needs more air. Constant gurgling. I will try to make the hole bigger tomorrow, or I will have to run some hose somewhere to quiet it down a bit. Very loud in the closet too. Another reason I will try to slow flow.

    I will take more detailed pics tomorrow. Got to go to sleep now. Freaked out about springing a leak!!!:eek:


    Oh ya... one more thing. My 3/4 nipple I kept to go into my 3/4" bulkhead return fit just like the old one. Nice and tight. My drain wobbles around in the 1" BH for my drain. Both are 12" BHs. It fit tight in the old one, but not in the new one. It is a standard Megaflow drain stand pipe.
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2009
  5. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    So here is the new digs.

    [​IMG]

    As far as the fuge goes. Tangster help me a lot. I was going to use clay like he suggested, but I went to 4 stores and could find no kitty litter without some sort of crap added.

    I used some fuge mud,(not miracle) then 30 lbs. of sugar sized Carib Sea, then I needed a bit more so added 12 lbs of Kent Marine bio sediment. Couldn't get a small bag of sand I wanted, and owner gave me a good break on two. Then topped it off with 10 lbs of live sand. Just wanted to seed it with some fresh stuff.

    [​IMG]

    You can see the layers. Will be adding some grape and feather caulpera. I am feeding with a half inch line. Will see about a filter sock if needed.

    I used a bulb from Home Depot. $7 and a drop light socket. 65 W and 6500K

    [​IMG]

    Here is my return chamber. I didn't plan on using the ceramic media. It's just there for now to break the water. The chamber does not do much for the air. There is a ton. Even after all the media, there is a ton of micro bubbles. Might have to look into a sock for that too, or some sponge. I really was looking forward to getting away from sponges and filters.

    [​IMG]

    Well, off for round two. Putting in a valve to control return to see if that helps some of my problems. I have to get a heater too. My tank is 71. Turned on the light just to start heating it up. Need to get the chiller going today to.
     
  6. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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  7. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    ^^^Thanks.

    QUESTION:

    I put the valve in on my return and my drain is much quieter. However, I don't know if it is because les water flow, or now there is enough intake for the amount of water. I have a 1/4" air hole on the top of my drain that is unobstructed.

    So, should I call it good, or make my air hole bigger???

    Could the source of the noise be from the elbow at the bottom of the pipe???
     
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  9. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    So got things in order. I have to work 3-12 hr shifts starting tomorrow. It is always nerve wracking to leave a new build unattended. Got things more organized. Hooked up the chiller and put the new heater in. My tank is still a bit cloudy from the fuge.

    [​IMG]

    You can see how far my return flow is throttled and I still have more than I did.

    [​IMG]

    My drain 90s down. Sponge, 3 bags a media, and still a ton of micro bubbles. And it is the drain, not the skimmer. Love aeration, hate micro bubbles in the DT. Plus I needed a skimmer pic for poster above.;)

    [​IMG]

    The heater has been working all day and it still isn't up to 78. I think the bigger glass tank in the closet looses more heat than the acrylic sump in the cabinet. Oh well, less to cool in the Summer.
     
  10. Powerman

    Powerman Giant Squid

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    So what is the best way to get rid of all the air in the drain water? I would rather not have to use sponges or filters. I was really looking forward to geting rid of that stuff. I still have a ton of micro bubbles coming out from the column.
     
  11. yamaharider73

    yamaharider73 Kole Tang

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    Looking good. I wish I had a closet behind my tank to put a bigger sump and other equipment:)
     
  12. JBL

    JBL Sea Dragon

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    Can you take a pic where the drain hole theat is unobstructed is? I had the same issue, and I think I know the fix. Just need to see where yours is.