Boom's 180 Gallon Tank Project

[Boom]

Notice the cutout in the top for the bulkheads and plumbing to fit thru.

Today I managed to cut and fit in all the interior panels for the center cabinet and side shelving. I also built the platform that the sump will sit on and slide back and forth in the track. I had a neighbor help me lift the tank on to the stand. Besides paint / stain and trim, the stand is done.

Oh, by the way, the boards you see sitting on top of the stand in these pics are the cherry that I will machine into the trim, as well as a piece of black walnut that I intend to use for some inlay work. Notice in this next pic the sump is slid forward. It actually slides quite easily. Hopefully it still will when the sump has water in it.

I think it's looking good so far.

Tommorrow my goal is to build the overflow box, install it, start some of the plumbing, and hopefully paint the back and sides of the tank.

Boom :boom:

Edited October 23, 2008 by Boom

[Slough Shark]

Looking very good there Ryan. The end product will sure be something to be proud of :thumbs:

[jvision]

You've got it exactly right.

Thanks Jason, it makes alot of sense to do it that way. I'll go for it. I assume you just have that diverted pipe going back into the pump area of the sump, and not send the water back through the filter media again?

When I had my sump system set up that way, I plumbed the T'ed off part to the baffle just before the pump area. I didn't want the splashing to cause bubbles that'd be sucked up by the pump - that creates a whole bunch of fine bubbles in the tank, and makes it hard to see.

[Boom]

Thats another good point Jason. Thanks!

A question, do I use anything to bond or better seal the thread together type joints, or just thread them tight and thats it? Do i need any extra security there to prevent leaks?

Edited October 24, 2008 by Boom

[jvision]

I use teflon tape for threaded joints.

[firestorm]

Wow, it sure is coming along. Great work there :thumbs: Definitely can't wait to see the final product.

[Boom]

I use teflon tape for threaded joints.

Really? I was told teflon is harmful for the fishies. Is that bogus info?

So today was not overly productive, but I did get some done. I cut the acrylic to size for the overflow bow, routed out the grooves at the top for the water to flow thru, and bonded the acrylic into shape (3 sides). The bonding agent (Weldon 16) is drying for 24 hrs, the I will round over the corners on the router table, trim the corners to fit around the tanks silicone, then silicone it into place.

I ran into a snag today as well. I had thought I bought a 1 1/2" bulkhead for the drain, so i bought all 1 1/2" parts to plumb the drain with. Today I realized that it's actually a 1 1/4" bulkhead so I have to swap out a bunch of parts tommorrow. Hopefully the reduced flow won't cause me any grief.

I'll post more pics and (hopefully) progress tommorrow.

[jvision]

I use teflon tape for threaded joints.

Really? I was told teflon is harmful for the fishies. Is that bogus info?

There was a thread not too long ago with many of us saying how we use teflon tape. I use the white stuff, as do many others. My fish are still alive.

[Boom]

I use teflon tape for threaded joints.

Really? I was told teflon is harmful for the fishies. Is that bogus info?

There was a thread not too long ago with many of us saying how we use teflon tape. I use the white stuff, as do many others. My fish are still alive.

Excellent, I think I'll do that then. Not as permanent as some of the other options I've heard. I like it. Do you know if it's the stuf fin the green roll or the red?

[jvision]

I've used the stuff in the red and blue rolls.

[Boom]

Awesome, thanks J.

Boom :boom:

[byte]

A question, do I use anything to bond or better seal the thread together type joints, or just thread them tight and thats it? Do i need any extra security there to prevent leaks?

You could use a dab of silicon to seal those pipe threads.

[Parachromis1]

A question, do I use anything to bond or better seal the thread together type joints, or just thread them tight and thats it? Do i need any extra security there to prevent leaks?

You could use a dab of silicon to seal those pipe threads.

It would be smarter to not to use 'cone on threads, silicone doesn't seal and stick completely to the plastic.

It doesn't work, I've tried it.

I use Teflon tape, in the red container.

It works well.

[Boom]

Alright, so today i did some more work on the overflow box and started the plumbing. I did alot of planning and dry fitting of the plumbing parts together to make sure I get it right. There are also certain parts that can't be cemented together yet until I move both the stand and the tank into the basement.

First, here is the overflow box. I used 1/4" black acrylic. I bonded it yesterday so today it was good and strong. Once bonded the two pieces become like one, very strong. I routed out the grooves at the top for the water to flow over, and nipped off the top and bottom corners where they meet the corners of the tanks silicone.

Then I started the plumbing. I started on the inside of the tank, so that i could then get the overflow box in place.

On the left is the Durso standpipe. Basically, the water level fills up until it fills the elbow on the left, then starts to flow down the pipe at the right, which flows directly into the sump. Water flows thru the sump, and is pumped back into the tank via the return piping on the far right. In the event of a popwer failure or the pump just stops working, there are 2 fail-safes in place. The durso is designed with a small hole in the top of it. This prevents the pipe from continueing to sifon water into the sump after the pump stops. It will immediately start sucking air and only drain the amount of water down to the level of thebottom of the inside of the durso, plus whatever water is already in the pipe. In my case that amounts to less than 7 gallons of water, more than enough for the sump to contain.

The second fail safe is on the return line. I installed a one way check valve, which only allows the water to flow thru it one way, up. If the pump shuts down, water can't be sifoned thru the return plumbing back into the sump, only the water that's already in the pipes below the check valve will flow back into the sump, in my case about a gallon.

The water will be delivered back into the tank via two 3/4" spray bars I made. The return line from the sump is 1", I used reducers and a T to make it into the two spray bars. When making a spray bar you want to make sure that the sum of all the holes you drill equals more than the diameter of the return line. I drilled about a dozen 1/8" holes in each spray bar, more than enough. The spray bars are positioned under the wide center cross brace of the tank, and not cemented into place. This will allow me to remove them to clean then should they get clogged. It also places water flow outwards in both directions from the center of the tank, which should be really good for the fish.

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[Boom]

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Here's another pic of the spraybars installed, from a different angle (above).

I had to design some way to keep the spray bars from sagging down into the tank. Suction cups is the obvious answer. I have these ones that work great. I've used them before and they keep their suction for a long time with becoming still and useless like many of the black ones I've used.

I drilled a small hole in the top of them...

... then put a zip tie thru them, which was then tightened around the spray bars in 3 locations. Works like a charm!

I picked up this black silicone to use on the overflow to attach it to the tank.

Here is the overflow box installed around the plumbing in the tank.

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