Gnaw Posted July 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 The glass was too thick (3/4") to be scored and tapped-off. I need to cut THOUGH and avoid cracking and chipping. I didn't have any of those fancy glass cutters or blades, BUT i did have one for a circular saw that I used on bricks! :hey: I figured what the hell... Wow that worked really well! Next time I'll use a square so I don't cut so much on an angle. After that, cutting was easy. I'd set my guide for the saw with a 1/8" strip of scrap wood and clamped it down. Ran the water, then proceed to follow it with the saw. No sweat... I still have to silicon the overflow box together, I'll be doing that this week. I went out yesterday and picked up all the plumbing for sump. I had to make some changes in the plans, in the end I went with a 1-1/2" drain and a 1" return with a 3/4" reducer to the spray bar. (Cough, I'm such a hack. Thanks Boom :boom: ) More to come this week stay-tuned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boom Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Well I gotta say, I've never seen anyone cut glass with a circular saw before. Very unorthidox. Glad it worked for you though! Good to see you've been doing some work on this. Keep posting the progress. Boom :boom: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaggle Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Wow that is looking great. You have a lot of dedication to see this through to the end. I am not sure if you have found your sump yet, But have you thought of doing a ply-wood sump? Also here is a video of of some plumbing that I thought might help you. I looked it up before I got the end of the thread so it might be too late but, I might as well post it since I looked it up. Monster fish rescure 800 gallon rebuild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 I am not sure if you have found your sump yet, But have you thought of doing a ply-wood sump? Well I wasn't able to do any work on it outside due to the weather conditions. I have no idea what a ply-wood sump is. Also here is a video of of some plumbing that I thought might help you. I looked it up before I got the end of the thread so it might be too late but, I might as well post it since I looked it up.Monster fish rescure 800 gallon rebuild Nope, not too late. Thanks for the video, It gave me some great ideas and redesign considerations. I really like the addition of a 1/3 water change setup. I think I'm going to try and incorporate that into the plans. Also, a question came to mind after watching the video. Is it better to send water to the sump from the near-surface or closer to the bottom from the tank above? Thanks, just when I thought I had everything planned out you stop me in my tracks! Decisions, decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaggle Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Having the water drain from the top and from the bottom both have there advantages and disadvantages. From the bottom you will get more gunk ( I can't remember the name of the stuff for the life of me right now) and stuff off the bottom of the tank. But if you have little to no surface agitation you will get a scum build up on the top of your tank. You can fight this by adding a spray bar that breaks the waters surface tensions. From the top you can end up with a larger build up gunk on the bottom of your tank but you will not need to have the spray bar on the top of your tank. You can use the spray bar across the bottom the kick up the gunk and it will get to the over flow box. Remember that any lines the run in from the bottom of the tank to the sump will have to have a siphon brake or you will drain the tank. Also if wanted to install the 1/3 drain for water changes, I would but a bulk head at the bottom of your sump that you can hook a hose up to and run the water to a toilet that way it will clean out the bottom of your sump as you do your water change. You can also fit the end of your hose so that you can hook it up and re fill your sump after you are done draining it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 A bulk head at the bottom of your sump that you can hook a hose up to and run the water to a toilet that way it will clean out the bottom of your sump as you do your water change. You can also fit the end of your hose so that you can hook it up and re fill your sump after you are done draining it. Great idea. I'll have to sort plan all this information accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted July 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 Alright and update. I was able to install the bulkheads and I've almost completed the overflow. Waiting for cocking to dry so I can continue with the plumbing. As mentioned somewhere in this thread I don't have any fancy glass cutting tools (this includes saw-holes, which are super expensive). Needless to say my only other option was a hand held dremel and lots of diamond coated bits. I can honestly say I will NEVER use it again, took maybe five hours to drill both holes. Anyways, here are some pics. First, I used a wood saw-hole on a thin piece of scrap to use as a cutting guide. Cut to size. Clamp to the class ( This was a test run to ensure that I had the skills in order to proceed) On with the SLOW cutting... After an hour and some... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted July 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 Alright, so I can do it! On to the tank and stand. Here I cut the slot for the bulkhead and pipe to run though the stand. This is going to need some tweaking because space is limited! (Why did I only give the outside edge of my stand only an inch more tan the tank? Cut the foamie. Sorry for this bad picture was taken @ 5am today. Not sleeping does that to you. This is the 'measured' grid for the drain and return pipe. After many hours of drilling and many bits later... Yes I used silicone on them, but I figured I would NEVER have to take them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted July 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 SO I didn't want to start the plumbing today and I opted for bed instead. Being the diehard I am I figured I'd at least silicon the over-flow together (one side only, had no more clamps. Going to let the silicone cure for a bit. This is the sump I picked up at Rona today. It is submersible and can pump 2500 Gallons (overkilled I know) BUT says on the box if my pipe was 1 1/2 and less than 12' vertical I can have 1900-2000 GPH, this will be installed very soon... also came with 2 year warenty. well that's it for today, more to come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parachromis1 Posted July 12, 2009 Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 Remember when you do your plumbing to put in couplers and union valves, that way you can take everything apart with ease. ( I plumb tanks for AI) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Remember when you do your plumbing to put in couplers and union valves, that way you can take everything apart with ease. ( I plumb tanks for AI) yes, I was thinking of how I would be able to take the plumbing apart if I had to swap-out the pump or spray bar. Just to be safe I'll post some pics of what I had in mind prior to installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsgofishn Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hi Nick, good job there!! Looks like you'll have that up and running in no time. Not sure, but is it possible to have too much current from your sump or are you going to have a check valve to dial down the return flow? I guess that would also depend on what you plan on keeping. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hi Nick, good job there!! Looks like you'll have that up and running in no time. Thanks for the comment. I hope it have it running the garage this week as a trial run. Not sure, but is it possible to have too much current from your sump or are you going to have a check valve to dial down the return flow? I guess that would also depend on what you plan on keeping. If I understand correctly, your wondering if I will have a ball-value on the return pipe? I drew this up really quick in paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaggle Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 You will nopt need to have a valve on the Line going to the sump. Have you looked at this site? http://www.dursostandpipes.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 DISASTER! I want to cry, there was an incident with the tank. The bottom pane CRACKED in two places when I put it on some 2x4's under it to do some work. I'm not sure what to do. Can I fix these with silicon and adhering some sheets of glass to the bottom? Or am I screwed? be honest. This is a big tank that holds a large amount of water. Is this the end of Gnaw's 100 gallon aquarium project? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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