bzphotog Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 (edited) Hey, So now that I have saturated myself with many hours of countless reading, I am ready build and manage a tank. I decided to go with this route because of equipment I already had. 10 gallon all in one setup. A very good starter read is here by steelhealr http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...;hl=submersible the inspiration for this build and help came from lil'wrasse cool http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...126726&st=0 I went into greater detail than most of you will need but these are questions I had when I was starting so... bear with it. Now for the pics, This is for a standard 10 gallon fish tank. The silocone will fill in the gaps so hair pin precision is not needed here. the bulkhead how it looks That is where I am for now. I will post more with fuge and siliconed. bzphotog Edited June 13, 2009 by bzphotog Quote Link to comment
lil'wrasse cool Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 looking good cant find anything bad to say about it so far...Thanks for the props too!! Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 (edited) The plexi is getting silliconed to the tank at the moment. its a perfect fit. bzphotog Edited January 10, 2009 by bzphotog Quote Link to comment
Chris333 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I like how this is going. I wanted a "all in one" tank, but didn't want a cube shape. This would have solved that. Quote Link to comment
NAL Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Looks nice. Is it going to be hard to get that maxi out to do maintence on it, or can you just turn the elbow. You also mentioned you glued it. That might make it hard to remove. Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Looks nice. Is it going to be hard to get that maxi out to do maintence on it, or can you just turn the elbow. You also mentioned you glued it. That might make it hard to remove. No glue, the elbow is movable. thank god it turned out that way, i didnt plan it like that. Lol but it worked. Quote Link to comment
nanoty Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Wow, that looks sweet. One suggestion is that you lengthen the tube to the return and put the MJ at the bottom of the chamber. Any evaporation that occurs will lower the water in that chamber first and let them pump start sucking air. It is the same way with my NC. The only good thing about having it the same way you have it now is you will know when there any evap because it will start blowing bubbles. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Wow, that looks sweet. One suggestion is that you lengthen the tube to the return and put the MJ at the bottom of the chamber. Any evaporation that occurs will lower the water in that chamber first and let them pump start sucking air. It is the same way with my NC. The only good thing about having it the same way you have it now is you will know when there any evap because it will start blowing bubbles. Just a thought. sharp eye, its a learn from mistakes i suppose. Ill try to extend the tube today if I can. Quote Link to comment
Mikec0078 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Just get an ATO so you won't have to worry about evap too much. Plus it helps keep parameters stable, which means a healthier tank and inhabitants. Nice setup, I just may use this idea for a future plan. Quote Link to comment
spanko Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Good looking project. Tagging along. Quote Link to comment
Monkfish Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Looking good man Im doing something similar. Hes right about the evaporation I had to lower mine and the MJ900 is really noisy and vibrates maybe I got a defective one. Quote Link to comment
Kirin1 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Just get an ATO so you won't have to worry about evap too much. Plus it helps keep parameters stable, which means a healthier tank and inhabitants. Nice setup, I just may use this idea for a future plan. +1 on the ATO, but go ahead and extend that tubing anyway. You will be less likely to grab bubbles if the pump intake is at the bottom of the chamber. Sweet build so far, nice and clean! Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 (edited) Looking good man Im doing something similar. Hes right about the evaporation I had to lower mine and the MJ900 is really noisy and vibrates maybe I got a defective one. I think yours is defective, mine is quiet. although try jiggling it around under water cause sometimes you get air stuck in there and it make the MJ vibe. and turn it upside down and so on. And yes ATO (automatic topoff) will be a part of this system. I've seen some nice acrylyc ones people have made on this forum. Edited February 15, 2008 by bzphotog Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 (edited) so this should mitigate some of the things that your comments have pointed out. going to let the sillicone cure for a few days and then I will do a test run before adding the sand, water and prolly LR all at one shot. thanks Edited January 10, 2009 by bzphotog Quote Link to comment
xxReidxx Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 im planing on doing this exact same thing. First off where did you get that bulkhead elbow kit, and does the plexi glass flex at all? Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 im planing on doing this exact same thing. First off where did you get that bulkhead elbow kit, and does the plexi glass flex at all? hey, the bulkhead elbow kit i got a www.jlaquatics.com (my lfs) called modular hose by locline. http://www.modularhose.com/ to find a dealer near you lol. its called ( 1/2" slip B.H. Kit R270678) thats the part # too. and the plexi glass is great, it bends but is stiff for these purposes and feels solid silliconed. best thing to do is goto a place that sells small pieces and try it. ABS works too. Quote Link to comment
lil'wrasse cool Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 wow you thread is getting way more attention then mine ever did...way to go, cant wait to see her running... Quote Link to comment
fretbuzz520 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I really like this thread so far, I plan on doing something very similar to this now. Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 wow you thread is getting way more attention then mine ever did...way to go, cant wait to see her running... haha thanks, this thread happened because of you anyways. Believe me I cant wait to get it running either. I like things instantly so this will be a test of patience. Quote Link to comment
Kirin1 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Well, I meant lengthen the vynil hose between the pump and the elbow, but I see you'd loose your nifty rotation feature there. You might want to replace that duct tape however, I don't think the glue is going to hold up in saltwater, and may release some nasty chemicals as it breaks down. Try heating the vynil hose and stretching it over the intake of the Maxijet, then secure it with a zip tie. You may need to go for larger hose for the intake side. Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 (edited) Well, I meant lengthen the vynil hose between the pump and the elbow, but I see you'd loose your nifty rotation feature there. You might want to replace that duct tape however, I don't think the glue is going to hold up in saltwater, and may release some nasty chemicals as it breaks down. Try heating the vynil hose and stretching it over the intake of the Maxijet, then secure it with a zip tie. You may need to go for larger hose for the intake side. Yep you make a good point. Ill work on that one when i get some time in this week. but ya it has to be set up this way so it rotates. I am doing a FW run at the moment and the system is very fun to watch. And I see how evaporation occurs in the fuge since the pump is powerfull enough to keep the display topped off. As it stands I have a 23X turn over rate in this tank so that is pretty good for growing some soft corals i believe. Edited January 10, 2009 by bzphotog Quote Link to comment
lil'wrasse cool Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 one thing is, it doesn't matter how much water the pump is pumping, as long as its pumping the display side will stay the same. On that note how is your display water level? didn't get it rite my first time. if the water is to high lower your over flow more, to low you may need to glue a piece to the back side of the overflow.I like mire rite at the trim line so you don't see a water line... Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 18, 2008 Author Share Posted February 18, 2008 one thing is, it doesn't matter how much water the pump is pumping, as long as its pumping the display side will stay the same. On that note how is your display water level? didn't get it rite my first time. if the water is to high lower your over flow more, to low you may need to glue a piece to the back side of the overflow.I like mire rite at the trim line so you don't see a water line... Currently the water level is perfect, once again begginers luck. it is sitting right at the plastic lip of the plastic rim. but I might take a tooth out to let a bit more water in, incase there happens to be a blockage, man that would suck to come home to. So I will play it safe on this one. Ill post pics when there is more time. bzphotog Quote Link to comment
xxReidxx Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 im doing the same thing and i was wondering what you used to cut the plexi glass Quote Link to comment
bzphotog Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 im doing the same thing and i was wondering what you used to cut the plexi glass Hey, just go back to my first post on here, I exlained the whole process, but I used a hacksaw / metal saw, I like the smaller teeth, less chatter than a wood saw so safer when it comes to cracking the plexi during the cut. bzphotog Quote Link to comment
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