newest project

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

monday i decided come hell or high water, i was going to work on completing the bar. this included building my overflowing aquarium.

 

i probably could have cut the glass myself, but for the sake of ease i had a local company do it for me. thier just down the street and only charged me $100 for glass,holes and finish/ polish work.

 

although its not perfect, they did a bang up job. the 2 short pieces are alittle tall, but we'll see how it works out.

 

my dimensions were pretty much dictated by the opening in my bar.

i had the bottom cut to 24x21. left a 4"area around the parimeter to come up with the actual tank dimensions.

 

the end result being a 12x16x6" tank.

now my entire system which this will be tided into is well over 100g's, but i'm still in that nano mindset. i'd much prefer to look at 3 smaller tanks house different ecosystems than one large tank.

 

well the glass showed up today, and i'm on my way.

started by tracing out my drain and return holes, and drilled out the bar.

then i test fit all my pieces.

i used tape to hold the tank together, and squared it up.

set the outter tray walls inplace.

everything semed to fit well.

next task paint/seal the bar.

and i'm ready for sylicone.

 

i'm still not 100% sure how i'm gonna plumb the aquarium. i thought about check valves but i'm weary. i could use a stand pipe, but i'd like to keep the aquarium as clean as possible.

 

whats your take on the subject? pro's? con's?or even a better option?

thanks!

[Uhuru]

That's going to look awesome! You make it look easy.

[Uhuru]

Great work Tigah, very helpful diagrams too.

 

I would like to add though to anyone who is starting out, that using a stockman or durso design should only be done if you don't have a better alternative. If you are building a tank and are able to have two drain bulkheads, then the simplest and quietest way of getting water to your sump is the "Herbie method" (search on RC).

Baisically you don't use a standpipe at all on your drain - just a naked bulkhead. The diference is that you put a ball valve on the drain pipe to the sump and close the valve until the water is draining at the same rate as the pump is putting out. By opening and closing the valve a little bit you can adjust how high the water level is in your overflow box. For example. if the surface of the water is 7" above the bulkhead, there is no possible way that any air can go down the bulkhead and this equals zero noise. It also means no vacumes or venturies to mess with. Another advantage is that, because no air is getting into the sump, it is just as quiet as your overflow and will not boil or 'hot tub'. There is no noise or bubbles.

The second bulkhead is necessary to serve as an emergency drain if the primary ever got plugged. Put a standpipe on it and have the top of it up by the top of your tank. If the primary ever got plugged and the water level started to rise, it would just drain safely through this one. I had my setup for over a year and never had to adjust the ball valve and never had a blockage, but I still wouldn't risk running it without a back up drain.

Let me know if this doesn't make sense. I was fortunate enough to learn it early on in my reefing career and it might be the most useful piece of knowledge I have come across.

 

- Chad

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

well the glass company did do most of the work.

i just had to do the easy part.

playing with all that lego as a kid, really did pay off.

[Joe b]

Ill have a Bombay martini, dry, extra dirty and oh yeah a napkin to soak up my drool! That's a kille job your doin! Great work! Happy reefing.

[FateX9]

nice setup cant wait to see it filled with water

[Gvtv44]

No more tanks! Now I want another one You have a dream tank already! No more

[c est ma]

the end result being a 12x16x6" tank.

now my entire system which this will be tided into is well over 100g's, but i'm still in that nano mindset. i'd much prefer to look at 3 smaller tanks house different ecosystems than one large tank.

 

Hear, hear! And what a nice description of "that nano mindset." I've just been reading through several back issues of ReefKeeping online, and looking at their tanks-of-the-month. While they're all gorgeous, many of them seem pretty interchangeable to me. Lots of tangs & sps...

 

How totally fascinating it is to set up smaller tanks in which a certain subset of the hobby can be featured and studied in detail.

 

--D

 

PS: Ever have any fears about contamination from having all your tanks plumbed together?

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

diane, your an evil evil woman.i never hand any fears about contamination until now. if i do notice something funky going on in one tank, i can isolate each of the aquariums. i just try and be very selective about the things i put into the system.

 

i've actually had a very small flat worm problem in my ref. whats weird is this. other than in the sump, in the last 3 months while i've been dealing with the worms, none have made it to my reef. thier just in the sump and ref.(horse tank) my pump has a sponge and mesh bag. it must be the reason they havent left the sump.

 

imo more water means less trouble. the tanks actually work very well together and the large ref adds alot of forgiveness when it comes to packing my reef to the brim.

 

thanks all for the kind words.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

it's alive!

 

woo hoo me. i couldn't be happier. its up and running and working like a charm. the glass companies error turned out to be a blessing in disguise. they had cut 2 of the panels a 1/16 of an inch taller than the other 2. i thought it might be a problem, but check this out. the front and rear panels stay dry for easy viewing through the glass, and the aquarium only overflows on 2 sides. i can turn up the flow to flood 4 sides, but i dont think i'm gonna.

 

and the surface, crystal clear.

 

i can wait to add coral/clams

[fries852]

wow!! it's beautiful!! Can't wait to see what you do with it. Have to connect with you sometime soon and see it in person. I know that my daughter is dying to see you horse tank.

Cheers

Andrea

[bigredreefer]

Its.. almost... mezmoriz..i.n.g.... (snore)

 

Thats beautiful, but one question.

 

Is there anything to cover the final tank or will you keep it open topped like that?

 

What about bugs?

 

Wait thats 2

 

RED

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

just like the other 2 aquariums,it will be an open top. its meant to be viewed from above.

 

i find the occasional fly in there, but thats about it. sea bugs are a.o.k. with me. (pods)

 

 

andrea, i'm settled in the new home and things are starting to slow down.

 

i guess what i'm trying to say is......

 

anytime. just give me alittle notice.

[wav3form]

Cool... like a built in zero edge.

[fries852]

Thanks icy... I still have your number, assuming it didn't change when you moved. I'll be in touch.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

still the same.

[c est ma]

Sweet!!

 

Q: Why the white paint underneath? Looks cool, but it seems like an unlikely color to think of in the first place...Is it to make escaping snails, etc., more visible? Add light via reflection? Just set off the tank more? Just fits the overall gestalt?

 

Nosily,

 

Diane

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

i'm not planning on having much of a sand bed in the aquarium. (1/4") i figured i'd probably have the bottom of the aquarium exposed from time to time. the white is my artificial sand for such an event.

 

and i figured it would help reflect light.

[Braskey]

this looks cool, but doesn't the water flowing over impede the viewing?

[Gvtv44]

It only comes down on two sides ^

But otherwise, yes, it would.

[Hinecken]

The massive advantage to the overflowing water is the crystal clear surface. Now Icy can enjoy looking down and seeing the true colors of clams and other animals that you can't truly appreciate by looking through the sides.

[c est ma]

i'm not planning on having much of a sand bed in the aquarium. (1/4") i figured i'd probably have the bottom of the aquarium exposed from time to time. the white is my artificial sand for such an event.

 

and i figured it would help reflect light.

 

Ahh, I see. Brilliant!

 

 

The massive advantage to the overflowing water is the crystal clear surface. Now Icy can enjoy looking down and seeing the true colors of clams and other animals that you can't truly appreciate by looking through the sides.

 

What a great idea--thanks for the explanation.

 

--Diane

[epicfish]

When the water flows over, does it cause the turbulence that pumps cause? Or is it a pretty "smooth" surface still when the water drains over the side?

 

I should've paid more attention to the zero edge tanks. =p

[avalanche1201]

I remember reading somewhere from a previous member that the stronger the flow is the more clear the sides are on an overflow...so it depends what look you want you to go for...ill have to find the info to back it up 2morro becuase...well....im to tired and lazy to do it now

 

but epic...the top is pretty much a smooth surface thats perfect to see through....i think theres no "turbulence" because the water isn't being held in place, instead it over flows

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

i figure the easiest way to answer your questions is a few more pic's.

 

i picked up a light on sale at home depot for $10 and added a 27w phillips daylight spiral. (temp lighting) i also added the rock from my sump to the aquarium. (till i get some nicer rock)

 

as you can see, the aquarium is perfect for top viewing.

this picture was actually taken through the falling water.

you get a ripple affect from time to time, but for the most part, the aquarium can be easily viewed from 5 sides.

 

the aquarium itself has strong flow. once the water hits the outter overflow it also becomes very turbulant (as seen in the pic below)