Siwelk's 30g 'Reef Theatre'

[PurpleUP]

funny story...

 

so i was about to call up Jeff at Lifereef yesterday to place an order on a custom slimline 600gph prefilter when i started wishing i could just get my tank drilled. when i bought the tank a couple months ago i called the manufacturer (Perfecto/Marineland) to verify which, if any, of the sides were tempered. the lady i spoke to told me that all sides were tempered and that i couldn't drill it. i assumed she knew what she was talking about even though it seemed strange, and continued on to plan my tank build under the impression that i wouldn't be able to drill it. i figured that before i ordered the Lifereef id call Marineland and ask them again about my tank. i spoke to a guy that informed me that my 30g (36"x12"x16") was, in fact, not tempered on any side. soooo, long story short i now have to redesign my plumbing and see about a glass shop to do some drilling for me. i researched about different style overflows and tried to figure out where i wanted to put the internal overflow box. at first i decided that i would put a 3 sided internal overflow in the center of the back glass, and have the tank drilled for a durso style overflow with a 1" drain and 3/4" return. i planned to run the return up over the internal overlow and use a Y loc-line fitting with nozzles to provide surface agitation. i also wanted to plumb for a closed loop as well. the idea was to be able to use the return manifold i had already made.

 

then i found the Herbie method thread on RC, and decided this is what im going to use. it seems that this is the best method for a silent tank with no air bubbles. i figure ill use a 1" bulkead for the main drain and a 3/4" bulkhead for the emergency drain. ill also have an CL intake drilled and plumbed from the bottom of the back glass, through the internal overflow and out to a strainer intake inside the tank.

i wanted to keep all drilled holes within the confines of the internal overflow box. i plan to use a gate valve on the drain line to adjust the water level inside the internal overflow. the return will still be a mag7 throttled back and returned via two 1/2" PVC 90 elbows over the top of the tank. the return manifold will stay mostly as it was previously configured with the addition of 3/4" 45s off the split-T's in the corners instead of 1/2" reducing 90 elbows. id like to replace the flow of the two Koralis 3s i had planned on using, therefore id like to have a CL pump capable of pushing ~1700gph (one K3 = 850gph). i was thinking of using a mag18 to achieve this. id like to mount a stand behind the tank to hold the mag18 and plumb it up the the CL manifold with four 3/4" 45degree outputs. the CL plus the return from the sump should get me around 2000gph, or 40x turnover. this brings up a couple questions i have:

 

1) since both my return and CL manifold outputs are on the top of the water will there be enough flow created at the bottom of the tank? are the four 3/4" 45degree outputs going to be able to provide adequate flow in a 16" tall tank? (note: each CL output should be pushing ~ 400 gph). i want to use a CL to keep the clean look and if i have to add a PH for a dead spot it just defeats the purpose.

 

FWIW i plan to have a pillar style aquascape so the rockwork will be relatively open.

 

2) is there anything wrong with putting a ball valve on each of the sides of a "T" on the CL manifold?

 

sorry for the crappy sketches, i dont have any form of electronic artistic expression other than paint.

 

id like to be able to adjust the flow to each side of the CL manifold so i can get different ratios of flow per side. id like to also lower the flow a bit until i try to move on to SPS. i didnt know if there was any rule about restricting the output from a CL pump. if anyone can confirm/deny this please do.

 

even though i have to do some re-planning im still stoked that i can get the tank drilled and not have to mess with a HOB overflow to risk flooding. if anyone has any comments on other types of overflows please feel free to share them. i decided on the Herbie style due to its ability to make the overflow and drain whisper quiet and minimize microbubbles in the sump. everyone whos uses it says it works great. im also new to researching and implementing closed loops and manifolds so if anyone can offer any suggestions or alternatives id appreciate it. i dont have any confidence in working with acrylic so i thought about ordering a pre-made internal overflow from wetdryfilter.com

http://www.wetdryfilter.com/internal_overflow_boxes.htm

 

less than $100 shipped for your custom dimensions. seems kinda pricey but i dont see any good alternatives...at least locally. has anyone had any experience with these? i havent had a chance to do any reasearch on them yet. them seem to be of good quality. after i get my xmas shopping done today ill probably head over to HD to get some PVC fittings and bulkheads for the drain lines and new CL manifold. ill have to wait until after xmas to make arrangements to get my tank drilled at a local glass shop. when i inquired about possibly getting the tank drilled previously they quoted me at $10 per 1" hole. that sounds decent enough to me. ill be moving on with said plans after xmas, giving everyone time to chime in with any improvements or suggestions on my design. again, im a noob to the drilled tank scene so please forgive me for any oversights or complete ignorance. TIA.

 

 

After all of that planning for a HOB overflow, in the end the tank gets drilled. Good for you. You'll be much happier with the end result. Sigh, if I could only drill my ADA. For my next tank, I'll be watching your thread for more details on how the Herbie method works. Good luck with everything.

 

Funny, I could have my next tank setup before yours even gets going! Spring of 2008 is still a long way out. lol

[siwelk]

After all of that planning for a HOB overflow, in the end the tank gets drilled. Good for you. You'll be much happier with the end result. Sigh, if I could only drill my ADA. For my next tank, I'll be watching your thread for more details on how the Herbie method works. Good luck with everything.

 

Funny, I could have my next tank setup before yours even gets going! Spring of 2008 is still a long way out. lol

 

 

i know, i couldnt believe it when i called back and was given the go-ahead to drill. i was literally minutes away from ordering a Lifereef. Oh well, back to the drawing board i guess. the herbie method looks very easy to implement, ill be posting step-by-step pics of the build once that stage comes along. im still hoping to get some more feedback/suggestions before i start making purchases. i want to be sure i havent overlooked some critical aspect of my design. I cant believe you have another tank in mind, the ADA is soo bada** that another tank is almost disrespectful.

 

Youre right, spring is a long way off. but i like that im taking things slow, researching every stage of the build process and equipment selection. its hard to be patient but its easier on the wallet and it helps to avoid making mistakes from rushing into things. im sure ill reap the benefits of my labor soon enough

[PurpleUP]

i know, i couldnt believe it when i called back and was given the go-ahead to drill. i was literally minutes away from ordering a Lifereef. Oh well, back to the drawing board i guess. the herbie method looks very easy to implement, ill be posting step-by-step pics of the build once that stage comes along. im still hoping to get some more feedback/suggestions before i start making purchases. i want to be sure i havent overlooked some critical aspect of my design. I cant believe you have another tank in mind, the ADA is soo bada** that another tank is almost disrespectful.

 

Youre right, spring is a long way off. but i like that im taking things slow, researching every stage of the build process and equipment selection. its hard to be patient but its easier on the wallet and it helps to avoid making mistakes from rushing into things. im sure ill reap the benefits of my labor soon enough

 

Wow, thanks for the compliment. My main problem is buying corals at a rate much faster than I can setup the tanks to accommodate them. I gotta slow down, i know. I'd have to say that if you give nearly as much thought to your aquascape plan and coral selection as you are giving to your build out, your project will turn out to become one hell of a showtank. Looking forward to see what you come up with.

[siwelk]

Wow, thanks for the compliment. My main problem is buying corals at a rate much faster than I can setup the tanks to accommodate them. I gotta slow down, i know. I'd have to say that if you give nearly as much thought to your aquascape plan and coral selection as you are giving to your build out, your project will turn out to become one hell of a showtank. Looking forward to see what you come up with.

 

 

thanks Purp. im really hoping i can have something along the lines of NTOTM eventually, this being my first attempt at a reef tank. thats funny you should mention the aquascaping, as ive been giving it a LOT of thought and i think ive come up with something pretty interesting. im only going to say that its based off of a triple pillar design, with pieces of tonga shelf stretching across to create bridges. i think the hardest part will be finding LR pieces that fit the picture i have in my head. thats one reason i think ill be going with marcorock, since itds dead and dry its a lot easier to drill and build with as oppsed to wet live rock. i just hope my final product is as colorful as that ADA of yours.

[siwelk]

bump for suggestions on CL and drilling plans

[siwelk]

Happy belated Holidays everyone,

 

Havent had much time to update lately, due to the holidays and all. Not too much progress to speak of, however, Santa turned out to be a lot more generous with me than i had anticipated. Consequently, I am expecting a rather large delivery from both DrsFosterSmith.com and MarineDepot.com after the New Year.

 

Heres a list of the equipment/supplies that made it on my wish list:

 

2 - Hydor Koralia 3

1 - API Master Saltwater Test Kit

1 - API Master Reef Test Kit

1 - TLF Phosban reactor w/ PhosBan media

1 - 150W Stealth heater

1 - MJ1200

1 - MJ400

1 - 160gal bucket Reef Crystals salt mix

1 - Chemi-Pure (1pk)

1 - MagFloat (small)

2 - 1" double-threaded bulkhead fittings

1 - 10' 3/4" ID vinyl tubing

 

everything minus the plumbing supplies were on sale. got the K3s from marinedepot.com for 20% off. also got most of the stuff from the Drs. from their 25% off sale. i also picked up the rest of my plumbing supples from HD. as soon as my bulkheads come in im going to a local glass shop to get it drilled. which brings up a question i have about hole placement. (quoted from a post on RC)

 

"i have a 30g that i would like to get drilled for a herbie style overflow. my tank is only 12'' deep. i know theres a general rule to keep the diameter of your hole away from the edge of the glass but if i do this for a 1'' bulkhead (1.75'' hole) then my internal overflow box will have to be almost 5'' deep, which is nearly half my tanks depth. would it be ok to drill the holes 1.25'' from the edge instead? this would allow me to use a 4'' deep overflow. also, could i place the two holes the same distance apart from one another? im taking the tank to be drilled next week so any quick help would be appreciated. thanks!"

 

if anyone has any input on this i would appreciate it ^

 

 

im also looking at ordering a 25# box of Marco Rock once i get all my equipment together. i had originally thought that it would be almost spring before i got my tank cycling. due to the unexpected gifting this christmas (as well as selling my xbox 360 ), i was able to move the date up a bit

 

 

lastly, even though i wont be adding my substrate until after my tank has cycled, i began looking at the caribsea ocean direct and natures ocean bio-active live sand. im currently using 5lbs of caribsea ocean direct in my tom deco 3 and i was thinking about using that for my 30g.

 

40lbs of the caribsea is only $35, whereas the natures ocean is $25 per 20lbs. (drsfostersmith.com) im not sure which grade of the caribsea OD the Drs. carry, the Caribsea website lists an oolitic grade and an original grade. i want the original grade, and im hoping this is what the Drs. carry. I also really like the look of the black sand, even though ive heard of it looking dirty and dingy. Im hoping a good sand-sifting crew and good flow would minimize this. up until recenly i was only aware of the black tahitian moon sand (which is silica based im told, so no good for my sand-sifters) and Seachem's gray coast calcite. neither of these really appealed to me. sooo, i was looking on Natures Oceans website at the live sand and found out that they had a live "black beach" sand available.

 

http://www.naturesocean.com/live_sand.htm

 

well i did a quick search and couldnt find anyone who carried it so i called Ocean Direct or "WorldWide Imports" and they referred me to their New York distributor, Royal Pet Supplies. i spoke to someone who then gave me a couple names of their frequent retailers and told me to contact them about special ordering the black beach sand. Premium Aquatics was one of the names on the list so i guess ill contact them to see if this order can be arranged and get some price quotes. i really like the look of the black sand, im just hoping i can keep it clean. otherwise i think ill go with Caribseas OD in the original grade.

 

 

well thats it for now, next update will have pics i promise. if anyone has any suggestions or comments about the holes i need drilled or the substrate selection feel free...and for those of you following closely i have nixed the CL plans. i didnt get any feedback on my ideas and i decided that a CL was just a little more "involved" than id like to get at this point. so i switched back to my original idea of 2 K3s for flow.

 

 

peace up, A-town down

 

 

 

-kyle

[siwelk]

hello?

is there anybody in there?

just nod if you can hear me.

is there anyone home?

[roninmagik1]

yah, i'm home! wish i could give you some input, but you're way advanced over my leetle brain lol

 

ps...i like the sig, i'm also a fellow Si owner =)

[siwelk]

yah, i'm home! wish i could give you some input, but you're way advanced over my leetle brain lol

 

ps...i like the sig, i'm also a fellow Si owner =)

 

 

right on. what year?

[siwelk]

First real update in about a week. i got my order from marinedepot.com yesterday. waited on the UPS man for what seemed like forever (out for delivery 6:30am, received 6:30pm). not a whole lot but some basic essentials.

 

2x Hydor Koralia 3s

 

 

 

mounted in-tank just to get an idea of size

 

 

 

 

 

 

pair of 1" bulkheads

 

 

 

now that i have my bulkheads i can take some final measurements so i can get my tank drilled next week. im going to go with two 1.75" holes for the herbie style overflow. then i plan on getting some black acrylic cut from a local platsics co. to make my internal overflow.

 

initial impression of the koralias were somewhat mixed. the pump is a little bit larger than i had anticipated but it has a good design. i may have to re-think my aquascape to compensate for the size of the powerheads but they should blend in ok. im also hoping that two K3s isnt too much flow for my tank. i know its generally a good idea to always go with a little bit more than what you think youre going to need, and from reading reviews it seemed as though the K1s and K2s were slighly overrated in terms of flow. the K2 and K3 were the same size and i figured that i should just go with the K3s even if it was a bit of overkill. two K3s + mag7 return = 2000gph in a 30g tank...just under 70x. im hoping the wider flow will still allow me to keep softies and LPS with this much turnover. im patiently awaiting a koralia controller that will give some more flexibility. the suction cup magnets are nice and provide a strong hold for the pump. so far they seem to be a pretty good powerhead, especially for the price.

 

lastly, i called Marc and ordered some nice marco rock last week. 25lbs of the signature fiji. Marc was a real nice guy to do business with and called me within 5 mintues of sending him an e-mail. he picked out some specific sizes that i was looking for and i cant wait to see what i end up with. took a few days before it got shipped out, but thats understandable for the holidays. it should arrive early next week. ill definately be posting some pics when it gets here.

 

 

if anyone has a pair of K3s in a 40g or under, hows that working out for you?

[siwelk]

my Marco rock arrived today. waaaay better than i had even expected. the sizes were perfect and the amount of rock you get is amazing. easily 2x as much weight vs. wet live rock. this is the coolest looking rock ive ever seen. i cant wait to see it covered in coralline. anyways, here are a some pics.

 

 

unpacking...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

unboxed...

 

 

 

 

 

hardly any rubble due to shipping...and even UPS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[siwelk]

quick aquascaping, just to see how 25lbs of dry fills up the 30g

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

as soon as i get my order from the Drs. ill have the rest of what i need to get my rock curing. i also need to head over to HD and pick up a 20g trashcan. once the marco rock is fully cured i plan to seed it with some Kaelini from Premium Aquatics, then let all the rock cycle once more in-tank. i think ive actually got too much rock, i was going for a more open aquascaping. oh well.

[phases]

Rockwork looks great. Love the open spaces.

[glennr1978]

Looks good. I'm not sure what the gph is on the K3's but I have 2 tunze 6025's (660gph each) and a QO4000 (1000gph) on a cl, and a QO2200 (around 450 ghp, i think) return pump, in my 40 breeder. I don't remember exactly, and I'm to lazy to do the math, but I think my tank is around the same turn over rate as what you will have. Anyway, yeah I'm sure you can still keep some softie's and LPS in your tank. You will just have to adjust the K3's until you get the flow pattern you want.

[PurpleUP]

Looks great, siwelk. Are you planning on using epoxy for greater rock stability? or the good old jigsaw puzzle method.

[siwelk]

Rockwork looks great. Love the open spaces.

 

thanks. unfortunately, the final scape probably wont look much like that. i still have to compensate for a 6"x4" internal center overflow (yet to be installed). ill probably try to keep most of the rockwork to the sides of the tank. i definately have more rock than i know what do to with. especially after adding the seed. we'll see how it goes i guess.

 

 

Looks good. I'm not sure what the gph is on the K3's but I have 2 tunze 6025's (660gph each) and a QO4000 (1000gph) on a cl, and a QO2200 (around 450 ghp, i think) return pump, in my 40 breeder. I don't remember exactly, and I'm to lazy to do the math, but I think my tank is around the same turn over rate as what you will have. Anyway, yeah I'm sure you can still keep some softie's and LPS in your tank. You will just have to adjust the K3's until you get the flow pattern you want.

 

im looking at about just under 70x, and it looks like you are too. you have a little more room front-to-back in the breeder, but the other dimensions are the same so hopefully i will be able to create enough turbulent flow to keep from creating a sandstorm.

 

 

Looks great, siwelk. Are you planning on using epoxy for greater rock stability? or the good old jigsaw puzzle method.

 

im wanting to try to use some acrylic rods and zip-ties to make a more "open" scape

[Rehype]

I really like that tank.Very nice rock. do you plan to seed it with some live rock?

[glennr1978]

You could always take a little of it out, or smash some of it up into smaller pieces to accomodate your overflow.

[siwelk]

I really like that tank.Very nice rock. do you plan to seed it with some live rock?

 

 

yeah i plan on going down to Premium Aquatics and getting some nice fully cured Kaelini to seed it with after the marco rock cures

[AdriftQuasar]

Looks like you are getting to where you can start taking strides instead of baby steps. Keep us saturated with pics.

[siwelk]

the hobby definately becomes more enjoyable once you hit that ''stride'' phase

[siwelk]

got my black velvet cutains in today for some final measurements and adjustments. they should be finished and up hopefully by next week. at least that way i can finaly cover up that closet a little bit. next update will have pics.

[PurpleUP]

got my black velvet cutains in today for some final measurements and adjustments. they should be finished and up hopefully by next week. at least that way i can finaly cover up that closet a little bit. next update will have pics.

 

So it this the final resting spot for the tank or are you relocating someplace else in spring?

[siwelk]

So it this the final resting spot for the tank or are you relocating someplace else in spring?

 

 

this will be the final spot for the tank. i had previous inclinations of moving in july but those plans were nixed.

 

hell, half the reason i didnt end up moving was just so i could put the tank in this spot

[PurpleUP]

this will be the final spot for the tank. i had previous inclinations of moving in july but those plans were nixed.

 

hell, half the reason i didnt end up moving was just so i could put the tank in this spot

 

Good for you! So what's the new ETA? Still spring?