ArabTanker's Next Chapter - Photo Dump On Every Page

[ArabTanker]

Can't wait to see it all together. Looks good!

 

Same here. Thanks bud.

 

Looking good. What are the plans for your doors?

 

Door is pretty simple. Is just a square piece of ply with handles on it. It will be attached to the stand by magnets... Well, thats the plan.

 

+1 that color u painted it looks like stain.

 

Yeah. I will warn you though. It does look better in photos than in real life. But hey. The pictures are what makes a tank build anyway haha.

[ArabTanker]

So... Update time.

I kinda wanna get this tank done over the weekend. One thing that has been really slowing me down through the whole project has been my drill. Its rechargeable but it doesn't hold a strong charge. Go figure. So I said EFF it. Got me a new toy. And I love it. It's got kick to it.

http://s172.photobucket.com/user/coipo/media/IMAG0601.jpg.html'>

 

So I was looking at the tank...

 

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http://s172.photobucket.com/user/coipo/media/DSC_00012.jpg.html'>

 

And I was like. Lets try this drill out.

 

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If you catch my drift.

It took me a while to figure out where I wanted the bulkheads. But in the end I asked myself "Is it really going to matter a year from now?" So I put them where I thought they looked okay.

 

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Used some scrap ply as a guide. Worked out well. Even held a pool of water to cool down the saw.

 

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Bang bang. Wasn't as bad as I had expected.

 

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I got some work done on the stand as well. Maybe i'll finish it tomorrow.

Sorry about the pictures. I wanted to give you guys some nice-eddited ones. But I need sleep haha.

[FishBrawler]

Looks AWESOME! I'm thinking about getting one of these tanks! Can't wait to get this thing wet!

[Scorched]

Holes look good. You were still planning to use a power head in the tank correct?

 

With only 1 drain your return pump will max out around 250gph before you risk a flood. So if you need more flow than that you'll want a powerhead or second drain to put more water through the return.

[Jackal_Knight]

hope you do get it done this weekend wanna see it all set up, and that light looks great on the tank. what else do you have to finish on the stand?

[ArabTanker]

Holes look good. You were still planning to use a power head in the tank correct?

 

With only 1 drain your return pump will max out around 250gph before you risk a flood. So if you need more flow than that you'll want a powerhead or second drain to put more water through the return.

 

Yeah. I'm pretty set on getting an MP10 during the cycle.

 

hope you do get it done this weekend wanna see it all set up, and that light looks great on the tank. what else do you have to finish on the stand?

 

Thanks man. Whats left... Paint the trim. Finish the door. Find out where Im going to mount the ballast. My plan was to just have the wire coming out of a hole in the top of the stand going to the light but I just realized yesterday theres no way to disconnect the wires. And then plumb everything.

[ArabTanker]

Got most of the plumbing done today. Nothing is cemented together. All pipes above the stand will be painted black.

 

 

 

I used two 45* elbows vs. one 90* because I wanted to maximize viewing capabilities from the sides and back of the tank. Plus it also helps with flow. I think it worked out well.

 

 

Right: Return

Left: Drain

 

I dont get the point of unions. So I only used one. During my freshwater test there was a lot of air coming into the sump via the drain. The drain pipe leads about 4" into the water. I fully coved the bulkhead with water and it still continued to suck air. Could the air be coming from the connections because I havent cemented them?

Also. How is everyone keeping their drain quite?

Dodgy pictures. I know. I'm sorry. Ill get some nice pics sooner or later.

[Velvet Red]

Nice!

[Scorched]

Got most of the plumbing done today. Nothing is cemented together. All pipes above the stand will be painted black.

 

 

I used two 45* elbows vs. one 90* because I wanted to maximize viewing capabilities from the sides and back of the tank. Plus it also helps with flow. I think it worked out well.

 

 

Right: Return

Left: Drain

 

I dont get the point of unions. So I only used one. During my freshwater test there was a lot of air coming into the sump via the drain. The drain pipe leads about 4" into the water. I fully coved the bulkhead with water and it still continued to suck air. Could the air be coming from the connections because I havent cemented them?

Also. How is everyone keeping their drain quite?

Dodgy pictures. I know. I'm sorry. Ill get some nice pics sooner or later.

 

What is the purpose of the 2 drains on the right with only one of them having a valve?

You could be getting air in one of those pipes, but the most likely cause is the design of the screen itself when used at the top of the tank. The slits are larger than the bulkhead itself and the screen actually sits a small amount away from the flange allowing water or air from the entire screen to be sucked into the bulkhead.

[ArabTanker]

What is the purpose of the 2 drains on the right with only one of them having a valve?

You could be getting air in one of those pipes, but the most likely cause is the design of the screen itself when used at the top of the tank. The slits are larger than the bulkhead itself and the screen actually sits a small amount away from the flange allowing water or air from the entire screen to be sucked into the bulkhead.

 

The smaller drain is for water changes. And the larger drain that goes to the sump does have a ball valve, its just not in the picture. Also, im not using any screen. Its just a plain old bulkhead.

Not sure what it is.

[FishBrawler]

The smaller drain is for water changes. And the larger drain that goes to the sump does have a ball valve, its just not in the picture. Also, im not using any screen. Its just a plain old bulkhead.

Not sure what it is.

Thats a cool plan! Wish I would have thought of that!

[ArabTanker]

Thats a cool plan! Wish I would have thought of that!

 

Thanks. Still needs some modification. But hopefully it works out for me.

 

----

 

Heres what I'm talking about.

 

 

I drilled a really small hole in the top 45* drain elbow.

 

Merp. Is this normal? Im getting a little nervous. I think the air is coming from between the connections. Thats the only thing I can think of.

[FishBrawler]

Mine does that too! I don't think that's the problem.

 

It could be that it is sucking air down from the display since it isn't fully submirged.

[icy.bing]

nice setup fellow 12g brother =D

[ArabTanker]

Mine does that too! I don't think that's the problem.

 

It could be that it is sucking air down from the display since it isn't fully submirged.

Its a problem for me lol. I want this thing as quite as possible.

I fully submerged it and it was still producing bubbles in the sump. Bubbles arent the problem, the sound they make are.

nice setup fellow 12g brother =D

Thanks bud.

[FishBrawler]

Have you tried putting duct tape over the hole? The problem with that is that it will produce a siphon that the pump can't supply so it will slurp every few seconds but then you can then tell if that's the problem.

 

[ArabTanker]

Have you tried putting duct tape over the hole? The problem with that is that it will produce a siphon that the pump can't supply so it will slurp every few seconds but then you can then tell if that's the problem.

 

Its not the hole thats the problem. Last night I did the freshwater test without the hole. This morning I drilled it. No noticeable difference with the bubbles.

[Scorched]

My drains make a lot of noise if the height of the water is TOO high. What it does it create a flushing/slurping sound as the water rises and falls a fraction of an inch around the top of the bulkhead. As soon as the water line drops just a tiny bit so a full stream of air is allowed to enter it goes back to silent. If you want a complete siphon system with no noise this setup is very dangerous to overflows.

 

I would also try running the system so that the drain line is just slightly above the water line in the sump. This give the water and air a place to exit the pipe as well.

[ArabTanker]

My drains make a lot of noise if the height of the water is TOO high. What it does it create a flushing/slurping sound as the water rises and falls a fraction of an inch around the top of the bulkhead. As soon as the water line drops just a tiny bit so a full stream of air is allowed to enter it goes back to silent. If you want a complete siphon system with no noise this setup is very dangerous to overflows.

 

I would also try running the system so that the drain line is just slightly above the water line in the sump. This give the water and air a place to exit the pipe as well.

Interesting. Well I just turned down the return pump to lower the water level and im still hearing a lot of noise. I only fully submerged it to see if it would stop the bubbles. I dont want a siphon, ive heard enough stories about that. Did you drill a hole in your elbows?

 

I could try that. I dont think it will allow enough room for the air to escape though.

This sucks.

 

----

 

I did a few tests.

Replaced the two 45*s with one 90*

Replaced the union with a straight pipe

Raised the water hight

Lowered the water hight

Drilled a hole in the top 45* elbow

 

Nothing has helped with bubbles.

My question now is: does air get sucked into un-cemented pvc connections?

[Jackal_Knight]

dang man that sucks hope you get it figured out.

[Fnard]

How about drilling a hole large enough to fit some airline in it and feed some in with a knot on top that you can adjust? This may help to get air in there so it doesn't slurp so much. Kinda along the lines of a durso.

[Zia]

I run my return line under water into a filter bag. The bag stops the bubbles and the line under water keeps it pretty quiet. But not dead silent. Initially my your return pump was too small allowing the bubbles to accumulate instead of being pushed through.

Normally, the drain line dropping straight down. creates a bit of a siphon from the falling water and helps pull more water down the drain increasing the flow and turbulence. Dialing it in with that ball valve should help regulate it. +1 on what Fnard said above. I think the answer could lie in there.

 

Standpipe airhole:

 

A very small, as small as you could make it (thickness of a toothpick), hole is drilled in the top of the 90. This allows some air to enter into the drainline. You will likely need to tinker with it. I would suggest starting with a 1/16 inch drill bit for the air hole in the 90. If you find the water level in the chamber fluctuates quickly then the standpipe needs to suck in more air. Try a 5/64 inch drill bit to make the hole slightly larger — increasing the size if needed. Do not be surprised if you need to go as large as ¼ inch with the hole size. The lower the flow rate between display tank and sump the larger the hole size needed.

The hole on the top of the 90 is very important. Without the hole, a full siphon will be created and water will be sucked out of the overflow chamber too fast. The water level will drop below the intake and you will get a terrible air sucking noise. If you drill a hole and the water level still drops to far (making a sucking noise) then the hole is to small. Just make it slightly larger and the water level will raise. If you make the hole to large then the water level will be to high. (It should not overflow the tank as it will not get that high, but keep an eye on it). Many people report that it is easier to tune with several smaller holes than a single larger hole.

[frags]

Having one drain I think is asking for trouble.... what if it clogs or blocks you are done... there is no redundancy! I did Beananimals in my system and they are dead silent and they have a failsafe. Even if you don't want to go as far as a beananimal a Herbie drain will be safe and quite!

http://www.beananimal.com/

 

Nice tank by-the way I love these

[ArabTanker]

How about drilling a hole large enough to fit some airline in it and feed some in with a knot on top that you can adjust? This may help to get air in there so it doesn't slurp so much. Kinda along the lines of a durso.

 

I'm kind of hesitant to drill a large hole in it. I think I drilled a 1/16th" hole so far. I dont hear much of a difference.

 

I run my return line under water into a filter bag. The bag stops the bubbles and the line under water keeps it pretty quiet. But not dead silent. Initially my your return pump was too small allowing the bubbles to accumulate instead of being pushed through.

Normally, the drain line dropping straight down. creates a bit of a siphon from the falling water and helps pull more water down the drain increasing the flow and turbulence. Dialing it in with that ball valve should help regulate it. +1 on what Fnard said above. I think the answer could lie in there.

 

Standpipe airhole:

 

A very small, as small as you could make it (thickness of a toothpick), hole is drilled in the top of the 90. This allows some air to enter into the drainline. You will likely need to tinker with it. I would suggest starting with a 1/16 inch drill bit for the air hole in the 90. If you find the water level in the chamber fluctuates quickly then the standpipe needs to suck in more air. Try a 5/64 inch drill bit to make the hole slightly larger — increasing the size if needed. Do not be surprised if you need to go as large as ¼ inch with the hole size. The lower the flow rate between display tank and sump the larger the hole size needed.

 

The hole on the top of the 90 is very important. Without the hole, a full siphon will be created and water will be sucked out of the overflow chamber too fast. The water level will drop below the intake and you will get a terrible air sucking noise. If you drill a hole and the water level still drops to far (making a sucking noise) then the hole is to small. Just make it slightly larger and the water level will raise. If you make the hole to large then the water level will be to high. (It should not overflow the tank as it will not get that high, but keep an eye on it). Many people report that it is easier to tune with several smaller holes than a single larger hole.

 

Thanks for the info Zia. I knew I could count on you for some help. Im going to have to re-read this tomorrow and try it out.

 

Having one drain I think is asking for trouble.... what if it clogs or blocks you are done... there is no redundancy! I did Beananimals in my system and they are dead silent and they have a failsafe. Even if you don't want to go as far as a beananimal a Herbie drain will be safe and quite!

http://www.beananimal.com/

 

Nice tank by-the way I love these

 

Thank you. I looked into it. I really really don't want two drains. Heck, I don't even want this one.

 

----

 

Right now I got it pretty quite. Drilled a small hole in the elbow - not sure if that had a really big effect but its worth mentioning. Then to solve the bubble popping noise in the sump I attached a 90* elbow to the bottom of the drain (where the pipe meets the water in the sump) then I attached a tee to it. I oriented the tee so that the middle hole was facing up, above the water surface. This allows some of the air bubbles to escape from the drain water before it enters the sump and make annoying popping noises.

 

I now have some new ideas I could try out thanks to everyone. So hopefully I could get it even quite-er. If not, I wont be too upset with where I'm at right now.

 

Thanks everyone.

[ArabTanker]

Mixing and filling up the tank with saltwater.

I think tonight might be the official start date. If not, tomorrow for sure.

I've been waiting years for this.

 

Now, who wants to donate some purple rubble to get some coralline going?

 

Ohh. And I also have to take some pictures of the finished stand.