| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted January 29, 2003 Author Share Posted January 29, 2003 It's not filled with water yet but I will let you know. I forget its frame is 2x2's and when placing the BC plywoods onto the frames with nails makes it even sturdier plus I placed a 45 degree piece of wood in the back to have it from slouching and bending side to side also which made it even more stable soOoOo time to test today. If stories are true and it doesn't hold up, then I will be placing 2x4's on each side of it and nailing the back shut with BC plywood which will make it stable for sure! Kinda like the stands in the store now if I do that except mines will have a frame inside! Hey MacnReef I like your tank. Saw it the other day in Members area. NICE! :love: Link to comment
MacnReef Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 Hey Thanx! I am just trying to get the stand a little shorter and I want a refugium under the tank, I THINK! I am considering getting another 20H, drilling it in the top for an overflow, building a new stand and then moving everyting over. I dunno. Maybe not. Maybe I will just buy a huge aquaclear and fill it with sand and put a mini-might light over it and make a refugium! Any suggestions would be appreciated! Link to comment
| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted January 29, 2003 Author Share Posted January 29, 2003 Most of my stands I have built in the past include anything from 2x4's, 2x2's and 1x2's with never any problems with weight issues. Guess using metal brackets for the corners and considering it's only 24" high and theres a frame inside plus plywood outside helps? Heres what I have going with mines for a sump. Near completion but need paint also. That was the window I was talking about in the earlier posts. Helps me see whats going on inside as well as above. Link to comment
MacnReef Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 Nice Rock Work! :woot: Are you putting a sump in the stand? If so, how do you plan to get the water down there? Also, do you think an AquaClear 500 power filter is big enough for a refugium if I take out all the media. The sump area in it would be 3.5" W x 10" L. Again, nice set-up. Link to comment
JoeyG Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 On your top cross braces running the lenth of the tank(left to right). I would suggest scabing a peice of 2x2 under your runners. It looks as if the only thing holding them is a screw or nail from the outside. Your looking at 250lbs for just water not encluding your live rock and sand. Just a suggestion. Link to comment
JoeyG Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 That suggestion was from looking from pics on the 1st page. Link to comment
| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted January 30, 2003 Author Share Posted January 30, 2003 Originally posted by JoeyG On your top cross braces running the lenth of the tank(left to right). I would suggest scabing a peice of 2x2 under your runners. It looks as if the only thing holding them is a screw or nail from the outside. Your looking at 250lbs for just water not encluding your live rock and sand. Just a suggestion. Always open to suggestions and yes what you are talking about has been done. I did it after noticing my other stands. Thanks though! Link to comment
| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted January 30, 2003 Author Share Posted January 30, 2003 Originally posted by MacnReef Nice Rock Work! :woot: Are you putting a sump in the stand? If so, how do you plan to get the water down there? Also, do you think an AquaClear 500 power filter is big enough for a refugium if I take out all the media. The sump area in it would be 3.5" W x 10" L. Again, nice set-up. Thanks for the compliment! 1. Yes, I will be putting the sump where you see the window at and for water into it, it will be fed by the skimmer. 2. I have read about it in another forum and some peeps said it's big enough for it but I have not had experience with it to know so you might want to look for that thread in this site. Once again thanks for everyones suggestions and advise! Really help me alot! :woot: Link to comment
| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted January 30, 2003 Author Share Posted January 30, 2003 Originally posted by MacnReef How is the stand holding up with 2x2's? Someone told me that 2x2 would not hold the weight of a 20H! As of right now I can't budge nor wiggle it. I slowly poured water in to see if I can here a crack or something but nothing. Positively holding 350# tank up with 2x2's & BC plywood. Link to comment
MacnReef Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 Good! When you say skimmer are you talking about a surface skimmer or protein skimmer. Also, is your tank drilled or are you putting in an external overflow? Link to comment
| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted January 31, 2003 Author Share Posted January 31, 2003 Originally posted by MacnReef Good! When you say skimmer are you talking about a surface skimmer or protein skimmer. Also, is your tank drilled or are you putting in an external overflow? It's a Protein Skimmer made for 100 gallon tank. It sucks in the water and filters most of the nutrients out and whatever gets missed goes straight into the sump via the return pipe from the skimmer: Here are pix to help you: No holes to drill or no External Overflow box. Just the skimmer to feed water to the sump. I minimize everything so I can maximize the room in the tank! This method is called BERLIN Method of reef keeping which utilizes a Protein skimmer, Lots o LR, DSB & Refuge. Let me know if you need a picture of the Method in discription. Link to comment
JoeyG Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 I really like your whole set up you did a great job! Cool rock work to !!! Link to comment
MacnReef Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 What do you have for a return pump? Link to comment
| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted January 31, 2003 Author Share Posted January 31, 2003 Originally posted by MacnReef What do you have for a return pump? A Mag 350GPH. I don't want a strong one that sucks the water in to fast because I want the Refuge to clean it first then gets sucked in so I opted for the 350 at 2 or 3' it should be around 200GPH maybe lower. If you need anything else please let me know! Link to comment
madness Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Let me see if I have this correct. Does your system have a pump moving water into the fuge and another pump moving water out of the fuge? If that's the case, you're going to have a lot of headaches trying to keep them pumping water at exactly the same rate. If one of them pumps faster than the other...wet floor and burned out motors will result. If you use gravity to suck the water down to the fuge, you could have the skimmer remove the water from the fuge and return it to the fuge. This way only one pump controls water movement in and out of your tanks. Link to comment
glazer Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 No holes to drill or no External Overflow box. Just the skimmer to feed water to the sump. I minimize everything so I can maximize the room in the tank! This method is called BERLIN Method........ Actually balancing act, or destined to be a pain in da pootie would be more apropos.... Siding with Madness on this one, lest you think HE'S a nut, you can think we both are...hehe. Just ONE of the scenarios (of many I can think of), what happens if say the powerhead on your skimmer cuts off.... middle of the nite,yer sound asleep or perhaps out for the evening? Everything you've been doing so far looks great! Nice job on the hood and stand, very cool... the rock work kicks butt as well! Just a little word of caution/advice before you put this plan in to action, I would TRULY rethink your "overflow" method. Link to comment
madness Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Newbie, after reading Glazer's post I realize I was too negative. I should have told you I think you've got a great setup. Your rock work totally kicks butt!! Link to comment
| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted February 1, 2003 Author Share Posted February 1, 2003 Originally posted by madness Let me see if I have this correct. Does your system have a pump moving water into the fuge and another pump moving water out of the fuge? If that's the case, you're going to have a lot of headaches trying to keep them pumping water at exactly the same rate. If one of them pumps faster than the other...wet floor and burned out motors will result. If you use gravity to suck the water down to the fuge, you could have the skimmer remove the water from the fuge and return it to the fuge. This way only one pump controls water movement in and out of your tanks. Thanks for the comments although I have changed my rockwork around so I can clean the sides a little to see a little. The Mag will be controlled by a ball valve for the flow back to the tank. That way, I can control the water movement if it is to fast. In case of power failure also, I will be drilling a air hole in the return to tank PVC 90 degree coupling so only so much water gets back into the sump. Thanks for the suggestion though! IMHO: For the power head shutting off I have had Maxi-Jets on my 8 year experience in Freshwater and have not had one fail within 3 years of every tank I had which was alot back then. Might get old and not pump out quite as much water as it used to but nothing a new one wouldnt fix. Besides that Maxi-Jets are supposed to be cleaned every month for efficiency, but I doubt any ever does that with their own tank and I have missed a few in my time too. Worse case scenario would probably be I bought a defective unit and that would cause that but other then that I really doubt it shutting off. I've spoken and did searches on RC and everyone plus what I have read is that Maxi-Jets are reliable and some even had theres over 5 years with no problems but considering they may have changed impellars between 3 to 5 years. I plan to buy a new one every 2 years if I find that they are not running up to par by then. This method in question also has been done by many reefers in EUROPE for many years and just caught on in the US and I have yet to here horror stories about it. Heres a link for the BERLIN method of reef keeping. http://www.berlinmethod.com/overview.html Link to comment
glazer Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 Dood, I think you missed the point... the powerhead example was just that "an example". I've used MaxiJets as well for I dunno how long even.... hell I think I used them on my first salt tank in like 1976 or sumpin'! I've only ever had one go bad and that's only cuz I never cleaned it and it literally packed up solid with chit!...lol Anyway, enough about that.... and I am NOT talking about "The Berlin System", I fully understand that and have run MANY a tank that way for MANY a years. What I AM saying is that you are using a sump, a sump below the tank... your method of getting water to it relies on a pump, your method of RETURNING water relies on a pump. Try to balance that out is a never ending process.... You yourself said, "Might get old and not pump out quite as much water as it used to but nothing a new one wouldnt fix." That's my point, as soon as that happens it's time to tweak the flow AGAIN on your return pump.... what happens if your return starts to clog up a bit and the flow wanes slightly... yes I know you clean it, but in the mean time you've been adjusting it so you don't overflow the sump. Power outage..... I've had Mag pumps not restart, do a search and you'll find lots that have had the similiar thing happen.... now you pump the water out of your tank down to the powerhead...hopefully enough room in the sump to hold it all and the powerhead just sits there rattling and banging away with no water in it.... anyway, I'll stop now. You are prolly getting the idea that I am some kind of fanatic by now....lol All I'm trying to do is make you aware that what you have planned is not without some major flaws.... flaws that can result in yes, burned up pumps, overflowing tanks/sumps and such. If it was that easy, and yes I am indeed a bit of a fanatic when simplicity is involved, there would be no need for overflow boxes or even drilled tanks for that matter. Just stick a pump in the tank and one in the sump and have at it.... Soooo, again... I'm not trying to "bust yer stones" I'm just trying to give you a heads up and save you from frustration down the road. (oh forgot to say... I did look at your link... yup, classic Berlin setup, but if you look at the diagram the water from the tank is going through an overflow FIRST to get to the skimmer, the skimmer is not pulling water out of the tank) Link to comment
| ReEFnEwB1E | Posted February 1, 2003 Author Share Posted February 1, 2003 glazer. I understood your point and you needed not to go into details. I put up the following information and diagram on the Berlin Method for MacnReef to know. He's been asking about what I am doing. What tank doesnt have headaches be it Aptasia, ICH or just water problems. Simplicity has it's downfalls. You can't stop whats going to happen just plan for it and hope the plan goes through or that it never happens. I am aware of the consequences with what your saying about the system and thank you for the heads up. I will kee that in mind. Anyways, enough of that... I will be posting pictures of my setup when complete in the MEMBERS area within a month or 2. Catch you guys then!! Link to comment
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