Big project started - reef ready conversion

[pearsont74]

ok....sat began the big conversion project to a reef ready tank on my 90/100 gal
lucky its pre drilled
broke down the tank and moved all the critters to a 30 gal - moved all the LR to a large bin and LS to a seperate bin.
have the old overflow and return pump runnin the 30 gal and 3 phs runnin in the LR bin
so far havent lost any one.
moved the main tank and cleaned it and got new bulkheads....had to gring out one of the holes for the 3/4 bulk head to fit - dremel tools are the best
put those in last nite and uses 100% silcone to seal them
sat I also started the acriylic glass divider - cut it to a correct height and make a (almost prefect) 90degree bend with a heat gun....very interesting
fits perfect
so that bring me up to now....
plans for tonight....clean and glue in the divider....make the overflow pipes using the durso method
will have dual pipes for move flow i dont mind the returns hangin off the back.....no biggie for me
will post pics tonight too - will have them on my website

 

[dskidmore]

You are much more adventurous than I. I would be afraid to make such major modifications to my tank.

Congrats!

 

[pearsont74]

heres some pics...

http://www.coppernreef.com/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=26&catid=1

many reasons why i did and since i have a tank predrilled...its dumb for me not to...dont know why i didnt in the 1st place

biggest reason though was it eliminates the risk of flooding!!! we had a big rain on friday and id overflowed some such a pain

will all be worth it once im done...and as long as its don right....nothing to worry about

 

[nodoubt471]

looks great, thats a real nice sized tank to work with

 

[Wood_Dog]

Wow, lotta work but it's looking good.

 

[pearsont74]

ok....glue it in last nite....holding good tis mornin...will glue again to make sure i have a excellent seal....will post new pics tonight on my web....and when its done...ill have a full write up for this project....

 

[pearsont74]

ok....ill post new pics...its complete...went o get everything back up and had a major problem.....will ahve to replace one of the bulkheads...fomr some dumb reason, the plastic of the bulkheads are soft plastic....urrg
anywho...won get itno it but its working though
the only problem is i was under the impression that the durso pipes were to make it quiet???

 

[dskidmore]

Yes, but if the air hole is the wrong size you may get a pulsing drain rather than a smooth one. What exactly is the problem? Too small an air hole, and a partial siphon will pull water out until the siphon breaks, then water rises, repeat. To large an air hole, and you might as well have an open standpipe, it won't block noise very well. If your air hole came predirlled, it may not be optimal for your flow rate.

Durso pipes also work with those overflows that also have bottom and middle slits, in which case they serve a second purpose of keeping your aquarium from draining when the power goes out.

 

[pearsont74]

did alittle research on the durso site and my temp set up for the drain holes is the isue....they are too long and i havent had a chance to trim them to fit....they are under the water in teh sump and according to the durso site....thats prbably the issue

the other issue isnt related to the durso pipes but the bulkhead....i have u holes drilled...one 3/4 " and the other 1". Im using both for drains and the on the 3/4 bulkhead...i was screwin in the fittin and didnt realize i was over screwin it and the bulkhead spilt urrrg
i have a temp solution and its working ok but im goin to spend my day off monday to replace that bulkhead...not lookin forward to it but hopefully i get get the old out...and clean off the silcone glue and glue the new one in...
<----ready to just go and buy a new $%&# tank LOL

 

[dskidmore]

might try silicone tape next time instead of glue if you only need a little extra leak insurance on the threads. Much more removable.

 

[pearsont74]

yeah.....either way....the bulkhead plastic shouldnt be that soft.....ohwell....overall.....the project was worth it....never again will ihave to worry abou floodin with a power outage...or break of the siphon on the U tube on the overflow box

 

[dskidmore]

There are a variety of bulkhead qualities out there. If your temporary solution is working, you might mail order a better fitting.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings.categories/ssid/327

 

[pearsont74]

thanks....ill look into it

 

[pearsont74]

loading new pics as we speak to my site
check it out....all the project pics
www.coppernreef.com