Tim's 75 Gallon reef build

[mfdrookie516]

Both. Some things I wouldn't mind having from taiwan.... but something as vital as a return pump (albeit an overpowered return pump) I 'd rather have a known, reliable brand.

[spoonman]

Is the quiet one better than the mag? I have heard they live up to their name.

[mfdrookie516]

I have a mag 7 on my 40b... I can't even hear it running now. I did have to put a piece of foam under it. Having that flex tube helped as well.
Both mag drives and quiet ones have a good reputation from what I've seen.

[spoonman]

Due to the many dollars that I have invested already, I will probably start with this one and look for a quiet one or mag used. Pushing close to $900 already and the wife wants to see some results!

[spoonman]

Perhaps the next group buy will be the time to get the mag 9.5. I will check the discount when we do another buy at BRS.

[mfdrookie516]

There's no discount on them. Your best bet is to look for one used somewhere.

[spoonman]

Back to craigslist it is then....LOL

[spoonman]

Originally Posted by mfdrookie516

You can see in mine that I just have a short piece of flexible tubing on mine -





What kind of return pump do you have exactly?

So, it looks like the pipe with the 45 in it is coming from the tank and dumping into a filter sock in the skimmer area. And the one in the foreground is the return. How is the pvc connected to the return pump? Also is that a check valve on the return or is that a union?

[mfdrookie516]

Yeah, that's right. The one on the far end is from the overflow. That's a union you see there, but I have a check valve right behind the 2x4 if you look on the right side of the pic.



Here's a better pic of just the return pump up to the elbow

[spoonman]

Tested the sump this morning and one of the baffles didnt hold up. Re-siliconed and test again tomorrow. I noticed when scraping off the old silicone that it was still not cured. Gonna give it longer this time.

[Hondatek]

I would give it 3 day after re doing it to test it again.

[spoonman]

Thanks. It's hard not to be in a rush. I will wait to test until the weekend.

[spoonman]

Got the call from the LFS. Going to pick up the drilled DT tomorrow! Will test my siliconing job on the sump in the morning and hopefully work on getting it plumbed this weekend. Want to get it in the house and start putting water in it this coming week. Cross your fingers!

[spoonman]

Water tested the sump again this morning and all is good! Looks like I will have to pick up the tank from the LFS tomorrow, since I have stuff that I need to do with my kids today. Hopefully tomorrow I will pick up the tank and get started on the plumbing.

[spoonman]

Made it to pick up the tank today just before the LFS closed. Went to Lowes and got the necesarry pieces for the plumbing. Tomorrow is masking off the tank and painting the back. Gonna go with black again. I like the way it makes the corals and fish pop. Plumbing will have to wait until next week. Will do as much as I can tomorrow. Working nights this week so, not a lot of time to work on the tank. Got some pics but not great. Very happy with the work though.

[spoonman]

Well, got the back painted and the plumbing test fit. Please let me know what you think of the plumbing plan.

[spoonman]

Any opinions on the plumbing? I went with a check valve and a ball valve on the return but nothing on the drain. Will that be ok? Was thinking about putting a ball valve on the drain but decided against it. The drain will be going into a filter sock, I just dont have it yet. It is only mocked up right now, I can still make changes. Please let me know if I should!

[mfdrookie516]

Looks ok to me. I'm sure you were already planning to, but make sure you support the plumbing somehow. I cracked my refugium because I accidentally smacked the plumbing on my tank... so just make sure there's not a lot of pressure on that bulkhead in any one direction (except straight down)

[Hondatek]

I don't see any unions in there. I would def add some of those so you can disassemble if needed.

[spoonman]

Originally Posted by Hondatek

I don't see any unions in there. I would def add some of those so you can disassemble if needed.

I thought about unions, but there isn't any great places to put them. The hose to the return pump is threaded so I can remove it there. And the down pipe going in to the filter sock wont be glued, so I can take that off. That would allow me to get the sump out of the stand if need be. If I have to take the tank off the stand I will take the bulkheads apart. Thanks for the input!