MG's 140 gallon build thread

[Wiskey]

Very cool! I only have one 15A circut running mine and it's tapped out,.. I would love to have a second one,.. I could get a chiller then.

Whiskey

[mg]

Got my new sump and skimmer yesterday. Sump wouldn't fit under the stand so I had to do some modifications. One of the legs in the back had to go from two 2x4 to a single 2x4 with some bracing on the top and bottom. Should be fine since the single 2x4 directly supports the side and back of the top frame.


Also had to move the vertical support for the stairs over about 6" so it was flush with the wall to allow room to slide the sump in.

Here is the new sump, couldn't get the bulkhead that comes with it to seal so I ended up using some silicone on the gaskets and it seems to be holding good. I has a very slow drip before I tried this.


I also bought 25# of live rock last night from a local reefer and added it and the 75# of dry rock to the sump with the skimmer.

[Wiskey]

Very nice! I bet that skimmer is going to do one heck of a job with this tank Did it start skimming right away?

Whiskey

[mg]

Originally Posted by Wiskey

Very nice! I bet that skimmer is going to do one heck of a job with this tank Did it start skimming right away?

Whiskey

I had about a cup of skimate within an hour of turning it on! I did notice a very slow leak in the collection cup though where the side and base meet. Tried some weldon yesterday on the inside but it didn't help, was still dripping this morning. Used a little silicone on the inside joint and some weldon on the outside joint so I sill start it up tonight to see if it holds. I imagine that will do the trick.

[Wiskey]

I had a skimmer do the same thing on me,.. I used regular super glue (the runny stuff) and it worked great!

Whiskey

[mg]

Originally Posted by Wiskey

I had a skimmer do the same thing on me,.. I used regular super glue (the runny stuff) and it worked great!

Whiskey

That will be the next thing I guess if this doesn't work.

[ceige]

looks great so far!

[mg]

Meshmodded the 2 sedra 5000's Sunday night. Skimmer is really crankin now! This is after 12 hours, the skimmer cup is 12" in diameter to give you an idea on volume.

[Wiskey]

Very nice! The mesh mod made that big of a difference? Is this a recurlating skimmer? Or do the needlewheel pumps draw the water too?

If it is the second type, did the mesh mod reduce flow through the skimmer signifigantally?

Whiskey

[mg]

Originally Posted by Wiskey

Very nice! The mesh mod made that big of a difference? Is this a recurlating skimmer? Or do the needlewheel pumps draw the water too?

If it is the second type, did the mesh mod reduce flow through the skimmer signifigantally?

Whiskey

Not a recirculating skimmer. The pumps are used for air and water. I'm not sure if the amount of air is increased or just the size of the bubbles are decreased. I do know however that the riser tube had to be lowered significantly after the mod because the skimmer will just overflow. One of my friends that does have an airflow meter measured the air flow on his Euroreef 8-2 before and after the mod and saw no change, however there was a big difference in the size of the bubbles and the amount of skimate produced.

[mg]

Got my pattented FlyGuy rock lift today, thanks Bill!

[Fly Guy]

No prob.

Cant wait to see some sand and rock in there.

Just a little FYI........before you throw sand in there, make sure you have the shorter rods in place that are closest to the viewing panels.......... Its a PITA to get them back in their holes once sand is in the tank, it can be done of course ......its just kind of a hassle to get the hole cleared.

If the ones next to the viewing panels are a little shorter than the ones behind them, it is easy to stack your rock overhanging the rod some so that there is always a shadow on them making them even harder to see.

Sometimes i will make a little shallow hole/indention on rocks closest the viewing panels in order for it to sit on the rod and overhang it. Youll be more pleased with the end result that way.

just thought id throw that out there.

[mg]

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

No prob.

Cant wait to see some sand and rock in there.

Just a little FYI........before you throw sand in there, make sure you have the shorter rods in place that are closest to the viewing panels.......... Its a PITA to get them back in their holes once sand is in the tank, it can be done of course ......its just kind of a hassle to get the hole cleared.

If the ones next to the viewing panels are a little shorter than the ones behind them, it is easy to stack your rock overhanging the rod some so that there is always a shadow on them making them even harder to see.

Sometimes i will make a little shallow hole/indention on rocks closest the viewing panels in order for it to sit on the rod and overhang it. Youll be more pleased with the end result that way.

just thought id throw that out there.

Bill, Its an in wall, (only the front pane is viewable) so I put the shorter ones only in the front and running diagonally through the center where I want to have a valley running.

I will try to make indentations in the rock to hide the rods as you suggest. I am planning on doing on the aquascaping with the tank empty, then putting in sand, then filling with water. We will see if it actually works that way. There was a leaking drain pipe that ran above where the tank is going that was fixed yesterday and I started to close up the ceiling to try to protect all of the copper piping a little. Once that is finished and then primed and painted, the tank can go in place and I can start on the plumbing. Hopefully this weekend

[Fly Guy]

lol....in wall....i knew that......

The indentions arent usually necessary unless you just happen to have this one perfect rock for the spot and it happens to just not sit how you want.......a little dent in the rock will fix it right up.


Good luck with the rest and happy plumbing

[mg]

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

lol....in wall....i knew that......

We all have our moments, some more than others