New 75gal Reef Tank Step-By-Step Setup DIY - Page 6

Geoff · 02-09-2006, 11:05 PM

have not built a tank out of glass yet. keep meaning to, but i do not have ready access to glass thicker than 1/8" here so i just go with acrylic. in theory it is just as easy as acrylic, just have not done it.

i also can not think that far ahead so i like acrylic because i can cut it to size when i get home.

G~

PowerManJ316 · 02-10-2006, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff

have not built a tank out of glass yet. keep meaning to, but i do not have ready access to glass thicker than 1/8" here so i just go with acrylic. in theory it is just as easy as acrylic, just have not done it.

i also can not think that far ahead so i like acrylic because i can cut it to size when i get home.

G~

Alright, but you would definitely recommend glass/acrylic to be 1/4" thickness? I have been checking around local stores and the glass always seems to be 1/8", but they have regular and double strength. Any recommendations?

Geoff · 02-10-2006, 08:56 AM

honestly i do not know if it really matters, but i like working with 1/4" stock of anykind. it is just easier to get better cuts. it is also a lot easier to drill than the thin stuff. with thin stuff you realy have to be carefull with cracking.

G~

tdwyatt · 02-10-2006, 09:33 AM

...and the thin stuff will bow outwards over time. I have a tank made with 0.233" FF stock that bows in the middle of a 4 ft run that is only 15" deep... bows out by alost 1 cm in the middle at the top even with a perpendicular 5cm reinforcement ring around the entire top edge...

PowerManJ316 · 02-10-2006, 09:53 AM

Gotcha, I will aim for the 1/4" glass or acrylic then. I've noticed the local glass/plastic stores always refer to acrylic as plexiglass. Is this the same? Or is FF acrylic different than plexiglass?

BTW...I am no longer a squid!

motorslave · 02-10-2006, 09:53 AM

Looks good! The only thing I would consider is how the return from the skimmer is plumbed. If I am reading it right, the skimmer returns to the second chamber? How bige of a pump are you going to use? If its pushing more than the overflow, the first chamber will run dry in no time. My new sump is going to have the same baffle set up but the skimmer returns to the first chamber. Some of the water gets ran more than once since the skimmer pump is alot bigger than the return pump HTH

Robert

PowerManJ316 · 02-10-2006, 09:58 AM

Robert,
This is a very good point. I plan to run the pump on my skimmer pretty slowly. I'm aiming for 2x turnover ~ 150-200gph. Since I have two returns from the overflow to the sump, I am going to make sure that the return pump in the sump is at least 2x the rate of the pump in the skimmer, so approximately 400gph. This should prevent the first chamber from running dry. Let me know if im overlooking anything.

motorslave · 02-10-2006, 10:04 AM

That close in gph you may want to calculate head loss in the plumbing. Also check the flow chart of the pump you want. Head loss is calculated with many factors. Diameter, vertical rise, the # of 90s and 45s and such. There is a calculator here or someone here knows where one is.
When looking at this type of situation, always over protect yourself so you done fry a pump! Give yourself a big cushion of flow, things clog, its a fact! And they can do it slowly so you may miss it.

Robert

PowerManJ316 · 02-10-2006, 10:12 AM

Will do Robert,
I have the third edition of the reef tank book and it goes through exact calculations for head loss including the elbows and friction factors.

motorslave · 02-10-2006, 10:13 AM

Cool! Youre all set!

Robert

PowerManJ316 · 02-10-2006, 10:52 AM

Hey Robert,
I am looking into making/purchasing a spraybar. Did you make your own or purchase it? Got any advice if you made your own, or any recommendations if you bought it?

tdwyatt · 02-10-2006, 10:54 AM

congrats on the promo!

THIS link will have everything you'll need for technical specs info on the acrylic as well as manufacturing and hand fabication techniues for the acrylic sheet materals. The link has most of the literature for the acrylic products avaiable through CYRO industries.

PowerManJ316 · 02-10-2006, 11:03 AM

Excellent Tom,
That is exactly what I was looking for. There are several distributors within 5 miles of milwaukee.

PowerManJ316 · 02-10-2006, 07:45 PM

I've decided to combine the two sumps into one tank that I am going to make myself. With one large sump under the 75 gal display, I estimate the sump will hold a total of about 50 gal. HOwever, 10 gal is reserved for pump failure, so the sump will contain about 40 gal at any given time. I should have the schematic put together shortly

PowerManJ316 · 02-10-2006, 08:12 PM

Here is the final sump design. As soon as I get the acrylic, I will begin working on it.

Notes:
Holds about 40 gal continuously, can hold a max of just over 50 gal.
Return pump must be 2x gph skimmer pump to ensure inlet chamber to skimmer does not run dry