Rookie questions

[eww]

Have you thought about making the sump yourself? Thats the cheapest way to do it, and you can design it exactly how you want it. Check out the site melevsreef.com and read the DIY sump sections.

If you are in seattle and want to stop by and see how I set up my system, feel free. I can sit and chat with you awhile. I'm not as skilled at some of the other reefers around, but I just set it all up, and think I did a pretty good job. Did a whole ton of research on a lot of things, so I think I can at least help you get on the right track.

Thanks Rob. I might just do that. I like seeing peoples set ups. It helps me plan my own.

 

[eww]

Updates to the needs list...

I got a 39 gal tank to build my own sump with so that should be taken care of.
I will also need a return pump.
If anyone has any extra acrylic, black or clear, just laying around I would be willing to help you get rid of it... I will need the clear for inside the sump and the black for building my overflow in my tank. I want to do a coast to coast but we will see what works out. All else fails there is always Tap.

 

[TJL]

Hey Eric, TAP is the way to go but be sure to have your required dimensions with you that way you might get away with a single visit also a small tube of Weldon-16 to assemble the pieces with.

Todd

 

[soccer4fish]

How much should I sell my 30 gallon reef aquarium for?

This tank has a black wood cabinet, built in T5 lighting in hood, Rena 3 filtration system, 20 lbs of live rock, and live sand, numerous corals, 2 clown fish and a yellow tang. It has been established for 2 years and I am looking for a good home. Moving and can't take it with me=(

 

[spllbnd2]

I would try and get some Daly's finishes. They can be found at Dunn lumber or go to Daly's in either Seattle or Bellevue.

Awesome finishes and they do have a finish specifically made for boat decks that are subject to salt spray and water. It is called Seafin, Awesome stuff here is the link,
http://www.dalyspaint.com/catalog_seafin.html

This is what I would do,

First: SeaFin Ship'n Shore Sealer (Deeply penetrating wood waterproofing sealer that may be used as a preparation coat for SeaFin Super Spar Varnish or SeaFin Teak Oil.)

Second: either SeaFin Teak Oil OR AquaSpar (Waterborne polyurethane spar varnish, designed for marine applications)

These are what a lot of people use on wooden boat ladders and decks. You may pay a little more now but in the long run it will be very beneficial as you will not have to worry about redos later.

 

[abushr]

When I built my sump, I drew on the side of my glass tank with permanent marker where I wanted the pieces....took it in to my local glass shop.... talked with the guy who cuts the glass (glass was cheaper than acrylic) explained exactly what I wanted and where....explained I needed all edges sanded so they were not sharp- and left my tank (the glass guy wanted to make sure all pieces fit correctly). It took about 3 days..he cut the pieces and I picked it up. I glued them in myself to make sure the correct type of glue was used. I think it cost me like $50 to have the glass cut, and that included 2 holes ($6 each hole) for the lid piece I had made to cover the LR section that the overflows drain into.

 

[eww]

When I built my sump, I drew on the side of my glass tank with permanent marker where I wanted the pieces....took it in to my local glass shop.... talked with the guy who cuts the glass (glass was cheaper than acrylic) explained exactly what I wanted and where....explained I needed all edges sanded so they were not sharp- and left my tank (the glass guy wanted to make sure all pieces fit correctly). It took about 3 days..he cut the pieces and I picked it up. I glued them in myself to make sure the correct type of glue was used. I think it cost me like $50 to have the glass cut, and that included 2 holes ($6 each hole) for the lid piece I had made to cover the LR section that the overflows drain into.

Do you have a pic of the finished product?

 

[eww]

We have picked up the sump tank on CL, a skimmer (thanks Mark), a ballast and 2 sets of end caps for the T5 lights and a bunch of acrylic to build the sump (thanks Justin). We also got a couple of powerheads and a bunch of buckets and water storage containers and well as some test kits and other misc parts donated (thank you Shane & John).

Here is an update of the parts still needed:

4 each 36" T5HO retrofit lighting w/ballasts for inside a wood hood
Live rock and sand/coral substrate
Return pump, in-sump type between 210-350 gph at 5' head

At that point we will be ready to drill and start assembling everything.

I can't say how impressed I am with everyone on this forum so far. Thank you for all the conversations and great deals so far and we are looking forward to many years here.

Eric & Becca

 

[jrgilles]

Hey Eww, you're putting glass baffles into a glass tank, right?

I did mine acrylic baffles into glass, and if you end up going that route, make sure the acrylic baffles don't fit TOO tightly, because they expand a small amount when you fill the tank with water, and could crack the glass. So should have a small amount of room for that (1/16" maybe?)

Anyway, just passing on what someone told me when I was doing my sump.

 

[eww]

Good to know Rob. That is exactly what I am doing so I will watch those tolerances. I will be posting some pics soon once I can get my stand to dry and set the tank on it. This cold damp weather is making the stain take forever to set up... GRRR!!! Things never move quickly when you are anxious.

 

[jrgilles]

I used a product called weld-on 40 to adhere the acrylic baffles to the tank. It is pretty good, has the consistancy of syrup (some of the other products are a bit runnier.) I then put a layer of silicone on after that had set.

Its a bit pricey to get shipped, because it has some degree of explosiveness or something. I have a bunch left over (I think I used less than 5% of it when making my sump.)

If you are in seattle and want to pick it up to glue your stuff together, help yourself to it. I can get it back from you at a PSAS meeting or sometime in the future. I could use it again sometime, but don't really have any plans for it as of now.

Let me know if you want the epoxy

 

[eww]

I will see if I can find some locally. McLendons usually carries a lot of obscure stuff so I will check with them. If I can't find it I will take you up on that,

 

[eww]

I picked up some weldon #16. Will this work for gluing the acrylic baffles to the glass of the tank?

 

[jrgilles]

been hunting on the net about 16 for acrylic to glass. It seems like it will work ok, has a syrupy consistance.

Seems most things I find say to use weld-on 40, but it is way tougher to get your hands on (why I offered mine.)

I'd say try it and see, as long as it didn't cost a lot. I'd also recommend reinforcing it with silicone. Anyway, all it needs to do is hold the baffle in place, if it leaks a bit, its no big deal, as its all inside the tank and 99.9% of the water will still go over the baffle, as it is the path of least resistance when the flow is going.

I mixed the epoxy in a 60 ml syringe, then gently and slowly inverted it maybe 100 times to get it to mix well. I then used the syringe as the applicator. Seemed to work decent (although it was still a bit of a pain in the ass.)

Also mixed some in petri dishes and applied with a thin popsicle stick when that was needed.

The acrylic glue will kind of bind to the glass, and bind very well to the acrylic (fuses). The silicone will bind very well to the glass, but will not stick to the acrylic. Between the 2 of them, you should be able to get it solidly held in place.

good luck

 

[eww]

Yeah, the 16 is in a tube like toothpaste but not quite that thick. I will give it a shot. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Anyone have a good source for PVC/ABS pipe, fittings and bulkheads? I went to McLendons and they have a fair amount of PVC but no ABS smaller than 1 1/2". I want to use ABS because it is black and won't be as noticeable as the white PVC. What is the best source in the area?

 

[spllbnd2]

You probably don't want to use the ABS as I have read that it is not good to use. As for white PVC, just use Krylon Fusion for plastics paint to paint the PVC black. Once the paint is good and cured it will be okay to use in and around reef tanks. There have been numerous reefers who have done this before without any issues.

 

[jrgilles]

I did all mine out of pvc sched 40 and a bit of 80 from lowes. Lowes seemed to have everthing I needed, once I figured out where it all was.

Use plenty of unions so you can take it apart/update it. For some of the ball valves, I put in true union ball valves, that has a union on either side.

 

[lvsuckerfish]

100% silicon is the best bet to use for acrylic to glass weld on works in a method of melting and fusing the 2 acrylic panels together it may work for a little while but may fail over time I will double check with a friend of mine. he has done acrylic for over 15 yrs. and builds tanks skimmers and what not.

 

[jrgilles]

the weldon I used fused to the plastic and seems very stuck to the glass. When I was researching how to do the glass/acrylic joint in my sump, everything I read about silicone said it would stick for a bit, but after a week or 2 in the water it would no longer be stuck to the acrylic, just the glass.

Really as long as the silicone is in place on both sides of the baffle, so it can't slide, it doesn't matter too much I guess. Thats why I ended up using a combo of both

 

[eww]

Will an Icecap 430 fire 4 36" T5HO or VHO bulbs? It looks like it will by the specs but I seem to remember hearing it only fires 3 someplace.