Jeffrey's "Big Boy"---120g Planted: Updated 8-17-2010 w/ pictures

lauraleellbp · 02-08-2010, 03:55 PM

Nice work!

Only 3 more "side trips" isn't that bad, either, for a project this big. If it were my Dad, it would have been about 5x more... (but that's really just b/c he's addicted to hardware stores... you may think I'm kidding, but he and all the local Home Depot employees are on a first name basis... ROFL)

Takedakai · 02-08-2010, 04:16 PM

Wow! That plumbing really looks complicated when its all together.

I would be so paranoid that I missed a washer or some sealant with all of those pieces!

Granted with how thorough you've been so far I'm sure you are going to give it all a good test before you fill that bad boy up.

Nice work so far! I'm looking forward to seeing this "Big Boy" all filled and planted

epond83 · 02-09-2010, 09:08 PM

I was wondering about where you have the two Eheim's connect. This there any issue with having water flow tegether at a 4 way like that? Iwas thinkinh of having a return and having a T with a secondary system come into it. Any problems with flow? If one ends up having higher flowthen the other does it cause problems?

jmhart · 02-09-2010, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epond83

I was wondering about where you have the two Eheim's connect. This there any issue with having water flow tegether at a 4 way like that? Iwas thinkinh of having a return and having a T with a secondary system come into it. Any problems with flow? If one ends up having higher flowthen the other does it cause problems?

There's no major issue. As long as your lines are sized appropriately, the flow loss is insignificant.

jmhart · 02-09-2010, 10:10 PM

Well, major "my bad." I completely overlooked the differential pressure requirement on my drain solenoids. Minimum pressure to open properly is 15 psi, which I'm not gonna be able to get.

Obviously the 30+ psi coming out of my house is enough to open the refill solenoid, but the drain solenoid/n.o. operation solenoid are cavitation because they can't fully open.

However, a solution is in progress.

chuukus · 02-10-2010, 12:02 AM

Nice plumbing! I have six different Mag 5s and they all leak. Some not as bad as others on one tank I have a similar plumbing setup and cant get the pump to totally stop leaking. So my solution to the problem was I built an acrylic container to catch the water that leaks not verry big 6"long 4" tall and 3"wide and hung right under the pump it has a hole drilled in the bottom and tapped for 1/4 threads. I found a small valve that screws in the hole and has 1/4 airline tubing hooked to it so whatever water it collects I can drain every few days in my case. You seem pretty handy so I thought id share my solution to the problem. It saved me 70 dollars from buying a new pump that would probably leak anyway.

narhay · 02-10-2010, 12:05 PM

Just an anecdote of my experience.

Having the drains on the aquarium floor is a bad idea waiting to happen. You have so many connections and daisy chained a few pieces of equipment together that there may be a leak somewhere, at some point. With the pressure of the water on the drains and the fact that if there is a leak and it is not tended to over time, your entire aquarium will drain out.

jmhart · 02-10-2010, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by narhay

Just an anecdote of my experience.

Having the drains on the aquarium floor is a bad idea waiting to happen. You have so many connections and daisy chained a few pieces of equipment together that there may be a leak somewhere, at some point. With the pressure of the water on the drains and the fact that if there is a leak and it is not tended to over time, your entire aquarium will drain out.

It's really only a minor risk. The pressure is minimal compared to the pressure rating for pvc and pvc cement, so assuming you connect everything properly, and do a proper pressure test, you barely have anything to worry about. In a system like this, a proper pressure test would be to cap everything off, and turn on your pumps(or connect it to your house water line if your pumps are rated for that). If in 2 hours you haven't gotten a leak, you're good to go. My most powerful pump only puts out about 5 psig of pressure, and the water pressure on the system is negligible compared to the pump. Point is, if my lines can handle the 40+ psig coming out of my house lines, they can handle the pump pressure.

However, since there is always a risk, I have a battery powered water detector that will be in the stand and will scream out at 95 dB if I ever get a leak.

It's all about mitigation.

Craigthor · 02-16-2010, 01:18 PM

Nice write up thus far!

epond83 · 02-16-2010, 09:40 PM

Pressure is directly related to Water height and has nothing to do with volume. So having a line come over the top of the tank would have slightly (basically the same) pressure as a line coming off the bottom of the tank, given they are the same distance from the surface.

This is way when building a tank on your own it's better to have a bigger foot print then height.

jmhart · 02-16-2010, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epond83

Pressure is directly related to Water height and has nothing to do with volume. So having a line come over the top of the tank would have slightly (basically the same) pressure as a line coming off the bottom of the tank, given they are the same distance from the surface.

This is way when building a tank on your own it's better to have a bigger foot print then height.

Responding to what narhay said?

epond83 · 02-16-2010, 10:22 PM

Yeah sorry should have specified.

jmhart · 02-19-2010, 07:20 PM

Here's some shots of my in tank plumbing. Since I didn't have the light on the tank yet, the shots aren't great. Hopefully you can get an idea of what the in tank stuff looks like:

And then I put in substrate. Substrate is 3 9L bags of AS Amanzonia II, then with about as much used Eco-Complete on top. It'll all mix eventually, and I'm fine with that. I like the look of the two mixed and I think they'll be a great substrate. As the AS breaks down, it'll give the entire substrate an smaller average grain size. I think that will ultimately be beneficial.

Wasserpest · 02-19-2010, 07:44 PM

Really nice. Have you thought about removing the black plastic rim on top and perhaps replacing it with a glass center brace, or drilling two more holes and adding a metal rod to prevent bowing?

Perhaps it will be covered up by a canopy.

jmhart · 02-19-2010, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

Perhaps it will be covered up by a canopy.

There's a matching canopy. I've kept it off for now, but as soon as I move the rocks and wood in, it'll be going on top.

02-08-2010, 03:55 PM	#46
lauraleellbp Fresh Fish Freak (View User Tanks) PTrader: (69/100%) Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 22,486	Nice work! Only 3 more "side trips" isn't that bad, either, for a project this big. If it were my Dad, it would have been about 5x more... (but that's really just b/c he's addicted to hardware stores... you may think I'm kidding, but he and all the local Home Depot employees are on a first name basis... ROFL) __________________ Geckos galore: Geckos in Tails, and follow Geckos in Tails on Facebook 29 gal Planted Tetra Tank, 46 gal Betta simplex community, 90 gal Low Tech Community, Amazon Fishing; my Journal of 10 days in Bolivia along the Rio San Martin

02-09-2010, 10:10 PM	#50
jmhart Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (30/100%) Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Atlanta,GA Posts: 1,578	Well, major "my bad." I completely overlooked the differential pressure requirement on my drain solenoids. Minimum pressure to open properly is 15 psi, which I'm not gonna be able to get. Obviously the 30+ psi coming out of my house is enough to open the refill solenoid, but the drain solenoid/n.o. operation solenoid are cavitation because they can't fully open. However, a solution is in progress. __________________ 60-P Planted Journal __Methods of Algae Control__http://jeffs120.blogspot.com/

02-19-2010, 07:20 PM	#58
jmhart Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (30/100%) Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Atlanta,GA Posts: 1,578	Here's some shots of my in tank plumbing. Since I didn't have the light on the tank yet, the shots aren't great. Hopefully you can get an idea of what the in tank stuff looks like: And then I put in substrate. Substrate is 3 9L bags of AS Amanzonia II, then with about as much used Eco-Complete on top. It'll all mix eventually, and I'm fine with that. I like the look of the two mixed and I think they'll be a great substrate. As the AS breaks down, it'll give the entire substrate an smaller average grain size. I think that will ultimately be beneficial. __________________ 60-P Planted Journal __Methods of Algae Control__http://jeffs120.blogspot.com/

02-19-2010, 07:44 PM	#59
Wasserpest Are these real? (View User Tanks) PTrader: (140/100%) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 14,643	Really nice. Have you thought about removing the black plastic rim on top and perhaps replacing it with a glass center brace, or drilling two more holes and adding a metal rod to prevent bowing? Perhaps it will be covered up by a canopy. __________________ All my tanks Autodosing Water Change Temperature Monitoring Cheap Filter The Wasser-Controller

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02-08-2010, 04:16 PM	#47
Takedakai Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Portland Posts: 79	Wow! That plumbing really looks complicated when its all together. I would be so paranoid that I missed a washer or some sealant with all of those pieces! Granted with how thorough you've been so far I'm sure you are going to give it all a good test before you fill that bad boy up. Nice work so far! I'm looking forward to seeing this "Big Boy" all filled and planted

02-09-2010, 09:08 PM	#48
epond83 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Pullman, WA Posts: 57	I was wondering about where you have the two Eheim's connect. This there any issue with having water flow tegether at a 4 way like that? Iwas thinkinh of having a return and having a T with a secondary system come into it. Any problems with flow? If one ends up having higher flowthen the other does it cause problems?

02-10-2010, 12:02 AM	#51
chuukus Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (11/100%) Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: martville, NY Posts: 463	Nice plumbing! I have six different Mag 5s and they all leak. Some not as bad as others on one tank I have a similar plumbing setup and cant get the pump to totally stop leaking. So my solution to the problem was I built an acrylic container to catch the water that leaks not verry big 6"long 4" tall and 3"wide and hung right under the pump it has a hole drilled in the bottom and tapped for 1/4 threads. I found a small valve that screws in the hole and has 1/4 airline tubing hooked to it so whatever water it collects I can drain every few days in my case. You seem pretty handy so I thought id share my solution to the problem. It saved me 70 dollars from buying a new pump that would probably leak anyway.

02-10-2010, 12:05 PM	#52
narhay Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 294	Just an anecdote of my experience. Having the drains on the aquarium floor is a bad idea waiting to happen. You have so many connections and daisy chained a few pieces of equipment together that there may be a leak somewhere, at some point. With the pressure of the water on the drains and the fact that if there is a leak and it is not tended to over time, your entire aquarium will drain out.

02-16-2010, 09:40 PM	#55
epond83 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Pullman, WA Posts: 57	Pressure is directly related to Water height and has nothing to do with volume. So having a line come over the top of the tank would have slightly (basically the same) pressure as a line coming off the bottom of the tank, given they are the same distance from the surface. This is way when building a tank on your own it's better to have a bigger foot print then height.

02-16-2010, 10:22 PM	#57
epond83 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Pullman, WA Posts: 57	Yeah sorry should have specified.