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Is this a good deal?
- Thread starter kevin
- Start date
kevin
NJRC Member
Well, I stopped by the office after work yesterday. To my surprise, they're only open till 5pm wed-fri, lol!
In other news, I went to a LFS in Freehold that just opened up a few months ago called Captivating Coral. They're still setting things up & getting things going. I must say, Mike is a fantastic guy. He chatted with me & my gf even when the store was suppose to be closed. I really can't say enough about him & how welcoming he was to me in this hobby.
P.S. In no way am I affiliated with the store or Mike. I just like to give credit where credit is due.
In other news, I went to a LFS in Freehold that just opened up a few months ago called Captivating Coral. They're still setting things up & getting things going. I must say, Mike is a fantastic guy. He chatted with me & my gf even when the store was suppose to be closed. I really can't say enough about him & how welcoming he was to me in this hobby.
P.S. In no way am I affiliated with the store or Mike. I just like to give credit where credit is due.
Kevin, I wouldnt sweat the weight factor thing.I live at an apt complex too(I work where I live) and I have a 125 gal tank and a 55 gal sump and the building is over 40 yrs old.When I orig set up the tank I did it in a way as to have the tank sit on as many floor joists as possible.A neighbor of mine has a 180 freshwater with a boatload of slate(cichlid tank)and no signs of trouble.Glad you liked Capt Corals.Maybe we will catch up there sometime.
kevin
NJRC Member
I've been looking into CAD Lights 50G Artisan Series
http://www.cadlights.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=47&products_id=161
Just the tank itself. 24x24x20
Although, I don't know what I'd do about a stand. You can buy one from them, which would be simple. But I want something bigger so I can put a bigger sump in.
You can also add Durso drain and return plumbing for $65. I don't understand what that is though. They give no detailed information.
http://www.cadlights.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=47&products_id=161
Just the tank itself. 24x24x20
Although, I don't know what I'd do about a stand. You can buy one from them, which would be simple. But I want something bigger so I can put a bigger sump in.
You can also add Durso drain and return plumbing for $65. I don't understand what that is though. They give no detailed information.
kevin
NJRC Member
Thought I would update on my current list of what I want. I'm really trying to hold off until December to buy everything. Although, I just got a promotion.. so who knows!
The only thing I currently have is a stand for the tank. (thanks mnat & nikkiT)!
Equipment I'll most likely get:
CADLights 50g 24x24x20
CADLights 18g Sump 19.5 x 16 x 13
Eco-Tech Radion XR-30w (most likely)
2x VorTech MP10w ES
Warner Marine MF-121
Tunze 1073.20 (debating)
Jager 150w
BRS 75 GPD RO/DI 5 Stage Plus system
BRS Refractometer
This is all that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm still reading about GFO's, and dosing, carbon reactors, & all that jazz. Sooo much information! I just want to do it right the first time :0
Still reading up on reef controllers. I was looking into the Tunze ATO, but I wouldn't need it if I got a reef controller(leaning towards APEX).
The only thing I currently have is a stand for the tank. (thanks mnat & nikkiT)!
Equipment I'll most likely get:
CADLights 50g 24x24x20
CADLights 18g Sump 19.5 x 16 x 13
Eco-Tech Radion XR-30w (most likely)
2x VorTech MP10w ES
Warner Marine MF-121
Tunze 1073.20 (debating)
Jager 150w
BRS 75 GPD RO/DI 5 Stage Plus system
BRS Refractometer
This is all that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm still reading about GFO's, and dosing, carbon reactors, & all that jazz. Sooo much information! I just want to do it right the first time :0
Still reading up on reef controllers. I was looking into the Tunze ATO, but I wouldn't need it if I got a reef controller(leaning towards APEX).
Looks like a good list and those radios are very tempting (honestly I just want to see a tank with them so if you feel I am pushing you that way it is because
I am). I know cad lights are very pretty tanks, should be nice. When researching the tank just figure out what is going to fit under it in the sump. Measure and plan carefully, I just learned this when I setup my 57g, had no room under the stand for the BRS dual reactor.
I am). I know cad lights are very pretty tanks, should be nice. When researching the tank just figure out what is going to fit under it in the sump. Measure and plan carefully, I just learned this when I setup my 57g, had no room under the stand for the BRS dual reactor.
kevin
NJRC Member
I'm not 100% sold on it. I just like how it syncs it all up plus the added colors. The promotion definitely is going to help out. Only thing is I'll miss the frag swap now
(Although, It's also my grandfathers 95 birthday party.. so I was screwed either way!) I rarely buy myself anything, so I'm super excited. I bit the bullet & just ordered the CAD Lights 50g + the 18g sump. Hopefully it'll arrive safe & in a timely manner! Looks like a good list and those radios are very tempting (honestly I just want to see a tank with them so if you feel I am pushing you that way it is because
haha, I will probably end up with them. I will definitely measure everything out!
kevin
NJRC Member
I will, I will! We just have to wait to get it, haha. My RO/DI comes tomorrow. I'm an idiot & didn't realize the CADlights plumbing holes are at the bottom of the tank. I thought they were at the rear of it. Now I have to buy 2 bits to drill through the stand, lol. Hopefully I'll have time this weekend to mess around with everything.
Robert @ CADlights threw in the plumbing for free. Now I just have to figure out how this works. LOL
Congratz on the new tank/sump. This should be an interesting lil project for you. Just take it slow and get everything right the first time before you wind up having to redo things later. Not saying YOU will, but just relaying a tip from the experience of me and many others who started out for the first time in the hobby.
From looking at your pic of the plumbing they provided, I'll give you a hand to get started.
The long blue colored stack with the 90 elbow facing down is your "durso". This is the drain piping that will gravity feed water from your display tank to your sump below. You will notice the gray part screws together. This is your bulkhead that connects the piping through the glass. I didn't see the holes drilled in your tank, but there is likely one bigger than the other. If so, the durso goes in the bigger hole.
When you install the bulkhead, make sure the rubber gasket is INSIDE the display tank, which will seal off any water from leaking out. Some suggest using silicone to help the seal, but you really don't need it. Silicone will also "glue" it to your glass, and if you ever need to remove it later (like when you move out of the apartment) it will be hard to get off... and you might crack the glass trying. Another key thing to know is you don't need to wrench them on really tight. What you want to do is:
1. Lay the tank on it's side so you can reach both sides of the glass easily.
2. Stick the gasket over the male threads and then stick the threaded part through the hole. Make sure the gasket is flush around the bulkhead circumference (ie. you shouldn't see any of the gasket if you looked at it from the top view).
3. Align the 90 elbow so it's facing the direction you want it. (Again, I don't know your hole pattern so can't make a suggestion here)
4. Now, while holding the piping part in place, screw the female end of the bulkhead onto the male end, which should be sticking out the bottom of the tank. Hand tighten only!
5. If you want, you can get a pair of channel locks and tighten about a quarter turn more. I suggest just hand tightening for now and water test for leaks after you install the other bulkhead.
Next you have the corrugated clear tube. This slips right onto the gray pvc end of the bottom part of the bulkhead. I see a metal clamp that is likely to be used to hold this on. You can use that (and I would if you have nothing else) but I'd suggest using a plastic type clamp Like These instead because the metal one will rust out eventually. The other end of the corrugated tube will just go into your sump. (I suggest you add a mesh filter sock too.)
OK, now you need to install the return line through the other hole. This will be similar as you did with the durso pipe except a few things to note:
1. The side with the long green tube will be inside the overflow box. The bulkhead should be installed same as the durso, it's just a smaller diameter. Wait on tightening these beyond hand-tight until the leak test too.
2. The smaller diameter clear tubing (almost looks braided in your pic?) will be slipped onto the 90 elbow attached to the female threaded end of the bulkhead... and then it will connect to your return pump. Depending on where you have the return pump in your sump, you may need to get another (longer) tube for this. You shouldn't need a clamp for this tubing (on either end) since it should fit very tightly over the fittings. However, if you do add them, use the plastic kind I mentioned above.
2a. As a side note, I recommend that you replace that clear tubing right from the get go even if it is the right length. Replace it with a black tubing because the clear tubing tends to have algae growing inside of it, which can clog it up and restrict the flow. You can get black tubing from most local fish stores... just bring in the clear one to match the diameter.
3. Lastly, you have the black loc-line piece. Most people prefer a WYE style loc-line to give you a bit more flow dispersment... but in a 50g cube, this should work fine. Just stick this into the 90 elbow on the end of the green tubing. The loc-line is flexible and you can bend the "knuckles" so that it goes up and over your overflow teeth, into the display tank.
4. Try to keep the discharge end of the loc line near the normal surface level of your display tank. Maybe a half-inch below should be good. The reason for this is because if your return pump fails, water will back siphon down the return tube into your sump until air can get in there to break the siphon. The lower you have the tip of the loc-line, the more water you will get sucked back into the sump... and if you have too much, it will overflow onto the floor.
Now you have all the parts installed, so time to water test it.
Set the tank on a couple buckets or something outside, or over the sink... wherever you don't mind getting wet. Now, fill just the overflow chamber of the tank about 10 inches high. Don't fill it so that water can enter the 90 elbow on the durso. You just want water to surround the pipe and the green tubing.
Let it sit a good 15 mins to a half hour and check the bottom of the tank for wetness or drips. If you don't see any, you're good to go. If you do, then it's time to bring out the channel locks and give it a quarter turn or so until the leak stops. DO NOT tighten these too much. You can and will crack the glass if you do. The only way you should have a leak is if the gasket isn't seated properly. Slightly more than hand tight should be enough.
Once you know you don't have any leaks, the next step will be to setup the sump, complete with return pump, and then fill the tank to test how the water flows. Ideally, you want the return pump to pump water back into the display tank at the same rate as the gravity drain line feeds the sump below. It may help to install a ball valve between the return pump and the clear/braided tubing. This will allow you to throttle it back if it empties the sump too fast.
OK, once you get the rate of flow perfected, the next item that may be of concern is gurgling noises from the durso drain. You may not have any at all (if the intake height is perfect and the drain flow isn't restricted) or you may have an extreme gurgling noise. The gurgling is from not having enough air/pressure release and it causes sort of a suction effect. When the water drains, the small amount of air in the line fights to get out, but can't get released fast enough... so it sort of bubbles up and gets tossed around inside the durso pipe. Anyway, there are many different solutions to help correct this. Some being as simple as adjusting the height of the intake elbow. Others involve drilling a hole in the top of the elbow and inserting a small piece of tubing, where the end of the tube is higher above the water line and allowing air to escape.
I've given you a lot to chew on, so I won't get more involved in the rest of that. If after you get it setup you have some noises, we can revisit that subject in more detail.
Well, hope that helps more than confuses you. You might want to print it all out so you can reference it when getting it all setup.
From looking at your pic of the plumbing they provided, I'll give you a hand to get started.
The long blue colored stack with the 90 elbow facing down is your "durso". This is the drain piping that will gravity feed water from your display tank to your sump below. You will notice the gray part screws together. This is your bulkhead that connects the piping through the glass. I didn't see the holes drilled in your tank, but there is likely one bigger than the other. If so, the durso goes in the bigger hole.
When you install the bulkhead, make sure the rubber gasket is INSIDE the display tank, which will seal off any water from leaking out. Some suggest using silicone to help the seal, but you really don't need it. Silicone will also "glue" it to your glass, and if you ever need to remove it later (like when you move out of the apartment) it will be hard to get off... and you might crack the glass trying. Another key thing to know is you don't need to wrench them on really tight. What you want to do is:
1. Lay the tank on it's side so you can reach both sides of the glass easily.
2. Stick the gasket over the male threads and then stick the threaded part through the hole. Make sure the gasket is flush around the bulkhead circumference (ie. you shouldn't see any of the gasket if you looked at it from the top view).
3. Align the 90 elbow so it's facing the direction you want it. (Again, I don't know your hole pattern so can't make a suggestion here)
4. Now, while holding the piping part in place, screw the female end of the bulkhead onto the male end, which should be sticking out the bottom of the tank. Hand tighten only!
5. If you want, you can get a pair of channel locks and tighten about a quarter turn more. I suggest just hand tightening for now and water test for leaks after you install the other bulkhead.
Next you have the corrugated clear tube. This slips right onto the gray pvc end of the bottom part of the bulkhead. I see a metal clamp that is likely to be used to hold this on. You can use that (and I would if you have nothing else) but I'd suggest using a plastic type clamp Like These instead because the metal one will rust out eventually. The other end of the corrugated tube will just go into your sump. (I suggest you add a mesh filter sock too.)
OK, now you need to install the return line through the other hole. This will be similar as you did with the durso pipe except a few things to note:
1. The side with the long green tube will be inside the overflow box. The bulkhead should be installed same as the durso, it's just a smaller diameter. Wait on tightening these beyond hand-tight until the leak test too.
2. The smaller diameter clear tubing (almost looks braided in your pic?) will be slipped onto the 90 elbow attached to the female threaded end of the bulkhead... and then it will connect to your return pump. Depending on where you have the return pump in your sump, you may need to get another (longer) tube for this. You shouldn't need a clamp for this tubing (on either end) since it should fit very tightly over the fittings. However, if you do add them, use the plastic kind I mentioned above.
2a. As a side note, I recommend that you replace that clear tubing right from the get go even if it is the right length. Replace it with a black tubing because the clear tubing tends to have algae growing inside of it, which can clog it up and restrict the flow. You can get black tubing from most local fish stores... just bring in the clear one to match the diameter.
3. Lastly, you have the black loc-line piece. Most people prefer a WYE style loc-line to give you a bit more flow dispersment... but in a 50g cube, this should work fine. Just stick this into the 90 elbow on the end of the green tubing. The loc-line is flexible and you can bend the "knuckles" so that it goes up and over your overflow teeth, into the display tank.
4. Try to keep the discharge end of the loc line near the normal surface level of your display tank. Maybe a half-inch below should be good. The reason for this is because if your return pump fails, water will back siphon down the return tube into your sump until air can get in there to break the siphon. The lower you have the tip of the loc-line, the more water you will get sucked back into the sump... and if you have too much, it will overflow onto the floor.
Now you have all the parts installed, so time to water test it.
Set the tank on a couple buckets or something outside, or over the sink... wherever you don't mind getting wet.
Now, fill just the overflow chamber of the tank about 10 inches high. Don't fill it so that water can enter the 90 elbow on the durso. You just want water to surround the pipe and the green tubing.Let it sit a good 15 mins to a half hour and check the bottom of the tank for wetness or drips. If you don't see any, you're good to go. If you do, then it's time to bring out the channel locks and give it a quarter turn or so until the leak stops. DO NOT tighten these too much. You can and will crack the glass if you do. The only way you should have a leak is if the gasket isn't seated properly. Slightly more than hand tight should be enough.
Once you know you don't have any leaks, the next step will be to setup the sump, complete with return pump, and then fill the tank to test how the water flows. Ideally, you want the return pump to pump water back into the display tank at the same rate as the gravity drain line feeds the sump below. It may help to install a ball valve between the return pump and the clear/braided tubing. This will allow you to throttle it back if it empties the sump too fast.
OK, once you get the rate of flow perfected, the next item that may be of concern is gurgling noises from the durso drain. You may not have any at all (if the intake height is perfect and the drain flow isn't restricted) or you may have an extreme gurgling noise. The gurgling is from not having enough air/pressure release and it causes sort of a suction effect. When the water drains, the small amount of air in the line fights to get out, but can't get released fast enough... so it sort of bubbles up and gets tossed around inside the durso pipe. Anyway, there are many different solutions to help correct this. Some being as simple as adjusting the height of the intake elbow. Others involve drilling a hole in the top of the elbow and inserting a small piece of tubing, where the end of the tube is higher above the water line and allowing air to escape.
I've given you a lot to chew on, so I won't get more involved in the rest of that. If after you get it setup you have some noises, we can revisit that subject in more detail.
Well, hope that helps more than confuses you. You might want to print it all out so you can reference it when getting it all setup.
kevin
NJRC Member
I cannot thank you info for the insightful post. I took a look at it yesterday & everything seems straight forward with your instructions. The durso & return have gaskets on both sides.
I just received my RO/DI from BRS yesterday. I still have to set that up. I've been busy with work & now this coming week have to watch my mothers house. I've got no time!!
I just received my RO/DI from BRS yesterday. I still have to set that up. I've been busy with work & now this coming week have to watch my mothers house. I've got no time!!
kevin
NJRC Member
Alright, so I was messing with the plumbing tonight. The "durso" is leaking. It only leaks into the tube not on the outside. Is that okay?
Which way is the gasket suppose to be facing?
or
It's leaking on this lip.. when it screws in, it creates a lip at the top
here's my setup, LOL
Which way is the gasket suppose to be facing?
or
It's leaking on this lip.. when it screws in, it creates a lip at the top
here's my setup, LOL
I would put the side with the grooves against the glass and the flat side against the bulkhead.
