Doc's first saltwater build

Discussion in 'Tank Pictures' started by huntindoc, Apr 12, 2013.

  1. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    DSA 155 gallon. I've been wanting to do this for 10 years and finally am starting. I know the experienced guys here have gotten some chuckles from my newbie questions but I really appreciate the advice and the spirit it's been given. Really documenting this more for me to go back and look at in a year/two/ten.

    Wanted to start plumbing today but haven't got all my fittings in yet, so tonight I executed my idea of hanging my AI Vega lights. I used the EXT rails and the tank mounts. I drilled a hole in two 18" rails and attached them to the tank mounts perpendicular to the way their designed. I just thought it would yield better coverage and look better than three tank mounts or mounting them on the ends of the stand. What do you guys think?

    Lights_zpsa91a75a6.jpg

    Still some tweaking to do. I think the 12" rails on the tank mounts are too short as my lights are not quit centered front to back (ordered the rails when I thought I was getting a 72x20 tank instead of a 72x24.
     
  2. Kim

    Kim Secretary Staff Member

    Hiya,

    Way kewl!!! Can't wait to see it with stuff in it.

    Kim/Benton, AR
     
  3. rayzback

    rayzback Plankton

    Modern clean look. The horizontal and vertical placement looks good to me :)


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
     
  4. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Got to work most of the day on plumbing. My plumbing experience and skills are a bit more crude than what's required here. Still have to put the supports up for the long runs and the down spouts in to the drain chamber of the sump. Have to make some modifications to the sump to make it easier to change filter socks. Almost ready to put some water in it and leak test/power outage tests.

    BA1_zpsb1436e2e.jpg

    rearviewBA_zpsc1846133.jpg

    sumppluming_zps75951c51.jpg

    What you can see from the front

    frontoverflow_zps876b9cb8.jpg
     
  5. trenton84111

    trenton84111 Guest

    so dont u need holes drilled in the top of the dorso stand pipes?
     
  6. trenton84111

    trenton84111 Guest

    and just a thought but if you got some black caps then u really wouldn't be able to see them at all :)
     
  7. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Great idea on the black caps! I'll paint those suckers.

    Only one of those is an open stand pipe and it is drilled now. The hole will be fitted with a 1/4" John Guest fitting and RO/DI tubing will connect to it and be fastened so that it's about an inch above the water. If the main drain gets plugged the Durso will then become a full siphon and carry a lot more water.

    The other two standpipes are the full siphon and a true (dry except in emergency) emergency. I've eliminated the Tee on them to get them out of the line of sight. Multiple redundancy gives me some peace of mind with 180 gallons of salt water in my living room.:D

    During normal operation 90% + of the flow will be through the full siphon and just a small amount through the open stand pipe. Makes it really quiet. This is how it looks now except I've lowered the emergency about an inch.

    newBA_zpsf72429bd.jpg

    Now if I can figure out how to quiet down the overflow box! Any ideas?
     
  8. trenton84111

    trenton84111 Guest

    i would say raise the water lever some that may help
     
  9. trenton84111

    trenton84111 Guest

    is it loud from the water going over? or from something else?
     
  10. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Yep from the water going over. I tried raising the water level and that didn't seem to help.

    There is a little ledge just under where the water flows over the weir. I think it disrupts the water flow and prevents the surface tension from forming on the slick glass below. It's not bad but I'd love to quiet it if possible.
     
  11. trenton84111

    trenton84111 Guest

    hmmm i would really need to see it to be able to help in that fact :p
     
  12. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Update. On vacation this week (originally to turkey hunt but the bottoms I hunt are flooded). Worked all day the last two days. Got 'er filled up and received my live rock in today too.

    FTS. Ignore the wires and the grandkids pictures. Both will be moved very soon.

    FTS_zps2e91ccd2.jpg

    TBSrock_zpsaa982eef.jpg

    couple of small crabs I picked off the live rock. Keep or sump?

    crab1_zps3ca81c41.jpg

    crab2_zps29063e37.jpg
     
  13. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Just kind of piled them in for now, didn't want them out of water for long.

    rock4_zpsb5ff2c6f.jpg

    rock3_zps5fb30f84.jpg
     
  14. Tanks

    Tanks Guest

    first crabs caprice reminds me of my porcelain..which is a filter feeder.
    Can't tell 2nd..piccie kinda pap.
    I would keep them but I love wee inverts myself. ;-)
     
  15. Uperepik

    Uperepik Administrator

    I don't know if its true but I've heard a lot of people say as far as crabs go, if their hairy, their bad. I don't care what it is when I'm not sure I toss it. I love having little critters, but there not worth the risk when you don't know. That being said maybe someone can ID them for you.
     
  16. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    The first one is a porcelain crab according to the guys on RC. The second is not reef safe according to them (dark, pointed pincers). After searching I think their right. Porcelain is back in DT, other 4 (yeah, caught 3 more last night) are going in the sump till I decide what to do with them.

    How about this snail?
    snail_zps20766600.jpg

    This thing looks like a polyp of some kind but if you move suddenly it retracts so fast it's hard to believe into a little black nub on the rock. When it's extended the stalk is kind of gray speckled. Is it a barnacle?
    barnacle_zps089297a6.jpg
     
  17. Tanks

    Tanks Guest

    Nassarius snail..sand sifter, its good.
    Can't see 2nd one properly.

    Don't ditch your hitchhiker crabs just yet till you get proper I'D's on them. You might be able to use them as store credit or someone might want them for pest tanks.
     
  18. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    Thanks Tanks, will do. They're in the sump till positively ID'd. Never thought of trying to swap them at the LFS.

    The second one is deeper in the tank and my wife has the camera with her. There are probably 30 or so of them on 3 or 4 different rocks. They move like hermits do when they pull in to their shell when frightened. It's almost like they can see 'cause sudden movement will make them do it. Even shining a flashlight last night made them retract.
     
  19. whippetguy

    whippetguy Super Moderator

    That snail looks like a whelk to me which is in the nassarius family but they prey on other snails. I have a pest refugium and have 3 in mine. I'll take your crabs if you're going to toss them out.



    Sent from John's Tapatalk
     
  20. huntindoc

    huntindoc RRMAS BOD Membership Director Staff Member

    I think you are right John the markings on the proboscis and the shape of the shell look like the images I found for whelks. The eat clams too don't they?

    You are welcome to the crabs. There is one less but not because of me. The biggest one just killed and is eating the smallest one.
     

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