40 Breeder Build

[Devaji108]

looking good!
are you going to cover the PVC overflow & return or leave it?
great score on the stand BTW...

[Cdodge1]

Dry fitted all the PVC, Next thing is to build the sump and overflow. Anyone have any suggestions on whether I should build the overflow box of acrylic and bend it or use glass?



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[Cdodge1]

Originally Posted by Devaji108

looking good!
are you going to cover the PVC overflow & return or leave it?
great score on the stand BTW...

Thanks! I'm still working on an overflow, so the pipes will be covered. I'll probably fabricate a cap to cover the overflow later on. And yeah, the stand was well worth the wait

[dantdodge]

Looking good man did u talk to Chris on the overflow?

[geckoejon]

Cdodge1, i live in cocoa and am looking to start up my first reef tank a 40 breeder. if you decide you want to get rid of that spare 40b, feel free to pm me. maybe we can work something out.

in the mean time, i am doing a ton of research. i actually got some good info from your post. thanks for sharing...

[Cdodge1]

Originally Posted by dantdodge

Looking good man did u talk to Chris on the overflow?

Yes, he didn't help at all. Tell him.

Originally Posted by geckoejon

Cdodge1, i live in cocoa and am looking to start up my first reef tank a 40 breeder. if you decide you want to get rid of that spare 40b, feel free to pm me. maybe we can work something out.

in the mean time, i am doing a ton of research. i actually got some good info from your post. thanks for sharing...

Hey! Sorry, I sold that bad boy! Also, I'm glad this thread helps. Feel free to ask about anything on this build. There's never enough information out there so I hope this thread helps people on their builds.

[Cdodge1]

I just got the glass cut for the overflow. I should have gotten smoked glass but oh well. I've done some research and people have had good results with just painting the inside of the overflow box black with krylon.

Here is the glass and other needed materials:









Also, I had the guy clip the edges to allow room for the existing silicone on the inside of the tank:

[Cdodge1]

Also I'm going to be painting the under-tank plumbing with Blue Krylon Fusion. Here is an initial test. Paint didn't chip and it's only cured for 3-4 hours.

[Cdodge1]

I painted the inward side of the overflow pieces black. I looked okay, but i just had bad feeling and scraped all the paint off with a razor. Oh, and it pays to pay attention. Make sure it's clear silicone and not white. I had to make another trip to buy the correct silicone.

First I siliconed the two pieces of glass together forming an "L" shape:




I let it cure overnight:





Now, I just have to silicone it into the tank and wait 24 hours!!
P.S. Notice that the silicone is kind of a sloppy job and I'll trim it up with a razor. However, the best method is to use masking tape to outline where the silicone should be.

[kaxt]

I used glass for my overflow as well. I then siliconed black acrylic into the back of the overflow. It's the best of both worlds- the viewable side is glass I can scrape with a razor but I can't see through it.

[Cdodge1]

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, buy Blue Hawk painters tape for glass. It doesn't stick at all. As a result I had to free hand the silicone and that means more time spent cleaning it up. Anyway, it should be cured by 4 for a leak test! Can't wait!

[Cdodge1]

For the sump I considered a few options. Option 1, I could buy a new/ used acrylic sump for upwards of $200. Option two I could buy a 20 gallon long and convert it into a sump. Option 3, break down my current 20 long and convert it into a sump.

I went with option three:

Before



After






The sump is lookin' kinda rough, but I still plan to repaint the back and probably the right/left sides to give it a cleaner look. I got this tank pre-drilled and never used the bulkheads...I might get creative with the drain pipes.

[Cdodge1]

I feel bad, but my fish have a new temporary bin they are living in while I finish up their new home.

[austings]

Poor fish! They will enjoy their new home once its all up and running. The stand looks really nice.

[naterealbig]

Christian,

Things are looking good. Couple questions - What is the red ball valve for, did you clean the glass before using the blue masking tape, and why are you painting the piping blue? The original red/white/blue combo looks pretty good. Are you going with a refug. in the sump?

A tip for siliconing stuff - generally you want to allow for around a millimeter of silicon between glass joints (it's variable depending on the size of the tank and the thickness of the glass). Using the clamps too tight might not leave enough silicone between the panes for good adhesion, although it is less important when assembling an overflow.

What are your stocking plans now that you are using a halide? Even a 150 watt can grow some nice sps. Have you played around with ideas on the rockwork?

Keep up the good work.

[Cdodge1]

Originally Posted by austings

Poor fish! They will enjoy their new home once its all up and running. The stand looks really nice.

Thanks! I know, it's just one purple dartfish in there, so it's not too bad. At least she doesn't seem to mind that much. But it is kind of a fire under my butt to keep get this tank up and running as fast as possible!

Originally Posted by naterealbig

Christian,

Things are looking good. Couple questions - What is the red ball valve for, did you clean the glass before using the blue masking tape, and why are you painting the piping blue? The original red/white/blue combo looks pretty good. Are you going with a refug. in the sump?

A tip for siliconing stuff - generally you want to allow for around a millimeter of silicon between glass joints (it's variable depending on the size of the tank and the thickness of the glass). Using the clamps too tight might not leave enough silicone between the panes for good adhesion, although it is less important when assembling an overflow.

What are your stocking plans now that you are using a halide? Even a 150 watt can grow some nice sps. Have you played around with ideas on the rockwork?

Keep up the good work.

I noticed the red ball valve placement. It's purpose was to control the pressure on the return pump and direct it to the other outlet, that I'll use for water changes, cleaning, etc. I've moved it to accommodate.

As far as painting the pipes, I think it'll look cool. It'a Krylon fusion, so I'm not worried about chipping. I think I'll follow your advice and not have a fuge in the sump. Maybe reef mud in a separate container, but not a fuge.

I'm using .25" thick glass for the overflow. It leaked when i first tested it so I took it out, spent an hour and a half scraping all the darn silicone off the glass and I just re-siliconed it into the tank. I'll test it tomorrow afternoon to see if its all good.

Currently, I'm going to be using a 150 watt halide 14000k pheonix I think. They look similar to radiums but for a smaller price. Eventually, I'll put a 250 watt light on there. My stocking plans are further up in the thread and I'm really trying to play around with the rockwork to get it perfect. As far as corals go, I'm going to have some zoa colonies to start with, hopefully I'll see better growth with the halide! I think I have about 4-6 colonies that I want to cover the bottom rocks with and have the mid- upper sections dominated with sps. I'll start off with whatever Danny wants to frag for me haha!

[Cdodge1]

This is what happens after you silicone the overflow box in really well with mold resistant sealant. I went to town on it with a razor for thirty minutes. After not budging, I went to town on it with a hammer. It budged. I re-ordered some smoked glass and I'm tossing out the 20 long sump. I'll spend the money and just get a AES sump. Take my money.




just another day added to the wait...

[Cdodge1]

so... This sump for $170? Good buy? I'm probably getting it tomorrow...




Dimensions 30x15x15

[Cdodge1]

Alright, after some setbacks, I finally feel close to being done with this money pit of a project.

Picked up the "smoke gray" glass for the overflow, siliconed it with GE 1 clear %100 Silicone.


I'm sure it's reef safe this time!! After meticulously scraping every micron of the old silicone, I re-installed the overflow!



I also purchased this sump and have re-fitted all the plumbing. This sump is awesome. Much bigger than I imagined.




Soon, the silicone will be cured and I'll leak test everything! Back on track!

[Cdodge1]

Glued pvc, now I've added sand and rockwork. Now the long process of mixing the water. I've added the tank water/sand/liverock from my previous tank, so essentially, the tank is cycled.




I used a 5 gal bucket lid from HD and it works perfectly to keep the tank from getting cloudy as I add water.

[Cdodge1]

Added corals from previous tank but I'm keeping them in the tupperware until I epoxy them to the rock. My purple firefish is doing awesome and didn't even skip a beat! The water is still a bit cloudy, as to be expected.

[Cdodge1]

Still filling it up, this has turned into a 2-day process.
Here's the tank so far:






I still have to fill up the sump, which is pretty big...

[kalan850]

Where's the progress at? I need to figure out a good way to plumb my 40b. will u explain yours in detail for me? It looks reall clean.

[dantdodge]

Looking Good man whats the update on this that thing Running yet?

[Sugar Magnolia]

Yes, yes! Updates please!