A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build - Page 8

Dustin1300 · 12/14/2011, 09:13 PM

Last night the Weld-On finally came in so last night I practiced the pin method a few different times with some scrap I got from the plastic shop. That being said, tonight I started and got the two sides bonded to the front pane of the sump.

Since the acrylic has been cut/routed already on the edges I'm using the following tools and lots of research and a special thanks to Marc from Melev's Reef!
- Pool table slate that is perfectly level surface

(Just recently moved in and figured I'd use table for projects before I strech the felt!)
- Acupuncture needles (.018) for use with the pin method
- Weld-On #4
- Needle applicator with 25 gauge needle
- Triangles with corners hacked off
- Electrical tape to hold the triangle in place and hold the acrylic

Acupuncture needles used. Very small and not as large as I expected.

Weld-On #4. This is the recommendation for the sump as Weld-On #3 available locally dries very fast. I also got Weld-On #16 in a tube for anything that I may be a little paranoid about the seem.

Applicator bottle I got at local hobby shop.

Dustin1300 · 12/14/2011, 09:28 PM

Overall it seems that things went well. I put the needles in place and when putting the Weld-One via the applicator got sucked right into the seam. I saw a few bubbles on the first seam but once I removed the needles all the bubbles came right out.

First side down and triangles in place:

Second side down and in place:

Here you see in the seam that no bubbles seem to be present.

My goal is to get the other long side glued tomorrow and then the bottom on Friday night. Once that has set for 24+ hours I'm going to review all the seams and test for water Saturday or Sunday depending on whether I should patch any seams with the Weld-On #16.

david00061 · 12/15/2011, 07:21 AM

nice job I might need to make one. I like it

Dustin1300 · 12/15/2011, 07:44 AM

Thanks David

You'll notice that the edges are extended past where they were supposed to. On some of the cuts I had them 1" longer than needed. That gives me room to use flush trim bit for router to get nice and smooth edging. Think I'm also going to use a roundover bit for around the top to make it smooth so I don't cut myself on the acrylic daily!

Dustin1300 · 12/15/2011, 09:52 PM

Tonight I got the other long piece attached so now I have four sides to a tank

After some routing/bonding tomorrow night hopefully I'll have enough done to do water test on Saturday!

Left side bonded:

Right side:

Full Shot Had to add some weight to the end to keep it from having outward pressure from the top piece bowing:

After pulling another layer of paper off I found the the seems last night were about as close to perfect I think I'll make it:

jbliss · 12/15/2011, 11:01 PM

Great job. Honestly I never thought of creating so Perfect.

Dustin1300 · 12/16/2011, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbliss

Great job. Honestly I never thought of creating so Perfect.

Not sure what you meant but thanks?

Dustin1300 · 12/16/2011, 08:03 AM

One of the seams this morning had a few small bubbles in it....

Think I'll go ahead and put some Weld-On #16 in the joints to ensure that they never become a problem as I still am not questioning whether it will be leak free! The bottom will be the biggest job tonight. As long as I can get the sides routed tonight as I've not played with that yet then it should be coming closer to be finished. Hopefully by Christmas I have the sump finished completely and ready to go ahead and order bulkheads and all the plumbing from Jeremy/Luke at Premium Aquatics!

Here's a pic from this morning showing the size. Puts it into better perspective since the pool table is regulation:

Dustin1300 · 12/16/2011, 06:42 PM

And one step further! Got the edges routed (user malfunction on one side

) and the bottom glued down. User malfunction was that I had the depth of the router bit too long and guess that I might have been BARELY off the 90 degrees so it was shaving some of the acrylic off! Either way it's just a cosmetic thing and thing I might be able to buff a lot of that side out but did not realize until after I finished routing that edge.

That being said, it seemed that all was successful again! Hopefully I can await it to cure and possibly add Weld-On #16 to the joints to ensure that they are strong and don't ever leak. Should be able to do this tomorrow and possibly water test late Sunday.

Picture of it in place with shims all around. When having such a long sheet I noticed some small gaps so I went ahead and adjusted shims for 20 minutes before I put the glue down.

Here's a pic after getting glue down. I put the top on temporarily and put 1/2 full buckets on top as well as sand to keep some pressure on the seams while they cured. I ensured that I left two gaps for venting so the fumes did not create a vacuum.

bishop40k · 12/17/2011, 02:32 PM

nice sump build dustin. Might have to try and talk you into building me a custom one for my stand :-) Following the thread.

Dustin1300 · 12/17/2011, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bishop40k

nice sump build dustin. Might have to try and talk you into building me a custom one for my stand :-) Following the thread.

Thanks! First build ever with acrylic and I made the leap to 115 gallon capacity...

I got the bottom routed just a few minutes ago and all seems to look great! Was not able to go and get plastic tips for the Weld-On #16 so hopefully I can drop by hobby store on way to early Family Christmas party tomorrow.

bishop40k · 12/18/2011, 01:05 PM

are you doing any bracing on the top? It's funny that your sump is larger than my display tank, but I'm just getting started in this.

What was the build cost for the sump if you don't mind sharing.

Dustin1300 · 12/19/2011, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bishop40k

are you doing any bracing on the top? It's funny that your sump is larger than my display tank, but I'm just getting started in this.

What was the build cost for the sump if you don't mind sharing.

I will be euro bracing and the top for that is what it's sitting on in pictures above. I'll likely use a 2" euro brace all around and will leave room for filter socks on the back side. In my original design, I had bubble towers in each back corner but I've since decided to go with filter socks so I'll use those integrated into the euro brace and eliminate the bubble towers previously referenced.

As far as costs....I'd say I have $700 in it after buying acrylic, solvents, applicator bottles, and a couple router bits I needed.

Dustin1300 · 12/20/2011, 09:14 PM

Just heard from PA that my Apex Controller and some other supplies were being shipped today. I've been fighting being sick the past couple of days so little progress on the tank. Hopefully tomorrow night I feel like working on a water test on the sump check for leaks as I've went over all the joints with Weld-On #16 the past couple of days. (Might have been overkill but the aesthetics did not matter as much to me since I knew it was a sump)

Should I be okay to fill the tank for a few days without bracing? Opinions would be appreciated!

david00061 · 12/21/2011, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dustin1300

Just heard from PA that my Apex Controller and some other supplies were being shipped today. I've been fighting being sick the past couple of days so little progress on the tank. Hopefully tomorrow night I feel like working on a water test on the sump check for leaks as I've went over all the joints with Weld-On #16 the past couple of days. (Might have been overkill but the aesthetics did not matter as much to me since I knew it was a sump)

Should I be okay to fill the tank for a few days without bracing? Opinions would be appreciated!

I cant help with the bracing.
Did you order a breakout box for your apex, or are planing on making one.
I need to order one for my apex

david00061 · 12/21/2011, 09:33 PM

Dustin1300 · 12/21/2011, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david00061

David, you just rubbing it in that you have corals in your tank before me!?!?!?

david00061 · 12/21/2011, 09:53 PM

that was supposed to go to my build.

Dustin1300 · 12/21/2011, 09:56 PM

I was working from home today and had started RO/DI unit to fill up the Brutes earlier today so I dropped the waste water line into the sump for the water test. All looked good until I started filling with a hose after work and found that it was bowing way too much for my likings. Without the bracing and baffles in place did not feel comfortable with leaving the tank filled so I lowered the levels to 14-15" where it will always sit and it was still bowing a bit but is NOT LEAKING!!!

@David,

I got the Apex in today but just had enough time to get it out of box and ensure it powered on as expected. I've not yet ordered any add ons for it but plan to automate a lot with this system. I'm a geek so I tend to play with gadgets a lot and likely will just be getting float switches/breakout box at first so I can set up the low/high water alarms. After that my next item will likely be the wireless module so I can connect to the Vortechs and possibly the Radions if I go that route. (Still have not found any good testimonies with a 30" deep tank!)

david00061 · 12/21/2011, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dustin1300

I was working from home today and had started RO/DI unit to fill up the Brutes earlier today so I dropped the waste water line into the sump for the water test. All looked good until I started filling with a hose after work and found that it was bowing way too much for my likings. Without the bracing and baffles in place did not feel comfortable with leaving the tank filled so I lowered the levels to 14-15" where it will always sit and it was still bowing a bit but is NOT LEAKING!!!

@David,

I got the Apex in today but just had enough time to get it out of box and ensure it powered on as expected. I've not yet ordered any add ons for it but plan to automate a lot with this system. I'm a geek so I tend to play with gadgets a lot and likely will just be getting float switches/breakout box at first so I can set up the low/high water alarms. After that my next item will likely be the wireless module so I can connect to the Vortechs and possibly the Radions if I go that route. (Still have not found any good testimonies with a 30" deep tank!)

Cool someone who can help me get mine all done.

Dustin1300 · 12/21/2011, 11:26 PM

After looking at diy breakout boxes i'm considering that route as it looks cleaner and i'm familiar with cat 5 being a nerd and all

I will have to see how it compares in price but think that seems to be the way to go as I don't like the apex ones compared to the diys.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

Dustin1300 · 12/23/2011, 08:07 AM

Last night I drained the sump and had no leaks from a 24+ hour leak test. Drained it, wiped it out, and next steps are going to be getting the baffles put in place followed by the top.

Dustin1300 · 12/24/2011, 08:41 AM

Merry Christmas to all the RCers!

Since my sump had enough time to dry up and no moisture is on the acrylic I'm off to putting the baffles into place. Baffle 1 in place this morning and prolly will just do 1 a day the next few days since it's that busy time of the year.

Jamie9169 · 12/25/2011, 10:03 PM

Looks great. Tagging along for the ride.

david00061 · 12/26/2011, 08:20 AM

Did you hand your family have a good christmas

12/14/2011, 09:13 PM	#176
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Progress...Finally! Last night the Weld-On finally came in so last night I practiced the pin method a few different times with some scrap I got from the plastic shop. That being said, tonight I started and got the two sides bonded to the front pane of the sump. Since the acrylic has been cut/routed already on the edges I'm using the following tools and lots of research and a special thanks to Marc from Melev's Reef! - Pool table slate that is perfectly level surface (Just recently moved in and figured I'd use table for projects before I strech the felt!) - Acupuncture needles (.018) for use with the pin method - Weld-On #4 - Needle applicator with 25 gauge needle - Triangles with corners hacked off - Electrical tape to hold the triangle in place and hold the acrylic Acupuncture needles used. Very small and not as large as I expected. Weld-On #4. This is the recommendation for the sump as Weld-On #3 available locally dries very fast. I also got Weld-On #16 in a tube for anything that I may be a little paranoid about the seem. Applicator bottle I got at local hobby shop. __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/14/2011, 09:28 PM	#177
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	....cont'd Overall it seems that things went well. I put the needles in place and when putting the Weld-One via the applicator got sucked right into the seam. I saw a few bubbles on the first seam but once I removed the needles all the bubbles came right out. First side down and triangles in place: Second side down and in place: Here you see in the seam that no bubbles seem to be present. My goal is to get the other long side glued tomorrow and then the bottom on Friday night. Once that has set for 24+ hours I'm going to review all the seams and test for water Saturday or Sunday depending on whether I should patch any seams with the Weld-On #16. __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/15/2011, 07:21 AM	#178
david00061 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: st joseph Missouri Posts: 2,341	nice job I might need to make one. I like it __________________ Current tank A.G.E. 500 gallon Two frag tanks 48"x20"x12" 12 EcoTech Radion XR30w LED Lights 2 mp60's 4 mp40's, GEO 818 calcium reactor SRO XP 8000 external skimmer

12/15/2011, 07:44 AM	#179
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Thanks David You'll notice that the edges are extended past where they were supposed to. On some of the cuts I had them 1" longer than needed. That gives me room to use flush trim bit for router to get nice and smooth edging. Think I'm also going to use a roundover bit for around the top to make it smooth so I don't cut myself on the acrylic daily! __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/15/2011, 09:52 PM	#180
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Tonight I got the other long piece attached so now I have four sides to a tank After some routing/bonding tomorrow night hopefully I'll have enough done to do water test on Saturday! Left side bonded: Right side: Full Shot Had to add some weight to the end to keep it from having outward pressure from the top piece bowing: After pulling another layer of paper off I found the the seems last night were about as close to perfect I think I'll make it: __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/15/2011, 11:01 PM	#181
jbliss Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The Gardens of Miami Posts: 155	Great job. Honestly I never thought of creating so Perfect.

12/16/2011, 08:03 AM	#183
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	One of the seams this morning had a few small bubbles in it.... Think I'll go ahead and put some Weld-On #16 in the joints to ensure that they never become a problem as I still am not questioning whether it will be leak free! The bottom will be the biggest job tonight. As long as I can get the sides routed tonight as I've not played with that yet then it should be coming closer to be finished. Hopefully by Christmas I have the sump finished completely and ready to go ahead and order bulkheads and all the plumbing from Jeremy/Luke at Premium Aquatics! Here's a pic from this morning showing the size. Puts it into better perspective since the pool table is regulation: __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/16/2011, 06:42 PM	#184
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	And one step further! Got the edges routed (user malfunction on one side) and the bottom glued down. User malfunction was that I had the depth of the router bit too long and guess that I might have been BARELY off the 90 degrees so it was shaving some of the acrylic off! Either way it's just a cosmetic thing and thing I might be able to buff a lot of that side out but did not realize until after I finished routing that edge. That being said, it seemed that all was successful again! Hopefully I can await it to cure and possibly add Weld-On #16 to the joints to ensure that they are strong and don't ever leak. Should be able to do this tomorrow and possibly water test late Sunday. Picture of it in place with shims all around. When having such a long sheet I noticed some small gaps so I went ahead and adjusted shims for 20 minutes before I put the glue down. Here's a pic after getting glue down. I put the top on temporarily and put 1/2 full buckets on top as well as sand to keep some pressure on the seams while they cured. I ensured that I left two gaps for venting so the fumes did not create a vacuum. __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/17/2011, 02:32 PM	#185
bishop40k Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Lafayette, IN Posts: 65	nice sump build dustin. Might have to try and talk you into building me a custom one for my stand :-) Following the thread.

12/18/2011, 01:05 PM	#187
bishop40k Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Lafayette, IN Posts: 65	are you doing any bracing on the top? It's funny that your sump is larger than my display tank, but I'm just getting started in this. What was the build cost for the sump if you don't mind sharing.

12/20/2011, 09:14 PM	#189
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Just heard from PA that my Apex Controller and some other supplies were being shipped today. I've been fighting being sick the past couple of days so little progress on the tank. Hopefully tomorrow night I feel like working on a water test on the sump check for leaks as I've went over all the joints with Weld-On #16 the past couple of days. (Might have been overkill but the aesthetics did not matter as much to me since I knew it was a sump) Should I be okay to fill the tank for a few days without bracing? Opinions would be appreciated! __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/21/2011, 09:33 PM	#191
david00061 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: st joseph Missouri Posts: 2,341	__________________ Current tank A.G.E. 500 gallon Two frag tanks 48"x20"x12" 12 EcoTech Radion XR30w LED Lights 2 mp60's 4 mp40's, GEO 818 calcium reactor SRO XP 8000 external skimmer

12/21/2011, 09:53 PM	#193
david00061 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: st joseph Missouri Posts: 2,341	that was supposed to go to my build. __________________ Current tank A.G.E. 500 gallon Two frag tanks 48"x20"x12" 12 EcoTech Radion XR30w LED Lights 2 mp60's 4 mp40's, GEO 818 calcium reactor SRO XP 8000 external skimmer

12/21/2011, 09:56 PM	#194
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	I was working from home today and had started RO/DI unit to fill up the Brutes earlier today so I dropped the waste water line into the sump for the water test. All looked good until I started filling with a hose after work and found that it was bowing way too much for my likings. Without the bracing and baffles in place did not feel comfortable with leaving the tank filled so I lowered the levels to 14-15" where it will always sit and it was still bowing a bit but is NOT LEAKING!!! @David, I got the Apex in today but just had enough time to get it out of box and ensure it powered on as expected. I've not yet ordered any add ons for it but plan to automate a lot with this system. I'm a geek so I tend to play with gadgets a lot and likely will just be getting float switches/breakout box at first so I can set up the low/high water alarms. After that my next item will likely be the wireless module so I can connect to the Vortechs and possibly the Radions if I go that route. (Still have not found any good testimonies with a 30" deep tank!) __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/21/2011, 11:26 PM	#196
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	After looking at diy breakout boxes i'm considering that route as it looks cleaner and i'm familiar with cat 5 being a nerd and all I will have to see how it compares in price but think that seems to be the way to go as I don't like the apex ones compared to the diys. Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/23/2011, 08:07 AM	#197
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Last night I drained the sump and had no leaks from a 24+ hour leak test. Drained it, wiped it out, and next steps are going to be getting the baffles put in place followed by the top. __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/24/2011, 08:41 AM	#198
Dustin1300 Reefaholic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Carmel, IN Posts: 5,135	Merry Christmas to all the RCers! Since my sump had enough time to dry up and no moisture is on the acrylic I'm off to putting the baffles into place. Baffle 1 in place this morning and prolly will just do 1 a day the next few days since it's that busy time of the year. __________________ INDMAS President Check out my tank in the Large Tank Forums, "A Reefaholic's 1000+ Gallon Mixed Reef System Build"! Current Tank Info: 600 Gallon DT, 140 Gallon Grow Out Tank, 125 Gallon Sump, 90 Gallon Fuge, 200 Gallon Fish QT, 15 Gallon Frag QT

12/25/2011, 10:03 PM	#199
Jamie9169 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Texas City, TX Posts: 73	Looks great. Tagging along for the ride. __________________ Jamie Teague Current Tank Info: 200 DD Reef

12/26/2011, 08:20 AM	#200
david00061 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: st joseph Missouri Posts: 2,341	Did you hand your family have a good christmas __________________ Current tank A.G.E. 500 gallon Two frag tanks 48"x20"x12" 12 EcoTech Radion XR30w LED Lights 2 mp60's 4 mp40's, GEO 818 calcium reactor SRO XP 8000 external skimmer

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