David R's 2000L tank build
- Thread starter David R
- Start date
I wouldn't sweat over it, they say stuff like that to scare you since there are so many idiots out there. I always run a GFI (ground fault interrupter) on my system since the only thing it could touch is water. If that starts burning then now we have a different kind of trouble lol!
Fiddling around with little stuff, plumbing, building etc etc. Picked up the last of the bits to hook the pump up (damn Laguna and their imperial sized bits, trying to connect a 1.5" connector to 40mm internal diameter PVC piping is a PITA!!) today so I should be able to get water circulating soon. I'm not in a great hurry though as the wood is still soaking up water, I'll post some pics when I get something worth updating...
Finished the plumbing today, not particularly happy with how the drain from the sump turned out, I forgot how fast that damn PVC cement sets and subsequently there are a couple of bits that needed some "gentle persuasion" to line up properly. I also drilled two holes in the wrong place, one in the external wall of the house. Oops! Luckily the exterior cladding is black painted plywood and I was able to use some of the left over black silicone to glue the cut out back in place. A little bit ghetto but good enough for now. I've started filling the sump so will test the drain tomorrow. I also had to make two trips to town, one of which was completely unnecessary as both hardware stores didn't have the piece I was looking for (plumbing shop is shut on Sundays) but while at the second store I figured out a much simpler and completely obvious way to do it without the piece I had come in to buy.
Great day really!
Didn't take any pictures as it started raining while I was half way through digging the drain across the lawn from the house to where it drops off into the trees below the house...
Great day really!
Didn't take any pictures as it started raining while I was half way through digging the drain across the lawn from the house to where it drops off into the trees below the house...
How's the drain looking?
I've got a lot of plumbing myself to get done and i remember how fast it sets from last year when i used it, it's like once you apply it to the two connecting parts and the touch, you twist them in and then it's pretty much going to never move again!
Have you plumbed the return from the sump to the tank and the drain from the tank to the sump? Tested these joints? Particularly the return under the pump pressure?
I've got a lot of plumbing myself to get done and i remember how fast it sets from last year when i used it, it's like once you apply it to the two connecting parts and the touch, you twist them in and then it's pretty much going to never move again!
Have you plumbed the return from the sump to the tank and the drain from the tank to the sump? Tested these joints? Particularly the return under the pump pressure?
So tonight I topped off the tank, filled the sump and fired it up for the first time. DAMN!!! Laguna MaxFlo 11000 (aka 2900 for the US) is a beast!!!!! 40mm plumbing and about 3' head, it pushes a massive volume of water, I'm going to have to get thinking about how to diffuse the flow around the tank without restricting it or blasting the fish. Sump seems to handle the flow well, though it will be interesting to see how it looks with the Poret foam in place.
Interestingly, the two 50mm drains were way overkill for the flow. With the ball valve wide open (which is about 40mm ID) the lower drain handles the entire flow from the pump running at a full siphon, despite the short drop the drain has (after about 30cm horizontal pipe).
Lousy picture I know, phone didn't have enough power left for the flash.
The drain from the sump works well, well worth the hassle of digging a trench across the lawn!
That shows where it comes out of the house, I had to move half our firewood to dig the damn trench. Shortly after that it started raining, so no more pics unfortunately. Will try take a couple tomorrow.
Only drama is a very slight leak from one of the bulkheads in the back of the tank, so I'm going to have to remove it and silicone it in place. Even still, the big hold up is going to be my large stump that still hasn't quite sunk. Once that is waterlogged I'll add the substrate, then heat it and transfer the fish over. Fingers crossed it shouldn't be too long now, I'm starting to get excited!
Interestingly, the two 50mm drains were way overkill for the flow. With the ball valve wide open (which is about 40mm ID) the lower drain handles the entire flow from the pump running at a full siphon, despite the short drop the drain has (after about 30cm horizontal pipe).
Lousy picture I know, phone didn't have enough power left for the flash.
The drain from the sump works well, well worth the hassle of digging a trench across the lawn!
That shows where it comes out of the house, I had to move half our firewood to dig the damn trench. Shortly after that it started raining, so no more pics unfortunately. Will try take a couple tomorrow.
Only drama is a very slight leak from one of the bulkheads in the back of the tank, so I'm going to have to remove it and silicone it in place. Even still, the big hold up is going to be my large stump that still hasn't quite sunk. Once that is waterlogged I'll add the substrate, then heat it and transfer the fish over. Fingers crossed it shouldn't be too long now, I'm starting to get excited!
