Plumbing

[SierraReef]

I'm not a very mechanical person. I'm in the process of converting a small bedroom into a fish room and I'm wondering if anyone can point me toward reading material (books or websites) that can provide a comprehensive but understandable overview on how to plumb systems. I see pics with PVC pipe going everywhere and hooked up to this and that but I'm intimidated by the thought of doing that myself. I'm also intimidated by paying someone to do it myself. I'm in this hobby for life - I need to figure out how to do these things myself. Any help is appreciated. I want to run sumps, coral vats and some tanks.

[Cearbhaill]

I'm a grandma with NO plumbing experience- and I plumbed mine.

It's really hard to tell you how to do yours- every system is different. Only you know how much water you need to go where.

I found trial and error to be my best bet- I bought enough PVC fittings that I had extra to play with and then started measuring and glueing. Of course I had to do everything 2-3 times before I figured out to dry fit everything first. It was a fairly steep learning curve for all of about 2 days- I was obsessed.

Of course after having done it I can't wait to redo it- I learned so much from my first attempt. I recommend that you look at as many setup photos as possible, then just go for it. Plumbing is intimidating at first, but with a couple of days of hands on experience you'll get the hang of it.

Just decide everything regarding placement before you begin, then measure twice and cut once. Dry fit before you glue, and minimize elbows as much as possible.
If I can learn it anyone can.

[mogurnda]

Here's a page from TheKrib discussing fishroom setup. The first post, which is arranged like an FAQ, seems to be the most useful.
http://www.thekrib.com/TankHardware/fishroom.html

[OrionGirl]

I'd also sit down with pen and paper (or maybe pencil! :) ) and draw out what all plumbing you want. Systems plumbed together? Top off and water for changes? Drains? Identifying what you want from the plumbing will really help in the long run, and prevent you from re-doing it after 6 months.

The most frustrating part about plumbing for me is the number of trips to pick up another piece that I overlooked. We now have several bins of PVC bits and parts--chunks of tubing, various elbows, fittings, etc--mostly from a lack of planning, or changing something midway through the project.

Planning will also allow you to see how many pumps, and what size, you'll need. Try to avoid lots of corners and changes in height--a straight shot is easier to plumb, and allows you to get more out of smaller pumps. Spend some time looking at different kinds of valves--I prefer ball valves, because they are easier to adjust, but that might just be me.

[got_nailed]

If you have a salt water fish store around go there and see if they will let you look around. I think this will help some if you see a large setup and they can help by telling you what pipes are doing what. Some of them will draw out some stuff for you to.

I did this 3 weeks ago and I’m still planning a new sump system for about 400 gallons in my breading room. But it is a fresh water witch has a bit less stuff in the system. I’m also thinking about using a “wet sump” on a 75 gall planted and I think I have changed both setups 50 times on paper.

Just do a lot of planning and keep looking at it.

[SierraReef]

Thanks everybody - wish me luck. I'll sit down and figure out exactly what I want in the room (it's pretty small) and then I'll plan appropriately.