My 240g tank journal
- Thread starter loaches r cool
- Start date
Thanks all for the kind words!
Unfortunately with my work schedule and the holidays I probably wont get anything done on the tank for the next week or so. But I still have some pics of progress already made that I might get a chance to edit & upload yet.
There isnt any extra plumbing... I've used pretty much all in that picture X 3 times as much lol. Unfortunately I had to scrap alot of the parts I've replaced since they were all cemented in and I had to cut them out, etc.
Unfortunately with my work schedule and the holidays I probably wont get anything done on the tank for the next week or so. But I still have some pics of progress already made that I might get a chance to edit & upload yet.
Tom, yeah acrylic for a large tank makes it a lot easier to manuever. A lot of folks choose acrylic for larger tanks since its so light and also good clearity (well unless your glass tank is starphire glass which mine isnt). For me it was just a cost thing, this tank was very reasonable and at first i was going to try to set the whole thing up for really cheap but along the way I spent a lot more than I originally thought I would. The project started with the KISS method in mind (keep it stupid simple) and will by the time its done be fully automated and computer controlled (Neptune AquaController3).
There isnt any extra plumbing... I've used pretty much all in that picture X 3 times as much lol. Unfortunately I had to scrap alot of the parts I've replaced since they were all cemented in and I had to cut them out, etc.
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To continue with the plumbing theme I'll start with the sump...
This is what I should have really thought of more before building the stand, so I could have built in specific room for the sump, which I sort of did but took no measurements or even decided how big I wanted the sump. One thing I definitely wanted was the ability to take the sump tank in or out if needed. So on the stand I designed the two outer section to be wider to accommodate this. But I was left with some odd dimensions and couldn’t get a common tank to fit. But I was thinking of just using a Rubbermaid or similar tote anyhow. but I just couldn’t find one to fit the space efficiently until I went to the Container Store. They had about the perfect size to fit the end compartments in my stand - a 33g. Was a little pricey there but decided it was the easiest way to go. I also wanted plenty of volume so I could do water changes out of the sump easily, and since my stand would accommodate two, I decided to go with two, and that would provide the shortest possible plumbing with each sump under the bulkheads on each end. Each sump would have its own return pump. if needed I could shut down one and just use the other too, like for an extended cleaning, etc. The only problem would be balance, so I put a bulkhead in each and connected them together - if one was filling faster than the other the extra would level out through the connecting pipe. Well all this was the original idea, I’ve changed it somewhat since, but will show the pics and explain it as it really happened. 
The 33g tote. Since this is going to be in the cooler room in the house, on slab floor, and against the outside wall, I am insulating everything I can to make it more thermally efficient. So I got some foam insulation and am lining the sump tanks as well as the base and back of the display tank.
The bulkhead I put in the side of each tank to connect them together.
Sump tank in the stand. I lined (but not stapled in place yet) the whole bottom of the stand with heavy gauge black plastic lining to hopefully catch the stray splash of water so it doesn’t soak into the carpet underneath.
There is a small amount of bowing [expected] and I think I will also add some bracing to prevent the bowing later. I cut a slot in the foam in the front and am going to mark the sump level with gallonage marks.
I probably could have custom built the whole thing from acrylic but I was hoping this would save time and money, at least since I wasn’t going to mess with chambers and baffles, etc. The sump is merely a holding tank of water. I plan on putting a large 250 micron media bag over the drain outlet to catch debris, and sort of visible in the last pic I am going to make filter boxes the return pumps will be sucking through, with a large piece of floss and some bio media inside. Hopefully this will be easy to maintain. Time will tell. And I apologize if this looks kind of ghetto rigged, with duck tape and all... lol
Looking good, I like the cutout idea with the volume marks..I may have to steal that. What are you using for the filtration, putting a w/d in the sump, or what?
Oh never mind I see it now...the submerged box in the sump is basically going to act like a non-pressurized canister filter?
Thanks bethkira2000!
Thats the basic idea.... its not gone through any testing yet so I dont know how it will perform. Its basically like those pong filters that have a pump and a large box with sponge on the intake. I've got pics of the filtration to upload next...
Yeah, since I put the foam insulation I still wanted an easy way to mark the gallonage so I figured it was the easiest way. Havent done it yet but if I get time tonight I am going to test the flow of the drain pump again, I tested it yesterday at 2.5g in 45 seconds so if that is consistent then I'll make a mark on the sump every 5 gallons as I drain it down.
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