Making my 800 gal bigger.
- Thread starter MonsterFishResc
- Start date
After numerous attempts at filling and re-sealing I still have a leak.
Unfortunately I cannot find the source. I am not sure what my next step is
going to be but I will be taking a break from this project. You tube
consistently keeps rejecting my videos all of a sudden so there will be no
video up date this time around. I did fill the tank and sump (which does
not leak) this afternoon and I also finished the plumbing for the filter.
I temporarily put the pump in and tried to run a cycle on the tank.
Unfortunately the tank is going to need another bulkhead to feed the sump
as the pump almost overflowed the tank while simultaneously draining the
sump tank. According to my calculations each inch of the tank is 39.83
gallons and it takes two inches to fill the pipes in the filter system so
roughly 80 gallons to get the filter running. But again, the sump is not
getting fed fast enough. In theory the sump should be half full when
running normally and completely full when sitting idle or during a power
outage. If when I add another bulkhead to the tank it is still not enough
then the sump tank needs to be larger. I find this hard to believe since
this is the same pump that ran the 800 with zero issues in a sump tank
that held only 115 gallons or so. The only difference is 12 gallons of
water per inch in the addition. In my opinion 24 gallons is not enough of
a difference to warrant a larger sump tank than 163 gallons. The major
difference is one less bulkhead, one less feed to the sump.
That is where we stand.
I need to work tomorrow on a small job that should take less than 12 hrs
to complete, so nothing is going to get done tomorrow.
Here is a punch list of things that need to happen before full operation
and stocking of fish:
1.) Fix the leak.
2.) Install the under gravel jets and spray bar.
3.) Add a bulkhead and another run to the sump.
4.) Install and connect the heat coil.
5.) Make lids.
6.) Test everything for a week.
7.) Drain and decorate.
8.) Stock.
2-8 are very easy steps. It’s one that I’ve got an issue with. The only
feasible idea I have is to re-coat the entire tank by spraying it. Other
than that I’m open to ideas. I believe I’m only a few clicks away from
reaching my limit of patience. Honestly, I’m past patience and frustration
and have moved right onto the “I don’t care anymore” stage! LOL
So please. Any and all ideas are welcome.
Jonathan (aka TheFishGuy aka MonsterFishRescue)
Unfortunately I cannot find the source. I am not sure what my next step is
going to be but I will be taking a break from this project. You tube
consistently keeps rejecting my videos all of a sudden so there will be no
video up date this time around. I did fill the tank and sump (which does
not leak) this afternoon and I also finished the plumbing for the filter.
I temporarily put the pump in and tried to run a cycle on the tank.
Unfortunately the tank is going to need another bulkhead to feed the sump
as the pump almost overflowed the tank while simultaneously draining the
sump tank. According to my calculations each inch of the tank is 39.83
gallons and it takes two inches to fill the pipes in the filter system so
roughly 80 gallons to get the filter running. But again, the sump is not
getting fed fast enough. In theory the sump should be half full when
running normally and completely full when sitting idle or during a power
outage. If when I add another bulkhead to the tank it is still not enough
then the sump tank needs to be larger. I find this hard to believe since
this is the same pump that ran the 800 with zero issues in a sump tank
that held only 115 gallons or so. The only difference is 12 gallons of
water per inch in the addition. In my opinion 24 gallons is not enough of
a difference to warrant a larger sump tank than 163 gallons. The major
difference is one less bulkhead, one less feed to the sump.
That is where we stand.
I need to work tomorrow on a small job that should take less than 12 hrs
to complete, so nothing is going to get done tomorrow.
Here is a punch list of things that need to happen before full operation
and stocking of fish:
1.) Fix the leak.
2.) Install the under gravel jets and spray bar.
3.) Add a bulkhead and another run to the sump.
4.) Install and connect the heat coil.
5.) Make lids.
6.) Test everything for a week.
7.) Drain and decorate.
8.) Stock.
2-8 are very easy steps. It’s one that I’ve got an issue with. The only
feasible idea I have is to re-coat the entire tank by spraying it. Other
than that I’m open to ideas. I believe I’m only a few clicks away from
reaching my limit of patience. Honestly, I’m past patience and frustration
and have moved right onto the “I don’t care anymore” stage! LOL
So please. Any and all ideas are welcome.
Jonathan (aka TheFishGuy aka MonsterFishRescue)
Sorry to hear that...that really sucks. I think if I was you I'd take a break for a week or so and then sand and recoat the entire deep end of the tank...IMHO. Good luck!
I think you need a custom liner for that thing. You need a promotional partner/sponsor. Have you tried that?
Ha ha... no sponsors... YET 
Up Date:
Since you tube is not cooperating we’re going to do this up date old school… I got the entire tanks seams siliconed this afternoon. By the time I was finished (which it only took about 20 minutes) my eyes were burning! LOL I was able to keep the door open and there’s an exhaust fan just a few feet away in the small bathroom/laundryroom in the basement that I was able to keep on and it took care of most of the fumes from the silicone… Actually I think I’m still HIGH LOL. Here’s some pictures of that:
I also decided there wasn’t any reason the heat coil couldn’t be ran so I did that too… That really only took about 30 minutes seeing as I already had the thermostat wired and the pump installed. I’ll re-cap how this is intended to work. I might even go super old school and do a drawing in paint! Yeah… Let’s do that:
So here’s some coiled in the sump around a cage made from eggcrate from an old project. When I run out to my shed I’m going to grab a bunch of zip ties to separate the coils so they’re not touching each other. Hence the eggcrate… And it got the dang thing out of the way in the fish room! LOL
Here’s a shot of the heat lines running into the tank room and down into the sump. As you can see I took the 55 out in order to do this:
Here’s the pump mounted about 5’ up in the laundry room/little bathroom (which is essentially just a toilet, my toilet according to Dominic! LOL)
And here’s where you can see it going into the drain cock of the water heater.
Now I couldn’t just hook this up and not test it… So I filled the sump with 46* water and set the thermostat to 60*… We’ll see how it does… Of all the upgrades I’m doing to this tank this is the one I’m most excited about, well that and now I’m on the hunt for a giant piece of drift wood… Maybe I’ll just go cut a tree down in the back and wedge it in the tank so it doesn’t float… OOOO… Chainsaw!
That’s it in a nutshell, hopefully tomorrow will be a good day and we’ll have no more leaks. I’m goingto get on the horn with you tube and see what’s up their rear lately… Don’t they understand the importance of this? Sheesh… the nerve…
As always, if there’s any questions feel free to ask! I will do my best to typ out an answer for you… cuz you guessed it… you tube sucks!
Ps. Sorry for the book, but it would have only been a short video to listen to if you tube didn’t suck…
Up Date:
Since you tube is not cooperating we’re going to do this up date old school… I got the entire tanks seams siliconed this afternoon. By the time I was finished (which it only took about 20 minutes) my eyes were burning! LOL I was able to keep the door open and there’s an exhaust fan just a few feet away in the small bathroom/laundryroom in the basement that I was able to keep on and it took care of most of the fumes from the silicone… Actually I think I’m still HIGH LOL. Here’s some pictures of that:
I also decided there wasn’t any reason the heat coil couldn’t be ran so I did that too… That really only took about 30 minutes seeing as I already had the thermostat wired and the pump installed. I’ll re-cap how this is intended to work. I might even go super old school and do a drawing in paint! Yeah… Let’s do that:
So here’s some coiled in the sump around a cage made from eggcrate from an old project. When I run out to my shed I’m going to grab a bunch of zip ties to separate the coils so they’re not touching each other. Hence the eggcrate… And it got the dang thing out of the way in the fish room! LOL
Here’s a shot of the heat lines running into the tank room and down into the sump. As you can see I took the 55 out in order to do this:
Here’s the pump mounted about 5’ up in the laundry room/little bathroom (which is essentially just a toilet, my toilet according to Dominic! LOL)
And here’s where you can see it going into the drain cock of the water heater.
Now I couldn’t just hook this up and not test it… So I filled the sump with 46* water and set the thermostat to 60*… We’ll see how it does… Of all the upgrades I’m doing to this tank this is the one I’m most excited about, well that and now I’m on the hunt for a giant piece of drift wood… Maybe I’ll just go cut a tree down in the back and wedge it in the tank so it doesn’t float… OOOO… Chainsaw!
That’s it in a nutshell, hopefully tomorrow will be a good day and we’ll have no more leaks. I’m goingto get on the horn with you tube and see what’s up their rear lately… Don’t they understand the importance of this? Sheesh… the nerve…
As always, if there’s any questions feel free to ask! I will do my best to typ out an answer for you… cuz you guessed it… you tube sucks!
Ps. Sorry for the book, but it would have only been a short video to listen to if you tube didn’t suck…
Glad to see you haven't given up.
FWIW, someone on here or on MFK had a huge piece of driftwood for sale. I just read the post yesterday.
Found it:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183076&highlight=driftwood
This question may be irrelevant but what do you do for a living?
FWIW, someone on here or on MFK had a huge piece of driftwood for sale. I just read the post yesterday.
Found it:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183076&highlight=driftwood
This question may be irrelevant but what do you do for a living?
I'm a carpenter chiphead and I often use my "trim saw" (Chain saw) to cut long complicated compound bevels on hip or valley rafters... Also... I pay enough for lumber... I'm not going to pay for driftwood Made my mind up on that about 15 years ago 
but thanks anyway! By the way... The heat works friggin awesome! and yes, that's the water heater for my house. It should actually make it more efficient having it being fed with water that is not 45* but about 100*
Made my mind up on that about 15 years ago but thanks anyway! By the way... The heat works friggin awesome! and yes, that's the water heater for my house. It should actually make it more efficient having it being fed with water that is not 45* but about 100* 