Hello I have been working on downsizing a 40 G to a 25G rimless… I am starting from scratch since my main tank was taken over by bubble algae.
These pictures are just a recap of what has been happening over the past few months. The tank has been drilled, the stand has been completed, the light fixture has been installed. Now the rocks are cycling and we’ll see how it goes!
(sorry some of these pictures are blurry)…
It all started with the idea that I had an empty corner and my parents were taking care of my fish in jersey until I could find a suitable apartment that could house a 40G tank. This was getting me frustrated. Even though my parents are trying the aquarium back in Jersey just looks like a mess. Water changes are forgotten and the fish seem to live in a jungle.
One day I was sitting around and thought the corner in my living room (size of a shoe box) might, just might be able to fit an aquarium but definitely not a 40 Gallon one…
Just to see, i decided to build a stand and see how it would fit…
the stand frame seemed to look well in the corner so I went back to making the stand look more presentable,
I added some sides…
Some molding (without a miter saw verdict_in)
Took a break to buy the cat a monkey hat
and finally stained an old table top i found laying around in the barn by the apartment.
and popped it on
So I thought hey this really isn’t that bad and decided to see how it fits in the corner spot (after I drilled an 25 G aquarium i got with a 300GPH overflow and return)
Still going with the flow I decided to buy some BRS pukani rock and almost peed my pants when it arrived 4 days later (was counting down the hours)
and decided “hey I don’t know crap about LED lights and I’m too lazy to do a DIY project about them” and so bought a kessil A360 (and built a stand out of plumbing pipes)
So this is where I am. maybe more updates to come!
What are your plans for a sump and filtration, if you have decided? I really like your work on the stand, it looks way, way better than most commercially available ones.
Wow I didn’t expect so many responses! I’m glad people like the stand. Here are some more pics…
Installing the 300gph glass-holes overflow (I possibly sweated a gallon of water drilling the tank from stress)
Installing the return …
I was considering painting the back of the tank but kind of like the industrial look so will keep it for now. What do you all think?
Meanwhile the rock curing process for the pukani is still going on (5 weeks and counting)
Eheim 1250 arrived, placed it in the sump to see what it will look like
To give a better idea what the sump size is
And the rocks curing with rotting shrimp in the sock (gf not happy)
Stand doors - sorry cant rotate on iPhone
That’s a professional looking set up right there - good job!
One thing though - how are you going to handle a power outage with a back-siphon? Your sump can probably handle it, but it looks like the water level would be pretty low in the display.
[quote=“Sneeyatch, post:12, topic:6624”]
One thing though - how are you going to handle a power outage with a back-siphon? Your sump can probably handle it, but it looks like the water level would be pretty low in the display.
Maybe I’m looking at it wrong?[/quote]
Is there a check valve on the return line?
Did you have a big PO4 spike with your BRS pukani rock? Got some sitting waiting for the next project.
That’s one thing I didn’t do correctly, when the power is off the backflow does bring up the sump level pretty high - almost reaching the black rim of the sump. I lowered the backflow a bit by turning the return more up however I might have to install a check valve on the return… all the ones I have found so far online get so so reviews. Any recommendations ?
As for the rock the phosphates have been pretty bad. I did an acid bath twice and let the rock sit in saltwater about 6 weeks to try and minimize the leaching before starting the cycle. Even with this work I would still recommend the Pukani rock… very easy to work with and since you can’t rush the tank anyways it makes no difference whether it is sitting in a tub for 6-8 weeks or not.
I would try something simpler first. Can you adjust your lock line so that it’s more toward the top, then drill a hole on the bottom side so that it would break siphon. You may need to get a longer length of lock line but if it works, it would save you from redoin some plumbing. FWIW I think check valves are a false sense of security on SW tanks. They could get gummed up and not work properly.
That’s a good idea. The problem is that the return doesn’t have a siphon when the water goes backwards it simply just flows out as long as the return outlet is low than the water lever the water will simply flow back it. For now I changed it so it’s pointing more upwards this reduces the amount of water going back.
[quote=“Sneeyatch, post:15, topic:6624”]
FWIW I think check valves are a false sense of security on SW tanks. They could get gummed up and not work properly.[/quote]
Sometimes they can. Some things you can do to prevent this are going with a bigger check valve (3/4 up to 1.5) to minimize chance of stuff getting stuck. Or get a fancy George Fisher wye check valve.
Dunk runs one on his basement/ 1st floor set up, not much chance that thing is going to clog. The down side is you need a big pump to overcome the weight of the check valve as they can be restrictive, especially the larger sizes on a smaller pump.
Have you considered a 90 loc line fitting to raise the return exit with minimal extension and still be able to point the jet downward?
I wouldn’t depend on any check valve to prevent water on the floor. Especially in that room. Even the George fisher, the only reason I have one is I woke up one morning to my hammerhead running in reverse. I had a power outage that lasted 5 seconds and the water rushing back was spinning the impeller backwards. When it started it just ran backwards. I added the check and problem solved. Like Scott said its restrictive but hasn’t failed yet and I haven’t cleaned it in a year lol. Me personally I would use larger sump, drop sump level, or raise the return. Oh and very nice job everything is very neat and clean like that look a lot. ::
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