So apparently there is this thing called "Christmas" coming up and I have some sort of expectation to do all this work for other people. So along with all the shopping, and finding a tree, and putting lights on the house, and moving all our furniture back into our room, I still found time to do some work on the tank this weekend. Since All the plugs in the room where the tank is going are on the same circuit breaker as our garage and (I think) one other room, I thought it would be bad times to leave it this way. So I spent the better part of last night re-wiring the socket directly behind the tank and making it so it ran on its very own 15 amp circuit. I also went to town on drilling a hole straight through the wall behind the fish tank and into the garage for my RO line/top off.
behind the tank:
in garage:
The reason I didn't put more equipment in the garage is also part of the reason the fish tank gets its own circuit; The garage gets used. A lot. Grinding, cutting, sanding, etc happens often (woods, metal, plastics, everything,) and all that crap would end up in my sump somehow even if I had it well protected. A skill saw draws a ton of amps and I could see the lights going out every time it would be used. Also, all the fish tank stuff would just take up too much space, the garage is cluttered enough how it is. Hiding just my auto top off and RO line is much more manageable.
During the carnage:
I got all of the plumbing done except the NPT adapter for the loc line didnt show up today like it was supposed to. Neither did the skimmer... But everything else is done. Even got it filled it with water.
plumbing behind before water:
sump bin where skimmer will sit. I got the float valve installed too.
I ran a rubber hose temporarily from where my return line ended into the tank just to watch everything run and check for leaks. The only road block so far out of this whole experience was me being an idiot with drilling holes for the pvc that connects my sumps underneath. I drilled the wet/dry first without thinking too much , and i ended up drilling a whole right were there was a ridge or whatever in the plastic bin. Me being to olazy to do anything else about it patched that sucker up with epoxy putty (aquamend rocks hard) and said good enough. I plan on making something out of glass to replace that or even everything underneath the tank eventually.
This is our dog and how it likes to sleep next to me while I'm working.
And finally, full room shot with everything put in it and the tank where its supposed to be (before I put water in it though.)
So there it is. I should have all my equipment either tomorrow or Wednesday, and as soon as that shows up, its live rock/sand time.