Z-Man07's closed loop on a budget!!

Z-Man07 · #1 01/26/2007, 08:12 PM

This was supposed to be a pretty pic intense, throughout the process thread. However, my son deleted all my "during" pictures from my camera so all I can show is what it looks like after installing it.

It is an over the top design as I am hoping to move into a 120g this spring and I wanted to install it on my current tank without taking it down.

Sorry for the dirty pics. I have been working quite a lot lately and haven't had a chance to clean it yet.

Here is a quick drawing of the design.

Here it is installed. FTS. (Unfortunately my skimmer has to hang on the front now until I get the new tank with the sump.)

Here is the right side of the tank.
-You can see the far right pipe runs all the way down to the bottom and forward to the two 45 degree fittings in the sand at the front.
-The next one to the left runs half way down the back, tees to two "double 90's" that push forward to the back of the rocks.
-To the left of that is the perforated "inlet" pipe feeding the pump.
-The left side of the tank is a near mirror image.

This is the "double 90" fitting. There are a total of four of these on the back wall.

It's not perfect. It is my first time working with pipes. I have microbubbles coming out every 35-40 seconds so, if I remember correctly, I need to silicone all of my pipe joints on the inlet side of the pump. Best of all, it works!!! More flow with no leaks!!

Thanks to everyone here at RC for taking the time to post their own projects and answer questions. Without you I would still be just staring into the tanks at the LFS. (Well, actually, I still do that.) But I do thank you.

pito · #2 01/27/2007, 12:15 AM

Good job. Where'd you get those double 90's? I'd try to cover those 4 outlets in front of the LR somehow.

god910 · #3 01/27/2007, 01:53 AM

One super cool thing us "FW" guys do is to glue sand to the PVC. It works really well, and keeps the fish from knocking it off. Just cover it in glue, then roll it around in sand.

zeusfc · #4 01/27/2007, 02:15 AM

yup, done the sand thing myself, but if you rough up the pvc and use pvc glue (not silicone) to glue the sand on, then you get coralline algae growing in it quite quickly too

god910 · #5 01/27/2007, 02:20 AM

Yeah, sorry, don't use silicone. And don't use PVC primer, just cleaner

pito · #6 01/27/2007, 10:08 AM

How about a few pieces of rubble rock glued to them?

god910 · #7 01/27/2007, 01:39 PM

How did you do your inlet? I've been thinking of doing a C/L like this, but not sure how to do the inlet very well. Thanks.

Z-Man07 · #8 01/27/2007, 07:02 PM

Pito,
I got the fittings at Lowe's.

god910,
The inlet was easier than I thought it would be. I will take some pics and post it up tomorrow night. I think I got the flu or something. I have been working way too much and not taking care of myself. I am going to go back to bed now. But I will answer your question better tomorrow.

god910 · #9 01/27/2007, 07:10 PM

Thank ya kindly.

annewayne · #10 01/27/2007, 10:23 PM

That's cool................

zeusfc · #11 01/29/2007, 01:39 AM

Hi I've noticed something about the CL, could be vital, long term...

In Delbeek & Sprungs "The Reef Aquarium vol 3", it states that you should NEVER come into a "T" from the side, as back presure on the pump can be increased substantially, and total flow is reduced, big-time!
i think you need to have a bit of a rethink, to see if you can "tee-off" from four of those outlets, so they look more like big "L"s than "T"s. does that make sense?

i've still got one like it in my return too!

god910 · #12 01/29/2007, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by zeusfc
Hi I've noticed something about the CL, could be vital, long term...

In Delbeek & Sprungs "The Reef Aquarium vol 3", it states that you should NEVER come into a "T" from the side...

Maybe I'm missing something, but where do you see that happening? I'm not seeing it.

zeusfc · #13 01/29/2007, 10:17 AM

sorry, had to go to work... "light green" pipes and "purple" pipes... (there's even one in the second picture! although both are only short lengths after the "T" and before the actual outlets.

I guess that the cost of replacing the pump a year earlier, is probably cheaper than the valves needed to make it the other way!

forget i spoke on this one!... incidently i'm replacing my incorrectly plumbed "T" with a "SCWD" wavemaker... just a thought!

god910 · #14 01/29/2007, 12:27 PM

Please don't think I'm harping on this, I just want to understand what you are talking about, so nobody makes mistakes. I'm guessing your talking about where they connect to the red section? It could also be a terminology thing, when you say "come into a T on the side" I think that mean the INLET is on the side, correct? IE, plumbing the water from one of the horizontal legs INTO the T?

RichConley · #15 01/29/2007, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zeusfc
sorry, had to go to work... "light green" pipes and "purple" pipes... (there's even one in the second picture! although both are only short lengths after the "T" and before the actual outlets.

I guess that the cost of replacing the pump a year earlier, is probably cheaper than the valves needed to make it the other way!

forget i spoke on this one!... incidently i'm replacing my incorrectly plumbed "T" with a "SCWD" wavemaker... just a thought!

Pumps last longer with backpressure on them. They DO NOT wear out quicker.

zeusfc · #16 01/29/2007, 05:05 PM

Rich; "Pumps last longer with backpressure on them. They DO NOT wear out quicker"
I have NO doubt you haven't made this up... but please explain the logic behind it.. i'm not trying to be controversial here... if there's something i dont know about, i want to!

god910; i'm talking about the outlets at the front, where four outlets tee off from two pipes under the sand, and at the rear where you can actually see the "T" before the outlets in photo number 2!

god910 · #17 01/29/2007, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zeusfc
god910; i'm talking about the outlets at the front, where four outlets tee off from two pipes under the sand, and at the rear where you can actually see the "T" before the outlets in photo number 2!

Ah! But you've got it wrong. The outlets that run along the back of the tank (in the corners) are the ones that feed the front outlets. It goes down, turns (90*) toward the center, then turns again (90*) toward the front. At which point it's T'd again, and you can see that part right at the front of the tank. It has 2 feeds for the front parts. If I'm correct that is.

zeusfc · #18 01/31/2007, 06:44 PM

Z-Man07... can you put us right on this....

rcmike · #19 01/31/2007, 08:04 PM

It is true that most pumps actually work better with some backpressure. They also actually draw less amps with some backpressure.

RichConley · #20 02/01/2007, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by zeusfc
Rich; "Pumps last longer with backpressure on them. They DO NOT wear out quicker"
I have NO doubt you haven't made this up... but please explain the logic behind it.. i'm not trying to be controversial here... if there's something i dont know about, i want to!

god910; i'm talking about the outlets at the front, where four outlets tee off from two pipes under the sand, and at the rear where you can actually see the "T" before the outlets in photo number 2!

Pumps under some backpressure draw less energy, so they run cooler. Cooler motors last longer.

Z-Man07 · #21 02/02/2007, 08:07 AM

I apologize for not being present during my own thread discussion. I have been working an insane amount and I cannot get rid of this illness I have now either.

god910 got it right. In the second photo, you see the 1.25" pipe running down the corner of the tank. At the bottom is turns horizontally for about 5 inches along the back/bottom edge. It then turns forward across the bottom of the tank. One can see, in the sand, where that 1.25" pipe enters the Tee and is reduced to two 1" pipes going left and right. The 1" pipes are finished with 1" to .75" reducing elbows, topped with .75" 45 degree fittings.

The pipe that is running down the back (to the left of the one I just wrote about) is what feeds the outlets in the back of the tank. It is a 1" pipe running half way down the back of the tank. It goes into a Tee and is reduced to two .75" pipes running left and right. I reused some fittings (from an earlier attempt) to make what you can see in the last photo.

The pipe to the left of this is simply the inlet pipe feeding the pump.

I am actually at work right now. I have duty today (I have to sit here and be "on call" for any emergencies) until 7 AM tomorrow. I have a date with my wife tomorrow night!! I hope to take some more photos on Sunday that may be a little more enlightening. If I take the canopy off and take a photo of the pipes running over the top you may be able to understand it better.

Again, thanks for looking!! If you have more questions or points to discuss, please post as I am doing nothing but waiting for an emergency that I hope will not happen. I will try to get the photos uploaded on Sunday.

Happy Reefing,