Eric B's 125 Re-Build Journal

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eric b 125

Guest
today's plan: i'm going to pick up the glass for the baffles after work. (man i hope i measured correctly) i have a good idea of how i'll go about siliconing them in. i'd like to give that nasty rock another boil and a good scrub, then i'll add it to the 55 with all the other LR in it. it proved to be too difficult trying to keep the ammonia down curing 30 lbs of rock in a bucket... i should have seen that coming.
i also have to look in the rock tank to see if i can find a few damsels that might have been transfered with the rock. i took 3 of them back to my LFS yesterday, but i could have sworn i had 5.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
well, as it turns out, i went and double checked the internal measurements of the sump tank, and two of the baffles are too long. hopefully i can call them and ask them to trim some off and they wont take another full day to get it done. i'll also call down to lowes and see if they cut 1/4" glass there. i would try it myself, but i only need like 1.5" trimmed from it and i've never cut glass before.
i forgot to mention: i finally figured out how much rock i have. i weighed it all yesterday when i was breaking the tank down and found out that i have 166 lbs.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
well, i got a hold of the people i ordered the glass from, and they were kind enough to re-trim the two baffles at no extra charge. so, while all the heights of the baffles are correct, the width of ALL of them is off. they are too wide. frankly, i dont care... ill have crooked baffles. i have the first set (the ones raised from the bottom of the tank) curing a bit now. in a few hours i'll do the rest and call it a night. tomorrow the drill bits should be coming in... hopefully my drilling hand is better than my measuring hand!!!
 
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eric b 125

Guest
i also picked up $70 worth of plumbing. i'm going w/ 1.5" until it wyes off into 3/4" in each direction. i was going to use a scwd, but didnt bother with it for the time being. if i want to change it, it's not that major of a project. now i just have to figure out how to put a union in the plumbing that i can disconnect if i need to do maintenance.... anybody?
 
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eric b 125

Guest
the sump is pretty much done. its not the most beautiful sump, but it'll work just fine. now just to drill, paint, plumb and test. i cant wait to have the extra flow, a decent skimmer, and a water line that doesnt fall. i'm also looking forward to the re-aquascaping. any thoughts on the plumbing anyone? i know youre out there...
 
heide264

heide264

Member
I've seen some pretty elaborate plumbing setups. Some of the more successful setups I have seen run for years without problems use that bendable pipe made out of links, and somehow hide it and get it to blow under the egg crate shelves they make. How they get it there is beyond me - I think they actually have holes drilled in the bottom of the tank for return lines or something. Something I would def look into though.
Have you looked into those SCWDs at all? I think they are pretty popular on return lines =).
 
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eric b 125

Guest
i was thinking of a scwd, but never got around to ordering it. if and when i decide to go that route, it will be a quick project that wont require me to turn my whole system out. i can just re-do the top half of my return plumbing.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
HOLES ARE DRILLED!!!! man im pumped. it was cake. the hardest part was getting the nerve to put the bit against the glass. the first layer of paint is on and drying. i'm going to put the sump in the stand and get another coat of paint on before i call it a night. with any luck this thing could be up and running tomorrow or friday. in either event, i can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!
 
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eric b 125

Guest
also, i figured out the union thing. the plumbing section around the local home depot is so cluttered
 
heide264

heide264

Member
I gave up looking for specific fittings last time I was there. I now just write up a list of what I need and bring pieces of tubing/pipe to double check. I just give my list to the poor sucker in the plumbing section and he goes to town for me
 
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eric b 125

Guest
well, now that i have an idea of what parts even exist, next time that's probably what i'll do.
i got two coats of paint on last night. im going to do another coat before heading off to work and i'll have my better half put one more on while i'm at work. four coats should be plenty. then once i get out of work, a short trip to the depot for a ball valve, glue, and teflon tape. then i can get this sucker back onto the stand and start plumbing!!! will post pics of yesterday's progress and what gets done today. thank goodness i have to work tomorrow, otherwise i'd be getting sloshed tonight and wouldnt get anything done.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
i had a super-easy time with the overflow plumbing, but the return has proved to be more of an obstacle. i'm right there, but i had to step off for a second. i was dumb and didnt take into consideration the volume of the tank when buying salt. i'll get the plumbing all matched up tonight, glued tomorrow, then i'll fill it, leak test it, aquascape and return the sand... hopefully it will be fish-worthy the next day. so in two days, that's my goal.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
^ a big shout-out to my buddy klaus for lending me a hand in the drilling
 
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eric b 125

Guest
the painting was fine... the plumbing was both fun and frustrating at the same time.

 
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eric b 125

Guest
its really crunch-time here. i'm getting really anxious to see how well everything works. my fingers are crossed, thats for sure. i'm really happy with how the plumbing turned out. i'm hoping for no leaks when i test it. i do have to go to the depot later just for 2 adapters... the 90's going over the back for the return need a little more length b/w them to fit over the lip of the tank.
 
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eric b 125

Guest
thanks a lot guys. i really appreciate it. honestly i didnt think anyone was really interested in this build. i'm really happy with how its turning out. i naively underestimated the amount of time and work that this was going to take. i really thought i'd be able to do this in a weekend. it's pretty much been at least 6 hours of work everyday for the past 5 days and roughly around $500. once all is said and done i want to figure out how much went into this project... even though i'll kick myself when i find out.
today i re-did the R overflow plumbing (pic to follow). i got everything glued and did a fresh-water test. i was going to aquascape and add sand and water tonight as well, but i realized i forgot to get a GFCI at the depot today. the recepticle is located behind the tank where wiring would be impossible if the tank was full. i'm hoping that everything will be back in the tank tomorrow night.
the overflows are super quiet and the pump puts out just over 1400 gph back into the tank, so i'll have to dial it back just a bit. glass-holes produces a really good product. the boxes are nice and low profile, taking up very little tank space. i have yet to experience comparible customer service from anywhere.
either way... here's the plumbing re-do. keep your fingers crossed that i can get everything back into the tank tomorrow. i still cant wait to get the skimmer running.
 
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