how does this look?

yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member
Here are my plans for a "rubberamaid propogation unit"
This will consist of:
-large container/trashcan (around 30 gallons) $15
-Hamilton 175w 14k ReefStar2 Mogul System(includes bulb and ballast) $199.99
-Eggcrate racks(1 for the coral frags near surface and another half way down for rubble rock) $20
- skimmer that will take water from the unit by a bulkhead in the side or an "over the top"approach.(i am upgrading mny skimmer in my display to a Euro-reef so i will use my skimmer that is in use now for the frag tank. $0
-150 watt heater$20
-scwd or some type of closed loop system $??????
-cooling fans $35
-misc plumbing and parts $20
am i missing anything?
i estimate the total cost to set it up to be around $400-$425
what would you do to make it cheaper?
i would be doing softies and possibly lps but the reason for MH is i want great color and growth.
1.) what would you do as far as closed loop or SCWD?
2.)can you drill the side of a plastic trashcan and use it to suck water to skimmer pump without having a hug leaking problem?or will the over the top method work better?(PVC would suck water from unit,go over the lip of the tank)
here it is............
 
nas19320

nas19320

Active Member
Instead of having 30 gallons of water that is 3 feet deep and 1 foot wide, why not have 30 gallons that is 1 foot deep and 3 feet wide. You will be able to place more frags closer to the light and make better use of the setup, unless space is an issue for you.
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member

Originally posted by YellowTail
-scwd or some type of closed loop system $??????
1.) what would you do as far as closed loop or SCWD?
2.)can you drill the side of a plastic trashcan and use it to suck water to skimmer pump without having a hug leaking problem?or will the over the top method work better?(PVC would suck water from unit,go over the lip of the tank)
1. I wouldn't get that fancy, just put a few powerheads in the container.
2. You might want to look for Uniseals. It's a bulkhead made entirely of rubber, advertised for economical use in usual applications. The picture on one site has one uniseal replacing a PVC reducing T fitting, and the other one going into the side of a bucket.
"Reduce costs! Why use an expensive bulkhead when you can use a Uniseal®? Just drill a hole in the pipe, tank or bucket, insert a Uniseal®, then put some soap (Windex) on the end of the pipe and push it in. It’s that easy! Feels like rubber, but they are made of DuPont Alcryn® rated to 40 psi and warranted for 25 years. They are immune to cold, will not harden, and hold pressure and vacuum. The sizes below correspond to standard Schedule 40 PVC pipe. Fits tank wall thickness up to 1/2". Made in USA. "
I agree with Nas on the wide vs deep issue.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member

Originally posted by Nas19320
Instead of having 30 gallons of water that is 3 feet deep and 1 foot wide, why not have 30 gallons that is 1 foot deep and 3 feet wide. You will be able to place more frags closer to the light and make better use of the setup, unless space is an issue for you.
thanks skidmore that helped alot,
do you think that i should put anything to seal the around the pipe and around the uniseal?what should i use instead of "windex" as mentioned to slip it in place?will this work on surfaces that arent exactly flat or bowed in this situation.i cant seem to find where to buy one.could you give a link if it doesnt compete with swf.com?
nas,
is there any specific one that fits near those dimensions?
 
nas19320

nas19320

Active Member
I just picked those dimensions at random. Here's an example of a very nice prop tub, a guy who goes by the screen name of TheLivingReef on -- built this. You could also just use a fish tank
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member

Originally posted by YellowTail
thanks skidmore that helped alot,
do you think that i should put anything to seal the around the pipe and around the uniseal?what should i use instead of "windex" as mentioned to slip it in place?will this work on surfaces that arent exactly flat or bowed in this situation.i cant seem to find where to buy one.could you give a link if it doesnt compete with swf.com?

thanks nas,
i saw that before.it is 50 gallons i believe?
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member
I'm really not sure about the details of the non-competition agreement. The place I saw the seals was an aquatic equiptment place, doesn't sell much in the way of fish/inverts, but some so I don't think I can post it here. So a google search on "Uniseals" the first result sells them.
I think the idea is to use ammonia to make the seal. I think windex has other stuff in it, so you might want another source. Find a brand of 100% ammonia with no surficants, perfumes, or artificial color. 100% ammonia is safe for a tank that's not running yet, it will evaporate given time.
The pictures indicate that they work fine on curved surfaces, but I've never tried it myself.
I wouldn't add any other sealant unless you find a leak.
The over the top design should work, you just have to get your water levels precise. Since you're not doing a whole sump, it might be actually easier to put the overflow bulkhead on a small resivior the skimmer sits in, have one pump to push water up over the top into the resivior, one to run the skimmer inside the resivior. Then the water level in the resivior will never change, and the skimmer shouldn't need adjusting constantly.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member

Originally posted by DSkidmore
The over the top design should work, you just have to get your water levels precise.

can you explain that please because im :confused:
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member
Most skimmers require a precise water pressure or depth to operate correctly. I don't know anything about the particular skimmer you have though. If the water level goes up and down, then the water pressure at the point of pump or siphon entry will change, resulting in diffrent water pressure at the entrance to the skimmer. This can change the water level inside the skimmer. If pressure is too high, the water will partially fill the area where you want the foam forming, giving you wetter foam. If the pressure is too low, the water level in the skimmer will drop, and the foam may not have enough power to make it up to the disposal cup. Most skimmers have valves to adjust the water level, but I doubt you want to mess with it regularly.
You could experiment with it just running over the top and see how tolerant your skimmer is of the water level variances that come from evaporation and topoff. You might not need my extra complicated design. It wouldn't be hard to add later if it's a problem.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member
ive revised my thinking....... can you drill at 20 gallon long tank(the sides of it,is it too thin?)
A-Stand
B-Tank
C-Bulkhead for skimmer pump
D-Skimmer return
E-Stand on which skimmer would sit.
(not shown is a 175 watt mh fixture,will it cause heat issues if i run fans?)
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member

Originally posted by YellowTail
ive revised my thinking....... can you drill at 20 gallon long tank(the sides of it,is it too thin?)
A-Stand
B-Tank
C-Bulkhead for skimmer pump
D-Skimmer return
E-Stand on which skimmer would sit.
(not shown is a 175 watt mh fixture,will it cause heat issues if i run fans?)
There is always a risk in drilling a tank, but I wouldn't put the worry on the glass being too thin.
I'm still not sure what the point of a bulkhead on the tank is. Bulkheads usually take water from below the water line for 0 pressure applicaitons, like overflows, or just for neatness sake. If you have the pump pulling water from the aquarium, you don't have to worry about your siphon breaking, so you could just submerge the inlet hose to the point where the bulkhead was and get the same effect. You're not really worried about the looks factor if the skimmer is going to be sitting out on the side there.
As for the diagram, just make sure there's a T and a "snorkel" (the top of the T extended and left open to the air as a siphon break) at point D, so that the water pressure is constant.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member
where else would you put the skimmer?:notsure: i must have confused bulkhead with something else.all i meant was a hole drilled into the side of the tank for water pull.
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member

Originally posted by YellowTail
where else would you put the skimmer?:notsure: i must have confused bulkhead with something else.all i meant was a hole drilled into the side of the tank for water pull.
No, that's what a bulkhead is, I just don't see the advantage of bulkhead over U-tube in this application. Why take the risk of drilling the tank?
 
norway

norway

Member
you CAN drill a 20 long.......just take it to a respected glass shop in town. $6 a pop and you dont have to buy the hole saw's
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member

Originally posted by YellowTail
can you drill a 20 high? so skidmore you would just basically do an over the lip application?
:yes: I would do over the lip, but it shouldn't be bad for function if you feel like experimenting with drilling tanks. (Might want to drill throught the back and run a longer pipe in case you want to use the tank again for a diffrent purpose.)
 
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