TOTW 05-17-05 375 Gallon Tank and Sump Plans

**The R/C Man** · 11-16-2005, 11:52 AM

Thanks Guys!

It is easier to do it roght when you don't have enough money to throw it all together in one shot. It gives you time to concontrate on the details.

**The R/C Man** · 01-23-2006, 01:41 AM

Hi Everyone!

I finally started building the tank! Yeah!!!

So after cutting the front and back pieces to match each other perfectly (using a router) I did the same for the sides. With the back of the tank on the table I glued the sides on to the back. To ensure a really strong joint the solvent sat for a couple of minutes to soften the acrylic an extra amount. You can see the disolved acrylic oozing out of the joint. That is exactly what we where looking for.

I have also made the template that will be used for cutting out the top of the tank. There will be four openings total. One for each light shroud. The openings are 16.5" x 20".

Next weekend the already assembled parts will be flipped over so that the sides can be glued to the front panel.....

**charlie** · 01-23-2006, 10:03 AM

Good to see some progress Greg, lookin forward to more!!!

**kevinpo** · 01-23-2006, 11:32 AM

Hi Greg,
Nice! Be sure to use a rounding over bit on both sides of the top openings large enough to create a bullnose radius. This will prevent stress cracks from forming in the corners in a few years. It will be much easier to do before the top panels are glued on.

Regards,
Kevin

**The R/C Man** · 01-26-2006, 01:13 PM

Charlie,

Yeah now that it is under way I am getting anxious.

Kevin,

Yap, way ahead of you.

That is one reason for the radiused corners. No sharp corners to start with should help to eliminate stress cracks from starting. Although more exspensive to build creating the top from one solid sheet instead of pieces should also make the top more durable.....

Looking forward to getting some more work done this weekend.....

underseaworld · 01-26-2006, 01:41 PM

I seen something interesting over the past weekend. At a LFS they just got done with their 400 g reef display tank. What they did with the lights is very cool. He has two lights that hang from this track. The track is motorized so the lights can move back and forth. The lights move very slow. The tank was 8' x 36" the lights were only 36" lights but they moved over the entire distance of the tank. Each light covered half the tank. This saves a ton of money on lights. Not sure how it all works yet but I will find out more this weekend.

**The R/C Man** · 01-26-2006, 06:18 PM

Sounds pretty cool. If you have the resources you should take and post some pictures....

underseaworld · 01-26-2006, 06:26 PM

I will be at the store this weekend. I will see if he will give me the details on the light system and also take some pictures.

**The R/C Man** · 01-29-2006, 11:22 PM

Another weekend gone by and some more progress made.

Well, we flipped over the tank in order to glue the front panel on to the sides. While that was drying I started cutting out the rough opening for the top access holes. When those were done I attached the template with a vacuum pump and used the router to finish up the openings. Last was to change bits and give the openings a 1/8" round over...... Next thing will be to flush trim the already assembled parts and then glue on the top......

Hope you are enjoyng the pics.....

**The R/C Man** · 02-13-2006, 09:44 PM

Made some more progress this weekend..

The top is now on.... Next weekend we will glue the on bottom. The following weekend the tank will be flush trimmed and then given a 1/8" round over. All the edges will them be hand polished.....

**The R/C Man** · 02-13-2006, 11:42 PM

Here is a pic of the top of the sump. The top was designed to keep noise down and salt creep in.....

Oh, it is also designed to cut down on algae growth by limiting the amount of light entering that side of the sump...

vtec si · 02-17-2006, 12:28 AM

Hows the project coming now?

Martin

**The R/C Man** · 02-17-2006, 01:30 AM

Hey Martin!

So far so good..... This weekend I will be adding the bottom and building the overflows. Next weekend we will be flush trimming rounding over and polishing it up..... When the wife returns from Japan I will beg her for the money to purchase the two Hammerhead pumps. One will be the return and the other will be for th closed loop....

vtec si · 02-17-2006, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The R/C Man

Hey Martin!

So far so good..... This weekend I will be adding the bottom and building the overflows. Next weekend we will be flush trimming rounding over and polishing it up..... When the wife returns from Japan I will beg her for the money to purchase the two Hammerhead pumps. One will be the return and the other will be for th closed loop....

Greg, just a hint of advice on the Hammerhead pump. I had one on my 300 gallon tank hooked to my 90 gallon sump on my return I had to throttle it back to halh power. So I put it on my closed loop and picked up a Barracuda on my return and been much happier! JME

Martin

**The R/C Man** · 02-17-2006, 07:57 PM

What size sump did you have? Mine is 24w x 48L. About 100gallons. I figured that 1500 per overflow is not that much...

vtec si · 02-17-2006, 08:12 PM

Mine is 24" x44". Mine is also a refugium ang it would run so fast that my chateo wold end up in the fist baffle!

Martin

***Reefland*** · 02-17-2006, 10:33 PM

Was the problem the amount of flow through the sump/'fuge or that the overflows couldn't handle it?

vtec si · 02-17-2006, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefland

Was the problem the amount of flow through the sump/'fuge or that the overflows couldn't handle it?

That is what I was trying to say. To much flow for the sump!

**The R/C Man** · 02-23-2006, 06:48 PM

More progress on the tank.... Here are a couple more pics.

***Reefland*** · 02-23-2006, 07:37 PM

I'm not familiar with acrylic fabrication but I am guessing that the edges will be routed and smoothed?

11-16-2005, 11:52 AM	#61
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	Thanks Guys! It is easier to do it roght when you don't have enough money to throw it all together in one shot. It gives you time to concontrate on the details. __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

01-23-2006, 01:41 AM	#62
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	Update!!!! :-) Hi Everyone! I finally started building the tank! Yeah!!! So after cutting the front and back pieces to match each other perfectly (using a router) I did the same for the sides. With the back of the tank on the table I glued the sides on to the back. To ensure a really strong joint the solvent sat for a couple of minutes to soften the acrylic an extra amount. You can see the disolved acrylic oozing out of the joint. That is exactly what we where looking for. I have also made the template that will be used for cutting out the top of the tank. There will be four openings total. One for each light shroud. The openings are 16.5" x 20". Next weekend the already assembled parts will be flipped over so that the sides can be glued to the front panel..... Attached Thumbnails __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

01-23-2006, 10:03 AM	#63
charlie Keeper of Willis Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: NW Montana Posts: 6,214	Good to see some progress Greg, lookin forward to more!!! __________________ 400 Gallon Reef Log Rome wasn't built in a day---neither is a reef

01-23-2006, 11:32 AM	#64
kevinpo Moderator Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Spokane Valley WA Posts: 2,447	Hi Greg, Nice! Be sure to use a rounding over bit on both sides of the top openings large enough to create a bullnose radius. This will prevent stress cracks from forming in the corners in a few years. It will be much easier to do before the top panels are glued on. Regards, Kevin __________________ SPSguy On - On

01-26-2006, 01:13 PM	#65
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	Charlie, Yeah now that it is under way I am getting anxious. Kevin, Yap, way ahead of you. That is one reason for the radiused corners. No sharp corners to start with should help to eliminate stress cracks from starting. Although more exspensive to build creating the top from one solid sheet instead of pieces should also make the top more durable..... Looking forward to getting some more work done this weekend..... __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

01-26-2006, 01:41 PM	#66
underseaworld Citizen Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tonopah, AZ Posts: 209	I seen something interesting over the past weekend. At a LFS they just got done with their 400 g reef display tank. What they did with the lights is very cool. He has two lights that hang from this track. The track is motorized so the lights can move back and forth. The lights move very slow. The tank was 8' x 36" the lights were only 36" lights but they moved over the entire distance of the tank. Each light covered half the tank. This saves a ton of money on lights. Not sure how it all works yet but I will find out more this weekend.

01-26-2006, 06:18 PM	#67
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	Sounds pretty cool. If you have the resources you should take and post some pictures.... __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

01-26-2006, 06:26 PM	#68
underseaworld Citizen Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Tonopah, AZ Posts: 209	I will be at the store this weekend. I will see if he will give me the details on the light system and also take some pictures.

01-29-2006, 11:22 PM	#69
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	Another weekend gone by and some more progress made. Well, we flipped over the tank in order to glue the front panel on to the sides. While that was drying I started cutting out the rough opening for the top access holes. When those were done I attached the template with a vacuum pump and used the router to finish up the openings. Last was to change bits and give the openings a 1/8" round over...... Next thing will be to flush trim the already assembled parts and then glue on the top...... Hope you are enjoyng the pics..... Attached Thumbnails __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

02-13-2006, 09:44 PM	#70
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	Made some more progress this weekend.. The top is now on.... Next weekend we will glue the on bottom. The following weekend the tank will be flush trimmed and then given a 1/8" round over. All the edges will them be hand polished..... Attached Thumbnails __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

02-13-2006, 11:42 PM	#71
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	Here is a pic of the top of the sump. The top was designed to keep noise down and salt creep in..... Oh, it is also designed to cut down on algae growth by limiting the amount of light entering that side of the sump... Attached Thumbnails __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

02-17-2006, 12:28 AM	#72
vtec si Governor Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Denver co, USA Posts: 1,017	Hows the project coming now? Martin __________________ VTEC SI

02-17-2006, 01:30 AM	#73
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	Hey Martin! So far so good..... This weekend I will be adding the bottom and building the overflows. Next weekend we will be flush trimming rounding over and polishing it up..... When the wife returns from Japan I will beg her for the money to purchase the two Hammerhead pumps. One will be the return and the other will be for th closed loop.... __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

02-17-2006, 07:57 PM	#75
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	What size sump did you have? Mine is 24w x 48L. About 100gallons. I figured that 1500 per overflow is not that much... __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

02-17-2006, 08:12 PM	#76
vtec si Governor Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Denver co, USA Posts: 1,017	Mine is 24" x44". Mine is also a refugium ang it would run so fast that my chateo wold end up in the fist baffle! Martin __________________ VTEC SI

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02-17-2006, 10:33 PM	#77
*Reefland* Owner Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Bardstown, KY Posts: 13,135	Was the problem the amount of flow through the sump/'fuge or that the overflows couldn't handle it? __________________ Scott Z. 75 Gallon Reef Log Powered by Reefland's Personal Online Aquarium Log

02-23-2006, 06:48 PM	#79
The R/C Man Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 738	More progress on the tank.... Here are a couple more pics. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Greg 25 gallon reef with 20 gallon sump/fuge 375 gallon reef with 100 gallon sump/fuge: under construction Over time science has shown that the simplest answers are usually the correct ones.......

02-23-2006, 07:37 PM	#80
*Reefland* Owner Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Bardstown, KY Posts: 13,135	I'm not familiar with acrylic fabrication but I am guessing that the edges will be routed and smoothed? __________________ Scott Z. 75 Gallon Reef Log Powered by Reefland's Personal Online Aquarium Log

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