[SouthBayPhoto]

Seems like I finally go to post this thread and everyone is building a 90g. LOL! (just kidding all! ).

However, since I've been whining about it for a while (and asking 10 million questions to everyone!), I figured I best post up or shut up. Since I can't shut my mouth, here is the post.

I finally got the plumbing done tonight. That purple primer is more of a pain in the azz than the darn solvent glue is!!!! I actually had no issues with the glue, but that purple crap is a whooooole 'nother ballgame! LOL So much for making the install look "clean". I'll update this as I get certain parts done throughout the process....so expect this thread to last a year or more. LOL ( KIDDING! <hopefully!> )

My 90g next to my current 46 bow:


Getting ready for the plumbing:


PVC parts glore! (and drying! LOL):



Tank and sump plumbed:


Tank & sump plumbed with check and ball valves:


Sump in the cabinet from the front (it's a MAG12):



And why not...a shot of my current 46 bow :


Okay, that should be enough to bore you all to death...for now.

Hopefully I'll have some more interesting/fun pics when I get this thing going!

[Samper]

Heck yeah! If you don't like the way the pvc looks after plumbing it you can get you some krylon fusion flat black spraypaint to go over it with.

[SouthBayPhoto]

I seriously thought about that actually. I was thinking of that initially to try and spray the upright PVC tubes to have them blend in a bit better, but then I said the heck with it and didn't do it.

However, ya never know....I still might do that for the uprights, but would it be okay to have that type of paint inside the saltwater in the tank? If I was going to do it, I would want to spray the return outlets that are in the tank as well to try and get them to "mesh" into the black background/overflow.

But I also figure, 99% of the people aren't even going to notice the return lines and such if my aquascaping amazes them enough.

[Garrett]

Where did you get your tank from? Have you considered your lighting yet?

[scubadude]

Nice! So what are the plans for both of these tanks Mat? A fish only on the bowfront and a reeftank on the 90g? Who cares about the purple drip lines on the plumbing unless you got it on your carpet The actual fitting of the plumbing looks great!

[Ratpack]

Looks good so far. What is the hardest part of the PVC primer? The reason I ask is that in all my years of using PVC both at home and on tanks, I have yet to use any.

[Samper]

I painted the full return lines with that paint including the ones back into the display. The paint in the saltwater has slowly been covered in algae but I can still see some black here and there. It's definately more sightly than bright white which by the way won't cover in coralline as fast as black will. I don't know why but I can paint a side black and leave one not painted and the black side will get covered faster

[Samper]

Ratpack...the primer cleans and softens the plastic so that you get a better bond once glued and dry. That's just my observation and I always use it just to be safe but I have been around for a few builds when glue only was used and worked fine.

[SouthBayPhoto]

Garrett - I actually bought it from someone locally off Craig's List two days before Christmas. As for lighting, I believe I'm going with the same setup that Poseidon is running. I'm going to run four T-5's but overdrive them with an IceCap IC660 ballast. Then I'll probably add another separate T-5 with an actinic just as my sunrise/sunset bulb. As for the lighting for my fuge, I have no idea as of yet! LOL Whatever it is, it better be able to be mounted under the main tank in the stand! LOL

Rocky - I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the 46 yet to be honest. I'm just working on buying everything I need for the 90 to get it up and running. The 46 will stay going until the 90 cycles and things are going well. Then I was going to transfer my 3 fish, 6 snails and 2 hermits over to the 90. After that..hmmm. LOL Someone suggested I put the 46 into my bedroom and run either fresh or maybe a FOWLR tank in there. Oh and I made sure to do the priming/gluing on a disposable table! No darn way was I going to get that stuff on apt carpet and have to pay to replace it all.
Thank you for the compliment on the routing. I know they said to use minimal 90* elbows, but there really wasn't much choice with the small area I had to go and I figure the MAG-12 will pump enough to overcome the 90's.

Tim - The purple primer is just to make the PVC look pretty when you get it all over. Seriously though...the reason it's a pain in the azz is because it's so damn thin (like gasoline) that it runs EVERYWHERE, even if you think you have almost none on the little brush thingy, when you put it to the PVC, it seems like you turned on a hose! really though, after you do a couple of the fittings, you kinda get used to it and I really didn't do too bad for the latter fittings. But, like Samper said, it sets up the PVC for a better bond and is supposed to dissolve any dirt/grime, etc...that's on the PVC prior to bonding. I still made sure everything was cleaned first...but ya never know.

Samper...I just might pick up that paint this weekend then. I wanted to try and "hide" the return lines the best I could because I didn't want these big 'ole white things in the tank, but if I can safely paint them (where it doesn't screw up the water), then I'm all for that. Looks like another project this weekend! By the way...when the heck are they finally going to make black PVC? LOL!!!!

What kills me is I have NO coralline algae in my 46. So, I'm hoping with me doing things right in the 90 (when it gets going) that I get nice coralline algae growing and such. I've seen some of the tanks on here and they are beautiful when it all comes together like that.

[charlie]

Looking good Mat!!! On your main returns, make sure you drill a siphon hole to prevent the tank from draining into your living room when the power goes out!!! If you have done this already, just ignore this!!

I know this is what the check valves are for, but just in case!!!

[FireEater]

Setup is looking great so far. When you use the purple primer, just wipe the ball on the inside of the rim to remove excess primer from it. That way the ball is not loaded up with primer to run everywhere. It does not take much primer to glue them together.

Originally Posted by Samper

I don't know why but I can paint a side black and leave one not painted and the black side will get covered faster

That is because the white PVC is very slick and it is hard for algae and coralline to attach to it. When you paint it with flat black you make a rough surface for them to attach more easily.

[Samper]

That's true.....to get an even better bond try roughing it up with sandpaper and scratching it with something prior to painting. As charlie mentioned a siphon break isn't a bad idea even with the check valve. The checks do get stuck if not cleaned from time to time. A few notes on your plumbing just for future reference. 90 degree bends reduce flow compared to a 45 so the next time you plumb one try to keep that in mind. There will be no problems with what you have but it could have been slightly more efficient in the design. You might want to think about putting ball valves on after the split. If you don't and need to clean that check valve you could end up with a few liters of water on the floor once you unscrew it. Here is how I plumbed mine. http://www.reefland.com/forum/attach...7-img_3237.jpg

[Yankee I Am]

Looking good!! A "Build" thread is ALWAYS better when its your own

[Poseidon]

Hey! You are off to a GREAT start. You did very well with the PVC, I would drill the siphon break and remove the check valve myself, those have a tendency to fail, or make a LOUD flapping noise.

When you do your canopy, make sure to allow about 2-3" clearance from the bottom of the bulbs to waters surface.

[thagreek]

That looks great. Very nice buddy.

[SouthBayPhoto]

Thanks all. I appreciate it.

Looks like I'll pull the tank return lines out tomorrow night and drill a siphon break. Any particular sized hole I should make? I'm running 1" PVC on the return and drain lines.

Fire - Yup, I finally caught onto that little trick when I found out how thin that stuff is! That's why the latter parts aren't tooooo bad. LOL

Samper - the sad part is I bought a bunch of 45's when I was first starting the project and every time I was going to use them, it seemed like a 90 was a better/easier fit. Otherwise, I actually had the intention of using 45's because I know that would have been a more efficient flow. Well, I'll learn for next time, I guess. LOL (even though I knew better this time. :slap: )

I didn't think about the ball valves on the uprights. I just made sure to put one prior to the split to adjust flow if needed. Never thought about the water comin' out if I unscrewed the check valve. LOL Whooops!

The sad part is I haven't been able to test the setup yet. I have to get my arse up to Lowes/HD and buy a darn cheap hose! This way I can hook it to the kitchen sink and fill up the sump & display tank to test it out. Right now all I know is that the over flow box doesn't leak because I put water in it to see if the drain would hold (without the water going through the standpipe). LOL

So, I don't know how loud the check valve is going to be yet. If I do remove it, there goes like $17 or something like that (bought it from Marine Depot). LOL But I do have extra PVC parts (imagine that?! ) and can just plumb in a union or something instead (in case of needing to take it apart for cleaning/fixing).

Yankee - you are definitely correct and since this is my first one, I'm pumped up about it!

Thanks also thagreek. I appreciate it.

[SouthBayPhoto]

Oh, and as for the 2"-3" clearance for the lights, that'll be about all I have actually! When I mount them to the top of the canopy itself, I only have about 4" to 4 1/2" clearance total from the top of the canopy to the glass tops of the tank. I'll have to remeasure to verify, but that's about it, so depending on how "long" the stands for the end caps are, will determine how close they get to the water.

[Poseidon]

Ditch the glass tops....

[charlie]

Originally Posted by Poseidon

Ditch the glass tops....

That is a big 10-4!!!!

[charlie]

Just an FYI, You can get true union Ball Valves from these guys:
Savko Plastic Pipe & Fittings - Online Sales

Good service!!!!