Acer new 150 build

acer · Nov 10, 2016

Ok got water in. But really cloudy, the 40 pond bag of sand = see pic was really dirty, cleaned about 10 pounds at a time , final rince in RODI. The tonga reef flakes , 20 pound bag, were pretty clean. Had to set up a make shift filter sock setup. And will also take out the dual reactor and run carbon and GFO.

acer · Nov 10, 2016

Filter sock ok installed.

acer · Nov 10, 2016

Filter sock installed.

acer · Nov 10, 2016

LOL -I though I edited that prior post - Hmmm tough sometimes on the phone.

acer · Nov 11, 2016

Ok water clearing, now i can tell the tank settled and is no longer level. Ahhhhh crapola!! Water line is about a 1/4 inch lower on left compared to right. Front to back looks ok. Please advise you wizards of large tank setups.

ReefQueen · Nov 11, 2016

Woo hoo it's finally wet! As far as the level, 1/4" isn't too bad. Now is the time to shim it, before you mve everything in, if you want peace of mind and not risking a seam split down the road

JaimeAdams · Nov 11, 2016

acer said:
Ok water clearing, now i can tell the tank settled and is no longer level. Ahhhhh crapola!! Water line is about a 1/4 inch lower on left compared to right. Front to back looks ok. Please advise you wizards of large tank setups.

Looking at the tank head on and you reach out your hand is it your right hand or left hand?

Let me know what you find out and I'll come over and help you level it.

acer · Nov 11, 2016

It low on the right - so the water level is higher on the right. The right side needs to be shimmed more to raise it up about 1/4 inch to 3/8 of an inch. Need James Harrison to pick up that side of the tank about 1/2 inch so we can put shims in. LOL

acer · Nov 13, 2016

Ok, tank leveled with great help . kevin made some custom shims. I drained the tank and then my oldest son and I lifted the stand/tank up just enough so my wife and daughter could slide the shims into place.

acer · Nov 21, 2016

Well, tested full system with Barracuda pump yesterday. Results were encouraging, but not perfect. Overflow setup was good, no leaks upstairs ( internal/external and the bulkheads) , but one drip leak was found where spa-flex is glued into gate valve a few feet up from pump in the basement. So, that has to be fixed. The pump is not quiet, as expected, but pushes a ton of water. Since the pump is downstairs, noise is not a concern. The overflow was nearly silent when dialed it perfectly. But that meant my second 1 inch ovetflow had a steady stream of water coming down in it. So, the only concern is: if something plugs (snail) the main 1 inch drain that is a full syphon, will the rest of the second 1 inch drain and the 1.5 inch emergency drain be enough to prevent any issues? Also, I still did not have the gatevalve completely open, so the Barracuda will be pumping even more water.

acer · Nov 22, 2016

Yeah= system is running with no leaks!!! However, I think the pump is overproducing , compared to expectations, because I figured more head pressure. I did not think I would find a PVC "sweep T" vs a regular "T" which saved me some pressure and I figured 12 -14 feet of lift against gravity. But, I think I am closer to about 9-10 feet. SO I am pushing too much water for a one inch drain even at full siphon. Again, I think that because I figured 12 -14 feet of fall for the drain and I think it is closer to about 8 feet. So, had to modify the plan regarding the drains = 2 x 1 inch drains and 1 x 1.5 inch drain. Had to use my second one inch drain as a full siphon, then dial in the initial one inch drain using a gate valve to silence the overflows. That leaves me only one 1.5 inch drain for an emergency situation - so I need to test to see if that will do the job if one of my 1 inch drains get plugged. Pictures coming.

hybridazn · Nov 22, 2016

Awesome!

Ljaus · Nov 22, 2016

Liking the aquascape.

acer · Nov 23, 2016

Thanks , some tweaking the to do yet. But, finally after 9 months water is moving through the system.

ReefQueen · Nov 23, 2016

Awesome, glad to see it all coming together

acer · Nov 23, 2016

Well- got a order in of fish that have been on hold. a pair of Bluethroats and a hybrid Dwarf angel. Unfortunetly- there was miscommunication. They emailed my office that they over-nighted the fish yesterday- but I am out of the office at noon on Tuesdays. I don't look at my office email unless I am there and then only if I am not busy - they are not forwarded to my phone like my home emails are. So , I did not know they sent the fish until about 1-2 pm today when I had a chance to look at my office email. Apparently they were "delivered" to my front step, no knock on front door, or ring doorbell, no signature - no idea what time. My daughter apparently noticed the box and brought them in around 3 pm - but did not bother to see it had "live fish" written all over it - well she is 16 - need I say more. I got home at five - and opened box - no fish were moving and they were still cold. They are floating in QT tank in their individual bags - and all seem to be improving greatly. SO , maybe I got lucky. Well see.

ReefQueen · Nov 23, 2016

acer said:
Well- got a order in of fish that have been on hold. a pair of Bluethroats and a hybrid Dwarf angel. Unfortunetly- there was miscommunication. They emailed my office that they over-nighted the fish yesterday- but I am out of the office at noon on Tuesdays. I don't look at my office email unless I am there and then only if I am not busy - they are not forwarded to my phone like my home emails are. So , I did not know they sent the fish until about 1-2 pm today when I had a chance to look at my office email. Apparently they were "delivered" to my front step, no knock on front door, or ring doorbell, no signature - no idea what time. My daughter apparently noticed the box and brought them in around 3 pm - but did not bother to see it had "live fish" written all over it - well she is 16 - need I say more. I got home at five - and opened box - no fish were moving and they were still cold. They are floating in QT tank in their individual bags - and all seem to be improving greatly. SO , maybe I got lucky. Well see.

Oh my, I hope they pull through! I would call and give the delivery service a stern talking to! Who did you order through?

acer · Nov 23, 2016

Well they made it out of the floating bags - did the drip method for 3 hours to acclimate slowly. Now in the QT tank and are looking "OK". Keep your fingers crossed. Will know tomorrow I expect.

I did put the 2 clowns that were in the QT tank into the main stank upstairs - just in case the new fish had parasites/ick/etc. LOL - they look lost all by themselves in that big tank.