Night Howler Frag Tank Build

[N1tew0lf1212]

Caulk your baffles from the inside out. To get caulk in between baffles, I normally either A- set your tape lines, precaulk then squish the baffle into the caulk and tool the excess onto the tape, pull tape. Or B- using zip ties attach some clear 1/2” tubing to extend your caulking tip’s reach.
You got this bro!

I have enough clearance to do injection on the silicone for baffles and so far have been getting my free hand down so might wing it good idea with the tubing for hard to reach areas didnt think of that thanks bro....

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Sock chamber will be direct feed from overflow and dig the bigger fuge idea kinda why i made clearance to put skimmer in front of sock chamber. Fuge skimmer return was keeping basic i was going to have reactors to and from feeding into fuge or should i have reactors fed into return chamber? Dosing lines........? Where should i put dosing lines into fuge? Or should i put those into a diff. Chamber as well.

Direct feed makes sense.

I wouldn't necessarily worry about dosing line placements on your initial setup. You will want them to be you in a turbulent flow area and you might not know where the best one is until you've got it flowing.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Direct feed makes sense.

I wouldn't necessarily worry about dosing line placements on your initial setup. You will want them to be you in a turbulent flow area and you might not know where the best one is until you've got it flowing.

Is that same for reactors will have a gfo and carbon....

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Are

Is that same for reactors will have a gfo and carbon....

They feeding off a manifold or pump?

Mine feed from the manifold and dump into the return chamber

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Are

They feeding off a manifold or pump?

Mine feed from the manifold and dump into the return chamber

They will be off of manifold so return chamber it is

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

They will be off of manifold so return chamber it is

You doing separate supply lines to two different canisters for the GFO/carbon ya?

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

You doing separate supply lines to two different canisters for the GFO/carbon ya?

Yes sir i am there is going to be 4 lines coming off of manifold one for gfo and one for carbon other two will sit dormant unless needed for something in the future.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Yes sir i am there is going to be 4 lines coming off of manifold one for gfo and one for carbon other two will sit dormant unless needed for something in the future.

You can feed them both off of one and a T and use a valve on the exhaust side later if you need an extra manifold drop.

 

[Projects with Sam]

I don't want to put the breaks on things but you're going to have to stay on-top of your sock because if it fills it'll go over all the sides, not just the in-board sides. I'd take the opportunity to cut that out and reset it lower before the silicone really sets up.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

I don't want to put the breaks on things but you're going to have to stay on-top of your sock because if it fills it'll go over all the sides, not just the in-board sides. I'd take the opportunity to cut that out and reset it lower before the silicone really sets up.

Could i drill emergency holes in the acrylic for if it flows over it could have access to flow past the sock?

 

[Projects with Sam]

That would work! I thought it was glass. If the plate with the hole for the sock is acrylic and you can drill holes big enough for full-flow drainage (I guess (4) 1/2" - 3/4" holes in the quadrants around the sock) then that'll work great. just careful drilling. Is that cast or extruded acrylic?

I used to get old HDPE cutting boards from goodwill / IKEA for my sock holding plates in my early sumps because I was too cheap to buy cast acrylic and I didn't know how to drill extruded without cracking it.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

That would work! I thought it was glass. If the plate with the hole for the sock is acrylic and you can drill holes big enough for full-flow drainage (I guess (4) 1/2" - 3/4" holes in the quadrants around the sock) then that'll work great. just careful drilling. Is that cast or extruded acrylic?

I know it can be drilled i cut the sock hole with a hole saw bit. And sounds good. I am going to be drilling in the am.....kept the holder acrylic just in case cause of reasons like this lol....first time sump builder and owner so working through it as i go lol.....

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I don't want to put the breaks on things but you're going to have to stay on-top of your sock because if it fills it'll go over all the sides, not just the in-board sides. I'd take the opportunity to cut that out and reset it lower before the silicone really sets up.

Good catch. I thought the front two sides facing the sump were even with the top plate.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Good catch. I thought the front two sides facing the sump were even with the top plate.

Yea wasnt thinking i made it recessed didnt really think about it but glad someone said something....

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Yea wasnt thinking i made it recessed didnt really think about it but glad someone said something....

This is why i called on the pros you guys rock thanks for all the good constructive criticism. It is much appreciated.....

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Decided to just drill it real quick 5.... 1/2in holes on top will that do the trick

 

[Projects with Sam]

This is why i called on the pros you guys rock thanks for all the good constructive criticism. It is much appreciated.....

I learned that the hard way. I am just grateful I had a floor drain for all my learning experiences. Also helped it was all freshwater so not the same kind of $$ at stake!

I found that using the glass crayons my kids had to draw my design on the side of the tank helpful. Then I would sit back with some macroalgae and stare at it and think of the water paths and what happens if stuff clogs.

bad [freshwater] sump but good example of the drawing on the side. It filtered and polished well but was a pain to change the media/clean.

this was a better one:

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

I learned that the hard way. I am just grateful I had a floor drain for all my learning experiences. Also helped it was all freshwater so not the same kind of $$ at stake!

I found that using the glass crayons my kids had to draw my design on the side of the tank helpful. Then I would sit back with some macroalgae and stare at it and think of the water paths and what happens if stuff clogs.

bad [freshwater] sump but good example of the drawing on the side. It filtered and polished well but was a pain to change the media/clean.

this was a better one:

Thats an awesome idea

 

[geekengineer]

Hey was catching up on your thread. Pretty handing having your own glass company. lol Looks like you have a lot in the works and making progress.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Well got after it and got the sump coned up skimmer on the way and pump as well. Super stoked at this point next up custom ato to match the sump.....