92 gal bf corner tank build

[SallyLightfoot]

my husband and i have decided to upgrade from our nano 33 to a "real" tank. we purchased a 92 gal tank from somebody else who was in the hobby. we are gutting the plumbing and lighting and making it to our liking

right now it has 330 watt of VHO's under the hood. we will be removing the top cover and hanging a pendant MH 400w 20,000k.

there is also currently a 20 gallon sump and we are hoping to add a ref.

i hope the pics came out.... i am not that great with photos online

 

[jakenh]

you will love it,and you fish will too,great choice on the light, i run the same over mine

 

[marine mike]

I have the same tank which has been up about 3 months now. No regrets in the choice. You won't find a better looking tank for your livingroom if you have a good corner! One suggestion is definitely go basement sump if it is logistically possible. Stand size makes fitting all the equipment tough. Happy to offer any suggestions I can along the way! Good luck and congrats!

Mike

 

[SallyLightfoot]

thanks, jake.

i was also looking for some advice... we have our RODI unit in the kitchen, which is the next room over from the tank. is there a method i could run a "hose" over to the tank from the unit? something to get rid of having to carry buckets of water!

 

[SallyLightfoot]

mike, i wish i could go to the basement. dont own the building though.

i cant wait until i buy a house, just so i can go nuts on the tank.

 

[jakenh]

thanks, jake.

i was also looking for some advice... we have our RODI unit in the kitchen, which is the next room over from the tank. is there a method i could run a "hose" over to the tank from the unit? something to get rid of having to carry buckets of water!

when you say its in the kitchen i asume its under the sink does it have its own holding tank? if it does you could toff between the outlit of your rodi and the tank. if it goes to you faucet then its as simple as getting more hose long enogh to get to the next room. my rodi is around 30 feet from my tank so i use around 40 feet of tubing that goes to a rubbermaid holding tank with a float valve, next to my sump for top off and water changes.this system is a straight shot, if any it flows down hill. If you ssytem has to climb up hill [lets say a flight of stairs] im not sure a rodi could take that kind of head pressure.im sure somebody on here has done it and will chime in with what you need..goodluck

 

[JayM]

IMO, it is an extraordinarily bad idea to directly connect an RODI source directly to a tank. It is a quick way to a tank crash, or alternatively a way to turn a saltwater tank into a freshwater one......

 

[SallyLightfoot]

i was thining of doing the same thing, Jake- having it run to a bucket under my tank for my top-off water. it is coming from under the sink. it would have to travel upward maybe two feet at most. im going to try it out and see if that effects it.

thanks, all, for the advise!

last night we got the majority of the plumbing glued. i will probably post pics of those pieces before we attach it permanently to the tank.

 

[SallyLightfoot]

we finished our plumbing today. it is probably the most hideous priming ever, but it'll do the job. i hope.

here are some pics. enjoy, and if you have any feedback, lmk, this is our first plumbing experience.

 

[SallyLightfoot]

here are a few more....

 

[jakenh]

nice job...is the t coming off the return for a rdsb or is that for water changes?..dont feel bad about the primer its a pain to work, with gravity against you..sometimes it helps to mark your fittings and sparflex so you know how much glue and primer to use ...great job

 

[SallyLightfoot]

thanks, jake. if there is more plumbing to be done, im definitely marking the fittings!

yes, the t is for water changes. we have just enough space to easily put a 5 gal bucket under the tank. water changes will be so much easier with this set-up. cant wait! so much better than syphoning

 

[NateHanson]

Does your sump have 5 gallons of extra capacity in the return compartment? What I mean is, will you be able to get 5 gallons out of that tee-off for a water change without running the return pump dry?

Nate

 

[Bitingthesun]

Nate,

this problem occurred to me as well. The way I figured it, we could load the auto-top off bucket with salt water and as we're draining the overflow it would fill the sump back up?

does this sound right?

 

[SallyLightfoot]

not positive, i think it's about 1/3 of the sump size, though the sump of course wont be full.

could i just turn the return pump off if i need to, or turn off the valve for the return?

 

[SallyLightfoot]

yes, what bitingthesun said.

 

[Bitingthesun]

Does anyone have experience with the RODI water from those kiosks you see around? Waiting for our RODI to make 100+ gallons is killing me.

 

[JayM]

It's RO, not RODI. Expect pretty high TDS from it, and I would not use it for a tank unless under duress

 

[Miller]

Does anyone have experience with the RODI water from those kiosks you see around? Waiting for our RODI to make 100+ gallons is killing me.

Go to a LFS and buy some, 50 cents a gallon if you can't bare to wait for your unit to make the 100+ gallons.

 

[Bitingthesun]

We have these coming in the mail

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc..._Code=ICE-PK400-20K&Category_Code=icespotpend


Can't wait, anyone have any experience hanging these?