Continuing from my previous post, which could be found here (putting together an internal overflow), I am going to illustrate a simple 1 hr project that can quiet down your overflow substantially.

So for the Silencer you need…

1. 1.5″ ABS or PVC pipe at 4″-6″
2. 2″ coupler
3. 2″ to 1.5″ reducer/bushing
4. 1.5″ ABS or PVC pipe at 1″-2″
5. 1.5″ end cap, with a 1/8″ hole in the middle

As for the silencer, this is how I managed complete it as there are multiple ways to accomplish this task:

You take a 1.5″ pipe and cut it in a 5″ or 6″ length. Some overflows may require you to have a shorter cut. For this application I had set it at 5″. You have to cut out the middle area, where the water will overflow into.  So you need to make cuts with your miter, and a Dremel just like above.

You also have to put together the bushing and 2″ coupler. You will attach it later on to the cut-out 5″ pipe.

Here is a tricky part… You must shave off a bit of the inside of that bushing so that a 1.5″ pipe could be fitted through the underside of the coupler.

When put together, it should look like a mushroom made out of pvc.

You also have to cap it from the top, so a 1″ to 2″ 1.5″ pipe is cut. You slip it into the bushing. A cap, that has a 1/8″ hole for air venting, is placed on top of that pipe.

Finally, you are to place the silencer into the top portion of the overflow. To make it fit inside the 2″ hole, I used rubber bands around the bottom of the silencer. This will provide enough thickness for the silencer to stay in place. You may have to find its silent point, but when you do, you will be amazed on how its quiet. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at vlad@fragd.it

Designing an overflow is like going to a proctology exam; you hope that you have the right drain, but you worry about it plugging up. Now that you have that gross image in your mind, try to replace it with one of water spilling everywhere because your drain pipe wasn’t vented properly.

Just like sumps, there are many different ways of designing an overflow. From internal and external, to box or pipe. But, getting it right without any issues is an achievement in itself.

So what did I do? I employed a modified Stockman overflow design. It is flood proof, clog proof, minimal footprint, and super silent. So what does it look like?

Here are the materials that I have used to build one overflow.

The only thing missing in the above picture is the 2″ elbow (which you may or may not need depending where the bulkhead is)

Here is a detailed list:

For the Overflow….

1. 2″ ABS or PVC pipe
2. 1.5″ ABS or PVC pipe
3. 2″ elbow
4. 2″ to 1.5″ reducer/bushing
5. Slip to Thread 1.5″ adapter (only if you are using a threaded bulkheads)
6. 4″ coupler
7. 4″ to 2″ reducer/bushing

Here is a simple way to put the overflow together:

First, you glue your 2″ elbow to your 2″x1.5″ reducer.

Then you glue to that reducer the 1.5″ pipe, cut to your desired lenght.

To the other side of the elbow, you glue the 2″ pipe (again cut to your desired size). Make sure that you measure how high you want to water to be in your tank. This pipe will determine the height of your overflow.

Before you assemble the top overflow section, you must glue together the 4″ coupler to the 4″x2″ reducer.

After that, you can join the two sections together.

Here it is inside my tank. In my setup, the overflow is supported by a longer 1.5″ pipe. Therefore reinforcement was necessary underneath the rising 2″ pipe. I used an acrylic 1/16″, 4″x8″ sheet for support that was glued to a supporting 1.5″ pipe. Then, pipe was glued to the bottom of the 2″ elbow. I used Weldon #3 and #16 for strenght. You can also try to use pvc cement.

Here are both overflows setup in the display tank.

In my next entry, I will talk about how to design the silencer that sits inside the overflow.

There are infinite ways that you can design a sump. From a tub bought at WalMart, to an AutoCad-ed model out of starfire glass! Your options are endless. So for me, it had to be a well thought-out concept that will incorporate many ideas learned through my shortcomings and experiences.

There are three major ideas that were brought together during conceptual design. I wanted a sump that will service 3 tanks; Frag/Holding, Main Display, and Second Display. I also required that it needed to be extremely efficient at nutrient export, utilizing many methods that are available today. And finally, it had to maximize space and water travel within the footprint.

So… how does the design look like? Well here is a blueprint.

Just like the rest of my builds, the sump is made out of 1/2″ thick cast acrylic with support braces. Its dimensions are 60″x55″x15″ for a rough total of 200 gallons. There are six compartments in the design: overflow, mechanical filtration, live rock area, benthic zone, refugium, and baffle/return. Here is a snapshot of these areas:

So how does it all tie in? It is all about directional flow. This design not only maximizes the space given, but it also allows the water to be channeled through different filtering areas. By accomplishing directional flow, you are also maximizing contact with these filtering agents, thus increasing water quality. Name of this design? I like to call it the Canyon Sump Design, or CSD for short.

In the next picture, you will see how water is being channeled.

At first, the water overflows into the first compartment. This overflow will service 3 tanks, so it needed a lot of room. That water is then being directed at the mechanical filtration. This area will include a skimmer, carbon and phos media reactor (for now). From there, things flow into the first live rock section. The plan is to accumulate around 150 lbs of live rock specifically in that area. Furthermore, the flow will push water into the benthic zone area. If you haven’t been familiarized with this form of filtration, please read Steve Tyree’s cryptic zone methods or his Gradient Concept. Nevertheless, this area in this sump is going to have a high population of turnicates, sponges, filter feeders, worms, and many micro-fauna.  From there, we will filter our water through the second set of area of live rocks. Couldn’t get enough? No. If it is up to me, I would have tonnes of rock in my system. Continuing, the baffle area will remove the bubbles (if there are any, since the travel time to this point is very long), and then returned back into the display tank.  And if that all wasn’t enough, there is a 100 gallon refugium that is going to culture the best macro algae that you can find. It will be a breeding ground for seahorses, pipefish, pods, shrimp, and a haven for delicate soft coral species.

So are you ready to see the actual pictures? Well here you go….

The last picture is a cardboard box version of the sump…… or not.

Now onto the compartments:

Overflow

Mechanical Filtration Area (and return for frag/display 2 tanks)

100 gallon refugium with one inlet and two outlets (where the bulkheads are). The back of that one pane is painted black to diminish light penetration from the refugium light bulbs. That is where the benthic zone is.

Benthic zone

Second live rock area, baffles, and return area

Now onto some pictures of the complete sump:

Don’t mind the green tape. I was welding the braces at the time

So there you all go… the sump, or the CSD. If you have any comments or questions, please post them here. Also if you enjoyed this post, surscribe to our blog by entering your email address below.

My next post will be discussing the makings of.. THE BIG BERTHA… or whatever we figure out to call it (our display tank). Until then, happy reefing reefnecks!

With many threads out there about how to construct a ‘perfectly sound’ stand that could withstand over thousands of pounds (or kilograms) , comes much confusion over which design is best. So what to do? I designed my own (thanks Mike… again).

Here is the blueprint of the stand.

It involved cinder blocks, 2′x6′s, plywood, and extreme attention to detail . The design will be able to withstand at least 3200lbs of water, or a really really fat elephant!

Here is the build.

First lets start with the cinder blocks. They were three high, and two wide, slightly spread apart. I didn’t use any adhesive to bond them, as it wasn’t needed. Also, I always use vinyl matting underneath all of my stands to move any possible water underneath, and down into the drain (you can see the drain in the picture above).

Here is the view from the laundry. Pretty self explanatory.

Here are the bones of the stand. 13 2′x6′s were evenly spaced apart (1.5″) over a 37″ length. This is the true strength behind this design. There aren’t any weak points throughout this section. Its like a NyQuil med, it makes you sleep easy at night.

This is where the bones were covered up by 3/4″ sheet of plywood. In the picture, it looks like the ply is too short for the bones. Don’t worry, I patched that up. We initially wanted to have the ply even with the tank, but after some thought, we drew up a slightly different design. The tank will have a 1″ flange all around it. Why do you need that? You will all see later.

For scale, here are two LumenArc reflectors, which are 2′x2′ in footprint. The stand dwarfs them, ya think?

Here is Mike, the superhard working grunt, who said one long time ago that he would work for salt. His autocad and building skills are invaluable. Therefore, I will be committed to granting him three times more salt that he requires.

Next up is the sump build. This will be very interesting to document for you all! And STOP THE TXT MSGs. The OMGs, and LOLs, need to stop

Pheww!

So lets continue…

Last time I went over how things transformed from ‘rooms with bare walls’ to ‘you can charge rent’. Today I am going to go over the ventilation system. I know some of you just want me to post pictures of the tanks that I am building, but not now. Soon, I promise. This is an important step that many reefers forget to implement.

I designed two vents for the two rooms that the tanks will be in. Both had to be drilled and vented outside. So myself and a superhard working grunt that wanted to work for frags (you know you kick ass Mike) ended up putting two new holes in the side of the house. It was a lot easier than we thought, but was time consuming. The project only took one day to do.

Next came the hookup to the fans that would be venting to the outside. An easy flexi-duct was more than sufficient to connect to the fans. You need the shortest distance from the outside vent flaps to ensure that the fan is pushing its maximum capacity (and will work much less and easier). Here are some pics..

That is the main fan, which is rated for a large bathroom. It is also superquiet, at 2 sones.

That is the other bath fan, rated for a smaller room.

Finally, the finish up the vent system, I needed to wire everything up. Simple right? Well, the dehumidistats came with a diagram. It was designed for dummies to install… so I am not going to bore you with pictures of wires going into junction boxes and outlets. But I will show you how I mounted them.

The awesome thing about these units is that they have a sensor at the bottom. When the desired maximum humidity level is reached, the fans are turned on. Because the 320 gallon display tank is going to be a divider of two rooms, the need for two dehumidistats is obvious. So in any season, summer or winter, the humidity levels in both the laundry and reefroom will be ideal.. 100% of the time.

Next up.. the stand build! It should be fun!

Kidding aside, here is what had transpired since the last post. I showed you all what I was going to accomplish, and now for things that I have done.

First, see the before pictures:

Scary, eh? Who wants to have a Reefroom in that state?

So, I did some work… I studded, insulated, tiled, and drywalled.

I went with a blue tile to simulate water on the floor. Now I am walking on simulated water. Symbolic isn’t it

Next came paint. I chose a more soothing color for the laundry and a warm one for the Reefroom.

I wasn’t done with the floor, as I didn’t add the trim pieces and the grout. So here are some quick pics of the work.

In the next post, I will go through my dehumidistat setup. The ‘how to’ when installing these amazing gadgets.

So what have I done since the last post? How about, framing, tiling, insulating, drywalling, taping, mudding, sanding, ducting… all for the love of corals and fish.

I am not going to bore you with studding, insulating, and drywalling.. as that can be googled on your own time. What I want to talk about it something that every reefer should consider if they are building a reefroom. Air control.

While having your aquariums in the basement is a great idea, it is not so much when you don’t recirculate the air inside it. Basements are known to hold temperatures, and moisture.. something many forget when we move our evaporating tanks underground. Moisture yields mold, and we don’t want mold in our houses.

So what do you need to move the air out? A simple vent system with a dehumidistat. A dehumidistat will tell the ventilator to turn on or off when it reaches a certain humidity level. This way it will limit to what you set it at.

I have my setup with one primary and one secondary fans. Both will be on dehumidistats, one for mid range humidity and the other as backup. If one cannot keep up with the set level, the other will turn on and aid in moving humid air out of the house. Quick and simple.
I used Home Depot’s simple 20$ dryer duct/vent comb kits to attach the vent system together.. My ventilation fans? This is the primary one: NuTone-Broan QTRN110C Bathroom Fan, 1 sone, 110CFM

And the secondary one: NuTone – Broan 695C, 5.5 sones, 70CFM

If you have any questions on how to set it up.. please ask me in the comments or email me at vlad@fragd.it

Next up… some pictures. Stay tuned, or just subscribe to our crazy, yet informative blog.