Awesome stuff Jacques, great to see it finally wet! The fish room looks amazing, how are you finding the pool pumps?
Thanks Sam.
Yep, it certainly took a lot longer than expected, but she is finally wet !!
I took your advise way back in April i think, for a center overflow. Even built the glass wier around the 6 pipes... but, when i started to 'clad' it with smaller rocks, it became clear it will result in 2 'narrow' passages left and right, so we removed it, and have gone with just the stand pipes ! To be frank, I am maybe too old school, and always assumed to use the glass wier overflow, so having the pipes makes me a bit nervous. We could not find black 40 and 50mm pipes to replace the standard white, that stood out like a sore thumb, so ended up using the Gorilla tape, 80mm wide, to wrap each pipe, then glued the rocks and coral to them. Took many hours trapped in the tank, with many wise-alec remarks to boot, but maybe due to the silicon fumes it kind of worked out.
The pumps - I recall this became a hot topic, and I can well understand your suggestion to go with the Abyz, with the reputation they have. I had my doubts and concerns, but I must say, at least to date, I am impressed with the 'pool' pumps. Very silent, and being DC, we can set them to any speed. As I am just cycling now, only the main sump pump is working, at 1650 rpm, using just 170 W ! The volume of water being returned is more than adequate, even at this low speed.
The second pump is just closed loop, and at the top of the tank, is split with a 3 way actuator, (motorized as of Friday) to split the returning CL water left or right, or both. Each side as 4 25mm outlets, each with its own valve to control water volume. Waiting on the new Goosenecks to attach to each, so have control /flexibility on water direction.
The 3 10W Hailea Chillers, are hard plumbed, 2 to the main sump pump, and one to the CL, each with 3 way Jayde bypass valves.Tested them, working, but not activated for now, till after the cycle.
Bought the RO/Di from Peter at PSI, and is mounted, just awaiting the plumber to extend the mains water we brought through the basement wall.
Got the Devil skimmer, all assembled and ready to be activated.
Got powerful air pumps - one for the 2 IBCs under the deck at the water side, and the other in the top IBC at street side.
Salt water is delivered by truck at street side. We ran a 50mm pipe through the garden wall, with a kemlock connection, and all the way to the 2 IBCs at water side. These 2 IBcs are plumbed together. From there another pool pump, 40mm, pumps salt water up to the top IBC at street side, through a canister filter, just to be safe. From the top IBC we draw water, via gravity, down into the basement and into the sump, passing through the 3 200 micron filter socks.
I added another 3 way valve to the return line of the sump pump, to give access to system water. This leads up to the 4 way 25mm connector, and can be diverted to each top tank with their own 25mm valves.
The 3 tanks on top of the sump, are for quarantine. The right most is intended as a general tank, for frags, or breeding, and is plumbed to discharge directly into the sump again.
The other 2 are actually too big, being 700mm long by 600mm wide front to back, so they were supposed to be split this weekend into 2 each. We already drilled them for separate standpipes, which are connected to the main drain.
The sink was made and installed last week, so just waiting on the plumber to connect.
Thats a brief (?) overview of where we are at today. Still quite a bit to do, and as I wrote to you the other day, the only major item still on the shopping list are the lights.
If Lesley really intends to sell her set up, I would be glad to buy them, otherwise we will go light shopping next week :-)
If we can get the Q tanks partitioned this week, I would like to get my first few fish in, to Q for 3 weeks, and be ready to introduce into the tank - and finally silence the kids as to why we finally have so much water, BUT no fish, WHY daddy ???
My youngest, Matt 6, offered to put one of his Sand Crabs in, but I explained it might not be such a good idea.
So, from the mechanical side, looks more or less like we are ready to rock and roll... but now the biological side will for sure cause me all sorts of headaches and grey hairs till I get it even resembling yours !!
Your advice will be most welcome and surely needed.
Have to dash.
I look forward to sharing this journey !!
Jac