Plumbing the tank went pretty smoothly. Mike used a special flexible
PVC that I have to say is absolutely fantastic. It is not your typical flexible that you buy at Home Depot. It bends a great deal more but is sturdy enough not to create and creases in the tubing. The amount of head loss saved is signifcant considering the amount of elbows and 45's that were avoided due to the use of the spaflex. At Menards you can buy these horseshoe clamps that really helped to create a clean set up allowing for maximum workability under the tank. The Spaflex was easily tacked to the stand to get it out of the way. I will never use strictly rigid
PVC again - the spaflex made for a much more manageable system.
Here is a link I found to purchase some for future tank builds. It is a bit more expensive than rigid but well worth it. I am sure there are other places to purchase it - do a search and I am sure you will find other options.
Buy flexible pvc pipe at FlexPVC.com
PVC pipe, hose, &
pvc fittings online @ wholesale discount prices (flexable)
You also need a different
PVC glue than you typically buy because the spaflex likes to push itself back out. You must hold it in place with force for a minute or two to make sure it stays in place. The
PVC glue is in a baby blue container made by the same brand as the typical stuff you buy at Home Depot although you can't find it at Home Depot. It is a bit more expensive as well. It says WELDON
PVC 795 on the front of the container.
Here is a shot of the left side of the
sump showing you how everything is tucked away - notice the horse shoe clamps as well. I have no
PVC right over the
sump allowing for easy siphoning and clean up.
In this next shot(already seen) you can see everything tucked away so that the
pvc was not a factor in fitting the
skimmer into place
After getting the system started it was obvious that the Dart was too strong(turned it way down) and the
sump was creating a ton of noise. I only had one sock at the time that came with the
sump and it really did not do the greatest job of keeping the
detritus out of the
sump. I purchased several socks so I can have some for back up. I also teed off the the one dangling drain to help vent it more to reduce the gurgling noise. The socks have eliminated all microbubbles in the display and is about as quiet as any
sump I have ever heard. I also rigged a 200 micron bag on the
skimmer return filled with purigen - there are two phosban reactors on the back side of the
sump one filled with Phosban and the other with carbon. I have to say this tank after being cycled is crystal clear I am sure the carbon and purigen are responsible. Notice about 30lbs of
live rock in the
sump - I threw in all the small pieces I did not want in the display tank - more on this later. I know the socks are dirty - just took the pic this am and will be doing a water change momentarily.
The Dart has 2 returns that are teed off with pseudo locline giving me 4 jets to strategically place in the aquarium. I love this approach as they can be adjusted however I see fit - and did I mention how powerful these things are
Here is a shot of the whole system while being filled with water - this was a happy day for sure
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