yes learnt heaps (and still learning) about spray bars. #1, they are a @#$%#% to get right. getting the holes in the right place is more important than you think. dont just drill randomly. however in saying this, i am thinking of changing my design from a bar with holes to a shorter bar (say 3 inches out each side) with no holes - instead, at each end im going to try heating and clamping the pipe (much like what most people do with the water flow back into the tank from a closed loop) plus angling it slightly downwards. that should create the best "widened flow" under the rack and keep shit off the bottom (rather than piddly little holes that appear - and feel - to do bugger all) might even try a 3 way spray bar with a small one pointing upwards into the rock. i need a gruntier pump to test with, the 1060 just doesnt do the job.

if anyone has a 1262 for sale?...

Hmmm, I didn't have too much trouble getting the holes right on my spray bar. At least the jets don't seem pointed off in every direction. I just drew a line from one end to the other straight across and drilled every 20 mm across that line. Of course, if I'd put a bit more thought into it I would have left out that last 90°bend so it wouldn't be sticking out as far...

Ira - have you actually tested your spray bar though? By that, I mean have you sprinkled a little sand all around it to see what happens? I have a corner where there is a build up of sand. Every now and then I "create a storm" by getting a powerhead and blow out all the crap from the rocks, I want to make sure any bad crap that gets under the rack gets blown out from under there. While I dont want to create a tidal wave under there, it needs to have at least decent water movement to achieve its purpose.

i agree, run a 1060 across the back of your tank.. more = better with circulation.......

I do not think a spray bar, unless LOTS of volume cuts it IMHO

Peter

A 1060? I am use 1262s and spray bars, which from my barrel tests seem to really pump through the water. A 1060 sittig in the tank would just be a hastle, and ugly.

Pie

badly worded...

a 1060 or perhaps smaller T'ed off in the midle at the back pointing in each direction moves a lot of water and also helps the general flow in the tank more then a spray bar IMHO

in or out mounting not matter, it was my intention to say that i think this is more effective at moving crap out then a spray bar config.....

by the way, i have 2 1060's sitting in my tank, they don't look good, but man they move the water around!

Sorry Pies dont know the name of the pump place. There's a sign on old hutt road by the lights. But turn left at the lights then stay left, its in the second or third building on your left. Price for iwaki 40 was $875 ish, dont think this was the RT (?) model. Worth having a look on your way past they have some big sexy pumps! Down boy!

Thanks Suphew!

Poped in and grabbed the bits from them, dediced to use Hansen Elbows too, about 50% the price of pressure pipe so works out a little cheaper.

They had the right reducers in stock too, including the ones needed to convert the 25mm pump fittings to the 40mm pipe.

So thats sweet, another hastle out of the way.

I am hoping I don't need to buy any eggcrate (I have some, but may be a little short). So other than that have pretty much brought everything I need. YAY! All the running around takes up so much time.

Will try and drill the holes through the floor this weekend.

Things are comming together and the dates for putting water in are closing.

Pie

Well as the plumbing progress's I am getting closer to adding water. Suphew and I will be making and glueing the spray bars this weekend, with the use of his drill press.

I hope to have all the plumbing finished this weekend.

So then I can consider adding some water and rock, and getting out of the sump. Also want a nice healthy population of copepods and mysidds in there before I consider adding fish. Although the temptation to not have fish is still niggling at me.

So its onto operation 'lite lifta' (thx Suphew). The light lifter project is very much in the 'conceptual' stage at the moment. I would like to suspect the light hood/light holder beem from the ceiling. Nothing special about that. But I am seriously considering putting an electric winch/pully system on there, so I can raise and lower the lights without having to touch anything other than a button. This should make access to the tank easire and make everything look so much nicer.

Anyone seen anything like this before? Anyone got any links? Anyone know where I can get a small electric winch type system from? Thoughts?

Pie

thoughts.....

you have too much time/money

but a good idea, I am doing simillar but "Peter Powered" using 3mm spectra yacht racing briad and a simple pully system. the braid is available in lotsa cool colors, has about 70kg breaking strain, easy on the hands/fingers and costs about $17 for about 20m from memory.

remember those things they use to open the windows in old schools/gov buildings with the windy thing....

I hate having to move lights around.

i spent a little while looking around and pretty much gave up. whatever you select for your light winch, please post and let me know as I want to do the same thing.

really good idea, i really dislike fidling with lights.

i've thought about that too but Iam waiting to for my own house

somfy, australia make compact electric motors that run in a roller tube. You could design a system very simply using stainless steel wire ($3.50-$7.00/m) a roller tube (acmeda sh40 tubing) ($10.00-20.00/m) and the somfy motor ($500.00-750.00) they are a very powerfull motor can be used on canvas awnings that can catch large amounts of wind. Wouldn't be the cheepst option but would be a very nice simple tidy system. the other problem is you would need to do it (or most of it) diy and you would have to contact several different places to organise it although if you ever go to Kapiti 'Blind Botique' could sorce most the components but you would be paying more than stated as Steve would want to add his mark-up

Or he could even get a boat winch off trademe for $200ish, a 12V inverter from Dick Smith for $150. But, there have to me 240V winches or similar around. it doesn't have to be particularly fast or strong because you can just use a few pullies to lighten the load on it.

aye carumba! too expensive! thats what it boiled down to with me, ended up just lifting and hooking the unit up. its hinged to the wall.

Thanks guys, will look into it. Would be keen to keep the costs under $500.00.

Pieman

The work continues. A BIG thanks to Suphew who has been invaluable in the tank endevors. He has helped out a heap over the last few days and helped me get everything I need done. Thanks mate.

Here is a look at the in tank closed loops. The 2 on the right are the intakes, the 2 on the left are the outputs. The holes in the intakes are more heavly drilled in the bottom to encourage gunk from the sand surface back into circulation. The 'spray bars' are drilled to prove differet angles of water but most of them point slightly down to help stir the water around the sandbed up and stop deadspots.

This was a very scientific exercise. Suphew and I used one of the Ehiem pumps in a bucket and tried several different designs and positions for holes until we came up with whats pictured here. We got wet, and it was funny, but quite interesting playing with different size holes etc.

We also got the return plumbing and feed holes drilled through the floor! What a nasty job this turned into. Suphew got the hole drilled here to within .5mm of perfection, not bad and spot on.

So progress is looking good. I need to do the reef-rack system, which will sit on top of the pipes pictured above. Then glue some plumbing together. Which I hope to finish tommotow.

Then I have one more beam to put into the floor, which I will also try and do tommorow. Then I am ready for water! W00t!

So expect to see some photos of the tank 'wet' within the next week.

The plan is to move all of the rock from the sumps into the tank asap, then just leave it and concentrate on the rockwork on the left (The bommie) before thinking about the right. I have 3 sumps full of rock I would like to shut down, make some more room in my garage and save me paying power and lighting on tanks I can't even see!

The bommie will hold the anemone, which is home to a few clownfish. Other than that, if I can hold off on adding any other fish to the tank this year I will. I really want to let the coral take hold and get my 'pods' going nuts in the big tank. So the reef downstairs will be fed via a gravity above tank 1400 litre refugium! hehehehe.

Piemania

AWESOME!!! I WANT I WANT.

looks good bro - good to see you've tested the spraybars first. i will post my new setup once its tried and tested. i didnt like the results from my setup that is similar to yours above, but that maybe just because of the different flow rate of the pumps (eheim 1060's vs 1262's!)

This thread has been so interesting and helpful. Can't wait til the next pics.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, Waiting, :lol:

Pics soon. Finalising the reef racks and return plumbing tonight, so if I can get time I will post some pics, however Gordon Freeman arrives at my place at 9pm and I can't see myself wanting to do anything but hand out with Gordy from then on.

The reef rack system is supported by 50mm down pipe, heavly drilled to provide 'mini refugiums' and help continue water flow under the rockwork. Using white eggcrate lighting defuser (which I will add was so hard to find!!!).

Also the return plumbing will be finished tonight. I need to remove one of the Sea Swirls that is currently on the old system. I also need to add some cable management conduit to keep the wires tidy and out of the way. I may also add some touch ligts or fluros under the cabinet so I have some light to work with.

Then its add water and a heater. Let it settle for a few days, check for leaks, check the closed loops. Then drain, and re-fill with good water, add rock. Then wait a few days, add sand, more water (1/2 fill ish) then wait and build rock structures. Add more water and organise 'ghetto' system for linking both tanks together. The its move all rock from sump 1 & 2 to upstairs, disconnect sump 1 (sold). Then its all on.

Ohhh and i'll need to sort out lighting during this time. I am going to use my RDLT30 IWAKI for a while as I can't afford to buy a better pump right now. If this doesn't work out, I will just have to run the tank seperate for a while, which means i won't be moving sump 1 & 2 rock until its all 'combined'. I hope its not going to be an issue.

Phew! Still lots to do.

Pie

Whats the static head that the Iwaki needs to pump?

Call it 3m-3.5m depending on how high the water level will be in the sump. Then it hits the T, which is approx 400mm each side before it hits the elbow and reduces to the 20mm.

Pie

in that case you should expect to hit around 1200-1300lph with an 30RLT, sweet.

HE HE drill another hole in the floor-I'll send you my Iwaki