Stuart Bertram New Tank Project

Delivery 1

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:08:00 +0000

The new Deltec tank arrives on the purpose made pallet direct from Germany. The tank is crated already on its stand so that it can be positioned as a single unit.

Delivery 2

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:27:21 +0000

With one of the panels of the crate removed you can see the 5 ft short side of the tank which is protected by packing pillows and cling film. The Aluminium stand can be clearly seen.

Delivery 3

stuart — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:18:31 +0000

Delivery 4

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:53:27 +0000

The solution to getting the tank off the pallet was to cut the pallet in two then jack up the middle and move the pallet to the ends. Once in this position we lowered it to the floor by reducing the height of the wood at either end in stages.

Levelling the Stand

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:18:16 +0000

Having got the tank into place the next job is to level the stand. It is important that the whole tank is level to prevent stress on the glass. To achieve this the tank is fitted with 12 adjustable feet.

Adjustable feet

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:20:51 +0000

12 adjustable feet are fitted to the tank

Internal feet

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:24:05 +0000

The 2 internal feet are accessible for adjustment via 2 hatches built into the base board.

Sump and Skimmer in Position

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:30:07 +0000

The sump and skimmer are in position under the tank.

Frame with walkway supports

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:39:36 +0000

The frame has been constructed with walkway supports to hold the closed loop pumps and to create a platform so that it is easier to access the tank.

Support wires fitted

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:35:31 +0000

On a tank of this size 7ft x 5ft it is necessary to fit wires to support the tank once filled as glass stress bars would not be strong enough and run the risk of snpaaing under stress and their own weight.

Twin Overflows

stuart — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:45:24 +0000

Twin overflows are fitted to ensure that there can not be the risk of one blocking. Each overflow is capable of taking the complete overflow volume. This also reduces the head of water in the tank that will need to be held by the sump in the case of a power failure.

Tank in Position

stuart — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:41:55 +0100

Tank Base Detail

stuart — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:14:48 +0100

Closed Loop Pumps

stuart — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:49:19 +0100

This view shows one side of the closed loop system. There are 4 Deltec HLP 8070S pumps in total producing about 32,000 litres per hour. Note that two pumps share a common large suction pipe. Each pump outlet then splits into 2 pipes, one running to the bottom of the tank and to the front and the other brought in at higher level.

Closed Loop Pipework

stuart — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:43:51 +0100

Closed loop pipework from the inside showing that all pipes come over the top of the aquarium rather than drilling holes in the tank which affects the strength.

Making up water

stuart — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:57:50 +0100

I used a kids swimming pool to make 2000 lts of water. I later regretted this as the resultant water had a slight smell and I was concerned about leaching from the plastic. I ran lots of carbon and it does not seem to have been a problem but I would not necessarily do it again.