How do I secure LR to an overflow?

[Anonymous]

OK, I think I got it. Dizzy, your idea seems like probably the simplest. Just a few questions, as I'm a dunce with tools. What kind of bit should I use to drill the rock? Where do I find a tap for acrylic? Couldn't I just apply a little silicone to the rod and have one square, not a second larger one? I'm probably going to put in a standpipe of some kind, probably with threads so it will be absolutely watertight. The tank shouldn't drain in any case.

 

[dizzy]

OK, I think I got it. Dizzy, your idea seems like probably the simplest. Just a few questions, as I'm a dunce with tools. What kind of bit should I use to drill the rock? Where do I find a tap for acrylic? Couldn't I just apply a little silicone to the rod and have one square, not a second larger one? I'm probably going to put in a standpipe of some kind, probably with threads so it will be absolutely watertight. The tank shouldn't drain in any case.

Matt,
You just need a long masonary bit the same diameter as the all thread rod you select. Home Depot has some to 12" I think. MSC carries just about everything you can imagine. Taps are taps. You just need the right size drill bit. There are charts that tell you what size hole to drill for the bolt size you are tapping to. You could drill and tap into the main overflow if it was thick enough.(AT the very least .75") I think the nylon rod would pretty much seal itself. If you have a stand pipe I don't see a problem. I thought you might just have the drain in the bottom of the overflow. I'd practice drilling and tapping acrylic on some scrap first. There are special bits for acrylic that don't grab and tear or crack the plastic. The have sharp angel drilling tips.
Mitch

PS Get your rod first and then buy the right drill bit and tap for that thread pattern. Example 1/4 20 is 1/4" diameter 20 threads per inch.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey matt, road trip down to Concord and go to "The Aquarium". Right off of 680, back behind a Good Guys. At least it was a couple years ago. They put in a 1100 reef about 2 months before I moved away (bonus for me--they were looking to buy lots of established corals for the display). It's very similar (only larger...about 8' x 5' x 5' or so) to the design you're working with. I watched them installing the rock column. They just had guys in the tank with dry baserock and marine mortar (cement) and basically bricked the whole thing up with rock. Looked very white and sterile at first, but juice up the Ca and it was already covering over in corraline within a few weeks. And solid as a rock (ha-ha, pun definitely intended).

There used to be a little guy (literally, about 5' tall) named Bob that was pretty friendly. He'd probably be willing to talk to you about their process and stuff.

In your system that you're putting in, is the plumbing going down underneath the stand then? In theirs, it does down the overflow, then is pumped back UP the column, through the canopy, into the ceiling, and over into their main sump room. It was a pretty sweet setup.

 

[Anonymous]

The plumbing will be going down into a sump, and pumped back up. If I tried to snag some space for a sump room in this little restaurant the owner would probably kill me. It would be nice though.

Thanks all!

 

[sawyerc]

I've used pastic coat hangers before as a replacement for acrylic rods. They are slightly flexible, cheap, and not completely round which helps them hold firmly in the live rock. Also, be patient - I split a few beautiful pieces of rock by trying to drill too fast/hard.

 

[jeffie]

I would use 795 with a caulking gun. we've used it many times under water and out of the water for many things including resealing a seal on a 3500 gal acrylic tank underwater. 795 is what they use on bigger aquarium to make the seals stay together with no leaks. This stuff is great. It would work perfect for what you need to do. It is black and you probably wouldn't need to much to secure live rocks together. Hope this helps...