Dream Reef Tank Build Series | Ep. 7 | Leak Testing My Reef Tank

[@thomaslasure8839]

Great looking plumbing, really enjoyed watching your video

[@fantasyskeep]

The only reason unions usually leak is because of a dry or damaged O-ring, if you never open the union, it will never be damaged but it's a good idea to order fresh O-rings for your unions prior to making adjustments after the system has been running for some time and the O-rings have been exposed to saltwater.

[@alexandonian1273]

This build is so clean.

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you so much!

[@cfeist6996]

So I have the same exact sump, and opted for the same colored pipe, only I'm using all schedule 80. I plumbed my manifold, UV, and return lines yesterday. Today is drain lines with leak testing tomorrow! Wish me luck!! I like that eShopps hang on float valve!

[@fantasyskeep]

Stop valves work best when vertical, I have seen a number of them fail when mounted horizontally and effectively be useless after only a few months.

[@ryancampos5993]

This is what taking your time and doing it slowly and right looks like! Great job!

[@DillondeVoor]

You really went all out with the flow meters 😁 Build looks good, looking forward to the next video!

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks bud! Yeah, I was kind of forced to get them with the equipment and set up I made. I’ll be posting the next video in a couple weeks. Thanks for your support!

[@marvelguy2395]

Nice job bro! Looking good so far!

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks KDub!

[@stevenchambers3795]

Really enjoyed the video series so far... hope the build is going well!

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks so much Steven! I appreciate your support. Build is going well. I've been taking my time but should be posting my control board video soon.

[@01fifer]

Another fantastic video , fantastic tank awesome plumbing, can’t wait for your next episode, keep up the great work, very impressive . I have really high hopes for your tank when it’s running due to your obvious perfectionist style, really can’t wait to see it, bye from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you so much for the kind words Colin! I think taking it one step at a time and planning truly benefits. So cool you’re from Scotland!

[@usaaddicts9346]

Amazing video. Great tank, dido Sump. This is a clean build, how it schould be. Sump and Piping are important. Did a fantastic job.

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you so much! Planning is definitely key. I appreciate your support!

[@MASTERSURGEON04]

THIS IS ONE AMAZING PLUMBING JOB KEEP MOVING FORWARD

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you so much! Took me forever to plan it. Excited to see how the tank progresses. I appreciate your support!

[@g-reef]

Can’t wait for the controller board, yes I want more content

[@PetmaluLife]

I'll be posting the video in a couple weeks. Just wrapping up the project. Thanks for your support!

[@Lucas-coral-reefs]

Amazing plumbing job man!

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you so much!

[@NateQuinton]

It’s so ironic that he tested for leaks and the next episode is... poor guy. Don’t give up!! This is such a cool project!

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks for your support! It was definitely a learning experience but I'm looking forward to build 2.0. It will be much better this time around.

[@fantasyskeep]

Did you silicone around your weir? Overflows are also notorious for leaking from the bulkheads between the weir and the glass.

[@kayjoe7237]

For the noise part I've found that when I run my cor20 at about 50-55% it's nearly noise-less. Adjust the cor speed first and then adjust IQ level. Once you've found your sweet spot trigger a power outage by unplugging the COR. The reason you want to trigger a test power outage is because there will be a extra amount of water left in your PVC pipes due to the check valve which will push additional water into your overflow box when power resumes. So far so good. I would use a leak sensor also near the UV.

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks for your advice. I’ll be sure to try that out. When I did my leak test I found that 50% seemed to be pretty noise free. However, I closed the valve to some of my equipment like my UV so I may have to bump it up. My flow sensors will indicate and I will adjust accordingly. As for leak sensors, definitely! I picked up two. I’ll be sure to place one near the UV and also near most of the unions are. I appreciate you watching!

[@oceanslide]

Awesome video! Such an epic setup so far. Seems to me that you’d benefit more from a custom sump or a more open sump layout which would allow you to add the clearisea to the first chamber, along with the skimmer, and have water drain right into it, which would also give you a larger refugium in the 2nd chamber. Otherwise you may have to add power heads into the sump to help kick up any detritus that settles so it can make it into the clearisea.

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you so much! I agree a custom sump would have been nice. The tank was and sump was a gift given to me by my wife so I decided to do the build with what she gave me. I originally didn’t want a ClariSea but I have heard so many good things about it I opted to somehow make it work with my setup. I think I’ll definitely add some power heads to prevent detritus from settling in the sump. The refugium is quite small. I’ll see how much export it will provide. If it can’t keep up, I may end up adding an algae scrubber or algae reactor. I appreciate your support!

[@moereefer]

Great job nice reef tank setup

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks so much! Can’t wait to get it fully up and running. I’m almost there.

[@reyesreef3714]

Damn that’s clean!!!

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks so much!

[@Colin_Robinson_EV]

Awesome setup brother, plumbing looks clean and easy to work with, we're setting up a new 180, with the same sump, I'm stealing a couple of your ideas, thanks!

[@malinoisnation9392]

Beautiful job. What state are you in? I’m plumbing our new tank next week.

[@Toozkek]

your videos are pleasure to watch. very nice build. what breed is your dog?

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you so much! My dog you probably saw in the video is half Jack Russell Half Airedale Terrier. I also have a West Highland Terrier.

[@theprojectman8053]

you deserve alot more subs! #filipinopride

[@PetmaluLife]

Haha! Thanks my friend. Appreciate your kind words and support!

[@g-reef]

Love your channel, thank you for the excellent tips, need some help with plumbing, got my first sump. Any tips would be helpful

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks so much! I appreciate the support. I’d love to help any way I can. Feel free to DM me on Instagram. @petmalulife if my handle. What size tank do you have? How many gallons is your sump?

[@Val_Halla777]

Man, beauty pipe work! It’s always nice to see builds that people take pride in perfecting both function and aesthetics. Hey I’m curious if you’ve considered running the manifold off of a second pump?( To avoid fluctuating flows for your BA overflow’s drain siphon )

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks so much! Definitely took a lot of planning. I did consider a second return pump however the COR20 takes up a majority of the return section of the sump so there really isn’t room for another pump . Hopefully, if I keep an eye on the flow meters, I can prevent any fluctuations.

[@expert7383]

great video!!!!!!!

[@joshuaandersen4599]

I just have a question, if you don't mind. Why is the return pump going to the ClarSea filter roller instead of the main drain line from the tank? I'm not sure how the ClarSea filter roller works? Thanks for the amazing videos! I'm subscribed and following being that I just bought a Innovative Marine 75 Int Nuvo.

[@PetmaluLife]

I had to attach my ClariSea to my manifold because I couldn’t fit it in my first chamber. According to ClariSea you can definitely still do this. You don’t have to make the overflow go straight into it.

[@joshuaandersen4599]

@@PetmaluLife oh awesome! I didn't know that and thank you for the info! You are making great videos and again sorry you had to go through the craziness that happened.

[@MrBrooklyn0083]

Wow, tank is looking good. I just got that exact tank and stand from CD too, glad I came across this. Where did you find those metal pipe hangers?

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks so much! That’s pretty cool you got the same tank. I haven’t run into too many people who got their tanks from CD. Here’s a link to the pipe hangers. QWORK Wall Mount Ceiling Mount... www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z98MV3K?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Good luck with your build. Feel free to connect with me on Instagram so you can send me photos when you’re done.

[@miketube6662]

Wow i was nervous for u Scary times this especially if the misses is watching hahah Looks ace though

[@PetmaluLife]

Haha! Thanks! Yeah, my wife was filming so she saw the whole process. Glad it wasn’t too bad.

[@Lucas-coral-reefs]

On all of those unions add silicone-based lube my favorite one to use is the ”Magic-Lube II” it's the red one. but any PTFE certified lube should work I add them to all the O-rings on my system and I mean All, just bought a new COR 20 haven't even put it in yet but I took it apart and put lube on that O-ring.

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks for the tip! I’ll definitely consider that. Appreciate you watching!

[@quadlawnmowerman]

Putting lube on there is a pointless exercise and advice one should not follow. There is no reason to lube the O-rings as they are not rotating and that lube will just end up in your water and coat all the surfaces and you will spend months with your skimmer doing stupid things. If you have rubber O-rings then you should already know better and have change them all out for Silicone, this is saltwater after all so you should not be using rubber in the water.

[@ProducerReef]

Need that update, especially that Apex board. Cuz ur setup looks to be one that is very inspiring 🔥🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯💯

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks bud! Editing the control board video as we speak. Hopefully have it up soon. Thanks for your support!🤙🏽

[@PetmaluLife]

@Producer Reef I just uploaded the video for my control board. Feel free to check it out. Have a nice weekend man!

[@ProducerReef]

@@PetmaluLife I’m already watching more than once brother. I have a couple questions for u when I’m finished. Thanks

[@PetmaluLife]

@@ProducerReef sweet! Of course man, anything I can do to help!

[@ProducerReef]

@@PetmaluLife I did the same thing trying to route and going crazy. Imma send u a friend request on Facebook. So we can talk.

[@kawwwwwesome]

Wow awesome, looking professional! I’m super interested how you managed to plumb the uv sterilizer in-line with the return line. I know you created head pressure which forces water into the uv sterilizer. However, the higher pressure downstream on the main return line doesn’t push water back down into the exit of the uv sterilizer? I want to do the same and I’d love to hear your results considering you have a flow meter that can monitor the water movement through the piping. Seems like you found a good way to create a closed loop and prevent double filtration

[@kawwwwwesome]

Also, are you using flow rates for algae or bacteria?

[@PetmaluLife]

Thanks so much! If I'm understanding you question about flow to my UV sterilizer correctly, there is indeed flow going through the UV. There are three ways I can control flow into the UV: 1. Adjust the power on the COR20 2. Adjust the gate valve just above the COR20 3. Adjust the ball valve just before the UV. I'm sure I'll have to dial them all in once I get my flow meter up and running. Sorry, I'm not understanding your question about flow rates for algae and bacteria. Can you please elaborate?

[@kawwwwwesome]

Petmalu Life depending on the wattage of the UV sterilizer, there are different amounts of flow that are needed to kill bacteria vs algae. ~100 gph kills bacteria and Protozoa like ich while like 400gph kills algae spores but since the water flows so fast, there isn’t enough contact time to the uv light to kill bacteria. My question is mainly about the pressure at/after the fork for the uv intake line and after that gate valve above the cor20. You have a little bypass along the return line right after the cor20 and before the gate valve that diverts a certain amount of water through the uv and let’s say it has like 5psi pressure going through the UV but 10+psi is going straight through to the return back into the tank, right? The exit of the uv that goes back into the main return plumbing is still probably around 5psi but it then meets the main line which is 10psi; does that 10psi force any pressure back into the uv sterilizer?Because i don’t understand why it wouldn’t push some water into the exit without a check valve or gate valve etc.

[@PetmaluLife]

@@kawwwwwesome Thanks for clarifying. My plan for the UV sterilizer is to control algae and improve water clarity. Since I plan to quarantine all my livestock going into the tank, I am not too concerned with parasites or bacteria. I'm planning on a 400 gph flow rate based on what others have recommended using the same UV sterilizer with similar tank size......As for the pressure at the fork, I'm not a physics professional, so I'm going to have to rely heavily on what my flow sensors indicate. This is one of the main reasons why I have separate flow sensors for the equipment and water going back into the tank. I don't believe there would be back flow coming down where the UV re-connects to the return. But even if there was, I wouldn't be too concerned. As long as I know the flow rate is at 400 gph going into the UV then I know it's doing it's job.

[@kawwwwwesome]

Petmalu Life yeah you’re right and it’s great to have so many flow sensors. I’m majorly looking forward to your future updates and watching your progression. You’re giving me a lot of inspiration and coming up with creative ideas. Keep it up!

[@justaquestion5080]

love you tank .. can you please talk about your floors as you dont seem to worried about water getting on your floors. thanks

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you! My floors are vinyl wood flooring so some of it warped but too much to notice. We dried the floors as fast as we could when the tank leaked preventing as much damage as possible.

[@fantasyskeep]

Flow sensors are incredibly redundant and unnecessary. Good on you for doing what you wanted but they are practically pointless on anything below 500 gallons. Simply applying proper maintenance to the aquarium will prevent your flow from diminishing. If you're lazy though, I get it. Edit: I see you're using them for a very specific purpose.

[@fantasyskeep]

Yes, I know this video is 3 years old.

[@garrycole9187]

That will be a very small space for your refugium, will it be worth it to have one?

[@PetmaluLife]

Yes indeed. We’ll have to see how much nutrient export it provides. I’m contemplating an algae scrubber or algae reactor as an alternative solution. We shall see.

[@PetmaluLife]

@@jdamommio Most definitely. I have an extra Hydra 26 I plan to use as my refugium light. I probably wont get it going to till the tank is a bit more mature (maybe month 3-4). Looking forward to seeing the outcome. Thanks for your comment.

[@kayjoe7237]

Do you have any gate valves on your return lines ?

[@PetmaluLife]

Yes! I do have a gate valve just above my COR20 right before if splits off to my manifold for fine tuning.

[@fiziksgeek3562]

Love the tank, everything is beautiful, but leak testing with RODI makes no sense at all. First, it takes too long to fill. You are not going to send there and watch it for trickle fill, so if you had a real problem, you might not even be home or might be in bed. Any contaminants in the tap water would be such a small portion of the system volume they will be well diluted.

[@TonyDamazio]

Looks good. To bad that the actual tank is the thing that would end up leaking.

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you! I know right! Worst thing that could possibly happen. I should be getting the new one soon.

[@quadlawnmowerman]

Doesn't make any sense why your tank drain line is not plumber directly into the roller mat, just going to fill the sump up with waste from the tank, block any bio media and gunk up the UV.... The way you have plumber this means the UV is doing about 30% of what it should be and the roller mat might as well not be there for all the additional cleaning you are making for yourself not having it on the drain line. All your water should be going through the UV then through anything else, all the water coming from the tank should be going through roller mat.

[@matabungkayfarm3152]

Proud pinoy bro baka pwede patulong sau

[@matabungkayfarm3152]

Pinoy here bro pwede muba ako guide mag buo din ako salt water aquarium

[@PetmaluLife]

Yes, I can teach you! What size are you looking to get?

[@matabungkayfarm3152]

Nag pm ako sa fb page nyopo boss

[@closetocreamy]

How are you not verifed

[@closetocreamy]

This is very entertaining

[@PetmaluLife]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the video. I appreciate your support!

[@antsoncrack7953]

Too bad it leaked

[@PetmaluLife]

Right!?!?! it was a sad day but at the same time glad it happened before I had major livestock in it.