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New tank holes too large for bulkheads - fixes?

I suspect the second, nonstandard rubber gasket was used between the box and the tank wall as that has to be sealed separately and would make sense, what I don't understand is the nylon washer so keep looking to see what purpose it provides (it is not for sealing and not something we use here.)
 
Aha, found something interesting after much searching:

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/330129-bulkhead-keep-the-rubber-seal/

This gentleman has exactly the same bulkheads as me and asks where to place the rubber and plastic washers. The respondent shows pictures of how he assembled his. Although my eyes are not good enough from the pictures to see whether he put the thread on the inside or outside. Take a look at that page.
 
you want the nut to tighten on the outside. much easier to service later on. ive tried it both ways. what you may consider is trimming off the unneeded threads with a saw once you figure out exactly how much of them you need.
bulkheads look much cleaner and nicer with the nut on the inside, but its, functionally, not as useful.
 
rryyddeerr,
The bulkhead she has has a nylon washer as part of the setup. I have no idea how that is supposed to be used. Look at her photos. There are two rubber gaskets (the second was probably used to seal between the overflow box and the tank wall, I still vote silicone there instead) but I can't fathom the intent of the nylon washer (our bulkheads do not use these). The thread she found suggesed siliconing everything but seating a gasket would still be my choice where the bulkhead hits the overflow.

Katy, is there an inside groove in either side of the bulkhead where the nylon would fit and be resessed? It's use is a mystery.
 
Just checked. There are no grooves like that, no. My only thought about that washer is that it is meant to be used between the nut and the glass to protect the glass or reduce the likelihood of cracking, like your acrylic plate solution. Other than that, I'm blank.
 
its just meant to reduce friction between the glass and the nut. thats all. i would use it. the nut can turn under more of a load without scraping against the glass. the rubber goes on the water side of the equation, and the nylon one goes on the outside and just serves as a glide between the glass and the nut.
 
Katy, The acrylic plate is to compensate for the hole being too large and not providing a full flat surface. The washer is too small for the same purpose but may be there to provide a slick surface, especially if it has to come off at some point.
 
Just got back from the plumber. Nice guy, he owns 18 freshwater aquariums, he must be crazy!

Anyway he said the gaskets I had were soft enough to be used but gave me some extra bits and showed how to put it together. He also recommended siliconing the overflow box, but to try what he had given me without doing that first. The bulkheads were not in backwards - he screwed them up from the inside too - and placed the plastic washer inside the overflow box before the nut, which I'm pretty sure is how it was originally placed.

No charge.
 
Sounds like you are meeting a bunch of new people without stress, hobbies are like that :biggrin2:.

I reviewed and stopped your video and could see that the nut was on the inside so you don't have the set up backwards but technically speaking, the bulkheads are in backwards. However, it is done that way often enough for one reason or another (we have one tank intentionally set up like that for some wacky plumbing). The main reason to put the nut on the back is to avoid wrinkling the rubber gasket and messing up the seal but functionally, there is no difference.
 
It works! *cheers wildly*

Then I thought the sump was leaking til I realised it was 'user error' a we say in computing :biggrin2:

NOW I fill will the rest of my tank!!! *excited*
 
When you get up to the overflow, block the outlet and continue to fill the tank until to roughly halfway up the little grooved openings (they remind me of castle turrets and I don't know if they have a proper name). Then unblock your overflow (a sponge will do as a temporary block) and check the depth in your sump. Mark the water height from the top (allow some wiggle room). I use a stick on label and put an arrow pointing to the intended side (then neither Neal nor I have to remember if the mark is at the bottom or the top of the label). Continue filling the aquarium until the water in the sump reaches that mark. This will be the maximum depth you will want in the sump and where you should keep the water with your freshwater top off (and when you do water changes and refill with saltwater).
 
Excellent, I understand perfectly. Right now I have just been pouring jugs of water through the overflow and checking to make sure it doesnt leak, it is a little hard to tell with the print background on (and because Im clumsy and spill water everywhere), but it seems ok, I have done it over and over but I am going to keep a close eye on it. I tightened the bolts a little more now.

Before I finish the fill I want to clean the sump, the skimmer and everything down there because it's all dirty.
 
It's normal for houses here to have floor drains, I have them but the problem is the floor has to slope down which makes everything around it very unlevel. Couple that with the fact the houses are old. We had a hell of a time getting the stand and tank level, the wooden floor is warped in all directions; getting it level was ok, but getting it level and stable at the same time was hard work.
 

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