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DKoKoMAN’s 305g Basement Reef
So I had been contemplating an upgrade to a larger tank for some time and had some room on each side of the wall where my current 150g tank. Most my fish have been with me for a couple of years and have grown quite big. My wife and I were talking about purchasing a larger tank to allow for the fish to have more swimming room... so it began.
I had been browsing to ask for some time and measuring the stairwell leading to the basement as this is where the tank would be setup. I pushed the limits to where in theory the tank would be able to make it down the stairs and around the corner. I had been looking at plenty of tanks for some time and finally decided to pull the trigger naturally on a custom build. My main goal for this tank was to provide ample swimming room, minimalistic aquascaping and as quiet as an overflow I could go. After tons of research and the ability to design what I wanted I chose to go with the bean animal style overflow. To stick to my original plan of maximizing swimming space I decided on utilizing an external overflow box (just shy of a coast to coast). Naturally I wanted a black vinyl back as I had the back blacked out on my 150g and loved it. I had always loved the look of a Concept Built tank and often admired many fellow Canreefers who had these tanks. After looking at the options I chose to have my new tank built through Concept. Dave was great to deal with through the process and began drafting up some drawings for my review. I decided on a eurobraced aquarium as I often struggled with getting around the middle brace in my last tank. I went with the starphire glass on 3 sides and two return pumps drilled on the back corners. I opted to have the stand powder coated this go around for longevity. In addition I wanted a large simple setup sump for equipment and ease of maintenance. I also chose to have an ATO container built to match the sump. I wanted all parts of this tank to be visually appealing. Here are the drawings I settled on: http://i.imgur.com/F9Qt1tI.jpg http://i.imgur.com/ufWxFDD.jpg http://i.imgur.com/WHQgFGl.jpg |
http://i.imgur.com/bX0soS3.jpg The tank put together and I’m glad I went with the black silicone. http://i.imgur.com/Zgw9nxg.jpg Overflow box setup for the Bean Animal. http://i.imgur.com/zmQycLS.jpg Black vinyl applied and acrylic overflow weir. http://i.imgur.com/ZKwzvAb.jpg Another view. http://i.imgur.com/XJOJRyW.jpg New shiny sump! (wish it would stay clean like this) :biggrin: |
I ended up going with the schedule 80 plumbing (overkill) simply for the grey colour as the pipes would be exposed from the back. The tank although against the wall is in our basement media room so you can see the exposed plumbing from the one side while on the couch. I’m happy with the choice and it turned ot well. The 3 drain pipes were secured to prevent any sagging over time or stress on the plumbing joints.
http://i.imgur.com/LsG9jAH.jpg My goal was to try and keep the top of the tank as clean as possible but I still wanted a lid for peace of mind. Dave and I discussed the option of a clear acrylic top which would inlay and have clear mesh. After looking at some photos I definitely think this would achieve a clean and secure lid. Here is the lid on the CNC machine. http://i.imgur.com/LqJREN5.jpg |
Exciting!! Will be following this build. The lids that Dave build are awesome. Have one myself
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So shiny...
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Trying to plug away when I get time in between shift work. Eventually I will get caught up and it will be up to date :smile:
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The wife and I made the trip down to Calgary to pickup the tank. I decided that I would rent a cargo trailer to avoid the tank being exposed to any of the elements. It worked out well as the Saturday we drove down there was a bunch of snow that was coming down. I was super pumped to pick this bad boy up as I eagerly waited for it to be finished.
I met Dave at Concept and he took the time to show me my tank. My wife and I were both impressed with the build quality and how sleek it looked. I never had the chance to see the old Concept Aquariums however I was impressed by the new update / refresh and all the nice frag tanks. Dave took the time to show us around and was very accommodating during our time in the store. Dave and his staff packed the trailer, stand and sump in to the trailer taking the time to make sure everything was protected. Arrived back in Edmonton in one piece and I managed to wrangle up a bunch of people from my squad at work to help get this in the basement. Nothing like a little beer and pizza to convince people to help. http://i.imgur.com/F4Me3Uh.jpg |
So with the new tank at home and ready to be setup my 150g would need to be taken down. Now the pain of this transfer is the new tank will be setup in the exact same location where my 150g is. I figured I would post a couple of photographs of what the 150g looked like before being taken down. I apologize in advance for the cell phone photos.
http://i.imgur.com/hRCytZD.jpg http://i.imgur.com/9R7j9Dt.jpg |
Good luck with the transfer. Hope it all goes well
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Stay tuned... plugging away at this lol. |
So I was lucky enough to have 7 people including myself to help with getting everything out of the trailer and in to my house. Everything went smoothly, panicked a little when the tank was brought inside. Although I measured, remeasured and took the time to ensure this tank would fit it appeared super tight. The external overflow box made for a challenge on the way the tank would need to be carried down to allow getting through the door frame.
Everything was now in place except for the tank itself. Let the games begin...a lot of sweat, blood and tears were present. It didn’t help that the tank glass temperature changed and condensation was now present. I wasn’t able to use the suction cups due to the tight space. Eventually we got it through the door, down one of the small flights of stairs and stood it up on be landing. Then the hardest part was making the tight turn on the landing, lowering the tank down on the stairs and clearing the ceiling in the process. There was a lot of pivoting happening which led to my wife refer to the episode of “Friends”. I have attached the link for the video https://youtu.be/Tam7KO4qhUI. The tank was eventually carried down and put in to place. Everyone enjoyed beer and pizza. That was enough for the one day. |
Started the tear down on the 150g the following day. I used a series of heavy duty Rubbermaid containers (4 containers in total). The LR was placed in each Rubbermaid, all Rubbermaids had a heater and Powerhead to keep the water in check. Everything was removed and the fish were then able to be caught and placed in one of the Rubbermaid’s with a small amount of LR. Most my LR had corals encrusted and were placed the best I could to prevent them from breaking.
The tank was emptied preserving as much of my original water as possible for the transfer. The 150g was moved out of the way to make room for the new tank. I used a heavy duty exercise mat for the floor where the steel stand would be put in place. The new stand was set in place and levelled. The tank was placed on the stand, the sump was put in and all the plumbing connected (got to love unions). http://i.imgur.com/y0kxf5Q.jpg All new Live Sand was used as I didn’t want to go through the trouble of washing the old sand and I simply couldn’t due to the take down and setup. Water was added...luckily I made up a bunch of extra saltwater as it didn’t hit how much more volume this tank would be until I started pumping the water. Salinity was matched up and everything was put in to the new tank. All the fish appeared to be very relaxed and all the steps to reduce stress appeared to work. Everything was back in and the tank was now functional. The total time for the tear down and transfer was 12 hours...what a long day. :surprise: |
The tank all setup and running! :biggrin:
http://i.imgur.com/wQyn8c5.jpg http://i.imgur.com/cc7bX5O.jpg |
All in all the transfer went quite well. The next day it was discovered that I lost two fish... my flame angel and my rainbow wrasse. All the other fish appeared to be as normal and I tested the ammonia which was “0”. All the parameters were spot on. In addition I lost my fromia starfish (I expected this as they are finicky) and a couple Acros had STN. Over the week (transfer was done on a Sunday) everything appeared happy and I dialed in the flow for the tank. I have two MP40’s on each end of the tank point at each other and running between alternating constant and reef crest mode.
The lighting schedule was left untouched. As the tank is wider than my last one I turned the radions to run front and back. I added two additional radions to provide overlapping light in the tank to prevent any dead spots. This way lower light demanding corals will be at the bottom and the mid of the tank will still be able to grow most SPS. At the end of the week no further losses were incurred and everything was looking back on track. My LR and scape is a minimalistic approach with lots of room for the fish to swim. I have no LR touching the back or sides of the glass so there should be little dead spots. I may add additional LR in a couple places but not at this time. |
Tank looks great man!!! Glad everything went as smoothly as possible. Can’t wait to see it in person.
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Couple photos of the many zoas I have moved over. Everything is looking happy and opened up.
http://i.imgur.com/nvKrzpj.jpg http://i.imgur.com/peEjhtU.jpg http://i.imgur.com/SXErAIw.jpg http://i.imgur.com/k8kshCV.jpg |
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Sorry about the fish & fromia, but glad to see everything else is looking good. You must be glad the hard part’s behind you! You’re probably getting bored already:lol: At one point I had 3 tanks going before my transfer & now I’m amazed I hardly have anything to do, haha. Time to plan next year’s upgrade...
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Thanks Maggie. It’s a bummer losing fish, coral is one thing but fish sucks. I’m just glad I didn’t lose any of the old timers as the larger tank was for them. I miss my star already, I will let everything settle in and get another. I have been pretty busy with this tank so far, my wallet is getting empty :lol: and only a couple more things to buy.
I took your advice on the Skimmer and your feedback (*spoiler alert*). |
The one piece acrylic lid with mesh inserts that was custom made to fit the tank is great. I was really wanting to keep an open top but working shift work I feared if I had a jumper I wouldn’t be able to deal with it. This was the next best option as the design allowed for a tight lid with a minimalistic design. I love how the acrylic was cut on the CNC precise that it inlays so the top of the tank is still flush.
Here are a couple photos of the lid on the tank. In the future I may change the mesh inserts to black although the clear is not reflecting as much as I though it would. Let me know what you think. http://i.imgur.com/lTH3J2E.jpg http://i.imgur.com/9g46cQj.jpg |
Just had the same lid made. I love it. It’s so low profile. Makes it feel part of the tank rather then a window screen on top. Tank looks great! Sorry about ur losses
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Thanks Mattyb! Ya I’m so glad I went this route instead of the window frame style. Best you can do for lid IMO. Sucks losing fish without a doubt, but in reality transfers are stressful. I’m just glad everyone is doing good now.
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Vertex Alpha Cone Skimmer
New Toy! I went back and forth on different skimmer options for this build. I initially made up my mind that I was going to purchase the Reef Octopus Regal or keep the cost down and buy the Bubble Magus Curve 9. I searched the internet reviewing the most popular skimmers and what worked for a larger tank.
I ended up purchasing the Vertex Alpha Cone - 200 which is a very nice looking Skimmer. Based on reviews I read this Skimmer is a beast and the external pump allows for good water draw. I put this bad boy in the sump and away it went. It took some time to dial it in but within a day or two it was pulling out dark skimmate. I really like that it is still quiet when running but produces tons of micro bubbles. The acrylic body is very nice and I’m curious to see how the screw off collection cup works out over time. Photos of the sump and skimmer http://i.imgur.com/JT3asg1.jpg http://i.imgur.com/I9Yfg5j.jpg |
Neptune ATK
This time around I decided to purchase an ATO to keep the salinity consistent. I was able to manage this manually in my 150g but I’m sure there was a bit of swing happening as I work a variety of shifts. My fear of the ATO was for it to stick on and pump a bunch of water in to the sump causing the salinity to take a dive. I also was pretty worried that it would overflow etc. I did a bunch of research on the ATO’s on the market and found that many have different fail safes to prevent disaster from happening. I really liked the idea of a magnetic mount optical sensor. I came across the Neptune ATK and was immediately sold (first Neptune product I have purchased). This ATO has a low water optical sensor, a high water optical sensor and a traditional plastic float valve if they fail. I setup the ATO which was overall pretty simple to install. I did use the included siphon break as the water level in the 5g pail was higher than that of my return pump section. I had to fiddle around a little as the top optical sensor would ever so slightly be covered with water and trigger the 10 min alarm. I have since got it working and other then the siphon valve spraying when the pump turns in it a great unit. The pump itself is quiet, I love that the intake is on the bottom and the pump is compact. It sits upright making it run until there is absolutely no water left in the reservoir. I am temporarily using a 5g pail until I receive my glass ATO container which is around 15g. Here are a couple photos. http://i.imgur.com/Tb1YRY8.jpg ATK module, simple plug n play. http://i.imgur.com/MJPA71i.jpg Magnetic mount with two optical sensors and traditional plastic float. Overall pretty compact but does take a bit of room in your return section. http://i.imgur.com/XqXSaJW.jpg Compact pump and attached siphon break. |
Awesome, I was leaning towards the Neptune for my next ato.
Thanks for the feedback. Wondering how long the 5g or even the 15g will last you on a tank that big. |
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Well it's easy enough to use a temporary container when needed for vacations. Just sit it beside the tank while you're gone.
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New ATO Container
Received my new ATO container which was custom made to fit under the stand. The Ato container shipped up from Calgary and was very well protected by a wooden crate. The capacity is approximately 18g up to the black trim. I’m liking that a lid was included as this should help cut down evaporation. Fingers crossed that it will come close 5-7 days before being empty. Here’s some photos.
http://i.imgur.com/9UPAuFS.jpg http://i.imgur.com/va74Pzm.jpg http://i.imgur.com/cQLSpqn.jpg |
Barney the Purple Tang
Welcome Barney, the newest addition and final tang. My tang gang is completed with this addition.
http://i.imgur.com/w1r5CuN.jpg http://i.imgur.com/BAMHGo9.jpg |
I am looking for feedback from those of you who have larger systems on what your water change schedule is like. On my 150g I used to do biweekly 15% WC. I also did his based on a heavy bioload and high nutrients. I am just wondering what folks with lager tanks are doing for WC.
Biweekly or monthly and how much percent of the system are you changing during these? Appreciate any feedback. |
Clowns Laying Eggs
Well since the tank transfer it’s been approximately 2 weeks, my clown finally laid eggs again. I’m taking this as a good sign of the water quality.
http://i.imgur.com/BmDa8tg.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Pv2HRMq.jpg http://i.imgur.com/fGMKLKh.jpg |
So glad all is going well for you. Very jealous of your clowns. Mine totally ignore the anemones I got for them. Argggh.
Also I’ve seen them exhibiting what I think is mating behavior but I’ve never seen any eggs. |
They usually will almost tackle each other when they display mating. I’m no expert in this realm but I always know my female is going to lay when she bites at the rocks. What kind of anemone do you have for them? I can’t take credit as these clowns came with my original 75g tank and with the ritteri anemone they host in.
On another note, I’m still hoping I will get some feedback on people’s WC intervals and amounts. :smile: |
This guy surfed the whole tank as I cleaned the glass. Of course as soon as I’m done and put the magnet back he exits stage left :lol:
(Yes I do have a diatom bloom on the sand). http://i.imgur.com/LknwbjG.jpg |
DI Resin Change & Additional Filters?
Today I was topping up my brute with RODI water and noticed my TDS netter went up to 1ppm before returning to zero. I have the Vertex Puratek and have had the unit for approximately a year. I’m just wondering if I should replace my DI resin? Should I replace the carbon block and prefilter as well? I have read the RO membrane is good for a year, is this correct? The DI resin is the original that came with the vertex unit and it appears that it is changing colors.
I have attached a photo of the puratek and the DI chamber to assist in identifying if I should swap it out. http://i.imgur.com/HnWkwmc.jpg http://i.imgur.com/WgcLvm5.jpg |
This is totally normal on start up. If you placed a TDS sensor between the RO and the DI you would notice that the first blast of water will typically be about the same TDS as plain tap water. The DI resin will not catch all of it so you'll see some in the product water. This is one of the reasons why it's so important to run the RODI for long periods rather than short periods and why your fish RODI should never be hooked up to a pressure tank.
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