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New reef in the works, 225g
I'm in the process of putting a new reef together. It's all been ordered and is starting to arrive. With any luck I'll have the complete setup by the end of the month. Here's a list of what is coming.
225g tank, 72Lx30Wx24H, starphire front & sides, center internal overflow 97g sump/refugium, acrylic, 48Lx26Wx18H Steel stand, 72Lx30Wx40T Infinity XR4 HQI 3x250w MH, 8x39 T5 lights with ACLS controller Deltec AP851 Protein Skimmer Deltec PF600 Calcium Reactor Deltec KM500 Kalk Mixer Tunze TS48 - 4 x 6100 stream, 7095 controller Tonga live rock - 320lbs Aquatronica controller Ozotech Poseidon MTC Ozone reactor Aqua UV 114w The tank and much of the equipment is coming from Aquarium Obsessed. I'll start posting some pics of what I've got or have built so far. |
Sounds like one sweet setup :eek: :exclaim: .... looking forward to more.
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It will be bb, so I got some starboard to protect the glass and I think it will look nicer. I come from a Discus background so cleanliness is a requirement and bb tanks look fine to me. I got the starboard in two pieces for easier shipping. It came from the Cutting Board Company.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0120.jpg |
A week and a half ago I got a batch 160lbs of Tonga LR from J&L. It's curing now and this week I should get another batch. Since the tank will be bb I decided not to go with any base rock. Here's a pic of some of the pieces. That carpet tile is 18"x18".
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0150.jpg |
The stand is made of 1.5" tubular steel. I was hoping to have it powdercoated but it looks like I'll be spraypainting it instead. In order to fit it through my office door I had to have it made in 3 sections, 24Lx30Wx40H. They will be bolted together and the entire stand will sit in an aluminum tray with a 4" apron on it. That should keep any leaks/spills from hitting the carpet.
All of the equipment for this tank must fit under the stand. Here's a preliminary plan of how that should fit. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...nk/stand-1.jpg Here's how the stand looks so far. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0157.jpg |
Under the stand, and above the sump there will be a shelf, 48"x30". It will sit on rebar that will fit in holes drilled in the legs of the stand. I plan to put all of the electrical / power center up there. It will be isolated from water & salt and should be relatively safe there. I have built a power center for most of the equipment. This will be wired to a DJ power center so I can easily turn equipment off & on. Another DJ power center will be wired to my Aquatronica powerbars so I can override the controller. That will make more sense when that equipment arrives. Here's the power center that I built. It will sit on the shelf to the left facing the length of the tank...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0172.jpg Yesterday & today I have been priming this unit & painting it with black paint to make it more water resistant. The tank stand will also be painted black as will all of the electrical housings. I will build a skin for the stand and attach it with strong magnets to cover up all of this wonderful gadgetry. |
That's pretty much where I'm at as of today. This week I hope to be finishing the stand, getting the Tunze, Calcium reactor, ozone reactor, sump, aquatronica gear and the rest of the live rock. The rest of the equipment & tank should arrive by the end of the month.
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looks awesome so far buddy, i've definitely taggin along for the ride. those pieces of live rock look nice. i like the dimensions of the tank. i wish mine was 30 wide and 24 deep. mine is 30 deep and 24 wide it makes it a little difficult to reach the bottom of the tank. the power center looks really clean and tidy, i like that. definitely keep us posted
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Just curious....why are you going with black starboard?
Thanx much, |
Saw Aquarium Obsessed's work at MACNA, very impressive.
Your system is coming along nicely, keep us updated. All the best. Wendell |
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I went with the black starboard also on my 190g - actually exactly the same as you did, cut in 2 pieces and from the cutting board factory. Like you say it soon gets covered in coraline and IMO looks better that say white which would also look dirty with live rock shedding etc.
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Ruth, do you have any pics of what your starboard looked like in the beginning & now?
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I know I don't have any from the beginning and right now it is just - um purple - I think there is a full tank shot in my gallery or photbucket account. Not much to look at really.
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Today I got an ozone reactor, air & water carbon filter from Marine Technical Concepts. It looks really good, well built. It allows me to use ozone without risking my Deltec skimmer.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0176.jpg |
You've got INSANE equipment! Especially for a new Reefer!
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Man....Sfiligoi lights??? You lucky bastard! :)
That is gonna be one sweeeet setup! |
The stand is painted and in my house. It sure is tall. I'd measured the area that it would go in before so I had a good idea how big it would be but until you see it you just don't know. Now I'm painting the boards that will form the base, shelf & sit on top of the stand. There will also be 3/4" styrofoam on top of that.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0206.jpg I got my Aquatronica controller & accessories today too. This unit will allow me to control the temperature, monitor salinity, control the ozone by monitoring ORP, top up the sump with a couple of float switches & solenoids, control my kalkwasser mixer, control the calcium reactor pH and affect any other devices on a timer basis. There are two power bars that will be connected to each other. In the future I may get the calcium probe & dosing pumps. There's also an ethernet adaptor that allows you to check/control all parameters over the net from anywhere in the world. And lastly there's an SMS module that will contact you by text message and allow you to respond to alarms/conditions. Not that I want/need those but it's nice to have the expandability. Here's the main unit. There's also a PC Interface so all of the programming can be done on the computer and this unit is just used to check parameters at the tank... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0207.jpg And here's the unit with a power bar connected and a few probes attached. This unit can also be used to control multiple tanks. You can connect up to 10 power bars. With longer USB connectors the tanks can be pretty far away too... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0205.jpg |
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________ California Dispensaries |
There's always Bubble King skimmers, ha. I only want to do this once, then watch it grow.
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I made some progress this weekend. I have wired one of the DJ panels to my power center. So the 8 switches will control the 18 outlets on the top row of the power center. The bottom row of outlets will plug in to the 3 circuits on the wall. So each DJ panel will have it's own circuit and the last circuit will be for anything I haven't thought about. The other DJ panel will be wired to the Aquatronica powerbars. There is one powerbar in the box to show where it will sit. The other powerbar is on my 67g tank being tested. Pretty cool stuff so far.
I also got my sump from Quinn today. At 48x26x18 it's pretty big. But since it's acrylic I could easily get it downstairs and in position on my own. The tank won't be so easy. The next couple of weeks will be pretty boring as I wait for the tank. All that's left is to finish up the electrical and wait... Here's the view of the left side of the stand. The electrical is all isolated on it's own shelf. The panel on the left is wired to the power center. The panel on the right will be wired to the powerbars. The ACLS units will sit to the right of the power center. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0221.jpg The DJ panel box will be covered when it's complete. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0223.jpg Here's the right side of the DJ box with the Aquatronica powerbar. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0224.jpg And here's the stand is it is today with the sump and all of the electrical. I'm hoping I've planned for enough room for the rest of the equipment to fit to the right of the sump. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0227.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0229.jpg |
Some more toys arrived yesterday. It's a Tunze TS48 kit, 4 Tunze 6100 streams, a 7095 controller and some magnets. I thought these powerheads would be bigger... these won't be that noticeable in a 6 foot tank.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0260.jpg |
Cool thread!
I'm interested to see how your controller works out for you! |
How are you going to the get a skimmer and plumbing into the sump with a shelf right over the top? I would be worried about rotting the wood of the shelf it being so close to the top of your sump.
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Ha ha, Skimmer. Dave has it covered, can't wait to see it!
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The wood is treated and should withstand rotting. But if it doesn't I can remove it and replace it. It would be a bit of a pain but I'd only have to remove the electrical boxes for a minute or two, slide out the shelf & replace it. I could always put in a 1/2" piece of acrylic if it's an issue. |
Are you still going with the Deltec skimmer? I see that you referred above to looking at Bubble King skimmers so just curious if you have changed your mind. I know that Aquarium Obsessed is no longer a dealer for BK skimmers and as that is where you said most of your equipment is coming from am assuming that you are sticking with the Deltec - I am interested to see your review of it once it is all set up.
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Yeah, I'm getting the Deltec AP851. I only referred to the BK as something to upgrade to in the future. But I was being facetious. I think I'll be satisfied with the Deltec. I'll let you know how it works out.
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The UV is here. It's a 114w Aqua unit with wipers. It will mount under the shelf on my stand, above the sump. I will run a Mag 5 through the UV and then to the ozone, through the carbon filter and back to the sump.
According to my calculations a flow rate of 250gph will turnover 99.99% of the 325g that are in this system every 12 hours. I'm running a Mag 5 through a Rainbow Lifegard UV sterilizer on my smaller tank and the back pressure from the unit drops the flow from the pump to 250gph so this should work perfectly for both the UV and the ozone. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0268.jpg |
I got the calcium reactor today. For some reason they shipped the PF601S instead of the PF600. That's no problem, so long as it fits under the stand. I assume it will but I won't know until I get the skimmer & kalk mixer. I might have to relocate the CO2 tank, but I was thinking of doing that anyways. This sure is a nice unit, looks very well built.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0271.jpg |
Wow, like the progress and equiptment so far ! Where did you get the the DJ center & Aquatronica powerbars. Was thinking of doing something like that.
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What is the price tag on that UV if you don't mind me asking Dave?
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There isn't a lot of space above the sump for a refugium light. The best I could find is a Coralife 24" Aqualight. It fits perfect, and has two 65w PC bulbs... even a fan.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0272.jpg The tank is now built, is curing & being water tested. I hope it will ship in a week or so. The skimmer & kalk mixer should be coming soon. The rest of the equipment will come with the tank. Next week I plan to get most of the plumbing done. The holes are drilled on the tank and I've got the details of where they are, pictures to support it. So I should be able to get the plumbing supplies now. I figure I'll drill the plywood & styro that the tank sits on and then drill the shelf below and just drop the plumbing straight down into the sump. I'll also have to route one pipe over to the skimmer and then to the sump but the returns can come straight up to the tank as well. I want to do this now so I can figure out where I can mount the UV since it will be strapped to the underside of the shelf. I'm also going to get the wood for the shroud for the tank stand. I'm leaning towards birch plywood. It's very smooth & flat and should look great. I want to have 3 separate doors to the stand, one for each section & two sides. The height of the wood will be 2" taller then the stand so it will cover the plywood, styro and the bottom pane of glass. It will also extend 1" beyond the back edge of the stand to keep my cat out of there. I want to make cutouts on the doors for the DJ panel, Aquatronica controller & Tunze controller. I figure if I don't I'll just be constantly removing the boards to see what's going on. |
Long post here, lots of pics so sorry to dialup folks. I had some time & I wanted to determine whether I could do the aquascaping without PVC, acrylic rods or cement. So I taped off the tank inside dimensions, laid down the starboard and pretended that I had my tank. Call it boredom, planning or just impatience waiting for the tank. Insanity is more like it. I started out wanting a couple of lopsided, different sized islands and ended up with a bit more then that. I'm trying to avoid the "wall of rock" look that I've seen, as well as trying to keep the rock away from the glass to allow cleaning of all sides. I may have come closer to the wall-look then I want but it's my first attempt and I think it's pretty good. This rock will certainly provide a lot of places for coral placement. Unfortunately I don't have that much floor space to lay it out so I am not able to get any pics from the full frontal look of the rock. Here's the best I could do. I'm not tied to this look so feel free to voice your opinions...
Looking to the right side from the front... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0300.jpg More detail of front, right end... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0301.jpg Same end, different angle... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0304.jpg Left end while looking to the right... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0303.jpg Looking towards the left side from the front... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0308.jpg Gap between right & left side, might remove the joining rock & leave empty... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0309.jpg Another angle of left side... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0306.jpg Left end... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...k/DSCN0305.jpg When it comes to assembling this in the tank I plan to do it this way again and get it the way I want it and then move it piece by piece into the tank room & into the tank. It's much easier to manipulate the rock & find the best fit this way rather then in a glass tank. And this rock fit together very solidly, without anything holding it together other then its own weight. Any comments? |
that looks awesome davec. how sturdy are the pieces togther without using any compound?
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Very sturdy. I tried pushing them over with reasonable force & they didn't budge. Still not sure I'd trust that in a glass tank. I might zip tie the bigger pieces.
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What type of rock is it?
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