Index:

72'' Outer Orbit/Test fill
Sump Build
LR Cure/Transfer Day!/Blue Mushrooms
Ricordia Garden
Australian Lord Acans + Duncan
20K Radiums Installed, 1 turns RED!
Baby Snails
Vodka dosing: Clarity

Current FTS:










Here we go again. So far I have had a 24 Aquapod and a 42 gallon hexagon tank. On Thanksgiving of 2008 I was able to get a steal of a deal on ebay for a 125 gallon tank and stand. It was a steal because it was local pick up only in a town called danvers IL. population 5. (not really but dirt roads and CR-xx signs everywhere.)

I'll start off by showing pictures of the stand rebuild process. I could not believe how many nails the stand was built with. 1 2x4 had 16 nails in it. 8 on each end. No glue or screws anywhere.


Here is my work station. I sat on a rolling stool and pulled upwards of 500 finishing nails out of the 2x4's.


Crappy paneling held on with 1 billion nails. someone liked the nail gun.


This is the stand after removing hundreds of nails.


The Rebuilt supports.


Almost done here. If you are wondering why it is taking me so long, the reason is those boots come off easily.


Finished and sealed and has 5 CFL puck lights. ( I plan on enclosing it latter.


Oh right and here is the tank. Since this was taken I have cleaned it. But this is the condition I picked it up in. Remember the location on where I picked it up from...

Nice...tagging along

Any Idea on changing that oak trim on the tank? I was thinking of just ruffing it up with sand paper and get some rustoleum black spray paint.

Who doesn't like nail guns

Looks like it will be a nice tank, Was it fresh water before you got it? I ask because all the gunk in the bottom reminds me of my old pacu tank.




Acrylic paint could work, Acrylic paint bonds to plastic very well and it is near impossible to get off once its dried (I have an old plastic paint brush holder that I mixed some acrylic paint on and it has never even chipped off after twenty years).

They sell acrylic paint at any art store,The good paint can go upwards of $20 a tube or the regular stuff is $5 a tube.

Yes you are right it was used as a freshwater tank for years.

Wow, almost identical to my 125. Crappy stand, oak trim, old dirty FW tank, bought for a steal at Thanksgiving.

Click the thread in my sig to see what I did to my stand/trim. And yes, the sandpaper/spray paint will work on the plastic.

Did you ask the previous owner if the tank had ever seen copper?

As sweet deal. I will be checking out your tank then.



And his response would be "why would I stick pennies in my tank"

No really even if it had I have scrubbed it, vinegar, and then regular water rinse then a RO/DI water rinse. I scrubbed the seals and even the trim, outside and inside, top bottom and underneath. Trust me nothing got by me.

Copper won't soak into the glass. You only have to worry if you're reusing rocks or sand from a dosed tank.

Well tonight I managed to finally decide where the tank will go in the basement.
And its LEVEL!!! Unfortunately I alone cannot lift the 6'.

I'll have to have another party and require everyone who wants a free beer or 4 to help me lift the tank.

Mmmm beer if only I lived in Illinois.

x2 on that. wait i do live in illinois

<--------- WILL TRAVEL FOR BEER.

Cool build. Im looking forward to seeing some water in it. What are your plans? Corals/Lighting/Fish/Equipment?

Corals well that would be everything under the sun. Sounds like a broad selection I know. I'll have to limit what SPS I go. As some SPS won't like the lower flow my tank will have since I will be having a sand bed and can't crank my vortect to max. (or can I, Don't know yet)

Of course I would have other limitations also. Based on what fish, and other corals I have. I don't want chemical warfare going on. I'm a big fan of LPS though. I'm also a big fan of RESEARCH.

Fish wise it will be my clowns, firefish, and my Lawn Mower blenny.

Future fish are pending. I need to do more research. I'll have at least 1 Hippo tang. maybe a small school of 3 of them.

besides that I like that blue spotted jaw fish, and way latter on a mandarin.

For a centerpiece fish I was thinking an Emperor angel. Not sure have to do RESEARCH. I'm concentrating on getting my tank cycling by Christmas.

Lighting! Outer Orbit 72'' 834 total watts I'll address that in an additional post.

Sump will contain for now my aquaC Urchin, 250 watt stealth heater ( might have to get 2)
Sump size is still pending. I have just over 9-11 inches of floor space to fit a tank. Was thinking a 30 something ish long. I'll prolly custom make it out of acrylic.

sump will contain cheato on a reverse lighting cycle.

Look what I got for $300 and its fully operational. (German Shepard for reference)


Unfortunately During shipping 2 of the 96W actinics bulbs broke.


The ebay bid I did for this said I would have to replace the ballasts. The seller said they had blown. So I had full intentions of replacing the ballasts. Well while I was cleaning the unit I noticed a wire lead disconnected. I just soldered it into place and shrink sealed it. Presto!!! MH lights work!!! Boy was I happy.

Because I have no idea how old these bulbs are I will be replacing all 7 bulbs.

For MH (3) I am going with that amazing 150w 14k Phoenix HQI.

For the (4) 96W square pin CFL's I have no idea. Anyone have suggestions?

Nice light! $300 is an awesome deal.

Yeah, what a deal! I think those are like usually over $1000.

Yes I did score good with that light. After firing the bulbs today I noticed just how worn out the 3 bulbs are. They each are the same original bulb. Each bulb now has its own spectrum of light. You can visually see the difference. One bulb even has a hint of red in the light.

If I had to guess the bulbs have at least 3.5 years burn time.

The Current CF lamps have good color. Plus you can choose between the 420nm and the 460nm spectrums. Awesome deal, those are great lights. I had a 24" one on my old 54 corner.

Sweet deal on the light, sucks about the bulbs though. I can't wait to see the tank with some new bulbs on it! Looking good man!

Um CF lamps I am not fimilar with. I'll have to do some researching. But since you posted. Whats the difference between the 40nm's and is one better than the other? I never did actinic lighting either. Guess I need to read up on that too.

still waiting for my photos to finish uploading. I'll have another post in a few minutes.

Continuing my build log:

I managed to hang the lights today with great care. 50 lbs is a lot to suspend. I cut some 2x4's and glued and screwed between the 2x10's in my basement. The tank is located where our ceiling is 12ft high. Luckily the Outer Orbit's mounting hardware came with a long enough cable.

Here is how I managed to suspend the lights. I had levels, laser level, and clamps. I temp clamped the light ends on the 2x4 so I could drill for the other suspension cable and permanently screw it into place. The hard part was finding the exact center so the light would stay in place when lifted off the top of the tank. Took a few tries.



This is where I decided to test fill the tank and make sure my stand would take the weight. Not even a single creak from the wood when I was filling the tank! sweet. Downside though. 5 GPM from the well. Means I sat on the couch next to the tank for 30 minutes. Watching it slowly ever so slightly fill up. Todesengel please take note of that, we don't want to break any more tanks.





Here is the tank full with lights on.



And this is what I watched form while the tank was filling.



None of these photos has the 4 other 96w PC lights on, nor are they installed. I am in the process of researching what ones to get.

Those boxes in the photos are going to go. That is my temporary storage spot for items I need to list on ebay. I wanted my tank to have a 360 view. With the tank in this location it is perfect. ( just got to remove the dart board.)

Live rock I hope to place an order by the end of these week. I had surmised that 60 lbs of base rock, and 60 lbs of uncured LR would be my starting point. Anyone think these numbers are too high or too low? I am only going by reference of my 30 lbs LR that I have in my 42 gallon hexagon tank. (also has a tank thread)

Cheers,

Looking good!! Taggin Along

If you want a nice, crisp blue that REALLY makes the colors "pop" go with the 420 nm actinic. I chose that for my 29 gallon reef and it looks so much better than standard actinic.

Noted.. LOL. Thanks for the laugh, I actually really needed that right now.

That light is NICE.

And the live rock and base rock seems to be a good amount for you tank, I used ten pounds of live rock and thirty pounds of base rock for my 55 gal.

Today is Sump build day. I tried going with a standard glass fish tank but they just don't fit under the stand and have the gallons I want. You know what that means DIY!!!

As this is a sump and not display I just picked up 2 36x20 .220 acrylic sheets at home depot. The same stuff I built my Hex sump with.

I have not crunched the numbers but I presume the sump will be around 36x11x19. 32.5 gallons.

I'll photo log this event as a fellow N-R.com member is curious on how acrylic is built.

Tonight I hope to have all 5 sides cut and ready for solvent. And hopefully 2 sides attached.

Looking good man. Please take lots of pictures while you're cutting and building the sump.

I had to work with the 1/4" acrylic and it cuts perfectly on a table saw.

The 420nm actinic is more blue than the 460nm. The 460 is more purple.

Here is my old 54 corner with 2x65w 420nm Current lamps:


Here's my 46 bowfront with a single 96w Coralife actinic, which is the 460. It's just a little more purple:

Sump is almost done. Not going to upload photos till it is complete then I will write up a log for it.

I have been toying with the idea of a Closed loop system for my tank. Although I do not want to drill the tank so it would have to overhang and I don't like that idea either.

I was hoping to get by for a while with my vortech mp40w. At max it has 3000GPH flow. I could just pop for another vortech and "antisync" it with my current one for a little wave action/ crest reef flow. down the road...

Ideas opinions?

Drill it!! Your going to want it later down the road, I guarantee it. I have seen some amazing non drilled tanks, but HOB just looks tacky. If your already at this stage, why not do it. Do it before its to late man!!

Drill it. It's really not that bad. Buy a used 20 gallon or something (anything bigger than a 10, you'll break the 1/8" glass) to practice on once or twice, then you'll be fine. I drilled a hole in my 20 gallon fuge as practice, and then went straight to the two holes in the 125. No problems at all.

If you get a glass-holes.com overflow kit it'll come with the hole-saw for the drain. You can either U-tube your return over the top or buy the correct size hole-saw from G-H.

Well I have decided not to drill my tank. Drilling the bottom is impossible since it is tempered. That leaves just the sides. I wanted my tank to be 360* view. Piping on the side of the tank just will not do.

I plan on having an overflow to the sump. A Mag Drive 9.5 pump back to the 125. Still deciding on the return location. I can place it at the opposite end of the tank, but then I lose some viewing angles. But having the return piped next to the Overflow limits flow of filtered water through the tank.

Sump is, well a 5 sided rectangle. I have to cut and install the baffles.

Sump lighting I was thinking of going with the cheap Nova Extreme SLR. the 24 inch bulb one. Drsfostersmith.com has that fixture for 60 something. Seems like a good deal. The sump might contain a future fuge down the road. Good idea? Eh maybe not. Seems like a lot of bulbs to buy come replacement time.

EDIT: Almost forgot. Ordered 120 lbs LR and 120 lbs of this Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand, But not even near that price!

More LR will come. I am going to cement/epoxy the LR to form all the way to almost the surface of the tank. kinda like a underwater mountain with lots of shelf space.

And how are you going to accomplish 360 degree viewing with overflow boxes hanging off the back?

It is just 1 small overflow box. Only 8'' wide. and will be the only thing with Coraline algae on it. I will be keeping all sides of the tank clean. And Where the tank is positioned, 1 side of the tank is 3 feet from the wall. I do not expect people to be viewing it from that angle

The problem I am trying to figure out is piping the return. It is going to be 3/4. Most likely a clean built pvc pipe on the other end of the tank. I'll put the pipe on the edge of the tank. So I'll have a 340* viewing

Is this an option?

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/short.htm

If there is no fuge, why do you need a sump light? And even when you do add a fuge just use any old lamp or a cheap incandescent hood and use a 6700k spiral screw-in CFL. I have two 13w, 6700k, GE CFL's in a little 16" incandescent strip light over my fuge. Maybe totalled up to $15.

There will be a fuge in the sump, Just Chaeto. yeah its a no on the light. I already have what you listed. It would be a waist of money. The sump is 36 inches long. Should be plenty of room to build what I want.

I like the spray bar idea. I can pipe up to the tank next to the Overflow. Then pipe around the tank for flow. Not sure I would pipe the entire perimeter of the tank Just 1 of the long sides.

Looking great so far Rocket! Make sure that you rinse out the sand really well - I used the same stuff in the 90, and wish I had rinsed it out a lot better than I did - it was pretty dirty, tank took a couple of days to clear up after adding. Very much looking forward to the sump build photos!

Which overflow box are you planning to get? FWIW I think you could end up with a super clean look if you drilled the tank and used something like this http://www.austinoceans.com/turbo-overflows.html (overflow box w/ built in return). You could get some black PVC & fittings to plumb it, and maybe paint a 5" strip (or whatever size matched the overflow box) of the back of the tank black to help everything blend together. That way it would all be black, and distract as little as possible from the tank. Just a thought!

Anna

Eshopps 800 GPH overflow is what I have. My return pump is a mag 9.5. Should work out nicely.

The problem with the overflow you have linked me is that the water is not mixed well before returning to the sump. The tank is 6 feet long. I have to have an output on the other end of the tank somehow.

I like the spray bar idea. I would do 3/4 then half way put a reducer to bring it to 1/2 to keep the pressure up.

Thanks for all the advice so far. It is much needed.

as for flow. I see StanD is doing another GB. I might pick up another vortec and sync them to get the awesome flow. I have 1 already through his original GB.

Sump pictures tonight. I still need to add the baffles but I need to find my future skimmer as the urchin I don't' think will work down the road. So I need to plan the baffles to accommodate a wide range of skimmers.

What is this group buy you speak of?

As promised: Sump build.

The sump is 90% complete have to add the baffles. The build went well. No problems. I have included a lot of photos because some N-R.com members are curious what it takes to build their own custom sump.

Here is the sump. Just try to imagine it. Then you can see it.


Look at that 1 inch to spare on the sides. I did good on planning the sump out of 2 36x30 sheets of acrylic.


Triple checked my measurements. I stuck with my tape measure for consistency.


1st cut went smoothly. Just slow and steady for a nice clean cut.


What to expect while cutting acrylic. Tiny pieces that are static charged and stick to everything. Remember to thoroughly clean both the acrylic and table saw (hence the big fluffy bristle brush) and blade after each cut to minimize the scratching that can occur if a piece of "dust" gets under the acrylic while pushing it against the table saw. And yes that is an old box of crap holding it up. Another ebay item.


To help with creating a clean and consistent bond with the acrylic I recommend wet sanding the edges that are to be glued with a sanding block. This is my very cheap solution. That is 120 grit sand paper.


Here is the solvent and patch solvent. After building the sump leak test it and any spots use the #16.


Using long enough clamps, clamp it. You do not want excessive force or you will bend the acrylic out of place. I used 2 90* devices. A speed square and a 18'' square. They where what I had handy. The 2x4 was used to push the center into place because I could not reach it with my hands.


Perfect fit. Measure twice cut once.


This is how you apply the solvent weld-on #4. A small brush that comes to a point is ideal I had a 1 incher so I used it. The solvent "sucks" under the joint. You can visually see where it is because the joint appears "wet"


Try not to overdose the joints. This is what will happen when too much is applied and it soaks through to the other side and under. Fortunately this is a sump and its on the bottom. I do not care about the look.


2 36'' sides done now for the 10.625'' sides to be installed. Monster can for size reference.


Last side sitting for 2 hours waiting for the bond to be strong enough


Pretty clean bond. The less bubbles you see the better. Ideally you will want zero, to achieve that a lot of time consuming sanding is needed with much higher grit. It's a sump. I don't care.


Woot its almost DONE!!! just cut 2, maybe 3 baffles and drop them in. They add support for bowing also.


Sorry for such a long post. Hope this helps people. Don't forget to test for leaks. #16 should fill the leak. I like to coat all exterior joints with silicone also. It's an extra piece of mind for me.

Tomorrow Home Depot run for pvc piping for the overflow, return and spray bar. Also purchase some smaller sheet for baffles, and a top brace for the sump.

Wow. The sump looks fantastic so far! Thanks for the play by play photos & explanation! Can't wait to see it finished!

Anna

Very nice! Do you do wood working too?

Yes, I am a part time cabinet maker. Along with many other skills.

I forgot to mention last post. Sump is 30.8 Gallons. and is 36''x11''x18''

Very nice! And make sure you do rinse out your sand as posted above. Rinse it REALLY well. I got some sugar fine sand, and I rinsed it really good and then threw it in the tank... Tank has been cloudy for 3 days and counting... I still can't see the blue background haha.

Nice sump.

Sump is done. Had finals last week so never touched the sump.

I decided to split the 36 inches of length into 3 compartments. I am still deciding what way to face the sump. I can either put skimmer side or return pump side at the outer left edge of my tank. Skimmer side would allow the overflow to drain faster. Pump side would allow pump to push more GPH through.

It's a toss up really.

Sump section deminsions are: Overflow, Skimmer, Heaters - 13.5Lx11Wx10H
Refugium middle section is: Chaetomorpha, LR rubble - 16Lx11Wx9H
Return Pump section: Mag Drive 9.5 (950GPH) - 6Lx11Wx9H

I'll have photos tomorrow. Right now the sump is covered in clamps to hold the baffles in place.

Piping the 125 is almost complete. Need the sump in place to finalize the return pump piping configuration. The overflow is ready to go. It is currently in service on my 42 hex so I can't pull it till I am ready to transfer. I am thinking I'll just stick with 3/4 PVC on the spray bar instead of narrowing the last 3 feet with 1/2. Any thoughts on this idea? I might just build 2 and test which one I like the best.

Cheers,

P.S. still debating on GB offer for another vortech mp40w