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Disaster's 80gal + 15gal SPS Reef Tank


disaster999

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WOW, that seems like it is well built. very nice millwork on it. this is going to look great. i see now about the tallness of the tank and how its actually shorter but you want 24" of viewable space. i hate having tall tanks after have a 24" tall tank its really sucks having to put your arm in so deep. im excited to see this thing get wet.

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huh nice. forgot you were in hk. thats a pretty interesting brace

i agree on you. its weird how the brace wraps around the overflow and that part isnt really strengthening anything. BUT these guys have been making takes for god knows how long and i trust them on the design.

 

The tank and stand are looking great! Do you have it filled yet? :D

thanks, nope i still need to get plumbing supplies and test fill the tank then run RO/DI water for 2-3 days just to fill it up. and plus i was busy with midterms (grad school) so putting it of for now. but i cant wait to tackle it asap. sucks to have a tank tempting you while you need to study.

 

this tank is sooooo slick!

thanks =)

 

WOW, that seems like it is well built. very nice millwork on it. this is going to look great. i see now about the tallness of the tank and how its actually shorter but you want 24" of viewable space. i hate having tall tanks after have a 24" tall tank its really sucks having to put your arm in so deep. im excited to see this thing get wet.

 

i actually didnt want it that tall, but after checking out tanks at the shops and seeing how nice it looked fully stocked, we pretty much copied the design of that tank. just added 4 inches to the length to make 40". it would be interesting stocking it and doing aquascaping. probably lots of time on the stool with my whole arm inside the tank. (my arm is around 2ft long

 

Just our of curiosity, what is the thickness of your glass?

its 3/8"

 

i also forgot to mention my lighting. in my previous posts, and in the lighting forum, i was thinking of using 2x 250W MH for the tank, but after debating on the idea, trying to find the right reflector to fit in my hood, and putting the electrical bill in the equation, ive decided to ditch the MH idea and go full T5HO.

 

initially i wanted to go with 8xt5ho just to be safe, but soon realized the icecap reflectors are 2.5" wide, i wouldnt have enough room for 8 bulbs, 7 bulbs is the most i can fit. i also calculated the actually water volume that is going to be inside the tank and it was around 75gal without the rocks, so probably less when i add 80lb or so of rocks in. this put me at ease a little, dont have to worry about not having enough light for the tank. but if infact the tank isnt getting enough light. i can always use icecap 660 ballast and overdrive some of the bulbs to give me some extra light.

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Awesome tank.

 

Best of luck in your build.

 

thanks i cant wait to get it plumbed this weekend

 

on the other hand, reefgeek wants $100 in shipping for 8 ATI reflectors :bling: :bling: :bling: :bling:

 

i think ill stick with icecap reflectors. got a quote of $369 for 7 icecap reflectors, 4 ATI blue+, 2 ATI bluespecial,1 KZ fji purple, 3 philips ballast.

 

each ballast can only run 2 bulbs, so i need to either find a ballast that runs 3 or more bulbs or just get 2 ballast capable of running 4 bulbs.

 

also i need to get end caps and build the frame and wiring for the lights. im pretty sure i can get this whole light built for under 400 bucks.

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the prices add up fast. i want to get an ati powermodule for my next build which will be long down the road.

 

i would like to get the ATI powermodule as well, but i cant justify the price. for half the price of the powermodule i can come up with an equivalent performance light.

 

wouldnt look as nice, but i have a canopy to hide it. but if its a rimless tank, them maybe i would consider it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

sorry for the lack of updates, but been busy with grad school and stuff...but finally gonna get this thing plumbed this weekend. gotta find time to go buy the lights so i cant start doing that as well.

 

i am not looking forward in cleaning the sand. i have 3 20kg bags to clean. my hands are gonna be blue after im done with it (cold water)

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so after a few overs over the weekend, i managed to get the plumbing 90% done. i just got to button up a few things, and figure my return nozzles

 

all in all im quite happy about the tank finally plumbed and running with fresh water. but not quite happy about the return pipe sizing. for the flow rate my pump is pumping out, they should of at least give me a 1" or 25mm return size. but instead, they went with 3/4" or 20mm which IMO is kind of small. it restricts the flow quite a bit. theres still decent amount of flow, but i think it can be improved on.

 

anyways, on with the pics

 

this is how i plumbed my return

DSC_3311.JPG

 

sump, water overflowing over the glass is smooth as butter

DSC_3313.JPG

 

crappy shots of the "filter sock" or filter floss/pad tray.

DSC_3315.JPG

DSC_3316.JPG

 

note the surface of the water in the sump as the system is running, theres basically no agitation. since this area was is going to be for frags, i had a crazy idea of putting an MP10 in there or something. that would be crazy

DSC_3317.JPG

DSC_3318.JPG

 

i see a potential problem here. the water fall creates so much bubbles it will turn into a skimmer if salt water is added, i think i need to a pipe to raise the water level. the bottom will be filled with detris tho, guess i need to suck out the waste once in a while

DSC_3319.JPG

 

finally overall shot

DSC_3312.JPG

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wow...no one likes a plumbed and wet tank? haha

 

anyways, another dilemma...im not happy with the return plumbing. it restrict flow too much. using RC's head loss calculator, i got an estimated of 500gph flow rate through my tank with a sicce return pump rated ataround 950gph.

 

i have around 5 90* elbow in the tank. if i eliminate 2 of them, it will only bump my flow rate by a 30-40gph. if i switch to 1" return piping and only 3 elbows, i get around 650+gph.

 

im wondering if i should upgrade to 1" pipe, or just leave it as is. i dont think my pump likes to operate at around 50% flowrate. its making some noise

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the seller is pretty much unresponsive tho. this deal might fall through if he doesnt reply or get back to me.

 

theres another vender that is selling 50lb for 70 bucks so i might go with him if else fails...

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update time, finally filled with RO/DI water, salt and rocks! let the cycle begin!

 

sorry my orange shirt is too bright

DSC_3359.JPG

 

using remote flash and just messing around

DSC_3350.JPG

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Sump

DSC_3344.JPG

 

skimmer getting a workout

DSC_3356.JPG

DSC_3357.JPG

DSC_3355.JPG

 

i dont have an overall shot since i lent my wide angle lens to my friend. ill take more when the water clears and when i have the lens back. this tank is screaming for a light and MP40. it will finish it off nicely

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