LPS/Softie 40 breeder tank

[xlzerolx]

Current FTS:

 

 

 

I've just moved to a new place and have decided to go from my 10 gallon nano to 40 breeder

 

This is going to be a SPS dominated tank (hopefully). I will be transferring everything over from my now shabby looking 10 gallon.

 

so here's the 10 gallon as it is now:

 

Some of the live rock was removed and put in buckets along with the mangroves; mainly because i was lazy didn't want to deal with stacking them again. They'll be in the big tank within the month.:

 

Here's the 40 gallon, the hood won't be used:

 

 

My Mp20 arrived 2 weeks ago

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37uXxHQ9rJo

 

This will be a peninsula style tank.

For the rockwork i'm hopint to achieve this look:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f248/123...dt/IMG_2427.jpg

 

oh right... and the lights:

 

[Paleoreef103]

Sweet start! Are you drilling the tank? Is that a 6 bulb ATI Sunpower? Don't cook your corals with that thing. It's briiiight! Good luck with the rockwork. It'll look awesome if you can pull it out.

[xlzerolx]

Made some progress since the last update.

 

Bought a sump from a local reefer. But the darn thing won't fit under the stand .

I think i'll just be using a 10 gallon tank into a sump/ refugium.

 

I was debating whether or not to just lie my lights across the tank, because I couldn't figure out how to hang it. There was no space to access the tank when it was over and it would just be too inconvenient for doing maintenance. So I built the light hanger from 2x4's and painted it black. The height of the light fixture can be adjusted via the hanging kit that came with it:

 

Here is the current set up:

 

 

The deltec skimmer will be moved under the cabinet and hanging off the sump once I get the sump all set up.

 

I have decided to go with a DIY pvc over flow. And I could use some help. I've been following online links on how to build these. and so far this is what i've got:

 

 

Anyone who's built one before see a potential problem with it?

The check valve still has to be placed on the first "hump". I'll do that later today. It's waiting for me at the post office . Nothing has been glued in place yet.

 

 

Sweet start! Are you drilling the tank? Is that a 6 bulb ATI Sunpower? Don't cook your corals with that thing. It's briiiight! Good luck with the rockwork. It'll look awesome if you can pull it out.

 

Thanks Paleoreef.

 

Yeah it's a 6 bulb ATI sunpower.

 

I have heard they are more intense than halides, so I made my light hanger adjustable

 

Not drilling the tank going to do a PVC siphon overflow *crosses fingers* hopefully it'll work. It's my first time working with PVC and plumbing anything.

 

That dude's tank with that rcokwork looks pretty kick ass. He has a thread on reefcentral, it looks so sweet with all the sps corals on it. I think it was called "dsps tank from thailand"

 

Oh yes, also, I bought PVC primer and cement. How the heck do I use them? mainly the primer... what's that for? and do you cement the part of the pipe that makes contact inside the bigger diameter "connector" pipe?

[xlzerolx]

I assumed that since there were no replies that it would work. I managed to get it all together and I think I got high from the fumes while doing it..... this stuff stttiiiinks! I even had the exhaust and windows cracked open. lol.

Any way I followed some advice on a youtube video on how to cement pvc pipe together, and I think it came together pretty well. The primer was purple and it made a bit of a mess by running down the lengths of some of the pipes so I went out and got some krylon fusion like most post recommended and spray painted it black. I finished it about a week ago, and today I put in the check valve and siliconed it. Now waiting for it to cure so I can do a test.... *crosses fingers* I hope it works!

[xlzerolx]

Well I became impatient and couldn't wait for the silicone to fully cure, and i had to test it. lol

Good news is it works!

DIY PVC overflow

 

I'll probably have to re-silicone if it comes loose due to my impatience.

[plainrt]

check out my breeder in sig to see how my light is hung over it.Very simple to make and clean looking

[opipe73]

Looks good to me, just test it all out first. I like your light hanger, great job, diy.

[HEYreefer]

lookin good! 40b are probably my favorite tank. when i move out of my small apartment my 20h will be transferred to a 40b!

 

did you get a chance to test the overflow?

[Thunderstruck34]

nice looking set up. get some pics up when you fill it!

[xlzerolx]

check out my breeder in sig to see how my light is hung over it.Very simple to make and clean looking

Hi Plainrt. I checked out your thread. I was thinking about that exacr kind of hanging system, but it wouldn't have worked for me since I wanted this to be a peninsula style tank.

 

lookin good! 40b are probably my favorite tank. when i move out of my small apartment my 20h will be transferred to a 40b!

 

did you get a chance to test the overflow?

 

Yup tested it all out before putting in the tank

 

 

I finally finished the final setup. It has been running for about 3 days now checking that everything is running smoothly, and tweaking anything that needs it. I had a few moments of over flowing water, but it's all fixed and running smoothly now

 

So here's the system so far.

 

 

Here's he PVC overflow.

It's pretty silent unless the water level changes suddenly. Then air gets trapped in the pipes (I think) and it starts gurgling. This means I won't be able to use the short pulse mode on the mp20, unless there's another solution to taking care of the intermittent gurgling noise. But the other modes are pretty sweet too, so it's not a big deal. It's pretty easy to fix though, once the water level in the display tank calms down i unplug the return pump and let it drain water till it's at the set level, then plug the return pump in and it' silent again.

 

 

The overflow is plumbed with pvc pipe to the first tank below the stand, which is the refugium area.

So far I just have mangroves and a few pieces of live rock inside. Will be getting some cheato soon and if I can find various other macro algae i'll be getting some too. The lights are 2 9watt coralife PC bulbs that I took out of a mini light last year

 

I made a little airline tubing holder for where the dosing and ATO tubing will be connected to to keep things neat. So far the ATo tube is connected, haven't set up the dosing pump/timers yet.

 

The water from the refugium is then transfered to a 5 gallon bucket through a PVC 40 degree elbow i bonded to the acrylic using weldon 16. It makes a really good seal and works perfectly.

 

Inside the 5 gallon bucket is the ATO float switch and the return pump which is a maxijet 900.

I initially had a brand new Quiet one pump in there. But the flow was waaaaay to much for my over flow to handle, and I really didn't need 600gph being pumped from my sump since I already have the vortech providing more than enough flow in the display. I tried slowing it down with a ball valve but it had to be turned way down, and the pump made a loud vibrating noise so I decided to go via the maxijet route and it worked out perfectly

 

The protein skimmer is a deltec MCE 600 and there's a media bag filled with carbon in the return section of the skimmer. It wouldn't fit underneath the stand, so i had to prop it up on 2x4's and keep it outside the stand on the back. I wanted it to be a peninsula style tank but the equipment spilling out from underthe tank couldn't be helped. I guess it's a semi -peninsula tank now lol.

 

Light timers hogging a wall socket

 

And finally, Here's where all the dosing /ATO equipment will be kept. It's next to the sump and I decided to use the hood that came with the tank stand to keep them in so it looks all fancy and stuff lol. Might as well use it for something

I haven't set up dosing yet, but I will be doising for alk and calcium using a method I read about on nano-reef where you use digital light timers, aqualifter pumps, and ball valves to get just the right amount in when you want.

 

Short vid tour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu3WlX1NufI

 

Next up will be the rock structure. I'm actually working on it right now, I love the long weekends! Will probably be in the next update

[SpringFever]

Very nice! What made you decide to go with the over-flow Vs drilled?

[xlzerolx]

Very nice! What made you decide to go with the over-flow Vs drilled?

I didn't want to spend the money getting someone to drill it for me

[xlzerolx]

Added rock and aquascaped. Mostly dead rock. Built the towers and shelves using reef epoxy. Live rock will be transferred over from my old tank soon (there's 3 or 4 pieces in there right now of live rock)

 

left side

 

front view

 

right side

 

Front-Angled view to get a better look of ledges for sps

[aaron1987]

Don't clutter it up too much with your existing LR! Minimalist aquascapes look fantastic when they grow in.

[redclay92]

Hey can I get a link to that overflow design or the specifications that you used, also how much flow is your return pump pumping?

[SpringFever]

Don't clutter it up too much with your existing LR! Minimalist aquascapes look fantastic when they grow in.

 

+1.

 

You might be able to build a brace for the towers without crowding too much. Love the open feel.

[xlzerolx]

Hey can I get a link to that overflow design or the specifications that you used, also how much flow is your return pump pumping?

Hello redclay, I found the plans here.

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showpost.p...mp;postcount=26

 

The dimensions really don't matter as long as the 2 posts labeled 'A' are the same length i believe

Also I changed the intake of the overflow to this:

I used a 'T' pvc fitting to allow more air in. This fixed the gurgling noise problem when i had the vortech on short pulse and making waves. It used to gurgle a lot when the pump was in this mode. I figured it needed an air escape while draining, and it seems to have worked. The intake part (i.e 'T' fitting or 90 elbow whichever you choose to use) does not need to be cemented onto the rest of the pvc overflow. It's easy to switch around and experiment with.

AS for the flow rate of the maxijet 900 return pump, I have no idea. Lower than it's rated at for sure since there's about 3ft vertical distance it has to pump up through. I don't need a high flow on the return because of the vortech in the display; and, if my sump needs more water movement I can add a koralia nano in there.

 

Don't clutter it up too much with your existing LR! Minimalist aquascapes look fantastic when they grow in.

 

+1.

 

You might be able to build a brace for the towers without crowding too much. Love the open feel.

 

Thanks. I'll try and put as much live rock as i can in the sump area. I agree the open aquascape looks really good when things grow in! Thank you for the info

[redclay92]

Awesome thank you.

[xlzerolx]

Been slacking on updates.

Moved the corals into the tank:

This is when they were first moved over

 

Front/main view:

 

side view

 

back view

 

angled top view:

 

 

Keep in mind this is a peninsula style tank

 

3 days ago the dosing timer for alk f***ed up and got stuck on for half an hour. my alk level's went from 3.7 to 4.75 meq/L. Luckily the corals didn't mind the sharp change at all. Did a water change as soon a i saw the tank go milky white. Later I learned it was not necessary. A few hours later the tank water was clear. But it looked like it just snowed everywhere in the tank.

 

 

Right now I'm just dosing calcium until the alk levels come down naturally. The white precipitate on the bare bottom is slowly disappearing. It actually looked pretty nice lol. Maybe i'll change the black paper underneath the the glass bottom to white

 

The birds nests are showing white tips already... they really are super fast growers O.o. Didn't even grow this fast in the 10 gallon

[pismo_reefer]

I really like yer scape!

[xlzerolx]

Thank you prismo I've been following your thread on your frag tub build, some neat ideas in that!

 

Oh yeah and thanks to lakshwadeep for helping out with the O.D problem on the water chemistry forum!

[Jakesaw]

Hey XLZ,

 

I just got done testing similar PVC overflow. I'll be needing a strainer to keep it from getting clogged.

 

Where did you get your strainer from?

 

Did it just slip over your PVC pipe - or do I need some sort of adapter to connect the two. The PVC I'll be using will be 3/4" pipe.

[Lalani]

Watching.

[xlzerolx]

Hey XLZ,

 

I just got done testing similar PVC overflow. I'll be needing a strainer to keep it from getting clogged.

 

Where did you get your strainer from?

 

Did it just slip over your PVC pipe - or do I need some sort of adapter to connect the two. The PVC I'll be using will be 3/4" pipe.

 

Hi Jakesaw,

I used 3/4 PVC too. just make sure your return pump isn't to powerful. I had a 600gph return pump that i was using and the overflow couldn't keep up so now i use a maxi jet 900 i had lying around.... talk about a waste of money lol. I used the strainer from a bulk head kit that i ordered but never ended up using. It just slipped over the pipe and fit snug. I think you can buy the same strainers seperately without it being part of the bulkhead kit. mine was the non threaded type. You can get threaded as well.

[Jakesaw]

Hi Jakesaw,

I used 3/4 PVC too. just make sure your return pump isn't to powerful. I had a 600gph return pump that i was using and the overflow couldn't keep up so now i use a maxi jet 900 i had lying around.... talk about a waste of money lol. I used the strainer from a bulk head kit that i ordered but never ended up using. It just slipped over the pipe and fit snug. I think you can buy the same strainers seperately without it being part of the bulkhead kit. mine was the non threaded type. You can get threaded as well.

 

Yeah

 

I'm going snail pace slow. I tested the circulation for about 3 days in a bucket and bath tub. I need to build the cabinet next few weeks - with some spare wood I got laying in my basement. I'm thinking I'll build it big enough for my 29 gallon tank - even though I'm starting with a 10 to keep costs at a minimum. We'll see.