Wburrick Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Display Tank: 40G Breeder.Display Lighting: DIY Led Light (38 leds + 4 Moonlights)Stand: DIY White laminate Paneling Sump: 20Gal Long DIYTotal System volume is approx 50G.Overflow: 1" with 1" Emergency Overflow For Full Siphon Refugium Lighting: CFLSystem Water: Instant Ocean Display Water circulation: Hydor Koralia (550GPH), Tunze 6015 (476GPH)Return Pump: Sicce 2.0Skimmer: CAD Lights PLS 100 (3rd Gen) Chemical Support: GFO Reactor and Carbon Auto-top Off: Hydor Smart Level W/ Hydor Pico Pump I decided a while back I wanted to upgrade my sump to incorporate filter socks and add more space for a skimmer. After coming to the conclusion that I would have to make a new stand for this I decided to upgrade the tank in due time. Well the time has come; Petco has issued their $1 per gallon sale and it has pushed me to pull the trigger on buying a 40 breeder and get it drilled. My first choice would have been a rimless tank, but I'd rather make payments on my imaginary island than spend that kind of money on a tank. Right now I'm waiting on a sump kit I was planning on getting on ebay, but it seems they are out of stock. So I may have to find a new option to get weirs for the 20 gallon. I'm also waiting on my friend to paint a fiberglass cover I built for my DIY LED light. I'm going to be hanging it over the tank and building an automatic lift system hooked to a switch (as soon as I can find a forum explaining how to do such a thing). Here's my current sump setup. It's got a cut to fit filter pad for filtration and as for nitrate removal I have a small refugium in the middle. It keeps nitrates at 0ppm but based on the coloration of my SPS I fear it's not doing the job. That's why I purchased this... Which I can't wait to test out. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 So I guess the quality of a tank purchased from the $1 per gallon sale isn't the best... Who'd of guessed? I've got 2 leaks after a simple rinse of the tank with 5 gallons. Well no worries, I have yet to silicone my sump together. So I'll just have to fix it then, But I figured I would mention this flaw in quality to those thinking about grabbing a tank from the sale. Link to comment
Sunar357 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I got mine from there and have had no problems. Any manufacturer can put out a bad tank though in mass producing. Take 'er back...that's why we leak test everything. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 I got mine from there and have had no problems. Any manufacturer can put out a bad tank though in mass producing. Take 'er back...that's why we leak test everything. As soon as I bought the tank I took it over to a "Real" LFS to get it drilled. I was only visiting the town for the weekend and wanted to get the tank done quickly. So I ran into another problem though. The stand I built will fit the sump inside it but I can not finagle it in there. I'm going to have to take a side panel off so I can slide it in. I will probably copy some others ideas and put magnets on the one side panel so it is easily removed. I'm hoping about 6 magnet catches will hold up a 3/4 inch panel. Besides all of this grief lately, I'm still very excited because I got a shipment from BRS containing my loc- line and bulkheads. I'll post some pics when I get home from work. In the spirit of trying to go through this whole build I will also post some pics of the early development of my light and plans of how I'm hoping it will be finished with a fiberglass clad cover. Link to comment
Sunar357 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Ahhh...yeah, always leak test before anything. I drilled my 40B personally...first time ever. It's pretty easy actually. Cool deal, will follow along. I did the same with my build...random pics here and there off and on with mine mostly for me to keep track of the lifecycle. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 I had planned on Posting some pics of the merch I got from BRS tonight but it seems as though I can't post pics directly from my computer right now so I grabbed some of my light from the my media folder on the forum here. I hope you guys enjoy them. There's more where they came from. I got the pics from my DIY LED Light.. I'll let the photos speak for themselves The Unboxing All Wired Up Drivers Mounted on the Back of the Hood Dimmer Box Made from a Wallet Case Dimmer Box Mounted on the Side of the Old Stand Light sitting on the Hood And Finally the Light Now These are all pics of the light over it's current home above my 29 gallon. My plan is to Hang it over my new tank after my friend paints the fiberglass hood I created to cover the light and all of the other components. Drivers, Dimmers, Fan and in the future maybe a Bluefish Light Controller. Here is the design I sketched up before delving into a fiberglass project. That's it for now.. I can't seem to attach photos at the moment from my computer. all of those Pics came from my media folder Link to comment
DannaM Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Love your dimmer box. Very cool!! Link to comment
Wburrick Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Looks good! Thank you! Love your dimmer box. Very cool!! Thank you I was pretty proud of that one. The tin had just been laying around for a while and thought it would work good for this. Here's the new light cover that everything will be encased in. Fiberglass cover with out the holes drilled in it Preview of what it may look like above the tank Hanging mount I made for the light, I striped all the original silicone, taped the seams and resealed the tank. It really wasn't too bad. That silicone has a potent smell though. the seams are so much smaller and neater than the originals. Since I plan on going bare bottom for a while this will be a big plus. Lastly here's a pic of the enormous bag of filter socks and Loc-line from BRS Link to comment
Wburrick Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 I got a couple pictures of the tank and stand. I took these when I was getting ready to paint the back black. I really love the placement of the guitars contrasting the tank. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 So things are going to be interesting this weekend. I have everything I need to finish this build this weekend.. Minus the painted light cover. So I decided to try and haul donkey this weekend and get this thing done. I have a few updates.. I decided I couldn't wait to install the skimmer so I put it in my current sump and put my cheato algae into the media reactor. So far the skimmer isn't doing the best but of course it could still be in the break in period. Also If anyone could explain to me how the break in period works that would be great. I'm curious as to what happens in there and as to why there is a break in period. I feel like the mangrove really makes it pop. I got my sump into the stand; it wouldn't fit without first taking a side off of the stand. Instead of removing the side panel and re-installing it permanently I decided to install strong magnets to hold the panel on. This worked like a charm and as a second bonus it will be the side where I will be replacing the filter socks, making this chore so much easier. Yeah, b*#ch! Magnets! (Via Jesse Pinkman) I had to remove a cross brace. This is before I painted the bare wood. Magnet Plates!! And last but not least a bit of a glimpse of the plumbing and Sump progress. I just need to drill holes for the filter socks and silicone the thing together. I think Mario would be proud. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 I Finished the sump. It's all siliconed, the tank is plumbed up, I installed the back plate with industrial velcro and ran water through it to check for leaks. Everything is coming together very well. I'll keep you all up to date. Hoping to transfer the livestock in the next couple weeks. I'll be posting pictures of the progress I've made so far tonight after work. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Picture time!!!!! First we have a quick pick of the tank in it's full glory. Followed by some equipment I installed DJ Power Strip Timer Power Strip Next we have the sump pics I'll have some Pics of the plumbing later this week for those who might be interested in seeing some gate and check valves in action. Link to comment
GHill762 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Cool build. That stand is sexy! Link to comment
Wburrick Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Cool build. That stand is sexy! Thanks Ghill762. I've been keeping along with your build too. Very nice setup. Is that a DIY Light you have? I'm thinking of changing out some of my leds to make it full spectrum. I will be moving my live stock fairly soon. Does anyone have any tips for moving live stock to an upgraded (Larger) tank? I'm curious as weather I have to cycle it since I will not have more bacteria for the extra volume. At the same time I wouldn't think I would need to because there won't be any added bioload. Also it's really only a difference of 15 to 20 gallons. Link to comment
GHill762 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Thanks Ghill762. I've been keeping along with your build too. Very nice setup. Is that a DIY Light you have? I'm thinking of changing out some of my leds to make it full spectrum. Thanks the light is a reefbreeders photon 24. I'm very happy with it for the price. I think the most important thing is getting away from just cool white.. you really need neutral white, or a cool and warm white mix.. having some violet is a huge plus. and cyan is also a nice addition (it keeps the fixture from looking purple, and it also helps fluoresce certain colors).. and a couple deep red really helps bring out warmer colors imo.. I will be moving my live stock fairly soon. Does anyone have any tips for moving live stock to an upgraded (Larger) tank? I'm curious as weather I have to cycle it since I will not have more bacteria for the extra volume. At the same time I wouldn't think I would need to because there won't be any added bioload. Also it's really only a difference of 15 to 20 gallons. for mine I cycled dry rock in a brute can for 3 weeks, then put it in the tank when the tank was ready, where it sat for about 4 days until I tossed a couple corals in as "testers", when those corals did fine for 3 or 4 days I transferred everything else.. I didn't lose anything, nothing even showed signs of stress (my corals did lighten in color, but I attribute that to going from a high nutrient system to basically ULNS in the new tank).. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Mine may be extra extra ULN since I'm not moving the sand over to the new tank. Well my SPS May like that but I'm not so sure the LPS will. Link to comment
GHill762 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Mine may be extra extra ULN since I'm not moving the sand over to the new tank. Well my SPS May like that but I'm not so sure the LPS will. I didn't take the sand to the new tank either, and the rock was all dry. my sps got really pale for a while, it's bouncing back now that I've been feeding heavy and dosing aminos.. my lps and softies didn't show too much change (although, they're much easier to feed than sps).. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Well I do have live rock I'll be moving over to the new one. Did you not move any live rock into yours? My SPS is already looking pretty pale. I think it's from high nutrients though. Link to comment
GHill762 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I moved about 15 lbs of live rock, and had about 30 lbs of dry if I remember correctly.. sps shouldn't get pale with high nutrients, they should be darker or even brown.. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Hmmm. Maybe it's just too close to the light.. but I have zoas in the middle of my tank reaching for light. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Well I got the build done this weekend. it was a lot of work, but I tell you what, it really paid off. I feel like I've been working on this build for a couple years including all the pre-planning. It all started off with a couple Google sketch up drafts and went from there. I've still got some minor details to work out. My rock needs to be moved around and this chore is much harder when there is no sand in the tank. Those rocks really like to move around on that glass. I have a gate valve to adjust the full siphon on the overflow so I get a dead silent overflow. Problem is it adjustment is a bit squirrely and it seems it will always be a tad to tight or a tad too loose and eventually needs to be readjusted again. Not sure if there's a way to get that perfect. Any advice is welcome on that problem. Until I get everything worked out and looking nice I thought I'd post some pics of the plumbing and the finished sump area. I will be writing up a review on the Cad Lights 3rd Generation Skimmer as soon as I get a little bit of usage out of it but My first impressions are that it is a beast of a skimmer for the price and size. It's already giving me good skim-mate after being in the tank for a day. Only problem I've had is as I took off the cup I put pressure on the optional cup drain and broke that. Partially my fault but the plastic should have held up a bit better I think. It is still functional and I never planned on using the drain so I'm not too sore about it. Anyways here are some pics... Plumbing from the back of the tank. Here's the Hanger I made for the light. Light over the tank. And one of my favorites...The Sump. Link to comment
BeardedReeferLLC Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Love the stand doors. Nice Work. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Love the stand doors. Nice Work. Thanks Salt cube!! I ordered an Auto-top off system for my build over the weekend. Just got to wait till it arrives. I've been holding off on one for a while since I found it better to just fill it up myself than pay the money for a system. Now that the tank is bigger and topless I've decided it's time. I ordered a Hydor smart level controller with a Hydor pico pump. I just have to figure out what kind of reservoir I should use and what I have room for. I was hoping to make a way to disguise a 5 gallon bucket so that i won't have to replace the water for a week or so. Any ideas? More Pics to come... I've been real busy lately.. Brewing Beer, Dealing with family emergencies, Pre-spring cleaning madness. I still need to rearrange the rock in my tank, but the Corals seem to finally be adjusting to the light being higher and the new cleaner water. The skimmer is working like a champ. Has anyone ever got a new skimmer and enjoyed watching the bubbles rise more than they enjoy watching the tank itself? lol. I'm getting plenty of skim-mate after only 2 weeks of use. I installed my media reactor even though I have no intention of using it until I start to see real problems with algae or loss of color in the corals. Link to comment
Wburrick Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 So It's been Quite some time, But I have gotten my light cover back from my friend who has been in the process of painting it and it looks awesome. I plan on installing the guts into it tonight and getting some pics of the tank as well. It's been quite some time since I've had it up and it is really looking good. It is still a bare bottom, But I have plans to change that when i move in the future. For now I will leave you guys with the finished light cover The Great Wave!!! Link to comment
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