GreyFox's 40GallonBreeder. Lots of DIY

[GreyFox]

Current Photo

So basically aga

36"x18"16"

3/8"glass

the edges are polished : D

 

also have a 20L aquarium going underneath as a sump/refuge

 

I plan on building a led light fixture using the RKL and the ALC.

 

The stand is being built by me as well and is almost complete. Then i will silicon the tank together in its final glory

 

The stand is something along the lines of a trestle table only there will be a shelf for the sump which replaces the middle board.

The table is being made from spruce.

 

I'll be using a simple overflow system to get my water to my sump, rather then drill my tank and possibly break a panel. Pvc pipe does the trick quite well,

My return pump is a quiet one 3000. The return will go into a 1"SCWD and then from the SCWD each channel will go to a U tube and back into the tank.

 

http://www.rapidled.com/servlet/the-54/24-...mium-LED/Detail the plan is to use this set up for my lighting, i plan on hanging the lights over the tank about 1-2' away.

 

I am wondering if it's alright to have a lid on a saltwater tank, i plan on making one out of acrylic but if it's bad for gas exchange then i might have to set up an ATO.

I also need an ro/di system for my tanks to really go

I will have pictures tomorrow. lots of pictures

[supernip]

I think your name is actually spelled gray fox. I guess it doesn't matter much since liquid takes you out anyways =(

[GreyFox]

lol, i've spelled it greyfox for about 6 years or so, i only found out a few years ago that it was actually spelled gray.. at least you know what game its from : D!

 

I have to do a few things today for the tank. Needa send in my alc for repair. Thing was broken since the day i got it :/!. Also need sand paper, stain, and lacquer so i can finish off my stand :].

 

i'll have pictures up around lunch time hopefully.

 

 

LIQUIIIIIID!

[GreyFox]

couldn't find a proper camera so i had to use my phone camera :/

this is just testing to see how everything fits, nothing is glued or set in place yet.

i still need to stain and polyurethane everything as well.

side panels!

[GreyFox]

tank stand has been assembled and i have come to the conclusion that i don't need glue. Just screws is enough to old this monster together. I am now moving onto staining each piece individually.

[Pickle010]

Just a concern - take it for what it's worth. BUT.. how are you going to access the sump? It looks like you only have a couple inches of clearence. no room for a skimmer, lilghts would be hard to fit if you are keeping cheato. Even replacing media could be a pain.

[C-Rad]

What's going to keep that stand from folding sideways? I don't think it's structurally sound because there is very little structure keeping the 90 degree angles from flexing. Also, as was already pointed out, access to the sump is blocked - how can that possibly work?

[GreyFox]

i know access to the sump is limited but there is room for a pc light with about an inch of space above it. The skimmer is going to have to be something on the smaller side, i have been looking for one that will fit. Is there any way to put a skimmer in line with the bottom tank? so that it can be outside of the aquarium kind of like a canister filter? There are supports on the top and bottom which help hold everything together. The top pieces have rabbet joints which fit the side supports.

 

what would the effects of running something like this

http://www.3reef.com/forums/3reef-radar/aq...15-a-58383.html

i also plan on having the outtake from the top tank filtering into a filter sock with chemipure elite, which will then flow into the chaetomorph and there will be a canister filter somewhere in the mix as well.

If need be i can move the sump out of the shelf with relative ease for maintenance. its how i've had to work with my 10gal sump under my 29gal.

 

I know the limited space is going to be something of a pain but, this is the style of stand i wanted and im fairly certain i can work out a protein skimmer situation.

 

I will take better pictures to show how well everything is supported.

[evilc66]

You want to ruin the looks of that beautiful looking stand and rimless tank with an external skimmer sitting beside it? Really?

 

That dinky little Aquaticlife skimmer isn't going to cut it on a tank that big.

 

BTW, gray is spelled grey in other parts of the world, so you aren't that incorrect. Just incorrect in the US

[krug1313]

Yeah I'd go for a regular stand and use that one as a coffee table. Why limit your space to work on the tank and you won't find a decent skimmer that will be accessible. I'd make the stand change now while no water is involved.

[GreyFox]

aint changing the stand boys :/. Trying to find a protein skimmer will definitely be the harder part of this project.

http://www.aqua-medic.de/en/service/pdfs/T...0%20_410.10.pdf

this one will work perfectly, i just need a site that sells them...

http://www.korallenriff-shop.de/index.html...qua_connect.htm

also needa be able to read german

[ajmckay]

Stand looks nice! I assume this will sit on a counter top or something? Doesn't seem tall enough to put it on the floor...

 

As for a skimmer, you could do an HOB, but due to the nature of your build I agree that things would look much cleaner if you got rid of that kind of stuff... Then again I would have drilled the bottom of your display tank also to minimize the amount of clutter on the back. You could just run a flexible hose up for the return and have that be the only thing besides power cords showing...

 

Finally, check out the Tunze skimmers... they're pretty small and get relatively good reviews. I think the 9005 (9006?) would possibly fit... The dimensions are 4.9" x 4.4" x 14.8".

[supernip]

condensation and rot will be a problem with that sump. after so many years in the hobby, my rule of thumb is to take the amount of space I think needed for work, then triple it as a rule of thumb

[GreyFox]

the stand will be sitting on the floor in my room, its not much shorter then what i have my current tank on. It will be at a good couch viewing height . As for the sump, it will have a lid cut out of plexiglass to fit everything.

The return i've decided i would go with a quiet one pump rated for 700+gph, and run that through a 1" SCWD then those will split off into the main display tank.

 

Sadly a tunze is a bit too expensive for my build, looking for something in the 100-200 range : (

 

With a lid over the sump there shouldn't be much moisture getting to the surrounding wood. The whole stand is sealed by 3 coats of varnish as well so im sure its fairly safe from rot

 

quick edit, i think i'll go with this skimmer, the collection cup doesn't have to be lifted far to remove it from the body, which will work well with the limited space, rated for 66 gallons.

http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en...0--410-10-.html

[evilc66]

If you are going to go with that skimmer, or similar, take advantage of the remote collection port (gray plug on the cup) and run a collection chamber off to somewhere else. At least then you would only have to remove the cup for cleaning, rather than waste disposal.

[GreyFox]

yea i noticed that hole and thought it would be much handier. Its the right size, i just needa find it somewhere that doesnt have 40$ shipping

[ajmckay]

I have visions of micro bubbles with that skimmer for some reason. Then again I really don't know anything about it...

 

Are you in Germany? If not, I wouldn't order it from that site... Shipping alone would cost you 1/2 the price of the skimmer...

 

Also, look up the specifics on the SCWD device... At different flow rates the switching is different. I'm thinking that the smaller one would be better for lower flow, but I suppose that depends on your preferences. There's a chart detailing the switching frequency vs. flow rate. When you're calculating flow don't forget about head loss, which would be minimal, but present still.

[matt frizz]

How are you going to clean the sump out of it gets nasty or clean the skimmer or your return pump? Those types of things get clogged and need cleaning. A sump w/ a lot of room to work with is definitely ideal.

 

Trust me i have plenty of room for my skimmer and it's still a major PITA to remove for cleaning. Also, I'd be concerned about it bending sideways from the weight as well. Have you ever spilled a lot of water onto your carpet? I have multiple times and it's not fun to clean up.

 

Here's a pic of how much room i have above my sump.

 

 

Just looking at it, it seems like plenty of room but it's actually not. Now think about how much space yours has in comparison. Once the sump has water in it, there's no moving it. Your going to have to put in your pump before you fill it w/ water and then try to connect all the hoses to your SCWD? It doesn't even look like you'll have room for your overflow to go into the sump. Good luck man because your gonna have some problems.

[GreyFox]

I have visions of micro bubbles with that skimmer for some reason. Then again I really don't know anything about it...

 

Are you in Germany? If not, I wouldn't order it from that site... Shipping alone would cost you 1/2 the price of the skimmer...

 

Also, look up the specifics on the SCWD device... At different flow rates the switching is different. I'm thinking that the smaller one would be better for lower flow, but I suppose that depends on your preferences. There's a chart detailing the switching frequency vs. flow rate. When you're calculating flow don't forget about head loss, which would be minimal, but present still.

for 700gph the switching rate is 155 second switch time, on the 3/4 scwd its about 4 seconds, i want the longer switch time for better current flow. And the problem with this protein skimmer is that i cant find it anywhere outside of europe. I emailed the northamerican side and asked if they had any. Doubt i will hear back :/

 

 

1" SCWD, Standard Drive

Switching Rate GPH

30 seconds 3500

55 seconds 1800

80 seconds 1200

120 seconds 900

155 seconds 720

 

3/4"Flow into SCWD SCWD TD Output Efficiency Switching Duration

150 gph 90 gph 60% 22 seconds

180 gph 120 gph 65% 16 seconds

240 gph 180 gph 75% 12 seconds

270 gph 210 gph 80% 10 seconds

330 gph 240 gph 80% 9 seconds

400 gph 360 gph 90% 7 seconds

600 gph 540 gph 90% 5 seconds

720 gph 660 gph 90% 4 seconds

 

As for cleaning the sump, i plan on only doing that once every 6 months or so, drain some water out of it then pull it out of the stand to clean. I've only cleaned my sump once on my current tank and its still spot less. I have hundreds of little snails going to work in it. To add and remove water all i need is enough room to get my hands and arms in which i do have. Its going to be a pain in the ass i will admit, but I'm willing to suffer to make this stand work

 

As for the tank tipping sideways it wont happen.

 

I'm almost finished with the varnish, i'll see if i can assemble this tonight and give you guys a good idea about how much support it has. The pictures above in no way show how stable it is : D

[glazer]

Guess more pics would help... I don't get it. That skimmer is close to 15" tall... doesn't look like it's even that tall from the bottom shelf to the underside of the top on the stand. Looks to me like that skimmer is going to be sitting 4 to 5 inches above the rim of the tank.

 

 

Steve

[GreyFox]

give people an idea of space there is 3 3/4" of space between the top of the sump and the button of the top support

 

random pieces drying

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash...5_3783102_n.jpg

this is the top support, the top of the stand gets screwed down at the middle of the rabbet joint and on the outside support.

the bottom shelf, which the sump sits on, slides through the side panels and will be held tight at 90 with screws on the bottom support.

the bottom shelf pieces here will help hold everything square at the join that they pass through.

note the rabbets on the bottom for the top. Also note the long thing piece with 2 pegs coming out of it. That board goes between the 2 other boards for the bottom shelf. This piece helps push everything tight to the outside of there joints. The pegs then get pushed in to help support the sides and pull everything as tight together as possible.

[schgr.cube]

Did you build this yourself, or pay someone to build it? If you built it, you obviously have the skill to re-do it easily, and wood isn't that expensive. I don't understand why you would purposely avoid making this as difficult as possible when you're in the easiest stage in which to change things.

 

Reef tanks are hard enough as it is, and I usually access my sump at least twice a week. I'm not usually one to jump on a bandwagon to down someones work or ideas, but you seem to be too focused on making one of the cheapest and more easily replaceable pieces work than figuring out an easier solution.

[uwwmatt]

Reef tanks are hard enough as it is, and I usually access my sump at least twice a week. I'm not usually one to jump on a bandwagon to down someones work or ideas, but you seem to be too focused on making one of the cheapest and more easily replaceable pieces work than figuring out an easier solution.

 

+1

 

Or instead of rebuilding, just put a smaller tank in for your sump which would give you more room. Problem solved. But you will definitely need more space. You could even build your own rimless sump if you couldn't find one that met the right specifications.

[Deano]

Come on guys he's got the point that his sump will be a PITA to service. In his own words and I quote

aint changing the stand boys :/

No one else has to deal with this but him. LET it BE! Give him a chance to move forward. Other than this one issue the build is going to be cool.

 

By the way I agree the stand is perfect for chilling on the couch.

[Julee]

I love the stand it looks really solid to me. Why not just make the bottom tank into a fuge and forget the sump Idea all together? That would give something else to look at with plants etc. I'm really new at saltwater tanks but I have just my tank and small hob made into a fuge with some carbon and that is all. No problems so far and my parameters are always good. Just a thought.

 

Oh and I still to this day spell gray "grey" just out of habit....