jaynkeel Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Well after taking the last 10 or so months off and stepping away from the reefing world I keep finding myself pulled back by some unknown force. Last year I had a 30 breeder frag tank set up and running for about 6 months but due to the dimensions and the way I had to run the plumbing I never really cared for it. It was more or less just an ugly combination of parts made on the cheap. So I decided to break that tank down and gave it away to family. Although for the past year I did keep the sump running in a loop with some rubble, cheato and varies critters scurrying about. Basically just a stand with nothing on top. I still have my 28 jbj that I have had for a couple of years running, battling flatworms courtesy of my local store (which I will never shop at again)!! That tank was kinda doomed from the get go though. Took 2 deliveries before I got a tank that wasn't smashed to pieces, then the rock I ordered from online showed up late in the middle of January after sitting in a cold warehouse all weekend with no resolution from the seller I was stuck at a loss of like $220. But all things aside that rock has bounced back quite amazing albeit slowly. Now for my new plans. 34"x22"x8" acrylic frag tank from Advance Acrylics. This one is gonna be set up the way I wanted from the get go. I wanted a shallow tank as I really like the looks of some of the ones I have seen here. The tank is eventually going to be set up as a peninsula tank so I chose the 3 clear sides with one end black with an overflow centered also in black. The bottom of the tank was gonna be black as well but due to a supply issue am going with clear now instead of waiting for the black to come back in stock. Now the returns for this tank against my better judgment are going to be placed on the bottom of the tank as thats the clean look I was going for, they will be situated at the opposite end of the overflow about 3" in from the corners. I will probably use 5" of lockliine with flare ends for the returns. And unfortunately due to this setup I will have to use a check valve. But I bought a good quality one and as long as I check it weekly I should be kinda safe. In any event the return lines will only be submerged by about 1.5 inches of water so if it fails only looking at about 1 gallons spilling out, counting on my sump absorbing 3 gallons of extra water. Yes enough to make a mess but nothing worse than my bad ass kids could do on a good day if you get my drift!!! And I will be installing a shutoff above the check valve for maintenance. If this proves to be a big headache I may down the road switch to a closed loop for the bottom returns. But would like to keep the tank running at a minimum power consumption if possible. The lighting will consist of 3 led par 30's for now. I know it will be a stretch on a tank this wide but I am going to see how it looks when it's set up. If all else I could utilize the lower outer areas for fresh frag cuttings/ acclimation or lower light things. Because of the tank not being in it's final location I opted for an aluminum frame built over the center of the tank with adjustable sockets via 3/8" lamp thread pipe. If I need to lower the lights I can always add a longer piece of pipe although I am not anticipating having to as they are now situated about 22 inches above the tank, with 60* optics I should get a decent spread. This can all be added to to accommodate more bulbs as time goes on, but should get me up and running. Once the room the tank is going in is finished I will be attaching the lights via track lighting and my options will be much more easier. Thank God I was able to talk the wifey into letting me set this near the only room in the house that had enough room (dining room) lol. I am in the process of starting my own room for tanks and such but not near completion. I will add some pictures up in a bit so anyone interested in the temporary lighting rig can have a look. And as I get pictures of the tank being built I will update. Looking at about 2 weeks till the tank is here so might be a while. Oh I also opted for an extra 3/4" hole in the overflow for any future needs for wires and such, in case I have to run any additional pumps or I change my lighting needs. Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted March 26, 2011 Author Share Posted March 26, 2011 Here is the stand and light bar waiting for a second coat of black paint. Please ignore the white box on the wall in the background as my tank is in it's temporary room and thats my thermostat!! For reference the piece of pipe standing up in the picture is about 8.5 inches tall it is going to be used for extra wires etc in my overflow, or if I decide to run a closed loop. The height of the tank is only 8 inches. Crap I better fix the crooked pictures before the wife notices!!! Close up of one of the light sockets, the two end ones are on one circuit the middle is on it's own. How the corner of the L angle and top channel is attached via stainless steel screw. Sorry about the picture quality not sure what happened. This is the attachment point to the stand of the light bar, once again 2 stainless steel screws with nut & washers on the inside of the cabinet. I have to admit for a temporary light holder this thing is rock solid. Here are the returns I configured for the bottom of the tank I also have about 6 more segments of line lock so if need be I can raise them up a bit. Right now they are about 4.5 inches tall. With the 3 inch flare ends. Lastly for now is the overflow pipe for the tank, due to such a shallow tank the end cap will protrude about 1-1.5 inches above the top of the tank. Shouldn't be too noticeable as the overflow and surrounding area is all going to be black acrylic. Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Well I decided to mount the Reefkeeper to my light bar as I wanted it out of reach from the kids. And thought it turned out pretty good. I managed to get all the lines routed and the power supply mounted. Now all I need is my tank!!! Oh and the lights arrived also and they sure are bright. And here is the quick wire loom job to keep the cords on the side of the cabinet in order and protected. I opted to put the loom over the screwclips that I used to attach the wires to the side so thats why it bulges in a couple of spots. I also covered the lines across the top in between the bulb holders. I mounted the power-strip on the outside of the cabinet so I could reach it easier. And the hole next to the power-strip is the fan I mounted(computer fan) to keep moisture from building up in the stand, need to take the cover off and paint where I cut it out yet. Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 And heres a pic of the sump thats been just running in a loop for like the past year. It's an acrylic sump 23"x14"x14". Holds about 20 gallons. Lite with a 15 watt cool white led par 38, still growing cheato like crazy. The pump in there right now is a catalina 700gph pump as I haven't figured out what style newer pump I want to get, any advice anyone wanna chime in? Oh I scored a great deal on this sump last year. Brand new off craigslist $50!!! Link to comment
jtgordon20 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Looks like your chaeto is trying to float out of it's section. Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 It's got a mind of it's own, some days it's up getting a tan and some days it's down? Sometimes I wonder if it's just gonna come crawling out in the middle of the night lol. Link to comment
savageajc Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Lookin good! killer sump! Why did you post this in this forum? Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 Once the tank gets here it's gonna be a frag tank, just thought it might belong in the aquaculture section? I know I'd probably get more feedback in the regular forum but threw it in here. Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Well a short update as to where I am at for now. Waiting on the tank yet but I know it'll be worth the wait. Also a few weeks ago I contacted the online live rock seller that stiffed me last year just to remind him thanks for nothing, yeah I know I was just in one of those moods I guess. Anyway after several emails back and forth and a very sincere apology the guy wanted to make good on the bum deal from last year. Now all I ever wanted the last time I talked with him was a couple of small pieces of quality rock to seed the dead rock that I originally bought( remember this was last year's conversation). So he tells me he is fedexing some rock to me as an apology. I get home from work today and sure enough a 50lb box of fresh live rock was waiting for me next to my tank!!!! Along with about 5lbs of dry rubble golf ball sized pieces. To say I was completely amazed is an understatement and I will have to go back to some of the threads from the past and correct my opinions of the guy, took a while but he pulled through and in the long run to me thats what counts. So now I have 50lbs of live rock cycling in some rubbermaid and I might finish cycling it in the new tank for a bit when that gets here. Then after I go through it and pick some new pieces for my 28 nano I will probably offer up most of it in the selling forum for free + shipping. Just not the rubble as I can use that for my frags. Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 And a box full of rubble for frags. I prefer using rubble over plugs because I feel they look more natural than plugs. Especially once there covered in coralline. Also I saw one of these online for a pretty good deal was thinking of picking one up to use as a fragging station. Stainless steel top would be the better choice me thinks. And I would be able to store all my supplies underneath, and roll it from tank to tank as needed. Plus it looks a hella lot better than a utility cart. Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 Well the tank arrived and as expected turned out awesome. The attention to detail that John puts into his tanks is amazing. The only hiccup I encountered was a small leak(about 1 drop every couple of seconds) inside the overflow probably due to being shipped and getting knocked around. Easy fix with a dab of silicone and I was up and running. Here are some pics still a bit cloudy from disturbing the temporary tank but everything turned out the way I intended. First pic with flash the rest without. I love the way the light turned out in this pic A look down the side of the tank, this setup was designed for a peninsula look but due to where I have to put it for now I had to do the regular orientation. Link to comment
Drift Monkey Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Love the dimensions of this tank! Not sure why this is in the aquaculture forums though... Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 It's intended purpose is for fragging thats the second time the question was raised so I am now thinking of asking a mod to move it to a better home lol. Link to comment
jeremai Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 nah, it's fine here, don't listen to the hecklers. Link to comment
fote03 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Looks cool i like how u mounted the lights and the controller! Link to comment
BillyMays Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Very nice looking forward to seeing more. And what site has that stainless steel top desk thingy on it? Link to comment
GiantBen Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Nice job on the durso. Very clean. Dumb question: Did the piping come black or did you paint it? Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Nope painted it with fusion paint, had to modify once the tank got here though, I forgot to shorten the 90 so it was about a half inch too big. I have to admit it is quiet though and I am very pleased with it. Thanks for the compliment though. Link to comment
Jigsaw Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Really nice shallow build! I just painted my PVC with Krylon Fusion as well, looks great . Nice deal on the rock too . Following along! Link to comment
Alkamist Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 very nice tank!! what color temperature bulbs are you using? Link to comment
jaynkeel Posted September 10, 2011 Author Share Posted September 10, 2011 Sorry folks had a bit of a rough summer and haven't had much time for updates. I had to have back surgery and am still healing. And having a family to take care of in the mean time has not left much money to invest in the tank. Although I still have big dreams of fragging out of this tank it will be at a slower pace, hey in this hobby thats usually a good thing. On the plus side my mangroves have grown about a foot over the summer and I am in need of a visit to Mr Maloneys site for a cleanup crew for some algae thats becoming a pita. In the meantime I have enjoyed watching the live rock I threw in there bloom.I will update some pics later this week. I have also add an MP 10 from my other tank and waves in this one are pretty good!!!Alot better than in my nanocube. Link to comment
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