600 gallon display

[CaptiveReefer03]

Greetings to everyone who is visiting my page-

Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Charles. I live in the Tampa Bay area here in Florida. I have made my dreams a reality here and I would like to take the time to create a tread and share my passion for the hobby with everyone. My background to the aquarium hobby; I have been actively reef keeping for almost 6 years now. I origionally started with a little 29 gallon system that slowly progressed into a 55 then about a year and a half ago I moved to a 360 gallon custom glass tank from Oceanic. After dealing with the " things I would Improve" and alot of sleepless nights contiplating design ideas shapes sizes and perceptions of the reef. I decided on a 600 gallon display to be built into the wall of my newly purchased home. I designed the aquarium as a cube to fit into a wall that seperates a workshop and the master bedroom. The cube design allows a great depth perception that is usually lost when you have the "wall look "of stacked rocks. The tank is limited on depth ( top to bottom) as it allows easy acess to clean and does not require the "wet pit appeal", as well as better lighting with less wattage and gives you the feel of a shallow tidal pool. Now for The tank demensons and specs : Main display 6'x6'x2' (LxWxD) constructed of 3/4" pollycast true 3/4" acrylic. The back has an added 1/4" black acrylic glued in and the over flow boxes are constructed into the outside of the aquaium to allow a full tank without the look of stack overflows in the main system and the loss of "prime real estate". The drains in the overflow are set up for accomidation of (2)2" durso drain systems in each box and will allow a good return to the sump system via the water wear in the back of the system to the overflow boxes. The tanks stand is constructed out of concrete block and the use of pressure treated 6x4's with a maximum gap between posts to be no greater then 9". The posts are then held together by pressure treated 3/4" plywood and 3" galvanized screws. Atop the pressure treated deck there was a 3/4" layer of foam added for leveling and padding for the tank. Under the system is a crawl space to maintance the main pumps and closed loop systems that will provide the bulk of my flow to the tank. The closed loops and the main system pump are to be run off (3) dolphin 1/15 hp pumps with the improved seals. All plumbing for the drains are 2" and the returns are going to be 1 1/2". Plumbing will all be done in schedule 40 white PVC. The lighting will be a DIY lighting hood system that I have constructed and built with the help of fellow reefers here in the area. The lamp hoods are 2'x2' and will fit atop each of the 4 openings at the top of the tank. I will be trying out 400 watt 220 volt at first due to the height of the lighting above the system to ensure I will not melt the tank. The system will be chilled through a 1/2" hp chiller from JBJ (which has worked wonderfully on my 360 with (5) 400 watt lamps atop it). Aside the main system and still to be constructed will be a holding stand for my (3) 60 gallon water barrels and a stand system for my sump, fuge and medical tank that will sit beside the system on the wall. and will help expand the total volume of the system. There will be (2) EuroReef CS12-2 skimmers that will be placed online to help keep the waste levels to a minimum along with the optional UV systems, Kalk, and CO2 reactor systems. In a nut shell its a breif overview of my system and a bit of history about me. I would greatly appriciate any feedback positives and negitves and please enjoy the best part which everyone loves; the pictures....

[CaptiveReefer03]

In the begining there was the design stage:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600gallontankbuildplans.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600galfrontdesign.jpg

Then there was the gathering of items to be used:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1704.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1705.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1707.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1708.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1710.jpg

[CaptiveReefer03]

Then there was construction phase in the room for the stand. No hole in the wall though =0/ ...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1741.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1740.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1738.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1739.jpg

My dad and I :

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1743.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1742.jpg

[CaptiveReefer03]

After the decking is down placing the foam on top:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1746.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1749.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1750.jpg

Todays delivery of the main system:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1751.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1752.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1753.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1754.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1755.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1756.jpg

I really hope everyone has enjoyed the journey thus far and there will be plenty of pics to come as the system evolves. Please check back in and I will do my best to keep it as up to date as I can. Best of luck to everyone and thanks for taking the time to look and read.

Charles-

[EBOLII]

Your camera is off by a month....looking forward to seeing more images

[CaptiveReefer03]

lol thanks EBOLII -

I would have never even noticed...

[cbonito]

Great Tank!

[sabodish]

love the tank...one question though..any concerns about having that much water and evaporation next to the breaker box?? salt water can be pretty corrosive in my experience.

when i had my old 360 gallon in my basement, i had every one of my metal HVAC covers rust out from the salt water.

[msn711]

Wow. I just want to know how you can afford all of this. Whatever you're doing, I need to copy!!! :)

[msn711]

One more thing...how do you reach the center of the tank to do work/maintenance/put corals in it???

[CaptiveReefer03]

cbonito-

Thanks!

sabodish-

There was great concern about the box being left there but its goning to be out of the way for the time being. there was talks about possibly moving it to the other wall and actually removing the dividing wall between the room and the outside hallway and making it actually attached to the master bedroom so that I can just open the door and have direct acess to the tank room. I have had plenty of time to debate all of this as Im slowly building the system one step at a time.

msn711-

LOL it just works out somehow, what can I say?

Hope everyone is enjoying the fourm and I will do my best to work on some pics of the PVC plumbing work and keep up to date with the progress.

Regards
Charles-

[CaptiveReefer03]

msn711-

The true center of the tank will have to be acessed using a claw to help locate and place corals or rock structures. I was planing on having a valley setup in the center so It will help limit the need to always acess it. Any sugeestions to help improve or futher the system along though Im all ears.

[WinnipegDragon]

I love big tanks. Tagging along!

[CaptiveReefer03]

WinnipegDragon-

Happy to have ya tag along!

Regards-

[sunkool]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10378631#post10378631 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CaptiveReefer03
cbonito-

Thanks!

sabodish-

There was great concern about the box being left there but its goning to be out of the way for the time being. there was talks about possibly moving it to the other wall and actually removing the dividing wall between the room and the outside hallway and making it actually attached to the master bedroom so that I can just open the door and have direct acess to the tank room. I have had plenty of time to debate all of this as Im slowly building the system one step at a time.

msn711-

LOL it just works out somehow, what can I say?

Hope everyone is enjoying the fourm and I will do my best to work on some pics of the PVC plumbing work and keep up to date with the progress.

Regards
Charles-

What about a tripped breaker? Will the door open above the tank?

[cward]

Very cool tank. If you don't have saltwater seals for the Dolphins, you might want to think about getting some. If, not the seals will wear out and the pumps will leak pretty good. If the pumps are going to be away from finished flooring, than it's not that big of deal.

[CaptiveReefer03]

Sunkool-

Yes the door will open with plenty of clearence for the system and a tripped breaker.

cward-

Yes I have the seals already installed and ready to go and the pumps are planned for under the system.

[polywise]

CaptiveReefer03,
I have (2) of those pumps on my system -- they end up leaking about 9-10 months into operation, I have ended up replacing the seals about every year. On the last change about a month ago- I changed to a graphite seal instead of the ceramic ones that they usually send for replacement. The leaks were not major, though the salt creep they create usually will start to clog the vents on the motor if left unchecked.

[jttang]

very nice!

[TandN]

sweet looking so far

[reefsahoy]

after you put the tank on the deck how far is it going to be from that electrical panel? it looks awefully close especiailly from splashing when cleaning. salt water is extreemely conductive. be carefull. you should also be concerned about evaporation into the panel cause all the circuitry may get rusty.

[jamesgang]

If you still have some room on board I'd like to jump aboard for this build. When I retire from the Coast Guard and move home I'm not building a large reef tank in my house. I'm building a house around a large reef tank. I like the idea of not going any deeper than 2'. I'll be doing the same.

[spazz]

who built the tank? why did they cut big holes out for the overflows instead of cutting teeth in there ? how do you plan to keef your fish and critters out of the overflow boxes?

[CMcNeil]

charles you can use weld on #4 to glue white light diffuser into the back of the overflows like i did on my 150g.then use the black mesh to fill in the front.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/checkinhawk/Project%20150%20gallon/Picture033.jpg

[NYCREEF69]

crazy tank dude

[Azazael13]

nice start, just edit that first post to put some space in there. Wall-o-text killed my poor eyes this AM.

[matthew5664]

Very nice start. I do have to ask, in your 3 post, pic #6 does you dad know he can cut his nails with a nailclipper and doesn't have to use a drill.

[sfsuphysics]

Nice to see the external overflows on that bad boy, hopefully that becomes the norm in tanks, I absolutely hate those tank high internal ones :D

[Young Frankenstein]

Man you can put a mermaid in there !! That is an awesome fish tank !!

[NexDog]

Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures. Wall of text makes me skip to pictures.

:D

[BigReef]

All the cinder block stands that I have seen are usually filled with concrete and are spanned with steel I beams. Do you have any concerns about the blocks?

[chull13]

Dude, sweeeeet tank!!!! This is the exact size of the tank I am planning on having one day except i am wanting a free standing viewable from all four sides. I can't wait to see how this one turns out!!! I will for sure stay tuned.

Chris

[cbui2]

very awesome build, the 6' depth will give the infinity look which is cool BTW. the one piece eurobrace is very nice addition also. how big are the eurobrace opening? :thumbsup:

[CaptiveReefer03]

greetings everyone -

Im sorry I have been gone for so long with no updates, its been heck these last few weeks and I took a trip in there as well so being out of town and then coming home to try and play catch up all while still dealing with the day to day problems has become quite a task for me. Lately the tank is in a holding pattern. Updates are that I am moving the electrial pannel that everyone has been concerned with to another location and Im workin on some room renivations to accomidate the tank a bit better. so 3 walls will be worked on and I still need to open up the wall for the tank to be viewable in my room. Alot of work and only limited $$$ = long drawn out build. Im sorry but its a choice sometimes between the bills and eating and the hobby and planning everything out so I dont run into problems down the road.

Thank you to everyone for the compliments and I hope that the tread will stay a bit more active in the weeks to come as I am planning the demo and renivations here to be soon!

Spazz-
to anwser your question it was a local company here in the bay area and he did that because Its how i had it speced. If you look at Checkinhawks posting thats what I had planned on doing from the start. It makes it very easy to clean that way rather then a tooth brush and and hour of time later.

BigReef-

To anwser your question, No I really dont have much concern with what I have set up the pine can hold 800psi and the block is much greater so I really cannot see where there would be a problem. If granted your thinking of a wave motion then there might be a slight possiblity but it is square and true to 0 degrees all around plus the foam decking on top also helps to auto level the system once the weight is placed in there.

cbui2-

The openings are 2' sqare to anwser your question the eurobracing is a 6" wide by 3/4" thick and runs the boarder and the center.

Hope everyone stays tune and that it has been an okay update for everything.

Regards and Happy Reef keeping till next time!

Charles-

[nick540]

looking forward to seeing it turn out!

[CaptiveReefer03]

Well again Im back with positive news this time...

I have since accomplished a few things since my last posting and I will have some pictures to post here soon.... I know the post is useless without them, however; I have taken out the center wall behind the stand for the tank to sit in. I have also rerun the electrical that was needed and moved the fuse pannel completely out of the way. There was a new wall constructed along with that process and I will be able to now view the system from all 3 sides which it was intended without an obstruction. The stand still need some fine tuning and I still have 2 walls to remove as well as reflooring the room and the new area to the room. Its a slow process but its getting there! Like I promissed pics are coming soon and I will keep everyone updated.

Thanks for following along!

Regards-

[CMcNeil]

hey charles...good to see your still alive.i was wondering what happened with your build and didnt know if you stopped working or not.

[CaptiveReefer03]

No, Im still alive lol... just took awhile, because I had a few snags. I got them worked out though and then I had to spend some time thinking things over because I really debated wether or not I was really going to put the tank in the wall or just seperate it in the other room. Needless to say I decided to take the plunge and well here I am now. I really am looking forward to things once its all said and done though... but for anyone considering it in the future,it really is a large undertaking. I have to get the pics up here soon but other then that progress is slow and steady. Tuesday Im taking the remaining walls down that need to be taken out and then I will have a full idea of what is left and how things will look in the end. If some ppl are game Im gonna need a few volunteers to lift the bad boy in place I think but then its all down hill from there.

Main things still left to do are:

Design and construct my sump
Build my light rack and finnish my reflectors
Run a 220v for the light system
Establish the tank
And Enjoy the system!

Hope everyone is doing well and I'll update everyone soon!

Regards,
Charles-

[CaptiveReefer03]

Well everyone I finally got around to uploading my pics this am so here is a bit to catch you up on what I have been discussing over in the last few postings, Enjoy!

Starting back about a month ago I bought some of the needed plumbing and was working on it till I straightened my kinks with the tank out ...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures055.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures056.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures057.jpg

After completing the durso builds and looking at my options for quick connect to the pumps I decide at the end of this last month to dive in to taking the walls out and moving the electrical pannel else where out of harms way...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures133.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures134.jpg

[CaptiveReefer03]

Well everyone I finally got around to uploading my pics this am so here is a bit to catch you up on what I have been discussing over in the last few postings, Enjoy!

Starting back about a month ago I bought some of the needed plumbing and was working on it till I straightened my kinks with the tank out ...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures055.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures056.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures057.jpg

After completing the durso builds and looking at my options for quick connect to the pumps I decide at the end of this last month to dive in to taking the walls out and moving the electrical pannel else where out of harms way...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures133.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures134.jpg

[CaptiveReefer03]

sorry double posted!

anyways ...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures135.jpg

and Eventually I got through with the main hole, its defently big!

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures137.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures138.jpg

here all the furing strips and wire have been relocated..

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07001.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07002.jpg

old place from the electrical pannel. This wall is disappearing as well as the other face of this tuesday, so I will have a full walk through to the aquarium room from my bedroom area.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07003.jpg

reference this drawing area where the cove is in the lower right will now be a pass through area and blocked in by the new pannel location to the far right in the cove that use to go to the pool deck.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600gallontankbuildplans.jpg

here is the outside of the wall from the pool deck area where Im tying it all together and then the last one is the inside of the wall with the new pannel location.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07005.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07004.jpg

well hope everyone is enjoying things and looking forward to some feedback so I can get a feel on how you think things are going!

Thanks for looking and Best Regards!

Charles-

[Toolguy942]

Charles, I'm pretty sure you need to put in a lintel (concrete header) above your hole in the block wall. Block isn't meant to "hang free" like that. It will start sagging and eventually collapse.

When we built our house they installed them over every opening including the small 24" wide windows.

[ConcreteReefer]

Toolguy is right. Doesn't have to be a Lintel but I would definitely tie in some sort of brace.

[CaptiveReefer03]

Toolguy-

I completely understand the cell of block that you probably are looking at are attached to a solid lintel that is 16" thick so I doubt it would want to go anywhere becasue it's all tied together. I have been watching it never the less though and it seems to be doing just fine.

On A side note:

Anyone Have any thoughts what I could use that would be thin though to seal around the tank once it's in the wall so that I have a mositure barrier between the tank and the block so I dont have a mold issue down the road in my wall. Im also looking for it to possibly help prevent the salt creep issues too. I am working with very limited spacing on either side so it would have to be something thin. Thanks for the input ahead of time and I'll post up some more pic's here in the next few days to show the progress I have made.

Regards-

[customcolor]

to what i hear every one is using frp. i think it is 1/8" or less thick, i think. i havent used it so i realy dont know, just guessing but i do know its thin.

[CaptiveReefer03]

Custom-

Thanks! I will have to keep my eye out for it do you know where I could find it , like is it a common stock item at home depot or lowes, and what material is it made out of ? plastic, rubber, paper?

Regards-

[JCTewks]

frp stands for "fiberglass reinforced panels" It's just a sheet of "fiberglass" with an epoxy coating that is the same as a bathtup or 1-piece shower is made out of. You can prob find at Lowe's or HD in with the bathtubs and showers. It comes in different colors and is sold as tub surround material...the'll have the "H" channel that goes inbetween the panels too. You might be able to find it online cheaper somewhere though.

[Toolguy942]

I understand what you're saying about the support from above (and hopefully you don't mean the filled capblock), but concrete block has to be supported from the bottom. Hence, the solid header across the opening whether it's steel or concrete. I'd hate to see those blocks come down on what will be an awesome tank.

If nothing else, I'd remove the rest of the block up to where you say the lintel is and frame it in with treated wood. Good luck!

[Julio]

shoulld be one hell of a setup!! can't wait.

[CaptiveReefer03]

Thanks JC-

I will look tomorrow for it as I have a few other things I will need to pick up as well....

Tool-

No Im talking about the solid poored concrete that is 16" thick which spans the entire length of that wall which is the length of most of my house. I gave thought to removing the other cells however I'm trying to minimize the stress loading on the wall and everything seems to be holding together fine right now. I will wait a bit longer and see if anything happens but I show no cracking or signs of stress in the wall what so ever.

Julio-

You and I alike, I dont know who could be more excited about nearing the actual stage of setup. I still need a few things to come into alighnment but I think for the most part Im good to go.

Thanks to everyone else for the feedback, suggestions and comments. I have a lot to learn still and I appriciate everyone taking the time to place their 2 cents into such a large build. Please enjoy and more updates to come here soon!

Regards-

[20 20]

Are you sure you want a big see-through hole like that into your bedroom?:eek2:

[CaptiveReefer03]

LOL , yes 2020 since im the only one here Im sure it will be okay.

[20 20]

Be one heck of a party-pad, eh?

[CaptiveReefer03]

ya hasnt done bad so far :)

[CaptiveReefer03]

Ok everyone that was wondering where the heck I went I didnt fall off the earth just been busy ... But awsome news the tank is set up and Now the fun begins! Plumbing is the next stage and then I will be needing a sump and my RODI setup so anyone have suggestions Im game... Pics will be soon as Im having trouble posting from my laptop but I promise I will get the pics up here soon! Oh and if anyone knows where I can find one of those Ovular Tubs of heavy PVC made by rubbermade please chime in cause I was considering that as a sump setup for the time being... Looking forward to the days to come and the suggestions and help the fellow reefers may have!

Happy Reefing
Charles the CaptiveReefer03-

[CaptiveReefer03]

Ok everyone now its the Meat and Potatoes Time!

Pics are here ...
As I remember I left off with the pics of the old setup, well needless to say I completely tore everything down again and started from scratch. I removed 2 walls, put a hole in for the system and built another one. Talk about a project, it defently seemed easier in my mind then it actually proved to be. Thankfully I have a few great friends from work that decided it would be fun to tear into my house and were happy to help me get where im at now.

I think I left off somewhere around here :

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures055.jpg

this was some of the plumbing supplies that I had bought back when and you can see the way the old setup was in this pic ... then I tore it all down and started in on the rebuild.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures133.jpg

here is the begining of taking the window out for the system...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures134.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures136.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures135.jpg

now here I went all out and actually got through to the other side... hoping the house wouldnt collapse on me and I didnt get in over my head!

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/randompictures137.jpg

now here its hard to see but all the furing strips have been removed and I had to rerun some electrical around the window so I could use a receptical in my room.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07001.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07002.jpg

Now here is the old wall where the fuse box use to sit this was removed along with the ajoining wall which use to be a hallway from the patio to my room... now it will be included in the room and there is the french door to seperate the two rooms.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07003.jpg

This pic here is of the new fuse box location on the exterior wall that I built

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07004.jpg

A view from the other side pre finnished for stucco.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/09-09-07005.jpg

Here is the entry way I was talking about and the new divide into the room.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07008.jpg

Note the flooring will change here as I plan to tile and place high base boards and trim in the room but this is where the old wall use to be...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07009.jpg

This is the new fuse box location again drywalled in...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07010.jpg

Note here the celing outlines the old walls again..

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07011.jpg

And now catching up to speed the work I did yesterday!

I would have to say bar none that yesterday was one of the most eventful days I finnished the opening, trimed it out and placed my moisture barrier down for the wall insert area. I reset and completely leveled the stand so it is true and plum with not even a slight wiggle. Shims were applied as needed and the decking and a new thiner layer of foam was used as clearance is tight in the wall.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07012.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07013.jpg

A friend of mine stopped by to say hey and my dad was taking a break lol..

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07014.jpg

here is the stand looking back into my room...

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07015.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07017.jpg

doubly making sure everything is good to go....

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07018.jpg

And then ....

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07019.jpg

bloop... in it went :)

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07020.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07021.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/600tank11-11-07022.jpg

Well hope everyone had enjoyed the pics and getting caught up to speed with things. Like I said next is plumbing and water storage arrangements then I will hopefully start filling the water barrels and the tank. If anyone has suggestions comments or concerns your more then welcome to chime in but I think I did the right thing by removing the walls and allowing better access to the system for cleaning, I just cant wait to get it all together and see it actually running...

Enjoy
Charles-

[Kev135]

looking good

[CaptiveReefer03]

Thanks Kev. Its getting better I just finished some of the plumbing and will try to get more pics up here soon!

[jnarowe]

just above the tank I see some venting...is that a return for the house heating system? Have you figured out how you will deal with humidity?

[CaptiveReefer03]

Yes unfortunatly there is a return above the top left as your looking from the back of the tank and yes I have lids for the system so it should be able to min. the evaporation and help the tank overall. the humidity is something that Im not planing on being a big issue but we will have to see once the system is in operation. IF you have suggestions outside the lids that have been made Im all ears and would willingly take suggestions.

Regards-

[jnarowe]

Based on the room design you may have some options. That's a fairly large amount of water in a relatively tight space. Some possible ideas:

1. Move the return to a different room.
2. Cover the tank with a canopy that is vented to the outside.
3. Dehumidify the room.
4. Dehumidify the whole house.
5. Install a split dedicated to that room.

Because you have the windows too, you will experience some condensation on them and the walls. I really encourage you to give this some serious thought and research to avoid ruining your house. And BTW, limiting evap on the system is not always a good thing, especially if you are dosing kalk wasser. using a chiller would help of course, or even a ground loop.

This is a very serious issue with large displays, and especially ones with high surface area.

[CaptiveReefer03]

ya i already have the chiller and was planning on some evaporation because I deal with it on my 360 now and add about 5 gallons every 3rd day to accout for this.

[jnarowe]

Well, I am concerned that room will be a sweat box, but my frame of reference is a bit different since I don't use a chiller.

[CaptiveReefer03]

just curious but how big of a room do you feel I should have had for my system? I have looked over your 1000 gal page and am impressed by the system so I know I have some to learn still but my 360 was very sucessful in its hayday before I started weeding things out for the change over to the new system and it was in a smaller room then this which was inside the main house where in my house now it is isolated in its own room and the room size is almost double..

[jnarowe]

yeah, don't take my comments as criticism. I am not there to judge in person. In fact I really like your tank and how you are installing it with it being viewable from your bedroom. That is way cool. I just saw the heater return above the tank and figured I should chime in. My situation is much different in that my tank room is sealed off from the house entirely, so I don't have to worry about condensation except for the wear and tear/corrosion on equipment. I guess I may have written that strange, but it's not really the size of the room that matters, but how it is ventilated. So many factors like ambient temp. and humidity come into play.

Anyway, not judging the install in any way. Just trying to help when I can, and it struck me that IME, allowing the salt air to migrate through your central house system would probably cause some damage.

[CaptiveReefer03]

J-

No offense taken I was just asking the quesiton because its hard when Im doubling the size of the system Im use to be sure Ive got all my ducks in a row its why I asked... Dealing with large systems like ours Im never certain im getting everything done the way I need but I guess in the begining of every new system there is a bit of trial and error. Hoping mine is minimal at best but I appriciate you taking the time to express the concern and chime in with your 2 cents. Its what makes it a community and its how we help each other out.

Regards-

[Grevious]

Love the front to back depth of this tank!!!

Should be nice to watch it while in bed.

[jnarowe]

He's never going to sleep now. Not with all those fish staring at him! :lol:

[CaptiveReefer03]

Thanks Grevious-

Ya Im defently looking forward to it. I use to have my 55gal next to my bed in my other house and loved it so I took it a bit further and decided its where I wanted to incorperate the system in my new house. I decided on the depth after I saw OregonReef's page (not that im advertising just loved his system!) It was quite the inspiration.

J-
I'll do my best to get some sleep but I dont think Im ever gonna leave that half of the house cause Ill have everything right there lol...

[jnarowe]

The cool thing about oregonreef is the awesome depth of field as well as the ability to easily reach all areas of the tank.

[CaptiveReefer03]

Ya and that was what I was trying to accomplish on my system, because I can clean all around the perimiter and reach the center from 2 of the 4 sides. Plus the drainage is easily accessable from underneath or from the main side on the fish room. The sump is set next to the setup so I can clean and maintain without any problems what so ever. Which reminds me I'll get the pics of that up tonight!

[CaptiveReefer03]

Here are my pics of my new sump and my plumbing so far... lmk if anyone has suggestions or comments ... they are always welcomed!

Enjoy-

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/Tank11-14-07001.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/Tank11-14-07005.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/Tank11-14-07002.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/Tank11-14-07004.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/Tank11-14-07003.jpg

[TylerFerretLord]

I always thought plumbing to and from a sump was horribly complicated.

That picture made me think otherwise. It's just a gravity fed pipe leading down to the sump, right? And a pump pushing it back up?

It looks good. I want more pictures! :eek2:

[CaptiveReefer03]

."I always thought plumbing to and from a sump was horribly complicated.

Tyler-

Thanks I though it was fairly easy so far... almost too easy which concerns me that I am missing something.. and Ive got another 2 pumps for my closed loop systems and to anwser your question yes its all gravity fed to drain into the sump and a single pump to place it back into the system. One of the other 2 pumps will be online with my chiller as well... but more pics are soon to come, I have work tomorrow and then Im off for friday, saturday so hoping that I can finnish plumbing everything in and start adding water and salt. :) Follow along and looking forward to getting closer!!

Regards-

[jnarowe]

That's the best way to do it. I LOVE gravity! :D And I think you need a bigger skimmer T. I don't think that little nubbin of a skimmer is going to cut it.

[CaptiveReefer03]

J-

I was gonna run two CS12-2 Euro-Reef's not just one :) I figured instead of 1 Huge one I could run 2 Smaller ones...which honestly aren't so small its just the sump is really Large. Do you think that would work okay in all seriousness??

[jnarowe]

Well, I do think two smaller skimmers is a good idea, especially if you have a failure in one of them. I don't know anything about Euro-Reef skimmers so I can't comment on how well they will do for you. If I had a 600g system I would use a Volcano, ReeFlo, or DIY.

[ConGi]

thanks.

[32flavors]

Have you considered installing a whole house fan? They're relatively cheap to install and VERy cheap to run. You could have the primary export duct above the tank or at least in that room, which would allow you to evacuate all the humid room/house air in just a few minutes, which makes running it for short bursts effective even during inclimate summer/winter weather--except for when outdoor humidity is higher than the house. Otherwise, or even better still, in addition to a WHF, invest in a large capacity dehumidifier.

[CaptiveReefer03]

ConGi-

Thanks for what?

32-

Do you have any type of pictures of the system ideas that your talking about ? I would be worried about placing a fan inside that directly leads outside due to my roofing and the fact that I live in florida so we have really wet weather in the summer months and I would worry about leaks.

[32flavors]

I'll see what I can find... I'm from Northern California where it rains 7-8 months out of the year, and I know several people with WHF's and I've never heard of any of them being sources for leaks. Basically, they are the reverse of swamp coolers--they suck in fresh air through opened windows and vent out through existing attic exhausts (there are no new roof exhaust ports to be installed)... Although, being in Florida, is humidity often pretty high anyway?

For now, this site seems to have some decent info/pics/diagrams:

http://www.quietcoolfan.com/

If you want more info, a lot seemed to come up when I googled "Whole House Fan"

I don't know about this particular company, but they can be pretty powerful. I work at a LFS, and my boss' 120 gallon tank crashed when he went to Thailand this year, and by the time we caught it the tank was fouled (so cloudy that even with 800 W of MH lights on a 120 we couldn't see in more then 6 inches)--very stinky. The WHF evacuated the stagnant, rancid air in just a few minutes. They work very well at flushing inside air to outside.

[CaptiveReefer03]

Awsome 32 -

Thanks for the idea, looks like this might be a possible investment that might do something good for the room. I'll have to see how bad it is when everything is up and running.

Speaking of which I plumbed the system together today as a rough draft and plan to glue everything in come tomorrow. Pics should be up tomorrow hopefully everybody! Hope your looking forward to completion as much as I am!!! WOO HOO....

Charles-

[Grevious]

As far as skimmers go. I just set-up my ReefFlo 250 and all I can say is WOW!!!! It pulls out some nasty skimmate. I would def. give them a thought. My system is approx. 900-1000 gallons total.

[CaptiveReefer03]

okay everyone here are my pictures of my plumbing chime in at anytime if you have suggestions lure locs are going on today and the system is gonna get guled together so lets hope for the best!

Enjoy-

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1913.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1914.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1915.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1916.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1917.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/CaptiveReefer03/100_1918.jpg

:)

[rlxwcapt]

I would paint all your PVC and egg crate black. I think that you have to much PVC. Is that for your closed loop on top and bottom. I would have drilled from the bottom and sides of your tank. You are making harder to clean with all the pvc running around the top. I am not a fan of egg crate on the bottom. You always end up with dead spots that detrites sits. I would look at ocean motion 4ways for ideas for cl. Other then that this tank set up looks great. One other thing that I will give you heads up and it maybe why you put the trash can in the sump is micro bubbles. I have a box in my rubber maid sump to solve that issue.

[CaptiveReefer03]

Rlx-

I dont intend to pain the PVC because once the coraline alge takes over you wont hardly notice anything anyways. The Pvc up top of the system is only .75 inches so its not really in the way at all as I took my cleaning issues into account. And unfortunatly I did not want to drill the system full of holes so its the best that I could come up with. I will be watching for the microbubble issues once the system is fully up and running but thanks for the heads up.

[Grevious]

My PVC is completely covered in coraline, you don't even notice it.

Hurry up and get some water in this thing!:D

[CaptiveReefer03]

Working on it have 140-150 gallons onboard already... tomorrow hoping more water and some pics! Muhahaha!.... Any Ideas on aquascaping? Im thinking half moons and a center island that bridges to both of them and then some rock work along the back??

[kdblove_99]

Anything new?

[mike660r]

Ahhh.. the lessons of PVC spray bar futility :) I would like to suggest you reevaluate the spray bars. They are very inefficent and unstable for any type flow that is usefull in a specific direction.

Just my two cents