Poker Room 70G Build - New to Reefing [Archive] - Reef Central Online Community

coyote97

08/06/2009, 02:32 PM

After spending numerous hours reading, re-reading, and re-re-reading many of the threads on this site, I've decided that the best way to ask questions and get answers would be to provide an inside look at the trials and tribulations of a new reefer. So, I'm starting my own build thread. As I mentioned in a previous thread, I've had this aquarium for many years and had many different fresh and brackish water fish. It was time to move into saltwater. Of course, that decision wasn't made official until AFTER I finished building a new stand and canopy for the 22 year old 70 gallon tank. We've decided that the best location for the tank is in our poker room. Some of you might call it your dining room, but we don't eat in there without cards in the air!

So after all the reading, it's time to get building! This is where I stand in the build process.

1. Stand and canopy: Oak plywood and oak hardwood, stained cherry. There are two doors in the front of the stand. 20.5" WD x 18" H. There are two deep drawers in the stand. (They look and work great, but take up headroom inside the stand that I didn't know I was going to need) With the drawers closed there is only about 21.5" from floor to drawer bottom. The stand is finished other than adding hardware and making any modifications for plumbing, fans, etc. I've got a couple poor quality pics on photobucket, but I have to figure out how to reduce their size to post here.

2. The tank: It is a 70G glass (Not sure if it is tempered) and it is undrilled. 48" x 18" x 18"? After reading about Bean Animal's overflow system, I want to attempt to drill this tank so if it's tempered, a new tank is in my future!

3. Skimmer: I purchased a used Euro-Reef CS-100? from Reef Developer on this board. It has a Sedra 3500 pump.

I have some old equipment such as a heater, Magnum 770 canister filter, and fluorescent light fixture, but none of it will be used on this build.

In order to get started, I need some advice about plumbing and sumps. Like I stated above, I want to go with Bean's overflow. Because of the size of the front doors on my stand, I am going to have to build a sump / refugium in two pieces. I was able to manuever a 24 wide x12 deep x12 tall cardboard box into the cabinet. I think a slightly deeper (13") sump would fit. I'm thinking a separate refugium would probably be the best way to do it, but maybe I should put my skimmer in the separate tank? The second tank could be as big as 18 wide X 15 deep X 18 tall. I would need it to be much shorter in order to get the skimmer in if I wanted to do that while it was in the cabinet. I've been to Melev's site as well as read many build threads, but I would still like some comments from the peanut gallery. Mainly, which should be the separate part the refugium or the skimmer? Then how should they be plumbed? How should the remaining sump be sectioned off? How tall should the baffles be?

I'll stop there for my first post of the build. I'm sure I will have many more questions along the way. I know that those of you that follow builds need pictures like a a druggie needs his fix, so I will make sure to post many pictures once I get a new camera and learn the ins and outs of posting.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas.

Dennis

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/2232880720091907-1.jpg

Rjukan

08/06/2009, 02:57 PM

Hey Dennis, the stand sounds really nice. Try irfanview for photo resizing and minimal adjustments.

Lol nice another oldy tank, mine is 15 years old and went through similar stages of fresh and "brackish" fish. Now it's been relegated to sump duty lol. Good luck drilling yours, I wasn't daring enough to give that a try.

That's cool you got a skimmer already, I'm not personally familiar with that one but I'm pretty sure I read good things about it.

Best thing to do with the sump and fuge decisions is to try and look at as many other setups as possible and choose the one that fits your area best. I want to say Whys has a nice split setup in his stand. I actually have a split setup too but it takes up way more room.

Good luck with the build, from the sounds of it you have a great experience foundation to start into the reefing hobby.

coyote97

08/06/2009, 05:34 PM

Pete, thanks for being first! I've checked out quite a few builds on here. It's so hard not to get sidetracked when someone posts a link and you end up with 6 windows open. LOL! I tried to reduce another pic of the stand in progress. Let's see what happens when I post this one. Maybe it won't look like a thumbnail like the first one!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288cp1_0603091831-1.jpg

coyote97

08/06/2009, 05:57 PM

Here's a really poor picture of the canopy in progress. I only took one photo of the base cabinet and one of the canopy while I was building them. Cell phone camera isn't very good!
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/2232880603091832-1.jpg

coyote97

08/06/2009, 06:14 PM

And another attempt at the only shot of the finished canopy and stand that I have so far.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/2232880720091907.jpg

syrinx

08/06/2009, 09:39 PM

Be careful with cigars around a reef!

coyote97

08/06/2009, 09:56 PM

Thanks for the words of advice syrinx. However, there's no smoking in the house. I know oxymoron. Poker and non-smoking. But we do have fun!

coyote97

08/08/2009, 12:30 PM

I found a 20 gallon long tank on craigslist for $15.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0581.jpg

Because it was so cheap, my intention was to buy it to "practice" drilling. I'm going to need to drill my DT but I wanted to get some practice in before I attempted it. Since the 20 gal was so cheap I figured I'd fill it with holes practicing. After getting it home and filling it with water, it holds water! Maybe I could use it for a sump? The silicone looks pretty bad though. Should I strip it all out and replace it with new?
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0582.jpg

I then test fit it to see if it would fit inside the stand. I had to remove the door to get it in this far. I will have to remove one of the back supports in order to get it in there.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0580_sm.jpg

Lastly, I filled the sump with water and tested the Euro Reef CS-100 skimmer that I bought used off this site. Looks like everything is functioning properly! So, like I mentioned earlier, I want to go with Bean Animal's overflow system. Any comments on how to run the plumbing to this sump/skimmer. I also want a small refugium. I'm thinking overflow into skimmer area (needs 11"x12"), over baffles into return area with a separate refugium that also flows into the return area from the other side. If that's the case, how do I plumb the refugium into the sump? Should it go up and over or drilled to go through?
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0584.jpg

Sorry for the small pictures, I'm still limited to 50kb pics!

So, anyone in the Phoenix area have drill bits I can borrow, or would be willing to offer their expertise in drilling tanks?

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Rjukan

08/08/2009, 07:46 PM

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15495118#post15495118 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coyote97

Because it was so cheap, my intention was to buy it to "practice" drilling. I'm going to need to drill my DT but I wanted to get some practice in before I attempted it. Since the 20 gal was so cheap I figured I'd fill it with holes practicing. After getting it home and filling it with water, it holds water! Maybe I could use it for a sump? The silicone looks pretty bad though. Should I strip it all out and replace it with new?
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0582.jpg

I would say stick to your original plan and practice drilling this tank, that silicone is a really bad sign, it might have been a tank that was used to treat copper. I dont think its worth the time to strip out the silicone, in order to do it right you have to completely remove the old stuff (taking the panels completely apart). Better to just grab a new one for a couple bucks more.

Your canopy and stand look really nice man! You have to be pleased with your work on those 2 pieces. It would be a herculean effort for me to pull something like that off lol.

Might be worth it to get new bits so your ready to go asap. With the sump/fuge, I would just route the incoming water from the DT to the right side via PVC and have the skimmer over there. Put an over-under-over baffle system with 3 pieces of glass about 1/3 from the right side. Then you can decide how much you want to go to the return or fuge areas. I would say to make the return as large as you can while still having a nice size fuge. Separate them with a piece of glass and slap the return pump in the left side of the tank. More PVC to the DT if possible (I like the PVC look :)), and thats it lol.

Def interested to hear how the test drills go, keep us posted!

goochesfish

08/08/2009, 10:02 PM

I think you should take out the drawers and replace them with doors or some kind of vent. It'll give you the headroom in the sump for plumbing.

phenom5

08/09/2009, 12:23 AM

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15496851#post15496851 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rjukan
I would say stick to your original plan and practice drilling this tank, that silicone is a really bad sign, it might have been a tank that was used to treat copper. I dont think its worth the time to strip out the silicone, in order to do it right you have to completely remove the old stuff (taking the panels completely apart). Better to just grab a new one for a couple bucks more.

I definitely agree. You can pick up a brand new 20g long for so cheap, I wouldn't bother trying to use that one.

FWIW, drilling tanks is really easy, it just sounds scary until you actually do it. Assuming of course that the glass isn't tempered.

coyote97

08/09/2009, 12:46 PM

Pete,
Thanks for the compliments on the stand. I am pretty happy with the way it came out. Like I said earlier, I wish that I had found this site before I started the build. I had no formal plans, other than tank dimensions. I wouldn't have put drawers in it had I realized how much room was needed under the tank for the sump/fuge/skimmer.
goochesfish,
I may actually remove the drawers and just mount the drawer fronts to the stand to open the inside. That will be a last resort if I can't use it as is. The drawers can be removed and replaced as needed, so I may see how it goes first.
phenom5,
Thanks for the words of encouragement on the drilling. I guess if the tank is tempered, it will be over quick!! Keeping my fingers crossed.

I think I'll take your advice and just use the 20 gallon as a guinea pig. Maybe I'll take it apart to get some experience working with, cutting or drilling glass. Maybe the tank will end up being baffles for another tank!

coyote97

08/17/2009, 01:21 AM

OK, so I used the guinea pig tank to test the rotozip bit to see how it would cut glass. After having no problem cutting through the .182" thick glass, I decided to move up to the 3/8" thick glass of my 70 gallon. I started by using a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to cut away the trim to reveal the glass.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0597_sm.jpg

The rotozip bit worked really well. My Dremel had variable speed up to 30,000 RPMs. I ran it at full speed. The slot that I cut is 17" long and just over 1" tall. If I were to do this again, I would make sure I had a back-up bit. The 36 linear inches was a lot to expect one bit to handle. Overall it was pretty painless cutting the slot. Once I got over the initial fear of the tank shattering because it was tempered. But it turned out it wasn't and now I have a nice slot for an EXTERNAL overflow!! If I could give advice to anyone attempting it, GO SLOW. Take your time and it will work out fine!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0599_sm.jpg

I also had my plastic supplier cut some acrylic to build my own sump and refugium. Brought the pieces home, but forgot to buy the Weld-On when I picked them up. It was impossible to find over the weekend, so the sump couldn't be assembled this weekend as planned. That will be up next.

This week I plan to purchase manifolds, plumbing, and a return pump. I'm going to submerse the pump. Anyone have any recommendations for a return pump. Eheim 1262? Something else? Thanks for looking and I look forward to hearing your comments.

Dennis

ScarletReef

08/17/2009, 08:56 AM

Looking really nice! Congrats on the pain-free drilling. Something I might mention is that it seems like it would be a good idea to have the refugium drain into the return chamber of the sump and not the skimmer chamber, as the skimmer would likely suck out a lot of the copepods and such that are part of why refugiums are so nice.

redtop03

08/17/2009, 11:58 PM

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15485666#post15485666 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coyote97
Pete, thanks for being first! I've checked out quite a few builds on here. It's so hard not to get sidetracked when someone posts a link and you end up with 6 windows open. LOL! I tried to reduce another pic of the stand in progress. Let's see what happens when I post this one. Maybe it won't look like a thumbnail like the first one!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288cp1_0603091831-1.jpg

if you'll upload your pics from your 'puter to photobucket,you can make them larger on here,there is an img code under the pics in photobucket,just copy the img code and post in your reply....photobucket will do the resizing,you don't need to resize your pics :D

you're gonna have a nice tank,I like the drawers in the stand,if they cause you any issues with your plumbing,or if you just want more room over your sump,you can always shorting the drawers,by taking some of the back of 'em off.........good luck on your build :D

Rocketboy52

08/18/2009, 02:44 PM

Looks like you are off to a good start! I'm subscribed, and I totally know what you are talking about in reading too much. Before I started building my current tank I spent 3-6 months just reading all sorts of crap on reef central, and I finially just got sick of reading decided to just go for it. I think all the "research" was good, but in the end just pulling the trigger and going for it seems to make progress much faster. I'm excited to see what you do for your sump!

Erik

coyote97

08/25/2009, 12:23 PM

Started work on the sump last night and I think I made a mistake. I thought I read somewhere that the best way to build it was to bond the baffles to the back wall first, then the front wall, then bond the whole thing to the bottom. So, I bonded three baffles to the back wall and now I don't know how I'm going to bond the middle baffle to the front wall or bottom. Anyone with experience have any suggestions? Do I have to lay a bead of adhesive along the edge and then put the two pieces together? Or is there a needle tip that's a foot long? :) Any advice would be appreciated. I want to continue building tonight. Thanks.
Dennis

coyote97

08/25/2009, 01:14 PM

Just noticed an error in my last post. Obviously the center baffle doesn't need to be bonded to the bottom as it is 1" off the bottom to allow water to flow under. So, I really just need to bond it to the back wall.

coyote97

08/25/2009, 10:38 PM

I bonded two more sides to the sump tonight.
http://<a href="http://s1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/?action=view&current=100_0625.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0625.jpg" border="0" alt="Sump Build 2"></a>
Here it is in progress.

coyote97

08/25/2009, 10:43 PM

SWEET. I finally posted a full size picture! This one is a close-up of the bond line of one of the sides of the acrylic sump. Question for those acrylic gurus out there. Are those little bubbles normal? Will they cause leaks?
<a href="http://s1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/?action=view&current=100_0626.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0626.jpg" border="0" alt="Sump bond close-up"></a>

coyote97

09/09/2009, 10:33 PM

Been a while since I've updated the thread. Since my last post I've purchased bulkheads from Marine Depot and a Spectrapure Max Cap RO/DI system during their sale. Tonight I put the glass overflow together that I had made by a glass shop. If you are planning to use the Marine Depot 1-1/2" bulkheads make sure your hole is 65mm or 2.56" in diameter. Whatever it says on their website is wrong. I had to have the glass shop enlarge the holes after they drilled 2.5" diameter holes. Here's a picture of the overflow. It is approximately 32" long.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0659.jpg

Rocketboy52

09/16/2009, 11:34 PM

Looking good!

The trapped air in the plastic will only cause a leak if there is a breech in the bond line from inside to out. I had some small trapped air in a couple of my bond lines as well. After I did a couple I got better. Did you read the thread about bonding acrylic together using guitar string spacers? I didnt find that thread until after I glued my sump together but it looked like a good method to use because you basicly overfill the gap whith solvent while the spacers are in, and then remove the steel wire and the acrylic settles down onto itself and squeezes out the excess solvent. On my one leaky corner, I stabbed a needle all the way through the bond line and reinjected the solvent in the small breech and it sealed up good on the 2nd try.

coyote97

09/17/2009, 11:38 PM

Rocket, I leak tested the sump and the refugium that I built and both leaked. I think I have the sump sealed now but I still need to fix the fuge. I did read the acrylic thread and I used the pin method. I guess it just takes some practice to get good.

I mounted the overflow to the tank and test fit the bulkheads. Here's some pictures.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0913.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0914.jpg

Up next - modifying the stand and plumbing!!

coyote97

09/19/2009, 01:17 PM

I had to cut one of the stand's back braces, but I was able to finally get the new sump under the stand! After the test fit I sealed up the last leaks in both the sump and fuge. Here's a picture of what I put together. Because I have a limited size opening in the stand I had to go with a separate fuge and sump. The right side has the skimmer section. I have to build a stand to get the skimmer up a little higher. I was thinking I'd have two 1-1/2" drains come in here - one being the syphon. The third 1-1/2 pipe would be the emergency drain that I was thinking would dump into the fuge. The return section is the left section of the sump. I have an Eheim 1262 that I will split to two 1" return lines. I'm thinking one to each side of the tank. My thought is I may supply flow with Koralia's or Vortech MP40. Anyone have any comments about the plumbing plans? What would be the best way to get the water from the fuge into the return section of the sump? Do I need to raise the fuge up off the stand bottom and have it syphon into the sump? Should I put another pump in the fuge and just go up and over? If I were to drill the fuge where would be the best place to do it? I have extra bulkheads. The sump and fuge aren't completely finished. I have braces for the tops but they haven't been put on because I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to need to drill them or cut them down. I also have an extra baffle I can add to the sump if necessary but there isn't much room left. Please don't be shy about posting opinions. I'm trying to get this done soon, but I'm not rushing. I want to hear tips from the pros!!
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0917.jpg

IridescentLily

09/19/2009, 04:26 PM

I like your overflow, looks great!

Rocketboy52

09/19/2009, 09:31 PM

Looking good! My only comment on the plumbing, I'm on my third drain manifold, the big reason being that I want to supply the fuge and the sump proper with water from the drain pipes. What I first did was run the siphon line to the skimmer section and the the vented siphon line to the fuge. The problem with that is your vented siphone doesn't always flow, especially after the drain system has stabalized. I tried to slow down the siphon to force more water through the vented siphon, but then a majority of the water would run through the vented siphon, and the emergency drain, and I didn't like that, because you are effectivley using your emergency drain as the vented siphon's balance.

So, then I changed the drain manifold in the sump to have a "T" going with valves between the two openings emptying into the sump and fuge. I still wasn't getting enough water to the fuge because even with the fuge ball all the way open and the skimmer valve 2/3 closed most of the water was still feeding the skimmer section.

The manifold I'm making tonight, splits the drain differently so the water path of least resistance is into the fuge and the 2nd "exit" is to the skimmer section and hopefully this way I can easily throttle the amount going into the fuge and the skimmer is essentially everything else. If this doesn't work, I'm going to buy a small power head like 50-100gph and just pump water over the fuge wall and make a real simple straight shot drain.

coyote97

09/21/2009, 01:14 PM

I'm thinking I'm going to supply the fuge with water from the return pump instead of the drain line. Do you see any problems with that?

coyote97

09/21/2009, 01:15 PM

Oh, and thank you for the compliment Abril. I also like how the overflow came out.

Rocketboy52

09/21/2009, 05:24 PM

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15737291#post15737291 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coyote97
I'm thinking I'm going to supply the fuge with water from the return pump instead of the drain line. Do you see any problems with that?

Sure you could use the return pump. I was trying to get un-skimmed water to fuge so that the small critters had plenty to eat, but in realitiy only a small percentage of the water that goes through the skimmer section actually makes it into the skimmer.

The new manifold did work much better by the way, so if you do it the way I did and split the main siphon drain line, you need to be sensitive about how you set it up.

coyote97

10/03/2009, 09:50 PM

Laundry list of things done since my last post.
1. Built a little stand to raise the refugium up.
2. Drilled the refugium for return lines.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0932.jpg
3. Did some mods to the stand to run plumbing, including building support to keep from breaking the overflow. I still have to cut it so that it splits into two pieces and allows for the plumbing to be easily removed later.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0931.jpg
4. Ran upper return line plumbing into the canopy. Still have to put ends on.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0930.jpg
5. Ran emergency drain into refugium.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0934.jpg

Next things to do:
1. Must finish plumbing drains - should I send water from the drains to the refugium or should I use return water?
2. Must finish plumbing return lines.
3. Add euro bracing to refugium and sump.
4. Build stand to raise skimmer.

I'm sure I have more to go but I wanted to post pictures to get some feedback on what I've done thus far on the plumbing. I'm wondering if I should have ball valves on the returns from the refugium? Should the return lines go as deep as I have them? They go to about 1" from the bottom. How high should the sanitary tees and elbows be off the bottom of the overflow? All the plumbing is just mocked up - no glue yet, so I can change anything. Comments please.

coyote97

10/05/2009, 11:47 PM

After getting some feedback in the DIY area, I re-plumbed the right return line so that the canopy could be removed without separating the plumbing.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0951.jpg
Here is what the lower part of the return lines look like. I'm going to replace the T with a cross so I can connect a hose when I need to do water changes.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0953.jpg

jvr1102

10/05/2009, 11:50 PM

I to bought my tank for poker, the reason I bought my tank was to sit next to my computer to keep me calm when I play online poker....Won a tourny for 10 grand the first week I had it up so I justified it as it already paid for itself!

coyote97

10/19/2009, 08:42 PM

Finished the plumbing support on the back of the stand. Used inserts so that 1/4-20 bolts could be used to hold the support together while allowing it to be separated later. The foam I used in the holes was a little thick for the 1-1/2" pipes so I had to go a little thinner. It works great though.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0959.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0962_00.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0960.jpg

Now the bad news - had the sump on the kitchen counter for a final leak check before setting it in place - yada, yada, yada - it's now broken and scrap acrylic. So I either have to build another or get a 15-20 gallon tank and add baffles. Not going to get down about it, I've made a lot of progress to this point!

reefbro

10/19/2009, 09:06 PM

Nice start. Looking good.

coyote97

10/23/2009, 01:50 PM

It's time to start thinking about lighting. Anyone have any recommendations? You can see I have some room in the canopy. Should I go with a fixture or retro-fit? I was thinking T-5's but I will listen to opinions. I read some of Grim Reaper's T-5 thread and he seems to like ATI.

coyote97

10/27/2009, 10:51 PM

The drawers in my stand have to go. As much as I like them because they are big and provide a lot of storage, they don't allow the room I need for plumbing. So here's a picture of one of the drawers that won't be used on the stand anymore.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0994.jpg

coyote97

10/27/2009, 10:59 PM

This is where I put in a plug for product that my company fabricates and sellls. We're an authorized converter for 3M. I used one of their new products - low profile dual lock - to hold the background inside the tank. It's great stuff! This will allow me to easily remove the background later if I need to. I first put a strip along the top and a couple pieces on the bottom of the 1/8" thick blue acrylic.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0990.jpg
I then put some on the inside of the tank opposite the pieces on the acrylic sheet.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0991.jpg
Pressed the background against the tank and voila!
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0993.jpg

coyote97

10/27/2009, 11:02 PM

What do you think? Is my pluimbing worthy of joining the pristine plumbing thread?
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0995.jpg
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0997.jpg

muttley000

10/28/2009, 04:05 AM

Plumbing looks great! When is this thing going to get wet?

atwinparadox2

10/28/2009, 06:50 AM

Nice job on the plumbing!!

Rjukan

10/28/2009, 07:17 AM

coyote97

10/28/2009, 09:01 AM

Plumbing looks great! When is this thing going to get wet?

Muttley000,
That is a great question! I'm driving my kids crazy with the wait. To quote my four year old daughter, "Just put water in it for goodness sakes!"

Seriously though, I am finishing up my second sump after breaking the first one. Everything was going well until I cut one of the baffles just a little too small. I would have broken another sump if I tried to squeeze the sides together. So, I had to put a small piece along side it to hold it together. Keeping my fingers crossed that it won't leak. Leak test tonight when I get home.

coyote97

10/28/2009, 09:03 AM

Nice job on the plumbing!!

Thank you. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. We'll see when I add water!

coyote97

10/28/2009, 09:09 AM

I'm really impressed, you went the extra mile with your plumbing and it looks great. That pipe holder on back is a neat idea. And I can't get over how nice the overflow came out. It's going to be fun filling that thing and seeing it in action for the first time.

I'd like to see the sump and fuge area again now that the plumbing is done.

Oh, about your background. It's a cool idea but those plastic velcro strips, they are mounted with a glue/adhesive type backing no? I don't know if I would want that in the tank.

Keep up the great work!

Rjukan,
I will take some pictures of the sump area as soon as I finish building the second sump. Hopefully by the weekend. Check back.
Regarding the adhesive backed dual lock, do you think that small amount of adhesive will effect the tank chemistry? Maybe that's a question for waterkeeper?

MrineLfRlz

10/28/2009, 10:36 AM

great job i really like the back ground idea and the plumbing looks really good!
i will keep watching:D

Rjukan

10/28/2009, 11:27 AM

I don't know if that small amount of adhesive would be a problem water chemistry wise, but I don't think it will stay stuck for long in saltwater. I'll be back to check those pics out.

dsn112

10/28/2009, 12:03 PM

Awesome, I would have just bought a reef ready tank because i can't do all of that custom work, but simply awesome!

coyote97

12/24/2009, 09:52 PM

Been a real long time since I've posted any updates. The tank isn't finished yet unfortunately, but the lights are in the canopy and I mounted some American DJ PC-4 toggle switches inside the stand.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1345.jpg

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1346.jpg

Merry Christmas fellow reefers!

coyote97

01/20/2010, 09:35 PM

Slowly and methodically finishing the build! The retro kit is done. Just need to tidy up the wiring a little. Moved on to cooling the lights. I decided to go with 4 - 3 speed Antec 120mm TriCool fans. They will be powered by a coolerguys.com 2000ma power supply with molex connector for easy assembly/disassembly when it arrives. http://www.coolerguys.com/840556029977.html

In order to mount the fans for easy removal, I had acrylic plates made that were cut with a laser for precise hole alignment and fan opening. The fan was then assembled with 4, 8-32 1-1/2" bolts and neoprene washers to absorb any vibration. Then on each assembly I added two strips of the 3M dual lock SJ4570. This will hold the fans tight to the canopy and then will be removable to replace, relocate or clean the fans. So here are a few pictures for the people that enjoy visuals!

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1419.jpg
The "DIY Fan Kit"!
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1420.jpg
Kit assembled and ready for mounting. Looks pretty good next to Big Slick!
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1430.jpg
Close-up of the fan assembly mounted to the canopy.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1429.jpg
The 4 fans mounted and the T5 lights lit for the first time!!

Sisterlimonpot

01/20/2010, 11:14 PM

Very nice set-up, It's gonna be a nice tank.

coyote97

01/21/2010, 10:45 AM

Thanks Sisterlimonpot. I appreciate the compliment.

Moving on to the RO/DI system now. Anxious to get water in this thing! I purchased a Spectrapure MaxCap 90GPD and now need to plumb it. I have not decided how to set this up yet. I've read where some people hook theirs up directly to their sump. I also read that it is better to set-up an ATO system with a separate reservoir for fresh water. Anyone care to elaborate? If I should go with the ATO system does anyone have any recommendations?

Stickboy97

01/21/2010, 11:03 AM

Looks sweet, but man, you're into the 5th month now... I'm with your daughter on this one... Put some water in it. lol

coyote97

01/21/2010, 11:41 AM

Thanks stickboy. But counting the stand build, I'm into the seventh month. But who's counting? I'm planning to water test everything with tap water this weekend. If all goes well, I will drain and add in the RO/DI water.

Pcrain

01/21/2010, 11:51 AM

your a tease coyote LET's see some H20.. i have to say everything looks great though!! GJ on plumping and the stand..

you could at least fill the top with ro and get your salinity right and start the tank cycle with some Live rock

coyote97

01/22/2010, 11:32 AM

Anyone care to share any advice on setting up the RO/DI system? Or ATO?

BennyFrank

01/22/2010, 10:52 PM

Great build and very well thought out! I'm learning a lot and will be tagging along.

Sisterlimonpot

01/22/2010, 11:03 PM

Anyone care to share any advice on setting up the RO/DI system? Or ATO?Missed that post,
I would discourage you to hook your RODI up directly to your sump, there have been way too many horror stories about flooding and lowering salinity to the point it wiped out the entire tank due to a stuck valve.

For an ATO I would use a reservoir with only enough RODI water in it not to overflow your sump/fuge.

If you want to try your hand on making your own ATO check out my homepage, buried in about page 5 or 6 I make my own setup.

spleify

01/22/2010, 11:32 PM

Great work so far, this is gonna be one cool tank.

Keep up the great work

muttley000

01/23/2010, 04:53 AM

Anyone care to share any advice on setting up the RO/DI system? Or ATO?

You should aerate, heat and buffer that water before it hits your tank, plumb it into a rubbermaid or something. my .02:spin3:

coyote97

01/27/2010, 10:36 AM

Thanks for all the compliments and ATO advice. Spleify, thanks for finding my thread. I've been subscribed to your build thread and gained inspiration for my build from it.

For the ATO, I'm going to go with some sort of separate container to hold the fresh water. I'm thinking maybe a plastic reservoir inside a decorative clay pot on the side of the stand? Anyone do this or have pictures of creative ways to hide the reservoir?

Finally, I went to AZ Seabottom yesterday. Carlos is no longer there :( Probably old news for some. But I did meet Kyle. He's a great guy and we had a long chat about my build. If you want to continue to get the kind of service that Carlos provided at AZ Seabottom, make sure you visit on the weekend and see Kyle.

Kyle - to answer your question about the layout of my T-5 lighting, it looks like this:

Front
ATI Blue Plus - IC 430
Fiji Purple - IC 660
ATI Blue Plus - IC 660
Actinic White - IC 660
GE - IC 660
Blue Plus - IC 430

dfiddy

01/27/2010, 02:11 PM

WOW... great job on the stand and plumbing. Your patience in detailing everything out at the onset will save you may headaches once it is finally up and running! Everything looks top notch thus far!:thumbsup:

coyote97

01/29/2010, 01:53 PM

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1434.jpgFinally got all the plumbing wrapped up and filled it with tap water last night for the test drive. There were a few small leaks at the bulkheads of the return lines and the drain lines that I will have to fix. Guess I need more teflon tape! Took a long time to get the "Dead silent" overflow to quiet down. I still don't know if I ever got it right. There was a lot of splashing in the drain pipe. I'm thinking I need to make the elbows a little higher off the bottom of the overflow? Anyone have a comment? Bean?
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1442.jpg
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1441.jpg

Here is look "under the hood"! Rjukan, sorry for the long wait.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1440.jpg

This is the plumbing to/from the refugium.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1437.jpg

Finally, a couple closeups of the skimmer area. I've got to figure out how this is supposed to be set-up because boy was it loud!
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1435.jpg

If I could get anyone that is running the beananimal to look at my set-up and let me know if I need to change anything I'd appreciate it. Any local Arizonans that want to stop in and offer some advice to a newbie?

Jarred1

01/29/2010, 02:47 PM

nice tank

ScrubberOTanky

01/29/2010, 03:56 PM

Sisterlimonpot

01/29/2010, 04:43 PM

IMHO the bean animal overflow is a nightmare... Has to be re-dialed in every time you unplug your return.

Not sure what's wrong with a regular old durso, stockman, or similar, but everything else on your build so far looks awesome!
You know I had the same problem with bean animals design when I first set it up with the 1" plumping and didn't use street elbow tee's (I used regular tee's. I figured it was only a 75 why did it need such big tubing? but that is the whole premise behind his design (to allow air to flow through the piping), I changed the plumping to 1.5" and used the street elbows and I never had a problem with it.

reefer321

01/29/2010, 05:24 PM

spleify

01/29/2010, 05:25 PM

Looks like its coming together nicely. I hope all that plumbing works out well for you!

Keep up the great work

coyote97

01/29/2010, 05:30 PM

WOW! Awesome build! Great woodwork! I want to do a custom build when I move to a new house... One thing you might have but if not should get is some GFCI's ... not sure if it is built in to your power supply there... A grounding probe is also handy.
Thanks a lot. I appreciate the compliments. It's been so long ago, I almost forget this started as a woodworking project!! I do have a GFCI outlet. As for the grounding probe, is it necessary? I asked at a LFS and they said "no".

coyote97

01/29/2010, 05:34 PM

IMHO the bean animal overflow is a nightmare... Has to be re-dialed in every time you unplug your return.

Not sure what's wrong with a regular old durso, stockman, or similar, but everything else on your build so far looks awesome!
Scrubber, I'm not sure what's wrong with the durso or stockman either. Being new I didn't know which way to go. Stumbled on Bean's thread and I guess you could say I drank the koolaid!! Sounded like a good system to me. I think it will be once I get it all dialed in. I sure hope so anyway, I've got a lot of time, money and effort invested in it!

coyote97

01/29/2010, 05:36 PM

reefer321

01/29/2010, 05:56 PM

The grounding probe is only like $15 if you get it online.... I put them in all of mine... Cheap insurance if you have some stray current...

woodwrangler

01/29/2010, 08:54 PM

First off, tap water is going to perform/act differently than salt water, so you may wait to perform your final adjustments until there is salt water in the tank.

What's up with the 2 durso's, do they drain to different areas, or are they connected before the sump? Seems like too much for a 70. If they connect before the sump, maybe try completely closing one and using the other (with blue air valve) to dial in the drain line. The bean animal will act as your emergency overflow.

In my experience, you want to get the durso drain lines out of the sump water. If it were me, I'd extend the drain pipe running at a 45 degree angle to about the sump water line, then put a 45 degree elbow on there so it runs parallel with the sump water level, half submerged. It's also a good idea to change from 1" pipe to larger pipe at the 45 degree elbow and beyond, as this will give the rushing water an opportunity to slow down and release a little extra air as it drains to help diminish turbulence in the sump areas.

camlov2

01/29/2010, 09:12 PM

rihanssu

01/29/2010, 09:13 PM

is there enough room in the stand to get the skimmer out to be cleaned?

Adam76

01/29/2010, 09:22 PM

Looks great so far waiting for more pics.

woodwrangler

01/29/2010, 09:27 PM

Still trying to wrap my head around some of this plumbing and pictures.

I think I'd ditch the direct drain from main tank to fuge, and instead supply the fuge from the return pump. That being said, I'd extend that return/fuge line as far to the left as possible before dumping in to the refugium. In regards to the bulkhead/drain line running from the fuge to the sump area, I think I'd remove the downward 90 elbow and simply try to keep the water level at the middle of the bulkhead opening to act as a direct drain line. And again, when that water gets to the skimmer compartment re-do the piping so the water drains/runs parallel to the water line instead of straight down.

justins13

01/29/2010, 09:33 PM

The grounding probes are a good idea in case or stray current:eek2:

coyote97

01/30/2010, 05:51 PM

If there was a build of the month thread I would pick this one. With that being said I don't know which month it would be :lmao:. The work you have put in is amazing. The final product should be spectacular.

I agree with woodwrangler, the saltwater should act different. And once it has been running a while you will get algae/other that will coat many of the surfaces that will change how it acts even more.

Thank you camlov2 - I really appreciate that comment. I agree, I have put many months into this build!

is there enough room in the stand to get the skimmer out to be cleaned?

Yes, there's plenty of room to get it out of there. Already took it out and put it back in a couple of times.

Still trying to wrap my head around some of this plumbing and pictures.

I think I'd ditch the direct drain from main tank to fuge, and instead supply the fuge from the return pump. That being said, I'd extend that return/fuge line as far to the left as possible before dumping in to the refugium. In regards to the bulkhead/drain line running from the fuge to the sump area, I think I'd remove the downward 90 elbow and simply try to keep the water level at the middle of the bulkhead opening to act as a direct drain line. And again, when that water gets to the skimmer compartment re-do the piping so the water drains/runs parallel to the water line instead of straight down.

I am feeding the fuge with the return pump. The drain that goes in there is just the emergency drain. Water doesn't drain down there unless there's too much water in the overflow.

coyote97

01/30/2010, 05:59 PM

Re-plumbed the drains today. Rasied them up a little higher in the overflow. This seemed to help out a lot. Still hear water trickling, but maybe it will quiet down when the pipes skim up like others have mentioned. http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1445.jpg

Still having problems with the dang threaded bulkheads. Tried using more teflon tape, but they still have slow leaks. The 1 1-/2 bulkheads are fine, just the two 1" bulkheads that still leak. I'm thinking about trying Loctite PST or clear silicone. Anyone have a take on that?
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1449-1.jpg

Other than that, I think I'm about ready to drain the tap water and start adding RO/DI!

coyote97

01/31/2010, 10:36 AM

Fixed the leaky bulkheads! Pipe joint compound with PTFE did the trick. Now if I could just get this thing quieter I'd be all set. The gurgling and splashing is not acceptable!

Rocketboy52

02/01/2010, 09:57 AM

You know I had the same problem with bean animals design when I first set it up with the 1" plumping and didn't use street elbow tee's (I used regular tee's. I figured it was only a 75 why did it need such big tubing? but that is the whole premise behind his design (to allow air to flow through the piping), I changed the plumping to 1.5" and used the street elbows and I never had a problem with it.

I've hade the Bean style overflows up for about 6 months, and even made a Youtube video showing my demo flow. My system is running smooth, and quiet and the only time I get gurgle is when the 2nd return, the vented one, starts partially sucking water. When that happens, I simply increase the throttle on the main return, to bring the water just slightly below the vent tube. Since everything was set, I've never once had to tune the return. I've changed my sump manifold 3 times, and I had to re-tune it each time I did that, but I turn the return pump off daily for feeding, and skimmer cleaning and never touch the valves.
Here is my you tube video of the returns running during the test flow. If you notice, the only noise is from the 2nd valve that isn't submersed, when I put it under the water in the video you can see it goes completely silent.
FWIW, I'm using .75" diameter PVC, necked down to .75" black tube (~which is alot smaller then .75" ID), with standard non-street "T"s and am running ~500-600gph quietly. Good luck figureing it out, I love my Bean style overflow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufq3VnRCXK8

coyote97

02/01/2010, 11:29 AM

So, I think I may have found the "sweet spot" to get the overflow to run silent. It requires no water to be going into the siphon. Doesn't seem right but that's how I got it quiet.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1452.jpg
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1454.jpg

The next thing I did was to start making RO/DI water. Unfortunately, I never got throught the initialization stage of using the new Spectrapure MaxCap. I could get the input reading to 0 but the output never went below 6. Switched the meters and got the same reading. I think the silica buster cartridge might be bad. If I can fix this, I'm going to start filling with RO/DI tonight!!

Rocketboy52

02/01/2010, 01:12 PM

So, I think I may have found the "sweet spot" to get the overflow to run silent. It requires no water to be going into the siphon. Doesn't seem right but that's how I got it quiet.

By removing the 2nd drain from the system, you miss the benefit of having the drains be self leveling. Differences I see between your setup and mine, your 2nd drain is higher then the first, not sure why that is, as the 2nd drain is the "autothrottle" for the siphoned drain. 2nd, not sure why you have a valve on the vent line, typically with the bean setup, you valve the drain water, but not the vent, and then you adjust the "throttle" of the water on the 1st and 2nd drain until they are balanced. If you throttle the vent line, it will act like an orifice, as the pressure/suction goes up, the noiser the vent will get with a smaller flow area (your partically closed valve in the pic). Just some suggestions, I'm not sure what the solution is, but I think you can still get it to work as intended. How much flow are you guessing is going through your drains?

Rocketboy52

02/01/2010, 01:13 PM

It requires no water to be going into the siphon.
Also, The first drain that is currently running is the siphon, the 2nd drain is the vented siphon, that will siphon if the water gets up to the vent tube opening.

coyote97

02/02/2010, 05:25 PM

Thanks to Scott at Spectrapure, I have 0 TDS water flowing to the tank! The MaxCap is woking perfectly.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1552.jpg
RO/DI water is GUSHING into my tank at a whopping 2 gallons per hour!
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1525.jpg
At this rate it shall be filled in two days!
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1534.jpg
Now I need to find some live rock........

gweston

02/03/2010, 05:06 PM

Great thread and tank set up! I am going to follow along!

I was looking to set up a 125gal long build -very very- similar to yours, I was just scouring around the sites to find someone else who 'already did it'.

The difference I am 'considering'. Is rather than make a slot for the external overflow, I'd cut out the main tank framing from that section completely, and just cut the glass down to the desired level. The overflow will then pour into the external box.

An alternative was to build a mini internal overflow (coast to coast type), something like 1" width, but tank length. Drill 3x 1" holes spaced along the middle about 4" down. Then have those go into the overflow box section.

A few ideas I still need to chug on. I may be overthinking this too. It is often better for me to just follow the simplest route (the keep it simple stupid method). It keeps the cost and labor down for sure!

Keep up the great work!

jesserettele

02/03/2010, 07:35 PM

What type of rotozip bit did you get to cut this? You used an electric dremel, not a rotozip?

OK, so I used the guinea pig tank to test the rotozip bit to see how it would cut glass. After having no problem cutting through the .182" thick glass, I decided to move up to the 3/8" thick glass of my 70 gallon. I started by using a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to cut away the trim to reveal the glass.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0597_sm.jpg

The rotozip bit worked really well. My Dremel had variable speed up to 30,000 RPMs. I ran it at full speed. The slot that I cut is 17" long and just over 1" tall. If I were to do this again, I would make sure I had a back-up bit. The 36 linear inches was a lot to expect one bit to handle. Overall it was pretty painless cutting the slot. Once I got over the initial fear of the tank shattering because it was tempered. But it turned out it wasn't and now I have a nice slot for an EXTERNAL overflow!! If I could give advice to anyone attempting it, GO SLOW. Take your time and it will work out fine!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/223288100_0599_sm.jpg

I also had my plastic supplier cut some acrylic to build my own sump and refugium. Brought the pieces home, but forgot to buy the Weld-On when I picked them up. It was impossible to find over the weekend, so the sump couldn't be assembled this weekend as planned. That will be up next.

This week I plan to purchase manifolds, plumbing, and a return pump. I'm going to submerse the pump. Anyone have any recommendations for a return pump. Eheim 1262? Something else? Thanks for looking and I look forward to hearing your comments.

Dennis

coyote97

02/03/2010, 10:05 PM

What type of rotozip bit did you get to cut this? You used an electric dremel, not a rotozip?
Yup, used a Dremel with a diamond Rotozip bit. Here's a picture I took when I cut the slot. My Dremel did the job, but it was really taxing on it. If I were to do it again, I'd rather have an actual Rotozip.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0589.jpg

jesserettele

02/09/2010, 08:05 PM

Yup, used a Dremel with a diamond Rotozip bit. Here's a picture I took when I cut the slot. My Dremel did the job, but it was really taxing on it. If I were to do it again, I'd rather have an actual Rotozip.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_0589.jpg

I went to HD and the rotozip bit shank is 5/16" for rotozip but the dremel is smaller, like 1/8" and wouldn't work. Is this what you found and what did you do to make the rotozip bit work in the dremel? However I think I am going to borrow a friends rotozip. Did you run water washing the area the entire time?

coyote97

02/09/2010, 08:11 PM

jesse, the bit that I used and is pictured here was a 1/8" diameter. Fit the Dremel fine. I did the cutting on my back patio and ran the hose on it. Make sure the Dremel or Rotozip is plugged into a GFCI outlet.

coyote97

02/09/2010, 10:46 PM

Finally!! It's officially a saltwater tank! After meeting a local reefer and getting some tips from him I came home and yes, drained the tank! First thing I did was use silicone to seal the background to keep water from getting between it and the glass. Then I put egg crate on the bottom of the tank to protect the bottom glass from falling rock. Next came the sand. I used Caribsea Aragamax sugar sized "oolite". Between the display tank and the fuge I used about 105 lbs. I may still add more to the display tank. I then put in the live rock. I got a little over 40 lbs of mixed live rock from a FRAG member. The only type I remember was fiji. There's other types in there - maybe someone can identify from the pics. I added a nice 10 lb. piece of Tonga Branch Rock that I picked up at Aquarium Arts. http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1557.jpgI added a little more sand around the live rock and then started adding the saltwater. The mix that I used was Oceanic brand. I used a Tupperware bowl when adding the water but it was no use, the sandstorm was on! http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1566.jpg Because I didn't have a filter sock on the end of my drain pipe, it was taking forever to clear the storm. I decided to use a canister filter that I had kicking around and hooked up the old Magnum 330 with just a filter pad and let it run for two days. It definitely helped. Here are two pics taken tonight. http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1568.jpg http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1572.jpg Did my first water tests tonight:
SG = 1.023
pH = 7.8-8.0
NO2 = <0.3 mg/1
NO3 = 12.5 mg/1
Temp. = 76* F
So, how we looking folks?

Rocketboy52

02/10/2010, 10:52 AM

Looking sweet! I like your aquascaping!

coyote97

02/10/2010, 03:58 PM

Thanks Rocket. The aquascaping is temporary though. I'm still looking for some more live rock to add.

Rocketboy52

02/11/2010, 02:00 PM

Thanks Rocket. The aquascaping is temporary though. I'm still looking for some more live rock to add.

Make sure you remember how full your tank can get in 2-3 years if you experience good coral growth. My local reffing buddy filled half of his 300 gallon tank with live rock to make it look full when it was young, and the aquascaping looked really cool. Now that his tank is just over 5 years old, it growing to the glass and the high water line, and none of his previous aquascape is visible.

I've been following this thread, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1674294

and its amazing to see how full tanks can get, and after looking at the progressive pictures, I decided to remove 60 lbs of rock to my recent tank setup.

did you get the overflow worked out?

gweston

02/11/2010, 02:13 PM

Make sure you remember how full your tank can get in 2-3 years if you experience good coral growth. My local reffing buddy filled half of his 300 gallon tank with live rock to make it look full when it was young, and the aquascaping looked really cool. Now that his tank is just over 5 years old, it growing to the glass and the high water line, and none of his previous aquascape is visible.

I've been following this thread, http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1674294

and its amazing to see how full tanks can get, and after looking at the progressive pictures, I decided to remove 60 lbs of rock to my recent tank setup.

did you get the overflow worked out?

I've been thinking the same with a new 125 6' long build I am working on. I want rockscape, but I also want plenty of room for corals AND somewhere for the fish to freely swim. It is also important to provide space for flow.

I have about 120lbs of rock for the display. Earlier I was thinking to toss in another 25lb or so. Decided I should instead skip the addition of more rock to the display.

The alternative is to supplement with more liverock in the sump/fuge. Less display clutter but with the benefits. My sump/fuge is about 55 gal, so I'll have some room to work with thankfully. Already thinking to add another ~30gal fuge in addition to the sump's existing fuge section.

So many darn options in this hobby, so few dollars to throw at it :hmm3:

weedage66

02/13/2010, 08:39 PM

Hey Dennis. Let me know how your new "Nemo" does. :)

Regards,
Eric

hucklebucker

02/13/2010, 09:51 PM

Tanks looking good....

coyote97

02/14/2010, 09:45 PM

So I went to the Arizona FRAG meeting yesterday with the intention of networking only. Didn't plan to bring anything home. The first people I met were Eric, Carlos and Jay. Nice bunch of guys! We talked briefly about each other's tanks and Eric mentioned that he had a couple of 5 gallon buckets with live rock that had been on his kitchen counter for a couple of months. The buckets were heated and circulated. Eric offered to give me the live rock - one small caveat - it had a small amount of aiptasia. I was hesitant to take the rock, but then he mentioned that he had a Percula Clown that was in one of the buckets that needed a new home. Since my kids wanted to get a clownfish, I offered to adopt it. Since he went into the tank on Valentines Day, my children decided to name it Valentine! Its in the tank now and we've fed it twice. Looks like its doing really well. I guess I'd be looking better if I had just upgraded from a 5 gallon bucket to a 70 gallon tank!! So here are a couple of pictures of it. The jury is still out on the aiptasia infected live rock. I posted a question asking what others would do and got lots of responses. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1796138
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1666.jpg
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1667.jpg
Thank you Eric for your generosity!

weedage66

02/15/2010, 11:33 PM

No prob! He looks great! Glad he found a good home.

Regards

reefermad619

02/17/2010, 09:17 PM

coyote97

02/22/2010, 10:30 PM

Im curious about the power supply for the fans. Do you have all 4 fans wired to one power supply? If so, can you show pics of how this is done without splicing/cutting wires? Thanks. I saw your post in another thread about wiring up fans. Your post said you had them wired up with no splicing/cutting.

Reefermad -if you look at the picture with the fan and the A-K (poker cards) the nomex connector is in the upper left corner. The nomex connector has a male and female side to it so you can plug multiple fans together. If you buy the adapter at this link http://www.coolerguys.com/840556029977.html you can plug the end right into the nomex connector on the fan. Look at the middle picture on the website, it shows the connector for the adapter that fits the fans. Just plug the fans together and plug the adapter in and that's it!

coyote97

02/22/2010, 10:37 PM

So the tank has been cycling for 16 days now. Algae is really starting to take hold. Water parameters: Temp: 78*, SG 1.023, NH3/NH4 0-.1, NO3 12.5mg/1, pH 7.7, NO2 <.3mg/1
Are we ready to call in the clean-up crew yet?
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1828.jpg
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1831.jpg
Is that aiptaisia on top left of the rock in the picture below?
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1830.jpg

Saltwat3rAddict

02/22/2010, 11:52 PM

hmmm idk by that pic. kinda hard to tell. i witnessed an aip in my tank today and at that instant i got sick to my stomach hoping hes a lone soldier. hes all dead and gone now though ; ) get us a close up zeroed on on that "aip". as for cleanup, right now youre hurting bad in the algae world. im no professional but ide say youre ready. correct me if im wrong people, but i was told after 2 weeks a few snails and hermits should be added. i did so and my tank was clean enough to drink out of(not really).

BennyFrank

02/23/2010, 07:16 AM

Hey I've been following along for awhile... great build! I'd say that is for sure aptasia. I wouldn't get too freaked out about it, now is the perfect time to start knocking them out. I've used joe's juice and kalk paste in the past and they both worked well, may take a few applications though. Peppermint shrimp have been hit and miss for me but I like having them in the tank even if they don't go after the aptasia. Good luck.

coyote97

02/24/2010, 11:00 PM

Saltwat3rAddict, first two pics are for you. I'm afraid this is aptasia, but what else is in this first picture?
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1850.jpg
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1851.jpg
Algae is getting out of control, so I went and picked up a small janitor crew. I added 6 small blue legged hermits like this one.
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1860.jpg
And 5 trochus snails. I was told they were red banded trochus, but some look silver not red!
http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af286/coyote97/100_1836.jpg
These guys have a huge job in front of them. I hope they're hungry!

coyote97

02/25/2010, 11:38 AM

Anyone come up with anything? I'm trying to identify what's in the picture I posted at 10:00PM 2/24/10.

Siviak

02/26/2010, 05:43 PM

it is indeed aptasia, as well as what looks to be either some type of sponge or possibly even some hitchhiker-type zoa's.

I've purchased LR a few times and ended up with random zoa's that pop up after a few weeks.

Moonstream

02/26/2010, 08:00 PM

those look like bleached, stressed red zoas around that aptasia. if you get rid of that aptasia and keep the water params in check, then they should come back pretty quickly.

I'd get a pair or trio of peppermint shrimp, when I had some apps in my old 29g, a pepp did the job in a day or two.

nasek718

03/05/2010, 03:57 PM

Looks like you have some zoas that hitch on with the rock.

Rocketboy52

03/18/2010, 01:00 AM

Anyone come up with anything? I'm trying to identify what's in the picture I posted at 10:00PM 2/24/10.

Coyote,
Definately aptasia, I've had real good luck with making a small 12oz batch of super saturated Kalkwasser (25% Kalc, 75% water) and using a small syringe to apply the kalk mix to the aiptasia. At first I was trying to "stab" them with a needle, but I found that even if you load up their open dished face with the mix, they will retract on it and shrivel up in 20 minutes. The next day or two they are no where to be found. I usually turn the pumps off, and let the solution sit on the aip for 20 minutes or so, then I usually clean my tank turn on the circulation pumps for a couple of hours and then do my monthly water change.

Your clean up crew doing the trick? Be careful to not get to discouraged while you are still cycleing with amonia an nitrites. Once both those are 0, your clean up crew will be able to keep up much better. :lol2: