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View Full Version : just another build thread: 30x30x24 corner tank


herocero
02/01/2014, 11:01 AM
Well I think I have enough done on this little project to justify a thread, with a few things coming together in the next couple days to attract further activity. Let's get started!

I've kept a handful of tanks over the years, some of them even successfully. But when my GSP overran my beautiful mixed reef tank and the HOB ugliness was too much to bear, I tore everything down and put all the livestock out in the garage in a DIY makeshift 40br with an old 20g as a sump, hoping to keep everything together while a more permanent installation was decided upon.

Everything went smoothly for the most part. It suffered from some neglect (out of sight out of mind), but everything was alive and thriving. When we did a refi on the house the "fish room" in the garage was out of code and the new lender wanted it taken down. It was in the cards to dismantle the room but this pushed the schedule. I did not take this mini move as seriously as I should have, and in the transition to another temporary setup, I lost pretty much everything. What did survive went into my fish only setup and I added some egg crate to keep the pecking fish out of the coral area.

Now we're back in the game:
http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-QNsCx5N/0/L/IMG_1585-L.jpg

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-Jtbc4Dg/0/L/IMG_1797-L.jpg

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-scNndm8/0/L/IMG_1798-L.jpg

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-nZ3rMH7/0/L/CA_10121323502522-L.jpg

herocero
02/01/2014, 11:08 AM
Here is a top-down view of the tank. That's a 30x30 footprint with 4" bracing. The two viewable sides are starphire. What a difference low iron glass makes. The eurobracing is drilled in two corners for the 1" returns, and I have a neat omni-nozzle screwed into the bulkheads there. Two 1.5" drains are setup in a herbie overflow. First time using a gate valve instead of a ball valve, oh my I wish i tried one sooner. Worth every penny.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-87Dqv4x/0/M/tank%20top%20down%20drawing-M.jpg

This is a top-down view of the sump. It is a 24x24x20 custom sump. Water enters at the top left corner and comes over a lip before falling into the filter sock. Water then travels under the sock and into the large filter section in the lower right. Skimmer and feed pumps are kept here. Water travels through a set of baffles before heading into a return pump area. The lower left is a sealed ATO reservoir, fed directly from an RO/DI kept in the cabinet on the other side of the wall (see first picture in first post).

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-87LZQSG/0/O/tank-sump%20top%20down%20drawing.jpg

herocero
02/01/2014, 11:18 AM
Check out this water test! The most exciting freshwater I've ever seen!

So as you can see from the photo below, I'm not much of a DIY person. You'd laugh if you saw my previously mentioned "stand" and tank drill job. But it doesn't leak, so mission accomplished. That gate valve is beefy, but man do you have some awesome flow control. Absolutely necessary on a herbie overflow.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-PSFvvRk/0/L/IMG_1956-L.jpg

Here it is with the LEDs on. Equipment list is coming in the next post, but the rail kits are custom made by my LFS (some type of plastic composite) and work like a charm.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-chdR9Mx/0/L/IMG_1954-L.jpg

A decent shot of the omni-nozzles.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-WzD6FGS/0/L/IMG_1955-L.jpg

herocero
02/01/2014, 11:24 AM
Radion x30rw Pro LED (gen 2) - I took advantage of that sale late last year.
SWC 160 cone skimmer - hold over from a previous tank. Performed great, and can't beat the price. At heavy bio-load this will most likely underperform, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Eheim 1260 return pump - another hold over, and first to be replaced. It doesn't have a baseplate and vibrates like mad against the sump. It will be replaced soon with an Eheim Compact 5000+, which I use in the 40br FOWLR and it is awesome.
Vortech MP10w - I have an extra one lying in wait but most likely will be sold and upgraded to an MP40 (and eventually have a brother). The tank is .5" so I'm not sure if the magnets will work.
250w submersible heater
Apex controller - I've had good experiences with an AC3, I see no reason to change manufacturers. Will be added once some critters make their way to the tank.

And I have some TLF media reactor around for carbon and GFO.

herocero
02/01/2014, 11:29 AM
And then nothing happened for a long time. This was all setup just before Thanksgiving and then the december holidays and work and I couldn't find the time to do much. Last week my BRS rock came into town. My wife and I wanted an arch and this is draft one, as viewed from the one viewable corner.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-94RVvxG/0/L/IMG_2060-L.jpg

This is the top view, with the viewable corner at about 4:30 and the diagonal overflow at the northwest corner.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-SFgJwFt/0/L/IMG_2061-L.jpg

I think I will add some low level live rock provide more of a slant towards the viewable glass and that's a winner. With any luck I will be drilling this rock over super bowl weekend and then put it together and glued in the tank! Wish me luck and hopefully I will stay on target.

UMass14
02/01/2014, 12:33 PM
Rock work looking nice. Keep up the good work!

bbecher
02/01/2014, 02:20 PM
Looking good, I love the circular rockwork.

herocero
02/01/2014, 09:57 PM
Thanks for the encouragement. I need a little more low level rock, maybe make a "U" from a top down view.

herocero
02/23/2014, 03:12 PM
266783

Just a quickie. Water, sand, rock, plumbing, all done. More to come, big day though.

herocero
02/23/2014, 10:48 PM
266877

266878

The other viewable side.
266879

BigCountry74
02/24/2014, 02:16 PM
Looks good!

herocero
03/05/2014, 12:43 PM
The cycle is on, the diatoms are growing, so I figured I would take some non-iphone shots. Instead of unloading the dishwasher . . .

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-9mf3L5d/0/M/IMG_4951-M.jpg

This is the "main" viewable side, at least the side you see first when entering the room from the front door. It is a little tough to get a sense of depth here, but straight on it looks like a flat "O," but viewed from the top the rock looks like a lowercase N. There is quite a bit of coral-mounting space to work with, of various light intensities.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-Bwb8vvm/0/M/IMG_4952-M.jpg

An angled shot if you will from the corner.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-X4CXLgS/0/M/IMG_4954-M.jpg

And finally, the second viewable side. Very different look, which I'm happy with. I think it will be neat to have two 30" viewable sides that offer a different look.

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-gzqt5nJ/0/M/IMG_4956-M.jpg

Thanks for stopping by! Probably another week or two before anything substantial happens, but I'll update as the pace quickens. If you feel like viewing the gallery, http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Corner-Tank-Build/i-JW7Vwj6

pscott99
03/05/2014, 01:11 PM
Like your arch. Nice rock too. Tank looks great. Can you provide a behind shot of the drain and return plumbing. tks. Following.

Carlosroach
08/31/2014, 12:22 AM
That's an awesome looking tank and stand!

herocero
08/31/2014, 12:40 AM
Thanks for the post! It's been such a crazy couple of months I forgot about the threads I had going. I'm in San Diego for the long weekend but when I return to LA I'll give an update. It's part triumph and part sadness, a tang that likes to eat trachys, a dead skimmer brought back to life with a not perfect but good enough new pump impeller (which killed some always easy to procure digitata SPS during the downtime) and some peppermint shrimp aphasia eating saviors. More to come including a hopeful Labor Day bonded clown purchase.

kw22
08/31/2014, 02:50 AM
Great looking tank :)

anarchy02
08/31/2014, 04:24 AM
Tank is looking good

RynoParsons
08/31/2014, 04:49 AM
Neat tank love it

herocero
05/14/2015, 06:28 PM
Man I can't believe it's almost been a year since I've posted anything! Unfortunately I've been too busy and only added a yellow tang and some zoos. But I'm getting back in the game but I must eliminate this damn algae! Any help would be appreciated, it's unlike anything I've encountered before!

Some updates first, equipment wise I've added:
-Apex controller
-Vertex Omega 180 cone
-Replaced the MP40 with two tunze 6095 pumps

Now the problem, this weird long brown algae. It's like a cross between thick hair and bubble algae. I did use a fair amount of dry rock from BRS for this build and a few pieces of live rock, which is really the only thing I've done differently this time around. Rock was cured, I didn't really have much of a cycle. Thinking about turning my lights off for a day or two. I run carbon. The algae can be blown off pretty well with a turkey baster but will always come back. Any help would be appreciated!

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Reef-Tank/Corner-Tank-Build/i-TtKtd7z/0/L/IMG_8995-L.jpg

http://mynyrd.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Reef-Tank/Corner-Tank-Build/i-c35s5Hb/0/L/IMG_8997-L.jpg

SnowManSnow
05/14/2015, 07:26 PM
Maybe that tang will get hungry

herocero
05/14/2015, 07:38 PM
Maybe that tang will get hungry


Tang won't touch it.

herocero
05/15/2015, 10:25 AM
Phosphates, 0. Nitrates, 0. Seen another thread with the same algae using Marco rock (got mine from BRS). Looks like a weekend sans lights and I'll go back to using GFO for a bit. I don't do water changes more than once a month.

herocero
06/01/2015, 06:12 PM
Just setup a new Nextreef MR1 with BRS high capacity GFO and did a north of 10% water change. We'll see if that helps. I had a plumbing piece break on a TLF reactor i was using for carbon so I might set that up next week if need be. Fingers crossed! Until then I'm looking for a nice false perc bonded pair, captive bred, anyone know where I can grab a pair?