Chronicle of my 180g Aquarium

[Psyire]

Hello

This thread will be a story of sorts about my new 180g Aquarium. It all started early last year when my father-in-law setup a 33g reef tank. At first I just thought it was cool and checked it out when I was over there. I never was very interested in fish, as freshwater fish seemed kinda boring to me. (they still do mostly) It was the corals and that 33g tank teaming with life that caught my attention. I couldn't believe how neat and amazing everything was. Come the summer I knew I had to set up my own reef to enjoy.

This is when I started searching the Internet for information and inevitably stumbled onto this board. The wealth of information here simply amazed me and I was sucked right in. I spent the better part of August to November doing a pile of research. I wanted to do as much right as possible the first time around.

I scoped out a space in my house for my new tank and figured I would go as big as I could for that area. There were some better spots but I knew my wife wasn't going to go for it. So I settled on a tank with the dimensions 66"x24"x26". Originally I wanted to go higher but shortened it so I could safely use 1/2" glass and get away with 250w MH's.

My next step was to scope out places to get it built. I live in a remote area of Alberta, Canada so I figured this might be tough. Upon looking around though I found a few custom tank dealers in Canada. I won't go into why I chose who I did but I ended up going with Will from Aquarium Obsessed in Barrie, Ontario. I ofcourse had a million questions regarding nearly everything about the tank I wanted built. Will was great, and a ton of emails later I had placed my order. This was early November. Will kept me updated as the build process on my tank proceeded. Dealing with him through the whole thing was great and I'd recommend him to anybody looking for a custom tank.

A couple of days after I placed my order with Will, I decided to order my stand. I wanted to go with a metal stand because I know I won't live where i'm at forever and I figured moving a metal stand would be easier. I knew that Bow Valley Aquariums made stands in Calgary, and shipping it from Calgary was going to be a lot cheaper than across Canada. So I called Mitch up and ordered my stand. A few weeks later it arrived.

Next step was to order my sump. I did some talking to a few custom sump makers and ended up going with Barr Aquatic Systems. Being from Spokane, shipping was the most reasonable and I heard nothing but good things about Brent.

I knew it was going to be quite a wait now for anything else to happen. I did more research on what kind of support equipment I was going to get and I'll get into that later. It's January now and I recieved my tank a few weeks ago pretty much on time. (A few delays but nothing unreasonable due to the holiday season) I was very worried about it arriving safely as it had to travel across Canada in the back of a freight truck in freezing cold weather. (It hit -40*F here the day before it arrived) But it made it in once piece and I am still happy!

Moving it was heavy but not too bad. It took everything 4 guys could throw at it, but we did it. It now sits nicely on the stand.

[Psyire]

Tanks Specifications:

-66x24x26 (lxwxh) 180 gallons, give or take.
-PPG Starphire Glass on Front and Sides
-1/2" Glass with 3/4" Bottom Glass
-Euro-Bracing (Perimeter) which is also PPG Starphire
-All Edges Ground & Polished
-4 Holes drilled in bottom (1.5" piping for drains, 3/4" piping for returns)
-Hole Sizes: Schedule 80: 2x 2.625" (drains) 2x 1.625" (returns)
-Interior Grey PVC piping included
-2 Durso Drains Included
-All 8 Bulkheads Included
-Custom tinted glass overflow with 4 drilled return line holes
-Black Silicone on Overflow seams and Clear on the rest

Pictures
----------

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank9s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank10s.jpg

[Psyire]

Back in November I setup my RO/DI unit as I knew this was going to be crucial for the success of my Aquarium.

Here are the full details setup:

Unit before installation:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DIs.jpg

Mounted on wall doing initial flushing:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DI2s.jpg

Top Plumbing:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DI8s.jpg

Plumbing to Tank:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DI4s.jpg

Bottom Plumbing:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DI5s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DI6s.jpg

Explaination of plumbing:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DI5explain.jpg

Faucet Installation:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DI7s.jpg

Waste H2O into sink: (other side of wall)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/RO-DI9s.jpg

And that's pretty much it. Basically I've set it up so that I use only the DI part for my Aquarium water. The Storage tank is used to store water that we use for filling up the dog's dish, mini freshwater aquarium, and any other water around the house. I use the 'bottle fill valve' to fill up the 5 gallon water cooler jugs that was use for 99% of our drinking water. I also routed the waste water in such a way that it can either be used to fill up the Washing machine, or just go down the sink drain.

Note: I have an inline TDS meter installed and you can see it in pic #3 above. You can see the feed water probe in pic #6. The final water probe is tough to see as it is installed to the right and sort of behind the RO unit, you can kind of see it in pic #3.

I've been using this unit for a couple months and it works great. I have no complaints at all. Without using the DI my TDS (total dissolved solids) reading is at around 4-5, with the DI it is 0. Perfect.

The only thing I have yet to figure out is how to route my line in order to use it as an auto-top off. It's quite far away from my tank but I really don't want to be packing all that water to my Aquarium everyday...

[Psyire]

Another thing I had to figure out was power since there were no outlets in the wall where I wanted to tank. The only close outlet was under heavy attack by my computer. The upstairs of my house (where the tank is) has 2x 15amp 120v circuits. I don't have a whole pile of electricity use upstairs so I decided to tap into both circuits and run 2 lines down the wall and install 2 GFCI outlets for my tank. This way I can share the load of the tank across both 15amp breakers. It's not overkill, but it should be plenty.

Here are some pics of my outlets. (I did the wiring just before Christmas)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Outlet1.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Outlet2.jpg

*Note* The camera angle makes the outlets look crooked, which they aren't.

[Psyire]

My Sump Design.

Back in November I spent a few hours in photoshop designing my sump. I looked at as many sumps on the 'net as I could find and I came up with this:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/sumpfinal.jpg

Brent with Barr Aquatic is going to build it for me, he should be starting on it soon. It sounds like he is swamped with work so I'm trying to be patient. :rollface:

*Note* Thanks to Melev (Marc) & Brent for some helpful suggestions

[A Reef Scene]

Looks great so far.

[twinreef]

looks like you are doing a great job. very nice and well planed out. question how tall is the stand? and do you feel it's going to hold up? i ask becaues i'm planning on making a steel stand also. i want a taller stand then i have now(aga stand).

[Psyire]

Stand Specifications:

I layed thin carpet down on my hardwood so the plywood would lay on this. Then I went with painted 3/4" plywood in which the stand sits on. On top of the stand I have another sheet of painted 3/4" plywood and on that I have 1/2" foam. The tank sits on this foam. The stand is made from 1.5" tube steel and is 40" high. Combined with the foam, plywood & carpet. The bottom of the tank is a hair under 43" off the hardwood.

I have no doubts at all that the stand will hold the weight. I went with such a high tank because of where it is located. Most of the viewing will take place standing up, I have no couches or anything up in this room. Just my computer desk and chair, and I can see it fine from the chair. If it was in a living room or something I probably would have dropped the height 4-6" any lower and I find you are always crouching to look at the tank. I also like the height because it gives me more room for equipment under the tank, as all my equipment must fit under here.

More Stand pics:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Stand1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Stand2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Stand3s.jpg

Before holes in top:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Stand4s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Stand5s.jpg

Holes cut out:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Stand6s.jpg

Hole Dimensions are: 3.5" & 5" These are big to account for the large Schedule 80 bulkheads I'm using.

I will also be covering the stand with wood, this will make it look quite a bit nicer.

[hdtvguy]

Originally posted by twinreef
looks like you are doing a great job. very nice and well planed out. question how tall is the stand? and do you feel it's going to hold up? i ask becaues i'm planning on making a steel stand also. i want a taller stand then i have now(aga stand).


It will hold the weight no problem! Ever see the stands made by All Glass. They are made very skimpy.


Setup looks good so far.

[Kevin McG]

Great start, I look forward to the progress.

Hey nice Boston Bruins stuff!!! I am a devoted fan from NH

[sfsuphysics]

Very nice, btw from your plumbing one you have both hot and cold going into your RO/DI unit, isn't that a no-no?

[Psyire]

Kev, Thanks I'm a huge bruins fan and can't wait until the NHL starts up again.

sfsu, I do have the Hot/Cold plumbed in but I'm very careful on my temps. For normal water use I just run the cold but for when I go to fill this bad boy I'm going to run warm water so I don't have so much waste. I thought someone would mention this.

[acanthurus4lyfe]

on your sump design the actual sump/reservore is very small and looks like it wont be able to hold that much water so ull have to fill it up a lot. especially scince you added the 4 plates that help take the settlable solids out. you should have that just infront of the skimmer before it goes into the sump section. or i just interpretted it wrong. idk.

[Psyire]

I knew it was fairly small, but now you've got me thinking. Maybe if I moved one of the 'under' baffles over to the skimmer section and only put three in the return section. The 'hole' would act as an 'over' baffle. Doing this would give me a bit more room. As it is, I would have 12 gallons on the return side of the sump, assuming a 12" water height. This would probably be realistically 7 or 8 that will be effected by evaporation. I would definately have to setup some sort of reservior or topoff system or else fill it by hand at the minimum every other day. It's tough to put a larger sump underneth the stand as I'm already taking up 36" of 66" with just the sump. Only leaving me 30" for pumps and electrical work. Anyone else think I should make it bigger or change it?

[Psyire]

Will sent me some pics of my tank in various stages of the build process. Very cool. Here they are for your viewing pleasure :)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank3s.jpg


The following are pics of the tank the day it arrived.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank4s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank5s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank6s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank7s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tank8s.jpg

[acanthurus4lyfe]

that is and amazing tank

y dont you do the sump but have the skimmer outside and you could also make the refugium bigger and also make the sump larger. also if your stands high enough make your sump taller so it can hold more water

you could also hook your ro unit on a float valve to have an atomatic top off and then it wouldnt really matter how large the sump is.

[AJP]

Looks very nice, and also like you have put a lot of thought into the tank. Can't wait to see it up and running, should be very nice. Good luck and keep up the good work.

[Psyire]

Originally posted by acanthurus4lyfe
that is and amazing tank

y dont you do the sump but have the skimmer outside and you could also make the refugium bigger and also make the sump larger. also if your stands high enough make your sump taller so it can hold more water

you could also hook your ro unit on a float valve to have an atomatic top off and then it wouldnt really matter how large the sump is.

Yeah, I'm definately going to have to add a reservior or figure out how to get an RO water line right to the tank. It's going to be to hard to do it any other way. I have some ideas, we'll see what happens.

[Psyire]

Originally posted by adamjonpeterson
Looks very nice, and also like you have put a lot of thought into the tank. Can't wait to see it up and running, should be very nice. Good luck and keep up the good work.

Thanks! :)

[Muligan]

I live in Barrie does Will have a web site?

[Psyire]

www.aquariumobsessed.com

[Cheesy_Puffs]

Psyire,

What connections did you use to connect your RODI tubing to the washing machine water inputs. I'm interested in connecting our unit the same way. As it is now we have our RODI unit set up in the garage which is normally fine for spring summer and fall, but in winter time it gets very cold in there (ice) :eek2:

Thanks

[Psyire]

Hey Cheesy_Puffs, I used to 'Y' adapters that you should be able to find at any hardware store and then 2 of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20756&item=4348585287&tc=photo

They work great! Hope this helps.

[Cheesy_Puffs]

Thanks for the link :D

Can't wait to see more of your project. :D

[Psyire]

Well I ordered my Base Rock today! I decided to go with Reefer Rocks for this stuff because all the pictures I have seen of his rock are awesome. I would have liked to setup this tank using 100% live rock but the economics of such a thing wasn't very smart. I live in Northern Alberta, Canada so you can imagine how close the nearest Ocean is.. and if you can't, well.. it's just far away. I have seen pictures of quite a few tanks that started out with just Base rock and I think they work out great. However I do plan to buy 30-50 lbs of LR to 'seed' the tank with. Anyhow, here are some pics that ReeferRocks sent me of my order:

Complete Order:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Baserock1.jpg

Closeups:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Baserock2.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Baserock3.jpg

I also made up a list of pvc fittings and valves that I'll be needing and called to place an order for those. I wanted an 'all grey look' for my piping so I went with everything in Schedule 80. This came out to around $200 CDN. :eek2:

I will be picking up these parts and the 80 lbs. of Black Tahiti Moon Sand that I'll be using for substrate on Feb. 5th. Then I'll actually get some water in this baby!

[Psyire]

I did some more spending on the weekend, things are coming together!

I bought 100lbs of Black Tahiti Moon sand for substrate:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Sand1s.jpg

I picked up my salt:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Kentsalts.jpg

A wack of PVC valves, fittings & pipe. (ended up being quite a bit more than the projected $200CDN, ohwell)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Plumbing1s.jpg

15 lbs of some Baserock:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/15lbsBaseRocks.jpg

And on friday me and a bud installed my new ceiling fan. I'm hoping this helps with the humidity and general air movement around the house.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Fan1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Fan2s.jpg


That's it for now, I'm going to start the plumbing tomorrow night, I hope to have water in the tank by the end of the week! The biggest holdup is going to be the Sump, hopefully I'll have that by months end.

[Zephrant]

Glad to see you got the good valves- I hate to see people use cheapo white valves. The dual union ones turn easier, and are replaceable when they get calcified up.

Zeph

[29reef]

if this is going to be a "reef tank" then you DO NOT want to use that sand. Because it is not an arag. based sand. it will work for FOWLR, but i will warn you that a year from now you will hate all the white spots and it will end up being a distraction.

[Fursphere]

Please please please

DO NOT get into the "argonite based sand" myth.

The "buffering" capabiliters of arg. based sand are extremely minimal, if anything.

[sfsuphysics]

White spots from the sand? or On the sand?

And I agree with Fursphere, I ran my 135 reef tank with quikrete sand, it was browner than than nice white sand, but it was a buttload cheaper, I did end up getting argonite sand when I moved my tank (LFS owner got me a really good deal, still more expensive than quikrete but really cheap cost). I really like the look of the black stuff though, but don't know if I'd want to use it on a large sized tank, who knows though :)

[UnderwaterExotic]

So far so good!

[Psyire]

Today I recieved my Gen-X PCX55, and a Mag 3.5 (for general utility use) I also recieved 100lbs of my 150lbs Base Rock order.

I've done quite a bit of research about what substrate to use or what not to use. I think this stuff is great, I like the black look and I have no worries about the buffering abilities (or not) of aragonite. Bare bottom tanks don't even have sand, I'll be running a Kalk reactor and possibly a Calcium Reactor to take care of my pH, so I think I'm good. I hope to keep the sand looking black with a lot of sandbed creatures and general maintenance. No different than keeping white sand white really...

[deansreef]

coming along very nice

[Bender]

Where are you getting your base rock from?

Bender

[Psyire]

I ordered all my Baserock from Reeferrocks.com It has all arrived this week and I'm in the process of washing it out. This rock is simply amazing, I'm very impressed.

[UnderwaterExotic]

How much did you order? And did you think that was enough?

[Psyire]

I ordered 150 lbs. It's pictured on page 1 of this thread. I'm thinking another 50 lbs. wouldn't have been a bad thing, but I won't know forsure until I get it in the tank. If it's good, great. If not, I'll be ordering some more. I plan to buy around 30 lbs of live rock and put it in the 'fuge part of my sump for the first while. This I hope will help seed the main tank with bacterium. I haven't decided yet, but I may also stick two large pieces of liverock in the main display as well.

[Bender]

Please post some pics when you get the rock in the tank.

Bender

[Psyire]

Definately.

[CPT. MURPHY]

looking forward to updates ! FANTASTIC ! :) :)

[Kevin McG]

Great thread keep it rolling:D

[phuzzy3d]

your tank looks like it is going to rock.

[Psyire]

Thanks for all the comments! I ran into a snag with a bulkhead so now I'm waiting on another one, so it looks like I'll be a week longer before getting any water in this thing. I also ordered my heaters today, I went with 2x 250w Ebo-Jagers, I want to put one in the sump and one in the overflow.

This weekend I got all my Baserock rinsed/washed, it was a time consuming process. I bought 2 big 'tubs' from the hardware store and tossed in my Mag 3 and filled it with rock & water, I let it circulate like that for about 12 hours. I had about 5 'loads' of washing to do. It worked well and got out alot of 'dust' and debris, so I'm glad I did this before I put it all in my tank.

[delv]

Have you tested the base rock for any nutrients like PO4 or NO3?

d.

[Psyire]

I haven't done any testing yet at all. 95% of my Baserock is from Reeferrocks and I know there are a lot of people who have used this rock without any problems. I'm not too worried as I should notice problems right away before I have any livestock in there, I would imagine.

[ich_commando]

Check out the Tampa Bay Saltwater (TBS) for some nice rock to seed with.

[Psyire]

That would be nice, but being in Canada, it's not a viable option.

[Stasher]

I ordered all my LR from JL Aquatics, I am sure you have heard of them. It would be about $45 to ship from Vancouver to Edmonton. I would order 2 boxes (120lbs) for your 180. I went with 80lbs base rock and 65lbs LR in my 125. The rock is Fiji and is beautiful. Here is a pic of one of my larger pieces.
http://ist234.sasktelwebsite.net/LR1a.JPG

[Psyire]

Wow, that is a beautiful rock. I was thinking about ordering my rock from JL, now I definately am.

[Magnumreef]

Nice to see a fellow Albertan building a great setup!! J&L has always been top notch!!

If you don't mind me asking, are you in Ft. Mac, Edmonton, Calgary or other area??

I have a 180g currently on the build, just waiting for a cracked tank to come up from Calgary from being repaired... 5 months later :(

Glad to see yours is coming along faster than mine :)

Keep up the good work... I'll continue to live vicariously through you :)


Darryl

[Stasher]

Allan is who I deal with when I phone in, he has been very helpful. I would put all the baserock in, lightly rinse off the new LR to get rid of the excess die-off and crud from shipping to speed up the cycle process.
BTW...what do you do in the oilfield? I am a submersible pump technician (ESP)

[tomasz]

Psyire where did you get all your plumbing parts?

[Psyire]

Magnumreef: Thanks for the compliments, I live in Northern Alberta, about an hour out of Grande Prairie, in a small town.

Stasher: Thanks for the tips! As far as the oilfield goes, I'm a Oil & Gas Plant Operator. I do know what ESP's are though, we have quite a few in the field.

tomasz: I bought all my plumbing parts from Wolseley: Mechanical Group. http://www.wolseleyinc.ca/english/Mechanical/Mechanical.htm

This week has been a slow week sofar for progress on my setup, I'm basically waiting for stuff to show up so that I can move forward. With any luck I'll be conducting my leak test next week.

[Stasher]

Good Ole' GP :)
Can't wait to see more pics when water is flowing through it.

[UnderwaterExotic]

Cant Wait!!!

[Psyire]

I'm still waiting on stuff to arrive, so in the meantime I thought I would post a picture of some of the recent equipment I have aquired.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Equipment1s.jpg

PCX55-HP Pump: This will run as my return, if I am happy with the flow I will get another one to power my skimmer. If not, then I will get a PCX100-HP for my return and use this one to power my skimmer.

Mag 3: This pump is my all round utility pump, for moving water between storage bins or for circulating in tubs if need be. A general purpose pump.

2x 250watt Jager Heaters. I went with these because of the great track record and I didn't think I needed titanium. One will go in my overflow and the other in the skimmer section of my sump.

[Stasher]

How's your sump coming along? Have they finished it yet?

[aiber]

Were did you purchase your pump?

Thanks

[Psyire]

Stasher: Looks like it is going to be awhile yet, I'm told I'll have it by the end of March at the very latest.

Aiber: I bought both these pumps at: www.customaquatic.com

[Carl_in_Florida]

This is going to be fun to watch. Did you say that this is going to be on the second floor of you house?

Carl

[Psyire]

Yep, it's on the second floor. But it's against a load-bearing wall and it'll be perpendicular to the floor joists. There is also another wall downstairs that runs underneth the tank. I'm not too worried, but plan to go slowly with the initial filling with water.

[Fursphere]

Deja Vu!

Remember when the guys were making bets on my 300's stand failing Psyire? :lol:

[Psyire]

Yeah, haha.

Knock on wood... :p

[Psyire]

Alright, so it's been a slow month but I finally have an update for this thread.

I happened upon a good deal for a Quarantine Setup and jumped on it. And this is what my update is about.

Originally I was going to just setup a small tank for a Quarantine tank and only use it when I bought something new. However after thinking about it I'm sure it would be setup permanently for almost a year if I am ever going to get this 180 stocked, so I came up with a different plan. I would setup a tank permanently to use as a holding tank. This is where anything I buy will first go, I will then proceed to watch them for up to 4 weeks for signs of disease. After the 4 week period, they will get transfered to my main tank. If they do show signs of disease I will move them to a seperate smaller 'hospital' tank, in which I will treat them with medication.

My Quarantine (Holding) Tank Setup
----------------------------------------------

45 Gallon Tank (24x18x24)
Metal Stand w/ Wood Shroud
18 Gallon Sump
Aqua-Medic Turboflotor 1000 Multi Skimmer
(Aquabee pump)
Rio 850 Return Pump
150w Via Aqua Heater
Hamilton Tech. 24" PC Light Fixture 220watt (4x55)


I decided to use bioballs in a wet/dry fashion as I won't have any rock in this tank so this will give good bacteria somewhere to live.

On with the pictures:

1/2 done filling the tank:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QThalfs.jpg

Cleaning the skimmer in vinegar/water:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTSkimmers.jpg

Sump, jammed with stuff:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTSumps.jpg

Money Shot:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTSetups.jpg


One of the things I'm not very fond of is the fact I have two pumps in such a small sump and it's almost impossible to get that 'hummm' to disappear as they are always 'touching/vibrating' something.

What do you guys think?

[fred says]

Looking good :thumbsup: keep us updated

[Psyire]

As far as the main tank goes:

The sump is being constructed right now and I hope to have it within 15-20 days.

I have decided to go with 3x 250watt MH's for my lighting and they will be in Lumenarc III reflectors, so I have an order in for those and I should see them in 2-3 weeks as well. I'm still doing alittle last minute deciding on the ballasts. I've pretty much decided to go electronic and I'm really leaning towards the EVC ones. People seem happy with them, which is a good sign, plus they are a good price @ $99ea.

[aiber]

Where are you thinking about purchasing the lights? I also am working on a 180 setup and have the same ideas for the lighting.

Thanks

[Psyire]

Check out the sponser forums for Pacific Garden Supply. They make the Lumenarc III Reflector.

[NRA4EVR]

Psyire Looking Awesome!!!!

[NRA4EVR]

Psyire Looking Awesome!!!!

[Psyire]

Thanks! I'm going to be doing another big update soon. I just cut all the plumbing off the QT, I wasn't happy with the way the previous person had it setup. I should be getting bulkheads in the morning and then I can start re-plumbing it. I've also started to glue together all the plumbing in the overflow of my 180, so that is coming along. I should have some LR in my Holding tank in the coming weeks. I should be well into the stocking process by Mid-May. (I'm gone for a week to the Bahama's late April, so this will also slow my process down abit)

[Psyire]

So...

I've re-plumbed in the QT tank, it's much better now, I eliminated 3x 90deg. Elbows. The tank has been up and circulating with saltwater since the 8th. I added 20 lbs. of Fiji and 10 lbs. of Vanuatu Live Rock on the 9th. I'm pleased with this rock as it has a variety of colors and is covered in good stuff.

The one thing that sucks is I have poor lighting right now until my new lights arrive, so its basically running with actinics and a refugium grow light.

I've been checking Ammonia and Nitrite levels every second day since I added the rock. Until today my Ammonia levels were around 8ppm even with a 20% water change on wednesday. Today however I tested my Ammonia and I was pretty amazed, it was down to 0.5ppm. So I tested my Nitrite and it was up to 5ppm, which it hadn't tested any higher than 1ppm previously. So my cycle is in full swing and going as planned.

I am very happy with how the skimmer has been performing on this tank as it is pulling out a lot of gunk. I have it set pretty 'wet' and it's working great.

As far as progress on my 180g. goes, I'm set to receive my sump as soon as I get back from the Bahamas. (27th-28th) So I will then begin plumbing in the main tank and circulating water. It feels good to have progress being made in the right direction.

Here are some updated pics:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTwLRs.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Liverock2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Liverock3s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Liverock4s.jpg

[Psyire]

So today I added another 10 lbs. of rock and did some re-arranging. I'm much happier with these results.

Here are some pics:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankCave1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankCave2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankSide1s.jpg

My skimmer pulling gunk (2.5 days worth):

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Skimmates.jpg

Some closeups of the rock and things that are on them:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/LiveRockWebs.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/EncrustedCorals.jpg

I'll be now leaving this tank to complete the cycling process. Thanks for looking!

[qwuintus]

When are you gonna get to the real deal??!?!

[Psyire]

Waiting on my sump. It should be here by the end of the month. Sooo hopefully soon!

[mako56]

Some very cool ideas. I am just starting a 180 gallon myself I am going to do all the picture taking too. Not really sure if I will post it all seems like it has been done a quite a few times already. I have gotten so many ideas from here and other posts my head is swimming. Hope I can do it better than my 75 gallon that one cost me allot more than it should have but it was fun. Good luck with yours.

[hdtvguy]

Man that sump is taking a long time to get done! What is the hold up on it?

[Psyire]

See:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=574959

[Zippo4]

Hi

A bit late in the day to ask but...did you ever work out how how to get the water from your RO/DI unit to the tank as part of an auto topoff system? I'm setting up my tank have a similar problem!


cheers

[Psyire]

As far as my auto-topoff goes I've pretty much decided to bite the bullet and run a line from my RO unit to my tank. It's going to be a pain but I think it's possible.

I am planning to do a big update to this thread very shortly. Things have started to come along again. I recieved my Sump from Barr Aquatic and I've started my plumbing. I also have some updates as to how my 50g Holding tank is doing. I have a busy week/weekend so I am planning a detailed update early next week.

[TheCoralReef731]

wow, looks really good. I like it soo far.

[Psyire]

Ok, so it's been awhile since I last updated. Sorry to all those who were following along and probably now assume that I disappeared.

As you can guess my sump finally arrived and I've been busy. It was definately worth the wait as the build quality and functionality is perfect. (Thanks Brent! aka. Barr Aquatic)

Here are the details:

Initial plans:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/sumpfinal.jpg

(Many thanks to Barr Aquatic for the following pictures of the build process)

Building begins:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpBuild1s.jpg

One of 2 installed probe holders:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpBuild2s.jpg

It lives!

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpBuild6s.jpg

Skimmer section:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpBuild3s.jpg

Baffles before return area:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpBuild4s.jpg

Baffles with media tray's installed:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpBuild5s.jpg

Top view n' packed:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpBuild7s.jpg

All ready for travelling:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpBuild8s.jpg

Arrived safe and sound and fits perfectly in it new home:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpTestFits.jpg

Now came the fun part of plumbing! (yeah right.. I hate plumbing...)

[Psyire]

Next I figured I could go ahead and start with the sand, rockwork, and water. (I did the overflow plumbing already and will talk about it later)

I decided to add the sand and rock before the water as it would create less of a 'tank storm'.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Sand1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Sand2s.jpg

My goal for the rockwork was to give many caves and flow through points for fish and critters to swim & hide. I also didn't want a 'rockwall' in which some stuff could be hidden forever and I couldn't see it. So I sorta made a wall down the center of the tank with big 'tent' formations on either side. Let me know what you think.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Aquascaping1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Aquascaping2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Aquascaping3s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Aquascaping4s.jpg

Now it was time for the plumbing so I could add water.

The plumbing involved was alittle easier than I anticipated. However plumbing the drains and retun lines in the confines of the overflow wasn't all that fun. I don't have any pictures of the stuff plumbed in the overflow but it's fairly simple, just 2 standpipes and 2 return lines that split into the 4 locline returns.

Valving under the tank:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180BottomValvings.jpg

Plumbing basically finished:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Plumbing2s.jpg

[Psyire]

Something I forgot to mention was my lighting. For my lighting I decided to go with 3x 250W SE Bulbs w/ Lumenarc III pendants & Electronic Ballasts. All the bulbs and ballasts are EVC and I think they are awesome. Here is a picture of one of the hoods 'all lite up'.

Keep in mind there is no water in there:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/LumenarcTest1s.jpg

Blinded?

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/LumenarcTest2s.jpg

Cool or what?

[Psyire]

I just noticed that you can see my overflow plumbing perfectly in that lumenarc test shot. So for all those curious, there ya go!

[Psyire]

So now came the water! I was beginnig to think I would never get this far. I bite the bullet and ran a line from my RO unit to the tank, it wasn't fun but I got it done. I'm very happy I did this, in hindsight there was really no other option.

Filling the tank:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180HalfFulls.jpg

Full!

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Full1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Full2s.jpg

I was alittle worried about all the weight on my floor but so far it's looking great but i'm still watching it closely. It's alittle un-nerving having that much water on the second floor of your house...

Now let's get that water moving!

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Plumbing1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpWaterRun1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SumpWaterRun2s.jpg

Yeah!

[Zephrant]

Looks very nice, extremely clean setup.

Glad everything made it there intact.

Zeph

[Psyire]

Thanks! It's only clean because I haven't done all the electrical yet, haha. Well I hope to keep it all tidy, I'm big on that.

[Muligan]

Looks awsome man . Where did you get the filter bags on your drain I'm looking for the same ones for my tank

[want2reef]

What are going to use for a skimmer?

Kevin

[danielcherian]

For adding RO water in the future are you simply going to run that long tube from your unit to the tank? Or are you going to have some sort of storage tank somewhere? Just wondering. Everything looks great so far. Best of luck!

[Psyire]

Muligan, thanks! As for the filter bags, you can get them at filterbags.com or what I would do is shop around locally. There are filtration companies that have these filters for use in the oilfield and food industries. (I'm sure there used in other things as well) I get them through work from our supply company. Just make sure it's a 100 micron filter, perferably made from polypropelyene (sp?).

want2reef, I have plans to use this skimmer:
http://www.barraquatic.com/standard_skimmers.php
Model: 1620

danielcherian, For my RO water & Auto-top off, I will be using my Aquatronica Aquarium controller w/ 2x Float Switches & 2 solenoid valves on that 1/4" feed line. The second float will be an emergency shutdown float. I plan to go into more detail with the Aquatronica and it's control functions later.

Thanks for the comments!

[Fursphere]

Lookin good bud. :D

I still say you're crazy for paying top dollar on all that sch.80 piping... :p

[Detritivore]

how thick is the acrylic on the sump?

[jazznreef]

thanks for the thread! this is cool :)

[paradoxblue]

awesome to see it up.. finally! lol

i cant wait to start my 200G tank :D
im building it plywood ALL DIY i may screw up but live and learn.. WOO HOO!!

[Psyire]

Thanks for the compliments!

The sump is 3/8" Acrylic, I went with this size mainly due to shipping. I wanted to make sure it got here in one piece. The price difference between 1/4" & 3/8" wasn't all that much either.

My woodworking friend is in the process of making the 'shroud' for the tank. The idea is 4 panels held to the frame by strong magnets that will allow for easy removal & access. I'll probably have the first pictures of this process within a few days. There will also be a 'sun visor' around the top of the tank, so you aren't blinded by the halides. This visor will also be made of wood and be around 8" tall, just enough to hide the bottom of the halides.

Here's a pic of how the stands will be set in, these will hold all the electronics. (Ballasts, Controller, Power Strips, etc.) I think I'm going to add one more...

(They will get painted ofcourse)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180ElectStand1s.jpg

[NexDog]

You have the patience of a saint. ;)

Can you tell me where you got your auto-topoff unit? I'm in the market for one....

[NOLACLS]

What is between the stand and the wood floor??

[Psyire]

NexDog, The auto-top off will be controlled by one of these:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=514711&highlight=aquatronica


Nolacls, There is a very thin carpet on the very bottom, then 3/4" plywood which the stand is then shimmed to level. In the 'center' of the stand is 1/2" foam covered by rubber matting which is siliconed to the metal stand to stop water from going down into the wood. (for small spills ofcourse)

[NOLACLS]

Ahhh ok...so I take it the 1/2" of foam under the rubber matting in the center of the stand is to bring it up over the gaps you got from shimming the stand?

[Psyire]

Well it did do that, but it was more for underneth the Acrylic Sump and for noise supression on the pumps.

[Psyire]

It's time for my Aquatronica post!

For those of you who don't know what it is, the Aquatronica is an Aquarium controller much like the Aquacontrollers offered by Neptune Systems. I will be using this controller to automate as much as possible on tank. It will control the following functions.

- RO/DI Solenoid control for auto-top off of my sump with RO/DI water. This will consist of two floats, one will be a redundant 'emergancy' shutoff float incase the first one sticks. I will also have 2 solenoids on the RO/DI line.

- Temp control, via. 2x 250w Ebo-Jager Heaters. (One in the overflow and one in the sump) This includes two temp probes which will be monitored and graphed.

- pH, graphing and monitoring my pH.

- ORP, graphing and monitoring my ORP.

- Metal Halide Lights, control of on/off times for my lights.

- Kalk mixer, control of on/off times for my Kalk Reactor.

- Ozonizer, control of ozone injection based on ORP readings

- Refugium light, control on/off times.

- Moon lights, control on/off times.

- Fan control, on/off times based on tank temp.

- Anytime, Anywhere monitoring and control of my system via. my computer and the PC interface module.

That is my initial list but I'm sure it will end up doing a few more things. Anyway, I spent some time today mounting up the hardware and I thought I'd post some pictures. So here they are:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Aquatronica1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Aquatronica2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Aquatronica3s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Aquatronica4s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Aquatronica5s.jpg

[Psyire]

For power bars / surge protectors, I'm using Belkin. They make a very cool version that is suppose to be used under your computer monitor, but ofcourse I had different plans. These are their 'maximum' protection series and are rated for full line duty which is nice. They have 4 'switchable' connections, and 1 non-switched. I stacked 2 of them to give me 8 switches and 2 pass throughs, all with reliable surge protection. You can't beat these IMHO.

Check it out:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180ElectStand2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180ElectStand3s.jpg

[NexDog]

Wow, looks impressive. Few questions:

1) Is there a limit to what you can program in?
2) Are those 2 flat boxes the surge protectors and are they necessary?

[Psyire]

Answers:

1) No limit that I can think of really. Maybe something very obscure that only your reef does? Everything I've thought of doing I can do. You can also add as many modules/interfaces, probes, & power bars as you want. This would be handy for controlling multiple tanks.

2) Yup, they are surge protectors as well as switched powerbars. (meaning I have individual on/off control of the outlets on the back, which is what the switches on the front do) They aren't necessary, but I like all my electronic equipment on surge protectors due to many lightning storms every year.

Hope that helps!

[NexDog]

That kind of stuff is really the icing on the cake. I heard the Aquatronica was pricey, where did you get yours from?

[Psyire]

I bought mine from Aquarium Obsessed, and apparently prices are due to come down very soon. Personally I don't think it's all that bad when you consider what you are getting. If you price out individual timers (decent ones) and controllers, it adds up real fast.

More info on the Aquatronica can be found in this thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=514711

[NexDog]

Great, thanks for the info. :)

[NOLACLS]

Ahhh man that is so awesome:cool: I have been talking to Will a bunch about this controller. It seems like an awesome little unit and might use it in my 280 setup. It is costly but I feel its on line with the other brands when you look at what you get. Plus I think this one has an edge over the others. I am looking forward to some user reviews of this so get to setting it up :bounce2:

[Psyire]

Time for an update.

So I finally have life in the tank! Yeah! It's been a long time coming, and I'm excited! Last wednesday I brought the temperature up and added the salt. I then ordered 30 lbs. of Jakarta Live Rock which was here the next day and then added to the refugium part of the sump. My plan is to use the 'fuge as a spot for this rock to 'seed' my tank for the time being. After a few months have gone by I will remove most of it and turn the 'fuge into exactly that.

Pics:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180TankCycle1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180TankCycle2s.jpg


So I let it sit for a few days just circulating and then added 6 large uncooked tiger shrimp. It's been a number of days and boy does it stink, and ammonia levels are high. (2.0 - 4.0) Just as I suspected the cycle has begun and the shrimp are turning to mush at a fairly fast rate. My base rock should be crawling in microscopic bacteria in no time!

Tonight I worked on hanging my lumenarc's. I got the holes drilled and mounts in place just in time to realize my cable clamps and cable size did not match up. So tomorrow I hope to get the right sizes so that I can make the cables to let them 'hang'. For now I just hung them right up there so they are out of the way, snapped some pics just because.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Lumenarc1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Lumenarc2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Lumenarc3s.jpg


In other news my PC interface came in for my Aquatronica so I've been messing with it and it's pretty cool. I'll post more info on it later. My Skimmer, Waste Collector, and Kalk reactor are finished and ready to ship out early next week. So I should have them just in time. Things are progressing nicely now, it's a good feeling.

[Psyire]

So I made some more progress today...

I was able to get the correct size of cable from the hardware store and make my cable lengths. It was pretty easy, I just created 2 that worked and duplicated them. I have the fixtures hung so that they are 6" off the top of the tank. This should put the actual halide bulb around 9" off the water. Worked out pretty good.

Closeup's of cables:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Lumenarc4s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Lumenarc5s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Lumenarc6s.jpg


So after they were hung, I couldn't resist but to plug in my halides and fire them up. Woohoo! Let there be light! Upon doing so I figured I may have to rethink my color of bulbs and their position.

Right now I'm running: 10K/14K/10K

I may go too: 14K/10K/14K

Or possibly all 14's. I'm going to wait and see how much blue disappears from the 14K as it burns in.

Check them out:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/LumenarcTest3s.jpg


A closeup of rock:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/LumenarcTest4s.jpg

That's it for now, hope you like! I sure do!

[Psyire]

Oh, and you won't see the overflow piping or light cords when I'm done either... That's just a test shot.

[Fursphere]

You can really see the color difference in the bulbs in that shot. :)

[matt & pam]

How many pounds of rock are in the tank so far?

[Psyire]

Fur, yeah you can definately see the bulb difference. I'm considering changing it, like I said earlier. However I'm wondering how much different it will be once they burn in.

M&P, Right now there is 162 lbs. of Baserock and 30 lbs. of Live Rock, so 192 lbs. total. Once the Baserock is seeded my plan is to remove 2/3 of the Live Rock that's in the 'fuge. I'm kinda thinking I want a Mantis tank, so maybe it'll go there. (20 lbs.)

[Psyire]

I'm not really going for that 'Full of Rock' tank look. I want enough to get the job done but lots of water room for fish to swim as well. I like the 'nook n' cranny' look as well, and the more rock that goes in, the harder this look is to achieve. I feel I've done good at getting what I'm after so far. It's hard to tell from pictures, but the 'rockwall' is a good 3"- 4" from the back overflow, so fish can swim in behind easily.

[tigerarmy40]

I have to commend yo on going with the black sand. not too many people use it in their big reefs and I really dont know why it looks great!


oh yeah are you planning on painting the back black? it would really tie in the black sand well! I have seen black sand tanks with the sides and back painted and it really makes all your colorful fish stand out!

[mmd]

beautiful....nice job

[bassman57]

very nice setup!!!. It is very clean looking.

[Psyire]

Thanks for the comments!

I do plan on making the back glass black, probably not with paint though as it would be very hard to do now. Probably with some sort of black board or paper. I haven't made the decision 100% yet, we'll see.

[Fliger]

Looks sweet dude, keep the Aquatronica info coming!!!

I am also doing 3 Lumenarcs. A few questions, sorry if you've already posted this (so many threads, so little time) ...

Wattage?
What are the 14K bulbs?
What ballasts?
Are you going to build a canopy to keep in the light (and keep your retinas attached)?

I'm having a heck of a time with bulb selection. I really love my Phoenix 14K so I'm looking for something like that. I like the Aquaconnect 14K's but can't find em so I'll either go Radium off HQI or the new EVC 14k looks promising also.

[Psyire]

Thanks!

Lighting info:

3x Lumenarc III Reflectors from PGS
3x 250w EVC Electronic Ballasts
2x 250w SE EVC 10K Bulbs (Sides)
1x 250w SE EVC 14K Bulb (Middle)

All the EVC stuff was ordered from Vince @ Ocean Encounter.

I'm definately a fan of the EVC products, I obviously don't have any 'long term' experience but everything I ordered arrived intact and functioning. Once the bulbs burn in, I'll have a better idea on color. So far so good though.

I won't have a canopy per se, but it will be more of a visor that goes around the top of the tank. Basically a decorative wood trim that will extend about 8" up to shade the lights. This way I don't trap as much heat or moisture in the hood, and it allows for better cooling and gas exchange.

[Fliger]

Thanks man. Here are some great links with Sanjay's test results on all the EVC bulbs/ballasts. Unfortunately the 14K on EVC ballasts has surprisingly low PPFD, so you might want to think about sticking with the 10K if you want SPS/Clams. The second link is a master list which has more 250W bulb/ballast combos.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2005/feature.html

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/articles.htm

[Psyire]

Some more on the graphing of the Aquatronica.

Below is the graph of my Sump Temp during the time in which I switched on my Halides yesterday afternoon. I have it set to trend weekly, so it takes makes a data point every 3 hours. I'm guessing that this is an average data point for those three hours but I'm not sure. I 'zoomed' the graph in to just yesterday and here is what it looks like:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/LightingTempTest.jpg

[Psyire]

I'm going to switch to daily and post my findings, I'm unsure how many data points per hour daily does.

[Psyire]

Data points register every 1/2 hour on the daily trend and every 12 hours for monthly trends.

[Psyire]

Good news!

I got word today that my new protein skimmer and waste collector will ship out tomorrow, followed by my Kalk reactor later this week! That is awesome, I can't wait to get this equipment all setup:

Barr Aquatic Systems
---------------------------
Skimmer: SK1620 w/ Air Flow Meter Kit
Waste Collector: WC220
Kalk Reactor: KR1220

www.barraquatic.com for more info.

[Johnsteph10]

BAS fan, eh?

Looks great! As a fellow Aquatronica user, you've done a good job of showing it off so far. I'll follow suit in my own build log a little bit later.

Do you have the aquatronica controlling many things yet?

Love the black sand look! It will really make your rock and corals pop! I know you like EVC bulbs, but have you looked at Helios 20k or XM20k or 10K?

The Helios are supposed to be pretty good. It is unfortunate that XM15k bulbs are lacking in PAR.

I like the Belkin power center/surger protectors - definately nice looking. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get them and were they expensive? I'm looking for nice surge protectors myself and would like something like it. I've looked at the American DJ powercenters and they are very reasonably priced, but don't provide protection.

Thanks man and keep updating!

[Psyire]

Thanks John,

I have the Aquatronica controlling just my 'fuge light and two Metal Halides right now. I need to get my second powerbar replaced before I really start dedicating everything to it. Plus I'm waiting until my cycle is done before adding probes as I don't see a point in them yet.

As for MH bulbs, I've looked at others, but am content to stick with the 10K & 14K EVC's for awhile. I'll know even more once they burn in and I see their true color.

The Belkin's I got off a store on Ebay, but you can buy them at computer shops and other stores that would carry similar items. I believe they were about $30 each? I can't remember exactly. I don't mind the DJ powercenters either but I figured that I might as well add surge protection as we get alot of power bumps due to lightning strikes. It was a small chunk of change in this hobby.

I'll definately keep the updates coming, my 'shroud' is being built but it's taking abit longer than originally planned. So it'll be abit yet before I have any pics of it.

I'm starting to get some heavy diatom growth in my sump where the LR is at. We'll see but I'm hoping this starts moving into the display soon.

Ammonia seems to have peaked and is on the way down and Nitrite is still rising, so things are progressing well.

[lcdd]

Outstanding! Very well thought out design. Lots of iuseful nformation on a variety of equipment. Almost like one stop browsing for info on items. Great job and keep it up.:strooper:

[Psyire]

Thanks! and I'll definately keep the updates rollin'!

[smjtkj]

I have looked thru your thread but may have missed what 250 ballast you are using.
Thanks,
Mike

[Purple Haze]

Originally posted by Psyire Lighting info:
3x 250w EVC Electronic Ballasts

[twinreef]

how is your sump working out? any problems with microbubbles?

[Psyire]

Since my sump level control is still done manually, I notice microbubbles when it gets alittle low. Once I hook it up with the floats & solenoids, they should disappear. I'll keep you updated.

[Psyire]

So things are still moving along...

I have had the 180g cycling with live rock since the 14th of July and it's progressed very well. Right now the rocks have quite a lot of brown algae growing on them and there are a ton of pods and little jellyfish swimming around and on the glass. My cycle is complete and I'm just allowing the algae to grow so that my snails and crabs have something to munch on.

I will be moving my current fish into this tank on or around September 1st. I bought a few more fish and added them to my Quarantine tank on August 31st.

My fish so far:

Dragon Goby (aka. Bullet/Brown-barred Goby)
Aquired: June 5th

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankDragonGoby1s.jpg

Green Clown Goby
Aquired: July 31st

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankClownGoby1s.jpg
(glass is pretty dirty in this picture)

Lawnmower Blenny
Aquired: July 31st

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankLawnmower1s.jpg

Magnificent Foxface
Aquired: July 31st

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankMagFoxface1s.jpg

Ocellaris Clown (aka. False Clown)
Aquired: April 28th

No picture

Sixline Wrasse
Aquired: May 25th

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankSixline1s.jpg

The Sixline wrasse is being given to my brother in-law. I had to give him up because he is pretty much an adult I believe and he bullies anything smaller than him. So the clownfish and gobies are constantly harassed. He dosen't nip at them, just swims very close and flashes his colors. It freaks them out, especially the little clown. I didn't realize he was full grown when I bought him, or else I probably wouldn't have. Maybe someday I'll pick up a small one and add him last. It was quite an adventure catching this guy, as he didn't want anything to do with nets. I built a fishtrap out of a 1L pop bottle and it worked like a charm, inside of 5 minutes I had him.

[Psyire]

I also had another shelf made and I painted it and added it to the underside of my stand. It worked great in getting the Belkin power strips up and out of the way.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180ElectStand4s.jpg

My Barr Aquatic Kalk Reactor and Waste Collector have shown up and they are looking great! My skimmer has been delayed but should be here soon. The quality of these things still amaze me everytime I check them out. I'm just waiting to get to Solenoids and I'll be hooking up my auto-top off. Right now I just open and close a valve manually... but I know I'm going to forget to close it soon.

Barr Aquatic KR1220 Kalkwasser Reactor:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/BarrKR1220s.jpg

Barr Aquatic WC220 Waste Collector:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/BarrWC220s.jpg

I also got some good deals on salt, kalk, and magnesium. So I have 3x 200g pails of Kent Marine Salt, 30 lbs. of Kalk, and 30 lbs. of Magnesium. I should be all set for quite some time as far as dry chem's go.

My replacement Aquatronica powerbar is on it's way too, so once that gets here I'm going to get it up and running like it should be. Right now it's just turning on and off 3 lights and watching the temperature.

My stand shroud is finished and I'm just looking in to what I want to paint it with, so I should have pictures very soon regarding that.

The next few weeks will be interesting.

[Psyire]

A couple more pictures of inverts in my 50g QT tank:

Cleaner Shrimp:
(I have 2)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankCleanerShrimp1s.jpg

Zebra Hermit:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankZebraHermit1s.jpg

Peppermint Shrimp:
(I have 2)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankPepshrimps.jpg

[Psyire]

I was able to snap a cool picture regarding the quarreling going on between my Sixline and my other fish. The whole attitude of the tank seems to have changed once he was removed. It's like everybody is relaxed and happy.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/QTTankQuarrel1s.jpg

[AJP]

Full Tank Shot???

[Psyire]

Those are something I forgot to get, so I'll have to wait and get some when the lights are on. Probably won't be until monday now as I'm working the next 3 days. (during the day) I'll be sure to post some asap.

[Cosper]

Sorry if it was already mentioned.. but where did you go for that base rock?

[mako56]

Hey Psyire can you tell us where you found the deals on the dry chemicals and what they cost?

[Psyire]

Cosper, 95% of it came from Jeremy over at www.reeferrocks.com (it's awesome stuff)

Mako, check out this thread for the magnesium and kalk: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=600135

(salt was bought in a local group buy)

[Cosper]

Originally posted by Psyire
Cosper, 95% of it came from Jeremy over at www.reeferrocks.com (it's awesome stuff)

Mako, check out this thread for the magnesium and kalk: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=600135

(salt was bought in a local group buy)

Thanks.. Im highly considering seting up my next system with the black sand and that base rock.. your setup is nice! :bum:

[jarhed]

I also recommend Reeferrocks.

I'm waiting for my second order. That rock is without a doubt the most porous, clean, PERFECT base rock I have ever seen PERIOD.

[Bax]

Psyire

It's been a long time since I stopped by and checked out this thread. Just reviewed the whole thing. WOW! Beautiful work and great equipment choises. I am looking forward to full tank shots a year from now :)

[Psyire]

Thanks Bax!

I've done some major changes to my overflow mesh. Here's the detailed process.

Originally my overflow had black eggcrate across the top to keep things out. However I had some bad experiences with picking clownfish out of my overflow downstairs (50g) as they were small enough to fit through. (as well as a few small hermit crabs)

Original:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Overflowmesh1s.jpg

So the solution was to make the holes smaller using this:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Overflowmesh2s.jpg

I tried this downstairs (50g) first and it worked well, so I proceeded to do the same on the 180g.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Overflowmesh3s.jpg


I did this before even running the tank with water so I never though any more about it, looked like it was well fixed. Then one day I happened to lightly bump one of the eggcrate meshs and it just tumbled of like it was just sitting there... Upon further inspection all the eggcrate came off with ease. Somehow the epoxy used to hold it in place just came right off. I wasn't too upset as I never really like the eggcrate to begin with so I went searching for an alternative.

Acrylic Overflow Teeth. This was it, definately a better choice and I wish I would have went this way from the start. I contacted Mako56 as I seen he had made some of his own, and he was generous enough to whip me up a set. After getting them I took the hacksaw and dremel to them in order to make them a precise fit, and it turned out great.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180OverflowTeeth1s.jpg

Siliconing them in place:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180OverflowTeeth2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180OverflowTeeth3s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180OverflowTeeth4s.jpg

I'm super happy with them, and I think they work much better overall. We'll see.

[Psyire]

I also got the final peices for my tank shroud this weekend, so I was able to test fit them all and they look awesome!

Next step is to paint them and attach the handles. Here's some preview shots!

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180ShroudTest1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180ShroudTest2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180ShroudTest3s.jpg

I'm only running 2x 10K lights right now as there isn't much point for anything more.

[tigerarmy40]

this tank is really looking good~you should addd about three more bags of sand! it would really set it off! and with the stand does it have doors that open or is it just closed off?

[jarhed]

Hey, thats the black sand, isnt it?

[Psyire]

tiger, I'm not interested in adding more sand as I have 1-2" already and I'm not going for a DSB. The shroud is magnetically attached to the metal frame, so once I add the handles they will just pull off.

jarhed, you betcha!

[tigerarmy40]

cool idea with the magnets!

[Psyire]

Thanks, even though it's not my idea, I've seen other setups like it. Works well so far. I should have some more updates by the weekend as I'm waiting for a few things to fall in place and show up at my door before I can really do anything else.

[Bax]

Psyire

Got any close pics of the magnet layout on your cabinet pannels? I have been considering that approach for a new set up.

[Psyire]

Next time I'm taking pictures I'll snap a few and post them. It's pretty simple though, just 4x 1/2" rare earth magnets that are countersunk and glued into the panels.

[NexDog]

Few questions as I've just reread this thread. In the overflow plumbing picture what is the halfway up pipe for 2nd from the righ:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/LumenarcTest1s.jpg

I see the Durso but this other one looks like it could drain half the tank?

How much flow if your return pushing out those 4 outlets?

[Psyire]

Alright, I'll try and explain the overflow plumbing abit better.

The shortened standpipe is the pipe that handles a good 80% of the flow and it heads down to the skimmer section of my sump. The Durso standpipe handles the remainder 20% and heads into my Refugium. I figure I have roughly 1000gph flowing through my overflow/sump/returns. So this equates to 800gph through the skimmer section and 200gph through the 'fuge.

This is how it works. I have ball valves on both standpipes and I throttle back the flow on the cutoff standpipe until the water level starts rising above it in the overflow. The water then rises up to the level of the durso and starts going down into the 'fuge. The more I throttle it the more flow will go down to the fuge and the more I let off, the more the flow will go to the skimmer section. The main reason for it is to eliminate the noise, as you well know air creates the noise.. so there is absolutely no air going down the cutoff standpipe which handles the most flow. It's super quiet as I've really only got the equivelent of 200gph going through a durso, which induces some air but not much due to the low flow rate.

The coolest thing about it is the way I can control the amount of flow in the fuge, as I just have to adjust one ball valve and this will raise or lower the flow. You are also able to use ball valves instead of gate valves in this setup as your flowrate can vary a tad as the durso can easily handle any small fluctuations and keep the level in the overflow level.

If something happens and flow stops then the waterlevel in the overflow drops to the cutoff standpipe, but this is only about 5" and inside the overflow.. so my sump handles it easily as I have spare room.

I learned this method from fellow RCer, littlesilvermax. It's awesome my tank is super quiet do the the low flow of air in the standpipes.

[Bax]

Very cool , can't do that with a AGA Mega Flow caues it has inlets mid and low on the overflow.

[Muligan]

so the short drain pipe won't keep sucking the overflow down below the hieght of the durso??

[Psyire]

Nope, because of the restriction placed on it by throttling back the ball valve. I have it cut back so that it will only handle about 80% of my pump output.

[NexDog]

Yea, I got it - neat idea indeed. The only thing it can drain is the overflow section due to top toothed inlets. Might have to steal this idea. :)

[Muligan]

good idea.

[Psyire]

So over the weekend I was able to get some more stuff done on my tank.

My auto-top off system consists of the following:

1x Aquasafe RO/DI Unit
2x 1/4" 120V Solenoid Valves (autotopoff.com)
2x Float Switchs
1x Barr Aquatic Kalk Reactor (KR1220)
and my Aquatronica to control it all.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Autotopoff1s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Autotopoff2s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Autotopoff3s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Autotopoff4s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Autotopoff5s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Autotopoff6s.jpg

[Psyire]

Here is how the controller logic works.

The lower float switch controls the opening and closing of the control solenoid. The upper float switch is programmed to shut the control solenoid if the water reachs it. (a backup incase the lower float switch sticks open)

Now the other solenoid is ran on a timer set to open up 3 times a night for 15mins each time. It is during these times that both solenoids will be open so my RO water runs through my Kalk Reactor and into the tank. It's set this way so that I only dose my Kalk at night in hopes of keeping my pH constant.

The Kalk reactor is set to stir 4 times a day. 1 hour before each topoff time and once in mid afternoon. So far it's working good, I might have to do alittle tweaking on the amount of time the timer solenoid is open, but that's about it.

In other news, my skimmer shipped out today so I should have it shortly, I can't wait!

[Bax]

Very nice

[Bax]

Psyire

Back to you overflow drains for a moment (cause since seeing the pic I can't get it out of my head). I mispoke earlier, I looked at my Mega flow overflow again and there is a rear wall so the mid and lower inlets don't drain directly into the overflow. (duh! that would drain the entire tank now wouldn't it!) So anyway I was looking at you design and thinking of how or if it would be somthing to test on my tank.

One question I have is, did you consider that the durso is pulling the surface water off the overflow, and would it be possible to direct that to the skimmer? Do you think it would be more efficient (cause it's all surface skimmed water) or would it not make the desired flow to the skimmer. I am just thinking that even in the overflow, protiens and neutrients rise to the top where the Durso is working.

The "open" drain could then feed the fuge, maybe with a filter bag at the discharge?

... just a thought

[Psyire]

Hey Bax,

Great questions in which caused me to do some thinking. I think having the surface skim sent directly to the skimmer would be the most efficient however that pipe also has the lowest amount of flow so it wouldn't be very disirable as you pointed out. Considering the small waterfall falling over the overflow is doing a great job of breaking that surface tension and keeping the water in the overflow turbulent, I'm not too worried. If you had a very small amount going down to the sump then this might be an issue.

If you think it's something to worry about I would probably run both drain lines to your skimmer section and just 'T' off the main drain to your 'fuge. (with a valve to regulate your flow) If I did it again I would probably do it this way, but I don't think it's enough to warrant a piping change.

[Damn Yankee]

Why could'nt you have that overflow on the out side of that tank?would really free up some real estate.

[Damn Yankee]

Why could'nt you have that overflow on the out side of that tank?would really free up some real estate.

[Psyire]

Well I could have I guess, but it's 8" wide (to allow for sch.80 bulkheads) and I didn't want the tank 8-10" away from the wall. I don't mind it personally.

[Psyire]

Time for another update!

Here's some crazzzy pod pictures! It's amazing how fast pods multiply when they have no predators. It's been about 7 weeks since I added my Live Rock and the cycle started. I've got quite abit of Green Algae as well, and the odd dot of Coralline.

Closeup of Pods:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Pods1s.jpg

About 1sq ft. of my glass:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Pods2s.jpg

Another section:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Pods3s.jpg

Some Green MacroAlgae:
(look closely and you'll see the pods crawling on it)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180MacroGreen1s.jpg

Another shot:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180MacroGreen2s.jpg

Closeup:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180MacroGreen3s.jpg

So microlife is thriving and I finally added some fish. I moved my Dragon Goby and Lawnmower Blenny up into this tank this morning, it was easier than I thought to catch them. Much easier than it was my Sixline, but this time I used starvation and bait with seaweed. lol

[Psyire]

I also recieved my skimmer today! All I need now is the pump so I can hook it up... should be here in about a week.

Barr Aquatic SK1620 Skimmer
-------------------------------------

Skimmer & Waste Collector:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SK16201s.jpg

Closeup of Airflow Meter:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SK16202s.jpg

Closeup of Air Filter, Beckett, & Ozone Injection Port:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SK16203s.jpg

Closeup of Top Etching:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SK16204s.jpg

Closeup of Gate Valve:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SK16205s.jpg

The quality of this skimmer is what I've come to expect from Brent @ Barr Aquatic. (nothing short of marvelous)

Two thumbs up!

My plan is to drive it with the Gen-X PCX55HP External Pump.

[Bax]

Shaweeet Skimmer!

[areze]

wow, all I can say. your budget far exceeds my own; but wow.

2 questions that Im sure you answered even though I read the whole thread.

1. the black piping; thats flexable; whered you get that? price?

2. your returns in the overflow; they branch out to the flexible sprayers, how do the sprayers pass through the overflow wall? bulkheads for each one?

[Psyire]

areze,

Answers:

1. I'm going to assume you mean blue piping as I don't have any black piping. This is just tigerflex flexible pvc (white) with blue electrical tape wrapped around it so it looks alittle nicer.

2. You got it, bulkheads through the overflow for each locline return, 4 in total. (3/4")

[areze]

ah good idea; I think Ill use black electrical tape, but great idea; keep things pretty.

[asnatlas]

Originally posted by areze
ah good idea; I think Ill use black electrical tape, but great idea; keep things pretty.

I agree, nice touch, I will have to remember that one...

Shawn

[Psyire]

Alright...

So it's been a month since my last update. Quite a few things have went on since then.

I spent a good few weeks waiting for equipment and I also aquired some new livestock. I added a Juvenile Atlantic Blue Tang, and Blue Neon Goby to my holding tank to QT for a month. (50g) To my 180g tank I added a Mandarin Dragonet and 10 snails. I did not quarantine my Mandarin due to the fact I don't have many, if any, pods in that tank. I also read they are a slimy scaleless fish that dosen't contract disease very easy. I brought home these fish around the middle of September.


I got a big shipment of new toys in about a week ago and have been spending a lot of time setting things up. I started with my protein skimmer as I was anxious to get it running after finally getting the pump. Here are some pictures of it after I fired it up.

Skimmer:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SK16206s.jpg

Equipment shot:
(notice Waste Collector on it's own shelf)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Equipment1s.jpg

Skimmate! 27hrs worth!

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/SK1620Skimmate1s.jpg

[Psyire]

Picture of my small male Mandarin:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Mandarin1s.jpg

[Psyire]

After doing some research and reading I decided to setup a phosban reactor running Seachem Seagel. The purpose for this is to stay ahead of the game on removing phosphate and also run carbon to help with water quality. Here's a picture of the setup I purchased:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Phosban1s.jpg

I'm going to try and get some pictures of how I have it setup but it's hard due to the fact it's in the return portion of my sump which is 'behind' everything and in a tight spot. I'll see what I can do...

[Psyire]

More expensive toys...

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Tunze1s.jpg

I will get pictures of their installation within the next couple days. (if you look close you can see some of it in one of the above pictures) These bad boys are impressive, I can't believe the amount of dynamic flow they add to the tank. I'm super happy I decided to go with them, and I don't think they are that distracting.

I've also converted to 3x 250w 14k bulbs across the tank. I like the look but now find it hard to get a good camera shot as my camera dosen't register the blue quite right. I'm going to play with this some more on the weekend and try and post a decent picture of the tank.

[NexDog]

Mmmmm, toys.... :)

[Bax]

shaaaaweet :)

[drjrose]

Originally posted by Psyire
1x Aquasafe RO/DI Unit
2x 1/4" 120V Solenoid Valves (autotopoff.com)
2x Float Switchs
1x Barr Aquatic Kalk Reactor (KR1220)
and my Aquatronica to control it all.


I use a very similar setup. I recently encountered a fatal flaw however. Two solenoids froze in the on position one weekend while nobody was in the office. Monday AM the office was flooded and 95% of the tank was dead.

Now I use a timer on each solenoid so that they can only be activated a total of 2 hours per day and I replaced all solenoids and float switches. Both float switches must read low water for the power to the timers to be activated. There are multiple solenoids and I check them from time to time by manually turing them on and off by turning the timers on and off. Water is added slowly of course, but nearly 72 hours of unchecked flow is a disaster.

[blstravler]

Very nice set up.

One question, did you have your stand made custom? Or di you find a place that produces them? I am in the process of purchasing a new 180 b/c I want to go with a tall stand and I really like the height of your stand and how nice it looks after you boxed it all in.

TIA
Keith

[Psyire]

Originally posted by drjrose
I use a very similar setup. I recently encountered a fatal flaw however. Two solenoids froze in the on position one weekend while nobody was in the office. Monday AM the office was flooded and 95% of the tank was dead.

Now I use a timer on each solenoid so that they can only be activated a total of 2 hours per day and I replaced all solenoids and float switches. Both float switches must read low water for the power to the timers to be activated. There are multiple solenoids and I check them from time to time by manually turing them on and off by turning the timers on and off. Water is added slowly of course, but nearly 72 hours of unchecked flow is a disaster.


That sucks, I hope that dosen't happen to me. I suppose anything is possible but I do have 1 of the solenoids on a timer and the other on float control, so both conditions have to be met. I suppose both could stick in the 'on' position but I can't see anything except checking them regularly solving this problem. I'm not likely to add a third solenoid for extreme redundancy.. hehe.

Thanks for the heads up though, I'll be looking at them more often now.

[Psyire]

Originally posted by blstravler
Very nice set up.

One question, did you have your stand made custom? Or di you find a place that produces them? I am in the process of purchasing a new 180 b/c I want to go with a tall stand and I really like the height of your stand and how nice it looks after you boxed it all in.

TIA
Keith

Thanks!

I had the stand build buy a custom Aquarium shop, but if I did it again I'd probably just take the plans to a fabrication shop that does welding. It would have probably been cheaper. I would just check your local yellow pages as there has to be some sort of industrial fabrication businesses in your area. It's very simple work for any decent welder.

[tigerarmy40]

how about some new updated pics of the tank head on!? I have been wanting to see how the black sand worked out gor you? I have heard that it shows all the detritus and gunk more then white! is that the case and would you use it again? I am thinking about using it in my 150!

[Psyire]

Sure, but remember my camera dosen't do it justice. The colors are off quite abit as the 14K lights play havoc with my camera. I'm also in the Green Algae stage and haven't added my huge cleanup crew.

Also due to the fact I just got my skimmer running, I have abundant growth but it should slow down.

As for the black sand... I wouldn't use it again. I looks alright still in my 180g, but in the 50g downstairs it definately dosen't look too cool as all the detritus does show very well. Also any 'rock dust' shows up bright white too. If I did it over I would go Black starboard or white sand. It's still looking alright for the time being, the tunze's might help keep the detritus suspended so maybe it won't end up like the tank downstairs.

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Fulltankshot1s.jpg

[drunktank]

What made you go w/ the black Tahiti sand?

I'm setting up a new tank, and I loved the look of black sand, but a lot of ppl told me to stay away-

[Psyire]

I really liked the way it makes the corals, rock, & fish 'pop' out at ya.

However I think keeping it clean might override this neat 'look'. I'll know better a few months from now...

[Fliger]

I love the black sand. I have a friend locally who does it. His corals look awesome against it. I had a black acrylic bottom on my last tank and it was great, especially for a barebottom.

Sorry if I missed it - but exactly what brand and grade is the sand you got?

[Psyire]

It's called Tahitian Moon Sand #00821 (Caribsea) It's doing well in my 180g sofar.. I just hope it stays that way.

I tried vaccuming it downstairs in the 50g but it didn't really work that great.

[tigerarmy40]

I think with a few cukes and maybe a sand sifter you should be able to keep the top ayer turned over and cleen looking!

[Psyire]

Well I have a dragon goby that sifts an amazing amount of sand and he's continually growing, so perhaps that is the key.


(you can spot him in the far left of the picture above)

[avolar]

owesome tank!!! I'm dying to see more pics.

[Bebo77]

Psyire thanks for the link int theAquatronica thread.. nice set up man. I am going to copy you with the blue electrical tape that really looks clean! Awsome job.

I too want to go with the black sand. what sugestiosn do you have for using it? i know it shows all white but can it be shifted easily to stay black?

[Psyire]

I'll hopefully have some time to post some more pictures this weekend. I want to post my complete Tunze setup pics and my phosban reactor pics. I never got to painting my shroud this week like I had hoped but I should have time soon.

As for the black sand I'm really not sure what my opinion on it is yet. I'll know better if I'm able to keep it clean as time goes on. There is another RC user with a 180g (I think) that is running black sand and he might be able to help out. His RC name is 'billpa'. There's a thread here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=583833&highlight=black

It has some pictures of his setup but you might want to contact him about how it's working out.

[Philwd]

I'm the friend Fliger mentioned who has had the black sand for a year. It does show the detritus but I really don't mind because it tells me where I need to clean and where my dead spots are. If you let it go and don't keep up then it might start to look unsightly. I think it handles flow a little better. No sand storms just a few rolling canyons.

I absolutely love the way the colors pop at you. To match I also have the back panel black acrylic.

Phil

[Psyire]

Cool. Thanks for poppin' in! What do you use specifically for siphoning the detritus out, or do you just stir it up? Do you use a lot of sand sifters or any creatures to maintain your sand bed? Is it shallow or deep? Mine is holding up alright sofar, but it's pretty new yet.

[Philwd]

Hi Pysire,
Sorry for not getting back to you. Fish came down with ich and been getting the big QT set up.

Usually I just use a 1/2" hose and carefully siphon out the detritus. Sometimes I use a plastic fork rubber banded to the hose to help stir up the top layer and use the hose to suck what ever I stirred up right out. Just the very top. Its 4-6" deep depending where the flow made the valleys.

Since I was trying to keep a DSB with lots of sand critters I don't have real sand sifters. A couple conchs, lots of nassarius, bristleworms, small brittle stars, mysids, amphipods and some asterina do a pretty good job.

Cheers,
Phil

[Bebo77]

I like the black sand look but starboard is probably the way to go for easy of use... where can someone get black starboard?

If i wanted to glue a layer of black sand onto the starboard what kind of exopy should i use...

Thanks

[Kelly]

Beautiful set-up! I've been following from the beginning and you've done a great job. I have the same skimmer as you on my 110, just got it set-up yesterday. What psi are you running yours at? I currently have mine set at 35 psi but am wondering if a higher psi might be more beneficial.

[Mantis]

Originally posted by Bebo77
I like the black sand look but starboard is probably the way to go for easy of use... where can someone get black starboard?

If i wanted to glue a layer of black sand onto the starboard what kind of exopy should i use...

Thanks

Envirotek Lite

[Psyire]

Originally posted by Bebo77
I like the black sand look but starboard is probably the way to go for easy of use... where can someone get black starboard?


http://www.thecuttingboardfactory.com/

[Psyire]

Originally posted by Kelly
Beautiful set-up! I've been following from the beginning and you've done a great job. I have the same skimmer as you on my 110, just got it set-up yesterday. What psi are you running yours at? I currently have mine set at 35 psi but am wondering if a higher psi might be more beneficial.

Thanks!

I'm running my skimmer at the same, 35 scfh. I find it's working fairly well at that rate. I've been adjusting my backpressure more so than my air. I haven't really had it running long enough to have it tuned just right yet. I still overflow it the odd time...

[pimp2daizzo]

this is random, but do you make music??????

[Psyire]

Well my Wife plays the drums and I 'used' to play around with my keyboard & computer. That was until... well this saltwater thing. lol

[Bebo77]

Psyire... is that what starboard is? Cutting board material? never seen it so i am asking...

What type of "glue" can can i put on the starboard if i want to put a layer of sand down on it.

Also, what product can i use that would produce hills and mounds, to give a true sand look?

[Psyire]

Bebo, try searching for 'faux sandbed'. You should be able to turn up some information this way. I believe you have to use an epoxy to stick the sand to it.

When I was deciding on what substrate to use, I looked into doing something similar to what you have planned. However I realized it was a lot of work for nothing as the entire bottom 'fake' sandbed would get covered in coralline algae and you wouldn't see it anyway.

I would suggest using starboard (cuttingboard) by itself if you want to do a barebottom. Unfortunately I don't believe there is a 'sand bed looking' barebottom alternative yet. IMO

[Bebo77]

Thats what i was thinking.. i have not been able to find anything that would create a "real looking" sandbed. I was hoping maybe you did. Thanks Psyire...

How is the sand bed looking now? any new changes?

[Psyire]

It's doing alright still. The only problem I'm having is keeping my Tunze's from moving it around too much. I think I'm going to add another 20 lbs. or so around the edges as it seems to have 'moved inward' and away from the glass. I still have to do some more playing with my tunze placement as well.

[Bebo77]

What if you were to place a Tunze wave maker in there?

What would that do to the black sand?

Would it help keep it black with the constant movement?

[Psyire]

Do you mean the Tunze wavebox? I'm going to assume you do and it's not an option for me due to the way my overflow is designed.

I have noticed though that my Goby definately does help keep my sand looking black. (through sifting)

[bond007069]

nice thread....can tell you did a lot of research :)

[Psyire]

Thanks

Yeah, I find this hobby a continual learning experience. Plus, I find things are made easier by learning from other peoples mistakes as much as possible.

[Bebo77]

Psyire i found the stuff i was asking you about for making a starboard like black sand bottom.. it doesn't create valleys and mounds but it looks awesome.. here is the link to the RC thread...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=392144&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

[Bax]

Bebo77

That is a really cool idea, that's a thread I'll have to take the time to read it. I like the look of sand but really don't want to have to deal with maintenance in my large display once it is up. I just can't go BB it takes away from the overall appearance of the system IMO.

[drunktank]

Hows the black sand looking Psyire?

still dunno if i wanna use it or not

[Psyire]

Bebo77, I've read through that thread before and it's a good one. However I still think that without being able to 'scrape' any coralline off that sandbed, it would eventually cover over with it. Just like starboard does.

drunktank, It's still looking good. I'm more worried about how it'll look in a year or so. But that remains to be seen. I would recommend using cooked LR or Base rock with it though, so there is less detritus coming off the rock onto the Sand. If it's a small tank you plan to use it in, I wouldn't worry too much as it's way easier to maintain, compared to say my 180g.

[drunktank]

I was thinkin bout using it for my 150. I liked the way it looks w/ atinics on.

just wasnt sure how effective it was vs. regular live sand.

[Stasher]

I haven't been around for a long time and have missed alot of your tank progress. Things are looking great!

[Psyire]

Thanks!

I feel bad for not updating this thread as much as I should be. I've been having some problems with pump vibrations and sump noise. I'm planning a big update again once I get things figured out and fixed.

Details can be found in the thread I started here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=680950

[pimp2daizzo]

will i'm 15, and i hope i have a tank like yours when i get older...right now i have a 5.5 gall reef lol still in the work

[Psyire]

Thanks, for the great compliment!

I'm 25, so perhaps you don't have all that long to wait. :cool:

[Bebo77]

psyire your 25 damn you are going well for yourself...

[pimp2daizzo]

lol, cool

i add more coral ot my tank today...:)

[ktkreegs]

Just wanted to say thanks for a great thread. Have been following it for awhile, I wish I had all the sweet toys that you have. I'm in the process of researching for my 125 and you have given me hundreds of ideas. Just wanted to say thanks!
Kevin

[Psyire]

No problem. That's exactly why I created this build thread... to share my idea's and the idea's I've used from other people. RC is my primary source of information, so I like to think that this thread 'gives back' to people who need help, just as I did, and still do.

[Psyire]

So it's been awhile and time for some more pics!

I worked through the problem of my vibration/resonation with my pumps and it's much quieter now, which is very nice. It's all documented on the thread link a few pages back where I mentioned it. (In short, put rubber couplers on any external pump connection. Save yourself the headache of noise)

I had a very busy month of November so I wasn't able to get much done with my tank, which was good in a sense as it just sat and 'matured'. Things are looking better and better every day.

I added quite a few coral frags on November 10th, all of which are doing very well. I also found a Red Sea Sailfin tang on November 20th, which I was extremely happy about since I have been looking for one for awhile. If you want to have a look at my complete log diary, which contains all my additions and dates and other useful info.

Feel Free: Complete Livestock Log & Ongoing Diary (http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Livestock%20Log.xls)

As you can see in the above file I added a good portion of my cleanup crew on November 11th, and they have been steadily mowing down the algae that has been growing since I cycled the tank. They are definately gaining ground as you will see below.

I also just got my Ozotech Ozone Generator installed and feeding into my Skimmer. It's only been running for 2 days and I have it set real low as well, so I haven't really noticed any difference yet.

I got my new Salinity Probe & Interface for my Aquatronica all setup as well. These things are slick and great for on the spot readings of your salinity. (Which is very stable, probably due to the 200g volume of water)




Now for some pictures:

Full tank shot on October 6th:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/FulltankOct06-05s.jpg

Full tank shot on December 9th:
(Cleanup Crew Added Nov. 11th)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/FulltankDec09-05s.jpg

More Pictures from Dec. 9th:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Overview1Dec09-05s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Overview2Dec09-05s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Overview3Dec09-05s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Overview4Dec09-05s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Overview5Dec09-05s.jpg

[Psyire]

I'd also like to say I'm not too happy with how the black sand is progressing. It's becoming more and more noticeable the detritus that is building up on it. I've ordered some Nassarius Snails and some more Hermits to see if that helps any...

[pimp2daizzo]

turn off the mh when u take pics...or get a better cam

[Psyire]

A better camera is in the works...

I'm currently using an old 3.1mp Kodak.

*If I turned off the halides, the tank would be black.

[Muligan]

looking good man I have the aquatronica as well its great with the salinty prob now.

[pimp2daizzo]

u dont have atic or moon lights????

[Bebo77]

Psyire that black sand is not as hot as i had wished it would be... i may have to change my plans on my 300....

[Psyire]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6254450#post6254450 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pimp2daizzo
u dont have atic or moon lights????

Nope, Moonlights are in the works but I don't use Actinics. Only 3x 250w 14K Halides.

[Psyire]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6254486#post6254486 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bebo77
Psyire that black sand is not as hot as i had wished it would be... i may have to change my plans on my 300....

If I did it again I would probably go with Black Starboard. I'm not about to remove my sandbed however. So I'll see how it goes... perhaps these critters I have plans to add will help some.

My biggest pet peeve with the sand is getting it to stay in place with the flow these Tunze's provide. I would go with starboard just so that I could crank up these Tunze's alittle more.

[Stasher]

Tanks seems to be coming along nicely Psyire. It's amazing that you get anything accomplished working in the oilfield in north/central Alberta :)

[pimp2daizzo]

awwwwww i c will its ok i cant wait on the better cam lol/

[Psyire]

More pictures from today:

Magnificent Foxface:
http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180MagFoxface1s.jpg

Juvenile Atlantic Blue Tang:
http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180AtlanticBlue1s.jpg

Frogspawn:
http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Frogspawn2s.jpg

Pink Finger Leather:
(Sinularia)
http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180PinkFingerLeather2s.jpg

Some of my Hitchhiker Starfish:

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Starfish3s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Starfish4s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Starfish5s.jpg

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Starfish6s.jpg

[Psyire]

Couple More:

Red Sea Sailfin:
(He's alittle skinny still, but he'll fatten up soon)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Sailfin1s.jpg

Purple Rhodactis Mushroom:
(I was told this is a German Blue Rhodactis, but it looks more Purple to me)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180PurpleRhodactis1s.jpg

[Psyire]

I added pretty much the last of my Cleanup Crew on Dec. 10th.

24x Astrea Snails
12x Cerith Snails
12x Nassarius Snails
12x Red Scarlet Hermits
1x Red Spotted Snail
1x Blood Red Fire Shrimp
1x Red Chili Coral (not part of cleanup crew, obviously)

The only other snails I might add are some more Nassarius.

[Psyire]

180g Stock List as of Dec. 12th, '05

*Most Fish are Juveniles and most Corals are Frags

Fish
-----
1x Magnificent Foxface
1x Dragon Goby (aka. Barred Goby)
1x Green Clown Goby
1x Filamentious Flasher Wrasse
1x Lawnmower Blenny
1x Psychedelic Mandarin
1x Atlantic Blue Tang
1x Red Sea Sailfin Tang
4x Bartlett's Anthias


Coral
-------
Green Star Polyps
Pink Finger Leather (Sinularia)
Green Hairy Mushroom
German Blue Rhodactis
Blue Sponge
Candy Cane
3 Types of Zoo Frags
Red w/ Green Center Favia
Frogspawn
Yellow/Purple Scleronephthya
Red Chili Coral
Teal Blue Chalice
Florida Orange/Blue/Green Ricordia
Blue Ricordia
Red w/ Blue Dots Mushroom
Purple/Green Acan.

Inverts
---------
24x Astrea Snails
48x Red Banded Snails
16x Cerith Snails
12x Nassarius Snails
6x Trochus Snails
1x Red Spotted Snail
36x Blue Legged Hermits
24x Red Scarlet Hermits
3x Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
2x Blood Red Fire Shrimp
1x Turbo Snail (Hitchhiker)
1x Unknown Starfish (Hitchhiker)

Rock
-----
162 lbs. of Base Rock in Display
(Reefer Rocks)
30 lbs. of Jakarta Live Rock in Refugium

Livestock Log & Diary (http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/Livestock%20Log.xls)

[Bax]

Looking great!

[Psyire]

Here's a couple more pics of corals I have.

This is the Scleronephthya I added on Nov. 10th and this picture was taken just a few days later. It looks pretty much the same today but alittle bigger. (I forgot I hadn't posted it yet)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180Scleronephthya1s.jpg

And this is the Red Chili Coral (Nephthyigorgia) that I recieved last Saturday. This picture was taken in the dark and only some of the polyps were out. It does extend them all, and has done so as I type this.

(It's glued upside down under a 'bridge' rock)

http://www.playhardrc.com/misc/aquarium/180RedChili1s.jpg

Both of these are non-photosynthetic so they have presented me with, what I would consider, my first real challange in keeping something alive. We'll see how it goes, but so far, so good.

[tigerarmy40]

how about a frontal shot of the tank! has to be looking cool!

[Psyire]

Just scroll up abit. ;)