thetedinator's semi-cube

[thetedinator]

Hello all,

After some scrimping, saving and planning, I've started my new tank project. As things progress, I'll post and update. Before I get into this I want acknowledge the help I have received and continue to receive from fellow SoCal Reefers o2manyfish, cmagallon, algaeguy and pucci. They have been full of answers, questions and criticism of this project.

The tank is acrylic with a powder coated steel frame on the top. This allows the tank to be completely open. It measures 48" wide X 60" deep X 26" tall. It has a black back panel. The overflow is offset right center and has 3 X 2" holes for plumbing.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/ted_001_cmprssd.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/ted_009_cmprssd.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/ted_010_cmprssd.jpg

[thetedinator]

I converted my office into a fish room. I have installed tile for when the inevitable spill occurs.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fishroom_tile_cmprssd.jpg

The stand for the tank is under construction. It is made of steel. Under the tank is mostly open. The legs will be covered by a facade that will match the tile. Here are a couple of drawings.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/stand1.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/stand3.jpg

[cmagallon]

SWEET! tank Ted,

You look high in the picture! LOL...

[thetedinator]

With the exception of lighting, all equipment will be outside. The exact size of the sump and refugium is still being decided. One outside configuration has a 240g refugium and 120g sump. I have installed two circuits for the outside for power. Here is a photo of the corner area underneath the office window where the sump, refugium, etc. will go.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/window_cmprssed.jpg

I have some of the equipment on hand and some is on order.

Outside goes a Deltec FR509

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/FR509_cmprssd.jpg

Also outside will go a Deltec PF600S Calcium Reactor and a Deltec AP702 Protein Skimmer.

In the tank goes 6 Tunze Streams (damn back order!)

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/tunze_cmprssd.jpg

[thetedinator]

For lighting, I have 4 Lumenarcs

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/lumenarc_002_cmprssd.jpg

I am undecided on bulbs and ballasts. I am leaning toward Ice Cap 400w and Ushio 10K. We shall see....

Also a little up in the air is the recirculating pump. I will probably go with a Sequence Dart.

cya,

Ted

[Julio]

sweet tank, can't wait to see it setup.

[thetedinator]

Con, We need to talk about the lighting! That damn Carlos gave me a way cool idea and you're just the guy to help pull it off!!

Julio, Thanks!

[Nanook]

Beautiful tank!!! Have fun setting it all up!!

Dave:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Nanook
Beautiful tank!!! Have fun setting it all up!!

Dave:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Thanks Dave! I'm looking forward to getting all the gear and setting it up.

Ted

[Nanook]

Looks like you have great components too!! I am going to be using a combo of 6200s and 6100s in my 375g and 470g tanks as well. I have all SLS RO3 pendants, but those Diamond LA 3s are SWEET!!

Dave

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Nanook
Looks like you have great components too!! I am going to be using a combo of 6200s and 6100s in my 375g and 470g tanks as well. I have all SLS RO3 pendants, but those Diamond LA 3s are SWEET!!

Dave

Yes the L3s ARE sweet! Pucci has two L3s with 1000w bulbs over his tank. I think it's 6' long. They light the whole thing up!

[dogstar74]

I must say that I am very impressed with the stand. I would really like to see more people get out of the rectangle mentality when designing their tanks. That stand is something straight out of star trek man. keep up the good work!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by dogstar74
I must say that I am very impressed with the stand. I would really like to see more people get out of the rectangle mentality when designing their tanks. That stand is something straight out of star trek man. keep up the good work!

Thanks!

[sfsuphysics]

Wow neat.. out of curiosity is there a reason the "legs" of your stand are like they are? seems a strange configuration, hope you don't crack the tile with the pressure.

[dogstar74]

No bad Karma man! I love the leg shape and config! But weight may be an issue. One solution is to cut out the tiles to fit around the legs eh?

[reefboy1]

Awesome - very inspiring. I love the steel frame top. Who built it for you.

Six Streams - that's kicking flow. Do you plan to hide them in anyway?

Art

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by sfsuphysics
Wow neat.. out of curiosity is there a reason the "legs" of your stand are like they are? seems a strange configuration, hope you don't crack the tile with the pressure.

In the tank will be three rock islands. The legs will be (approximately) underneath each island. Each leg will be skinned and painted to match the tile so that the legs will seem to be part of the tile.

Originally posted by dogstar74
No bad Karma man! I love the leg shape and config! But weight may be an issue. One solution is to cut out the tiles to fit around the legs eh?

I'm not worried about the tile. There are 5 legs. Each leg with a footing to spread pressure. My floor guy said it shouldn't be a problem.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by reefboy1
Awesome - very inspiring. I love the steel frame top. Who built it for you.

Six Streams - that's kicking flow. Do you plan to hide them in anyway?

Art

Art,

o2manyfish hooked me up with the tank. Custom size, custom overflow box to accomodate the steel stand, custom steel frame top. algaeguy ordered a tank at the same time. His top frame is powder coated white and looked awesome!

Lots of flow and yes, the streams will all be hidden. One possibility is to place them inside pvc tubes and put the tubes inside the rock work. Slide them out of the tubes when it's time to clean them.

I'm thinking about adding a wavebox. Not sure yet. I'm waiting to see one in person again. I saw the wavebox at IMAC. It's pretty cool.

cya,

Ted

[cali_reef]

Ted, WOW!!!! keep the pictures coming, but try to leave o2manyfish out, kinda scary..

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by cali_reef
Ted, WOW!!!! keep the pictures coming, but try to leave o2manyfish out, kinda scary..

Hey Pierce! Dave is good for some things! When you want to know what NOT to do when setting up a new system, ask Dave 'cause, as Dave says, if there is a wrong way to go, he has probably tried it!

Seriously, Dave was the logical guy to ask when I decided I wanted to plumb hundreds of gallons of water inside the house to hundreds of gallons of water outside the house.

cya,

Ted

[moonpod]

Ted, I gotta see pix of the tank unwrapped. I'm thinking of having Dave hook me up with the same people for my next one....That thing looks sweet dude.

[thetedinator]

Thanks Chuck! Con is working as fast as he can on the stand. The wrap doesn't come off until the stand is in place. I can't risk the clumsy owner scratching the thing!

I'm hoping the stand will be ready before I go on vacation. :rollface:


cya,

Ted

[Detritivore]

very cool! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[cmagallon]

Ted I'm on it. I just need to test the lighting in motion to see if there's any trails.Originally posted by thetedinator
Con, We need to talk about the lighting! That damn Carlos gave me a way cool idea and you're just the guy to help pull it off!!

Julio, Thanks!

[Fliger]

That is really awesome! You're not worried about the outside heat in Valencia? Are you going to need a chiller (sorry if I missed that)?

Can't you give us a sneak peak of the powder coated trim? Or more pix of the outside? I'd love to see how you're planning it. I love those indoor/outdoor systems.

[thetedinator]

Fliger,

Thanks.

Yes I'm worried. Heat and cold are potential issues. The cabinet housing the equipment and sump/refugium will be insulated. I hope that between the insulation, a few heaters and a chiller I can keep a stable temperature.

I will be posting more pics this weekend and I'll peel back some of the wrap protecting the tank and grab a picture of the steel frame.

cya,

Ted

[o2manyfish]

Ted,

Come on show off your new live rock -- It's amazing !!!!

Dave B

[Detritivore]

oooo! i wanna see :D

[Zephrant]

Hey Ted- Did you do the deflection calculations on the corners of that stand? Just a WAG, but it looks like it will sag on the corners, if it is drawn to scale. Some deflection is a given, I'm just wondering what the formulas are predicting...

Zeph

[Detritivore]

hi ted, where can one buy the lumenarcs?

[o2manyfish]

Zeph,

Con who is building the stand has access to several structural engineers. They run figure out all the techie stuff and then tell him how safe things are at all the point.

When Con did my stand, since I had the recessed leg to support about 1/3 the tank, they figured that the freestanding corner would easily handly 10,000 lbs.

Just to test it I jumped up and down on the corner and it held no problem :)

Con builds some hefty stuff for his real career, so I am pretty sure that all will be well. :)

Dave B

[thetedinator]

While trying to bring the stand concept into existence, we hit a couple of snags. The first snag is the CAD program told Con that the three legs in front needed to be repositioned. The second is that I forgot to account for the doorway that the stand has to fit thru to get into the fish room.

Here's a new 3D capture of the stand and tank. The legs have been repositioned to support the weight.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/3d_tank3.jpg

[o2manyfish]

But Ted,

Where is the awesome liverock to go in the tank.

Dave B


PS - I am a lil worried about the new pic - Either the tank is 36" deep or the stand is only 18" Tall :)

[thetedinator]

Dave,

I'm like invincible! I may or may not have live rock! LOL! Maybe I'll post pictures of someone else's liverock!LOL

True. The tank is not to scale in the drawing. I'm actually more worried about the angle of the tank and stand. I think water will spill out the front corner! LOL.

cya,

Ted

[biodegraded]

What a cool project with artistic flare. :dance: Glad you're taking the time to post the progression, Ted. A lot of us will be following it closely, I'm sure.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Fliger
That is really awesome! You're not worried about the outside heat in Valencia? Are you going to need a chiller (sorry if I missed that)?

Can't you give us a sneak peak of the powder coated trim? Or more pix of the outside? I'd love to see how you're planning it. I love those indoor/outdoor systems.

Here's a picture of the frame. I included a 3" bulkhead for perspective.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/tankframe004sm.jpg

cya,

Ted

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by o2manyfish
Ted,

Come on show off your new live rock -- It's amazing !!!!

Dave B

Here are pictures of some LR I picked up yesterday. I have 100+ pounds of base rock, 120+ pounds of Walt Smith Show Kaelini and 170+ pounds of Walt Smith Show Tonga Branch. Arriving this week is another approximately 180 pounds of Walt Smith Show Fiji rock. A big thanks to Chris and Andy at ReeferMadness who hooked me up with this absolutely amazing Walt Smith rock.

This picture I call "Christmas in January". Open the box and see what we got!!!
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/rock1_001sm.jpg

Show Kaelini
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/rock1_003sm.jpg

Show Tonga Branch
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/rock1_007sm.jpg

Close up
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/rock1_008sm.jpg

Finally, here is picture of a piece of base rock that I picked up from Andy. It is about 3 feet in diameter!!
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/rock1_012sm.jpg


A big thanks to Dave Botwin who is curing the Kaelini and Tonga Branch in his system for me!


cya,

Ted

[Detritivore]

wow...those rocks are HUGE!!!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by jonah310
hi ted, where can one buy the lumenarcs?

XtremeAquatics (Pucci on RC) got them for me.

[cmagallon]

here you go Ted, I downloade the SP4 patch for IronCAD 3.2 and It fixed it.
YEAH!

Sweet rock bro.

PM me the dims of your back yard where you're setting up the sump and stuff and I'll 3D model it for you.

If I get out early from stage and I'm not tired, beer at my house, I'll let you guys know.

Thanks....................................

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/ted3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/ted2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/ted1.jpg

[cmagallon]

LOL:::::::::: what happened to the stand Ted, LOL
must have changed from version 3.2 to 7.1...

STUBBY>>>LOL Originally posted by thetedinator
While trying to bring the stand concept into existence, we hit a couple of snags. The first snag is the CAD program told Con that the three legs in front needed to be repositioned. The second is that I forgot to account for the doorway that the stand has to fit thru to get into the fish room.

Here's a new 3D capture of the stand and tank. The legs have been repositioned to support the weight.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/3d_tank3.jpg

[thetedinator]

Thanks Con. Dave and I roughed out the layout yesterday. I'll email a drawing with dimensions. I'm going to house the skimmer in it's own cabinet.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Ted

[algaeguy]

Ted- that rock is SIIICKKKKKK!

Wow! Awesome Kaelini! You scored... That flat piece is awesome...I could always make a sarcaphagus out of it if it doesn't work out for you!

Scott

[thetedinator]

Scott,

The pictures don't even get close to how good the rock really is....and the pieces are huge!

Ted

[Konadog]

Ted, all I can say is WOW :eek1: I will need to come over and see this beast when you get it running! If you have any scrap rock left over, I would be interested in it. (I may just sneak over to Dave's and look)

Con, your stands are getting better all the time :thumbsup:

[cali_reef]

Hey Ted,

Did those large show piece came one per box? The last time I asked for show pieces I got one rock(50lbs) per box:lol:.

Can't wait to see your skimmer in action sucking the dead stuff out of those big pieces.

[moonpod]

C'mon Ted, that pix of the trim is just a tease.....

That rock is really nice....

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by cali_reef
Hey Ted,

Did those large show piece came one per box? The last time I asked for show pieces I got one rock(50lbs) per box:lol:.

Can't wait to see your skimmer in action sucking the dead stuff out of those big pieces.

Pierce,

Yes. Each box contained a single huge piece and some smaller pieces. I want the larger pieces to make islands and hide the streams.

Dave is curing the rock in his system while my equipment is finished and I go scuba diving for 2 weeks in Truuk and Palau:rollface:

Not sure how much will be left for my new skimmer to pull.

cya,

Ted

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by moonpod
C'mon Ted, that pix of the trim is just a tease.....

That rock is really nice....

LOL!

Chuck, when the stand is finished, I'll take the wraps off the tank and post the $$$ shots!!!


Ted

[JellyTheory]

Hey Ted,

Everything looks amazing so far! Do you have any mockups of the outside configuration done up yet? If so, please post them too! :)

-Chris

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by JellyTheory
Hey Ted,

Everything looks amazing so far! Do you have any mockups of the outside configuration done up yet? If so, please post them too! :)

-Chris

Thanks. I'm working on a diagram of the outside plumbing. I'll probably post it in the next day or two.


Ted

[thetedinator]

My final shipment of rock arrived Tuesday. 200+ pounds of Walt Smith Premium Fiji. Dave B. bailed me out and picked up the rock and somehow found some room in his system to start curing this rock.

Here's a couple of pictures.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fiji_rock2-sm.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fiji_rock3-sm.jpg


cya,

Ted

[Chip Douglas]

by dimensions alone I love this tank, I'm excited to see it progress! keep us posted.

[thetedinator]

There hasn't been any progress over the last few weeks. I was out of town, things are still back ordered and there have been some minor changes to the stand.

As soon as things go forward, I'll update.

[skippyreef]

nice tank and great concept on the stand!

I have a Tunze kit on order for my tank that is actually the opposite of yours. 60*48*24 LOL.

How many people did it take to get that monster in the house LOL

[cmagallon]

Here's some old pix of the stand before I skinned it. When I get a chance I'll post more pix. This puppy should be in it's new home by the end of next week.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/IMG_4453.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/IMG_4452.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/IMG_4451.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/IMG_4450.jpg

[CPT. MURPHY]

great looking stand looking forward to updates :)

[The Yellow Longnose]

Looks great so for keep it up
Joe

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by cmagallon
Here's some old pix of the stand before I skinned it. When I get a chance I'll post more pix. This puppy should be in it's new home by the end of next week.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/IMG_4453.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/IMG_4452.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/IMG_4451.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/cmagallon/IMG_4450.jpg


Con,

Thanks for posting the pics. This is awesome. Is it already skinned? I'll start icing the beer!

Thanks again,

Ted

[AcroSteve]

Very nice work on that stand.

[Kevin McG]

Very nice stand! Can't wait to see more progress.

[cmagallon]

Thanks,

Yeah, it's already skinned. I'll look to see if there's more pix.

see yah soon!

[skippyreef]

Keep the progress coming! Looking really sweet tedinator!

[snooter1]

Like it. Keep the pics comming.

[thetedinator]

Thanks everyone! I'll keep the thread updated as things progress.

[UnderwaterExotic]

Looking good!!!!

[David P]

Ted, I just gotta say if things go bad and youre pulling out your hair for whatever reason, dont blame me! Dont come to me saying its all your fault, if you didnt help me pick up my 90g I never would have invested my life savings on this!

Quite impressive! What are your plans for the frame to prevent rust, powder coating? or will the skins water proof it? My steel stand is rusting a little from splashes here and there.

Dont tell my wife but while you were over telling me about this tank, I imagined a 6' long tank where the 120 is now but about 4 feet deep...

[z_rivers]

4 feet deep will be very hard to access the bottom, youll have to swim in it to reach the lower half of the tank.

[thetedinator]

48" wide x 60" deep x 26" tall.

[cali_reef]

Con,

Hurry with the stand, I like to see the tank up and running with all those Tunzes and awesome looking extra large rocks. I am tire of looking at Dave, Scott, and Ted using a beautiful acrylic tank as a hot tub evertime I see this post.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by cali_reef
Con,

Hurry with the stand....


The stand is finished! I am absolutely amazed!

Here are couple of pics of the stand as we assemble it.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/Stand2%20003-sm.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/Stand2%20004-sm.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/Stand2%20002-sm.jpg

More pictures to come.....


Ted

[moonpod]

Oh man Ted, that is SWEET. It's an amazing match to the tile!

[cmagallon]

Originally posted by thetedinator
Con,

I'll start icing the beer!

Ted

What beer! LOL

see you saturday!

[SHARKSRME]

looks great so far!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by cmagallon
What beer! LOL

see you saturday!

Con,

I can't let you drink and drive (until you finish my canopy)!!!

Gil did an amazing job matching the tile!

cya tomorrow,

Ted

[Johnsteph10]

Wow! How did you skin it to match so well?? Beauty-full!

[thetedinator]

Assembled the stand today then placed the tank on it to level it out.

Are are a couple of pics.

Tack welding the legs after bolting them on.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/Stand3%20001-sm.jpg


Tank sitting on the stand.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/Stand3%20002-sm.jpg


cya,

Ted

[Konadog]

Very nice Ted!

The color match is incredible.

[Chip Douglas]

god that tank is going to be nice, those dimensions are great

[thetedinator]

Thanks everyone. It's nice to be making progress again.

Ted

[nbd13]

when do you think you will have that bad boy filled up?

thanks!

Nick

[cali_reef]

When is the tank tour??

Is your live rock still alive?

[UnderwaterExotic]

nice size, how much did that tank run?

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by nbd13
when do you think you will have that bad boy filled up?

thanks!

Nick

Nick,

I have a custom sump on order. I should have the sump in about two weeks so the weekend of 3/26 is going to be fun because that's when the plumbing starts!!

Originally posted by cali_reef
When is the tank tour??

Is your live rock still alive?

Pierce,

The rock is still alive and looking great. I checked it yesterday. The rock looks so good that I have to keep an eye on Scott! Everytime he sees my Fiji rock, he drools!

With any luck, the system will be ready for a tank tour this summer or fall.

cya,

Ted

[SERVO]

WOW!!!

Usually, I just look and don't reply to the typical hey look at what I'm doing type of post. I like to appreciate from a far.

The stand is amazing. I was impressed at your original idea. I agree with your tile guy, I think that you can appropriately distribute the pressure out with the five point system. Very classy!!!!!

You're rocks are awesome. It is nice to see Large pieces in a large tank.

Boy O Boy with that TUNZE system your tank is going to be Jammin!!!

Good luck, and congrats for adequate planing!

[David P]

Ted, what are you talking about, Scott drools all the time.

Con, nice work on that stand! Makes me consider remaking my entire stand, but with all that plumbing coming up from the bottom.... Ill just suffer.

Looks good Ted, I cant wait to swing by and take a look see in person.

[anthworks]

I love the dimensions of this tank. Very classy setup and different. Please keep the pictures coming.

[sidewinder770]

Love the stand- excellent work! Looks to be an awesome setup!

[thetedinator]

Anthony and Scott,

Thanks for the compliments. I'm looking forward to getting the plumbing setup and some water in it.

Ted

[Project Reef]

WOWZERS TED!!!!

[mattsilvester]

looking forward to seeing this tank with water in it!!!
looks great so far

[bulldogfish]

Gorgeous !!!!!

Uterrly Gorgeous!!!

[thetedinator]

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

This wouldn't be happening without the help of my friends Dave, Scott and Con.

cya,

Ted

[funstarfish]

man thats gonna be something special

[thetedinator]

No progress since last weekend. Waiting on some equipment parts and the refugium/sump will be picked up Friday.

cya,

Ted

[A Reef Scene]

That is a great looking tank

[hdtvguy]

Should be fun aquascaping that tank. Very nice work so far. Looking forward to seeing it running.

[thetedinator]

Hey Everyone,

I'm pretty jazzed this morning! Dave B and I ran some errands yesterday. We picked up a bunch of plumbing supplies from HD and we picked up this beast!

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/240gSump002-sm.jpg

It's my 240g Sump/Refugium. There is a black acrylic seperator 1/2 way in the tank that makes a 120g sump on one side and a 120g refugium on the other.

Progress!

cya,

Ted

[tang_man_montreal]

Sweet!!!
How's it all divided up? Are there baffles and such in the sump area?

[thetedinator]

There are two equal sized compartments. The divider is black so that I can light the refugium and minimize growth in the sump.

[slave-of-rock]

beautiful tank!!! what program did you use to design the stand? im using Rhino 3-D to designl a paintball gun and its really fun, great program to use and open up your mind on. GL with the rock work, that should be alot of fun!!

[El_Chico]

cant wait to see everything plumbed. Looks great so far.

(Tank envy)

[DitchPlains2]

This is my tank only scaled up 20000% lol.... great work, thanks for taking the time for progress pictures, I love progression shots.
:rollface:

[thetedinator]

slave-of-rock: My good friend Con used a program called IronCAD to design the stand.

El_Chico: I can't wait to see this plumbed either!!

DitchPlains2: I have some photos of the platform for the outside cabinet. I'll post them later this week.

Thanks everyone for the interest.

cya,

Ted

[thetedinator]

Thanks to Dave B. and Scott F., we made a lot of progress today.

The bottom of the cabinet that will hold all of the equipment is in place.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/sump_040305_007.jpg

The sump/refugium is situated.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/sump_040305_010.jpg

Part of the plumbing is done and we temporarily plumbed the the sump so I can transfer my live rock from Dave B's system to mine.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/sump_040305_013.jpg

I have to say, the Sequence Barracude rips.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/sump_040305_014.jpg

Since these pictures, I have added some salt and put a deltec FR509 with some activated carbon into the sump to start cleaning up the tap water.

cya,

Ted

[slave-of-rock]

beautiful!! your sumps going to be outside?

[thetedinator]

I am building a cabinet to hold all of the equipment. I want as much equipment outside as possible.

[Detritivore]

sweet!...how come it looks like part of the return is going back into the sump?

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by jonah310
sweet!...how come it looks like part of the return is going back into the sump?

This is temporary plumbing to let me put LR into the sump/refugium. The setup right now has the pump pulling from the sump and a split return with part going back into the sump and part into the refugium.

[David P]

looks like you opted for spending the extra $1 and bought the clear pvc cement. What dont you like seeing blue and purple joints like everyone else has? Looking good Ted! I really want to come over and check it out.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by David P
looks like you opted for spending the extra $1 and bought the clear pvc cement. What dont you like seeing blue and purple joints like everyone else has? Looking good Ted! I really want to come over and check it out.

Dave,

HD was out of stock on the blue glue so I had to settle for the clear. LOL. Drop by anytime.


cya,

Ted

[rscdragon]

Awsome set up, The stand is really cool, Gives me some thing to think about when i move into my new house. and set up my new tank

[reefboy1]

Ted,

Wow, awesome outdoor setup (only in Southern CA would you see this...). Very nicely done. A couple questions.

- What is the platform material? Painted plywood? If so, what did you paint it with?

- Once you enclose it, how will you keep it ventilated?

- Why so much of a waterfall between the two sump compartments?

Thanks and please keep up posted,

Art

[funstarfish]

i too was curious about the water fall and and possible bubble probs. perhaps they are aleviated by the volume of the sump and the distance it will still have to travel...

[thetedinator]

All.

The waterfall is just a cool effect caused by the amount of flow from the Sequence pump. The amount of bubbles is minimal and I have several suggestions on how to deal with them. I'll let you know how it goes.

cya,

Ted

[lakersfan0014]

Hey Ted, glad to see that setup comming along! I am wondering about that sump, with no top at all what thickness did they use? Do you notice any bowing at all? We're building a sump right now that is 225 gallon, with either no top or small strips to help prevent bowing, so we'd be interested in how your's is looking. Anyways keep those pics comming!

[z28pwr]

Ted, aren't you concerned with amount of weight that will be put on the tiles since most of the load will be concentrated in a few pieces of tile. Will the tile be able to handle the weight without cracking?


Setup looks sweet, congrats.

[steve68]

WOW the tank is AWESOME !!!
:beer:
:beer:
:beer:

[thetedinator]

With a little help from me, my good friend Dave Botwin completed 95% of the plumbing on my new system today. Here are some photos I took while we checked for leaks.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/plumbing_040505_007.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/plumbing_040505_004.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/plumbing_040505_005.jpg


cya,

Ted

[Bryan89]

Nice job Ted. Where did you find the black PVC? The only place ii have found it is at Savko.com, but I would rather buy it locally.

[curtisvill]

This tank is looking great. I have enjoyed reading this thread very much.

[moonpod]

Ted, you're gonna be the Deltec poster boy!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by moonpod
Ted, you're gonna be the Deltec poster boy!

Chuck,

I'm old enough to remember posters associated with charity!!! In my case, I will gladly accept donations of rowalith and rowaphos. I plan on holding telethon to raise money to buy the FR509's bigger brother as well as the kalk stirrer!!! LOL


cya,

Ted

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by moonpod
Ted, you're gonna be the Deltec poster boy!

Chuck,

I'm old enough to remember posters associated with charity!!! In my case, I will gladly accept donations of rowalith and rowaphos. I plan on holding telethon to raise money to buy the FR509's bigger brother as well as the kalk stirrer!!! LOL


cya,

Ted

[moonpod]

Hah, hah, I'm just getting lots and lots of ideas for my new tank....between you and Scott, my next tank is almost layed out. Course I gotta get someone to build me the stand and canopy....

[Fliger]

Ted, what is the Deltec furthest to the left? Is that a calcium reactor? I have the 509 and really like it, but the bigger one is just too expensive to justify for me.

Yours and algaeman's and reefboy's are definitely the reason I check RC every day!

I tell you - if I had a Deltec I would get a self cleaning head. These Eheims are so damn efficient you have to clean them every couple days!

[reefboy1]

That self-cleaning head costs over $1K. I would love to see one in action though to see how effective it really is.

Art

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Fliger
Ted, what is the Deltec furthest to the left? Is that a calcium reactor? I have the 509 and really like it, but the bigger one is just too expensive to justify for me.

Yours and algaeman's and reefboy's are definitely the reason I check RC every day!

I tell you - if I had a Deltec I would get a self cleaning head. These Eheims are so damn efficient you have to clean them every couple days!


Left to right, the line up is:

PF600S Calcium Reactor
AP702 Protein Skimmer
FR509 Fluized Reactor.

The FR509 is rated at a couple of hundread gallons but I'm hoping that I won't need anything bigger because the price jump to the next size is substantial.

I'm starting to save my $$ for the self cleaning head:rollface:


cya,

Ted

[Hop]

I have to tell you that I am envious of being able to do the outdoor cabinet plumbing! I don't think it would work in Colorado:)

Great thread and good job with a clean install!

[thetedinator]

All,

I will have 1600w of MH lighting over the system and being in SoCal with the sump/refugium outdoors, I am starting to think about a larger chiller.

I would appreciate any feedback on large capacity chillers.


Thanks and cya,

Ted

[David P]

MAYTAG

[Daddyo]

Wow, this is amazing. If you need help with anything, let me know. Like help with standing and gawking at the tank, that's my specialty.

[thetedinator]

Thanks everyone. No progress since last Wednesday.

cya,

Ted

[David P]

Originally posted by thetedinator
Thanks everyone. No progress since last Wednesday.

cya,

Ted
hmmph! I guess that big heavy sump just moved itself huh?:p

Ted I should not have stopped by the other day... Im thinking about running a pair of pipes out the wall to my pool patio and running a large sump outside. The wife said no, but I dont think she heard me saying how quiet the tank would be then, or the fact that I wont have the 60g in the closet as a refugium. No wait, she did hear that because she commented on the newly installed can lighting and exhaust fan in the "newly enlarged" fish closet... I guess my setup is fine the way it is...

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by David P
hmmph! I guess that big heavy sump just moved itself huh?:p

Ted I should not have stopped by the other day... Im thinking about running a pair of pipes out the wall to my pool patio and running a large sump outside. The wife said no, but I dont think she heard me saying how quiet the tank would be then, or the fact that I wont have the 60g in the closet as a refugium. No wait, she did hear that because she commented on the newly installed can lighting and exhaust fan in the "newly enlarged" fish closet... I guess my setup is fine the way it is...

David,

Thanks again for the help! LMK if you feel like driving down to Dave B's. I put water back into the sump and need to go pick up my LR and bring it to my house.

Ted

[cali_reef]

Sure!! get someone to do all the heavy lifting... Come on with more pics already....

Anyone know where Dave B is? I called and email him the last few days and he is not around.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by cali_reef
Sure!! get someone to do all the heavy lifting... Come on with more pics already....

Anyone know where Dave B is? I called and email him the last few days and he is not around.

Pierce,

I think he was "tied up" :eek1: all weekend (I don't know her name). I spoke with him yesterday.

With 120g of water in the refugium, the acrylic in the refugium bowed so I drained the sump and refugium and the manufacturer installed two cross braces. I added water last night (to the sump/refugium) only. When the water is up to temp, etc, I will pickup my LR from Dave and put that into the sump and refugium. Hopefully this weekend.

There is an issue with the tank preventing completion of the plumbing so while I wait on that I am starting to work the canopy as well as completing the outside cabinetry.

Are you going to NERAC this weekend?

cya,

Ted

[David P]

NERAC?

Let me know when you want to pu your rock. Ive got drywallers and a door manufacturer (and hoping for a roofer to show up) in my house today and tomorrow (hopefully not saturday) and will be painting/laying the wood floors this weekend. But just about any other time...

[olemos]

NERAC :thumbsup:
http://www.lireef.org/NERAC.htm

[cali_reef]

Yup, I plan to be there as of this Tuesday, hope nothing changes before this weekend. Ask her to un-tie Dave so he can get some work done on your set up this weekend.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by David P
NERAC?

Let me know when you want to pu your rock. Ive got drywallers and a door manufacturer (and hoping for a roofer to show up) in my house today and tomorrow (hopefully not saturday) and will be painting/laying the wood floors this weekend. But just about any other time...

Dave,

How is Sunday looking? With any luck, fhe plumbing will finish Friday night or Saturday, at which point, I add a bunch of water and salt and heat so that maybe by Sunday the system is ready for LR.

Ted

[David P]

depends on when the drywallers finish and how much I get accomplished saturday. If I get a good coat of paint and have to wait for it to dry... Im there!

[thetedinator]

After a long evening, I have water in my tank. I will post pictures when I get some rest.

Big thanks to David B.

cya,

Ted

[David P]

yeah!

[loserkidz]

I think I just wet myself Ted!!!
Beautiful tank so far.
Brent

[Konadog]

Congratulation Ted :thumbsup:

Now we need some new pictures!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by loserkidz
I think I just wet myself Ted!!!
Beautiful tank so far.
Brent

Brent,

Not another leak!! I've had too many as it is!

Originally posted by Konadog
Congratulation Ted :thumbsup:

Now we need some new pictures!

Ken,

I thought about protesting the lack of pictures from algaeguy by refusing to post updates to my system until he posts a picture but then I realized I might never post to RC again!

When I have a chance I'll update the pictures.

Thanks for compliments!

cya,

Ted

[SERVO]

Ted,

Depending on if you are housing the sump outside and you expect a greenhouse effect, with the hot summer sun you need at least a 1/3 horse power chiller. Maybe even a 1 HP chiller. That is big bucks! Check out that fish place, that pet place. They are tough to beat. I bought my 1/3 HP chiller from them.

Good luck, your set up is looking sweet!

[thetedinator]

Plumbing finished late last Friday night. Two small leaks:(
Did not stop me from adding water and live rock!

Flow from the return pump is tuned down until I enlarge the overflow teeth. Tank has 2 6200s and 2 6100s running. Rock is close to the final placement. Skimmer is pulling some nasty stuff out even though it is still breaking in!

Big thanks once again to David B and David P for all the help.

Here are a few pictures.

Skimming.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/tank_week041105_009.jpg

Water in the tank.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/tank_week041105_011.jpg

Rocks in the tank.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/tank_week041105_015.jpg

Close up of the front island.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/tank_week041105_019.jpg

cya,

Ted

[Detritivore]

wow! fantastic!

[Konadog]

Ted, are you going to enclose your outdoor equipment under something like Dave B, or is it staying open?

Nice to see water and rock, almost looks like you have a reef tank again!

[thetedinator]

Ken,

I'm going to enclose the equipment in a cabinet a la Dave B. The counter tops will lift off and have cabinet doors in front of the skimmer, etc. The front of the refugium will have doors so I can expose it to sunlight but enclose it when it's winter and I want to save $$. I plan on having vho over the refugium has supplemental lighting when the front door is closed.

cya,

Ted

[masson]

Nice Tank!
I hope it doesnt rain :D

[ReefWaters]

Ted,

Great work so far. I really like the islands as compared to a wall or large pile of rocks. Im assuming from all the Streams that your planning on mostly SPS?

As for the chiller. Have you looked into running Freon through a titanium coil or heat exchanger instead of an "aquarium specific" chiller. I haven’t read a ton on this but Im pretty sure as long as you have a refrigeration compressor running Freon through a heat exchanger of some sort, you can go bigger for cheaper.

If Im wrong about this, please someone let me know. I hate being wrong. :D

Good luck with the rest of the project.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by ReefWaters
Ted,

Great work so far. I really like the islands as compared to a wall or large pile of rocks. Im assuming from all the Streams that your planning on mostly SPS?

As for the chiller. Have you looked into running Freon through a titanium coil or heat exchanger instead of an "aquarium specific" chiller. I haven’t read a ton on this but Im pretty sure as long as you have a refrigeration compressor running Freon through a heat exchanger of some sort, you can go bigger for cheaper.

If Im wrong about this, please someone let me know. I hate being wrong. :D

Good luck with the rest of the project.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll let you know how I end up cooling the system.

cya,

Ted

[birdman204]

Originally posted by thetedinator
All,

I will have 1600w of MH lighting over the system and being in SoCal with the sump/refugium outdoors, I am starting to think about a larger chiller.

I would appreciate any feedback on large capacity chillers.


Thanks and cya,

Ted
Here's a few things I've noticed from my 1/2 HP deltastar.
Heat, This thing dumps serious heat into the space it is contained in. If you are putting it in the tank cabinet outside (which I do suggest due to noise) I would definatley consider venting the storage space with some sort of large fan timed to come on when the chiller does. Something similar to this should work well outside with a subdued noise level.
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=220&item=CF-185&type=store
http://www.allelectronics.com/images/gold/large/CF-185.jpg
Been running one in a 14 x 10 fish room, and it gets hot on the weekends (office building AC turns off) I've hade to remove all the ceiling panels, and install a fan to move the hot air out, otherwise , it is just fighting itself.

Tank looks cool, makes me wish I did a progress thread.
Maybe I'll start a "From here on out" thread ;)

[qwuintus]

those rocks be the ****!

[David P]

wow, some of those rocks look heavy!:p Ted, c'mon you gotta get a better pic than that. I commented that I wish I was a fish so I could swim around and explore all the cool caves and canyons in the rocks. You get to look between the islands all the way to back and its bizzar to trying to look in caves that are almost 5 feet away.

[thetedinator]

Thought I'd post some more pics....

Here is shot of the plumbing underneath the tank. Two 2" lines T'd into a 3" line from the overflow box to the sump and one two 2" return from a sequence barracuda.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/tank_week041105_001.jpg


Here is a shot of the skimmate in my deltec 702. The skimmer still breaking in and is not quite tuned right. The skimmer pulled out this stuff in about 30 hours. I'm thinking 1 more day and the skimmer will be running like a champ.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/skimmate.jpg


cya,

Ted

[cali_reef]

Ted, Do you have a drain fitting on your skimmer cup? Lets see the rest of you bad $$$ Deltec stuff in action please.

I thought you picked up more rocks tonight?? Stop hiding your pictures because Scott won't post any.

[moonpod]

the drain fitting is the blue ball valve on the right. He has it closed off right now.

[Konadog]

Originally posted by moonpod
... He has it closed off right now. Must be holding back the pictures also! :lol:

Someone needs to tell Scott about that valve.

[cali_reef]

Chuck, what size is that ball valve? Do you have yours draining to a remote container?

Some one PLEASE show scott how to upload and link a picture:lol:

[moonpod]

Yeah mine drains to a fetid, rancid container with a carbon cap. Otherwise, I shudder to think what my living room would smell like. I think I have pictures of it in my website, but I'm not sure honestly. 1/2" tubing fits onto it, but I think it's a metric fitting.

[thetedinator]

I was asked about tank circulation and water flow.....

The tank has three 2" bulkheads in the overflow box.

The overflow box has two 2" bulkheads that are T'd into a 3" line. This 3" line is the gravity feed that goes to all of my equipment (fluidized reactor, skimmer, calcium and eventually my chiller) as well as into the sump and into the refugium.

The third 2" bulkhead in the overflow is plumbed into a return from the sump. This return is powered by a Sequence Barracuda. The pump is turned down (significantly) because the teeth in the overflow box aren't 'deep' enough to support the flow. The return line out of overflow into the tank is 2" black abs so you don't really see it. It is aimed at a 45 degree angle towards the front.

In the tank I currently have two Tunze 6200 and two Tunze 6100. The two 6200s are on the overflow box and the back wall. The current from both is strong and reaches 5' to the front of the tank. The two 6100s are hidden in rock work and aim across the tank at other rockwork.

The overall flow in the tank is ripping and I don't have all the pumps in the system yet nor do I have the Sequence turned up.

I will try to take some more pictures this weekend.

cya,

Ted

[thetedinator]

Playing with rock work. Still not quite what I have in mind but getting closer.

After a re-do of the front right island:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/rock_work042105_002.jpg

Left island with change in tank flow:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/rock_work042105_005.jpg

cya,

Ted

[moonpod]

Ted how are you holding the rock together? Are there holes and pegs in the middle or something?

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by moonpod
Ted how are you holding the rock together? Are there holes and pegs in the middle or something?

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/gravity.gif:lolspin:

[loserkidz]

Ted,
have you solved the overflow teeth problem? I want to see tahat sequence cranked all the way up!!!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by loserkidz
Ted,
have you solved the overflow teeth problem? I want to see tahat sequence cranked all the way up!!!

Brent,

I haven't tried to fix the teeth yet. Lots of things to get done including getting some lighting onto the system.

cya,

Ted

[moonpod]

That's pretty damn funny Ted. Really? Just stacking 'em up? SCHWEEETTTT

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by moonpod
That's pretty damn funny Ted. Really? Just stacking 'em up? SCHWEEETTTT

With the odd shapes and sizes, it has been surprisingly easy to fit them together like a jigsaw puzzle. The only problem is I'm not tall enough with long arms like David P. To rearrange the rocks tonight was a real PITA. For David, it would have been a snap!

[steve68]

Gravity Rules
:beer:

[Bryan89]

Just watch out for those California earthquakes!

[cali_reef]

Originally posted by thetedinator
The only problem is I'm not tall enough with long arms like David P. To rearrange the rocks tonight was a real PITA. For David, it would have been a snap!

Just jump in:lol:

[thetedinator]

Here are some pictures of I took tonight of my system.

These first 3 photos are of some zoanthid rocks I picked up in February from ReeferMadness. MASLAC had a Saturday club event and RM offered some sweet discounts on things. I didn't pick up any SPS but I did grab these. Dave B kept them in his system until Thursday.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_042205_002.jpg
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_042205_004.jpg http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_042205_006.jpg

This next picture is a trio of Yellow Tangs I picked up today.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_042205_012.jpg

cya,

Ted

[nbd13]

are you done aquascaping or are you still tweaking it alittle?

any more full tank shots?

also when do you plan on adding some lights?

thanks!

Nick

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by nbd13
are you done aquascaping or are you still tweaking it alittle?

any more full tank shots?

also when do you plan on adding some lights?

thanks!

Nick

Not done aquascaping yet. Things are close but not quite what I have in mind.

I plan on having my L3's up in a temporary configuration this weekend.

Thanks,

Ted

[nbd13]

sounds great, take a pic when the lights are on!

are you getting a canopy to match your stand?

also do you have a fish list in mind or no?

thanks again! its looking great!

Nick

[DerekW]

Originally posted by steve68
Gravity Rules
:beer:

Really, I thought gravity sucks?


;)

[daphaze1]

hehe aquascaping is a never ending problem for me. Always want it to look better ~ glad to see your tank is finally becoming a reality heh.

[thetedinator]

I fixed up some temporary lighting tonight.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/ghetto_042305_003.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/ghetto_042305_004.jpg

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/lighting_042305_003.jpg


cya,

Ted

[steve68]

"Really, I thought gravity sucks?"

not when it works to ur advantage.
:beer:
:bigeyes:

[David P]

Originally posted by DerekW
Really, I thought gravity sucks?


;)
Theres no such thing as gravity, the world just sucks.

Actually you have to obey gravity, its the law!

Looking good Ted!

[thetedinator]

I added a temporary canopy yesterday. Today I finished wiring the ballasts and the 2 remaining Lumenarc's. There are now a total of 4 L3's each with 400w Helios 20k bulbs. Here are a few pictures.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/lighting_042405_001.jpg
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/lighting_042405_003.jpg
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/lighting_042405_005.jpg
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/lighting_042405_007.jpg

cya,

Ted

[Detritivore]

nice...how are you suspending that stream in the rockwork?

[thetedinator]

If you don't wedge them in or back them up tight against something, they take off when they kick on. The one in the fron is wedged in a crevice.

With the exception of the 2 6200's I have against the back of the tank (aimed forward) all of the other Tunze's are temporary until I finish the rock work. Then I'll see about hiding them better.

cya,

Ted

[Fliger]

Sweet! Are you happy you went with such large LR? Or does it make it difficult to aquascape? I was thinking of picking up a few really large pieces but it worries me that they'll be cumbersome and hard to work with. It would b really cool to stick with the pillar look, I'm sure the fish would love it.

[thetedinator]

Hey all,

I added some fish and 1 frag to my system this evening. Forgive the picture quality. Bad photographer + lame camera = barely acceptable photos.

Shawn Bennet Acropora formosa
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_050405_025.jpg

Golden Angel eating copepods like they are free!
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_050405_027.jpg

My trio of Purple Firefish
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_050405_032.jpg

Chevron Tang, Yellow Coris and Yellow Tangs
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_050405_039.jpg

cya,

Ted

[loserkidz]

Beautiful Ted!! How is the Angel eating so far, besides the pods?
Brent

[David P]

all right Ted, you have more fish than I do! Excluding my outside fish....

[ich_commando]

wow! I can't wait to see this at it's 6 month birthday!

[thetedinator]

Dave B and I spent a couple of hours redoing the rockwork and hiding some Tunze's. I added a huge tabling base rock (like 32" around) to the tank and re-did all of the islands and walls. It now has the channels I originally wanted. When the water clears and when I have a second, I'll post some pictures.

cya,

Ted

[Andrew]

Sweet. Love that tank size.

[TheCoralReef731]

what type of substrate are you gonna use? Or are you going BB?

[David P]

I hope Ted doesnt mind if I answer for him (I believe hes out of town or packing his bags to get out of town) right now hes going bare bottom due to the extravagent flow of the tank. He said that if he just cant deal with the asthetics of the bare bottom, then he'll add a little sand.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by David P
I hope Ted doesnt mind if I answer for him (I believe hes out of town or packing his bags to get out of town) right now hes going bare bottom due to the extravagent flow of the tank. He said that if he just cant deal with the asthetics of the bare bottom, then he'll add a little sand.

Sticking with BB for now. I have a 120g refugium with 180 pounds of aragonite and about 100 pounds of LR. Going BB in the tank because of all of the flow. I will add rubble and zoo rocks to cover the bottom.

[Lunchbucket]

tagging...cool system

Lunchbucket

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
tagging...cool system

Lunchbucket

Thanks Lunch. Been kind of busy lately. I finally found time to take a few pictures of the tank after the rock move.

Front view
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_052205_001.jpg

Back wall from the left side
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_052205_015.jpg

Left side
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_052205_016.jpg

Back wall from the right side
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_052205_021.jpg

Right side
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/fish_052205_020.jpg

cya,

Ted

[moonpod]

I love those rock formations Ted. Just gotta clean up those cords....

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by moonpod
I love those rock formations Ted. Just gotta clean up those cords....

Thanks Chuck. I agree on the cords. Its a PITA working on the inside of the tank with the temporary canopy. Eventually......

[David P]

wow, bunch of detritus that came from the rocks! Almost looks like you went with a sand bed after all.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by David P
wow, bunch of detritus that came from the rocks! Almost looks like you went with a sand bed after all.

David,

It's amazing what comes out of the rock. When I get the canopy figured out, I'll re-do the cords and clean out the detritus on the bottom. For right now....."it is what it is..."

Did you make down to the SCUBA Show?


BTW, your xenia and mushroom are doing great in the 90. May have to frag the xenia and put it in the monster.


cya Friday at Dave B's,

Ted

[Fliger]

Be careful of the detritus. I let mine collect for quite a while. I took all the rock out this weekend and swept it out. There was a LOT! My phosphates were higher than I expected. Everything else zeroed out but I guess the biggest skimmer in the world can't take care of po4.

Looks awesome!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Fliger
Be careful of the detritus. I let mine collect for quite a while. I took all the rock out this weekend and swept it out. There was a LOT! My phosphates were higher than I expected. Everything else zeroed out but I guess the biggest skimmer in the world can't take care of po4.

Looks awesome!

Thanks! You've got a good point. I've been running RowaPhos to remove phosphates and silicates.

cya,

Ted

[Fliger]

For now, with the makeshift rockwork, I'm going to take a Mag 9 or something similar and put a piece of PVC with holes drilled on to the end (and capped). Like a makeshift spray bar and I'll put it on the bottom of the tank. I'll keep it on a timer to keep things random. That should keep things suspended.

I have to get my 509 started back up! I sure wish ROWAphos was cheaper.

[tigerarmy40]

looks sweet!!! do you think you could grab a shot from a couple feet back. showing the tank and stand and lighting? I am stoked on your system and cant wait to see it thriving!

[nbd13]

i am considering the size of 60x48x24 for my next size just under 300 gallons.

do you think you would do anything different in the tank size?

or overflow? i was thining of 2 1.5" drains and then a couple fo holes for a closed loop or 2 maybe.

you went acrylic right? would you go glass next time or no?

thanks again!

Nick

[David P]

Originally posted by thetedinator


Did you make down to the SCUBA Show?


BTW, your xenia and mushroom are doing great in the 90. May have to frag the xenia and put it in the monster.


cya Friday at Dave B's,

Ted
Made it to the show, had fun saw some friends. Did an info scavanger hunt through Holywood Divers and got $20 gift certificate (we have to talk about going up to San Francisco and doing a Great White Dive...) laughed at the jerky stand and all the cell phone companies trying to sell plans to people who would rather be under water, and also had to laugh about some of the cuties walking around falling out of their skimpy tank tops that read "Boyfriends are replaceable" and "Tired of sleeping alone?" all in all had a good time.

Cool about the xenia, if you decide you dont want it any more, let me know. After 3 years, Im afraid my xenia may be on its way out. Finally just when the tank is smoothing out and things are looking good...

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by nbd13
i am considering the size of 60x48x24 for my next size just under 300 gallons.

do you think you would do anything different in the tank size?

or overflow? i was thining of 2 1.5" drains and then a couple fo holes for a closed loop or 2 maybe.

you went acrylic right? would you go glass next time or no?

thanks again!

Nick

Nick,

Thanks. Some things I've thought about now that I've had the tank running for a few weeks:

My overflow box is holds something like 17g of water, ever so, I would consider make it bigger and maybe putting it on the outside of the tank. I would make the teeth deeper on the overflow box. I have two 2" lines exiting the box and one 2" return. I would make the overflow bigger so that I could have the option of three 2" lines exiting and two 2" lines for the return.

I don't like the traditional closed loops but I am intrigued by the idea of a closed loop around the rim of the tank. I don't think I would need any holes for this kind of closed loop.

Glass would be awesome but I didn't want to tear down my house to be able to use a forklift to move it into place! That is, typical trade offs: weight vs scratch resistance vs heat retention (insulating capacity) vs custom shapes, etc., etc.

cya,

Ted

[nbd13]

Thanks for your help,

may i ask why you do not like the closed loop?

also on you overflow design you have it off set to the right alittle right?

if you were to put it outside and make it an external overflow, would you run it the whole length of the tank?or just part way?

so you think 3 drain lines and 2 return lines would be better? i was thinking 3 1.5" drains and 2 1" returns.

let me know,

thanks again,

Nick

P.S. any new pics? i love pics!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by nbd13
Thanks for your help,

may i ask why you do not like the closed loop?

also on you overflow design you have it off set to the right alittle right?

if you were to put it outside and make it an external overflow, would you run it the whole length of the tank?or just part way?

so you think 3 drain lines and 2 return lines would be better? i was thinking 3 1.5" drains and 2 1" returns.

let me know,

thanks again,

Nick

P.S. any new pics? i love pics!

On the closed loop, it's a combination of personal taste and sanity. IMO, the fewer holes/bulkheads, the better. A closed loop on the inside of the rim would be almost invisible.

I have my overflow offset to the right. I wanted a large wall section to work with so I moved it to the right. An overflow box on the outside running the full length may have been a better way to go although I am very happy with the my design and aquascaping.

I would add the extra holes in the overflow box to allow some options. For example, I have 3 holes in the box and I'm using all three. A fourth could be used as a dry line for electrical. Drilling extra holes after the fact was not an option. If I had the holes and didn't need them I could always cap them.

The main circulation for my system is a sequence barracuda. I need deeper teeth on the overflow to handle the full power of the pump. Right now, I'm running the pump at about 80% on a 2" return. I have two 2" drains "T'd" into a 3" line. That 3" line is my gravity line and it "powers" my FR509 Fluidized reactor, my AP702 Skimmer and my PF600S Calcium reactor. I have the plumbing (mostly) in place for my chiller and it will be gravity fed also.

More pics soon.

cya,

Ted

[nbd13]

Thanks again,

just out of curosity how do you plan on making the overflow teeth deeper?

also do you feel that you lighting is good enough to cover the areas?

i was thinking of doing 2 or 3 smaller islands than yours.

Nick

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by nbd13
Thanks again,

just out of curosity how do you plan on making the overflow teeth deeper?

also do you feel that you lighting is good enough to cover the areas?

i was thinking of doing 2 or 3 smaller islands than yours.

Nick

I am running four 400W Helios SE bulbs in Lumenarc L3 reflectors. I might have been able to get by with 2 or 3 reflectors (and there are many other options) but I wanted some lighting options.

cya,

Ted

[tsquad]

This has to be the coolest tank I've ever seen. That new addition of that big flat rock is AMAZING. Imagine that covered in corals. :eek2:
Congrats on the tank, truly is awesome.

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by tsquad
This has to be the coolest tank I've ever seen. That new addition of that big flat rock is AMAZING. Imagine that covered in corals. :eek2:
Congrats on the tank, truly is awesome.

Thanks! Give it a year and a few frag swaps and it should be good.

cya,

Ted

[thetedinator]

Added the SCH to the Deltec skimmer. It's taller than advertised but fortunately, I made my cabinet frame extra tall so when the cabinet is completed, it will still fit.

You can see one of the black brushes.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/SCH_052505_001.jpg

Close up of the cleaned riser tube.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/SCH_052505_002.jpg

Picture of the whole thing.
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/~thetedinator/325g/SCH_052505_003.jpg

I need to plumb the rinse water and add a timer to run the SCH every so often.

cya,

Ted

[loserkidz]

Ted,
Could you possibly make us a bit more envious???
Brent

[Detritivore]

that SCH is sweet! how is the smell of the skimmate? :p

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Detritivore
that SCH is sweet! how is the smell of the skimmate? :p

To borrow from Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now", 'I love the smell of skimmate in the morning.....it smells like victory'.

cya,

Ted

[nbd13]

do you feel it made a difference in you skimmer?

thanks!

Nick

[moonpod]

AGHHHH! I gotta get mine from Dave B's!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by nbd13
do you feel it made a difference in you skimmer?

thanks!

Nick

I just got it today. I have cleaned the skimmer body, riser tube, cup, SCH, etc. and emptied my collection bucket and restarted everything. I plan on running the SCH several times a day for like 30 minutes total. I will monitor and let everyone know.

FWIW, without the SCH, the skimmer was kicking @ss. I went out of town for 11 days. When I got back the skimmer riser tube and cup was caked with "baby poop". I mean like 3/8" thick. Absolutely disgusting and worse than a diaper in smell.

cya,

Ted

[Detritivore]

yea, its a pain to clean the neck isnt it? mine gets dirty every 2 days or so...

[moonpod]

Originally posted by thetedinator
FWIW, without the SCH, the skimmer was kicking @ss. I went out of town for 11 days. When I got back the skimmer riser tube and cup was caked with "baby poop". I mean like 3/8" thick. Absolutely disgusting and worse than a diaper in smell.

cya,

Ted

Yeah man. That's why I sported for the SCH. I couldn't take the baby poop anymore....

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by moonpod
Yeah man. That's why I sported for the SCH. I couldn't take the baby poop anymore....

Chuck,

Doug should open a promotional department and put us on the payroll!! I'm completely satisfied with my skimmer and the SCH should make maintenance simpler.

I saw your box sitting at Dave's. It looked lonely......


cya,

Ted

[sde219]

Just did the requisite start to finish read....very impressive I look forward to following this thread for a while.

Can you comment a bit on the temperature situation with the tank? I many not have looked close enough but where are your heaters located on the system. I can't imagine they even run at mid-day with the lights on but I wondered how that was working out for you. Any chance you can place the chiller in a separate cabinet so it doesn't heat up your entire sump/equipment space?

I can't wait to see how this tank takes off!

[tang_man_montreal]

thetedinator,
Wow... and SCH!
Can you give us more detailed pics of how that thing looks installed in the skimmer? Can you also describe exactly how it works? I know that it has brushes for the neck, and I think a water jet to clean the cup... I guess is uses a slow stepper motor on top to rotate the cleaning brushes?

That thing is awesome as is your setup! I'm so envious...

[Fliger]

Ted - why is your skimmer full of gunk in the body? Is that sludge or algae from being outside? I've never seen that before.

I love the SCH. I really do think it's worth the dough.

[Toddrtrex]

Originally posted by Fliger
Ted - why is your skimmer full of gunk in the body? Is that sludge or algae from being outside? I've never seen that before.

I love the SCH. I really do think it's worth the dough.

Great question - I was wondering that myself. Perhaps it isn't dirty adn the body is colored??

[moonpod]

naw, it's prolly algae b/c the thing is outdoors and directly exposed to the sunlight.

Mine is clear.

[Toddrtrex]

Thanks moonpod - should have remembered that is was outside.

[Fliger]

I figured it was probably sunlight, but the other pieces didn't have it. At any rate, I don't think the sludge would have a HUGE impact - it really affects performance when it's in the neck above the water line, but shouldn't really matter below the water line.

Chuck are you getting the SCH? Man you guys got ALL the cool toys.

[moonpod]

Dave, my SCH is sitting in Dave B's living room. I just haven't been able to get over there to get it.

Protein skimmers get the sludge quicker than the other devices b/c the organics being bubbled out. You should see how fast the skimmers in Dave Bs skim off would turn brown. Other devices aren't as prone though give 'em long enough....

[thetedinator]

That's algae in the skimmer body. The equipment is exposed to sunlight and the skimmer builds the algae like that in 3-4 days. I hope to have a cabinet completed by mid June. In the meantime, I'm covering the equipment with plastic to block the sunlight.

I cleaned up the skimmer including the body and emptied my collection bucket. I'm going to plumb the rinse water tonight. I will post a picture when it's all set. I'm curious to see if the SCH changes the skimming performance and if the rinsing will ease the maintenance.

[albfelix]

you guys are skimmer freaks, lol

just kidding
felix

[TheCoralReef731]

Wow, I like the new aquascaping

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by peterk731
Wow, I like the new aquascaping

Thanks!

[loserkidz]

Ted, do you know if Dave B.'s tank arrived today?

[thetedinator]

Brent,

Did not arrive AFAIK. We are supposed to pick it up tomorrow afternoon.

Ted

[Detritivore]

ted,

does daves tank also have the steel bracing?

tim

[David P]

ah a fun drive up the 14 on a 3 day weekend... wait a minute, I have to drive from Gardena up the 405 on the same day DAMN!

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Detritivore
ted,

does daves tank also have the steel bracing?

tim

Yep, topless....er....open top. The only way to go.

[tigerarmy40]

only going to hijack for a second.....with an open top tank arent you guys afraid of moths or flys ending up in your tank and causing toxins or anything like that? I had a moth land in my nano and it caused some deaths and some cloudiness!!

[loserkidz]

I think with our larger systems a moth or two isn't going to affect the tank, I can see the possiblity with a nano. And when Ted is refering to an open top, he his talking about the bracing around the perimeter of Daves tank. His old one had a acrylic centerbrace from front to back. This one has no center brace, just a steel brace that goes around the perimeter of the top.
Brent

[tigerarmy40]

ahhh I see, It makes sense on the larger system. is an iron brace around the top considered stronger or better than a euro brace?

[Detritivore]

ted, how do you like your steel bracing so far? i am very interested in using the same thing for my next tank.

[nbd13]

me also, do you get any bowing with the steel bracing?

also what size acrylic did you go with? 1/2" or 3/4"

thanks again!

Nick

[loserkidz]

Big G, I think with the larger systems that are deeper from front to back the steel bracing is probably our best option. I actually had to retro my tank when my center brace on my 385 started to melt and crack from the heat of my MH's. I wleded a 2" stainless angle iron the perimeter of my tank and have 2- 1" straps from front to back for added supprt. Here is a link from my intall.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=475880

[thetedinator]

Originally posted by Detritivore
ted, how do you like your steel bracing so far? i am very interested in using the same thing for my next tank.

I love the open top and the steel bracing.