375 Gallon Tank Project Under Way

[The R/C Man]

Hey Everyone!

Well after a long process of designing and saving money the project is finally made some significant progress.

This is the plan for the project.....

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/578/17552tankandsump50b.bmp

[The R/C Man]

Next thing I did was have a stand welded to support all the weight. I just used rustoleum to paint it.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/584/17552painted.JPG

[cali_reef]

Nice.. You built your own tank?

You better order a bigger skimmer from Brent, the SK1200 you planned is too small for your water volume.

[The R/C Man]

Yeah we are just finishing it up now...... The skimmer is going to be a modified 5200. It will be a duel beckett design with an 8" or 10" tube to allow for the same amount of contact time using a much shorter skimmer. (it will fit under the stand)

[The R/C Man]

Here is the Oceans Motions 8 Way that will control the closed loop return. The pump is going to be a Sequence Hammerhead/

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/586/17552oceansmotions8way.JPG

[The R/C Man]

System management... :D

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/586/17552Aquacontroller3b.JPG

[Johnsteph10]

That is one of the sickest tank diagrams/drawings/blueprints that I have seen. Nice!

Sounds like you have everything planned out well! Who are you getting your tank from?

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Hey Greg, glad to see you are moving up. ;) haven't seen you post around here in a while.

I can't read all of the details but it looks good. Feeding your skimmer with water directly from the overflows the way you have it is perfect. Not for sure how the auto top off will work since it looks like it's hooked up on a small area.

What are you going to feed your calk reactor with? Or is that a kalkwaser stirer? I've read in several places to force fed the calk reactor with a powerhead rather than try and gravity feed. You control the flow on the output rather than the input. I've got a small PH in my sump that feeds mine. If it's a stirer, then you need to feed it from your R/O unit.

Are you also using a hammerhead on your return? I'm currently running two hammerheads on my 400. One on the return and one on a C/L. I'm thinking of adding in another C/L using a baraccuda that I have. It dosen't look like I have a lot of flow in there right now even with the two hammerheads.

Good luck with it.

[The R/C Man]

More equipment!!!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/586/17552RS3635.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/586/17552equipment2.JPG

[The R/C Man]

Hey John!

Thanks! I am building the tank with the help of a friend....

I will get some pics up after I am done resizing them...

blown63chevy,

Yeah I have been moderating Reefland so I don't spend to much time here anymore.

The Kalk reactor will run off of my top off line which feeds straight from the RO/DI.

The Calcium reactor gets its supply from the sump return line. Less pumps the better.


Here is a pic of the lighting rack I assembled using U channel aluminum... There will be 4, 400watt 20K suplimented with 8 24" VHO's in the 6700k and 10K spectrums.... This will be mounted in the hood with pin to allow for vertical adjustment.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/580/17552lightrack2.JPG

[The R/C Man]

Here is the sump that I built for the tank. It is 48x24x20 and will hold 100 gallons and about 70 gallons running. The top is designed as a noise reducer and to keep in salt creep. The back has holders for the heaters and probes. There will be further add-ons as it progresses. One will be the mounts for the float switches. I am also planning to added wire holders and fittings for calcium and kalwasser inputs......

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/585/17552sumpsm.JPG

[The R/C Man]

After all the pieces were cut and routed to matching sizes the assembly began. This was the first step. The back of the tank was laid out and the ends were glued to that...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552ready_to_glue2.JPG

[The R/C Man]

Next, the front panel was laid out and the already assembled portion was flipped over and set on to it.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552gluing_front2.JPG

[Ginzo]

Superb RC/Man, I'll be tagging along for sure !

Can you tell me with what program you did your plan ??? :)

[The R/C Man]

Now we had to create a template from wood to give the router a guide for cutting the access holes in the top.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552templatesm-med.JPG


The template was transfered to the top and rough cuts were made before the routing was done.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552topprep.JPG

Here I am with the template vacuumed to the top and routing away.... :D

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552routingtopsm.JPG

And done!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552topsm-med.JPG

[The R/C Man]

Thanks Ginzo!

I used Micrsoft paint.... It looks much better in actual size.

I thought I should mention that these steps were all done a week apart from one another working only a few hours each sunday.

Here was the next step.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552topgluedsm.JPG

[The R/C Man]

Here is the tank assembled before flush trimming.....

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552tanktogethersm.JPG

While flush trimming the bearing came off the router blade.... OUCH!!!! :eek1: :mad2:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552routerdamagesm.JPG

Good thing it was on he bottom. It is repairable and shouldn't be a problem.....

[The R/C Man]

This was just yesterday. I am finishing up the trimming and rounding over. I also made a template for the overflow openings and routed them out as well...... More pics to follow...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/508/17552flushtrimmingsm.JPG

[Ginzo]

You did your plan with Microsoft Paint ? wow !!! :eek1:

[Chihuahua6]

Question please. I see two intakes to the skimmer from two different places in the sump. Please explain this to a non-tech chick like myself. I have an older ETSS skimmer that I hope to use on my future tank but I have no idea how to hook it up. Thanks.

[The R/C Man]

Hey Amanda!

Not a problem.... The one that enters the top is the input side from the pump. The other returns the skimmed water back into the sump.... Hope that helped... :D

[Psyire]

Awesome setup! I like full system diagrams, it's much easier to plan things out before jumping in. I see you are in Spokane.. it must be nice to have someone as talented as Brent nearby for all your equipment. Most of my stuff is all done by Barr Aquatic as well, great work he does.

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

awesome rc man...

[The R/C Man]

Thanks Guys! :D

Here is a pic of the opening for the overflow box. It has been router with a 1/8" round over bit since this photo. There will be four counter sunk and tapped holes for the addition of the gutter gaurd lined plates. The other option is to make a channel for the pieces to slide into. I am still undecided on which way to go.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/578/17552overflowsm.JPG

[jnarowe]

Tell me about the routing...what bit and speed? I have had to slow my router down siginficantly but I sure could use some tips. Any pictures of finishing the edges?

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Looking good. Nice job on the tank, except for that little bearing mishap. Don't you just hate it when that happens.

Question on the lights. Have you thought about just running two lights and using a light mover to cut down on power comsumption?

My 400 has the same setup on the top, 4 openings but they are a bit bigger. I am currently running 3 X 400 W DE MH but was thinking of cutting back to two and using a light mover to have them slowley move back and forth over the tank. That way I could run them longer at the same cost of running 4 on a shorter light period. Plus with the mover, every inch of the tank would get light.

I ask this as I'm wondering if you've thought about the power consumption of your tank. I found out the hard way after I had mine set up. My bill jumped about 250 bucks a month just for the tank. I've since changed pumps to hammerheads which cut my current draw in half compared to my other two pumps and currently run the three MH's on a cycle. each one only being on for 4 1/2 hours but they overlap each other by 1 hour. It kind of gives a sun moving across the tank type of effect and has lowerd my power consumption by over 100 bucks a month so far.

Just some thoughts.

Good luck on the project. Looks well thought out and planned.

[jnarowe]

check out my thread for how I have used light movers.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Got a link? Thanks. ;)

I see that Fosters & smith now carry some in their catalog.

[The R/C Man]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6846578#post6846578 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
Tell me about the routing...what bit and speed? I have had to slow my router down siginficantly but I sure could use some tips. Any pictures of finishing the edges?

Hey!

Well, we use the router at full speed. The bit used for this part of the project was 3/4" flush trimming bit with a 3/8" shaft. The larger shaft reduces vibration and translates to a smoother cut. Also the bit should be inserted into to the router about 1/8" from where the machining portion starts.

Here is a fuzzy picture of the inside radius of the top panel. Pretty smooth. I will get a better pic this weekend.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/578/17552radiussm-med.JPG

[jnarowe]

Very smooth. I am having trouble getting that kind of result.

blown63chevy: If you are asking for a link to my thread, just click on the red House! :D

[The R/C Man]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6846747#post6846747 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by blown63chevy
Looking good. Nice job on the tank, except for that little bearing mishap. Don't you just hate it when that happens.

Question on the lights. Have you thought about just running two lights and using a light mover to cut down on power comsumption?

My 400 has the same setup on the top, 4 openings but they are a bit bigger. I am currently running 3 X 400 W DE MH but was thinking of cutting back to two and using a light mover to have them slowley move back and forth over the tank. That way I could run them longer at the same cost of running 4 on a shorter light period. Plus with the mover, every inch of the tank would get light.

I ask this as I'm wondering if you've thought about the power consumption of your tank. I found out the hard way after I had mine set up. My bill jumped about 250 bucks a month just for the tank. I've since changed pumps to hammerheads which cut my current draw in half compared to my other two pumps and currently run the three MH's on a cycle. each one only being on for 4 1/2 hours but they overlap each other by 1 hour. It kind of gives a sun moving across the tank type of effect and has lowerd my power consumption by over 100 bucks a month so far.

Just some thoughts.

Good luck on the project. Looks well thought out and planned.

Hey!

Yeah the bearing thing sucked. (first time I have had a bearing come off.... figures it would now :rolleyes: ) Good thing it was on the bottom and near the corner. We used #40 to fill it and you can't even tell it is there unless you are looking for it.

I checked out the light movers but dismissed them pretty quickly. Although the concept is good there are some major downs. First space. To get optimal use from a system such as this it seems you need quite a bit of space and a really big tank. (mine needs to be in a canopy) An in-wall set up my be a better option. Second, the light passing over acrylic bracing constantly heating then cooling it seems as though it would premeturally cause the acrylic to craze and ultimately fail. Since the braces keep the panels from bowing I don't want to take that risk.. Third my tank is going to be SPS dominated so the more light seems to better in this case. On the plus side. Being able to move the lighting back and forth even a foot or two will allow light to reach both sides of a coral colony equally helping to improve the overall coloration as well as growth symetry. As you said, it could also save on the power bill. Fortunately for me that isn't too much of a concern right now but I did figure a power bill into the equasion of maintanence costs. This tank is about as big as I can go with my budget. Just some thoughts....

[jnarowe]

Greg, you are absolutely correct about the MH light crazing the acrylic. When I got my tank I found severe damage to one of the braces. It took a long time to sand it out.

The way I have my movers set up is so that they do not move over any acrylic. In fact they just move about 1-1/2' fore and aft (I have 5' of depth) to give nice coverage of the tank and my center lamp is in a large dish type reflector to spread the light and lower the intensity in the center of the tank. That center lamp covers the entire tank except for about 8" on either end so when it is on by itself the entire tank is well lit.

I am taking some tips from oregonreef in that I will be doing a curved valley and want to draw the fish into the valley area while allowing lots of light for corals on either side. So far I am very happy with the arrangement, butI will not really know how effective it is until the reef has been up and running for quite some time.

[The R/C Man]

Jonathan,

I would love to come over and see your set up first hand. I'll bring Krispy Cream.... :D

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Interesting.

Jonathan, yes it was a link to your tank. Thanks, I'll check it out.

As for the light over acrylic, I haven't seen any problems yet. But I have only had the tank for a little over 7 months. The previous owner didn't use MH as it was set up as a FOWLR. I do have the lights about 18" from the top of the tank right now.

Also when I move the tank from my garage into it's permanant room, it will be enclosed so I'll have more room above it to place a light mover. My tank is 7' long and so I'm thinking of two lights and letting them move the full distance of the tank. we'll see what happens. I'm going to have monti caps for SPS but will have them mounted up higher in the tank.

Have fun and I'll be watching. Mine is on a bit of a hold right now. Got a big trip coming up so I can't move the tank until after I get back.

[jnarowe]

The R/C Man Anytime! Those babies are like gold out here!!

blown63chevy 18" is fairly high up and so you may not see much affect. The lamps that were over this tank were very close and that's what did the damage. I also blow the air between the bracing and the lamps so that helps too.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Yea, right now it's just a temporay setup in my garage. I bought a complete up and running system INCLUDING some nice show fish. I added in the Mh as I got a deal on them and also had to move a couple of my corals into it since they got to big for my 45G tank. My toadstool I moved in there is now 15 + inches across. :eek:

I finally have the room just about done so after my trip, I get to start the move planning. The lights will be lower once it's moved and set up. I do plan on having air cirlucation to the outside in the upper portion of the encloseure.

Thanks.

[RedEyeReef]

Greg,
Nice to see that acrylic in the shape of a box finally instead of sheets lying against the wall. I can't wait to see water in it. Let me know when you are ready for some frags.


blown63chevy,
We are lucky to have relatively cheap power here in the NW. I run similar power consumption to what Greg is planning and my reef adds about $75 a month to my electrical bill.

[The R/C Man]

Tell me about it! Boy, that acrylic has been sitting for a year just waiting for me to transform it into a glass house for sea creatures. lol :D Now that it is getting close to being completed I am getting anxious.

I guess the repair on the boo boo worked great. As soon as I receive a pic I will post it......

[Crusty Old Shellback]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6851035#post6851035 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RedEyeReef
blown63chevy,
We are lucky to have relatively cheap power here in the NW. I run similar power consumption to what Greg is planning and my reef adds about $75 a month to my electrical bill.

Yea we know things aren't cheap down here. :lol:

But you can't beat the weather. Almost year round riding weather here.:D

[RedEyeReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6855052#post6855052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by blown63chevy
Yea we know things aren't cheap down here. :lol:

But you can't beat the weather. Almost year round riding weather here.:D

Oh your killing me... I tried to ride last weekend but it was barely above freezing, yesterday was snowing, today is about 45 and fairly clear but I am stuck in the office...

You got me there.:cool:

[Crusty Old Shellback]

:D

I rode saturday to UCSB with some of our reef club members for a tour of their NSW facility and research facility. Been raining since so I didn't get to ride again until this morning to go to work. I just hope it dosen't rain for the ride home. Haven't been on a dirt bike in years though. Use to ride in Baja all of the time. :D

[RedEyeReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6855814#post6855814 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by blown63chevy
:D
Use to ride in Baja all of the time. :D

My brother and I are hoping to run that in the next few years... for fun, not race.

Sorry to derail the thread. I just need to load up and ride.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Check out the Tecate enduro. :D I was a member of the club that put on that race. ;)

http://www.losancianos.com/

[Bax]

The RC Man

Wow! Just found this thread, love the drawing and love the work to date even more, great! really great!!!

[The R/C Man]

Thanks Bax!

I am going to be working on the overflow boxes this weekend and will post some more pics then. I also have a pic of the repair on that nasty gouge.... I am going to try and that up soon.

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Greg, I don't reall, are you going to use outside or inside overflow boxes?

Also, have you seen/thought about the overflows that run most of the length of the tank? I guess the theroy of them is that you wind up drawing in more of the actual surface water as the water flowing over is not that thick, but a long and thin sheet so it takes the majority of the water surface.

[The R/C Man]

Hey!

The boxes will be on the outside. I believe that if the surface water is agitated suficiantly then coast to coast style overflows are completely overkill. I was also concerned about the structeral integrety of the tank by full leanght slots. Just my 2 cents worth. I guess to error on the conservitive is better than the opposite.

Here are a couple pics of the repair work... After it is sanded and polished it should be almost invisible.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/578/17552repair1b.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/578/17552repair2b.JPG

[The R/C Man]

Anticipating the arrival of my new baby (the tank :D ) I went down to West Marine and picked up some boat paint. I am sealing the wood on my stand to keep the salt water from breaking it down. It should also be easier to keep clean.....

[jnarowe]

I used West System Resin rather than boat paint. The resin bonds better IMO and is really tough. You can get that at WM also. Some pics in my thread to see if you want. (click on red house)

[reeffantic]

Where can I get information about these light movers? This concept intrigues me.

[jnarowe]

Google "Light Rail 3.5" and you will find lots of links. :)

[The R/C Man]

Hey Jonathan!

Well, since I already bought the paint I just went with it. The guy told me to thin it a little on the first coat for beter wood penetration. So that it is what I did. Seemed to work ok. Good thing the wife is away on vacation because she would have never let me paint in the house with all the windows open and the heat cranked all the way up. :D I have been hiding in my bed room with the door closed and window open to keep away from the fumes. If it wasn't so cold I would paint in the garage. I think I am going to put a couple space heaters out there today and see if that warms it enough for the paint to dry..... lol

There is a paint called armor poxy that is also used for boats as well as other applications that is hard as a rock. I am going to try that on the outside of my tear drop project. That could also be great for this as well but it is a little pricey.

[jnarowe]

All marine paint is "pricey" but for good reason. Pick up a can of it while holding a can of Behr in the other hand and you'll see why. Expensive paint is way cheaper than years of maintainance hassle also. I tend not to paint when I don't have to, but in the case of my tank room, it was the most economical way to get waterproof walls.

Another reason why I like the resin is that it holds up well even when getting scratched and if you have a deep one, you can easily sand and patch it without color matching problems. Post some pics!

[The R/C Man]

Yeah that stuff I bought was $26 for a pint. But as you said, it will last a long time and reduce maintainence...... I'll get some pics up in a bit..

[The R/C Man]

OK......

Here are some updated pictures for you all! :D

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/1/17552unload.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/1/17552onstand.JPG

[The R/C Man]

I had to do some work on the overflow boxes before I install them. I have decided to add tops to keep down noise and to help eliminate algae growth. The large hole is 1 1/2" and will be a durso. The second hole is for a 1" bulkhead and will be an emergency back up for the first.....

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/1/17552overflowbox.JPG

[The R/C Man]

Here is a pic of the overflow screen. This is a mock up version. I will make better ones for actual use. As you can see the thumb screws allow for easy removal...... The plate is not able to be seen from the front for a clean look....

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/1/17552overflowscreen.JPG

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/1/17552screeninside.JPG

[jnarowe]

Nice screen. Can you coat it with black rubber or PVC? You can get that stuff in spray cans.

[Bebo77]

nice work on the tank... love that purple carpet... lol

[The R/C Man]

Hey! The gutter gaurd is already black.... Bad photo. Just like the carpet... It is actually burgandy..... I guess I need to change the settings on the camera.....lol :D

[The R/C Man]

Oh, if that doesn't flow enough then I will change the gutter gaurd with black eggcrate... :D

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Looking good. :thumbsup:

I like the way you did the external overflow. The top on there will definatly cut down on some of the noise. good thinking.

As for the rubber spray, yes you can get it in a spray can in black. :D HD carries it around here. ;)

[The R/C Man]

Thanks!

I installed the boxes and started drilling the sump and tank for the plumbing.... Pics soon to follow.... :D

[The R/C Man]

Sorry about the lack of updates everyone! I am currently deployed to Kyrgyzstan. When I finally return in July, the goal will be to add the main pumps, finish the plumbing and then water test the system. Anticipation is a killer..... :D

[jnarowe]

Is that a country?? j/k :D can't wait to see your next steps!

[Spiffyguy]

Where???? Can I buy a vowel???

Come back safe. Looking forward so seeing some water in there.

[BumpinTJ24]

how thick is the acrylic on the tank? Great job on everything so far. Nothing like seeing a complet DIY project. Keep up the work.

[mflamb]

Yo R/C Man...WOW...I'll be following along. My stand is built and my tank arrives Sept 30. (390g 96x30x31) I would consider more flow IMHO. I am putting my system in the stand also. I'm interested in the final outcome of the skimmer. That has been my biggest concern, being able to properly skim a 550 gallon system with something that will fit in the stand. Please give details on the skimmer.

[jgsensor]

I have a 375g with a total volume of around 500 where all of the equipment is under the stand. I ended up running 2 MRC MR-2 skimmers placed in my sump. Worked out rather well. I was limited by the compartments in my sump and these where the best I could find that would fit in my sump. Unfortunately, they where a last minute plan after the MR-3 skimmer would not fit under the tank and I could not get the bulkheads to stop leaking when i tried to plumb it external. Great skimmers though.

[mflamb]

jgsensor...I've considered 2 skimmers so I'll look at MRC. I was born down the road from you in the little village of Visalia.

[i2ik]

Really nice!! I am also planning on getting a tank of 370G and i would like to know what is the dimension of your stand, also the thickness of the beam. Is it 2" beam?

Thanks!

[thor32766]

love the overflow fencing, great idea

[blfuller123]

Can you post another picture of the overflow fencing? I am having trouble seeing the picture. By the way, this looks great.

[NexDog]

Greg, hope you made it back safely. You been back at least a month so let us know you you and the tank are doing. :)

[The R/C Man]

Hey All!

Long time no post for me.... Well since my last post I have purchased some more items for the tank to include an Iwaki pump for the skimmer, a Hammerhead pump for the closed loop, a Baracuda for the return and a VHO ballast for the sump. There where some other things too but I can't remember. (they say that's the first thing to go) Anyway, a couple of months ago we finally purchased a house and I am excited about the tank project. The plan will be split our lower level family room with a 2x4 wall with a cut out for the tank. This will give me a nice room to hide all my equipment etc. It should also keep the viewing side of the tank very quite since I plan ro insulate the partition. When we moved in we ran into our first delema with the tank. It will not fit through the window so it will need to be removed. Another delema is that I have been shipped off again and I am currently in UAE and won't return until September. So the project is on hold (again) until then. I must say that I have learned quite a bit of patience during this process. :D