A Reef Tank in the Desert - +/- 1,400 gallon system - Page 2

brettinteriors · 05/17/2012, 02:59 PM

Me as well.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

fazilosman · 05/17/2012, 03:03 PM

Awesome, great build so far! Subscribed...

danfeig · 05/17/2012, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeTR

Can you give us a little insight on how you built your rock towers?

Mike it honestly isn't that difficult. Once I found rocks of similar size and the shapes that I wanted, I cut the pieces on one end (to make them flat) so that they would balance on top of one another. I did not want to use any type of acrylic rods or pipes as I have seen in different threads.

If there was too much overlap, I would then chisel the sides to attempt to make the pieces look like they belonged together. Where I spent the most time was finding the Emaco S88-CI to bond the pieces together. I let the pieces bake in the sun for a few days prior to putting them in the curing bin.

In total, just a lot of trial and error to make them look natural. My three towers are all about 40" high.

danfeig · 05/17/2012, 05:03 PM

I have decided to go with a Closed Loop System on the main display and decided to go with the ReeFlo Super Gold Dart Pumps (4,300 GPH), three (3) of them. They are monsters! I already own two Darts that I will be using on my rock and external tanks. For my refugium, I have a Danner Mag-Drive that I will be using.
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allsps40 · 05/17/2012, 06:05 PM

Very nice. I love large tanks. I have a 75G SPS dominate mixed reef with a 20L sump and it is the biggest tank I have had to date. IF I am ever in Tucson you will have to let me check out the tank. I always have frags to share. Keep it up

lostmyz · 05/17/2012, 10:03 PM

Looks awesome I will definately be tagging along for this one! I am a Tucson Native and Love seeing Tucson get soem really nice tanks going!!!! What live stock are you planning? FOWLR i assume? If not and it a REEF thats even more awesome!!!

danfeig · 05/17/2012, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillygoose

Hopping aboard - I'm inspired.

Quote:

Originally Posted by havoc79

I'm in cant wait to see the end result

Quote:

Originally Posted by sancho153

subscribed!!

[QUOTE=brettinteriors;20263962]Me as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fazilosman

Awesome, great build so far! Subscribed...

Real Happy to have you guys on board. Things are progressing real quickly and I am going to need a lot of input and expertise. Thank you for following along!!!

danfeig · 05/17/2012, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allsps40

Very nice. I love large tanks. I have a 75G SPS dominate mixed reef with a 20L sump and it is the biggest tank I have had to date. IF I am ever in Tucson you will have to let me check out the tank. I always have frags to share. Keep it up

I will be very happy to show it to you. It is going to take a while to get things fully setup. The hobby is all about sharing and learning. Glad to have you on board!

danfeig · 05/17/2012, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostmyz

Looks awesome I will definately be tagging along for this one! I am a Tucson Native and Love seeing Tucson get soem really nice tanks going!!!! What live stock are you planning? FOWLR i assume? If not and it a REEF thats even more awesome!!!

Thank you very much lostmyz!!! I am anxious to have the time to show the Reef Central Community a little about Tucson and why I named my thread "A Reef Tank in the Desert!!!"

Definitely not FOWLR, it will be a full on REEF. While it will be predominantly SPS, it will be a mixed tank. As far as live stock, a large variety of tangs. I hope to be introducing several pairs of tangs as well. While many are aggressive towards their own species, it is my hope that the tank will be large enough with enough places for shelter. I also plan on introducing the pairs at the same time. I have a wish list and that will include Gem Tangs once the tank is established!

Nwehrman · 05/17/2012, 11:41 PM

Very interested and will follow along!

Nicole

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

danfeig · 05/17/2012, 11:49 PM

Things are really moving fast! The guys at Simply Elegant Aquatics don't mess around. I am expecting nine guys and plenty of muscle here tomorrow morning to get the tank into the house. I am nervous and anxious at the same time. A lot has to happen.

The demolition of the wall separating our living room and soon to be fish room has occurred and the framers went to town installing a new header to support my 20 foot ceiling with vega beams. The "wall" was a bearing wall that had block every 16 inches.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

The framing crew really did a great job! They needed to support a lot of weight on just a few beams while they installed the new header.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

The end result... A nice smooth opening with an inch on each side to spare.

TheFishTeen · 05/17/2012, 11:52 PM

Awesome! So far, this has been a very promising build. Will the room the tank will be located in be cleared out and used as a filtration room?

danfeig · 05/17/2012, 11:59 PM

The electricians followed shortly thereafter. I had them install three (3) dedicated 20 amp circuits, each with four outlets. Additionally, they ran a new 50 amp circuit for a Mini-Split Air-conditioner, dehumidifier and air exchanger for the 150 sq. ft. fish room. It is my hope that with the volume of water I will have and with this oversized AC unit, I will not need a chiller.

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drummereef · 05/18/2012, 12:01 AM

Excited to see the progress on your new build. Looks great!

mrbncal · 05/18/2012, 12:12 AM

oh baby . . . this is going to be sweet

Crazy_Beaver · 05/18/2012, 03:55 AM

Looking very good!

laredo300c · 05/18/2012, 05:45 AM

You know it's going to be a good one, when you have wall construction and an electrician is called out. I can imagine the electrician, " you are going to put a WHAT here? Following along

Phishguy · 05/18/2012, 06:13 AM

Looks great I love seeing projects like this come together.. What are your plans for lighting? 48" is going to need a lot of penetration

fazilosman · 05/18/2012, 07:19 AM

No kidding these guys are rocking... I installed my last in wall system as DYI and seeing those studs brings back some memories. Just be careful of mold and make sure they completely seal the wall again. My last in wall was in Albuquerque and even with the dry air, had a little mold on the studs where I did not seal completely. Guess that's what we get for being amateurs...

ladybugs · 05/18/2012, 07:54 AM

Nice build & look great.

danfeig · 05/18/2012, 09:32 AM

What do you do when your aquarium is 42" wide and your largest doorway is only 40" wide? You PANIC!

This is the situation that I learned when the boys from Simply Elegant Aquatics came out to plan the delivery on Wednesday.

I do have some large picture windows in the dining room and in my master bedroom, however, access to those windows would be prohibitive due to stairs and elevation changes.

The solution took place this morning. A local glass company came out and removed a few panels of glass in my living room. The challenge was the removal of the aluminum separator between the glass panels. They had to cut the moldings using a precision grinder.

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Tampa_Bandit · 05/18/2012, 09:47 AM

Can't wait to see that tank! great updates and pictures! tagging along for sure on this one.

allsps40 · 05/18/2012, 10:04 AM

Wow really moving fast now. Cant wait to see the DT in place and full of saltwater. I have some good starter sps frags I can give you and some nice green leather coral babies as well.

TheFishTeen · 05/18/2012, 11:23 AM

danfeig, nice catch! Another build thread here had a similar issue, and they ended up needing to pull the drywall and open up two feet above them. So far, excellent build.

danfeig · 05/18/2012, 04:22 PM

I had to veg for a couple of hours before I wrote this, as I was pretty much speechless. I can't tell you how many times I have uttered the word "WOW!!!"

Normally I am a pretty restless sleeper. Last night though, I slept like a baby. I was confident that these guys knew what they were doing, yet at the same time I assumed that there would be issues. Something always comes up. Right???

Things went off without a hitch!

Around 9:30 this morning, Michael & Cuong from Simply Elegant Aquatics brought over 11 guys (and one nice lady) to assist with the move and installation of the system.

The first thing they did was carry the stand and sump in through my windowless window frames.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

The sump had to be installed inside the stand before setting in place as an additional support beam needed to be fastened prior to the tank installation.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

The sump is huge, it is 72"x36"x18". I had it prepped for three filter socks.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Concurrently, the fork lift operator was removing the tank and driving it around the house onto my rear porch.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Now is where all the fun and manpower (and woman power) came into play. The tank was rested on some makeshift stands, some iron some made out of 4'x4's outside of my living room window.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

It took all 13 of us to lift and slide the tank through my windowless window frames into the living room, using tow straps and a lot of muscle.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

The same process was repeated in my living rooms as we pushed and pulled on the aquarium, maneuvering it into the fish room.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Home it sits!!!

[IMG]

[/IMG]

05/17/2012, 02:59 PM	#26
brettinteriors Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Tucson Posts: 1,106	Me as well. Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2 __________________ Tucson Reefaholics anonymous meetings are every Friday 6pm behind Gary's fishorama 140 gallon half round mixed reef, 28 gallon Cardiff.

05/17/2012, 05:03 PM	#29
danfeig RC Sponsor Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 1,747 Blog Entries: 1	Plumbing... I have decided to go with a Closed Loop System on the main display and decided to go with the ReeFlo Super Gold Dart Pumps (4,300 GPH), three (3) of them. They are monsters! I already own two Darts that I will be using on my rock and external tanks. For my refugium, I have a Danner Mag-Drive that I will be using. [IMG][/IMG]

05/17/2012, 06:05 PM	#30
allsps40 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 4,627	Very nice. I love large tanks. I have a 75G SPS dominate mixed reef with a 20L sump and it is the biggest tank I have had to date. IF I am ever in Tucson you will have to let me check out the tank. I always have frags to share. Keep it up __________________ __________ Current Tank Info: Past reef tanks: 20H softy, 29G mixed reef, 55G mixed reef, 40B sps dominant mixed reef and 75G sps dominant mixed reef. No tank currently

05/17/2012, 10:03 PM	#31
lostmyz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Glendale, Az Posts: 2,374	Looks awesome I will definately be tagging along for this one! I am a Tucson Native and Love seeing Tucson get soem really nice tanks going!!!! What live stock are you planning? FOWLR i assume? If not and it a REEF thats even more awesome!!! __________________ 72 gal bow front FOWLR with some few corals - Damn you Rabbitfish! 5 gal Fluval Spec (over complicated) PICO - build thread

05/17/2012, 11:49 PM	#36
danfeig RC Sponsor Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 1,747 Blog Entries: 1	Things are moving FAST! Tank delivery tomorrow! Things are really moving fast! The guys at Simply Elegant Aquatics don't mess around. I am expecting nine guys and plenty of muscle here tomorrow morning to get the tank into the house. I am nervous and anxious at the same time. A lot has to happen. The demolition of the wall separating our living room and soon to be fish room has occurred and the framers went to town installing a new header to support my 20 foot ceiling with vega beams. The "wall" was a bearing wall that had block every 16 inches. [IMG][/IMG] The framing crew really did a great job! They needed to support a lot of weight on just a few beams while they installed the new header. [IMG][/IMG] The end result... A nice smooth opening with an inch on each side to spare.

05/17/2012, 03:03 PM	#27
fazilosman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Woodlands, TX Posts: 163	Awesome, great build so far! Subscribed...

05/17/2012, 11:41 PM	#35
Nwehrman Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2	Very interested and will follow along! Nicole Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

05/17/2012, 11:52 PM	#37
TheFishTeen Registered Member. Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,677	Awesome! So far, this has been a very promising build. Will the room the tank will be located in be cleared out and used as a filtration room?

05/17/2012, 11:59 PM	#38
danfeig RC Sponsor Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 1,747 Blog Entries: 1	The electricians followed shortly thereafter. I had them install three (3) dedicated 20 amp circuits, each with four outlets. Additionally, they ran a new 50 amp circuit for a Mini-Split Air-conditioner, dehumidifier and air exchanger for the 150 sq. ft. fish room. It is my hope that with the volume of water I will have and with this oversized AC unit, I will not need a chiller. [IMG][/IMG]

05/18/2012, 12:01 AM	#39
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	Excited to see the progress on your new build. Looks great! __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

05/18/2012, 12:12 AM	#40
mrbncal Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Redding Posts: 677	oh baby . . . this is going to be sweet

05/18/2012, 03:55 AM	#41
Crazy_Beaver Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Athens, Hellas Posts: 684	Looking very good!

05/18/2012, 05:45 AM	#42
laredo300c Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: laredo tx Posts: 646	You know it's going to be a good one, when you have wall construction and an electrician is called out. I can imagine the electrician, " you are going to put a WHAT here? Following along

05/18/2012, 06:13 AM	#43
Phishguy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: springfield, ma Posts: 660	Looks great I love seeing projects like this come together.. What are your plans for lighting? 48" is going to need a lot of penetration

05/18/2012, 07:19 AM	#44
fazilosman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Woodlands, TX Posts: 163	No kidding these guys are rocking... I installed my last in wall system as DYI and seeing those studs brings back some memories. Just be careful of mold and make sure they completely seal the wall again. My last in wall was in Albuquerque and even with the dry air, had a little mold on the studs where I did not seal completely. Guess that's what we get for being amateurs...

05/18/2012, 07:54 AM	#45
ladybugs Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 52	Nice build & look great.

05/18/2012, 09:32 AM	#46
danfeig RC Sponsor Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 1,747 Blog Entries: 1	My 1st Major Screwup!!!! What do you do when your aquarium is 42" wide and your largest doorway is only 40" wide? You PANIC! This is the situation that I learned when the boys from Simply Elegant Aquatics came out to plan the delivery on Wednesday. I do have some large picture windows in the dining room and in my master bedroom, however, access to those windows would be prohibitive due to stairs and elevation changes. The solution took place this morning. A local glass company came out and removed a few panels of glass in my living room. The challenge was the removal of the aluminum separator between the glass panels. They had to cut the moldings using a precision grinder. [IMG][/IMG] [IMG] [IMG][/IMG][/IMG]

05/18/2012, 09:47 AM	#47
Tampa_Bandit Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: St. Petersburg, FL Posts: 54	Can't wait to see that tank! great updates and pictures! tagging along for sure on this one.

05/18/2012, 10:04 AM	#48
allsps40 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 4,627	Wow really moving fast now. Cant wait to see the DT in place and full of saltwater. I have some good starter sps frags I can give you and some nice green leather coral babies as well. __________________ __________ Current Tank Info: Past reef tanks: 20H softy, 29G mixed reef, 55G mixed reef, 40B sps dominant mixed reef and 75G sps dominant mixed reef. No tank currently

05/18/2012, 11:23 AM	#49
TheFishTeen Registered Member. Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,677	danfeig, nice catch! Another build thread here had a similar issue, and they ended up needing to pull the drywall and open up two feet above them. So far, excellent build.

05/18/2012, 04:22 PM	#50
danfeig RC Sponsor Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 1,747 Blog Entries: 1	The Monster (TANK) is Delivered!!!! I had to veg for a couple of hours before I wrote this, as I was pretty much speechless. I can't tell you how many times I have uttered the word "WOW!!!" Normally I am a pretty restless sleeper. Last night though, I slept like a baby. I was confident that these guys knew what they were doing, yet at the same time I assumed that there would be issues. Something always comes up. Right??? Things went off without a hitch! Around 9:30 this morning, Michael & Cuong from Simply Elegant Aquatics brought over 11 guys (and one nice lady) to assist with the move and installation of the system. The first thing they did was carry the stand and sump in through my windowless window frames. [IMG][/IMG] The sump had to be installed inside the stand before setting in place as an additional support beam needed to be fastened prior to the tank installation. [IMG][/IMG] The sump is huge, it is 72"x36"x18". I had it prepped for three filter socks. [IMG][/IMG] Concurrently, the fork lift operator was removing the tank and driving it around the house onto my rear porch. [IMG][/IMG] Now is where all the fun and manpower (and woman power) came into play. The tank was rested on some makeshift stands, some iron some made out of 4'x4's outside of my living room window. [IMG][/IMG] It took all 13 of us to lift and slide the tank through my windowless window frames into the living room, using tow straps and a lot of muscle. [IMG][/IMG] The same process was repeated in my living rooms as we pushed and pulled on the aquarium, maneuvering it into the fish room. [IMG][/IMG] Home it sits!!! [IMG][/IMG]