Todd's 180 DT System

[MidwesternTexan]

180 with a DIY True Coast to Coast overflow.
2 x WP40 intank flow
125g sump (my former DT),
SC150 skimmer
Massive Chaeto mass
DC12000 RP, etc.
3 x 120W Full spectrum/dimmable LED's

This has been up and running 10 weeks









No reactors- I do drip Kalwasser
No controller

I've grown all there and fragged most all of it many times, etc.

Your thoughts on my system?

[MidwesternTexan]

What, over 70 views?

Yea, I agree, Clearly I don't have any clue what I'm doing.

[WestTxReefer]

can you post pics of your over flow please? I just picked up a 180 and was thinking of how to put the coast to coast on the back of mine as well.

[MidwesternTexan]

Originally Posted by WestTxReefer

can you post pics of your over flow please? I just picked up a 180 and was thinking of how to put the coast to coast on the back of mine as well.

For a Texan? Sure!

Let me find some select pics of building that, and I'll post them soon.

[MidwesternTexan]

OK, I have the pics already on several threads,

Here's a RC thread, that if you go thru posts 1-29, it is pictured here.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2329775

Reef on!

[MidwesternTexan]

Here's my 125g sump

[WestTxReefer]

Man you are a champ, that is exactly what I am looking for! Keep an eye out for my 180 build, its pretty much going to be close to yours, except no center braces on the stand.

[1fishkeeper]

Looks good to me I like it.

[ghellin]

Looks good! Love the sps. Slowly building my 180, such a perfect size!

[joejoe1055]

im getting ready to start my 180, which brand/make of lights are u using.
im on the fence about leds or t5. not enough room for halides, plus trying to keep cost down.
thanks

[WestTxReefer]

I picked up some used halides for mine, but if cost is a concern then try to do T5's because good led lights are. Costly

[wowkingjames]

Nice set up awesome coral and hippo!

[BioCubeGuy]

Amazing tank! I wish I had one like that!

[MidwesternTexan]

Thanks for the kind words on the replies.

[MidwesternTexan]

Well, I'm 11 weeks up and running on the 180- fairly happy so far
Here's some more select pics from no other than my Iphone4- no editing

Left side


Middle


Right side


Desjardini Tang- from Don (Sloppy)


My Ocellaris and my RBTA- BF and Scott (Ocean Freak) respectively




My Yellow Tang- From Best Fish over 2 years ago


Bali Green Slimer- got it's start as a small frag from Dustin


My Blue Milli


Todays FTS


Another FTS with a bit better color

[MidwesternTexan]

This is my version of the BA, and the Herbie combined;

I call it,

"The Todd"

Works like this:
I had bought a 180 with 2 x holes for a 1.5 I.D. Bulkhead already horizontal in a top corner.

I added the C2C overflow myself to the upper back out of glass.

This is silent, has it's own 'emergency' overflow- if/when the water rises in the overflow
the tip of the black hose goes under water turning the Secondary whole in to a full siphon
1.5" drop 9.5ft to my sump beneath.
Normally, this line just trickles down to the sump- taking up the slight extra while the 'primary' line with the gate valve- stays at full siphon.
No matter what the 'primary' line is running- the secondary will always flow- unobstructed down to the sump.
The 'primary' runs at full siphon by restricting the flow to closely almost match the flow of the RP. The rest going down the secondary which also pulls a bit of air into the secondary thru the black tube. Again, if/when the water level rises in the C2C, the black hose goes underwater and turn the 'secondary' into a Full siphon, quickly emptying the C2C.- I"ve of course tested this numerous times by shutting off the 'primary', and it works great, and is silent.
The outer Sanitry 90 is a 1.5" I.D. Fernco Fitting- before you bash it, I even talked to the lead engineer at Fernco- It's Reef Safe!

The Rubber sanitery 90's/3-way also takes all the pressure off the glass/bulkhead!- I know- Damn brilliant idea! Again- others used them too with no problems.



This is my 180


Again,
I did it this way for two main reasons:
1. The 180 I picked up like new already had the 2 x 1.5 I.D. bulkheads drilled in it
2. After reading and getting feedback from others who did it like this- I knew it worked.

[MidwesternTexan]

And, just so nothing that would clog my 1.5" I.D. secondary, or the siphon primary for that matter, I slipped a piece of egg crate in the trough.





This way, it is extremely unlikely that it will clog/overflow the DT top.

[MidwesternTexan]

I've been putting many things off, and finally got around to adding a tub of CC for more critters to have a place to call home in my sump.





I also added a 'frag grow out' area to my sump.
I had plenty of space to do it.
I added a black egg crate 18" x 18".



I had been thinking how I was going to suspend it/build legs, etc.
Then, I got to looking at all my 'stuff' and realized I kept the magnets from 2 koralia PH"s that finally petered out so
I chunked them. But when I did, I removed those nice magnets the koralia's come with.
I thought 'viola', I"ll use them to support it on each side my my 125g sump in the area just after my large chaeto mass.



Then, I'd been saving my old TaoTronic LEDs, ( the ones with only 1 blue color, and 1 white color, 120 degree lenses, and
no dimmers ) for a frag tank. Previously they had grown my coral OK.



I have the eggcrate angled slighlty, lower in the front a bit.
I PAR meter it, and with my old LED's, It's about 300 in front, 400 in the middle, and about 500 higher in back.

An easy mod with stuff I had lying around- now to start graffing even more!

I still have my drilled 40b I'm not using. I can't decide how I"d want to tiie it into my system, and have it drain to my sump. I may just make it it's own system.

Thanks for looking; what do you think?

[DLdraconias]

Awsome! Look in good, What are in the Tupperware in the sump? I'm seeing one with holes and powerheads and one looks like a small grocery basket and a few more what do they do

[MidwesternTexan]

Originally Posted by DLdraconias

Awsome! Look in good, What are in the Tupperware in the sump? I'm seeing one with holes and powerheads and one looks like a small grocery basket and a few more what do they do

Oh those? Thanks for asking.
They are plastic containers (leeching has NEVER been a problem- in most cases myth).
In the picture- from right to left
The lower 'bin' (holes in it to make it volume nuetral) provides a 'lift' for the chamber that holds my skimmer and the drains.
The upper 'bin' on the right has a slot along one side near the top- that the water -falls' out of the skimmer chamber to the chaeto are center right.

The pinkish bin under the chaeto has about 3" finely CC, like a coarse sand to house critters in my fuge area. It stays pretty dark underneath my huge chaeto mass.
(Why do people think this thing shouild tumble? Who started that?)

Then there is the black eggcrate that walls off my chaeto mass.

then the 2 'bins' on the left are simplyu risers for my RP to get back a little head height.
The green/yellow basket houses my ATO float- above the water line the way in should be. That basket is zip tied to the bin underneath for stability.

The power head is a MJ 1400? to keep things moving around in the sump area. 2 x wp40's provide the flow in my DT.

The bin behind is my DIY/Automatic/no electric power
/no sensors/no pumps ATO.

That 'jug' near the right is on a thin board over the sump is a used 1g vinegar plastic bottle that I fill with RO/DI daily and drip a Kalwasser drip thru IV tubing into the waterfall coming from the skimmer section.

I think I have at least 100g Water volume in my sump alone.

It all works perfectly well.
If money were really no object- I would have probably bought something that could do this- but personally- I like this way better. It can be tweaked and changed easily if needed.

When I started this hobby- and thought I had the bascis of what a 'sump/fuge' is intended to do- I had to DIY one- no brainer.

[MidwesternTexan]

Here's my first few frags transferred from the small DIY rack in my DT this morning.

[MidwesternTexan]

Todays upgrade:

Finally made a eggcrate strainer for my RP intake.



Now If/when I need to put a fish in that section, it's protected by wander too close to the big pipe and getting sucked in

[MidwesternTexan]

A better pic of my sump
I magfloated some algae once off in front of the chaeto area.
The stand light,k chaeto light, frag light, and room light are on also.

I guess because I recently changed things up some,
I now see some of those small Pineapple Sponges again- these were in the sump

[lluv24]

Very nice ! I luv the variations of different corals! Just over all a wonderful reef��

[MidwesternTexan]

Originally Posted by lluv24

Very nice ! I luv the variations of different corals! Just over all a wonderful reef��

Thank you for saying so!
I do like letting my frags frow into wome big colonies.
I'm always working on getting more coral- mostly sps.