Build Thread: TKERacer619's 600gal SPS Tank

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by BigBlueTang

The first two lines crack me up That's why my skinny self is useful I guess..

Water! So excited!! Everything looks great! Post pictures of the bathroom when you're done with it!

Imagine your struggles in that area then imagine mine

Originally Posted by sirreal63

Love the lighting! There is no comparison to the large reflectors, coupled with M80's and Radiums it is a winning combination.

The Best! I'm super excited to light up the tank with them. I'm also going to use 8 T5HO and will see if I can work some LED somewhere.

This is how I'm going to mount them to the ceiling. I've gone through a few iterations and discussed it with 80/20 engineers but this setup will allow me to pull the fixture out the front of the tank as well as give me something to hang the wood paneling from.

ISO


From the bottom through the tank.

[tkeracer619]

Don't get too excited, it's just a QT . I'm almost done plumbing the main tank but have been taking my time. It's been a challenge to say the least. Will have all Sunday to finish that job... But for now... this will have to do





I purchased an Eheim 1250 for the return but it wouldn't fit once the returns were in place so I decided to use dual Eheim Compact 1000 pumps. They are silent and pushing a lot of water. Probably too much but they are adjustable so we will see once I get my first round of fish in it.

This is an all in one tank thats chamber behind the weirs is setup to use a blue sponge then flow water through media. I am using Seachem Pond Matrix for bio media.

Right now I have a 100micron filter pad in there to catch any dust. Tomorrow I will pull that filter, add the matrix, blue pad, and bring ammonia up to 4ppm with lab grade ammonia. I'll then dump in a bottle of Bio Spira to get try and speed it up a bit. We'll see how that goes.

The tank also has an Eheim heater. Once I add fish I'll get a temp controller for it.

[BigBlueTang]

This is sweet. Looks like all of that hard work we put in building those shelves has gone to good use!! Can't wait to see the fish you get, hopefully I'll get to edit the stock list some too
Everything looks great, and you're moving along impressively fast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tkeracer619]

Thanks bud. The last month has been trying for pets so it has taken me a little extra time to get stuff done. We lost our two cats 4 weeks apart. Simon would have turned 14 today and Paco turned 13 last week a day before he passed. We miss those dudes something serious.

[Mrs. Music]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Thanks bud. The last month has been trying for pets so it has taken me a little extra time to get stuff done. We lost our two cats 4 weeks apart. Simon would have turned 14 today and Paco turned 13 last week a day before he passed. We miss those dudes something serious.

aw, Sorry for your loss. That is just plain sad.

[jason2459]

Wow, that is tough. Easily like a family member.

[Bagabaga]

I understand your lighting offset with the reflectors but why not a zigzag instead of the two in the middle being offset?

Seems to be so the corners are being lit towards the front and towards the back in the middle. Are you doing a U shaped scape? Or a lower scape in the center and a pillar on each side? I know the spread with the reflectors will be fantastic but for your sps you'd want the bulbs over the colonies for maximum par right?

Are you going to have a club meeting at your house when it's all complete?

[Brunzy]

Originally Posted by Bagabaga

I understand your lighting offset with the reflectors but why not a zigzag instead of the two in the middle being offset?

Seems to be so the corners are being lit towards the front and towards the back in the middle. Are you doing a U shaped scape? Or a lower scape in the center and a pillar on each side? I know the spread with the reflectors will be fantastic but for your sps you'd want the bulbs over the colonies for maximum par right?

Are you going to have a club meeting at your house when it's all complete?

I agree why not the zig zag. Wouldn't it offer better light coverages?

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Music

aw, Sorry for your loss. That is just plain sad.

Originally Posted by jason2459

Wow, that is tough. Easily like a family member.

Thanks, it sucks but I am happy to know they aren't suffering now and were able to go in peace surrounded by people they loved. I had a year and a half to prepare for Simon leaving us but he had responded well to medication and was doing great then all of a sudden went on a downward spiral over the course of about two weeks. Paco really missed his buddy, they pretended to hate each other in our presence but if you surprised them you often could find them an inch apart. Paco was sudden, he went into heart failure and didn't respond to medication. The poor thing was the most cuddly cat ever, he was a momma's boy. We still wake up expecting them to be here.

[GQuinn]

Originally Posted by Brunzy

I agree why not the zig zag. Wouldn't it offer better light coverages?

Maybe it has something to do with the overflows in the two corners.

[this is me]

Excellent!
Old school MH lighting=Winning!

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by Bagabaga

I understand your lighting offset with the reflectors but why not a zigzag instead of the two in the middle being offset?

Seems to be so the corners are being lit towards the front and towards the back in the middle. Are you doing a U shaped scape? Or a lower scape in the center and a pillar on each side? I know the spread with the reflectors will be fantastic but for your sps you'd want the bulbs over the colonies for maximum par right?

Are you going to have a club meeting at your house when it's all complete?

While one can never predict exactly how the aquascape will be done the plan is to have two main structures with a lot of open swimming room. They'll likely fall between a middle and outer halide on each side with ample swimming room between the structures. The outer halides are centered in the area they will light while not trying to waste much light on the overflows themselves. The two middle lights are offset to the middle of the tank without wasting too much light on the overflows. The center halides will provide lighting for the top, inside, and back of the structures while the outer halides will provide coverage for the top, outside, and front of the structures. I think this will also minimize shadows.

While not an official member of any local clubs I am welcome to the idea of hosting meetings once in a while. I know members of them all and would welcome them anytime.

Originally Posted by Brunzy

I agree why not the zig zag. Wouldn't it offer better light coverages?

I would more than likely center them all without the overflows. They kind of complicate things. This also gives me some room to add a few extra lights should I want to spotlight something.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by GQuinn

Maybe it has something to do with the overflows in the two corners.

you got it . Hoping to reduce wasted light and take advantage of TIR.

Originally Posted by this is me

Excellent!
Old school MH lighting=Winning!

if I thought I could get a regular and steady supply of Super Actinic VHO bulbs they would be on there as well . I have the ballasts already but unfortunately I think that ship has mostly sailed. I have debated adding 3 or 4 highly dispersed 6.5k or 10k 250w halides to the mix as well for a nice extra par high noon but time will tell if I go that route. Since the entire setup will slide out the front and is made from 80/20 changes will be super easy to make.

Un-related but it was 70deg today and looks like we'll be waking up to 2-5 inches of snow . The wind is howling and I need to go disconnect garden hoses!

[BigBlueTang]

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Un-related but it was 70deg today and looks like we'll be waking up to 2-5 inches of snow . The wind is howling and I need to go disconnect garden hoses!

Unfortunately. Praying my flight doesn't get cancelled lol.. Can never trust Colorado weather..

Any ideas when you are going to be building the rig?

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by BigBlueTang

Unfortunately. Praying my flight doesn't get cancelled lol.. Can never trust Colorado weather..

Any ideas when you are going to be building the rig?

It's a money thing right now. Broncos season tickets caught me off guard this year with all of this stuff going on. It's next on my purchase list though and I think I have a work around. Going to build the mounting hardware and get that installed then I am free to build the rest of the rack when I actually need the rack. I won't be lighting the tank for about 2 months as it settles in and the only reason I want to get it sooner than later is so I don't have to stand in saltwater to install the dang thing. Too much crap will fall in the tank.

[NeverlosT]

This build is awesome! I like that you have a great vision, passion, some great friends to help, and are not making too many compromises. I think that this will be an outstanding build!

I cant wait for more equipment pictures to drool over. Man I have been considering going to M80s and 250W radiums on my upcoming build too... it is tempting!

The heat exchanger that you mentioned earlier, will it handle the job of removing humid air from the tank and filtration rooms as well as keeping them a good temp?

I am also glad to see you using nice spears valves (on the drain siphon controls) since replacing a homedepot grade pvc when they lock up would be terrible. I was wondering though on my full siphon drain valves I used true union gate valves and am now glad for it since sometimes the siphon requires very fine adjustment to tune just right. I fear you might have to fiddle a lot with a ball valve to get things tuned just right.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by NeverlosT

This build is awesome! I like that you have a great vision, passion, some great friends to help, and are not making too many compromises. I think that this will be an outstanding build!

I cant wait for more equipment pictures to drool over. Man I have been considering going to M80s and 250W radiums on my upcoming build too... it is tempting!

The heat exchanger that you mentioned earlier, will it handle the job of removing humid air from the tank and filtration rooms as well as keeping them a good temp?

I am also glad to see you using nice spears valves (on the drain siphon controls) since replacing a homedepot grade pvc when they lock up would be terrible. I was wondering though on my full siphon drain valves I used true union gate valves and am now glad for it since sometimes the siphon requires very fine adjustment to tune just right. I fear you might have to fiddle a lot with a ball valve to get things tuned just right.

Thank you! It's been a lot of fun to get this going. I love the radium/m80 combo. It's a rock solid setup with great coloration. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

The HRV hasn't been completely tested in that regard but I installed it with new ducting to pull all of the stale air from the filtration room and the other two rooms in the basement. With a ton of water already in the house it has no issues keeping the humidity inside the house the same as outside. In fact I have been having to run the whole house humidifier as well as a humidifier in the bedroom to keep from getting bloody noses. Once everything is setup and running I'll see how hard it really needs to run (it's variable speed) and possibly install a humidistat to turn the system on and off. It won't dehumidify the tank directly but I have a plan to vent the hood outdoors if I need it, though, I suspect the humidity from the tank will be welcomed. Sometime this summer I plan on installing a brushless DC motor in the furnace to be able to constantly circulate air at a low speed to further help with the fish room. Temperature wise the HRV has been awesome keeping the temps up even when it was single digits outside. The unit seems to work really well in that regard.

The reason I used the spears ball valves were because I have totes full of them . I probably should have looked but I was hoping they had a gate valve that would fit in the same true unions for an easy swap if it turned out to be a real pain to get them adjusted. I'm guessing that was just wishful thinking on my part but I will have to play it by ear. If I have to get in there and install some gate valves it won't be the easiest but is doable. I did use threaded fittings if that was the case to make it easier to install new valves.

[NeverlosT]

hmm that is a good question... I wonder if the spears gate/ball valve outer parts are interchangeable, they very well may be. Then you could just hot swap them if you wanted. I might have the goods at home to let you know, if I do, I'll chime in.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by NeverlosT

hmm that is a good question... I wonder if the spears gate/ball valve outer parts are interchangeable, they very well may be. Then you could just hot swap them if you wanted. I might have the goods at home to let you know, if I do, I'll chime in.

Thanks! Do they even have True Union Gate Valves? I haven't actually seen one setup in that config. I do have a 2" emergency drain that I do plan on keeping wet so that should help quite a bit in regards to tuning the siphons.

I also have decided to go with the older Sequence 4600 return pump instead of the hammerhead but they have the same in/out fittings and roughly the same dimensions so I can swap them if I want more flow. The 4600 will provide less flow overall but I decided to go this route because I won't be teeing anything off the return pipe and the energy saved allows for running a separate skimmer feed pump at no additional energy costs vs the hammerhead. The skimmer will be fed with an additional pump through a biopellet reactor. I'd like to avoid having to fiddle with things as much as possible even if it means adding a few additional pumps into the mix.

[tkeracer619]

I had time to myself this weekend so I tried to crank out some loose ends.

I finished the plumbing through the bathroom and re-installed the sink. I'll hide the plumbing later and make it all look like it was meant to be. I have a pretty good idea that will give a bit more counter space.

While I wasn't able to get as steep of an angle as I would have liked I was able to get all of the plumbing to slant down the entire route. Its obviously not an ideal setup but it's the best option given the situation at hand!


The sink was pretty easy to get back into place. I did have to modify the drain with a pair of 45deg elbows to move the whole drain forward.




I was getting pretty tired and instead of doing the tank plumbing I decided to install the return pump and skimmer. I replaced the rubber seals on the skimmer, the originals were worn out. The manufacturer was awesome and shipped two free of charge! I also re-did all of the PVC connections since I don't trust anyone elses plumbing. That was a good choice because there were some questionable connections . I decided to go with the Sequence 4600 for the return pump. I can swap for a Hammerhead at any time and I have backup pumps for either setup. After this plumbing the only thing left before a fresh water test is the under tank plumbing. It will take me a good couple hours but it is cake compared to the rest of the plumbing job!

The Skimmer and Return Pump.


This morning my big challenge was to get the shop sink in the filtration room hooked up. The first step was to figure out the drain. Before I put FRP on the wall I modified the house drain to accept the shop sink. I'll be using the valves that were purposed for the washing machines but had to replace them due to the cold side being stuck in the off position.

The bad valves. I went ahead and replaced both since the other one looked like it was corroding just like the one that was locked up. Better safe than sorry.


Once that was done I used 8ft braided lines and adapters to get the sink hooked up. I installed a new trap and cut the drain pipes to size. This sink is going to be a real blessing once this is all done. 11 years of reefing and I've never had a shop sink... #superexcited

A shot of the east wall QT tanks, shop sink, storage, and water change system. I plan on using the space under the QT for spare pumps and salt. Still work left to be done but it's functional now!


A shot of the south wall.


A shot of the BTA racks. After the fresh water test finishing these and the electrical will be the primary focus.

[sirreal63]

I love it! That skimmer is a beast.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by sirreal63

I love it! That skimmer is a beast.

Thanks!

Yes it is! A tank I used to maintain when I worked for AAI used one of these. It was one size up and on a 1000gal FO tank. It seemed to work pretty good but it had been modified with a Reeflo Orca Needle Wheel pump. I think on this particular setup this skimmer will have a good change of working like a charm as is. Though, it's probably going to take a good while before I can get the bioload for it to be consistent. I think feeding it through a biopellet reactor will help with that but only time will tell. I'll likely be adjusting the water level in the RK2 down and use my PM Bullet XL with Askoll 1500 for the first few months.

[tkeracer619]

Gah... what a pain in the butt.

Cleaning the residue off the glass for fresh bulkheads...

[tkeracer619]

Just got home from a work trip. About midnight sunday night I added 2ml of the concentrated ammonia I picked up at the science supply store, about a gallon worth of pond matrix, and a small bottle of biospira.

It tested out at about 3.5ppm ammonia. Just ran the test again and it was 0ppm ammonia with 50ppm nitrates. Added more ammonia to bring it back up to 4ppm. Will test again tomorrow.

Now it's time to go install the last 3 bulkheads in the tank... Joy

[iced98lx]

Woohoo, progress!