375 gal starting to take shape ... 3rd photo installment

[Pansy-Paws]

After nearly 10 months of design, planning, and construction, our tank finally has water, salt, and it's first rock :biggrin: . Rather than your common bowling ball fiji, this shipment has wonderful shapes and the expected coraline covering (200 lbs).

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2914.JPG

January 9th was the salt addition day, after getting the tank 3/4 full directly from our RO/DI unit. Even at 60 gpd, it seemed to take ages.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2881.JPG

Here's a closeup of the tank after two days of water filling, highlighting the spray bars of clear PVC and some of the under-the-sand closed-loop plumbing. We're planning on adding the sand in a couple of weeks.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2858.JPG

I'll add additional photos and show the support equipment in upcoming posts. It's starting to really look like something now - :cool:

[Richer]

Very nice, hope to see more pictures :razz:

-Rich

[Tarolisol]

What pump are you using for the 4-way and how are you going to heat it?

[muck]

Looks like you have done a lot of homework on that baby... looks awesome!
I second Rich! Keep the pictures coming!!! :mrgreen:

[G1GY]

I'm waiting for more pic's! :smile:

That is going to be one incredible set up!

Nice job! :biggrin:

[muck]

Where did you source the clear PVC..??

[Jason McK]

Sweet, Love the Idea of under sand pluming.

Can't wait to see more pics

J

[Doug]

:eek: Now thats a tank. Also look forward to pics as it progresses.

[danny zubot]

Really nice looking. Where did you get that tank? What size is it? What are your plans for lighting/skimming etc?
Sorry about the questions but we're all curious! :mrgreen:

Danny

[Chin_Lee]

Lyle
any chance of hosting an open house for some of the local reefers to come check it out? That just looks beautiful!!! it looks like you've done lots of thinking! Good job
cwlee

[Willow]

dang thats gonna looks sweet!

lyle where did you get clear pvc? i want!

[Pansy-Paws]

Thanks for all your words of encouragement; we are very excited with how it's coming along :biggrin: ... now on to some answers. It's only fitting that I explain what I did, as I've tagged along on Canreef (and Reef Central) getting lots of good ideas for this project.

Tarolisol: The 4-way will be powered by an Amp Master 3000. I picked up the pump this week, it'll create some kick-ass circulation. The entire system will be heated by two 300-watt heaters, one placed in the refugium, the other in the sump. These will be connected to a Medusa controller. Targeting 77F.

Muck, Willow: I love the look of clear pvc as well. After much searching I located some by mail order at savko.com. And, further to a recent message thread, I also steer clear of UPS and their monster brokerage fees :evil: I always request USPS myself.

Danny: The tank is from Envision Acrylics out of Portland, and measures 96x30x30, 3/4 inch acrylic. The nominal volume is 375 gallons, but closer to 330 once the wall thickness is taken into account. It has an external overflow box of 10 gal, so no space is wasted inside the tank.

Since we're starting the tank out as FOWLR, the lighting is 520W PC (2 x Coralife 48" Aqualight). The addition of MH lighting, calcium reactor and a chiller would be the route to upgrade to a reef, but we're in no hurry for now (tank will have angels, tangs, butterflys, mandarins, neon gobies) :smile:

The skimmer is attached to the 100 gal refugium (good ol' Rubbermaid stock tub), which has been running since August. It's a Bullet-XL One, powered by a Mak-4, and I'm very pleased with its performance. Here's a shot of it pulled out on its platform ... top lid removed. This is located in what I call my fish room, a closet space under a staircase.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/skimmer.JPG

Chin_lee: Good suggestion for an open house, but it's not ready yet (the surrounding area is a mess, and my wife wouldn't approve until it's cleaned up) :mrgreen:

Re: the under-sand plumbing, this was desired since the tank is set on a brick bar for three-sided viewing. To keep inside clutter to a minimum, the idea :idea: for the plumbing was born. The alternative would have been through the bottom. Here's a shot from the opposite end.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2816.JPG

And while that shot looks fairly orderly, here's a shot of the external plumbing at the other end (eight bulkheads and lots of other fittings), still incomplete.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2828.JPG

As you can see, I've got myself some plumbing to do this weekend ... hoping to get the closed-loop finished and running (probably a little too aggressive though as I have other "honey-do" items for the weekend :eek: :eek: )

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Wow, Lyle! Looks humongous & awesome. :multi: That's a worth seeing (hint, hint) :biggrin: It's very obvious that you've put in the time, effort & $$ to do this right. Pat yourself on the back for having the patience to do what most of us can only dream about at this time :mrgreen:

Anthony

Tank tour '05 anyone :biggrin:

[Chin_Lee]

excellent planning with the union joints under the ball valves. It makes things VERY easy in the future to change things around.

Three sided viewing is very nice as thats what I have for my system .... but it is 1.5 times more work to clean the glass. I hate glass cleaning on my 6 foot tank.... you're gonna have fun with your 8 foot tank :mrgreen: Looking forward to that open house one day. .... ... good job!

[Pansy-Paws]

Three sided viewing is very nice as thats what I have for my system .... but it is 1.5 times more work to clean the glass.

Yeah :frown: I am really hoping that the amount of algae matches the accumulation rate for our existing fish-only, it needs cleaning every 2-3 months. On the otherhand, the reef tank needs cleaning weekly. Not sure why the huge difference ...

Here's hoping that acrylic cleaning doesn't become a huge chore :razz:

[Tarolisol]

In regard to the 4 way i have a reeflo dart on my which is similiar to the ampmaster and on a tank that big the flow will seem underpowered. It would seem all the plumbing for teh 4 way really take a toll on the output of the pump. I can already for see getting a bigger pump one day for my 210 gallon.

[Pansy-Paws]

We do plan to have an open house/viewing party and you'll all be invited. While Lyle has been busy with the tank, I've been designing and building the turnstyle and souvenir gift shop that you'll have to pass through before you get to the tank . . . hey we have to pay for this somehow - LOL :biggrin:
Rose (Lyle's better & also fish crazy half)

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Wow, Lyle. You lucked out. A wife who's also fish-crazy. Almost unheard of. Most guys/gals are lucky if their other half is tolerant of their addiction. My wife likes the corals & fish, but not quite fish-crazy yet. Gonna set her up with her own little nano-reef tank in her flower shop to see if that get the craziness going. :biggrin:

Anthony

Hi Rose!! Welcome to CanReef.

[Ryan]

Wow nice tank. might i suggest a rarer species of clownfish just to top it off.

[Pansy-Paws]

In regard to the 4 way i have a reeflo dart on my which is similiar to the ampmaster and on a tank that big the flow will seem underpowered. It would seem all the plumbing for teh 4 way really take a toll on the output of the pump. I can already for see getting a bigger pump one day for my 210 gallon.
Sean,
I turned on the Amp Master earlier this week, and I agree that more flow is desirable (especially if I wasn't starting as fish-only). I will also have a Mag 18 from the sump supplying an overhead manifold, so we'll see. Might up that to a Mag 24 (the overflow comb probably won't handle a Mag 36 though). I had toyed with the idea of installing two closed loop systems, but decided to stick with one. For a reef setup of this size I would definately add at least 2 Tunze 6100's.

Wow, Lyle. You lucked out. A wife who's also fish-crazy. Almost unheard of. Most guys/gals are lucky if their other half is tolerant of their addiction.
Anthony,
And I used that fish-crazy attitude to maximum advantage this week :smilecol: The smell of curing Tonga rock in the house was unbelievably rank, and the boxes had 5 rotting cucumbers in them (now that is the worst smell I've ever come across !!!! Yes, even worse than dying Xenia ...)

might i suggest a rarer species of clownfish just to top it off
Ryan,
I like clownfish, but a pair would be too aggreesive and territorial for my strategy on this tank. BTW, what rarer species were you thinking of ??


Over the weekend I'll add some photos and ideas that I had for a refugium and then a linear, multi-tank sump under the bar. Alas the idea didn't work out, and I was left with three 10 gallon tanks with various bulkhead holes (and one that cracked when I tightened the bulkhead too much).

Meanwhile, I need to put the gas mask back on ... that Tonga is still working wonders on the nasal passages. :eggface:

[Pansy-Paws]

Here's a shot of the tank today, two types of rock curing (Fiji and Tonga) ...

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2942.JPG

I connected the tank into the sump today, so here's a summary of the challenges I had with that part of the design. Hopefully you can visualize what I'm describing, but please ask further questions if not :razz: .

The area under the bar supporting the tank had very little room (we're talking small :exclaim: ) The length is good (over 8 feet) but the width of the area is only 11.5 inches. There is a shelf as well, making the height of the bottom 17" and the top level at 12" (as measured through the doors). The doors, located behind the bar, also posed a problem since anything longer than 21" would not fit through. The end of the bar with the sink provided a bit more space, and a larger door, and this is where I planned my primary sump.

Plan View: note primary sump sketched in at the top, that was the largest possible dimension that could get through the door (31 gal), and as it turned out I could only find a smaller one (20 gal) ... a Tru-Vu acrylic tank that I added baffles to.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/bar_plan_view.JPG

Here's a shot to provide some perspective (showing the support frame before the tank was moved).

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2737.JPG

With a 375 gal tank and a 100 gal refugium both draining into the sump, I knew that it was not going to be large enough to hold the drain-back in the event of a power outage. And, I wasn't about the rely on check valves to keep the rug dry. So, I needed more volume.

Plan A:

My first idea was to daisy-chain three 10 gal tanks along the bottom level, and have these raised up on boards a bit to ensure the tops were a bit higher than the sump.

This sketch showed the general plan, with space for a 4th 10 gal on the other side of the sump. The sump is at the top right of this diagram.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/linear_sump.JPG

To start with, I used two 10 gal tanks, drilled them for 3/4" bulkheads, and connected them to the sump with barb-hose fittings (big mistake :confused: , really constricts the flow). I drilled the bulkhead holes with a diamond bit dremel, and each hole took about 20 minutes to complete. I got the dremel idea from this posting:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=445481

Once installed I tried it out, knowing that I still had space for two more 10 gal. With just the 100 gal refugium connected, turning the pump off resulted in a faster rate of drain-back than the flow into the 10 gal aquariums could handle, resulting in a precarious peak level in the sump before the water finally expanded into the 10 gallon daisy-chain. No way was this idea going to work with the 375 gal added :evil: :evil:

Plan B:

I toyed with the idea of putting a 150 gal Rubbermaid Stock Tank outside the window, sunk into the ground with a box structure over it, but the wife didn't like the idea (and quite frankly neither did I) :eek: :eek:

Plan C:

I finally stumbled upon using a couple long and skinny plastic tanks, each 16.5 gal (not quite sure of the plastic type, poly-something ... hope that description helps :n00b: ) They had built-in 1.25 inch bulkheads, so that saved me some work. I joined them together using the built-in bulkheads, and added a 1.5" to connect to the sump. Again, they are raised on boards, making the top half of the sump probably 40 gal ... much better drain-back volume.

Here's a shot of the left door and right door along the length of the bar.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2926.JPG

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2927.JPG

And a shot of these poly tanks connected to the sump.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2924.JPG

And finally, a look at the primary sump ... there's still plumbing neatening to do ... had to make sure the design worked first.

http://pansy-paws.com/aquarium/images/IMG_2943.JPG


Still got lots of construction to do ... talk later.