*Bulletsworld's 230G Tank Build*

[bulletsworld]

So, late last year, back in Edmonton, I called off my wedding, got laid off work, sold my half of the house to the ex for a $1, with everything in it. I shut down my 90gal tank, selling everything and before I knew it, I was out of the hobby for the first time in 5+ years:shocked: In January of this year...I did the unthinkable, I left my friends, family behind and followed my heart... I moved to Calgary with my bulldog to start a new life... a new job, a new man, new vehicle, new city, new fish stores. However, I had no fish tank. :sad: I would just look into tanks at the fish stores, reminding myself of no water changes & maintenance required. I would just... look. YEAH RIGHT! :lol:

I always dreamed of building my own 230 gal. That's where it starts right? :mrgreen: In all the years in the hobby I've never setup or had a drilled tank. I'm serious! I always had everything like heaters right in the tank display & all the equipment hanging off the sides. So how does one go from being out of the hobby to starting back with the biggest tank she's has ever had???


Here is my 230gal dream coming true.....

230gal Custom Build Tank, Room Divider (three sides viewable starfire glass) with a sit up bar on one side. :mrgreen:


The Tank
I moved into a house that has a large kitchen island and thought what a perfect place for a tank! :mrgreen: Went to Gold's Aquarium and custom ordered a 230gal (72 x 30 x 24), with a (7" box built attached external overflow (more space inside tank), with two 1 1/2" drains down the overflow and three sides of tank viewable in beautiful Starfire Glass. NICE! Paid $954.00 with tax. Last minute I custom ordered the sump, cost $157.00 with tax. Tank & sump, ready in two weeks!. I was SUPER EXCITED!

On August 10th... The love of my life (Derek), got his electrician buddies together for the tank pickup! What are the odds that one of the electricians is an old time canreefer that i met years back in Edmonton! How cool is that! Small world hey! Special thanks to KrazyKuch for helping out & bringing those awesome suction cups!

Here is a pic of the guys loading the tank & sump from Gold's Aquarium. Gold's staff all around. :mrgreen:
Good thing Kurt brought his truck! Originally the 230gal was going in the Jeep. :shocked: Good thing the sump fit in the Jeep! :lol:
http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/230galTankPickup.jpg



Three guys and a girl (ME) lifted the tank and hauled it in to the house. O.k... the guys did most of the work really. :lol:
We had to take the patio doors off to get the tank in with the suction cups on!
http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/TankonTruck.jpg


Here is the Sump. My Bulldog saying, "What the heck is this now?"
http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/sump.jpg


http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/MyTankBruise.jpg
When helping lift & carry the tank in the house, I almost lost some fingers as everyone put their side down & I still had my fingers underneath the tank. HELP! Before that, I slipped & dropped my end down on my arm! Yup, this picture is the beginning of the bruise. Hard to explain this one to my coworkers! It was a tank that gave me this bruise, honest! :lol:

[bulletsworld]

The Stand
One weekend prior to the tank coming, we had planned to put the tank on our large kitchen island. That's until we realized it was hollow inside. :shocked: With the idea of reinforcing the counter top, I came home from work hours later to find a stand built! WOW WEE! I have the most amazing guy ever! He looked up stand ideas on the web & just build it in a couple of hours! I knew he was an electrician but not a carpenter too! Amazing!! :mrgreen:

The stand with all the wood and screws, approx $300.00 to build.

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/Cuttingthewood.jpg
cutting wood

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/Standbuild.jpg
stand frame with the Bulldog guarding it.

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/customstand2.jpg
Later the sides & the top wood were added.


http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/Standonitsside.jpg
The bottom of the stand, as its being sanded & insulation was added underneath too.

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/230galTankHaul.jpg
After we got the tank in the house, the tank on its new stand

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/Otherside.jpg
Here is another shot of the tank from the kitchen side. Celebrating with a few frosty beers.

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/Mebesidethenew230gal.jpg
Me (Lee - a.k.a Bulletsworld) Yes, Lee is a girl not a guy, SURPRISE!) standing at my new tank.
I then realized its taller than me! I'm going to have to dive in to clean this! :lol:

[bulletsworld]

Over the weekend it was power time! Derek, being an electrician, he couldn't resist wiring up the stand. I was his apprentice. :mrgreen:

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6436.jpg

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6432.jpg
Water proof wire


http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6423.jpg
Here is all waterproof, electrical supplies needed. Approx $150.00 Later


http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6400.jpg
Planning of the boxes


http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6439.jpg
Making an insulated & closed frame for the outlets. A very neat carpenters tool was used here, a black string with ink dust on it to help make straight lines before cutting wood. You simply pull the string & snap it down to leave the ink print of the line. I loved this tool.


http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6438.jpg
Here is some of the plug casings together


http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6411.jpg
Wiring it all up. Teaching me how to cut wires.
http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6412.jpg


http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6483.jpg
Almost the one side is done. There is two GFCI outlets on each side of the stand. Only 5 plugs running off of each GFCI, for extra safety. If water splashes on any plug or a light falls in the tank, the GFCI will trip the power off. Water proof flaps were installed to seal out salt build up & water splashes on unused plugs. Derek, tested & checked the GFCI breaker & outlets with his cool plug tester (not shown). So far so good! They all worked! WoohOO!


Stay tuned. :mrgreen:

[Midknight]

Along for the ride. :biggrin:

Looks like it is going to be a great setup.

[muck]

^

*just jumped in the back of the pickup* :mrgreen:

[christyf5]

Wooo! This is gonna be some build! Can't wait to see more pics :mrgreen:

[lastlight]

Happy to hear your fresh break in Calgary has been great and is now finally SALTY =) I know what you mean about window shopping. Been doing it for a couple years now and I'm starting to feel like a free-loading bum strolling through the stores (and this site)! Looking forward to more.

[noirsphynx]

This looks awesome, tagging along :biggrin:

[andestang]

Good to see you have your build thread started. Look forward to seeing the progress. I couldn't see all the pics though,alot of them are x'd out.

[Coleus]

awesome
________
Smokeout (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62vuP_pse1k)

[bulletsworld]

Good to see you have your build thread started. Look forward to seeing the progress. I couldn't see all the pics though,alot of them are x'd out.

Really!? Alot of the pictures are X'd out? Hmm... I can see them all. :confused:

Is everyone else not able to see the pictures too?

[christyf5]

I can see them :biggrin:

[muck]

Work fine for me too.


Me (Lee - a.k.a Bulletsworld) Yes, Lee (short for LeeAnne) is a girl not a guy, SURPRISE!)

When did this happen?? :twitch:

[lastlight]

I can't see any images in post 3.

Congrats on the being a girl thing. Everything's changing eh?!

[Tom R]

I am not seeing any pictures either.

[bulletsworld]

Work fine for me too.


When did this happen?? :twitch:


You already met me & know I'm a chick! BUT you'd be surprised how many people think Lee is a guy. What a good disguise Hehe :mrgreen:

[bulletsworld]

I can't see any images in post 3.

Congrats on the being a girl thing. Everything's changing eh?!

Well maybe not a...girl. I should of said a woman hey! :lol: However; I've a big kid really. :mrgreen:

[bulletsworld]

I am not seeing any pictures either.

Hmm... I'm not sure why some can see all the pictures and others can't. Hmm..I'm puzzled. :confused:

Perhaps I better load all the pictures @ photo bucket, instead of uploading on Canreef. :confused:

[JDigital]

All the pics work for me... :mrgreen: It's looking really good!

[bulletsworld]

Thanks a bunch everyone for all the wonderful comments! :mrgreen:

[Tom R]

Hmm... I'm not sure why some can see all the pictures and others can't. Hmm..I'm puzzled. :confused:

Perhaps I better load all the pictures @ photo bucket, instead of uploading on Canreef. :confused:


It is probably a windows VISTA thing.

My Windows Vista has a mind of its own.

Tom R

[wickedfrags]

outstanding thread - be certain to ask questions about anything you are not certain about. So so many things to decide, and doing things more than once is very expensive, frustrating and time consuming. Cheers.

[michika]

I can't see them either.

[Lance]

Me neither

[Snappy]

Welcome back to the hobby & congrats on the new tank Lee. You still need to come by and pick up some chaeto.:biggrin:

[bulletsworld]

Welcome back to the hobby & congrats on the new tank Lee. You still need to come by and pick up some chaeto.:biggrin:

Early next week I will be! :mrgreen: Thanks for comments.

[bulletsworld]

I can't see them either.

Me neither


K... I reloaded all the pictures. Can everyone see them now???

[Lance]

K... I reloaded all the pictures. Can everyone see them now???


Yup, thanks.

[bulletsworld]

outstanding thread - be certain to ask questions about anything you are not certain about. So so many things to decide, and doing things more than once is very expensive, frustrating and time consuming. Cheers.


Thank you!

OoOo I will be asking TONS of questions tomorrow for sure about PLUMBING! :lol: I'm so confused how to setup. How the return should go to get the best flow. Learning all about all these valves. If a gate valve is a must have. $200.00 in supplies already and I have no idea what where actually doing. K... Off to bed I go. Need a break from plumbing 101. :lol:

What non-reefers dont know about the hobby... Its not about placing pretty fish in a tank with some coral sticks. If you think about it, this hobby involves being a carpenter, electrician, chemist, marine biologist, and a plumber!!!! :lol:

[Tom R]

Thanks for reloading the pictures.

The tank and stand look great.

Good luck and have fun.

Tom R

[bulletsworld]

How does it really all work? First off, I know nothing about plumbing. Your going to laugh... but I even had to google pictures of gate valve, check valves, true union, t fittings, etc, so I would know what the heck I was looking for in the store. :lol:

My tank currently has two, 1 1/2 inch holes drilled in the overflow, then on the top of the tank running down the top pane of glass is two 1 inch holes on each corner (for the return pipe in the tank)

Then the sump I got made... Has two holes where they put filter socks:confused:. There is only one baffle setup in the middle of the sump with a 1 1/2" hole through it. What the heck for? I asked the builder, he said its to put a valve to control the skimmer water feed onto the other side.

I am running a external drive (Mag 18) then T off to have two return lines coming up the side of the external overflow box and run into each hole on top of tank.

These are the supplies we got so far:

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/Plumbing%20101/IMG_6498.jpg
$200.00 bucks later for just these supplies! Wowzers!

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6499.jpg
Brand new 18 Mag Drive $100.00 (Thanks to Brent)

This is a drawing of what were kinda thinking of doing.. Need your thoughts on it.
http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6509.jpg

[Skimmerking]

Wow Lee you are going to have your tank up before Tony has his 280 gal tank up and Tony started like 12 months ago.:razz:

[fishoholic]

"Yes, Lee is a girl not a guy, SURPRISE!"



When did this happen?? :twitch:



Congrats on the being a girl thing. Everything's changing eh?!

:pound: Well now that we've got that straighten out.....:razz:

Congrats on the thread :mrgreen: Looks good so far. As for plumbing advice, just suck up to Steve and let him figure it out for you :mrgreen: After plumbing and re-plumbing our tanks a few times, he seems to know what he's doing and he's gotten pretty good at it. Just give us a call (or convince him to take a 3 hour ride on his motorcycle :wink:) and Steve should be able to help you.

[fishytime]

Theres some fairly detailed pics of my plumbing layout here. http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=40669 . Pm me if you have any questions....Id be happy to help.

[bulletsworld]

K... I'm back from the Okanagan & ready to work on tank again. :mrgreen: Just a side note.. I can't believe how little & how expensive saltwater fish & supplies are in B.C (Pentiction, Kelowna, Salmon Arms, Kamloops) :shocked: If I had another three hours I would have gone to Vancouver. :sad:



K... on to plumbing: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=55212 :mrgreen:

[andestang]

:bump: :ranger: Been watching for updates.....:) Also wondering in your tank came with polished edges.

[Jason McK]

Looks Great Lee!!!

Can wait for more updates

J

[wickedfrags]

How about some pictures of the back of your tank and how you plan on rreturning the water back to the tank from the sump (including anything you will be using for random water movement, wavy sea, sea swirl etc.). Ideally - pick the most simple route minimizing the length of pipe and number of elbows (both 90s and 45s).

Will you be incorporating a closed loop system?

A good tip - ALWAYS cut the pipe to length and set it in place before you glue. Mark the angles and depth of the angles (on the 45/90/T/valve) with a permanent marker so you don't end up with too much or too little pipe.

Also - with such a beautiful tank, and such a large tank...perhaps reconsider that Mag pump. Known to use too much electricity, run really hot and be unreliable. Perhaps a little external pump? Used perhaps?

I share your dogs expression about the design of that sump :mrgreen: That being said I think you will be able to make it work just fine.


How does it really all work? We got a diagram written out from a friend & each person we talked to has a completely different way of doing plumbing. HELP!

First off, I know nothing about plumbing. Your going to laugh... but I even had to google pictures of gate valve, check valves, true union, t fittings, etc, so I would know what the heck I was looking for in the store. :lol:

My tank currently has two, 1 1/2 inch holes drilled in the overflow, then on the top of the tank running down the top pane of glass is two 1 inch holes on each corner (for the return pipe in the tank)

Then the sump I got made... Has two holes where they put filter socks:confused:. There is only one baffle setup in the middle of the sump with a 1 1/2" hole through it. What the heck for? I asked the builder, he said its to put a valve to control the skimmer water feed onto the other side? huh?

Also, since I have one internal drive (Mag 18) is it bad to run a pipe up from the Mag18, then T off to have two return lines coming up the side of the external overflow box and run into each hole on top of tank?

Looking for your thoughts, tips or advice on plumbing. :confused: HELP!

Tonight we will pickup the pipe. These are the supplies we got so far:

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/Plumbing%20101/IMG_6498.jpg
$200.00 bucks later for just these supplies! Wowzers!

http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6499.jpg
Brand new 18 Mag Drive $100.00 (Thanks to Brent)

This is a drawing of what were kinda thinking of doing.. Need your thoughts on it.
http://i888.photobucket.com/albums/ac82/bulletsworld/IMG_6509.jpg

[bulletsworld]

Thanks for the feedback and comments everyone.

Sorry I have not been updating this. The thread is in NEED of a serious update, as the tank has been plumbed, filled with water, added sand & rock already and cycling for over a month now. Hehe I will update when I'm back from San Diego. :mrgreen:

[Skimmerking]

OK Lee where are the pictures at , how long do you keep us in the closet with this light off. :lol:

PICTURES PLEASE

[argan]

we know you are back from san diego now, so quit slacking on this thread :lol:

[Boomboy]

WE want more pitchers .... please.

[bulletsworld]

OK Lee where are the pictures at , how long do you keep us in the closet with this light off. :lol:

PICTURES PLEASE

we know you are back from san diego now, so quit slacking on this thread :lol:



DAMN IT! YOUR on to me! :lol: :lol:


I will work on this weekend. K anyone know another picture uploader site besides Photobucket to upload more photo's??? I've maxed my free pictures at Photobucket. hehe

[Leah]

WE want more pitchers .... please.

Yeah no pitchers of beer, just pictures :wink:

[tredford8]

i upload my pics to "The Reef Tank", an american fishy forum, then post them to here. You have to create an account and stuff but there's unlimited memory I think....Hope that helps.

[Snappy]

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h210/Trainer02/pointlesswithoutpics1.jpg

[fishoholic]

DAMN IT! YOUR on to me! :lol: :lol:


I will work on this weekend. K anyone know another picture uploader site besides Photobucket to upload more photo's??? I've maxed my free pictures at Photobucket. hehe

You can max out photobucket!!!!!!:eek: I didn't know that, now I'm getting paranoid for my own account.

[bulletsworld]

Just thought I would tease you... and update this thread.....later! :lol:

[argan]

tricked me!

[fishoholic]

Just thought I would tease you... and update this thread.....later! :lol:

Brat! :razz:

[bulletsworld]

tricked me!

Brat! :razz:


:lol: :lol:

[Skimmerking]

no one likes a quitter on Canreef

[Leah]

Or maybe we are all just jealous because she has a life other than Canreef

[Skimmerking]

Or maybe we are all just jealous because she has a life other than Canreef



And that is enough out of you Leah.

[bulletsworld]

Or maybe we are all just jealous because she has a life other than Canreef
:lol: :lol: Thanks Leah! You guys crack me up :mrgreen:

[bulletsworld]

Geeeeesh the pressure to post!!!! :biggrin:



:biggrin:This Saturday it will be three & a half months since the tank has been running!!!. :biggrin: Where does the time fly by. If you can believe we have spend almost $5,000.00 already in supplies and livestock in less than 3 months! OMG...thats a cost of $1,666.67 a month on the tank! :shocked: So in shock...we decided to slow it down a bit. Well at least in till after Christmas. :mrgreen:

Here's the update so far...

Hardware:
-Plumbing was completed and running smoothly without a leak. :)
(I will post pictures tonight)

-18 watt UV Sterilizers with pump was added shortly after (a surprise gift to me)
(pictures to come)

-My old 220 Coralife Skimmer was a joke for this setup and needed to be replaced. I was working with small space under the stand & in the sump so it made it harder to find a used skimmer that would fit. I ended up caving in and crippling over to buy a new skimmer....the ASM G4 Skimmer (I love it!) (pictures to come)

-Then lights... The tank had been dark for almost two months before I got light! Yup, since the tank is on the main floor I was using natural light... then I realized how am I going to grow coraline algae on my live rock! So instead of getting a 72" light.. I got a 48" light set with 2 - 14,000k MH, 12 moon lights and 4 actinic's. Since I had a change in plans with the fish selection, I didn't need to light the entire tank bright. (Video to come - with song blinded by the light :lol: ) My fish must of felt like that when the lights first went on.

Then I bought a 110 gal with stand for a QT tank. I bought a FX5 Canister filter and running it without plumbing. My old style of putting the heater right inside. But its a QT tank, so doesn't matter. This tank went in the basement. The tank finally filled, with sand and is now cycling. Also a holding tank and back up tank for any new fish that need to be removed upon aggression.

The tank stand construction went on hold. Yes, its still the wood look for now. We toy with the idea of just staining it for the time being but it will be a waste since we will be adding the rock later. We originally were going to place real rock all around then decided to look at other options. As it would end up weighting a TON! Especially if we don't stay in Calgary. So we finally found a product that looks just like real stone without the weight! Then deciding on the bar top and light canopy. Tank construction will commence again in the new year. After all, somehow you dont care about the stand when the tank is all running & filled with pretty fish. :biggrin:

Then I started adding livestock...(pictures of each to come)
-Porcupine Puffer (Stewie) - HUGE -8", given to me by a wonderful reefer here.
-Longhorn Cowfish (Luigi) - 3"
-Blue Spotted Boxfish (Dotty) -1.5"
-Volitan lionfish (Chemo) - 3"
-Naso Tang (Luna) - 3"
-Sailfin Tang (Chase) - 2.5"
-Bristle-tail Filefish (Braun) -2.5"
-Lawnmower Blenny
-Orange spotted Goby
- 3 cleaner shrimp
-1 purple lobster
-crabs and snail


Update more later... :biggrin: