+1
I've use them (sold as stainless steel hose clamps), never submerged them, and usually the screw starts to rust.

Ya, these "stainless steel" clamps are interesting like that. I use them all the time on my garden plumbing, pond plumbing and all my past aquariums. Some of them rust and some don't even after years of service. I figure if any of the clamps in the sump start to rust I'll just replace them. But hey, wouldn't they just become phosphate removers at that point? :lol: Otherwise I don't really know what to do about them. I've never seen plastic ones and I don't trust zip ties for this application. Any suggestions for something else to use??

remove metal hose clamps, will rust and contaminate water. Ocean Aquatics has plastic clamps http://oceanaquatics.com/store/category/34/360/Clamps/
Use electrical tape or black paint to cover up the clear hose. it WILL get algae covered inside and restrict flow, requiring frequent cleaning. Just dont use tape below warerline
You might want to put a union on the return pump as well? Not sure how tough those hoses are to remove from the barbs. Mine are really tough. the pump will need to come out for cleaning

Other than that, looks great :D

Nice work Kien. You're moving along fast. Not sure how you managed all the updates when you had a wedding! Im hoping I'll have all my parts by the end of the day and will start the build tonight or tomorrow most likely. I'm hoping to fill this weekend. We all know that timely goals in this hobby usually arent met, but at least Ive set one! haha

I have read that soda water or carbonated water will lower the DKH. As to whether it could harm your fish - I'm uncertain, not knowing very much about salt systems. However, I would assume that it's like any other water parameter and any high or low level can be bad...

??????????

Looking great! Almost too good to put anything in it.. Nice pics as well.

B.T.W i think you sould use silicon tube not pvc one.

Well, it is a little late now to rip everything out and switch over to silicon :-) What's wrong with PVC anyway? My PVC pipe says it is potable (printed on the side of the pipe).

Hmmm... sorry about that carbonated water post. Somehow it posted that here instead of another thread.

What I meant to say was if you want metal clips you can try aluminum or copper as neither of them will rust...

sweet lookin setup kien, just one question...i see there is no center bracing(very observative of me) any issue of that thus far...everyone stand i see has both a front and back center brace and i wanna redo my stand under my 100g and really dont want the center braces allowing access to a neater sump design... anyway, any problems with yours.

That is one concern that I definitely had with the stand. I followed the same plans that just about everyone else on the web uses to build their stand, found here. The guy who came up with the plan says the centre supports are not needed. I've been keeping an eye on it since I filled it and I am getting no deflection at all. I realize that this doesn't mean I will *never* get any deflection though. At any rate, I am not as worried as I used to be. I think it helps a lot that I used a 2x6 for the top supporting rails (actually a must if you are running 72 inches) and on top of that there is a thick 2" slab of very rigid MDF that the tank rests on. I do have 2x2s cut already that I might put in, each 12" from either side so that the long span is no more than 48 inches. I don't plan on putting a centre brace right in the middle of my 72" span though.

If you build your own stand, be sure to use wood glue. It makes the whole thing much sturdier.

centerbraces are not needed, My 150g stand has no center legs. Ive built a few other 6' stands for others with no center legs. But then, shallower tanks, like a 12" tall frag tank, They need more legs on the stand

Sorry to hijack your thread kien.....my 150 sits on a 76" stand only supported on either end with 2 x 6 as a top rail. (My 150 is only 5' long). I don't think there's a concern with 2 x 6. My very first tank was a 90 gallon (4') and all I did was stacked cinder blocks 3 high on either side, slapped a piece of wood on the cinder blocks and that's what the tank sat on - NO top rail at all. Hope this helps.

Sweet! I am a lot less worried now and won't be employing those 2x2s, thanks guys! :-)

The wedding was only a day :-)

One thing I have learned is that you *never* have all the fittings/parts until you are actually done! I have lost count of how many times I've been to Rona, Western Pump and Red Coral (for parts). Also, I now have a bunch of extra fittings that I ended up not using :-)

I returned $110 worth of plumbing yesterday and I still have a boxfull of plumbing from a different store that I have to go return....

So I am having a heck of a time trying to decide what to do about my flow..

I know that at the end of the tank where the returns are I am going to put at least one koralia 4 in a corner and direct the flow diagonally into the tank. What I can't decide on is what to do at the other (overflow) end of the tank. I want to use one or two Votech mp40s but I only have 3 inches of clearance on either side of my overflow box. This means that if I were to install a Vortech it is going to have to sit right beside the side panes of glass with its flow blasting down the sides of the glass as illustrated below..

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1248898269

My concern is whether or not I am going to get enough flow through the centre of the tank. Tank is 24" wide. If I used Koralias I could easily point them more towards the centre of the tank. I don't want to put a vortech at the other end of the tank because this is a peninsula viewable on 3 sides. A koralia at that end I can tuck away in a corner but a vortech.. probably not.

I think you above illistration will work just fine... why? because I assume most of your rockwork with be down the middle of the tank, so unless you want direct flow blasting your rockwork/corals at that end of the tank, I think you will be just fine with 2x mp40's positioned like your pic. Remeber Vortechs have a nice wide flow pattern... plus you will have your 2 returns (which I assume are adjustable for direction) and the K4 at the other end of the tank, which you could mount in the middle...

Don't worry about the flow with the MP40W's the control you get has a very broad range to suit almost anyone's needs. I have a single in my 72 bow in short pulse mode at approx 50% power I'm generating a 2" wave and it's aimed directly at my rock work. The width field on the MP40W's is amazing,

BTW your setup is looking really good! nice pics.:popcorn:

I think you should go with a couple of Tunze 6105 and the new 7096
I had them and I was very satisfied, I can’t tell the same on my couple of mp40 gen2, noisy and unreliable

I don't understand when people say Vortechs are noisy?? I have one in my bedroom and I can never hear it... :biggrin:

how long do ypu have it?

Not saying I don't like them, but I can definitely hear them. What mode do you have yours on? I have one on Reef Crest and one on Lagoon and I can sure hear them ramp up. I have also run into the reliability issue recently...

I run reef crest at 100%. But only an mp20

I guess I will try one first and see if the noise bothers me. If not then I'll get a second. If so then I'll get a Koralia 6 or something equally powerful and ugly.

By the way, thanks for the K4! It is currently circulating my second 33g tub of saltwater that I'm prepping for the tank :-) Oh, and I'm still interested in those flat pieces so give me a quote :-)

So Kien do you have live rock in that sucker now? Is it cycling? Done any aquascaping? I'm planning on filling this weekend and if somehow I have no problems then ordering some live rock from tampabaysaltwater (hoping they ship to canada), you want to do a group order? Not sure if its cheaper or not but Im thinking of ordering maybe 30 lbs or so.

Then once I get it Im gonna lay it out pretty far apart to try to determine if I have any critters I need to dispose of before I add my livestock.

I see you're asking Carmen for stars too, when do you think its safe to put them in the tank? I guess after the cycle or are they hardy enough to go in with the live rock?

Nothing in the new tank yet, but soon :-) I am targeting Sunday to move everything over from the 90 gallon to the 150. I think I have enough live rock for the new tank. The 90 was packed with rock and I want the 150 to look a little more open so I think I have just the right amount of rock for that.

I would consider the stars a part of your initial cleanup crew which you would put in after your tank has cycled. I'm hoping for little to no cycling since I'm just dumping everybody and everything from the 90 to the 150 and then topping it up with saltwater that I have premixed in tubs, sitting in my living room :-) If all goes well, everyone will just think it was a major water change and they magically have more room to swim. I will attempt to aquascape during the transfer, or the following day.

I got a message from Kevin with the tracking number for my new light fixture. According to FedEx it left Great Falls Montana a couple of days ago and should be here any day now! I wasn't expecting it so soon so this evening I scrambled to finish my canopy. The light fixture will sit on top of the canopy which will be 6 inches high.

I also redid a part of my return line. I got rid of the section with the metal clamps and made a new one with a couple of unions added.

Before.. and After..
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249029201 .. http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249029225

Here it is hooked up and ready to go.
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249029244

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249029428

For flow I was thinking of getting a couple of Vortech MP40s but now I am leaning towards a couple of Tunze 6105s. I've read enough reports about the Vortech being noisy now so I am hesitant. Also, I have a Profilux on order which can control the Tunzes so I don't have to buy a separate Tunze pump controller. Well, that's all for now. Sunday will be exciting, or traumatizing..

Go
 

very nice build
________

Go
 

update some picts pls :)
________

Hmmmm. I have 2 MP40's and I don't find them noisy. Maybe a little at full throttle, but I run mine at about 75% in Reef Crest mode. I love them.


For flow I was thinking of getting a couple of Vortech MP40s but now I am leaning towards a couple of Tunze 6105s. I've read enough reports about the Vortech being noisy now so I am hesitant. Also, I have a Profilux on order which can control the Tunzes so I don't have to buy a separate Tunze pump controller. Well, that's all for now. Sunday will be exciting, or traumatizing..[/quote]

No Pain No Gain!
 

So last Friday I finished up the canopy. Primed, sealed, painted, put on doors, cut out vents, etc. Everything was going swimmingly with my build.. then I went and slit my wrist. Not on purpose of course! Somehow I managed to brush my wrist across the end of my drill bit :(

Ouch!

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249486361

Actually, I think it looks worse than it really was. Nothing a can of spray on bandage can't fix up.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249486380

Anyway.. enough of that. On with the show!

Put a lid on it!
 

Right, so the stand turned out pretty good. Well, at least I like it. I used the exact same plans as I did with my 90g tank. Basically we have 8 1x2 leg supports with panels attached to both of the short sides (overflow and return). Cutouts on both of those panels to support a fan cooling system (air in one end out the other to provide laminar air cooling if needed). The top rails are 1x4s for a frame braced by 1x2s running along the long edge. Pretty stiff and stable. The combo light fixture will sit on top of the canopy. nearly 6 foot long panels attached by hinges for access.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249486755..http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249486775

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249486797

Both of the long panels on the canopy open for easy access to either side.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249486836

The 1"x3" panels that I used for the top part of the canopy was pretty flimsy so they needed some sort of support, especially for a 6 foot span. My original gut feeling was that I was going to have to put a leg or two in the middle on either side. I really didn't want to do this because i liked the clean wide open space that I had for working with. What I came up with was a brace using a 1x2 screwed into the 1x3 top panels. The 1x2 sits on its 1" side so it is nice and stiff. It really only needs to support the weight of the doors, which aren't that heavy. Even though the combo light will be sitting on top of the canopy the legs of the combo light actually sit on far ends which are supported by the legs, so no worries about sagging or stress on that long 6 foot run. You can see the brace that I painted gray just behind the doors.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249486853

And finally, a full tank shot from the living room.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249486872

This is a great build. You've done a really nice job with that canopy.

Thanks for documenting so well, you've given me a few ideas on how I want to do things in my new tank.

Beautiful work there. Don' even need fish, I could stare at those pictures all day.....well maybe not all day, but you get the point.

Every build has injuries hey? I put a robertson #2 bit right through my thumb while building my stand.

Thanks guys :-) I'm trying to document as much detail as possible just for that reason. Before I ventured into this build I combed through just about every build thread in the Tank Journal section. I have nearly all of your builds subscribed to and they all gave me great ideas for how I wanted to set up this tank. So really I'm just paying it back :-)

Loving your build Kien... Mostly because of those excellent photos.. :lol:

Let's Rock and Roll!
 

The time has finally come. This is probably the one aspect of any build that is on everyone's mind before they even get started.. the aquascaping! It has kept me awake at night for many many moons now (that and the whole worrying about leaks and flooding). So many great examples out there. Do I stack, epoxy, rod, zip tie, spray?? Do I do an apple stand, bonsai tree, mounds, lagoon ? Lots of stickies and napkins with funny looking squiggles on it that may or may not resemble live rock were sacrificed. Here's how it went down.

I decided to break up my aquascaping into 3 sections. Each section would be aquascaped in a fashion that I saw appealing from other examples and my past history with rock work. It ends up being a little bit of a mash up but I liked the end result.

The first grouping, closest to the overflow is a stacking of rocks with bridges and caves. I call them, the Caves. However, I didn't want to just stack the rocks like I did in the past. For one, I never did like the idea of putting live rock right on the glass. I know its fine and everyone else does it but that's not for me. I also wanted to stand the base rock up in more interesting stances rather than relying on their widest most stable side. Okay.. so how to do that? First I needed an anchoring system for my base rocks. What I came up with was the use of acrylic frag plugs, plugged into the bottom of the rocks, with the acrylic plugs glued to a sheet of acrylic that would sit on the glass. What I needed to do first was to make a some what level surface for my frag plugs. I simply rolled the rock around until I decided on which part of the rock I wanted to sit on the ground. If that part of the rock wasn't perfectly flat, I just took a chisel and made it flat(er). I used an acrylic sheet to test for flatness as I chiseld away.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249492981

Once I was happy with its flatness I choose 3 points where the frag plugs would go and proceeded to drill the holes for the frag plugs.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493225

Note: If you ever try drill live rock, take it slow! Start out with a smallish pilot hole, then work your way up to your final hole size/drill bit. If you start off with your largest bit right away chances are you will end up fragging your live rock.

Once the hole was drilled I tested the hole to make sure it fit my frag plug snuggly.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493324

Then I proceeded to do the remaining holes. Once all of my holes were drilled and plugged with the frag plugs, I lined up the acrylic sheet again to make sure it was still level/flat. It wasn't so I simply made some holes bigger and and filled them with epoxy to straighten the plug. At this point the plugs simply sit into the holes, they are not secured in the holes in any way. I wanted to be able to place the rock onto the plugs later after I had put the acrylic base sheet into the tank first.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493438 .. http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493626

Once I was happy with the fit I put gel glue (loclite from home depot) onto each of the frag plugs and place the entire structure onto the acrylic sheet where I wanted it.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493672

I had to hold it in place for a few seconds to let the glue dry enough so that I could then lift the rock up from the frag plugs, leaving the frag plugs behind.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493777

I repeated the whole process for the 4 legs of my main support legs for the Caves.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493843

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493882

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249493925

Next I had to decide what the upper structure of the Caves was going to look like and how to attach them. Again, I didn't want to just lay or stack rock on top of the base rock. What I decided to do was to make acrylic dowels of various lengths. These are dowels made out of a 1/2" acrylic rod (hallow).

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249494202

The upper rock was light(ish) so I didn't feel like I needed an entire rod inserted into the rock. Once I knew where I wanted a piece to attach to, I drilled a hole into each piece that was the size of the dowel. Inserted the dowel and set them together. For a little extra security I used epoxy and/or zip ties to fasten them together.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249494161

Finally, once I was happy with all my varous sub structures I put the sheet of acrylic into the tank and then started to position all of the base rock onto their corresponding support plugs. I'll admit, it was tricky to line up the holes again.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249494297 .. http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249494438

And here they are, the Caves.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249494484

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249494690

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249494713

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249494734

Next up was the middle section of the tank where I wanted a bonsai tree like structure. I knew that this pieces was going to sit funny and be very top heavy so i didn't want to rely on the previous method for securing rock to the acrylic sheet. Instead I just picked out the largest and heaviest rock I had in my collection and used it as my base rock. I then epoxied and zip tied various flat pieces together to make the arms or branches of the tree.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249495370

Here again I am using an acrylic dowel to help secure an arm of the bonsai tree.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249495391

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249495708

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249495433

There are two arms in total with a vary large flat tonga piece that sits on top. Huh.. I thought I had taken a picture of of the entire structure but I guess I didn't. I guess you'll have to wait until the full tank shot to see it. Sorry, here's a shot of me drilling live rock, enjoy.

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1249495494