My 97G Reef Build
 

Figured I may as well start a build thread for this one.

Ordered a new tank/sump/stand from Concept this week. :)

36x26x24 display with external herbie
30x20x16 4 chamber sump
36 tall stand

Should get the tank some time in March. Can't wait to get started.

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psotplbod1.png

http://i1318.photobucket.com/albums/...psyaq8dkre.png

Tank looks great.
As for the sump, looks like it will be running nearly full of water with those baffles soo high?
I have never really understood the point of the multi baffle sumps.

It is fairly high I guess. Nobody else has pointed that out yet to be honest. I've done the math and it will hold all water once pumps turned off, so figured it would work.

I went for the chambers for flexibility. It will allow me to move things around and try different things out. It's my first large tank with a sump, so wasn't quite sure what I'd really want once I get it running.

Look a bit high for my taste . Just think how close the water will be in the first chamber. Are you planning to run filter socks or floss?

IMO a simpler sump with way less baffles will be easier to clean and provide greater flexibility when it comes to the size of equipment you can place in it.

Sock only when I need to.

Is your return line just going to hang over the top of the tank? If so, back siphoning can be eliminated with a simple tiny hole drilled in the return. Right about water height. Then you dont have to worry about your sump levels when the pump turns off, as your baffles are pretty tall.

That's the plan. Expecting tank to only drain 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

I personally would make a less complicated sump, I find the more compartments the more detritus it traps.

Got it. Working on a redesign.

I agree. I've never found the need for more than 2 baffles. One siliconed on three sides (including the bottom) to create the right water level height for the skimmer "box", and a second slightly raised to separate the middle refugium and the end return pump sections. Each baffle I get cut to the ideal skimmer water level height so if the skimmer works best in 9" of water, that's how tall I cut the baffles. The second raised baffle also acts to trap microbubbles.

Talked to the guys at Concept and got them to redesign it. Have gone with a much simpler sump based on their recommendations.

Thanks for the comments, I'm positive I'll be happier with the result. :)

Thanks again to the guys at Concept for putting up with my rookie silliness.

What does your final sump design look like after talking with Concept?

Will you be able to post your new design?

Oh ya, I suppose I coulda done that.

Sock and drain top left, into a cryptic zone. Big main skimmer chamber in the middle and return on the right.

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=144837

Went and did some shopping today. :)

Picked up a bunch of tonga branch and shelf from Eli.

Then swung by Concepts and sorted out a CoralBox d700 skimmer and Jebao dct4000 return.

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=144963

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=144966

Have had the rock in water for a couple of weeks now.

Picked up the stand from Concept last week. Now working on finalizing my design for stand skin and canopy.

Here's a mockup so far. Front will have a panel with doors. Canopy will be hinged to allow front to lift up, and will put a couple doors in the front for quick easy access. I plan on suspending the lights from a support that can slide front to back to allow positioning and move out of the way for easier access to tank.

Sump and pipes will be enclosed in a sealed tray and backsplash. Should give me about 10 gallons of "uh oh" overflow and spillage before any water hits the floor. I'll have a water sensor in there to alert should that start to happen.

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=146040

Looks great. Are you going to be putting ATO container outside the stands?

Thanks.

Yep, I have some dead space under my desk right beside the stand. Gong to start with a 20 gallonish ATO container there.

Got a bunch of work done on the stand.

Top and bottom boards are done along with the main tray that will hold the sump and plumbing.

Panels are in the garage getting stained and magnets attached.

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=147375

Got the stand skin finished. Woo Hoo!

Skin has multiple coats of stain on it. Used magnets (6 on side, 7 on front) to hold the panels on. Strong enough to prevent the kids from pulling panels off. Going to use childproof magnetic latches for the doors as well.

Canopy still needs to be built. That will start once I have the tank in hand.

Have all the pieces I need for now, hoping to get the tank in the next week. :big grin:

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=148056

Would you mind explaining what all those chambers are for ? I suspect there's a return, skimmer, reactor, sock chamber in there somewhere ? I would also echo that the baffles seem high. At the end of the day it's all a matter of preference. If you prefer running a high water level then that's fine, but I don't think it's necessary to. In my experience I've always had issues with high level sumps (water overflow, more we walls for tube worms to grow on, cramped compartments making it difficult to get stuff in and out of, etc).

NEVERMIND. Clearly I need more coffee. I didn't notice that there was a second page where you changed everything :lol: Looking good, carry on :-)

lol, thanks. :)

Ya, clearly some mistakes in first idea. But at least caught them early. Would delete/change first pics if I could.

This hobby is all about mistakes, and learning from them. Honestly, that's partly what makes in interesting I think :-). This community helped me to avoid quite a few mistakes of my own..

Having the original design there is not a bad idea, for reference and historical reasons. The tank journal is a journey, an evolution of sorts. It's good to document it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. There's lots of crap in my journal that I re-read and think, WTF was I thinking there?! :lol:

Woo Hoo! Picked the tank and sump up on Saturday and spent the weekend setting it up and filling it.

Rockwork is rough right now. Will be organizing it better in 3 weeks when I move my existing tank rocks over.

Rocks have been curing for 2 months already and saw the levels spike and drop as hoped. Should have a pretty clean go once I start moving things over.

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=149169

following...

After being away for a couple weeks of work, came back and got everything switched over. Everything seems to have settled in great and looks happy.

Lots more room to do stuff now :)

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=150567

Tank's been setup for 6 weeks now and think it's looking pretty good.

Levels are staying pretty stable and slowly improving.

Have quite a bit of lettuce algae. Been trying different snails/inverts in an effort to try and keep it in check. Nothing seems to be making much of a dent so far. Might have to try a mexican turbo snail.

Also planning on getting gfo online this week in hopes that reducing phosphates will slow it down/reduce it.

Canopy is built, just needs paint and hardware. :)

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=151584

Coming up on a year since I started this whole journey on this tank. Can't believe it's been that long already. Figured it was time put an update.

Have gone through all sorts of fun over the past year, but seems like just typical new tank stuff from what I've read. Got a bit more algae to deal with but it's definitely receding.

Have decided I really like the looks of sps dominant tanks so have decide to go down that route.

To help with that, decided to switch over to aquaforest. Personally like having a single product line/system I can follow to get ideal results. Started about a month ago and have been having success so far. Colours on everything has perked up and parameters have fallen in line and stayed pretty much stable.

http://www.aquaticlog.com/showcase/i...imageId=167520