WarDog's Tank Thread : Episodic Trial And Error
 

Episode I : The Phantom Valonia

Stand
Stand and Sump
Plumbing
DIY ATO
Electrical
Bleaching Rock and LED Utility Light
Leak Test
Wire Management
Libra Doser and OCD Sump
Dry Rock Structures
Final Rockscape
Cycle and Diatoms
First Coral
Failed First W/C
DIY a Real Water Change Station!
Frag Additions
Skimmer Swap
ICK!
6 Months Old & Mount Frags
Start Of Bubble Algae Epidemic
Coral Illuminati Frag Deal
Switch To T5's
Screen Top, Monti Eating Nudi's, Possibly The Best Pictures
End Of Tank

Episode II : Attack Of The Aiptasia

A New Hope
I Will Build A Grand Army
Floating Aquascape
Cycling & First Livestock
Cruising Along
Ive Got A Really Bad Feeling About This

Episode III : Revenge Of The Upgrade

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Time to start a build journal!

This will be my first dip into Salt Water after about 30 years of having freshwater set-ups of all types. After purchashing my first house 5 years ago and being financially 'stable' I am finally able to take the leap into salt!

Sheldon (Texas Cichlid) is gunna be pretty upset when he gets moved to make way for my new reef!

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So I've decided to go with a 65 gal, 36x18x24. Didn't want to go too big, as the display tank will be on the 2nd floor and I didn't want to put thousands of pounds of stress on the joists. Too bad I didn't think ahead and sister up the joists when I finished the basement 5 years ago... oh well.

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Got myself the Vertek RO/DI 100gpd unit and mounted it under the sink (with the permission of the boss of course)! Unfortunately I will still have to do buckets, but I do plan to have a top-up tank next to the sump in the stand, so hopefully just 1 bucket trip per week! As you can see our kids, Sophie and Winston are checking my work. Sophie inspecting and Winston wondering why it doesn't dispence treats :)

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That's all I have for now. This is going to be a slow journal. I'm only allowed to pay cash for stuff. That's the deal I made with the wife and it's not a bad one really. I have budgeted around $3000 for everything not including livestock. Ordered some adjustable feet online last week and hoping they arrive this week so as I can get on with the stand build. The stand will be a little different from anything I have seen here on CanReef and I'm sure you will be interested and surprised by it. Thanks for viewing and I hope to hear input from you all!

love reading these builds from the start! I've done a 60 as my first reef as well and love it so far! i'm sure you'll have something real nice set up.

Nice job on the slider system for your ro/di, sure will make canister changing easy.

What is your plan with the tank? Reef? Fish only?

Thanks! As for the slider, I saw it on someones build journal here a few months ago and just thought it was a great space-saving idea! Greg's 75gal, I think.

Yeah, I'm gunna go for broke on the tank... full reef for sure! I've been tempted by salt for years and years! SPS, LPS and softies. Want zoa and rico gardens as well. Not sure if it will all fit in a 65 but I might have to get creative in designing different levels of shelves with live rock. Deep sand bed also. Probably going to be fish light. A pair of clowns and perhaps just 1 or 2 smaller fish and thats it.

WarDog's 65gal Build
 

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going all out with this one eh? what are you going to do for lights????

Not 100% on the lights yet. Maybe AquaMedic 6x39W T5HO, Evergrow IT2080, or 2 of the new AI Hydra's.

Since you are getting all the fancy stuffs for your tank, why not get the best of LED: Mitras plus they came out with a new model. Or if changing bulbs is not an issue for you, got for T5; you won't regret it :)

ya if your putting the cash into that powerhead, go for LED lights! check out A.Q. LED http://aq-led.com/
the local distributor Frank knows his stuff and this is what i'm using on my 60 and super happy with it. reasonably priced as well

Like I said... not 100% on the lighting. So many choices!

Exactly which of these units are you using?

im using the aq-pro http://www.aq-led.com/index.php?rout...ory&path=88_74

good price point and fully capable to keep my coral happy. now i'm a pretty new reefer so i don' t have any of the really tough stuff yet but everything i have so far is happy!

One word: mitras :) You can't go wrong. Has everything and is the current "perfect" LED fixture out there.

Finally! After waiting 76 days for delivery, my levelling mounts have finally arrived. Not too happy with the shipping service of the company I purchased these from! If you are looking for something similar (as I had an impossible time finding these locally) shoot me a PM and I will give you the company name. They are 1 1/2" black nylon base about 2" long. 3/8 stainless steel rod makes mounting foolproof. These feet are rated to hold 600lbs each. Now I can start to build the stand!

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/9...a78abcbd_z.jpg

Not much progress on the build... sigh... but Xmas is coming and I've made my list!

After reviewing my build log I seen to have forgotten to introduce myself... LOL. :laluot_08:

My name is Warren and I live in PoCo. I am a gasfitter and welder by trade. I've been into aquariums for about 30 years, however I've only had freshwater tanks. Community tanks, brackish tanks, predator tanks... I've tried them all. The only freshwater species I haven't tried, and that I desperately want is a mixed Gar tank... but alas... I don't have the room for a 300gal+ set-up. One day.

I am finding this forum to be a great resource. I've learned a lot and enjoy trolling around and reading posts. I am starting to regret getting the Aqueon 65gal with megaflow, especially after seeing the work Concepts can do! It will have to do for now. I am planning on going with a Herbie, with the return over the back. I could drill... but frankly I don't wanna.

My original idea for the stand included a liquor cabinet built-in with a glass door and glass shelves right next to the tank, making the overall length 54 inches (18" doors x 3). However, this made it a pretty tight fit for the space and the wife and I nixed the idea. Now I am planning a 48" steel stand with an inside top to bottom clearance of 32 inches, putting it just higher than the counter tops. Skinned in cabinetry matching our kitchen. Since the tank is 36" I will have an extra 6 inches each side for granite shelves. Hope to have the stand fabbed up just after Christmas.

My sump design is not finalized. Single chamber, bubble trap, fuge, I dunno. Still figuring it out. I look at The Grizz's sump and I almost wet myself! Definitely going to run carbon, GFO, and pellet reactors. I was thinking of getting a big ass pump and tee-ing the reactors off the return. I also want to run a chiller and UV off this line as well, but not sure if one pump could handle all the load. Probably going to run a ZeoVit system in the future, but that's down the road a bit.

Lighting is still a huge undecided decision. I really like the Hydras for my LED choice but I am reading really great things about T5's for SPS. ATI's dimmable Sunpower seems like a good choice but not sure if you can control them with an Apex system... oh yes... did I mention I'd like to run a Neptune controller too?

Wow, look at me, blah blah blah. How can you tell the wife is at work? I'm really excited about getting this tank going (in 2014) and getting some frags from the local guys and gals. Wasn't able to make it to Bblinks meet and greet a few months back but I am looking forward to the next one! Any and all input on my build is welcome, even if you think I am doing something wrong.

Cheers for now.

Went to J&L today to take advantage of the sale and ended up coming home with this lot.

Mag9.5
TLF reactor
1" Gate valve
Vertex refractometer
Vertex ground probe
Hammerhead magnet cleaner
1" bulkhead kit (main drain)
3/4" bulkhead kit (emergency)
3/4" Loc-Line bits (return)

Tempted to spend more, but didn't. Saved myself about $100 with the sale and all. Thanks to the wifey for the gift cards!!

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Update time! Went to J&L last weekend and met Laurie (The Guy). Picked up a used sump 36x12x16 and a Speedwave pump from him.
Also grabbed myself a Hydor ATO, haven't heard much about these, but I thought I would give it a shot. The price was perfect and it doesn't have any float valves that can stick... that's gotta be good right?
The stand is being fabbed up at the metal shop across from my work. Should be done tomorrow then it's off to be powder coated black. I'm hoping it doesn't weigh too much, Lol.
I discovered that the main supplier my company uses (Noble) has all the plumbing fittings I need, PVC, sch80, true unions, Spears, etc. I am lucky enough to get them at company discount prices minus another 5%! It really is 'who you know'!!!
The wife is getting a little upset that the den is filling up with hardware... thank Poseidon she hasn't seen the receipts! :mrgreen:

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Oh, more news on an electrical note. After reading recent threads about electrical issues I did some investigating in my house. There is one outlet where the tank is planned, problem is this is the main living room/hallway circuit.
We've got 12 plugs on this circuit (which I believe is max code... or is it 15?), anyways, 1 halogen lamp, tv, dvr, PS3, Wii, laptop charger all run constant. Seasonal appliances added to this circuit include 2 fans in the summer
and a Xmas tree in the winter bright enough to land Airbus A380's. Not to mention the vacuum gets plugged in once in a while as well. Needless to say I was quite worried about adding a reef tank!! Then on further inspection I noticed a
breaker on the panel labeled 'Nook'. I turned it off and went back upstairs with my trusty AC sensor. Turns out there is only one plug (8 feet from where the tank will sit) on this dining room circuit. Unfortunately I will have to run an extension cord.
The wifey forbade me to open up the wall to hard wire it. Needless to say I was very relieved to find one dedicated plug on its own circuit somewhat close to the tank.

just for credentials, im currently in my last year of school for electrician atm. First off if your using a tick tester to test for power, throw it out please. buy a 5$ plug tester and save yourself the potential shock. if 2 wires are ran parallel to each other for any length, one can induce enough voltage in the other to set off a tick tester even if the breaker supplying it is turned off. it wont shock you, but those testers sometimes go off as low as 25v.

12 plugs is max for a 15a curcuit. the dvr, wii, ps3, and laptop wont draw much unless theyre all running high stress at the same time. not often will you be playing games on the wii, ps3 and laptop at the same time. fans are very low for amp draw and the tree is probably low as well. vacuums arent too bad either. your biggest worry would be the halogen light (terrible efficiency, and dray a ton of power) and possibly the tv. newer led backlit tvs dont draw much but older ones might. best thing to do is try it, if it starts tripping the breaker, run the extension cord while you cut another plug into the wall. if its an interior wall on the main floor its extremely easy to do.

Good info, thanks. I will try your recommendation and see if I need an extension in the future.

Can't wait to see this new stand, sounds interesting
:pop2:

Picked up the stand today... a day of highs and lows. Firstly the stand looks great. Happy with the powder coating even though I wanted white, but he didn't have.
Stupid me, I didn't measure it until I got it home. 1 inch short in width. 18 1/2 instead of the requested 19 1/2. Tank is only 18 3/8 but I am worried about the bulkheads
clearing the inside of the frame. Going to do a mock up when the wife comes home and can help move the tank. Fingers crossed!
Also, the threads on the bottom for the adjustable feet need to be re-tapped.
48" x 18 1/2 :confused: x 35" tall. Lots of inside height.

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Good choice in stand height. It's sure nice not having to bend over to look at your tank. Top of my tank stands over 6' tall. Only negative thing is having to stand on a chair or ladder to work inside of tank.

Nice stand, you could always add a finished piece of plywood to give you the extra 1" you need, it would look just fine if you trim the plywood edge. The height is great, mines 37" high, nice for viewing, but as Bill said you need a small ladder to do the work in the tank but it's no big deal. keep the pictures coming. :smile:

Thanks Laurie. After testing the tank on the stand, the bulkhead just clears the inside of the frame, that was my main concern. The height is great, it will really be the centrepiece of the room. LOTS of vertical space inside the stand for extra gear.
I will need one of those 2 step folding ladders for sure! Lol.

Those ladders work great, but get the one with wide steps there a lot sturdier to stand on and only a few bucks more in cost. Are you coming to the frag meet on March 1? Should be a lot of fun with lots of reefers there.

Opps... look what I did. Good thing I've got a drill and a tap kit.

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Added some fuzzy 'anti-scratch my wicked hardwood floor' sticky things.

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Just finished setting up a quarantine tank. It will however need to house my Texas Cichlid Sheldon while I can move (and clean the crap out of) his tank.
Once he is moved, or dies (that dude is like 7 years old) I can pull out the gravel and add FSW.
It's an all-new 20 gal standard and the PVC is 4".

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Before the 'electrical' part of this thread gets buried any further, I'll weigh in with a couple of things if I may! A dedicated outlet for the tank is never a bad idea, actually two would be better and most importantly, GFI protected as you're dealing with H2O. That nice titanium grounding probe you picked up at J&L is no substitute for the safety of GFI protection. Open a wall if that's what you need to do, or have the tank closer to the 'nook' location if that's feasible. I'd advise against running an extension cord if at all possible. Chances are you'll be using a power bar or two in order to have enough outlets for all the stuff typically required to keep the tank going. Power bars already have an extension on them & daisy chaining that with another extension cord is against code I believe. In any case, it's a potential hazard.

Fine looking build so far! Now's the time to get the electrical right, not after it's full of water & livestock.

I totally hear you mike31154, thanks for the honest input. Other than my wife's fury the only thing that scares me is electrical. As a gasfitter I am certified to work on low voltage circuits, but that's not the same as 110V. I work next to Electricians all the time and pick their brains constantly for info. This however is not the same as being a qualified journeyman. I am planning to replace the plug behind the tank with a GFI one. I am also planning on testing all the appliances on the living room circuit for their amp draw. If all else fails, I think I can tap into the nook circuit and run some BX shielded line behind the baseboard without having to open up the wall. I also have a dedicated circuit outside the house (going to the detached garage) just below the tank. This line exits the house, goes into a exterior junction box and carries on to the garage in underground PVC. It's 20 amps. We don't use the garage (rented out as storage) and the line is disconnected because of yard reno's. Thankfully I have a few option to make the tank all safe!

Although the garage circuit seems to be an alternative, if you look into the code requirements, outdoor circuits are dedicated outdoor circuits! If I remember correctly, there are even restrictions on keeping a carport or garage lighting circuit separate from the outlet circuit. Could be wrong there, I need to check the little cheat book I have from PC Knight, the Electrical Code Simplified, BC edition. Available at most hardware stores for about $20. A pretty good investment to keep you out of trouble. Of course there's no substitute for hiring a qualified tradesman! Your electrician pals should be able to steer you in the right direction.

Today was a busy day! Finally moved the old 20 gal and cleaned the wall and floor. It was in better shape than I thought.

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Fixed the levelling mount I broke and put the stand and tank into place. Still fine tuning the final location and still need to level.

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Did a little bit of mod work on the sump.

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The wife is at a nursing seminar so I am free to do some work on my painfully slow build! Only really get weekends to work on the tank and the wife/dogs/house keep me pretty busy. I'm sure you all know what I am talking about.
So I am using 1/4" laminated MDF for the bottom shelf, tank shelf and back of the stand. Now I know what you are going to say about MDF but I have used it for years around tanks and never really had a problem.
If it starts to swell I don't mind replacing it (hopefully during an upgrade)!

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Now here is a good example of why I needed adjustable feet. This is front to back and the second photo is the horizontal/left to right.
Going to work on that now.

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All comments/suggestions welcome. Thanks for looking!

P.S. I am still waiting for a popcorn emote from kien. *sigh*

No big deal on the out-of-level issue
I used composite shims that don't compress over time or have problems with moisture
I bought mine at Home Depot. And 'cause they're brown you may not see them with your floors :smile:
I can't find a Canadian link for you, but these are what I bought in the door department in Burnaby
They're just as easy to score and snap as the cedar ones too

Just to touch on your electrical ...
If you run BX, are you planning on it being in-wall just to the receptacle ?
If not, I'd suggest you go with something more water-compatible rather than a metal jacket that can corrode around your tank

Thanks for the input Greg. I just can't sleep knowing the top of the tank is standing around 5' high with it's centre of gravity about 4 feet.
God I hope we never get that big earthquake here in the GVRD. I think in the future I will avoid the hassle of the levelling mounts (extra welding, ordering, drill and tapping) and just use the shims as you suggested. Thanks for the link.
In the meantime this pic will help me sleep at night.

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As for the BX idea, I have decided against it. I will replace the receptacle behind the tank with a GFI one. If it pops the breaker I will just have to add an extension from the nook plug.

Did a leak test on the baffle I siliconed in place last weekend...

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...and proceeded to a maximum pressure test on the sump.

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The left chamber will be for drain/filter sock, skimmer, zeo reactor and pod love nest.
The middle chamber will be for mechanical and chemical filtration and the return is on the right.
As you can see I removed the return bulkhead and put in 2 panes of 6mm float. If ever you need to replace the bulkhead you can just use an old high E guitar string to garrote the silicone.

Here is a straight up view from inside the stand taken just for Laurie (The Guy). As you can see Laurie, there is plenty of room for the bulkheads and I was worrying about nothing, Lol.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2932/...3fce64f2_c.jpg

Thanks for looking.

Looks great dude
How'd you level it ? You have something like appliance bolts ?

I ask as you mentioned levelling mounts

So, is it Salty yet ? :razz:

Thanks!! Check out post #16 for all the info on the mounts.

Hoping to have it wet in a few weeks, first need to plumb and finish the cabinets for the stand.

Guess I should have been following your build thread to catch all the hardware you're using :rolleyes:

You need to pay attention! Lol, I stole the idea for the ro/di slider from your build thread!

Put the sump in the stand for the first time today.

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Should be enough room for dosing containers on the left.

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Thinking I might do a custom ATO reservoir behind the sump. I wonder if 9 gallons will be enough for a weeks worth of top ups on a total system volume of 80 gallons? Any thoughts on this?

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Thanks for looking.