Myka's 90 gallon build & 3 province move (Pics Feb 6)
 

Oct 5, 2011: I'm going to change this first post to keep a running log of FTS. :)



May 27, 2009:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../May272009.jpg



Aug 8, 2009:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Aug820092.jpg



Jan 2, 2010:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/Jan22010.jpg



June 27, 2010:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...June272010.jpg



Sept 11, 2010:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Sept112010.jpg



Jan 1, 2011:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/Jan12011.jpg



Oct 15, 2011:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...Oct1520116.jpg



Jan 1, 2012:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/IMG_3028.jpg


Feb 6, 2012:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../Feb520122.jpg

$200 wasted already!!
 

As many of you know already I recently moved to Saskatoon from Kelowna, BC. My 33g tank is still in BC (link in sig). I was building a 40 gallon breeder in BC, but I decided that it would be easier to buy a new tank here, set it all up, cycle it, and let it age for a month or two before I bring all the livestock from my 33 out here. I'm hoping to reduce any livestock death. Livestock from 33 should be here early June I think, but who knows.

So... I figured, since I am buying a new tank, why not upgrade while I'm at it?? :lol: Ok, I actually had NO desire for a larger tank. Seriously. BUT, I have a really exquisitely colored Kole tang that I really want to keep, so I decided to upgrade to a tank size that would be suitable for him. 90 gallon it is...happened to find one right away.

I bought a 90 gallon Concept Aquarium tank, black silicone, with left corner overflow. Bottom drilled for one 1 1/2" bulkhead and one 1" bulkhead. The overflow is drilled for a 1" return. I'm going to cover up the hole in the overflow because I'm going to run my return over the edge of the tank, and use to the two bottom holes for drains for a Herbie. The stand is an AGA black pine.

For anyone interested, I'm not impressed with the build quality of the Concept Aquarium tank. The edges aren't even, the overflow may as well have been homemade since it is glass with 1/8" black acrylic siliconed onto the outside so you can't see into the overflow. Since silicone doesn't bond well with acrylic the two pieces have separated. The black silicone that is used on the inside of the corners on the tank is poor quality, and peeling off. For reference, the tank is only a year old. So, I will be resiliconing the inside corners in black, and resealing the acrylic to the glass overflow. Should look pretty good when I'm done.

Now...the stand. BLEH. I like the looks of the AGA pine stands, but I think the stability is iffy for the larger tanks. I wouldn't want anything bigger than a 65 on those stands! So I decided to beef up the stand. I think I took enough pictures to tell the story without going into detail about how I built it. I basically used all the pieces of the AGA stand, and built a 2x4 frame to go on the inside of it. I doubled up the framing so I could eliminate the center posts that were on the AGA.

Before I go into photos, I will list the equipment I have for the tank, and stuff I plan to add in the near future:

90g tank
Homemade stand
Sump (next project)
Refugium
EuroReef RS-180
2x250w DE MH electronic ballasts
2x54w T5s
Two Jager heaters total 250w
2x PhosBan Reactors (one for carbon, one GFO)

The MH lights are still in BC, and won't be here until the livestock comes, but I have a little 2x39w T5 fixture to put on the tank temporarily. Currently it is lighting my live rock which is in rubbermaids in hopes to preserve as much coralline as possible.

I also have 150lbs of mature, cured rock to choose from; mix of shelf and branching mostly, probably mostly Tonga, maybe some Vanuatu. About 50-70 lbs of sand. Will add enough sand for a 1-2" sandbed.


In future:

VorTech MP40 and/or Wavebox
Tunze Osmolator ATO
Dosing pumps for calcium and alkalinity
Hang on fuge...to see if I get better pod reproduction than an in-sump fuge



Stand pics:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...IMG_0350-1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...IMG_0351-1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...IMG_0352-1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...IMG_0353-1.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/IMG_0355.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/IMG_0364.jpg

So then little miss dumbass (me!!) realises she forgot to make room for the plumbing!!! :eek: Oh ya, bottom drilled, not back drilled. ARGH! http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/Banghead.gif I then measured the holes in the bottom of the tank, and realise that the 2x4s I used in my framing are totally in the way of where the bulkheads will be. Side note...I strongly dislike anything carpentry related having spent too much time working professionally as a renovation carpenter. Also, I have been hugely frustrated due to lack of tools. So, I toss the ENTIRE stand, and decide to build my own. I made the stand wider to make room for the plumbing, and I bought some (real) oak batten boarding to skin the stand with. It now has the first coat of paint on it in the garage, and I realize I haven't double checked my measurements yet! :eek: :lol: I hope it all lines up!!!!!!!! I painted the outside with black semi-gloss exterior acrylic paint, and the inside is white gloss exterior acrylic. I will be making a matching canopy for the tank as well.

So, this is what I made using the minimal tools I have here in SK. That being a cordless drill, a chop saw, a circular saw, and a plunge router (with only two bits lol). If I had a router table and a table saw this stand would have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay different. Oh, and much nicer. :lol: Oh ya, I haven't finished the doors yet, so they aren't on the stand.

The NEW new stand...as it is right now. First coat of paint, so it's really streaky. I framed this one a bit differently, so I took some closeups of the framing for you guys can see how I did it because I stupidly didn't take any build photos for this one. I think I was too choked about having to throw away two stands. :lol: I put a post in the middle of the back of the stand so i just used single ply framing, but I wanted to skip the post in the front so I doubled up.

The 2x2 blocks on the front are for the mounting of the doors.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/IMG_0367.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/IMG_0369.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/IMG_0365.jpg

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/IMG_0371.jpg

You impress me!:wink:

the dismantled stand is the best picture! I really did Laugh Out Loud...ba dum!

Solid stand now!

Kelowna to Saskatoon..... BLEH!!! What's wrong with you woman!!

LOL that stand pic killed me. What do you do with a crap stand? Knock it apart and spread it around the yard of course! :wink: I didn' realize you were putting it back together and though maybe you'd torn it apart in disgusted rage :razz:

Stand looks pretty strong now. Good Job!

:BIG: I figured you guys would get a kick out of the stand strewn across the yard, so I took that pic purely for the amusement of this board. :p

I made a triple post in the beginning so I can add all the photos up to now before your replies would all get in my way (lol), so I edited a bit...you guys didn't see that I have also KILLED that stand too!!!! :lol: Go read my second post. :o

Just gonna run to the garage and take a pic of the NEW new stand! :D

Added photos of the NEW new stand in post #2. :)

Look's good. But whats a plunge router gona do that a hammer and a exacto knife wont?? LOL

This coming from someone that works with metal:razz::mrgreen:

Ya, I suck at wood too LOL.

HAHAHA! Well, a plunge router would be MUCH more useful if I had a router table! Funny thing is that I used a hammer and chisel in the places where the router wouldn't fit, and although it took a lot more work, it looks just the same!

Stand looks good, have you considered sealing up the back as well? It'll cut down on noise can keep the wall behind clean.

No, I haven't. There will be a light over the fuge, so my thinking was to keep the back open for heat escape. Keeping the wall clean would be nice though...

So, I'm thinking I will do a small 2-way closed loop on this tank for three reasons; so I can hopefully eliminate most if not all powerheads, T the pump outlet for an easy water change system like superduperwesman did in his nano contest tank, and I can use a 2-way to create a wavebox sort of action I'm hoping. This way I can get away with probably just using one VorTech (later on down the road when I feel rich again), or maybe I will be happy just using a couple Koralia 4's or some such thing. So...any input on how many gph I should run my closed loop? Remember I keep LPS only, although I will add a few SPS to the 90 (I think).

The 90 is still pretty small for a CL, especially with just LPS corals. One powerhead like a vortech and a half decent return pump would be good. For an LPS tank I wouldn't aim for more than a total of 10x turnover or about 1000gph. Have you considered going the simple route and using a larger return pump like a dart? You could run a herbie overflow to keep noise and bubbles down and eliminate the need for powerheads or a closed loop. It's be much simpler and cleaner. I've setup a few 90s like this and they've all done well for LPS and even some SPS.

Don't under estimate the importance of simplicity. :razz:

If you use a low heat light you'll eliminate the need for venting, I had success using an LED plant light panel for my refugium, only used 14W and basically no heat. Skimmers usually have a tendency to leave a mess behind them and salt creep and water spots aren't the greatest either.

I get a kick seeing these words come from you haahaa!

Just wait until you see my new tank :biggrin:

Managed to get the tank in the house today! I was going to fill it up and put the rock in it tonight, but I'm scared that the overflow might leak, and I don't have a sump setup yet, so that would not be good if it leaked!! :eek: I painted the back of the tank black today too. I think I will add a backdrop to the stand too as sphelps has suggested. I still have to make the front door for the stand and the canopy wrap, but right now I'm concentrating on getting the rock in the tank because my livestock is arriving June 1st or 2nd.

I can't find a suitable tank for a sump here. The closest thing I have found is a 20 long which is 30x12x12" at PetSmart. It's not ideal, but I would be happy with this as a sump. However, I was just looking at my skimmer and the way that the gate valve mod has been glued in makes the skimmer take up a larger base area. I'm not sure if I can squeeze it into 12" wide...and if I can't I will either have to get a custom 16" wide sump made ($$$) which I don't want to do, or I need to buy a different skimmer. Not sure what to do...

Anyway here it is situated in the living room. With a temporary 2x39w T5 fixture on it...with blue bulbs :lol: and dirty glass. Need to clean up the area around the tank, and move the pictures on the wall.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...2/IMG_0381.jpg

Looking really good .....your tang will be thanking you:smile: Cowtown soon?:wink:

I was just thinkin...maybe I will use two sumps, one for a fuge and one for a sump. That would make finding a suitable tank easier as I'm sure I could fit the skimmer into a 20g, then have a few baffles, and the return pump. Then just have the fuge drilled and plumbed into the return chamber to overflow through a 1" bulkhead or something like that. Would need to figure out a way to make sure it doesn't plug up and overflow on the floor...maybe a backup drilled higher? Anyone have any thoughts to add to this?

Thanks Doug! My tang will love it. He will get lost though. :lol: I don't have any plans to go to cowtown right now...

Looking great , can't wait to see more

Thanks Chad!

Well, I'm really disappointed in myself. After building the stand TWICE, I totally forgot that I wanted to leave the top trim piece sticking up a couple inches so that the tank would fit down into it so I wouldn't see the foam or the tank trim. Then when I put the canopy wrap on it will cover the trim too and match. But, nooooooooooooo I forgot. Oi.

I am going tomorrow to pick up a couple tanks off someone. A 15 for the sump, and a 5.5 for a fuge that I will plumb in. This will leave room so I can use the PS3 for my return, which I was starting to think wouldn't happen. I ordered the glass for baffles today...I just hope that I'm right with the measurements of the inside of the 15!! :eek:

I'm crossing my fingers that I can get water and rock in the tank by Saturday!

Mindy

Hey can't you add a trim around the bottom nothing fancy but just something to finish it off for you ?
Very cool , are you going to plum your sump and fuge in line ? or just going to (T) off your PS3 to use for the fuge and the return ?

I will keep my fingers crossed that your able to put rock and water in it on Saturday

looking forward to seeing it

Chad

Looking good as expected there Myka.

I find I live by the same rules as you when it comes to woodwork...why build something only once when twice is double the fun!:D

Agreed, when I built my stand I forgot some sort of opening on the back side to run the power cords. Guess I was thinking all natural tank.

:lol: @ you guys!! I don't like building it once, let alone twice. If it bugs me enough I will drain the tank, drape some wet towels over the corals, pick it up with the corals and rock in it still, and put a new stand under. Hey, it's only a 90! ;) But I doubt it will bug me that much! :lol: It might happen though. Who knows.

My livestock will be here next Sunday, so the race is on!! I meant to have the tank running for a month before my livestock got here, but I'm a lazy @$$ when it comes to building stuff, so I'm REALLY behind schedule. The tank shouldn't cycle because the rock is fully cured, so I'm crossing my fingers.

Same with the sump and fuge thingy I got goin. I might decide to learn how to do acrylic works, and then replace the sump later on down the road, but I think what I have rigged up will work.

I was going to put the water and rock in the tank last weekend without any plumbing, but I was thinking "What if my overflow leaks?" :eek: I mentioned this to another reefer, and he says "Well it would be good to know because if it leaks, then you're gonna have some major trouble in a power outtage!" :eek: Why didn't I think of that??? No kidding it better not leak!

So...I'm filling the tank as we speak! :D It will take all day though, and then some as my RO/DI is only 75 gpd. I did have about 30 gallons made up already, so I should get it as full as I want it today anyway. I will have to wait for the silicone in the sump baffles to dry overnight anyway. I'm only going to let it dry for 12 hours, so hopefully that's enough. I will have Sunday morning to work on the tank too because I don't think I'm working until 3:30 pm. :)

TODAY:

~ Pick up acrylic rods, black zip ties, more plumbing pieces, glass baffles, and sump & fuge.
~ Water and rock in the tank by tonight.
~ Most of the plumbing should be roughed in.
~ The sump and fuge will be prepped.

TOMORROW:

~ Install sump and fuge.
~ Work on rockscape.

I think it would look funny if I added more trim. It's perfectly balanced and a mirror image on top and bottom, so I don't think that would work well. The sump will the inline, and I will T my PS3 for the fuge. I have to steal some flow anyway because the PS3 should have about 700 gph at 5' head, and my Herbie drain is only a 1", so I can only have 600 gph going through the drain, max. Which doesn't bother me any because with a total volume of about 110 gallons, that gives me 5.5x turnover through the sump which imo is pretty much perfect. I don't want anything more than 100 gph going through the sump either, so it should work well. I just hope I can fit that dang PS3 in the stand! :eek:

I had a friend stop by yesterday which promptly halted all progress, and then we went out and spoiled ourselves with lobster tail, King crab legs, garlic shrimp, asparagus, salad, and biscuits!!!! Yum!! Oh, and don't forget the Mai Tais!!! Hehehehe

Lastnight I picked up the 15 and 5.5 gallon tanks. The 15 gallon had blue silicone...and many of you know what that means! Either the tank was treated with methylene blue or COPPER!! :eek: So I talked him down in price, and today I ripped the tank apart, and resiliconed the entire tank, let it dry for a couple hours, and started installing the baffles. I ordered the baffles a bit taller than I should have so I tried cutting the glass myself. I have cut glass before with varying success, and today it didn't work so well for me. The edges are horridly jagged - nothing a good gob of silicone can't fix!!! ;)

So I started filling the tank up this morning. My oh my it takes a long time to fill a 90 with a 75 gpd RO/DI! I had about 30 gallons kicking around already, so I mixed that with saltwater, and dumped it in the tank. Then I tested the water the live rock was in, and it all tests good, so I tossed the rock and the rock water in too. So it's just under 1/2 full now, and I am mixing another 35 ish gallons right now. That should be all I can fit in there for now until I get the hole in the top of the overflow blocked off. I'm going to put a bulkhead in it and a plug, but I have to figure out a way to cut the end off a bulkhead because it protrudes into the oveflow box too far and gets in the way of the stand pipes.

I just set the rock in there so that it's all covered with water for now, will do the scaping probably at a later date. I bought some acrylic rods to drill into the rock. Just need to find some epoxy, which I think I have to order. Also, couldn't find 3/4" bulkheads for the life of me yesterday for the refugium, so I will have to order those as well.

I have an idea... :eek: I'm tossing the idea of running my two reactors (carbon and GFO) inline with the refugium which is T'd off the main return, then have ball valves on the fuge, and the reactors. The reactors would be chained together running about 50 gph through them, then their output would go into the refugium. Thoughts?

Anyway, look WATER and ROCK!!! :D :D :D Believe it or not that is 99 lbs of live rock. I have another 50 sitting in another bucket waiting as well so I can cherry pick my pieces. :D
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4.../May232009.jpg

Looking good, I feel ya on the RO waiting game. Took me just over a day and half to fill my 90g with a 75g/day RO unit.

I think the recommended gph for carbon is quite a bit higher than phosphate media...like 400-600gph....see if you could plan to swing through cowtown we would have you covered with both the epoxy and the b/hs....hey we are online now:eyebrows:

Patience is not one of my virtues, and this filling the tank thing is really borrrrrrring!! I got the baffles in the sump though!

I bought a MJ1200 with the SureFlow upgrade kit, and it isn't working properly. I soaked it in vinegar and put it in the tank. There is a little tab on the inside end of the end basket thingy, and the propeller keeps ramming into it which stops it from turning briefly and makes quite the racket. Oi!

Ya, carbon should be around 600 gph for maximum efficiency. I was thinking of putting an eggcrate shelf between the last baffle, and put the carbon there. That would give it 600 gph +/-. That's probably a better idea. Easy to change out when it's there too. I will make myself a custom-sized carbon bag out of a bigger one. :D

So glad that you decided to stick with SW Myka. You are made to have a great tank and I'm already enjoying the chaos of this one!:wink:

Something I read on another site, the famed Melev I think, to speed up RO/DI production. As you probably know, production is dependent on source water pressure as well as temperature. My source in Vernon is Kalamalka Lake which can be quite cool during the winter and even now. Anyhow, if you have a length of extra tubing, as much as you can get hold of, splice it into your input line using the quick fittings and coil it in a bucket of warm water. Throw a spare heater or two in there to keep it warmed up. You now have a DIY heat exchanger which will warm up your input water on the way through the bucket. The more you can coil in there, the better. I've tried it a couple of times and cut production time down substantially. Not sure, but I think I may have even produced less waste water in the process.

Watching you set up your 90 is making me feel guilty I still have my new 90 sitting in the basement waiting to be put into use... but then again, I'm thinking I might want to go the next step to a 120 instead. After all, it seems like the tank itself ends up being the smallest expense. When I look at some of the other gear I've spent dough on, holy.

Haha! Thanks Mark! Ya, I was getting a bit bored with reefing for a bit there, but I'm back full force!! Ha, and you're right it is SO chaos!

Hey Mike! When I'm really impatient I will run the tap with warm water, but it must cost quite a bit more to heat it that way and all. It does go quite a bit faster, and I think you're right that there is a bit less waste water. I like the idea of the heat exchanger though, I will have to try it out sometime! Plus, if the water is already warmed that's a bonus for putting it into the tank, because it will just get heated by the heater in there anyway. Good call.

I almost bought a 120 or a 150. I was originally looking for a 4' 150. I am glad I went with the 90 though because it extra width of the 120 or 150 would have made the living room much more cramped. The 90 is a good fit, and the shape is fun to 'scape! I've spent more on livestock than equipment by far.

Ya, my plan is to set up the new tank as a room divider between the kitchen & dining room (sump in the basement) and a 120 might end up being too wide for me as well. I'm going to tear out a piece of L-shaped kitchen counter and build the tank support there... so losing a bunch of counter space, which is really never a good thing in any kitchen, he he.

For heating up my RO/DI, I bought a reptile heater cord (11W) off Ebay and I plan to figure some way to use it on or near the input cold water line. Haven't figured it out yet but will sometime soon.

Mike, ya counter space is at a premium around here! Room divider tanks are really nice though. I love the wrap around look. Fish tend to be less shy too because they can't really escape, so they get used to it.

Hey Mark, what was the brand of those awesome fans you found? I will need a couple for my tank, and probably another for my sump.

Sorry if we're getting a little of your tank build topic here Myka, but Mark, I was looking at the cables used to keep your copper pipes from freezing in the winter. They come in quite a few different wattage sizes and may be an option as well. They simply wrap around the copper pipe in areas that are exposed to freezing temperatures. No reason why they couldn't be adapted for use in heating our RO/DI input water. Of course if you have the newer PEX plumbing, I'm not sure they work for that, didn't look that close at the instructions on the packaging.

And Myka, I might still bite the bullet and go for a 120, it's only a few inches wider than a 90 and I like the perimeter of my tank to be free of live rock, allowing for swimming space and easier cleaning of the glass. I also have a yellow tang in my 75 and I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra real estate. Not a fan of stacking rock against the glass at all.