my 500 gallon reef tank

[Lance]

Welcome to Canreef. That's a good-sized SW pond you got there.

[madkeenreefer]

Hi Steve,
Looking good love your fish selection so far,
I would have one thing to suggest to you and that would be to put some more vertical supports into your stand in the corners at to aid sure your tank does not delaminate at the ends.
check link for pic
www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1567110&highlight=stand+calculato r

[steve the plumb]

I did add more vertical posts but you don't see them in the pics.I added them after I placed the tank on the stand.There is a post every 6 to 8 inches.


The BRS reactor is sitting in my overflow because I have no sump as of yet.I have 37 fish and no filtration other than water movement and gfo plus carbon and water change,Yes I do things backwards.

Rafal is very good he is helping me with the lights.I need to build I light rack.I plan on making an l shaped bracket that I can raise or lower.My welder is going to come to my house to finish the railings in the front of my home so when he finally gets his butt over here I can get him to build me 2 brackets.Lets see when that will happen.

List of fish:
2 x hippo tangs
1 x sailfin tang
1 x unicorn tang (vlamengi)
1 x chocolate tang
1 x yellow tang
1 x clown tang
1 x long nose hawk fish
1 x x mas wrasse
1 x 6 line wrasse
1 x convict blenny
1 x bi color blenny
2 x golden midas blenny
1 x valienti puffer
1 x toby puffer
10 x green chromis
1 x antheis
1 x cleaner shrimp
1 x female blue throat trigger
1 x male blue throat trigger
2 x regular clown fish
1 x black clown fish
1 x fox face
1 x rabbit fish
1 x powder blue tang
1 x goby (forget what species

[steve the plumb]

The tank is in the basement.The room is 10 x 10 and I have a room next to the tank room that is 6x6 so that room will have my sump.The tank alone weighs 650 pounds.The stand weighs a good 200 pounds (easy).With water inside its a good 5000 pounds.The stand sits on a tiled floor.The concrete was a good 12 to 16 inches so its a strong floor.There is a floor drain in the bathroom next door and I have a 2 inch drain in the sump room so all water changes will be dumped in there,there are also water lines in there if I want to place an RODI unit in there.There is a 3/4 inch water line that comes off of my main so there's good pressure for an RODI unit.I have a fan that I got from work at a discount.Its very quiet and it has a humidity sensor so it will turn on automatically.You can set the desired humidity level.

[steve the plumb]

This is a more recent picture I have some china leds on the tank but they will be replaced with reeftech led fixtures

[Myka]

Welcome to CanReef!

That is a great looking tank, lots of work! Being a carpenter though, your framing scares the **** out of me. That tank will have over 4000 lbs of water in it!

[abcha0s]

The video still isn't working. I'm not sure how anyone else could access it?

I'm confused though. You said you took the PAR measurements outside of the tank. I'm pretty sure that the optical characteristics of air and water are completely different?

Maybe I'm just confused about the testing methodology. If you are testing through the air and not water, can you explain the relevance of 26 inches and how this would translate to an equivelant measurement in a tank?

Looking forward to the video.

Thanks

- Brad

[steve the plumb]

I took par measurements outside the tank but I also took par measurements inside the tank I just didn't make a video of it because I was alone and its hard to do both at the same time never mind the fact that
My stand is 3 feet tall
The tank is 28 inches deep
My access cover or opening is 24 x 15 so its kind of hard to hold a video camera,the par meter and try not to drop anything in the tank.

I did place one unit on my tank over the middle of it.So the unit was penetrating though 3/4 inch acrylic and I took a reading at the bottom of the tank (I don't have much sand) and my par reading was between 125-138.You have to understand I am also standing on a ladder while doing this.

It was easier to hang the unit and do a test over the floor just to see the light spread.If my tank was an open style tank or had a single brace and if it was smaller it would be more simple.
You guys have to understand this tank is huge I have trouble getting anywhere in the middle of the tank.I have no step in the back of the tank so I step on a bucket in order to try and do anything.I have to build some kind of step onto my stand because there is no way in hell I could have any way of playing around with the tank or if a coral falls I am up sh*ts creek.

[steve the plumb]

Originally Posted by abcha0s@conceptaquatics

The video still isn't working. I'm not sure how anyone else could access it?

I'm confused though. You said you took the PAR measurements outside of the tank. I'm pretty sure that the optical characteristics of air and water are completely different?

Maybe I'm just confused about the testing methodology. If you are testing through the air and not water, can you explain the relevance of 26 inches and how this would translate to an equivelant measurement in a tank?

Looking forward to the video.

Thanks

- Brad

This video was outside the tank to show the light spread.I will try to fix it.I change the settings to public but someone m,mentioned it didn't work.I will try to take a video of the unit on my tank but I think it will be more simple when I get my brackets.I am waiting for the welder to come to my house to finish a job but I know he was injured while working on another job so I think he will be delayed.

[steve the plumb]

Originally Posted by Myka

Welcome to CanReef!

That is a great looking tank, lots of work! Being a carpenter though, your framing scares the **** out of me. That tank will have over 4000 lbs of water in it!

The frame is pretty strong believe it or not.I added 2 x 4 every 6 inches and I glued them and screwed them.What you saw was pics I took while I was building it but after I placed the tank on the top I went and added even more 2x4 and added more cross braces.I didn't take pics because I was working inside the stand and it was kind of a pain because for every 2 x 4 I had to go in the stand measure go out cut the wood and then go back in and screw and glue it.I can empty my stand and take pictures of the inside to show you.The plywood alone is pretty dam strong.I doubt this stand will collapse.I would be in big trouble this is why I went overboard.