Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board  

Go Back   Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board > General > Tank Journal

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-30-2014, 03:19 AM
ronau ronau is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 192
ronau is on a distinguished road
Default ronau's First Try

Hello,

In December I got the idea to try my first saltwater tank and gear it towards clams. I went to Concept Aquariums on Boxing day and Denny gave me a great run down on what I would need but also what options I had to upgrade. I am a pretty easy sell and I chose to upgrade myself on a lot of the items. I originally went in with the intention of buying a 90 gallon RR tank they had on special and ended up with a 70 gallon Starphire tank with a one piece eurobrace.

I should be picking up my tank and sump this weekend so I thought I would start off my journal with the gear I have.

Here is a shot of my 48"W x 26"D x 32"T stand which "The Grizz" made for me to my weirdo specifications.



I got antsy so I put my manifold together and attached it, I sure hope my calcs are right on the location...LOL





That's about all I got for now, I'll cover all the details of my gear as it get's flanged up.

Thanks for looking and wish me luck.

Ron
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-30-2014, 04:19 AM
Scythanith's Avatar
Scythanith Scythanith is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 1,088
Scythanith is on a distinguished road
Default

I love the pipe stays! It looks very neat and organized already. Good luck!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-30-2014, 12:21 PM
ronau ronau is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 192
ronau is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scythanith View Post
I love the pipe stays! It looks very neat and organized already. Good luck!
Thanks, I've learned a lot from seeing other set ups on here.

The Clic clamps are awesome, holds the pipe very securely and they can be release quite easily with a phillips head screwdriver.

Ron
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-02-2014, 04:58 AM
ronau ronau is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 192
ronau is on a distinguished road
Default

Got my tank and my sump today.

70 gallon (40" x 20" x 20") DT, 3 sides Starphire, one piece Starphire eurobrace, CNC black acrylic background, transparent silicone and black vinyl bottom.

55 gallon (36" x 22" x 16") custom sump.

I got home and got to plumbing it.





Herbie



Pretty simple underneath



I haven't cleaned it yet but here is a FTS



Big thanks to the guys at Concept Aquariums, they definitely made emptying my wallet seem like it was the right thing to do....LOL.

Bigger thanks to my wife who helped me get the tank downstairs so I could start working on it.

Next I'll clean up the sump and get the reactors plumbed in, hopefully wet before the Super Bowl is over.

Thanks,

Ron
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-02-2014, 05:04 AM
The Grizz's Avatar
The Grizz The Grizz is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: 15 min NE of Red Deer
Posts: 5,470
The Grizz will become famous soon enough
Default

Looking good Ron!!!
__________________
Feed the bear goodies, make a new friend, don't feed the bear...............

8' - 165gal Reef
DIY LED's Build
2012 Nano Contest Winner
Febuary 2013 POTM Winner
300 gal + 60 gal Complete DIY Build
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-02-2014, 03:53 PM
ronau ronau is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 192
ronau is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by The Grizz View Post
Looking good Ron!!!
Thanks Grizz!

Here is a pic of with the drain pipes, I like the bigger stand so I can slide my sump back and have the drain pipes come straight down without any elbows. I was planning to put the main drain valve above the union but I rushed the last couple connections and screwed it up. I was seriously considering hacking it off but them I would have to get another bulkhead and use up another union and valve.



I prefer the look of CNC'd teeth



I really like the transparent silicone, pic to compare to unsiliconed eurobrace



Thanks,

Ron
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 02-02-2014, 05:53 PM
duncangweller's Avatar
duncangweller duncangweller is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Langley, BC
Posts: 681
duncangweller is on a distinguished road
Default

I'm following along for this one. Nice job so far.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-03-2014, 03:06 AM
ronau ronau is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 192
ronau is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by duncangweller View Post
I'm following along for this one. Nice job so far.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
Thanks.

Well I got the sump cleaned up and hooked up to fill up the system.



Found a couple leaks, one was the emergency drain. I thought it might be a problem joining the bulkhead, which I think is ABS, to the PVC. The other was a very small leak on one of the returns. The system ran for a couple hours and there wasn't enough built up to flow off of the elbow.

So I've drained the system, I'll fix the leaks and move it into it's place. Almost time to fill it up with RO/DI water and get salty.

Thanks,

Ron
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-03-2014, 07:14 AM
eli@fijireefrock.com's Avatar
eli@fijireefrock.com eli@fijireefrock.com is offline
Vendor
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: calgary
Posts: 1,758
eli@fijireefrock.com is on a distinguished road
Default

Looking good following along
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 02-05-2014, 12:10 AM
ronau ronau is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 192
ronau is on a distinguished road
Default

Well I hooked up my second reactor. I went with NextReef as I don't trust TLF reactors not to leak. For the extra $40 per reactor, it was an easy decision to upgrade to these. The will look funny with the less than cup of media that will go in each.



Concept's got my skimmer in today so I rushed on over so I could get it home and give it a bath.



I guess next I will get my water to temp and add salt.

Thanks for sticking around.

Ron
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 06:41 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.