Higher Thinking Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Well this build has been a long time coming. I have actually been working on it for about two months and it just got filled about two weeks ago. I'm not in any extreme hurry to get things going so I'm exercising what we all don't like to do....patience. Background: I bought this tank from Josh at TPA about 6 months ago. I was trying to close on my house and hit some hurdles along the way. I actually ended up purchasing a different house and Josh was kind enough to hold this tank the entire time. Well I moved in two months ago and finally got to pick up the tank. It sat empty for a month and a half (what can I say? I move slowly) as I tried to work on the plumbing alongside everything else that comes with a new home. At this point, the only furniture we had was a table and a tank. What else do you need? Equipment list: 180 gallon glass tank Small acrylic sump (may upgrade in the future) Stock Aqueon Stand Gyre-150 (probably a couple supplemental cheap pumps) Jaebo DCT12000 return pump 100gpd RODI unit from our sponsor Air, Water, and Ice. I decided on doing a double Herbie overflow. The sump is in the closet across the living room and I ran the plumbing beneath the house. The current sump being used is not the one that will be there. The actually sump is currently housing my livestock in a temp setup. This is the temp setup: The return area: I also reinforced the floor for added security. This is what goes on beneath the tank: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 The plumbing under the house: Life beneath the world: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted November 5, 2015 Author Share Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) I still have more rock to add to the tank, but for now I have the two side structures. I will be creating a center piece structure here pretty soon. I'll post some more later about wiring a new GFCI circuit breaker and installing an outlet in the closet. Spoiler alert: I survived Edited November 5, 2015 by Higher Thinking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheClark Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Awesome, awesome! Great stuff, remote sump, reinforced floor, good overflows. Looking forward to it, glad you survived Super happy for you guys, new place and new tank, life is good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsonmfg Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Looks great, tank seems to fit really nicely in that spot as well. That shot of you under the house with the insulation makes me itchy though, I hate that stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexinverts Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 That is awesome, Andrew! I can't wait to see this progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerk1985 Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 So excited to see this get going! Ill get the zoa frags ready for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Nicely done! If there's one thing I hate, it's getting in my tight crawl space (pretty similar to yours, army crawl everywhere). Wish I had a spot somewhere for my sump like that :( Staying tuned for stocking in the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caolewis Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 (edited) Remind me of my current tank's installation. 50' plumbing from dinning room to garage. I was lazy to have 2 return and 1 push ( all 1.5 in ). Is this soft or all sticks tank? Edited November 6, 2015 by caolewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectra Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 So why not the sump under the tank? Just wondering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Looking good! Keeping that piping under the house uninsulated will help keep the heat down too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caolewis Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 (edited) Looking good! Keeping that piping under the house uninsulated will help keep the heat down too. Yup, forgot about it. My was 72ish temp but as soon we wrapped it up with insulation layers, it's 78 ( 4-6 temp differences temp in saving with LEDs so helping with Winter's heater and cooling in Summer ). Edited November 6, 2015 by caolewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted November 6, 2015 Author Share Posted November 6, 2015 Awesome, awesome! Great stuff, remote sump, reinforced floor, good overflows. Looking forward to it, glad you survived Super happy for you guys, new place and new tank, life is good.Thanks a lot man! I'm super pumped! Looks great, tank seems to fit really nicely in that spot as well. That shot of you under the house with the insulation makes me itchy though, I hate that stuff! Yeah I was really pleased with the positioning in the house. I'll have to get a better room shot now that we have the new table and sofa. Thanks!That is awesome, Andrew! I can't wait to see this progress.Thank you. Maybe the next meeting that's in Portland, and you and Robert carpool, you guys can come check out the spot. It's about thirty minutes north of downtown Portland. So excited to see this get going! Ill get the zoa frags ready for you. I appreciate that my friend. I'll be needing some stuff for sure because I'm on almost empty with regards to coral. Nicely done! If there's one thing I hate, it's getting in my tight crawl space (pretty similar to yours, army crawl everywhere). Wish I had a spot somewhere for my sump like that :( Staying tuned for stocking in the future Yeah, I army crawled the heck out of that area. A few times I just wanted to do a quick look at something, but didn't want to change my clothes so I straight up did the plank for about 5 minutes and traveled 25 feet each way on just my feet and forearms. I considered it my workout for the day. Those were tough inspections. Remind me of my current tank's installation. 50' plumbing from dinning room to garage. I was lazy to have 2 return and 1 push ( all 1.5 in ). Is this soft or all sticks tank?This will be primarily SPS. Although I have an appreciation for LPS and zoas so they'll be in there too. I'll look to have SPS favorable conditions though.So why not the sump under the tank? Just wondering?There are a few reasons. The first is that these stands just have some flimsy piece of 1/4 plywood for the interior base. No way it can hold a sump with any degree of reliability without sagging tremendously. Next, I want to upgrade sumps eventually and the closet provides much more space. Ease of access is also a big thing. I don't have to tinker with any equipment in a small area which is always frustrating. I also run the calcium reactor with a 20 lb tank so the only place to put it would be beside the aquarium out in the open. Not the worst thing in the world, but not my first preference. Having the sump in the closet means I can also hide the CO2 tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted November 6, 2015 Author Share Posted November 6, 2015 Looking good! Keeping that piping under the house uninsulated will help keep the heat down too. Yup, forgot about it. My was 72ish temp but as soon we wrapped it up with insulation layers, it's 78 ( 4-6 temp differences temp in saving with LEDs so helping with Winter's heater and cooling in Summer ).Yeah I definitely considered these points. I will pay a bit more to add extra heat in the winter, but summer will provide a free chiller for the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanmike01 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Nice so far. Mine is similar but different. Sump is in the stand but drive pump and chiller actually reside under the house. Watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted November 6, 2015 Author Share Posted November 6, 2015 (edited) So the closet did not have an outlet which means I needed to put one there. I've never done much electrical, but I watched some YouTube videos and read some articles so I'm basically a journeyman electrician at this point I knew I wanted to hook up a GFCI receptacle, but I learned about GFCI circuit breakers and just figured I'd use that instead. Why? I don't know. If I ever want to run more outlets I can do so and they will all get the same security. I suppose there are pros and cons of going with receptacle or breaker, but the breaker just seems much more solid (no science behind that assumption at all). I wired a 20 Amp so that will handle anything I throw at it. I also purchased an additional 15 Amp GFCI breaker to swap out the breaker which powers the outlets that were already behind the tank. That way I'll have the safety on all equipment. I ran the wire up the attic, across the crawl space alongside the other power cords and down the ceiling behind the wall. That's the single wire on the right side: Here's the 20 Amp. I haven't installed the 15 yet. I still need to hook up and mount a power bar and figured out how I'll deal with wires. Edited November 6, 2015 by Higher Thinking 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bicyclebill Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 That humidity in that closet may cause you grief, and cause mold in there. I'd be really careful with still using it as a closet without having that sump covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted November 6, 2015 Author Share Posted November 6, 2015 That humidity in that closet may cause you grief, and cause mold in there. I'd be really careful with still using it as a closet without having that sump covered.Thanks for the head's up. I have a dehumidifier and run it during the winter when need be. Don't let the wife know, but slowly taking over the closet is my end game. We'll put jackets elsewhere eventually. I could even install a ceiling fan since the laundry room fan is in the attic just about two feet away, behind the wall. I could probably link the HVAC exhaust pipes. I'm not exactly sure though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackice Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Your build is looking really nice not to mention we basically have the same system know. ( sump in closet plumed underneath the floor) I just got a short fat tank and you got a long skinny one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 So I've done a lot more work and have of course, not kept up with my thread. So let me catch you all up. I finished the hard scape. It's not terrible, but I'm not completely satisfied. Oh well, I'll be burying it all in coral anyway. Here's the tank going through cycle. And of course, my lil Belgian Malinois, TULIP. Sit, stay....good dog! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) Next I had to build the light canopy and swap everything (including the sump) from the temporary setup into the new one. Of course I didn't take any pictures of the process. But here I'd the completed canopy. I used a perimeter of 1x6 and the center is two layers of ¼" plywood (Does that mean I should just say ½"?) I used 1x1s as ledges inside the 1x6s so I would have something to screw the ply wood onto. I used caulking to fill in the gaps because , let's be honest, I can't build something like this perfectly square. I then painted everything black. Afterwards, I cut out three slots for LEDs. I currently have two Radion lights, but will eventually get another when I grow up and become rich. Until then, I'm rockin a 250w MH in the center. I also want to eventually get a quad T5HO ballast and retrofit it with two bulbs in the front and two in the back. I actually purchased a couple different types of pulleys for a hanging suspension system. I wanted to be able to raise and lower the canopy easily. After several back and forth (probably two weeks of frustration), I just settled on straight chain. I'm ultimately much more satisfied with this. The pulleys just required too much cord or chain to be visible. Here ya go: Merry Christmas! Me and TULIP checking things out: Edited December 22, 2015 by Higher Thinking 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 I will have to take pictures of the new sump, skimmer, and calcium reactor later. I moved over all the live stock and have had no casualties of yet. I am super sad to report that a few weeks ago I lost that Teardrop clam I got from Doug's tank. I just had too many issues in the little temporary setup and definitely lost some stuff. That was the prized piece, but what can you do? Guess I'll have to try and secure another good sized clam. Although I don't know if someone will ever have as good a price as Doug was offering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danlu_gt Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Very nice! Did you reinforce the floor yourself or did you use a contractor? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 Very nice! Did you reinforce the floor yourself or did you use a contractor? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk I did it myself. I reached out to a contractor and what I found was that I would need a structural engineer if I wanted anything to be guaranteed as far as weight bearing. Sounded expensive so I just moved forward on my own. TBH, the floor could probably hold the tank as is because it is on a load bearing wall across two 4x8s, but the added security is a huge plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danlu_gt Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Was the concrete block preformed or did you pour it in the crawlspace? I want to reinforce my floors so I can upgrade my tank. Any tips? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.