Ryan Posted December 3, 2009 Author Share Posted December 3, 2009 looks awesome ryan' date=' really looking forward to seeing it up and running[/quote'] Thanks, Aaron! I'll need your moving my current tank when the time comes to set the new one up in its place! I picked up all of my plumbing today... I planned on putting unions on both sides of my gave valve so I could remove it easily if needed. After seeing how big it would be with unions on both ends (12"), I decided to modify the unions a bit to make it more compact. I was able to cut the size of the valve/unions down by 3". Its only 9" now, and MUCH more compact! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted December 4, 2009 Author Share Posted December 4, 2009 I cut all of the parts for my ZEOvit reactor today: Im using a piece of 16"x4" Cell Cast tubbing. I will use Schedule 80 fittings for the plumbing on it and also for the "plunger". I also cut these parts for another DIY project, can anyone guess what Im making? (for size reference, those are 3/4 unions and the larger tube on the left is 2: O.D.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radar2 Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Nice acrylic work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 no clue what your making ryan, but, i do want to know more about that zeovit reactor, how much, in parts, did that cost you? you can pm me if you want, im just trying to investigate other things that might make my tank that much better. thanks man mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 no clue what your making ryan, but, i do want to know more about that zeovit reactor, how much, in parts, did that cost you? you can pm me if you want, im just trying to investigate other things that might make my tank that much better. thanks man mick Total in parts was about $30, but I had most of the white acrylic laying around...What else do you want to know about the reactor? ZEOvit is not for the "casual reefer". It takes a lot of research and understanding before it should be started. You also need to be VERY comfortable with test kits, and be able to maintain CAL/ALK/MAG as solid as a rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 im slowly researching this stuff, my biggest thing is can you run a refugium while running a zeovit system? a refugium is a must for me lol. and i have yet to pick up test kits for cal/alk/mag as im still getting everything set up, by the time the new tank is up and running, ill have everything i need for testing. i currently only have a basic test kit, api even, ugh. as for that reactor, can you break it down exactly how its gonna work? what kinda pump you need and what not for it? thanks man mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 im slowly researching this stuff, my biggest thing is can you run a refugium while running a zeovit system? a refugium is a must for me lol. and i have yet to pick up test kits for cal/alk/mag as im still getting everything set up, by the time the new tank is up and running, ill have everything i need for testing. i currently only have a basic test kit, api even, ugh. I would recommend investing in some nice Elos kits! Get Cal, Alk, & Mag. I HIGHLY recommend you master maintaining the above 3 parameters before you even consider starting ZEO. as for that reactor, can you break it down exactly how its gonna work? what kinda pump you need and what not for it? Here is a pretty good idea of what a typical ZEO reactor looks like: Its pretty simple, water enters the bottom of the reactor, then raises to the top (through the ZEOlithe), then exits the top back into the sump. The "T" handle on top is used to pump up and down to shake up the ZEOlithe once or twice per day (about 15 pumps). ZEO reactors do not require a lot of flow (less then 100gph). Most are supplied by a small pump. Im not a big fan of lots of small pumps in my system, so Im going to run my reactor off of my main pump through a manifold. Let me know if you have any other questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskerduck Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I would recommend investing in some nice Elos kits! Get Cal, Alk, & Mag. I HIGHLY recommend you master maintaining the above 3 parameters before you even consider starting ZEO. Its pretty simple, water enters the bottom of the reactor, then raises to the top (through the ZEOlithe), then exits the top back into the sump. The "T" handle on top is used to pump up and down to shake up the ZEOlithe once or twice per day (about 15 pumps). Let me know if you have any other questions! What happens if you dont pump them every day? Do they have automatic ones? If you left for 2 weeks vacation I would think asking someone to look after this aspect of reefing may shortin the list of available canidates. Not that its tough but some people freak out a lil when they perceive the screwing the pooch and killing thousands of dollars by not doing something quite right. Whats the purpose or function of this reactor........food source for corals?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsw Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I considered going zeo on my new tank, but decided to try the vsv/mb7 route. I'm curious what influenced your decisions, or if you considered vsv. Tagging along this build. It's going to be awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share Posted December 7, 2009 I considered going zeo on my new tank, but decided to try the vsv/mb7 route. I'm curious what influenced your decisions, or if you considered vsv. Tagging along this build. It's going to be awesome. My initial plan was to use vodka/mb7/reefbooster, but it seems like more people are having trouble with it than who are not. There are only a few tanks that I know of that I have seen that are truly spectacular on the vodka/mb7. Zeo seems like a much more complete, researched, and understood process. I feel I would be successful with either route, but it seems like almost every day I see a post on RC about mb7 not working out for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parzifal Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Yeah, just let me know when you need a hand and i will come down and help you move stuff around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 Im finally making some progress! The holidays kind of slowed me down... My BRS "Reef Saver" rock and other BRS supplies arrived yesterday: I set the rock up in a Rubbermaid tub and salt water to cure/cycle: I also picked up a bucket of Brightwell NeoMarine salt yesterday. Thanks Bob! I'll be picking up 80lbs of CaribSea Special Grade Reef Sand tonight from DJL. I just have to finish up my DIY seaswirls and I'll be able to get the new tank up and running! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsw Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I'm excited to watch this come together. That rock looks nice. Is it fairly lightweight? I started my tank with dry rock and bagged sand, so I don't have too much in the way of little critters in my tank. Not sure how you're going to seed your tank, but I have a detrivore and microvert kit (and some other cuc critters) on the way from Inland Aquatics. It will be here tomorrow, so I'm excited to see how that shapes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 The rock is very lightweight! I was actually shocked how much rock 75lbs was! The large pieces are 10-12" across and medium sized pieces are 6-8" across. For some reason its hard to tell from the pics, but the rock is EXTREMELY porous. I can see deep inside most of the pieces. I picture my 6-line swimming into the rock and not findings its way out :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 dang....can't wait to see this come together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 I picked my sand up from Davey Jones Locker today! Dave got me a great deal on it! I have this sand in my current tank and really like it. Its a bit coarser/heavier then most people use but that allows me to run more flow through my tank without creating a sand storm. I also think it looks great! I also picked up a nice piece of live rock covered in Coralline to seed my dead rock. Im going to let it sit for 4 weeks in circulating salt water prior to using it. I had planned to get the tank up and running this week, but I decided to wait until the rock is finished curing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 I got a lot done on the stand today! I've had the metal frame (built by Scott aka Spectra) for about a month now. He did an amazing job on it! Here's how the top attaches to the metal frame: Here's some pics of the finished sump. Im very pleased how it turned out, considering its the first time I have worked with 1/2" acrylic! Im going to start on the plumbing tomorrow. If I have time to finish my DIY seaswirls up, it will be water ready by this time tomorrow! Im getting really excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 I finished the return plumbing today! I used 6 KBI 1.5" unions so everything will easily come apart. 1.5" Hayward Bulkheads: Where the return lines pass through the back of the stand: I shorten up some 90's to make them a bit tighter: I'll be spending the rest of the day finishing up my DIY SeaSwirls. Once those are done, I'll finish my return lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Ryan, how's the progress going? What was the mystery item you were working on? Can we get some more pics of this sweet setup? LOL I'm trying to get ideas on what kinda of plumbing supplies and parts I need to pick up lol. Oh, and what is this Sketch-up program you referenced earlier in the thread? I'm curious about that, as I love to design different styles of tanks and what-not. How easy is it to use? Is it by chance a free download? If not, how much is the software? TIA Oh, an pm me, if you dont mind, a price breakdown on how much this build cost you, a rough estimate is fine, its almost identical to a build im looking at for when we get a permanent location, aside from the sump, and I'd like to have an idea on exactly what I'm getting myself in for lol. TIA Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 I haven't got much done since my last pics...I did finish the "prototype" SeaSwirl which turned out really nice. I need to complete the 2 finals for my tank, then I can set the tank up. Im still working on the "mystery" item...to my knowledge, NO ONE has ever made this DIY "mystery" item. I use the free version of Google SketchUp. I love it, cause I can literally build my DIY projects on sketch up and make sure everything's going to fit together right before I cut any spendy acrylic. It as pretty easy program, just play around and get comfortable with it. I'll send you a PM...its not cheap :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 Thanks man, yeah, I pm'd you about another subject, courtesy of Garrett tellin me to ask you LOL. I'm gonna have to grab that google program, I do enjoy the google earth program though, that one is fun at times LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwcoralfarm Posted January 31, 2010 Share Posted January 31, 2010 I am still curious about the pins on the acrylic. I have only glued 1 tank together and it was pretty thin maybe 3/8 I think but no pins were needed. I used a couple of speed squares and the super thin #16 I believe acrylic cement and it just sucks right into the spaces very nicely on it's own. I do believe it is recommended that you use the thicker as well afterward but I never had to. So are the pins needed because the acrylic is so thick or because you used a thicker acrylic cement? Beautiful build by the way, it's not often you get to see builds done with such quality and time taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 Weldon 16 is much thicker then the typical cement used for thicker acrylic. Typically the cement is nearly water thin. The pins are used to put a small gap between the 2 pieces of acrylic so the water thin cement can flow freely between them, creating a bubble free flawless seam. Hope that helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 A slight update...I have been working away after work and on my weekends. The finishing touches are going slow...My "plan" is to have water in the new tank by this time next week. I still have to build my lighting rack, return line from pump, manifold, carbon reactor, and few other things. Here are a few pics I snapped today: DIY Seaswirl progress: I ran the mock up I made for several days without any problems, so I think they are going to work really well. I like them a lot because they are MUCH more compact then the standard seaswirl. Start of Zeovit Reactor, still need to build the "plunger" and base: Zeovit Stones, Additives & Potassium test kit: My rock and sand have been curing for 5 weeks now. Once water is in the tank, I will run the 14-day Zeovit cycle and be able to put the first fish in in 10 days & coral in 14 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 [language filter], that's some fine work right there. Very cool DIY on the seaswirl. GJ. 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.