Ryan Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 Finished up the seaswirls today...hopefully will be putting water in the tank tomorrow. Heres a quick vid of the seaswirl: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted February 23, 2010 Author Share Posted February 23, 2010 I finally finished up the plumbing today! I cut these brackets to support the return lines. They are cut out of 1/2" acrylic, and cemented to the inside of my sump: Return Line w/distribution manifold: The bottom valve will go do my Zeovit Reactor, the middle will go to my carbon reactor, and the top will be a spare (probably used for my chiller in the summer). All said and done (well kinda): I decided to mix the salt water in the tank. I was going to borrow someones 55g drum to mix the water in, but this will work just as well. I have been trying to "clean" the sand for weeks now, hopping to avoid the cloudy water. I don't think its possible. I used a fine mesh called "tulle" from a fabric store to do the initial rinse. I did a couple pounds at a time dipping it multiple times in clean RO/DI. Then I put it all in a 10g Rubbermaid container and replaced the water EVERY day. I never got it to run "clean." oh well, it should clear up in a couple days. Once the tank is filled with RO/DI, I'll throw my Vortechs in then add the salt. After the salt is mixed for several days, I'll add my rock that has been curing for 6 weeks. I'll be able to start the Zeovit cycle once I finish the lighting, then I'll be adding my first fish in 10 days & coral in 14 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 A lot of progress this week! The tank is filled, sand is in, salt is in (1.025 sg), the water has cleared, and the rock is now it. Im very happy with the tank so far! Heres a vid of the DIY seaswirls: Heres what the tank looks like after I put the rock in this morning. The water is still a bid hazy.... What do you think? I pretty much just threw the rock in there in the "island formation." It will probably stay in 2 different islands, but I will probably end up adjusting it a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huskerduck Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Really Awesome! The sea swirls are a very nice touch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Freakin awesome setup you have there Ryan! You should be very proud and excited to stock it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 That is looking great, be sure to post pics as you stock it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danik Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 super clean, just get ready for all new tank syndromes.. after two months my sand is finally starting to look cleaner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 super clean, just get ready for all new tank syndromes.. after two months my sand is finally starting to look cleaner. I know :-( Im not looking forward to it. Im sure the Zeovit cycle wont help either... Andy, Huskerduck, & Garrett thanks for the comments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 I finished my lighting rack today, it consists of the following: 2- Icecap 660 Ballasts 8- T5 bulbs 8- AquaIllumination T5 Relectors I am running the following bulbs from front to back: Front ATI Blue Plus ATI Aqua Blue ATI Blue Plus ATI Aqua Blue ATI Blue Plus KZ Fiji Purple ATI Aqua Blue ATI Blue Plus Back I am running all of the Blue Plus bulbs on one ballast, and the Aqua Blue and Fiji Purple on the other ballast. Here are some pics: It was hard to get a good picture that actually represents the actual color. The pics look very blue (I think from all of the spill over), but it is actually a VERY crisp white with a hint of blue. I like it A LOT!!! The T5's are VERY BRIGHT!!!! The legs on the lighting rack are temporary. The whole rack will be mounted in my canopy after I build it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smann Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Looks good, where did you buy the parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 Looks good' date=' where did you buy the parts[/quote'] reefgeek.com for the ballasts, end caps, reflectors, and bulbs. Home Depot for the aluminum and hardware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 That's a very cool light rack -- having the ballasts in the hood would make me nervous though (warm salty air is rough on electronics), but those Icecaps are sealed right? No fans? Still adding heat up in the hood though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted March 9, 2010 Author Share Posted March 9, 2010 I thought about the humid salt water air issue, but after thinking about it, it's no different then having your ballasts mounted in you stand above your sump... As for fans, I will be running 4 120mm 12v fans. All four will be mounted on the back of my canopy. 2 will be pushing air at the end caps of the lights, and the other 2 will be pointed at the ballasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Looks really sharp. Very clean. I guess you're a details guy, huh? Why no purple actinics? You may want to consider having the bulb fans at just one end. I've heard that you're only supposed to cool the "label" end of the bulb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Popeil Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 if your DIY sea swirls hold up well, ill be an instant fan. they already look terrific. your plumbing is also very immaculate and impressive. well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 lookin [language filter] good ryan, I know who I'm gonna pay to build my light set-up when I do a big tank LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 Thanks guys! The seaswirls have been going strong for 2 weeks now! I finished the Zeovit reactor today, and started the zeovit cycle. I'll be adding the first fish in 10 days, and first coral in 14 days. I can't wait!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted April 8, 2010 Author Share Posted April 8, 2010 Just a quick update! The tank has been running great. All of my corals are now in the tank and mounted on the rocks. I am still working on organizing/hiding all of my wiring. I was not happy with my first skimmer, so I upgraded to an ATB 840 v1.5 (thanks Barrier Reef). I am VERY happy with it. It has only been running for 6 days and it is producing nearly black skimmate! Unfortunately I neglected my old tank for the last 2 months while I was building the new one...Most of my corals lost their color, so I am working on getting the colors back. Everything already looks twice as good as it did in my old tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mltnguyen Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Sorry Ryan but all I can do is (drooler)(drooler)(drooler)(drooler) Great looking tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Dude, I'm having you design my next system LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 How are those DIY seaswirls doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h2odvl Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 That is frickin' awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted May 22, 2010 Author Share Posted May 22, 2010 They are running great! I had to replace the motor on one of the cause a snail got stuck between the out put and the side of the tank so it did not allow the output to rotate. I have been very happy with them though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 I thought with all that sps you would want mh, shows what i know. Makes me wonder if i could grow sps. I guess it's really all about watts per gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Actually Gill, it's not about the number of watts per gallon, its about the type/quality of the lighting. The proper T5's, with the proper individual reflectors, will allow you to grow just about any coral you want. I'm actually switching over to T5's myself as soon as I get my halide sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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