Derek's Custom 180G SPS Reef Tank

[spyd]

Hello everyone!

Since I have ordered my tank and now have got some ideas of the equipment I am running, I have decided to start a build thread.

My tank is about 4 weeks away from being complete. It will be a custom 180G - SPS dominated tank. The tank dimensions are standard 72" x 24" x 24". Glass will be 3 sides starphyre with an 18" external overflow. Tank is euro-braced using one solid piece of glass to give it a nice rimless appearance. Glass is 5/8" thick all around. The overflow is drilled for Bean Animal plumbing installation.

My sump is a custom 3/8" acrylic tank. Dimensions are 42"L x 22"W x 18"H. There will be a total of 7 baffles in the sump. I have attached a rough sketch of my sump design. I am always interested in any opinions people have because there is still time to change my design before it goes into production. Basically, sump is designed for my skimmer, then area for pumps that will be running my biopellet reactor, GFO/carbon reactor, etc. Next there is an area for a RDSB, then finally, the return pump. The sump will be placed in my furnace room and my DT will be on the other side of the wall in my basement rec room to keep noise to a minimum.

My stand is a custom made steel stand w/ marine grade epoxy. I have lined the inside with 3/4" White Melamine for a nice clean look. I will be skinning the outside of the tank in the near future. I was just waiting to see what colour furniture we were putting in our rec room as I sure don't want to be staining the wood in the basement. I am sure it will end up being skinned in Maple with an expresso finish. Doors will have some nice modern stainless steel handles to match the light fixture.

As for equipment, I have got all most everything figured out for the most part. Skimmer will be a new Vertex Alpha Cone 200. Lighting is a 8 x 80w T5HO ATI Sunpower fixture. I will suspend it from the ceiling using self retracting hangers and aircraft cable most likely... Again, opinions welcome! Other equipment includes 4 x Tunze 6100's (older model) with a controller. My return pump is a used external Iwaki 1800GPH pump (Japanese Model). Not sure yet if I will upgrade to the Water Blaster pump yet as I like what I have seen with them. Also, I will be running bio-pellets in my Vertex UF-15. What size pump do you recommend to run this unit properly? I ran it on my 75G for a little while, using an MJ1200, but I doubt that will have enough pressure to move more pellets though. My ATO unit is the Elos Osmo Controller. I will also be running my GFO/Carbon reactor. As for my RO/DI unit, I am looking to upgrade as I can't stand the one I have. It is suppose to produce 150GPD at 60psi and only produces 75GPD with too much waste water, even though it is installed properly... Any recommendations? I would like at least 100GPD output. I will move over my Neptune Jr. Controller from my 75G and also my BRS dosing pumps once my livestock is moved into the new tank.

As for rock and substrate, I have over 100lbs of dry rock and 70lbs of live rock. I will not utilize it all, but a good chunk of it. I will be running a SSB this time around. I have had good luck with my DSB in my current tank, but it takes up too much valuable space.

I will also be including 2 additional Acrylic tanks this system. One for making water changes easier as it will be setup right above my sump. I will drain the sump, then turn a valve, and refill the sump water... No more buckets!!! Woo hoo!!! The other acrylic tank will be used as my frag tank once I get my DT established.

Well, that's it for now. I will take some pictures of my stand and how it is progressing and do my best to keep this thread up-to-date.

Thanks,

Derek

 

[pulpfiction1]

definatley looking forward to the progress photos,i love these build threads

 

[spyd]

Here's a picture of my custom made stand so far. It is a 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" heavy wall steel frame. Melamine interior. I am going to silicone the corners for a cleaner look and put in some plugs to hide the screws. It goes out on Monday to get skinned. It will be done in solid Maple w/ expresso finish. 4 doors on the front. Only my controller will be mounted inside the stand. The remainder will just be used as storage space for my fish crap... as the wife calls it... 

 

[Darryl_V]

Oh man...this is the official thread huh?  Watch out for this one its gonna be awesome.

 

[spyd]

Thanks Darryl. Here's hoping it turns out half as nice as yours! It should... considering where most my SPS has come from.  ;D I know I'm going to be scared silly when I start moving over my corals into the new tank though. I will definitely start with the corals that are not going to make me cry if they perish for some reason. lol.

 

[spyd]

Just got off the phone with the manufacturer. Tank is only 1 1/2 weeks away! Woo hoo!!!

 

[Fraggle Rock]

Have a suggestion for your bio pellet reactor.
Why not run a a little bigger return pump and plumb your reactor into that.
If you ran a big enough one you could run your carbon/gfo from it as well,
would just take some tinkering to get it all (and keep it all) flowing properly.

 

[spyd]

I like it!!! Great idea. I think I will give it a shot.

 

[Fraggle Rock]

Have another idea for the BP reactor for you, But I'm not sure if it will work with the skimmer you plan on using?
A lot of people recommend directing the output of your reactor at/near your skimmer intake.
If possible (depending on your skimmer) you could install a T-fitting on your skimmer intake and plumb your reactor directly into the side of the T-fitting leaving the end open so there's very little pump restriction, that way everything from your reactor go's directly into your skimmer.

Plan on doing this when I get my 180 up and running.

 

[teebone110]

Have another idea for the BP reactor for you, But I'm not sure if it will work with the skimmer you plan on using?
A lot of people recommend directing the output of your reactor at/near your skimmer intake.
If possible (depending on your skimmer) you could install a T-fitting on your skimmer intake and plumb your reactor directly into the side of the T-fitting leaving the end open so there's very little pump restriction, that way everything from your reactor go's directly into your skimmer.

Plan on doing this when I get my 180 up and running.

This is the way to do it, if you can

 

[spyd]

Hmmm... I like this idea as well. I think I can make it work.

 

[Blob-79]

yea thats the way to do it. all it really takes is a pvc coupler sized to your skimmer output of course, drill a hole thru the side of it the size of your reactor tube, push tube in hole and voila

 

[spyd]

Just found out yesterday my skimmer is back ordered...  :? Looks like it will not be here for 1 - 2 months. Thankfully, I found someone with a spare skimmer for the time being.

 

[phi delt reefer]

Man you missed out on an awesome deal for a gently used bubbleking skimmer! ;D

 

[spyd]

I know.... Sold it only to find I could have used it for the time being. lol. Ah well. From the reviews, the Vertex Alpha Cone is worth the wait.

 

[spyd]

Quick update.... Sump should be ready this weekend. I am going to pick it up along with my frag tank and water change tank so I can get started on the plumbing. My new tank "should" be ready for pick-up next weekend. They are working on the exterior overflow right now and will be attaching it to the tank once it cures. Hard to be patient at this point! lol.

I have also attached a picture of my manifold design. It is a sketch of my return line that will be running off my return pump to my display tank. I designed it as a typical residential manifold to achieve balanced pressure to all ports. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Fraggle Rock]

Manifold plan looks good to me. Any idea what pump you want to use now?

 

[spyd]

Manifold plan looks good to me. Any idea what pump you want to use now?

Not sure yet. I am going to try with my Iwaki pump first. If it does not produce enough flow, then I will be purchasing a Water Blaster pump. The highest flow they have is 2600GPH which should be more than enough!! 

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

Yu ever read up about the waveline pumps?....oakville reef has them in stock now ..they have a controller for water flow. So yu don't have to use ball valves

 

[spyd]

Yu ever read up about the waveline pumps?....oakville reef has them in stock now ..they have a controller for water flow. So yu don't have to use ball valves

I have seen those pumps and the functionality is good. I am not sure if the functions are really necessary on a return pump though. It would be great for a closed loop setup for sure! The Water Blaster pumps have 3 years warranty which is big for me. I had problems once with my Bubble Blaster pump and they shipped me a new one next day, no questions asked. So, I think I will stick with Coral Vue if I go that route. The Wavelines just came out so I would be hesitent to pick one up right now as there are no reviews yet...

I have also got a skin design completed for my tank. The stain will be a lot darker and rich in colour. Very simple, clean design. It will have 4 large round-bar stainless steel handles on it to match my light fixture and make it look very modern. the skin will have 3 seperate panels. Each panel is held in place with rare earth magnets so I can easily remove them if need be. I extended the side panels 6" beyond the back of the frame to cover my plumbing and any power cords.