Just because its been done doesn't mean its the correct way
First large tank - 180 reef build (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter tthorn125
- Start date
Just because its been done doesn't mean its the correct way
OP
OP
The home made stand was my first choice. I wanted to buy the tank without the stand, but it was a package deal, so I'll have a stand taking up room somewhere. Depending on it's condition, it might make for a good bonfire. I may be able to use it for the QT and extra storage.
I was reading that a sump should be about 25% of the main. I guess I'm not sure if that number is appropriate or not. I could just as easily pick up a 55 gal. instead. The other reason I picked the 180 over a 210 or larger is because of the amount of water involved. I'm not against water changes but looking to do a little less maintenance if possible, yet still have a sizable tank.
Thoughts?
I was reading that a sump should be about 25% of the main. I guess I'm not sure if that number is appropriate or not. I could just as easily pick up a 55 gal. instead. The other reason I picked the 180 over a 210 or larger is because of the amount of water involved. I'm not against water changes but looking to do a little less maintenance if possible, yet still have a sizable tank.
Thoughts?
There are no rules some cases is more than 100% of show tank. 25% was pulled from somebody's rear end. Hardware you go with, if your planning a refugium or not, external or internal skimmer will dictate what or how the sump is design. Being in-wall and likely having much more freedom than a typical against the wall setup, I wouldn't limit myself.
I too prefer the 180g over the 210g. Added height above 24" doesn't add that much value for a reef tank. Added width is always preferred over added height.
Also, many stock stands are on the low side. Building your own structure will be much nicer. Something around 36+" high make much better for viewing.
If the stand is nice and not junk, you can find a buyer for it.
I too prefer the 180g over the 210g. Added height above 24" doesn't add that much value for a reef tank. Added width is always preferred over added height.
Also, many stock stands are on the low side. Building your own structure will be much nicer. Something around 36+" high make much better for viewing.
If the stand is nice and not junk, you can find a buyer for it.
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I have a 40 breeder sump and it is plenty of room. Have a compact skimmer and am done with refugiums. I am doing very heavy skimming, a filter sock for mechanical filtration, and bio-pellets for biolgoical.
Got rid of the 150g cow trough sump on my latest build.
You will get a lot of opinions on sump sizes but it just depends on what you have in it and how you do your maintainence.
Got rid of the 150g cow trough sump on my latest build.
You will get a lot of opinions on sump sizes but it just depends on what you have in it and how you do your maintainence.
OP
OP
Well. Just got back from the 3 hour round trip and figured the tank would fit in the back of the SUV. I'm 6'2" and fit back there with the wife for drive in movies, so no big deal right?
Wrong!
We had to tie down the back with a LOT of cushion and drive slow over any bumps. The trip ended good with a couple of people to life the tank. Not as heavy as I expected it to be.
We threw the stand in the trailer and it survived the trip. I did have some doubts as the seams were pretty creaky.
Over the next few days, I expect I'll be cleaning it and checking for leaks. The stand is nothing special, so I definitely will be building a custom stand from 2x4's.
Here it is. Actually better than I expected for a used tank.
Here is a picture (bad picture) of what it is replacing.
View attachment 6172
Again, thanks for the comments. I'm always open for suggestions, and hopefully along with my normal spousal duties I'll have time to work on this and not let it drag out for months.
Wrong!
We had to tie down the back with a LOT of cushion and drive slow over any bumps. The trip ended good with a couple of people to life the tank. Not as heavy as I expected it to be.
We threw the stand in the trailer and it survived the trip. I did have some doubts as the seams were pretty creaky.Over the next few days, I expect I'll be cleaning it and checking for leaks. The stand is nothing special, so I definitely will be building a custom stand from 2x4's.
Here it is. Actually better than I expected for a used tank.
Here is a picture (bad picture) of what it is replacing.
View attachment 6172
Again, thanks for the comments. I'm always open for suggestions, and hopefully along with my normal spousal duties I'll have time to work on this and not let it drag out for months.
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OP
OP
Thanks.
My next steps are going to be finding an existing sump from someone on here or building one from scratch and I'm going to attempt a DIY LED fixture.
For the sump, I've decided that 55 or 75 is what I'd like.
The LED fixture is a little more confusing. I've read posts far and wide from all over the internet about what it should be vs. what others have done. With days of reading under my belt now there is not a single definitive site / person that has stated -- this is what you need for for a tank xxx large.
There are general guesstimates but that is about it. I've contacted RapidLED and they said that I should do 3 48 LED pendants, however I've also read some people that say 36 per pendant is more than enough.
I take everything with a grain of salt. RapidLED wants to make money and the general person wants to save money. No concrete evidence that I can see so far.
Anyone have direct experience with 72x24x24? I know the answer is yes, but just haven't seen direct comments.
Appreciate any input.
My next steps are going to be finding an existing sump from someone on here or building one from scratch and I'm going to attempt a DIY LED fixture.
For the sump, I've decided that 55 or 75 is what I'd like.
The LED fixture is a little more confusing. I've read posts far and wide from all over the internet about what it should be vs. what others have done. With days of reading under my belt now there is not a single definitive site / person that has stated -- this is what you need for for a tank xxx large.
There are general guesstimates but that is about it. I've contacted RapidLED and they said that I should do 3 48 LED pendants, however I've also read some people that say 36 per pendant is more than enough.
I take everything with a grain of salt. RapidLED wants to make money and the general person wants to save money. No concrete evidence that I can see so far.
Anyone have direct experience with 72x24x24? I know the answer is yes, but just haven't seen direct comments.
Appreciate any input.
I currently run 250 watt MH's over my 180 gallon tank. Never really thought of doing LED's on it since the price, and MH's work awesome.
IMO the Rapid LED's really are not worth buying if your going to be putting that much into the LED kits. Your better off doing AI SOL since their price drop they are alot more competitive and you have alot more options. JMO.
IMO the Rapid LED's really are not worth buying if your going to be putting that much into the LED kits. Your better off doing AI SOL since their price drop they are alot more competitive and you have alot more options. JMO.
Agree with garrett, As per price, I would recommend ai sol. And I believe 3 aisol would work on 180.
OP
OP
When I look up the AI SOL lights, they are $399. That would be $1200 total. I am not finding better prices???
This would be a lot more. Give or take a few things I have a very similar setup below. Obviously there is no data port on these, but is that really a big deal? I don't plan on automating a sunrise/sunset feature. Since this is going to be behind a wall, I will be making my own retro fit canopy for lighting (or partial canopy).
This would be a lot more. Give or take a few things I have a very similar setup below. Obviously there is no data port on these, but is that really a big deal? I don't plan on automating a sunrise/sunset feature. Since this is going to be behind a wall, I will be making my own retro fit canopy for lighting (or partial canopy).
Yep, they dropped from $499 to $399 recently. You also need a rail kit and a controller so that will be another $150 or so. Not a cheap option but no bulb replacement needed for up to 10 years (no one knows for sure though because they have only been out a few years) and you are looking at 70 watts per unit versus say 250 watts with metal halides. You will cut your electric bill on your lights by as much as 75%.
I am sure you know all this but that was what I used to justify it to my wife.:biggrin:
OP
OP
Exactly my point, that would be quite expensive. :beerchug:
With the DIY, the electrical work doesn't worry me and I can build a lot of stuff. I already own a controller, but I just want on and off. I will dim them to the correct level for the acclimation of the corals and once things are dialed in they will stay that way. The blues and whites will be on separate dimmers for small adjustments and if need be, I can add more on another small strip.
I currently run T5HO on my 75 gallon, so I don't feel the pain of MH. That was really the deciding factor when I decided to DIY LED. Monthly cost, life time of 50,000 hours, and heat.
So... With what was said above. Is there an general consensus that 3 pendants with 24 LED's apiece would be sufficient? The AI Sol website claims to have extremely high PAR values when the lights are ~12 from the water surface.
With the DIY, the electrical work doesn't worry me and I can build a lot of stuff. I already own a controller, but I just want on and off. I will dim them to the correct level for the acclimation of the corals and once things are dialed in they will stay that way. The blues and whites will be on separate dimmers for small adjustments and if need be, I can add more on another small strip.
I currently run T5HO on my 75 gallon, so I don't feel the pain of MH. That was really the deciding factor when I decided to DIY LED. Monthly cost, life time of 50,000 hours, and heat.
So... With what was said above. Is there an general consensus that 3 pendants with 24 LED's apiece would be sufficient? The AI Sol website claims to have extremely high PAR values when the lights are ~12 from the water surface.
Scruby
Senior Member
I feel the pain of high electric bill with two 250 watt MH double DE. They suck some juice and am trying to reduce the time on them and use T5 lighting for an hour or two before they turn on. With what I would save on have led verses my MH as I have a 210g tank 30" high would pay for themselves.
OP
OP
I have two overflows, each with two holes.
1.5" & 1.75" which correspond to 3/4" & 1" inch bulkhead fittings. I also have a Mag12 pump to return water to the tank.
Anything special needed in the return line as far as plumbing? Just a couple of split directional outlet's at the end. Maybe some unions to make maintenance easy?
1.5" & 1.75" which correspond to 3/4" & 1" inch bulkhead fittings. I also have a Mag12 pump to return water to the tank.
Anything special needed in the return line as far as plumbing? Just a couple of split directional outlet's at the end. Maybe some unions to make maintenance easy?
mathias999us
Senior Member
Yeah, definitely put unions in.
Also, I think it's recommended to drill a small hole in each return line just below the water level so it will break the siphon when the power goes out, and you won't have as much water flow back into the sump (allowing you to run the sump with more water in it).
Also, I think it's recommended to drill a small hole in each return line just below the water level so it will break the siphon when the power goes out, and you won't have as much water flow back into the sump (allowing you to run the sump with more water in it).
OP
OP
I decided that I'd go with a 40b for a sump right now with potentially a 20g for a refugium. We'll see where it goes from there.
I have a lead on a skimmer from someone so that should play out in the upcoming weeks. Upon research, a 55 would not be wide enough for the skimmer so a 40b should be fine.
Ordered the plumbing from BRS today so it should be here tomorrow. Once that is in, I can do some leak tests and generic drain / return tests with the sump without baffles. :beerchug:
I have a lead on a skimmer from someone so that should play out in the upcoming weeks. Upon research, a 55 would not be wide enough for the skimmer so a 40b should be fine.
Ordered the plumbing from BRS today so it should be here tomorrow. Once that is in, I can do some leak tests and generic drain / return tests with the sump without baffles. :beerchug:
OP
OP
I went with braided nylon tubing for the lines, is anyone else using that? I heard that straight PVC was quite loud.
OP
OP
Return lines are in. Drain lines will be done tomorrow at some point.
Am I making a mistake by doing all braided nylon for the lines? Unions/valves can still be added so no loss as far as replacing/maintenance for an individual component.
I am also picking up a ReefMania PS8 skimmer from another member on Monday. Should fit in nicely.
Am I making a mistake by doing all braided nylon for the lines? Unions/valves can still be added so no loss as far as replacing/maintenance for an individual component.
I am also picking up a ReefMania PS8 skimmer from another member on Monday. Should fit in nicely.
