120 gallon rimless with basement sump

[ReefingHavoc]

Big delivery today of new stuff for the build. I had originally intended to hook my existing Reef Angel controller but decided to upgrade to an Apex EL for more control. Picked up a flow monitoring kit for the return and leak detectors for the main display and sump.

For running GFO or carbon I picked up an Avast Spyglass reactor which will run off of a manifold. Also picked up a new ATO from Avast.

Since I'm going to need to make more water, I decided to get a booster pump. I've been running at around 50 psi and looking to increase efficiency.

Lots of plumbing parts that took hours to plan out. I've got 12 - 1 1/2" blue sch 40 pipes, 1 - 1" blue sch 40 pipe, and 1 - 2" blue sch 40 pipe.

One thing I still have on its way is Neptune ATO which I won on a Black Friday giveaway. I'm thinking that I'll use that to automate the filling of my ATO container.

Still working on the stand shelf. Hoping to get it installed this weekend and start plumbing. Getting close to water!

 

[gatohoser]

I'm in a similar place right now and love watching you think through everything. Getting lots of good ideas from you. Thanks!


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[ReefingHavoc]

Finally got the sump in its final place and plumbed the line to the return pump. When I planned out the length of the stand I didn't account for the size of the 2" ball valve so it is cutting it close to fitting the sump, return pump, and plumbing. Luckily, no issues.

I also started cutting pipe. I watched Bill Wann's Macna presentation on plumbing where he discussed chamfering pipes. I set up a simple jig to add the chamfer on my router.

All I do is press the pipe into the corner and rotate. Simple, safe, and fast.

Here's a link to the video if interested.
https://youtu.be/pNYaHGQoPVc

Tomorrow I start on the light rack for the T5 Hybrid and Radions

 

[FlatBrokeMedic]

Very cool, I really like diy heavy builds. I see you are from Ohio as well, your BG flag caught my attention

 

[ReefingHavoc]

Very cool, I really like diy heavy builds. I see you are from Ohio as well, your BG flag caught my attention

Thanks. I'm enjoying the process of the build a lot. Knowing the cost of materials in the industry has forced me to do a lot of planning to reduce waste.

If I could DIY everything I would, but there becomes a certain point where time and quality come in to play.

Go BG!

 

[FlatBrokeMedic]

Thanks. I'm enjoying the process of the build a lot. Knowing the cost of materials in the industry has forced me to do a lot of planning to reduce waste.

If I could DIY everything I would, but there becomes a certain point where time and quality come in to play.

Go BG!

Lol I enjoy diy projects as well the process is fun, but the satisfaction of stepping back and saying I built the majority of the life support system is the best feeling

 

[ReefingHavoc]

Got my light rack up. Using 8020 series 15. Screwed to the back of the stand with 4 angle brackets

Arm and pivot point went together pretty easy.

My T5 Hybrid light fixture will hang from the horizontal arm. I went with the 90 degree pivot to give me some flexibility to raise the fixture when I need to do maintenance.

Looking to get the fixture hung tomorrow

 

[JamesHolt]

That crate they sent the tank could almost be skinned for the stand....lol
Nice looking build..

 

[ReefingHavoc]

That crate they sent the tank could almost be skinned for the stand....lol
Nice looking build..

Thanks. The tank was well packaged for delivery. It took a while to pull all the nails and remove all the screws holding it together. Good news is that I now have a decent inventory of 2x4s

 

[ReefingHavoc]

120 gallon rimless with basement sump

Update...I finally got the AquaticLife T5 Hybrid fixture installed on the tank. For mounting, I drilled holes in the 8020 about an inch in from the ends, ran the cable through and reattached the stop.

Once attached I adjusted the wires to make level. I'll have 9" of clearance between the fixture and water line.

One of the cool things I can do is raise the fixture up for maintenance, giving me 17" of clearance above the edge of the tank. Cost a little bit more for the hinge but I think worth it.

All that's left for lightning is to add the Radions to the fixture and manage the cords.

Also started working on the mounting board for the Apex. I first cut out the size I needed using 1/2" plywood. I had an extra box of laminate flooring so I then cut the flooring slightly long to cover the plywood and glued it down. Once dried I cut the mounting board to final size so the plywood and flooring are flush.

I'm going to add a small frame on it to finish and can then start mounting the equipment.

 

[ReefingHavoc]

Lights are up and working.

Wires tucked in nicely to the frame

Mounting board is complete. I'll get it on the wall this weekend and mount the Apex

 

[ReefingHavoc]

Got some more work done in the basement fish room

Plumbed the RO to the saltwater mixing tank. Added an exterior line to the tank to I can see the water level

Control board is mounted with Apex. Still have to get the dosing containers mounted and add another FMM. Lots of work left on programming

 

[ReefingHavoc]

Got the power supplies for the Radions and Gyre mounted along with the battery backup under the stand.

Also, mounted the Gyre controller

 

[Zoahoarder]

Wow love the build so far. Your attention to detail is on point. Following along.

 

[ReefingHavoc]

Wow love the build so far. Your attention to detail is on point. Following along.

Thanks. The build is taking way longer than originally anticipated, but the details are what will make it worth it.

 

[ReefingHavoc]

After getting the lights up and functioning I realized that the light spill is more than I expected. I'm not happy with it and my wife said she'll avoid the room when the lights are on [emoji19]

So...it looks like I'll be building a floating canopy to contain some of the spill. Already starting to think of how I can incorporate into the current frame.

Should be a fairly simple build, but continue to delay water going in.

 

[ReefingHavoc]

Holidays have slowed down progress and updates, but off work for a few days with a goal of getting water in by the new year.

Updates...

I pulled down the lighting and am going to work on a canopy after the cycle starts

I built a removable plate for the return lines but realized that the thickness of the plate was too thin so I re-made it out of 3/8". Much better.

For my saltwater mixing barrel I want a way to tell the temperature before pumping to the sump. Cut a notch out of the bung for the cable of a probe

To help weigh down the cord in the barrel, I cut a channel down the length of some PVC.

For mixing the saltwater I originally intended to put an elbow on the pipe returning water to the barrel from the pump. Since my barrel doesn't have a removable lid I had to heat some pipe up and add a curve. Works ok. Probably not as good as a true elbow.

I'm looking to do water changes by flipping switches. One for the new saltwater that enters the refugium and one to drain from a small Sicce that sits in the return section. I added the pump to drain the water and the line from the saltwater mixing station to the sump

Looking to wrap up the majority of plumbing tomorrow

 

[ReefingHavoc]

I previously had the idea of trying to weigh down the temperature probe inside my mixing barrel with some PVC. Well, that didn't exactly work as the tip of the probe still floats. Still thinking of something else.

Needed to build a stand to get both my skimmer and reactor up to the right height. Constructed it in a way where my two heaters could fit diagonally underneath

As I'm trying to automate as much as possible, I'm setting up the ATO reservoir for auto fill (ATO for my ATO container). To do that, I added a Neptune optical sensor to the top of the pump. This was done by first fitting with cardboard and cutting the final out in acrylic. The acrylic is attached to the pump with silicone.

To organize the ATO and dosing lines that will run to the sump, I found some PVC trim and drilled holes in it. This will allow me keep nice and straight runs. I've done this before with wood, but the trim is already white to blend in with walls. I'll post another pic once the lines are run

Got all the drain lines and return line plumbed. This took way longer than I expected. Lots of dry fitting and cutting. Unions saved me some major headaches "” still had quite a few though

For those interested, these clamps are awesome for the PVC. They're made by Arlington and can be found in a lot of places, including BRS. I found them at Zoro.com for the best price and a flat $5.00 shipping. One note, make sure you don't get the hanger for EMT Conduit.

Water is going in today!

 

[GQuinn]

Great build and DIY skills. What reeflo pump are you using for the return and who built the tank?

 

[ReefingHavoc]

Great build and DIY skills. What reeflo pump are you using for the return and who built the tank?

It's a swordtail. The display was built by Custom Aquariums