180G Tank Build out

[Spudstr]

Thought it was time to make this post, after being out of the hobby for some time. Back in 2005 I started this hobby with a 75g tank for a few years before I moved from NY to VA and had to take the system down and give it all away. Now in 2012 I have the itch again. :dance: So I've been running a 29G nano for a while to feed my habit while I scour craigslist for a 150+ tank that fit my needs.. after a few months of looking.. every..single..day.. nothing was really available. So this lead me to.. glass cages. Some people love them, some people hate them. My tank arrives on 6/16 so we will see exactly how well their tank build is when we take delivery of it.


The tank will fit between these two windows..

The fish room will be directly below it with dimensions of 7x15.. the basement is currently unfinished and needs to be somewhat finished, mainly also due to the fact that the floor joists are going to be running parallel to the tank along the wall, so what better way to reinforce the floor by building an parallel wall under the tank 7 feet out and over supporting the tank via doubled up 2x8's or 2x10's every 12-16 in OC to act as perpendicular support members. (will add pictures on thursday after contractor comes out to give estimate on the build)

Tank: 180G 72x24x25 starphire front glass from glass cages
Sump: 300G rubbermaid stock tank
fuge: 40G acrylic that came with the 180G from glass cages, though thinking about separating the fuge out into two fuges a smaller and a larger.
Stand: built by glass cages
Hood: built by glass cages
Lighting: 4x radion's
Flow: 2x Ecotech MP40 or MP60's
Skimmer: SRO-XP3000E
Controller: undecided

reactors QT tanks and plumbing all still in planning.


more to come....

 

[SPotter]

looks like you're off to a great start!!!! looking forward to more updates!

 

[Spudstr]

tank arrived!

i'll post more later when i dig out the nikon

 

[Spudstr]

So the build never happened due to wife wanting to move/buy a new house. The good news is we are moved into the new house and the tank is in its final spot and the plumbing has started, still need to finish staining the stand though.

Equipment - that is currently ordered or sitting next to the tank, rest should arrive this week.

Lighting: 3x Echotech Gen2
Reactors: 2x BRS GFO / Carbon Reactor Deluxe
Filter: Bubble King Mini 200 Internal Gen2
Return Pump: reeflo Barracuda/hamerhead
Flow: Echotech MP40w, Echotech MP10(left over from a 29g)
Controller: Apex Neptune w/. lab grade ph probe, Vortech wireless module, Lunar simulator
Sump: Precision Marine R36+

Tank has 2x, 1.5" drains and 2x 1" returns

We have plumbed the in tank plumbing for the drains and returns, but we are waiting for the return pump to arrive before we start plumbing under the tank due to positioning and needing to drill the sump to install a bulkhead.


Depending on the space under the tank after everything is in place is, I am debating or not to install a fuge, T off one of the 1.5" drains and have it flow into the fuge with a slow current that would drain back into the sump. I fear the current in the sump itself is going to be way to powerful for any sort of a fuge, this tank will have 3500-4k gph flowing at the end of the day through the sump. Or would it be a better idea to just plumb a valve off my return manifold to flow into the fuge?


I will post pictures later today.

 

[SkyHawk]

That sounds like alot of flow through a sump for a 180. Are you sure you need all that? How much is electricity where you live... Well I guess if you've already bought the pump, then yes I would take some of that flow off the return and feed your refugium.

 

[Spudstr]

That sounds like alot of flow through a sump for a 180. Are you sure you need all that? How much is electricity where you live... Well I guess if you've already bought the pump, then yes I would take some of that flow off the return and feed your refugium.

the manifold has 5 T's on it to power a slew of things, yes it is bunch of flow.

Power isn't that bad its Virginia power rates so it around .05-.09kW depending o n the time of year.

 

[TripsterAK]

Looks like a Great Start. Saw you said 2 MP40s or MP60s. Honestly I think 2 MP40s would be plenty for a 180. Looking forward to this build!

 

[Spudstr]

Looks like a Great Start. Saw you said 2 MP40s or MP60s. Honestly I think 2 MP40s would be plenty for a 180. Looking forward to this build!

got one MP40 for now and a old left over mp10 that i'll probably end up selling and adding a second mp40

just waiting on the rest of some plumbing parts to come in and the return pump so i can finish plumbing everything.