I did an in-tank coast-to-coast overflow. The rock wall is beneath it, and the camouflage panels are siliconed inside the tank to the overflow weir. If I had it all to do over again, I would do an external overflow and bring the rock wall right up beneath the overflow slots due to the ugly (in my opinion) transition between the rockwall and weir, and also the several inches of front-to-back space that the internal overflow takes up inside the tank.
210g build in TX
- Thread starter afgun
- Start date
I did an in-tank coast-to-coast overflow. The rock wall is beneath it, and the camouflage panels are siliconed inside the tank to the overflow weir. If I had it all to do over again, I would do an external overflow and bring the rock wall right up beneath the overflow slots due to the ugly (in my opinion) transition between the rockwall and weir, and also the several inches of front-to-back space that the internal overflow takes up inside the tank.
Don't really understand that, not sure what an overflow weir is. Are the pvc overflows in the tank? If so are they behind the styrofoam? Also, with my current 85 gallon setup...I also house my sump/refugium/skimmer and bulk of electricity in the stand. This makes maintenance a nightmare and you also have to be careful with condensation or potential leaks making it's way into any electrical outlets/power strips etc. I am currently in the middle of a 215 gallon tank build, (in-wall). This time I built a 10' x 6' fish room directly behind the display tank. Although everything seems to get tight no matter how much space you have....I try to keep in mind future maintainance and accessability. Regarding the lights.....I purchased LED lights from Reef Tech who were at one point associated with Pacific Sun USA. Pricey as well, I also considered the Pacsun prior to these lights.
So it's not styrofoam... check out This thread. That's what I did... basically I built a glass box in the upper rear of my tank, with some holes in the back to mount elbows. Yes, the underside of my tank is assuredly a nightmare, though I will be tying up the wiring as soon as I get my ATO completed. Your build sounds interesting... do you have a thread?
Okay, I think I got it now. What are those panels made of? (I didn't read through that entire post). Why couldn't you make that part of the rock wall...it would look more consistent? Couldn't you just epoxy some rubble onto it and maybe some short plate rock?
Regarding the underside of your tank....I'm not saying it is a nightmare but rather I'm trying to save you some headaches in the long run....remember that you need to service your equipment and if you don't have access it will be a royal pain. Unfortunately I've been through it. Also....having the pumps, sumps, refugium etc down there combined with those doors closed will increase the temp of the tank.....again speaking out of experience. I had to leave the doors open on my setup and a fan over the sump 24/7.
Regarding my build....I find it difficult enough trying to complete all the work I need to do on weekends nevermind documenting everything.....I did take some pics and started a thread but haven't updated it in a while. Here's a link:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1947514&highlight=in+wall
Regarding the underside of your tank....I'm not saying it is a nightmare but rather I'm trying to save you some headaches in the long run....remember that you need to service your equipment and if you don't have access it will be a royal pain. Unfortunately I've been through it. Also....having the pumps, sumps, refugium etc down there combined with those doors closed will increase the temp of the tank.....again speaking out of experience. I had to leave the doors open on my setup and a fan over the sump 24/7.
Regarding my build....I find it difficult enough trying to complete all the work I need to do on weekends nevermind documenting everything.....I did take some pics and started a thread but haven't updated it in a while. Here's a link:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1947514&highlight=in+wall
Yeah, I have thought about redoing them using some RR instead of just sand. I laid fiberglass screen on some plastic, coated it with epoxy and covered in sand. They were easy to make. I didn't make them part of the rockwall because of the 4" transition... which is why I'd do an external weir next time.
Regarding heat, right now with a house that gets up to 74 in the day, the tank heats up to 83, which might be a smidge too high; I'm going to go looking for some silent muffin fans to add more evaporative cooling to see if that does the trick; if not, I have a chiller (though I'm loathe to use it).
Concerning equipment access, the pumps are all accessible and so is the plumbing. Everything is tight, but I can work on it. If I end up adding an algae scrubber then things will get interesting, as I'm not sure how I'd stuff it under there with the lack of space I currently have...
Checking out your build now!
BBLINKS
New member
I got fiji purple, purple plus and aqua pink to try.
goofball310
Premium Member
Did you ever source the correct motor for your VFD?
If so, which motor did you end up using and what wetside? I'm trying to peice one together also, but don't know which motor to get.
If so, which motor did you end up using and what wetside? I'm trying to peice one together also, but don't know which motor to get.
I did indeed... I started with a Hammerhead, but swapped motors with a higher HP faster speed one:
Dayton 3/4 .75 HP 3450 RPM 3PH 56J Jet Pump Motor NEW!
Face OR Base Mounting / 7/16"-20 Threaded Shaft
New, never installed item / In orig. box
· Mod. No. 3N088BA
· HP: 3/4 (.75)
· RPM: 3450
· Volts: 208-230 / 460, 60 Hz
· Amps: 3.2-3.0 / 1.6
· Phase: 3
· Frame: 56J
· Shaft: 7/16"-20 Thread x 3.5"L.
· Rating: 40C AMB - CONT
· Enclosure: Open Dripproof
That said, I can't drive it at more than 30 Hz right now or I get cavitation somewhere in my intake system... if you've got better plumbing than me you could likely overdrive this wet end some. This pump was a nice and cheap eBay find. You could probably do it for less money than I did by sourcing a wet end directly from Reeflo; check out Stugray's thread if you haven't already for more information on that option.Face OR Base Mounting / 7/16"-20 Threaded Shaft
New, never installed item / In orig. box
· Mod. No. 3N088BA
· HP: 3/4 (.75)
· RPM: 3450
· Volts: 208-230 / 460, 60 Hz
· Amps: 3.2-3.0 / 1.6
· Phase: 3
· Frame: 56J
· Shaft: 7/16"-20 Thread x 3.5"L.
· Rating: 40C AMB - CONT
· Enclosure: Open Dripproof
So I've been using household ammonia to cycle the 150 or so lbs of dry rock that went into the tank. I put ammonia up to about 2 when it dips; NO2 is up to almost 1 now and I'm starting to see NO3 finally, so I think that the cycle is working... I was going to order up "the package" from Tampa Bay Saltwater but it looks like I have to go out of town next week; I'll probably contact them while I'm gone in the hopes of having the rock arrive when I get home...
In the meantime I've still got to build a silencer for my skimmer, a bubble tower for its output (as it DUMPs microbubbles into the tank with that bubbleblaster pump) and get my ATO set up before leaving town. And figure out what to do with the red algae (or cyano?) that's starting to grow in the tank right now...
goofball310
Premium Member
Thanks for Stu's thread but have already read through it. A definite must read for any one considering an inline water pump. The added features and price make me wonder why everyone doesn't do it.
As for the cyano I'd just leave the tank lights off until you decide to start adding fish or just want to look inside the tank. You don't have any photosynthetic organisms with dry rock that might require light and would just waste your money running your lights. I personally leave my lights off almost the entire cycling period of my tanks unless I start the tank off with live rock.
As for the cyano I'd just leave the tank lights off until you decide to start adding fish or just want to look inside the tank. You don't have any photosynthetic organisms with dry rock that might require light and would just waste your money running your lights. I personally leave my lights off almost the entire cycling period of my tanks unless I start the tank off with live rock.
Update time!
We have been waiting for the tank to establish a small cycle with the small amount of sand and dry rock we put in it... then I had to go out of town for work. We finally were able to circle the wagons and place our order from Tampa Bay Saltwater, and the live sand arrived yesterday!
Aaaaaaaaand rookie mistake on my part (filter sock hung over edge of sump) allowed untold gallons of water to quietly spill out of the tank today. I am just glad that I heard the auto-topoff filling the reservoir for much longer than it should have and investigated. Thank goodness my wife had a steam-vac; I used it for hours to dry the carpet.
So now that's taken care of, here are a couple of photos. We found a fair number of different kinds of snails and a sea urchin that hitchhiked with the sand.
The only Southwest direct flight from TPA to AUS today had its cargo booked, so we're crossing our fingers that they'll find room for cargo soon and bring us the rock.
We have been waiting for the tank to establish a small cycle with the small amount of sand and dry rock we put in it... then I had to go out of town for work. We finally were able to circle the wagons and place our order from Tampa Bay Saltwater, and the live sand arrived yesterday!
Aaaaaaaaand rookie mistake on my part (filter sock hung over edge of sump) allowed untold gallons of water to quietly spill out of the tank today. I am just glad that I heard the auto-topoff filling the reservoir for much longer than it should have and investigated. Thank goodness my wife had a steam-vac; I used it for hours to dry the carpet.
So now that's taken care of, here are a couple of photos. We found a fair number of different kinds of snails and a sea urchin that hitchhiked with the sand.
The only Southwest direct flight from TPA to AUS today had its cargo booked, so we're crossing our fingers that they'll find room for cargo soon and bring us the rock.
First batch of rock arrived! No aquascaping has been done yet as we just finished cleaning up after going through the rock and placing it in the tank...
First of all, we have another sea urchin hitchhiking in... looks like the same kind as in the sand
Attached Image: hitchhiker2.jpg
We found this crab, and aren't sure if we should put it in the tank or not... advice? It has some markings like it might be a young porcelain crab, but we are a bit wary. ID?
We were quite surprised to find a fish had secreted himself in a rock; we didn't notice him as we cleaned the rocks in 2 separate buckets of saltwater!
And I know you've been waiting for a full-tank shot... here you go, in the dark under the lights. Remember, no aquascaping yet. Lots of color, a TON of sponges. Very nice looking rock!
Thoughts?
First of all, we have another sea urchin hitchhiking in... looks like the same kind as in the sand
Attached Image: hitchhiker2.jpg
We found this crab, and aren't sure if we should put it in the tank or not... advice? It has some markings like it might be a young porcelain crab, but we are a bit wary. ID?
We were quite surprised to find a fish had secreted himself in a rock; we didn't notice him as we cleaned the rocks in 2 separate buckets of saltwater!
And I know you've been waiting for a full-tank shot... here you go, in the dark under the lights. Remember, no aquascaping yet. Lots of color, a TON of sponges. Very nice looking rock!
Thoughts?
othercents
New member
Other than the coloring the fish looks like my bicolor goby. I can't find a direct match for the one you have. Probably would call it a lizard goby because of the color pattern. It is amazing what you get hitchhiked on live rock.
othercents
New member
I was thinking hairy shore crab. Not sure if it is right.
Emerald crabs can also be hairy and typically reef safe. Your unsafe crabs usually have black pinchers, however that doesn't mean that the one you have is safe.
Emerald crabs can also be hairy and typically reef safe. Your unsafe crabs usually have black pinchers, however that doesn't mean that the one you have is safe.
