224g In Wall Finally Started March 08

[radar99]

After only 2 years of being hooked in this hobby, I am jumping in with both feet. Thanks to RC for allowing me the confidence and the available knowledge to know that I can build a big reef for my family and friends to enjoy.
I have an ideal situation for an inwall aquarium and it would be a shame not to take advantage. In my home I have a large storage room in the basement, I have stole 10 feet of wall space to use for my aquarium set up. The advantage to doing this in this spot is that I have the electrical panel, water supply, water drain, and a level concrete floor to work with.
I want a SPS dominated tank with some other specimens. I have decided to utilize an 86g top off water and water changing reservoir (I'll explain as I go) and also a 120g sump / refugium.
I am going to be running 250w MH with Lumenarc III reflectors with VHO Actinic bulbs as well with blue Lunar lights and links.
PM Bullet 3 skimmer ran by a Panworld 150PS pump
PM Calcium Reactor
Deltec Kalk Reactor
4 Phosban reactors
2 PS4 pumps for return
2 Vortech's
Aquatronica controller
Black Starboard BB
Refugium with DSB

Enough listing, lets get on with this.

 

[radar99]

Storage room

Wall

Tear Down

Stand

 

[radar99]

Tank Arrived March 6th

 

[radar99]

Somewhere between me planning this thing and the tank arriving, I had the electrician hook up 3 separate 20 amp circuits with GFI's.
The Top Off / Water Change Reservoir is there so that I can always have freshly made saltwater ready to be put into the display for water changes. The whole system (display, sump, and reservoir system) drains to the basement floor drain.
When I do a water change, I simply open and close some valves, and when the new water enters the display, the overflow drains will re-route the old water directly to the floor drain.
If the sump ends up overfilling or something bad like that while I am on vacation, then that will also drain to the floor drain.
My RO/DI water will enter the 10g holding tank inside this reservoir and then top off the sump when directed by the aquatronica. This way if something fails with the sensor in the sump, all that it can do is run 10g of RO/DI into the display, and that won't throw off the SG too much to kill anything. Also if the float in the 10g holding tank fails, all of the RO/DI water ends up down the floor drain.
I hope that this system will accomplish many of the "dreaded" maintenance issues with regards to water changing and ATO.

More pics to come

 

[radar99]

Edmonton Oilers Fans

Overflow

Electrical

RO/DI Water Change Reservoir

Sump

 

[radar99]

I don't know what happened to the Oilers Fans shot, or the Overflow shots, so here they go again

Edmonton Oilers Fans

Overflow

 

[Jflip2002]

Those poor kids.... no not the crying baby or them in a tank... THE OILER JERSEYS! lol. Where are the Flyers jerseys =\

That snow reminds me of the good ol days in Detroit.

This is pretty much going to be awesome.

 

[Jflip2002]

And I just realized you were going BB. This will be even better now. Hopefully you get it put together before me, because Im debating BB.

 

[radar99]

It will take me a while to get this up an fully running. I am off to Disney World on March 23, it is my goal to have the rock in the tank curing by the time I leave.

 

[radar99]

This is my wife's sick idea of a joke.

We have quite the time in this house when it comes to hockey, especially when it is the battle of Alberta (Calgary vs Edmonton)

 

[BigBadBlenny]

looking great.. what type of tank is it and where did you buy it?

oh and go habs.. sorry i needed to set everyone straight

 

[radar99]

I had the tank built in Edmonton. It is built out of 3/4" thick glass with a starfire front.

 

[radar99]

Blenny, nice picture under your name. I wonder where I have seen that before.
I assume that is the Bullet 2, how's it working for you? What do you have driving it?
Being from Ontario you have lots of teams to cheer for, did you just pick the one that is on the biggest winning streak right now?

Ken

 

[thor32766]

wow looks great so far, jealous over the fish room area!

 

[Teejo]

Tank project looks awesome. Keep the pics coming, I cant wait to see more

Terry

 

[reefman13]

Following along on this one!

BTW, Ottawa Senators fan here!!!

 

[BigBadBlenny]

LOL nah been a habs fan since my father got me into hockey many moons ago.. cant stand the leafs.

its a great skimmer. you need to run a filter sock to keep big stuff from clogging up the Beckett though. it can be a pain in the arse if you don't. i don't adjust it much from cleaning to cleaning, but i think its prob more work than a needle wheel.

got the mak 4 running it.. but i think panworld would be a better choice

 

[radar99]

Blenny I was considering filter socks, but I understand that they are a real PITA.

Today I received some more goodies. Lumenarc III with 250w 12K MH, Super Actinic VHO retrofit, and 4" Icecap Fans.
The Lumenarc's are 250w because my tank is only 24" high.
Question, can I attach the fans to the wall shooting across the tank? It doesn't look like there will be enough air coming in to it if it is mounted against a wall.
Also my vortech's are ready to go. Just add water.

I'll get some pics.

 

[radar99]

Eye Candy

Vortech pumps with wireless wave drivers

4" Icecap Fans 3 of them

VHO Retrofit Lighting for the actinic supplementation

Lemenarc III reflector's with 250w icecap ballasts and 12k bulbs.

 

[radar99]

Tomorrow, I am off to find a material for the back and sides of the tank. I want something so that I can see through it from the back, but not have the people looking in the tank be able to see through to the back room. I was suggested window tint.

Tomorrow I am also picking up some angle bracket and making the light rack.

I was instructed to use dielectric grease for all of the true union ball valves for the rubber o-rings in them to make them last longer. Anybody else do this?

Ken