240Gal Reef of its own kind

[Dr. Reef]

so for few days i been busy and finally got some chance to catch up with my reef setup.
so far this is what i did.
here is a pic of a closed loop i installed. it is not drilled nor through bulkhead. its over the back wall and back and under the aragonite sand.
here is some pics.

Left Side:

Right side:

 

[Dr. Reef]

i installed a manifold with 8 outlets for water driven equipment.
calcium reactor is one thats running off this manifold.
here is a pic:

 

[Dr. Reef]

Also running Sulphur denitrator, Reef Octopus Dual recirculating skimmer, Carbon reactor and Phos GFO all running off that manifold.
here is the pic:

 

[Dr. Reef]

here is a pic of a tightly place 3 reeflo pumps and plumbing.
big monster is a reeflo super dart 4300 gph to run return that splits to 4 sea swirls.
second one is a reeflo dart 3600gph to run all the manifold and a 1 1/2hp chiller.
third is also a reeflo dart 3600 gph to run the closed loop inside the tank.
here are few pics.

another pic:

 

[SPotter]

Looks great so far, glad to see you added more legs to the stand. Question, are you concerned about the tank opening up into the garage and foul odors from the car being sucked into the tank?

 

[Dr. Reef]

here is a pic of the whole setup with RO/DI water bin and saltwater bin along with the Genesis Renew and Storm system to do automatic water changes.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Looks great so far, glad to see you added more legs to the stand. Question, are you concerned about the tank opening up into the garage and foul odors from the car being sucked into the tank?

yes after i saw the work and got not so promising comments from people here i decided to beef up the legs and wood work. i had a 120 gal in the same place where this tank is and was there for 4 yrs. i never had any problem with any fumes or nasty being sucked up by the tank. i hardly park my truck inside the garage and my second car just sits and gathers dust. it is a 3 1/2 car garage and the car sits 3 spaces away.

 

[SPotter]

Well everything looks great! what are your stocking plans?

 

[Dr. Reef]

i had a 120 gal already so i have pretty much all the livestock i needed. plus i have a lot of SPS Acros.

Here is what i have in mind.

Livestock already in possession
Klein butterfly, filefish, 2 true clowns, coral beauty, blue hippo, yellow tang, 2 cleaner shrimp and 4 peppermint shrimp.

Plans to add:
2 more clowns, cooperband and 8 Ignitus Anthias (1 male and 7 females)

as per cleanup crew i will start over again:

detritus CUC:

Tonga Fighting Conch 3
Bumble Bee Snails 14
Cerith Snails 22
Nassarius Snails 6
Tiger Tail Cucumbers 1
Blue Leg Reef Hermit Crabs 22
Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs 14
Sally Lightfoot Crabs 1

Algae CUC:

Astraea Snails 20
Nerite Snails 25
Margarita Snails 25
Onyx Nassarius Snails 25
Red Leg Reef Hermit Crabs 10

 

[JonHorovitz]

Rock on.

 

[Dr. Reef]

so guys i need some advice on drain.
i have tried and successfully ran drain in fig 1 before in past. but i have also seen tanks with drain shown in fig 2. can someone tell me the difference and pros and cons of both and what should i go with.
thanks

 

[Dr. Reef]

ok so where is what i did come up with on the rock work
what do u all think.

 

[SPotter]

that looks great!!!!!

 

[belgian_waffleman]

nice rock work!

As for the drains, I don't think there is much difference. Maybe #2 will be more noisy as it is always open, but maybe is getting cancelled out because the water level in the overflow will be higher.

I used to have #1, I switched to the herby style, if you have the room you may want to look at the beananimal overflow both are superquiet. I could stand the noise of the #1 solution.

Waffleman

 

[Dr. Reef]

so today i placed the rock in the tank. i couldnt achieve the same rock formation insode the tank due to limitation of space. i had to make a few last minute changes as i foamed the rock togather. i started my RO/DI unit and hopefully will fill up in 2 days.
here are few pics.

 

[SPotter]

what kind of foam did you use for the rocks?????

 

[Dr. Reef]

i have successfully used foam called GREAT STUFF from homedepot in several setups and years. it is according to manufacturer same thing a pvc. Foam had water repellent characteristics and dont soak or leach. if u were to break a piece it will float and will not be wet when broken into.

 

[rpjaws74]

nice set up man! are you staining the glass to the back ? also like the rock work

 

[Reef264]

Looks Awesome Man!Sweet Build!

 

[s4chico]

I am planning on upgrading my 125 to a 210 and placing it up against the wall and cutting out a window so it is viewable from 2 rooms. I am definitely following along....cant wait to see the finished product. It looks great so far!!!