320 gallons of Serenity, Sea Monsters & Sanctuary

[mvsjrs]

I bought a 2 in thick rectangle of polypropylene block. The plan was to use this block to elevate the center back region without using live rock and to provide a block to drill into so that I could put dowels down coral to prevent toppling by the eels. As stakes, Rural King (if there’s any anywhere other than Ohio) sells 4 foot long 3/8 in diameter fiberglass rods in white. They were only $1.49 each in the clearance bin.

 

[mvsjrs]

So, I shaped the PP block to fit the tank bottom and used the extra pieces to build up the sides while hiding the closed loop pipes. Looks good without any covering so I siliconed the block to the tank base. Then to the sand bed. First, I used cement called QuikWall from Quikrete “surface bonding cement” with an “acrylic fortifier”. I did a great deal of web research and others have had very good success with this material and it is CHEAP. This was a long time ago, but I remember many details about the pH and toxicity—this material fit the bill. Also, I knew that much of the surface area of the cement would be covered in epoxy so exchange between the water column and the cement would be minimal (but possible).

 

[mvsjrs]

EXTRA COMMENTS:

Since I wasn’t pushing the mechanical flexural limit of the concrete, I sifted out the fiberglass fibers so as not to have any little spears for my fingers or the fish. Then, with a fair firm paste, I built up the areas where water flow would allow detritus to accumulate and that pleased my eye. Heat was not a problem and even thin areas were very strong. I tapered the edges but always got to 2-4mm quickly and had no flats. You may also notice that in the rear of the tank I keep the 2in of the PP block free are the start of a eels’ lair. In addition, I thought it wise to use an inductor just above the region to give plenty of flow for poop removal and water freshening for the snowflake.

 

[scubadan206]

GOOD GRIEF!:headwally:
:wavehand::thumbsup:

 

[scubadan206]

Rules 1 and 3 seems to have killed any chance of keeping temps down.
Also any chance of getting this up and running before the next decade.
Keep at it! I want to see if your plumbing works!

 

[Skynite]

Welcome back after your long hiatus. Looking forward to seeing your tanks with some life in them.

 

[Skynite]

Welcome back after your long hiatus. Looking forward to seeing your tanks with some life in them.

 

[KRBNSOL]

This is a great thread. I remember reading this awhile ago - when the basement plumbing turned into a percussion room. �� Best of luck and keep the posts coming. This is truly something else!

 

[mvsjrs]

Scubadan206, the temperature in the tank is 76 degF. Now I have a heater in the sump which I honestly don’t know is activating or not. The basement has the 120LiveRock tank, 90gal sump and 60gal inductor so there is a larger reserve of water at a constant 68 degF. The 150 watt MH currently on the 92Cor is being repurposed for a freshwater tank since it is way too weak for SPS. Some of the LED systems are really coming into their own and the heat is minimal so that might be the ticket for my Den high temperatures.

 

[mvsjrs]

Skynite, I do have some life in the tank…bacteria…wow! Here is a picture of what I wet skim daily without any source of organics except what is deep in the live rock. I also have to vacuum the “sump” regularly since there are no real baffles yet except to set the skimmer’s depth.

My first two non-bacteria inhabitants have already been bought and are in quarantine—snowflake eel and zebra eel. I decided to risk two larger starter fish because I wanted them to have time in the tank to acclimate to each other and to regular feeding. Then, I can introduce other fish without threatening the eels’ comfort. A couple extra WX and the system should handle the dramatic introduction of bioload. The eels also have another 6 weeks in quarantine so I can introduce so artificial ammonia sources in the meantime.

 

[mvsjrs]

*dry skim

 

[mvsjrs]

Back to the bottom…
The next step was to sift aragonite sand. Wow, what a pain when you have to bend with a bad back. I quickly moved to the kitchen and a chair, ahhh, the wife definitely did not see my wisdom! I wanted particles that were just less than 1mm—I felt that would give me the most pleasing look and inhibit coralline algae from covering over the sand. (G~ explains this phenomenon in several articles.) So I sifted out the big stuff with my lizard pooper scooper then the little stuff with a 600μm. From my previous boring experiment, I knew this would pass the cruddy stuff through and the remaining particulars would have relatively little phosphate which would cook off during the build.

 

[mvsjrs]

Oh look, shiny thing…

Got distracted by building a bucket filling station on the 96gal RO/DI barrel. This barrel serves double duty to prepare freshwater for a planted discus tank.

 

[mvsjrs]

 

[mvsjrs]

Next, I mixed MAX ACR aquarium construction resin and poured & spread this resin over distinct areas. Then I poured sand over the curing resin about an 1/2 in thick, packing the sand hard. Let it cure overnight and a quick vacuum…bam…faux sand bed. Now, I did try pouring the resin into the sand and several over methods but the described method worked best for a textured surface. A smooth surface with a reasonably sandy looking bottom could be achieved but this was my personal preference.

 

[mvsjrs]

KRBNSOL, I have collected a variety of foams, rubber pads and other possible dampening materials. In the meantime, I had to overcoming my OCD and unscrew the clamps from the wood supports for the pipes. That way, the flexible PVC dampens the vibrations and the frame is no longer attached to the ceiling. Serenity reigns again.

 

[mvsjrs]

I have moved the Tonga rock to my 92Cor display tank and am building the structure.

My final plan is to house a Snowflake Moray, a Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish, a Fu Manchu Lionfish, and any other tank mates that are compatible and bring functional attributes to the tank. This will be an SPS dominated tank with extremely high flow except for a couple lower flow nooks for the lionfish.

I am still thinking that the Dolphin Diamond Amp Master 6250-T3 (6258 gph, 23 ft max head) is just too much pump for the closed loop system. But again, I already own it and I probably couldn’t sell it for its value because it would be deemed “used.”

Here is a detritus and crude gathering station at the front. The large, log-like piece is just in front of the CL nozzles and creates a dead spot in circulation for larger stuff that would otherwise hide...broken shells especially because they usually trap detritus...here I can vacuum them clean and a happly hermit home.

 

[mvsjrs]

I am fighting the urge to put too much rock in the 92Cor so that the corals have plenty of space to grow in. But when you already own the rock, it always all looks great in a nearly empty tank. Here is how the aquascaping was accomplished.

This is the drill I used to thread a dowel throught the rock and into the polypropylene.


First I placed the several heavy base rocks directly on the polypropylene. Then I measure water depth with a rod against water depth on my 3/8" drill bit...and merrily drilled down into the polypro until I hit glass and hopefully stopped.

After unpuckering my sphincter, I had base dowels drilled to start stacking upward.

 

[mvsjrs]

Some final perspective:

Center:

Down the left:

Down the right:

 

[ljosh]

The rock work looks great.

Can you still clean the tank and glass properly with the aquascape so close to glass?