4' X 4' tank

[reefkoi]

Wow that thing looks strong, atleast you'll know how to build a tank after all of this!
I hope it works good for you, are you going to do bulkheads after its all sealed up?
I used uni-seals in my system, they won't leak like a bulkhead and they are dirt cheap.
heres a link to the place I get mine from.
http://www.aussieglobe.com/uniseal1.htm

 

[SoFloReefer]

I am going to Fiberglass in a 1.5" or 2" pipe for a calfo type overflow and 1 or 2 pipes for returns on the opposite side.

 

[SoFloReefer]

I put the first layer of epoxy on the bottom. I first sanded the epoxy I put on yesterday and cleaned up the dust. I thinned out the epoxy with alcohol so that it was a little more viscous than water. I put it on heavy with a brush and could see that the plywood bottom absorbed a good amount. Immediately after I put 4 strips of 3" fiber glass, each 48" long, in the corners. The 7 oz glass was easy to wet in with the thin epoxy. For my first time laying glass I was surprised how easy it was. I then mixed some epoxy with cab-o-sil (alot) so that the consistency was between vasoline and tar. This was used to secure the overflow and return lines into the sides. I applied a heavy amount to the wood so it was sealed and then applied alot to the pipes. It was tricky inserting the pipes without making a mess. After those were in place I used the rest of the think epoxy mixture to fill some holes in the railing.

 

[SoFloReefer]

The overflow and return are going to sit over the egg crate. The egg crate will be supported by some PVC. Underneath the egg crate I am going to have 2 Korilea 4 aimed perpendicular to the return flow. This should make the flow random and powerful. The return is going to be plumbed to a Iwaki moving between 1500 and 2000 GPH depending on which model I settle for. I have not decided on what I going to use for a sump but Im thinking of using a Rubbermaid Tuff tub. Im going to put a 36" dual bulb T5 fixture over the sump to grow ALOT of cheato. Im going to have around 100 pounds of Caribbean live rock in the sump. In the frag tank I might add 20 lbs of Aragonite sand in a Tupperware container and maybe 20 lbs of live rock. I am considering this because I want to add a Sixline Wrasse to control the pod population (Amphipods) and I want it to be fish friendly. I am also going to add 2 peppermint shrimps, some blue leg hermits, and some snails. This is going to be in my garage in Florida so I am going to use several 4" fans to cool it. Im going to use a 250 watt Jager heater I have.

 

[SoFloReefer]

I finished some more work on the tank for the day. I started out by sanding down the epoxy from yesterday with a orbital sander ($10 from Harbor Freight) and by hand. I then throughly cleaned the dust with a moist towel. Next 3 cups of epoxy were spread on the bottom. More epoxy was mixed and spread on the sides. More epoxy was mixed and used to wet in fiberglass in the vertical corners and were the 2x12s meet. The remaining epoxy was used on the top of the rail. So far I have used 1/2 of my total epoxy (1.5 gallons total). Here are some pics.

 

[wizsmaster]

looks good. interesting to see.

 

[SoFloReefer]

Thanks wiz. I was wondering aprox what the R value of pine is. The sides on this are 3" thick. Also what kind of insulation do you suggest for the bottom between the 2x4s? Because this is such a shallow tank and it will be in my garage temp variation is a concern.

 

[wizsmaster]

AFAIK, average of 1.12 “R”/inch of thickness.

Honestly - get a fan to blow the hot air out of the garage/attic area, and provide air access from the garage egress (side door window/lower panel on garage w/ flood vents), or cut into your garage wall & install flood vents if you don't have any already.


If you do have flood vents installed, at lowed you can purchase louvered fan assemblies designed for flood vents, or humidity reduction in garages & under lifted floor applications.

I wouldn't worry too much about insulating that tank. Wood is NOT a very good thermal transistor. If you're really worried about it, get a bat of insulation & slap it around w/ a sheet of 1/4" ply to skin it. sounds like it's more work & expense than really worth it. IMO - but I'm not a thermal engineer, or do energy calcs..


BTW, I built my house out of a styrofoam shell. Including the roof. No trusses, no hot attic - house/attic is completely sealed. No Ridge vents, no soffits.
Before tank my 2,100 sqft (under air) house w/ a well & WH/RO + HRV ran me about $80 - $100 /month in power.

Don't ask now. :-(

 

[SoFloReefer]

Do you have any links where I can read up on this building technique?

 

[SoFloReefer]

Anyways I sanded and put another layer on yesterday plus added glass around the overflow and return. Today I sanded it again and added another layer of epoxy. Its looking pretty good. Here is the pic after I sanded it and after I put on more epoxy today.

 

[SoFloReefer]

I sanded the tank down yesterday and added another layer of epoxy today. I added alot of cab-o-sil to the epoxy on the sides to build it up and fill imperfections and around the pipes.

 

[SoFloReefer]

I sanded the sides today and put on another coat just on the sides and top rail. I only have a small amount of epoxy left so I will sand everything tomorrow and put on one final coat. I will post a picture in a day or two when the tank is completed.

I am trying to decide on all the equipment I will need for the tank.
I need a R/O-DI unit that I will get from Melev for -------$169.00
The Lumatek 400 watt ballast from Saltysupply is -------$145.00
400 watt 20k Radium bulb is ---------------------------$ 80.00
LumenMax Elite mogul reflect from Saltysupply is--------$148.00
x2 Koralia 4 powerheads @ $42.00 each =--------------$ 84.00
Sequence ReeFlo Dart Pump, 3600 GPH-----------------$235.00
70 gallon Rubermaid stock tank-------------------------$ 70.00
PVC fittings (approximation)----------------------------$ 25.00
x2 Black egg crate @$20.00 each-----------------------$ 40.00
Light timer---------------------------------------------$ 5.00
GFCI Plug----------------------------------------------$15.00
TOTAL------------------------------------------------$1015.00

I am going to only buy the R/O unit, egg crate, and try to source the pump for cheaper fro now.

 

[raaden]

wow it looks like you have got that tank just about done. Good Work and look forward to seeing what you will have in it.

What is the reason for going with the black eggcrate?

 

[SoFloReefer]

It looks much better IMO so when I do top down photos of stock they will look good.

 

[Skipper]

Unstuck this thread...

 

[raaden]

I do agree, that it makes the corals colors come out much better in pictures but it takes away quite a bit of light under the racks as well as upwelling light. You might try using only one section of black for picture taking though

 

[SoFloReefer]

The light under the racks will not be an issue. I will only have a little live rock and sand in one area (center) for a Sixline Wrasse and any other fish I settle on. Everything else will be in the sump. Under the rack I will have 2 Koralia 4s as mentioned which will be not only perpendicular to the return flow but will also be on opposite sides of the tank in such a way as to create a circular flow on the bottom. I believe this will create a very random flow but only time will tell.

Both returns will have Eductors attached. I have been trying to figure out which pump to use based on wattage, output, and price in that order. Some pumps are energy hogs. I pay average of $.0569 a KwH not including all the other fees added in which are expensive. The Sequence Dart is very efficient but 150 watts is still high and the $240 price is an issue as well. Aquaticeco sells a Chinese made copy of the Iwaki for 80.00 that does around 700 GPH. It only pulls 80 watts which is great. There is another that does over a 1000 for $115 but uses 180 watts (I would go with Dart over this).

I have also been considering using two 5 gallon surge buckets on either side of the tank which would have large diameter outputs in order to dump their volume in a few seconds. They would be filed by air riser pipes operated off of one air pump. This would be a highly efficient way adding a lot of flow.

I have decided not to skim for a while to see what the effect will be on the Zoanthids and Palys. From my experience and what I have read from Dr. Mac on RC they will like the dirty water. I ran my current frag tank for months with no filtration except for lots of flow and LR and LS. The Zoos loved it but something was building in the water (probably Nitrates) so required large water changes occasionally. I added a skimmer to reduce maintenance. My solution for this on the new tank will be to have a huge amount of Cheato and run the return through filter floss to catch detritus before it enters the sump.

Another issue I have been trying to figure out is what lighting combo I will use. I am dead set on a single 400 watt. I was thinking Radium but after looking at Sanjeys website
http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/
it seems that Radiums are not even that efficient in the 460 nm range. The Aquaconnect bulb is quite impressive but with a price tag of $140 is a mute point. The 20K XMs are $10 cheaper than the Radiums and hit the 460 nm and 420 nm range better than the Radiums. I now need advice on which ballast best powers the XM 20K.

I am going to finish the epoxy work on the tank today. I will post pics later.

 

[kaptken]

Nice looking tank project. you are building it very well. But one thing to consider is UV protection for the epoxy coating. UV from sun or MH lights can break down the epoxy over time, limiting it's life span and water tightness. It will crack and craze over time. I'm sure appearance is not a critical factor here but this problem has been a part of boat building for a long time. Here is a little test one fellow ran on a bunch of very good epoxies.

http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/Epoxtest.htm

Boat builders will varnish epoxied wood when appearance of the wood grain is desired. or in commercial boat building use a heavily pigmented Gel Coat to UV shield the underlying epoxy and weave.

Commercial aquaculture fiberglass trays are usually gel coated this way too for protection and appearance. As in plastic boat building, i believe most of these trays are built up on a mold. The gel coat layer applied first to produce a smooth shiny surface, then spray chopped strand and epoxy over that to build the tank wall for strength. followed by another coat of gel or paint on the outside. I have heard that epoxy will stick to the cured polyester gel coat, but polyester has less adheasion to cured epoxy, when applying it last as a finish coat. but some light sanding of the epoxy makes it hold well enough, I hear.

I have thought of building similar tanks someday. and figured I would work a gel coat into mine. White or light blue. Just some thoughts. perhaps some boat builders could add more info on working with epoxy so that we can all do a better job of tank building.

can't wait to see the frags grow!!

 

[nick18tjetta]

gel coating is a by product of using polyester resins using female mold and is not a prefered method for uv protection when using epoxy resin on a one off design. Basically using polyester resin with a gel coat is cheaper not better.

What would be best is an epoxy resin (I like UScomposites for quantities under a 55 gallon drum) with a two part epoxy without any antifouling properties. This would provide UV protection and a water tight seal. I am planning on building a vessell for my garage I just can't settle on a size or if it is even doable with the heat in south louisiana.

 

[SoFloReefer]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I can't believe I overlooked this. Anyways after doing some research I have a few options some of which you mentioned. Graphite or Aluminum added to epoxy is supposed to have good UV resisting properties. Graphite has the added advantage of abrasion resistance. The problem is graphite leaves a deep black finish which will absorb heat and aluminum leaves a dull aluminum look which will detract from the look of the tank. I am considering a marine grade varnish such as Flagship Varnish made by Pettit. I would dye this in the same way I have with the epoxy. The one question I have with this product is it osmotic properties. If it allows water to permeate due to constant submersion then it will blister with time. I will have to call the manufacturer to find out. Polyester gel coat is also an option. I would spray this with a paint gun to build up several layers. This would be pigmented blue. I will have to call up some manufacturers to find out its suitability for constant submersion.

As a side note I have settled on a light combination which I will order soon. XM 20K on a 400 watt Lumatek ballast with a Lumenmax reflector. This is supposed to be well suited for a 4' x 4' area.

I was not entirely happy with the thickness of the epoxy on the sides so I purchased a gallon of med viscosity epoxy to use for a few more layers. I applied one layer last Monday (one week ago). I will probably apply two more layers. I am trying to give the tank epoxy time to dry so there is not separation of layers due to shrinkage down the road. I snapped a picture tonight of the tank and future overflow (1.5"). I removed half of the plastic from the overflow piece to allow higher flow.