Helter Skilter
OT Community Organizer
I just finished my reef tank, so I figured I'd give a photo tour. I will start at the overflows and travel through my system until it goes back into the tank.
The planning for my tank started about a year ago. After getting tired of constant water changes on my 26 cichlid tanks, I decided I was going to put all my eggs in one basket, and set up a large reef tank instead.
Construction started on 6/30/07. Most of the work was done by my dad and I. A friend of mine ran all the electrical, installing 3 15amp circuits, and running all the conduit.
I am using 1.5" PVC Durso stand pipes inside my overflows. All 4 holes of the AGA 210 are being used as drains. Dursos are pretty standard so I'm skipping the picture for them. All four pipes are run individually under the tank to the left side (if you are behind the tank), and extend out over my refugium.
Three of those pipes drop straight down and go under my deep sand bed. The fourth pipe is T'ed off, with one part dropping below the sand. The other pipe (the one on the far left travels the length of the refugium, exits through the wall, and is hard plumbed into my ejector pump on the other isde of the wall. I installed ball valves to control the direction of flow.
The pipes travel under 600 pounds of aragonite, and come up on the opposite side they enter the tank in. The pipes rise up about 12" and 90 back across a 4' length the of the tank. At this point, each PVC pipe (still 1.5" is drilled on the bottom half with 250 1/2" holes. The idea is to let water flow out the bottom half, while trapping the bubbles in the top section of the pipe.
I chose an Oceanic 135 gallon tank as my refugium. As stated earlier, there is a 600 deep sand bed that is anywhere from 6"- 12" deep and 80 pounds of live rock. I am keeping several types of Macro algae, chaeto, three kinds of Xenia, 4 Mangrove trees, and a huge sea urchin in there. Right now I'm also using it to nurse some LPS and mushrooms back to health. I received them when I bought a closing store out of the rest of their livestock. Light is supplied by a 4' PC, and a 20" fluorescent bulb.
I drilled two 2" holes in the side of my refugium right underneath the spot that the drain enter the fuge (where the egg crate is in the first pic). From there the water drains into a 55g AGA tank that I use as a sump. I'm running an Aqua C EV180 skimmer, driven by a Mag 9.5 that is dialed back just a tad. Before entering my skimmer the water passes through my chiller (1/4 hp Pacific Coast Imports). I'm also running a Phosphate reactor with a carbon reactor daisy chained to it.
As a return, I'm using a Reeflo Baracuda. Awesome pump. I highly recomend them. Capable of moving a lot of water with a lot of head pressure, and doing it more efficiently, and quiter than most pumps it's size. I have to dial it back because I made the mistake of using to small a sump. To keep enough water in the system for the pump (running at max capactiy) not to cavitate before the water returns back to the sump would cause flooding in the case of a power outage.
From the sump the water gets pumped up to a 1" Sea Swirl ocelating(sp?) return, as well as 3 Carlson surge tanks (1 ten gallon, and a 20H split in two) all plumbed with 1.5" returns. Noise from the surges (they aren't as loud as most claim when done right) is reduced further by 1.5" of styrofoam between the walls.
Lighting is provided by 2 400w metal halides, 1 400w HQI metal halide (which is pushing closer to 500w), 2 6' super actincs, and 3 blue LED moon lights. I am currently using Helios 20Ks for my halide bulbs, and getting explosive SPS growth (including the bottom of my tank) and awesome coloration.
Out of frame on the left side, I have my RO/DI attached to the wall. I use a 55 gallon tank with a float valve for collection, and another 55g under it for salt mixing.
At that point the water returns back to the tank... here. The display is an AGA 210 gallon. I have 280 pounds of Kaileni live rock in the display, and 100 pounds of ESV ultra whirte aragonite. It is mostly filled with sps and lps. At last count, I am closing in on a 100 species of coral and about 18 fish. It has only been holding water since August so as it fills in, it will become much nicer to look at.
THANK YOUS
I owe a huge "thank you" to my wife for dealing with our living room torn up for 5 months, my dad for all his help on the build, Dan, John, DJ, Beefy, and Justin for all the help and guidance, Nate for running all the elctrical, Advanced Aquatics, Aquatic Reef, all the OT Hijackers that lurk in the CMAS section (if you guys stumble across this keep quite, I don't want to ruin the suprise when you see it in person), my neighbor Matt who works at Flooring America of Algonquin for hooking me up with the marble, and thank you for looking. I'm very sorry if I left anyone out... it's late, and I'm tired.
P.S. This is my first serious attempt at a reef tank.
The planning for my tank started about a year ago. After getting tired of constant water changes on my 26 cichlid tanks, I decided I was going to put all my eggs in one basket, and set up a large reef tank instead.
Construction started on 6/30/07. Most of the work was done by my dad and I. A friend of mine ran all the electrical, installing 3 15amp circuits, and running all the conduit.
I am using 1.5" PVC Durso stand pipes inside my overflows. All 4 holes of the AGA 210 are being used as drains. Dursos are pretty standard so I'm skipping the picture for them. All four pipes are run individually under the tank to the left side (if you are behind the tank), and extend out over my refugium.
Three of those pipes drop straight down and go under my deep sand bed. The fourth pipe is T'ed off, with one part dropping below the sand. The other pipe (the one on the far left travels the length of the refugium, exits through the wall, and is hard plumbed into my ejector pump on the other isde of the wall. I installed ball valves to control the direction of flow.
The pipes travel under 600 pounds of aragonite, and come up on the opposite side they enter the tank in. The pipes rise up about 12" and 90 back across a 4' length the of the tank. At this point, each PVC pipe (still 1.5" is drilled on the bottom half with 250 1/2" holes. The idea is to let water flow out the bottom half, while trapping the bubbles in the top section of the pipe.
I chose an Oceanic 135 gallon tank as my refugium. As stated earlier, there is a 600 deep sand bed that is anywhere from 6"- 12" deep and 80 pounds of live rock. I am keeping several types of Macro algae, chaeto, three kinds of Xenia, 4 Mangrove trees, and a huge sea urchin in there. Right now I'm also using it to nurse some LPS and mushrooms back to health. I received them when I bought a closing store out of the rest of their livestock. Light is supplied by a 4' PC, and a 20" fluorescent bulb.
I drilled two 2" holes in the side of my refugium right underneath the spot that the drain enter the fuge (where the egg crate is in the first pic). From there the water drains into a 55g AGA tank that I use as a sump. I'm running an Aqua C EV180 skimmer, driven by a Mag 9.5 that is dialed back just a tad. Before entering my skimmer the water passes through my chiller (1/4 hp Pacific Coast Imports). I'm also running a Phosphate reactor with a carbon reactor daisy chained to it.
As a return, I'm using a Reeflo Baracuda. Awesome pump. I highly recomend them. Capable of moving a lot of water with a lot of head pressure, and doing it more efficiently, and quiter than most pumps it's size. I have to dial it back because I made the mistake of using to small a sump. To keep enough water in the system for the pump (running at max capactiy) not to cavitate before the water returns back to the sump would cause flooding in the case of a power outage.
From the sump the water gets pumped up to a 1" Sea Swirl ocelating(sp?) return, as well as 3 Carlson surge tanks (1 ten gallon, and a 20H split in two) all plumbed with 1.5" returns. Noise from the surges (they aren't as loud as most claim when done right) is reduced further by 1.5" of styrofoam between the walls.
Lighting is provided by 2 400w metal halides, 1 400w HQI metal halide (which is pushing closer to 500w), 2 6' super actincs, and 3 blue LED moon lights. I am currently using Helios 20Ks for my halide bulbs, and getting explosive SPS growth (including the bottom of my tank) and awesome coloration.
Out of frame on the left side, I have my RO/DI attached to the wall. I use a 55 gallon tank with a float valve for collection, and another 55g under it for salt mixing.
At that point the water returns back to the tank... here. The display is an AGA 210 gallon. I have 280 pounds of Kaileni live rock in the display, and 100 pounds of ESV ultra whirte aragonite. It is mostly filled with sps and lps. At last count, I am closing in on a 100 species of coral and about 18 fish. It has only been holding water since August so as it fills in, it will become much nicer to look at.
THANK YOUS
I owe a huge "thank you" to my wife for dealing with our living room torn up for 5 months, my dad for all his help on the build, Dan, John, DJ, Beefy, and Justin for all the help and guidance, Nate for running all the elctrical, Advanced Aquatics, Aquatic Reef, all the OT Hijackers that lurk in the CMAS section (if you guys stumble across this keep quite, I don't want to ruin the suprise when you see it in person), my neighbor Matt who works at Flooring America of Algonquin for hooking me up with the marble, and thank you for looking. I'm very sorry if I left anyone out... it's late, and I'm tired.
P.S. This is my first serious attempt at a reef tank.
