AgentSPS' 300 Gallon ***DreamReef***

After uploading a ton of pics last night I realized that I got way ahead of myself with the cell phone pic I posted earlier. Taking a few steps back, here are some progress shots:

Philippine #0 sand is what I used. It is really nice stuff. It has a lot of red and blue colors in it and a nice mix of granule size. I ended up needing only 5 bags contrary to what the RC sandbed calculator called out.

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All the rubble rock has been curing for about 3 weeks and is shown here being placed in the rubble tower:

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Mounting the light has turned into yet another nightmare. My buddy came over for what was supposed to be a simple job. As has been the case for most of this build, nothing is ever as simple as it appears. When we went to mount the fixture to the Lamp Trees, we found that all 5 power cords were in the way. After much deliberation, we decided the best thing to do was move the power cords behind the mounting brackets. Easy right? NEVER!! We ended up having to mark and map each and every wire, disconnect, drill new holes, and reconnect. 4 hours later this is what we accomplished. I should also mention that my buddy is amazingly resourceful. I guess you sort of have to be working on semiconductor equipment during the grave yard for 30+ years. Ain't no Lowes or Home Despot open at 3AM:

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The holes will be covered by the mounting bracket (custom lamp tree head).
 
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13471299#post13471299 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
looks really really good Agent, Keep it up.

i want a rubble tower now too.....:)
Click to expand...

The only reason I did it was because someone told me that you get like 30% more chicks with one.
 
Very impressive! May I ask where you got your sand? I love the way starphire looks from the sides. It's like a glowing blue. Is that small chamber in your sump the refugium? Is it much longer than it looks in the picture?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13451866#post13451866 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plankton
Wow, $76K for the base GT-R model. U guys are rich.

The most fun I've ever had was driving my friends mid-engine Acura NSX because the handling was solid and even though the engine is not the most powerful, the response was immediate because of the light weight of the car.

I hear Honda is coming out with a V12 version of the NSX. If I ever get a chance...

Scott
Click to expand...

Scott, you just summed up my car to a tee! The handling is awesome but the power is a bit lacking compared to today's standards. The cockpit view, however, just doesn't get any better.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13471413#post13471413 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thechad21
Very impressive! May I ask where you got your sand? I love the way starphire looks from the sides. It's like a glowing blue. Is that small chamber in your sump the refugium? Is it much longer than it looks in the picture?
Click to expand...

I picked up my sand from Robert @ Neptune Aquatics (LFS). http://www.neptuneaquatics.com/

For any locals on this thread, you need to check out his shop. He just brought online a few large SPS tanks and has been bringing in some nice stuff lately.

The long chamber with the sand in it is the fuge. The disappointing thing about photos is that it is difficult to get a perspective on sizes. There is nothing small about the tank nor the sump. Here are the dimensions:

SumpView1.jpg
 
Oh wow. Yea that's pretty big. Can you take us through the flow pattern through the sump? Will you be gravity feeding your skimmer? Or will overflow water go straight to the rubble tower. Will water travel down the tower? or will it work like a media reactor and travel up? Hence the pipe in the center? How fast will water be traveling through your sump?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13471514#post13471514 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thechad21
Oh wow. Yea that's pretty big. Can you take us through the flow pattern through the sump? Will you be gravity feeding your skimmer? Or will overflow water go straight to the rubble tower. Will water travel down the tower? or will it work like a media reactor and travel up? Hence the pipe in the center? How fast will water be traveling through your sump?
Click to expand...

This is the best I could do with the limited tools on my work computer.

SumpFlow.jpg


The skimmer is fed from a bleed line off the main return. The overflow line goes directly through the rubble tower and spills at the bottom of the tower. There is a tray which suspends the rubble about 3" from the bottom. The water makes its way to the top of the rubble tower where it exits to the bubble traps. I estimate the sump is probably doing about 1500-1800 GPH based on flow rating of return pump minus flow restriction from 90's, 45's, etc.

Had I known when I was designing this sump what I now know about cryptic zones, I would have designed some sort of baffle to reduce the amount of air bubbles the rubble is exposed to. I also would have created something to greatly reduce the flow inside the chamber. I still think, however, the cryptic zone will be healthy and function fairly well with the current design. Certainly better off with it than without. I will have to ask Steve Tryee.
 
Starting up the collection

Starting up the collection

Well I guess one good thing about losing all your corals is that you have room for more:

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:eek2:

Nice pick-up! :thumbsup:


I'm really intrigued by these Lamp Trees... Can you adjust them front to back? ie, can you bring the light more forward over the tank, or further towards the back? I believe I remember reding you can adjust the height of them up and down, but I hadn't seen anything on the front to back dimensions. I think thats probably important for tanks wider than 24" like you have (and I want :D).

The rubble tower rocks, and I'm sure you'll pull more chicks with that! :smokin:
 
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Re: Starting up the collection

Re: Starting up the collection

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13471991#post13471991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AgentSPS
Well I guess one good thing about losing all your corals is that you have room for more:

487e7b95.jpg
Click to expand...

How did you lose your corals? I see it looks like your starting the tank up from scratch again.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13359543#post13359543 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AgentSPS
And some love for the car fanatics. It was a down payment on this or the tank. The sacrifices I make for this damn hobby!! Are Porsche's affected by AEFW?

<img src=http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p289/stevenscreekmotorsgroup/Picture120.jpg>

<img src=http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p289/stevenscreekmotorsgroup/Picture123-1.jpg>

<img src=http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p289/stevenscreekmotorsgroup/Picture119.jpg>

<img src=http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p289/stevenscreekmotorsgroup/Picture121.jpg>
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That's a tight Cayman...it's too bad the Cayman NEEDS a $20K kit to make it look good. Another nicely-modded car by SonicMS. SonicMS FTW!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13472507#post13472507 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stunreefer
:eek2:

Nice pick-up! :thumbsup:


I'm really intrigued by these Lamp Trees... Can you adjust them front to back? ie, can you bring the light more forward over the tank, or further towards the back? I believe I remember reding you can adjust the height of them up and down, but I hadn't seen anything on the front to back dimensions. I think thats probably important for tanks wider than 24" like you have (and I want :D).

The rubble tower rocks, and I'm sure you'll pull more chicks with that! :smokin:
Click to expand...

Yes the lamp trees are pretty cool! You cannot adjust them from front to back which is why I had to have these custom made to reach the center of my tank. In fact, Zero Edge is now going to carry these size trees for all the large cube tank owners out there.
 
I woulda taken the car lol. That thing is awesome (minus the body kit, and red stripe around the rim, the red is too ricey for me). "sporty" indeed lol.
 
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