Atomikk's 65 Reef

Well today I couldnt get the finished sump into the stand. SO I had to shave some small areas in the stand to fit it in properly.
ShavedStand.jpg


So now it fits.. yiiipppppeee!
Sumpinthestand.jpg


Now to get a skimmer.. any suggestions?
 
thanks clown... here are more pics...

Got the skimmer today with plumbing that I am going to use.. no pvcs for me...

The Berlin Venturi Skimmer.... its all I will ever need for skimming..
BerlinVenturiSkimmer.jpg


No pvc plumbing..
Plumbing.jpg



I will post pics once I get the plumbing done..
 
Looks good. Just a tip... To make it easier to get the hose fully on the barbed ends soak the tubing in hot water for a few minutes.
 
Ok folks, this is the work I did today...

Re-enforcingtheTank.jpg

I got scared when I saw this guys 90gal AGA tank's bottom gave out because the stand was bare in the middle.....hence the two new pieces in the stand ;)

InOutPiping.jpg

Finally started the piping... the left and right sides of the sump is done.. I still have to figure out how to setup my skimmer...stay tuned..

OutValves.jpg

My refugium and the outflow pipes.... might do some more modifications on that...
 
What are the two pieces in the middle for? The glass tank will be supported by the frame around the bottom - there shouldn't be anything touching the glass on the bottom. If you have those wood pieces supporting the bottom then it could cause the bottom to break.

-Mike
 
No, its not supported only by the two pieces. What I found out is that the tank was sitting on two small pieces on boths sides of the stand. I know the tank is supported by a plastic running underneath the center of the tank. Also they are not holding up the tank at all. They are a tiny bit below the tank, so it there is any defects in the structure of the stand, they would serve as a backup plan.
 
Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been busy with work lately.

OK, I have finally finished my plumbing. Its running well. I am running a tap water test to see if there are defects in my design. I get pretty good flow from my mag7. I am also using another mag7 for the Berlin skimmer.

I recently figured out how to reduce the noise coming from the sump. All I had to do is turn the ballvalve from the flow-in piping.

Oh and BTW ..I LOVE the overflow! I tried to test it if power failed.. and it flows into my sump until the overflow is drained.. but that is it. The tank water remains the same level. ITs because of the dual chambers in the overflow box. I HIGHLY recommend this product!! I will post some pics later...


Now I will work on purchasing a RO/DI unit, a refractometer, and a digital thermometer. Keep you all posted..
 
Sounds good so far. I have the same problem with noise from overflow and sump. I'll see if turning nob on my ball valve helps it reduce noise.
 
The ball valve worked good for me!

Sorry guys for the lack of updates and pics..

My computer was in the shop getting fixed.. damned video card. Also my camera is at my brothers place so I have to retrieve it soon.

As for my setup, I did some modifications at the base of the overflow holes. I noticed a small leak, and couldn't stop it so I siliconed it and it WORKED! I also had to reinforce the baffels with some more silicone.

I bought a Pure-Flo II 24gpd RO/DI unit. It works really good. It is a bit slow but who cares. I sure dont! I have my tank 3/4 filled with the RO water. Soon enough I will be doing my cycle.... woooo hoooo!! Almost there.

Now here is a question, because I am going to be buying LR sooner than later. If the LR is uncured.. how do you cure it, and when do you know if it is cured? Do you use any lighting to cure it? And finally does anyone know of a good online store that will ship LR to Canada (Toronto)?
 
If you can make sure you buy cured rock. If uncured, curing is a long (weeks) process and a stinky one too! To cure rock, its best to put it in seperate containers and add saltwater to it, with a powerhead and a heater in there. As the die off from the rock turns to ammonia (hence the cycle process) the bacteria will form and break that further down to nitrites, then to nitrates bla bla bla (the cycle) Depending on the dieoff will determin the length of the curing process, this could be a week to a couple months.

Here is a good place to buy some great rock that is cured, there are tons of places online, with tons of different price ranges, just research and make sure you get what you are paying for.

TBS is a good place to get it all at a great price. You get the rock, sand and cleanup crew all at the same place.

Hope all this helps, have a good one
 
pictures, pictures, pictures...

Sump2.jpg

The Sump

Fillingitup.jpg

Filling the tank with R/O AND De-chlor water. I used Prime to dechlorinate the tap water.

MixingSalt.jpg

Mixing Red Sea salt. 1 Powerhead will do the job.
 
Ok folks, here is where my tanks stands......

SWFullTankShot1.jpg


8lbs of LR and 60lbs of Aragonite.


Now I am down to a few more things to buy... , Fuge light/mud, powerbar, wavemaker, powerheadsx3, more LR and DR, and...... LIGHTS!! Who can recommend me some lights. I do plan on having lots of soft corals, LPS and very little SPS?
 
Looks really good so far Atomikk.
As far as lights, if you are not going for higher light coral (ex. SPS) then I would not get 250wt MHs (what I did). I am having trouble acclimating soft and some LPS to the light.
If you are going MH you could go with 175s, maybe 150 double ended. If not halides then I would look at vho and T5. I am thinking about actually downgrading my lighting (Gasp!) :) if I continue to have trouble acclimating them.
 
Ok, so today I bought really nice pieces of Dead Rock (formerly Live Rock but dried), all 15lbs of it. Along with the rock, I bought Carbon, Ammonia Pad, 2 Maxi-Jet 400 Powerheads, and for cycling a Green Chromis (who I might add is already eating).

Now my next project is the lighting... a DIY Canopy and MH/PC kit.

MurkyWater.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys.

Today I am going to build a pendant canopy that will house 1 MH reflector/bulb, and two or four sockets for different types of PCs or VHOs.


And now here come this morning pictures...

TankabitClear.jpg

Tank is clearing up....

GreenChromis.jpg

There is the little Green Chromis.. it survived the first night.
 
For those who are still following my progess..... Today I went to Home Depot... man i shopped for 2 hrs trying to get all of my stuff for the DIY Canopy Hood. I plan to have a single 400w MH and 2-4 PCs. I will post pics once the hood is done (today hopefully).
 
Here come the assembly pics of the hood...

CanopyMaterials.jpg

Materials for the Canopy.

Assembly1.jpg

Stage 1 Assembly

Assembly2.jpg

Stage 2 Assembly

Assembly3.jpg

Stage 3 Assembly

Assembly4.jpg

Stage 4 Assembly

Assembly5HoodDoor.jpg

Stage 5 Assembly (hood door)

FittingontheTank.jpg

Fitting the tank 1

FittingonaTank2.jpg

Fitting the tank 2 (finished product)

FittingonaTank3.jpg

Showing the look from the inside.

Staining1.jpg

Right now I am staining the whole thing.. this is one of the pics. Right now I am finishing the staining and will post more pics... stay tooooooned.
 
Back
Top