Canadaguy 180 Tank Build with Radions!!

Canadaguy

New member
Hi all! my name is Darryl from Canada and I am glad to join the best and most educated saltwater forum in the world! - "Reef Central". Currently I have had a starter 120g tank going for the last year with mostly fish with a wee bit of coral. I decided shortly after the 120 gallon was set up that I should of went with a 6 ft 180g like I originally planned but jammed out being my first salt tank. I am now in the middle of my 180g build and will post lots of build pics! I am kinda an equipment junkie one could say and my main equipment list will include LED Radions, Bubbleking SM 200, 2- Vortech Mp40's with an ATB 1800 Flowstar, and a Vertex Cerebra controller when they are finally released.
I started with just a regular 180 tank and built an overflow for the bean animal which I almost read every page of info on weeks later. Bean is just one of the many people that seem to make Reef Central such an awesome site with so many other well educated people on it also.
My 180g tank kind of seems like a nano tank compared to some on here :)

Here is the start of it:

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I decided to make a guide out of a piece of glass to get holes started
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Strong tape on bottom to prevent chipping which seemed to work excellent
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lol.. nice tank!!
how do you like your radions??:smokin:

Radions are by far the best lights I have owned but I have only owned AI SOL and Halides. Only other LED light I might consider over the Radions is the Vertex but haven't seen one in person and they are $1000 more.
 
Radions are by far the best lights I have owned but I have only owned AI SOL and Halides. Only other LED light I might consider over the Radions is the Vertex but haven't seen one in person and they are $1000 more.

What was your opinion of the AI SOL's? I have a 400 gal plus system that I will be doing and was thinking of going with the SOL's to light it. I was planning on using 8 of them.
 
What was your opinion of the AI SOL's? I have a 400 gal plus system that I will be doing and was thinking of going with the SOL's to light it. I was planning on using 8 of them.

Myself I didn't like AI's at all. To me they seemed to have very poor colour spectrum with spotlighting and a disco-like effect. The spread on the AI's was also poor compared to the Radions which I decided keep instead of the AI's. Radions are wireless with a much nicer and sleeker look with much better programming. To me the AI's are old school lights in comparison to the Radions and Vertex Illumina
 
Heres the finished overflow being siliconed on tank with bags of salt for my clamps!
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I cut 2 2x4's for guides to the exact length to make sure overflow is 100% level. Boards underneath are to lift 2x4's up over the bead of silicone.
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A return line hole is drilled on each side over the overflow and black acrylic adhesive background is applied. Background looked blotchy and horrible at first but now looks awesome after the water I used to help apply it dried under acrylic.


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Still need to tap the cap on the missing in pic, open channel standpipe for a John Guest fitting.
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I just have to connect the return pump up tomorrow, otherwise the plumbing for the bean animal is now complete. Fitting 1-1/2 spa flex into pvc fittings sucks and is a PITA. Smaller sizes is easy just like using regular pvc pipe. The big fill now begins!

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Update: The plug was pulled on the big fill 2/3 filled due to and uneven floor and an unsturdy stand. I need to reinforce the stand and get shims so I can sleep better at nights!
 
The stand is now very sturdy after drilling screws into it, and shimming the stand. Its now 100% filled running with RO waste water. Bean animal overflow is also quiet like its advertised!

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outstanding job on the overflows, i love the idea of siliconing that piece of glass to the plastic trim of the sump.. will be doing the same after seeing it done now.

are there going to be socks? how are you mounting them, cant wait for more updates
 
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