Good luck with the fill!Ok, I know its been a while but I think I'm ready to get the tank wet tomorrow. First a few things that have been updated:
Electrical: I have mounted or wired up the following:
* 2 GHL powerbar 4s (one in Sump cabinet, one in fish room below controlling the AWC system shut off
* ATO pump - Controller under tank and ATO pump in fish room below connected via electrical running through the floor (connected to PB4)
* skimmer pump with controller mounted in sump cabinet (connected to PB4)
* Reef Octopus Varios 6 pump controller mounted to stand (connected to PB4)
* Heaters ( connected to PB4 4)
Plumbing: All plumbing finished and unions tightened
Sump Matt - I purchased a waterproof neoprene matt for under the sump. I have caulked it o the inside of the stand to ensure a relatively waterproof seal for small spills.
Lighting: Here is where I hit a major speed bump. I am connecting a Luxcore 250/400Watt ballast to the Giesemann Spectra. Unfortunately there are no instructions. Here is the connection between the ballast and the light:
full connection giesemann and ballast by choerenz, on Flickr
So after trying various combinations, and consulting the following color chart
Untitled by choerenz, on Flickr
I decided to ignore the advice of Reefbum's site (only source I could find for the wiring) and went white to blue, black to brown, and green to green (so reverse of the white and black wires in the picture above). I now get a brief flicker from the bulb. After testing another MH bulb, same result. I contacted Coralvue and Chris Conti got back to me today and suggested I may have a bad ballast. I bought the ballast from BRS who has indicated that despite buying from them, because it has been over 30 days, they cannot replace the ballast but will contact Coralvue on my behalf. This is a bit unfortunate considering how much money I have spent with BRS but we'll see, right now I'm optimistic that the problem will get resolved in due time.
So onwards! Leak test tomorrow & thursday. I'll also post a few pics of the finished Sump area and electrical cabinet.
Choss' 96 Gallon Reef Savvy Tank Build
- Thread starter choss
- Start date
choss
New member
Update - she's wet!
Update - she's wet!
Ok so yesterday was the day of trials and tribulations. And some stress. After speaking to Felix and getting reassurance on the tank situation, I filled the tank to the teeth of the overflow. The return lines created a siphon, as I had accidentally left open the manifold union ball valve. So first some water splashed on the floor. I shut the valve only to notice that water was pouring out of a union. After some panic and a gallon on the floor, I drained the water down some and began working on the union. I took it apart and reconnected. The only thing I could think of is somehow I had mis-threaded it. Having reconnected it I spotted a small trickle running down my left return line. Just below the ball valve I have there. Ok, no sweat - just take off the union and we'll see what's wrong. I was a bit concerned as the trickle looked like it was coming from the PVC connection....
Well it turns out, this was one of the last pipes I put in place and I forgot to cement the pipe to the union! It was just dry fit. So last night I glued it in place and today I filled the tank all the way and started testing the siphons in the Bean Animal. As i grew in confidence I filled up the tank some more wating the siphons kick in and fill the sump. No leaks this time! So i decided it was time to fire up the Varios 6 pump.
The Varios 6 is a DC pump that pushes a reported 1720 gallons per hour. I started it at 20%, then began increasing. No leaks, and the Bean Animal was quickly adjusting to the new volume. Lots of interaction with the secondary siphon (open channel). Initially the system was very loud. I decided to push the pump to maximum output (which is significantly less due to the 3/4" pipe, elbows, split lines, and check valve). Now that it was running full tilt I started restricting the gate valve to ease the primary siphon. Its now fairly quiet but not yet dead silent. I will have to play with it some more but I'm really happy that she's holding water and things are running leak free. Here is a video of the tank. I'd love some suggestions on how to further tune the Bean Animal. I also wonder if the fact that my pipes run down and then at a right angle, in some way affects the small amount of water that you want to run down the open channel pipe. Thoughts?
Enjoy.
Ok so yesterday was the day of trials and tribulations. And some stress. After speaking to Felix and getting reassurance on the tank situation, I filled the tank to the teeth of the overflow. The return lines created a siphon, as I had accidentally left open the manifold union ball valve. So first some water splashed on the floor. I shut the valve only to notice that water was pouring out of a union. After some panic and a gallon on the floor, I drained the water down some and began working on the union. I took it apart and reconnected. The only thing I could think of is somehow I had mis-threaded it. Having reconnected it I spotted a small trickle running down my left return line. Just below the ball valve I have there. Ok, no sweat - just take off the union and we'll see what's wrong. I was a bit concerned as the trickle looked like it was coming from the PVC connection....
Well it turns out, this was one of the last pipes I put in place and I forgot to cement the pipe to the union! It was just dry fit. So last night I glued it in place and today I filled the tank all the way and started testing the siphons in the Bean Animal. As i grew in confidence I filled up the tank some more wating the siphons kick in and fill the sump. No leaks this time! So i decided it was time to fire up the Varios 6 pump.
The Varios 6 is a DC pump that pushes a reported 1720 gallons per hour. I started it at 20%, then began increasing. No leaks, and the Bean Animal was quickly adjusting to the new volume. Lots of interaction with the secondary siphon (open channel). Initially the system was very loud. I decided to push the pump to maximum output (which is significantly less due to the 3/4" pipe, elbows, split lines, and check valve). Now that it was running full tilt I started restricting the gate valve to ease the primary siphon. Its now fairly quiet but not yet dead silent. I will have to play with it some more but I'm really happy that she's holding water and things are running leak free. Here is a video of the tank. I'd love some suggestions on how to further tune the Bean Animal. I also wonder if the fact that my pipes run down and then at a right angle, in some way affects the small amount of water that you want to run down the open channel pipe. Thoughts?
Enjoy.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fkPkJEmRAEA" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://youtu.be/fkPkJEmRAEA
Update - she's wet!
Ok so yesterday was the day of trials and tribulations. And some stress. After speaking to Felix and getting reassurance on the tank situation, I filled the tank to the teeth of the overflow. The return lines created a siphon, as I had accidentally left open the manifold union ball valve. So first some water splashed on the floor. I shut the valve only to notice that water was pouring out of a union. After some panic and a gallon on the floor, I drained the water down some and began working on the union. I took it apart and reconnected. The only thing I could think of is somehow I had mis-threaded it. Having reconnected it I spotted a small trickle running down my left return line. Just below the ball valve I have there. Ok, no sweat - just take off the union and we'll see what's wrong. I was a bit concerned as the trickle looked like it was coming from the PVC connection....
Well it turns out, this was one of the last pipes I put in place and I forgot to cement the pipe to the union! It was just dry fit. So last night I glued it in place and today I filled the tank all the way and started testing the siphons in the Bean Animal. As i grew in confidence I filled up the tank some more wating the siphons kick in and fill the sump. No leaks this time! So i decided it was time to fire up the Varios 6 pump.
The Varios 6 is a DC pump that pushes a reported 1720 gallons per hour. I started it at 20%, then began increasing. No leaks, and the Bean Animal was quickly adjusting to the new volume. Lots of interaction with the secondary siphon (open channel). Initially the system was very loud. I decided to push the pump to maximum output (which is significantly less due to the 3/4" pipe, elbows, split lines, and check valve). Now that it was running full tilt I started restricting the gate valve to ease the primary siphon. Its now fairly quiet but not yet dead silent. I will have to play with it some more but I'm really happy that she's holding water and things are running leak free. Here is a video of the tank. I'd love some suggestions on how to further tune the Bean Animal. I also wonder if the fact that my pipes run down and then at a right angle, in some way affects the small amount of water that you want to run down the open channel pipe. Thoughts?
Enjoy.
Ok so yesterday was the day of trials and tribulations. And some stress. After speaking to Felix and getting reassurance on the tank situation, I filled the tank to the teeth of the overflow. The return lines created a siphon, as I had accidentally left open the manifold union ball valve. So first some water splashed on the floor. I shut the valve only to notice that water was pouring out of a union. After some panic and a gallon on the floor, I drained the water down some and began working on the union. I took it apart and reconnected. The only thing I could think of is somehow I had mis-threaded it. Having reconnected it I spotted a small trickle running down my left return line. Just below the ball valve I have there. Ok, no sweat - just take off the union and we'll see what's wrong. I was a bit concerned as the trickle looked like it was coming from the PVC connection....
Well it turns out, this was one of the last pipes I put in place and I forgot to cement the pipe to the union! It was just dry fit. So last night I glued it in place and today I filled the tank all the way and started testing the siphons in the Bean Animal. As i grew in confidence I filled up the tank some more wating the siphons kick in and fill the sump. No leaks this time! So i decided it was time to fire up the Varios 6 pump.
The Varios 6 is a DC pump that pushes a reported 1720 gallons per hour. I started it at 20%, then began increasing. No leaks, and the Bean Animal was quickly adjusting to the new volume. Lots of interaction with the secondary siphon (open channel). Initially the system was very loud. I decided to push the pump to maximum output (which is significantly less due to the 3/4" pipe, elbows, split lines, and check valve). Now that it was running full tilt I started restricting the gate valve to ease the primary siphon. Its now fairly quiet but not yet dead silent. I will have to play with it some more but I'm really happy that she's holding water and things are running leak free. Here is a video of the tank. I'd love some suggestions on how to further tune the Bean Animal. I also wonder if the fact that my pipes run down and then at a right angle, in some way affects the small amount of water that you want to run down the open channel pipe. Thoughts?
Enjoy.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fkPkJEmRAEA" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://youtu.be/fkPkJEmRAEA
choss
New member
Update
Update
Refugium light in place. Nice little top down shot. Enjoy.
Sump Top Down by choerenz, on Flickr
Update
Refugium light in place. Nice little top down shot. Enjoy.
Sump Top Down by choerenz, on Flickr
Reefpuck
New member
I always try running my lines with 45 degree angles of I can help it, but with a full siphon I don't think a 90g degree angle should be an issue. My experience is if you have air/ noise in the main drain... you need to close the drain valve more.
On my 90g, i use the varios 4 (wish I would've got the 6) but have my return line valve closes almost 50%. It's dead silent.
On my 90g, i use the varios 4 (wish I would've got the 6) but have my return line valve closes almost 50%. It's dead silent.
choss
New member
Yeah it was just about as painful as the real thing....or so my wife tells me. Happy to have it wet. I need to drain it today but its so much fun with water in it I don't have the heart to do it yet.
choss
New member
I think I have it dialed in now. Pretty quiet. I did use 45s on the three bean animal drains but needed to add a 90 as it enters the sump. Once I enclose my sump fully it should be fairly silent.
I have my Varios 6 dialed up to maximum and still feel like I could have added more flow. I have the returns coming out of standard 45 degree 3/4" black PVC pipes. When speaking with Felix from Reef Savvy he talked me out of using Loc Line returns - they just don't look right on a tank like this. I agree but the flow is very gentle and broad. But I think I could have run a Varios 8. Anyway, its a great pum any way I look at it.
choss
New member
choss
New member
Update
Update
Not a lot has happened in the last 30 days, which has been kind of frustrating but I have now made progress on two fronts - lighting and rock.
I'll start with the lighting situation. I finally received my ballast back from Chris Conti at Coralvue. CV checked the ballast but couldn't find anything wrong with it. Nevertheless they sent me a brand new ballast, which I wired up and tested last night. The radium 250 watt bulb now fires up so something must have been amiss with the old ballast. I'm just happy that I don't have to take the light down and send it back. I already had to pay for shipping on the ballast because BRS wouldn't honor the return due to the length of time between my purchase and testing the product.
Here is the light in all its glory. It is like having a small slice of the sun in my den. The only issue is that when I sit in my easy chair, I get a bit of glare from the reflector. The light currently is about 9" above the tank. I could move it down a bit but then I will have less coverage on the outside 6" of either side of the tank. Right now it looks ok at 9" and I'm particularly happy in that there is minimal light spillage beyond the tank.
spectra w. all lights by choerenz, on Flickr
So moving on to my rock....I was 100% set to go with TBS live rock. While I am very particular about the aqua scape that I want to create for this tank, the benefits of using live rock just seemed to great for me to go with dry rock. So I emailed Richard at TBS and found out that TBS is temporarily closed. Richard has had some significant surgery and can't dive for the immediate future. And I think its probably weeks or months out before he will be back on his feet.
So I started to explore a few other options. For my scape, I really want two dominant islands with a natural channel in between where I can showcase some white sand and a clam or two. I also like the idea of having a more dominant island that has a bit of height. My plan is to attach SPS higher up and have acans and other LPS mounted vertically or on angles off the island. The tank that really comes to mind is Chris Krien's amazing tank that he calls his 160 G algae farm. Here is his scape and I think you will see why it inspires me. The grown out tank is even more spectacular so I'd highly recommend searching for this build. You won't be disappointed.
Chris Kriens Aqua Scape by choerenz, on Flickr
So with the long wait for TBS rock, I started to inquire into some large Pukani dry rock as a backup plan. BRS was out of "jumbo" rocks but Aquacave had some in stock. In fact, they were extremely helpful and sent over a few pictures of the rocks they had in their warehouse.
Pukani Pic 1 by choerenz, on Flickr
Pukani Rock 2 by choerenz, on Flickr
While it will take me a few weeks to bleach, acid wash, and cure these rocks, I started thinking that at the end of the process, I will have the perfect rock for what I was envisioning for my scape - plus its porous, gorgeous rock that you can easily drill and affix sticks to.
I immediately contacted Albert from aquacave jumped on these pieces. I had them 2 days later! Best customer service I've had from a major retailer of aquarium products...ever! I still intend to try and get some of the benefits from adding live rock, so I'm also looking into a small order of live rock from Gulfliverock.com, which I would have air freighted and then added to the tank to ensure the system receive some of the beneficial bacteria and critters that I was hoping to get from the TBS rock. Gulfliverock seems to have good reviews so hopefully I can end up with best of both worlds.
So as I write this, my Pukani has been sitting in bleach since Saturday, and I'm just waiting for the weather to go above freezing to start the acid bath. More to come soon. :bounce2:
Update
Not a lot has happened in the last 30 days, which has been kind of frustrating but I have now made progress on two fronts - lighting and rock.
I'll start with the lighting situation. I finally received my ballast back from Chris Conti at Coralvue. CV checked the ballast but couldn't find anything wrong with it. Nevertheless they sent me a brand new ballast, which I wired up and tested last night. The radium 250 watt bulb now fires up so something must have been amiss with the old ballast. I'm just happy that I don't have to take the light down and send it back. I already had to pay for shipping on the ballast because BRS wouldn't honor the return due to the length of time between my purchase and testing the product.
Here is the light in all its glory. It is like having a small slice of the sun in my den. The only issue is that when I sit in my easy chair, I get a bit of glare from the reflector. The light currently is about 9" above the tank. I could move it down a bit but then I will have less coverage on the outside 6" of either side of the tank. Right now it looks ok at 9" and I'm particularly happy in that there is minimal light spillage beyond the tank.
spectra w. all lights by choerenz, on FlickrSo moving on to my rock....I was 100% set to go with TBS live rock. While I am very particular about the aqua scape that I want to create for this tank, the benefits of using live rock just seemed to great for me to go with dry rock. So I emailed Richard at TBS and found out that TBS is temporarily closed. Richard has had some significant surgery and can't dive for the immediate future. And I think its probably weeks or months out before he will be back on his feet.
So I started to explore a few other options. For my scape, I really want two dominant islands with a natural channel in between where I can showcase some white sand and a clam or two. I also like the idea of having a more dominant island that has a bit of height. My plan is to attach SPS higher up and have acans and other LPS mounted vertically or on angles off the island. The tank that really comes to mind is Chris Krien's amazing tank that he calls his 160 G algae farm. Here is his scape and I think you will see why it inspires me. The grown out tank is even more spectacular so I'd highly recommend searching for this build. You won't be disappointed.
Chris Kriens Aqua Scape by choerenz, on FlickrSo with the long wait for TBS rock, I started to inquire into some large Pukani dry rock as a backup plan. BRS was out of "jumbo" rocks but Aquacave had some in stock. In fact, they were extremely helpful and sent over a few pictures of the rocks they had in their warehouse.
Pukani Pic 1 by choerenz, on FlickrPukani Rock 2 by choerenz, on FlickrWhile it will take me a few weeks to bleach, acid wash, and cure these rocks, I started thinking that at the end of the process, I will have the perfect rock for what I was envisioning for my scape - plus its porous, gorgeous rock that you can easily drill and affix sticks to.
I immediately contacted Albert from aquacave jumped on these pieces. I had them 2 days later! Best customer service I've had from a major retailer of aquarium products...ever! I still intend to try and get some of the benefits from adding live rock, so I'm also looking into a small order of live rock from Gulfliverock.com, which I would have air freighted and then added to the tank to ensure the system receive some of the beneficial bacteria and critters that I was hoping to get from the TBS rock. Gulfliverock seems to have good reviews so hopefully I can end up with best of both worlds.
So as I write this, my Pukani has been sitting in bleach since Saturday, and I'm just waiting for the weather to go above freezing to start the acid bath. More to come soon. :bounce2:
wrxreefer823
New member
This is amazing! You've put so much thought and care into your system, something I have a hard time doing due to the excitement of a new fish tank. I love your proposed aquascape, that's more or less along the lines of what I strive to do with my next big build. Keep up the good work, I can't wait to see more progress!!
choss
New member
Maybe I'm overthinking it!:lolspin: Time will tell. I have been able to stay patient in part because I have a small frag tank that is allowing me to ad a few things that will go into the tank. I picked up a small yellow Kole Tang, which I can't wait to see in the main display. Its not the typical Kole (brown and yellow eye) - its all yellow. I will post a pic this weekend.
wrxreefer823
New member
I tend to do the same thing with my tanks as well. This last weekend I picked up a used 30 gallon rimless setup off of Facebook Marketplace, that's the biggest I can really justify until we get into a house next year. Anyways, I've been periodically making columns and such out of the rock until my stand comes in. Haven't decided if I want to use the dry rock as it is, pick up a chunk from my LFS to seed, or do a bleach soak to completely kill off the rock. So many decisions!
Congrats on the tang! I have a soft spot for powder blue's as well as emperor angels, but that will obviously have to wait... lol
motortrendz
New member
following your doing an awesome job
choss
New member
Powder Blues are my favorite as well. I'm on the fence about whether I should add a small one to this setup as he will eventually outgrow the tank. Of course that is a perfect reason to go bigger....
choss
New member
Motortrendz - great to have you along for the ride.
wrxreefer823
New member
Funny, I've used that exact justification in the past to either buy a fish I REALLY want, or to upgrade the system. We reefers should probably start a support group...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
choss
New member
I thought I'd share a pic from my frag tank. Its more a 20 gallon long QT system to make sure nothing bad gets into the main tank once its up and running. I couldn't resist this tang. It was sold to me as a yellow Kole Tang. He is really shy so its really hard to get a good picture. He's been with me 3 weeks now and appears 100% healthy and eats like a pig.
Kole tank by choerenz, on Flickr
Kole tank by choerenz, on Flickr
