DivineStler's 30 GAL LED Rimless Lagoon

[DivineStler]

Well, I guess I have enough pieces of this project finished to start my build thread... The tank is still being built and I'm waiting on a few pieces to be shipped, but I got my stand built, light mounted, etc.

Taking the plunge into LED!

TANK:

24 x 24 x 12 Rimless Starphire
12 GAL Sump/Fuge

LIGHTING:

EcoXotic 23 1/2" Panorama LED Fixture (73W)
2 X EcoXotic 453nm Stunner Strips (12W)
Azoo LED Neo-Light for fuge (7W)

FILTRATION, HEATING, CIRCULATION, ETC:

Ecotech VorTech MP10
SWC XTreme 160 Cone Skimmer
QuietOne 2200 Return Pump
MarineLand Stealth Pro 150W Heater
JBJ ATO System
Digital Aquatics Reef Keeper Lite Controller

THE BUILD!!!!

Stand...

I originally planned on having a stand custom made, but after receiving a few pretty pricey quotes and reviewing the DIY Stand Thread I decided I could take off my shirt and tie and give building my own stand a shot. I used 2 X 4 for the base and primed it black. I then skinned it with 3/4" Birch ply that I stained ebony and treated with poly. The front and both sides are held on with magnets, so I can easily get down to the sump. I still need to drill the hole in the top for the plumbing when my tank arrives.

Lighting...

I spent quite a bit of time researching the lighting. I knew I wanted to do LED, but wasn't sure if I wanted to build my own or buy one of either the Aqua Illuminations or EcoXotic Fixture. I liked the dimming and color control features of the AI, but did not like the power consumption (200W) or mounting mechanism. I want to be able to see down on top of the tank and the AI mounting legs obstruct most of the top. Taking the shallow depth of the tank (12"), modular design and adjustable mount of the EcoXotic fixture, I decided this was the light for me. I bought a second stunner strip to add a little more blue to the lighting. The total power consumption with the two stunner strips is 85W and PAR readings I've seen should be more than enough for my mixed reef with minimal SPS.

It's hard to get a real good idea of how bright this thing is without seeing it "in person", but let me tell you THIS THING IS BRIGHT!

That's it for now! Updates with the tank and plumbing to follow...

 

[Sinful Aquatics]

Nice Set up Bro!

 

[kaserpick]

Looks good! :thumbsup: Looking forward to seeing how this turns out!

 

[fstar25]

Subscribed!

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Nice! Looking forward to seeing the tank in action.

 

[Fishdude1984]

oh I'm following along....

 

[WhoDey64]

So far so good =)

 

[teckt]

Sick man! Can't wait too help you with the build. As well as see this bad boy in action.:thumbsup:

 

[DivineStler]

Sick man! Can't wait too help you with the build. As well as see this bad boy in action.:thumbsup:

Damn, March 2001 join date! You're OG homey.

 

[tuumi]

Nice! This is exactly what I am doing except I'm going DIY LED. I'm even going to use your tank stand as a model for mine.

 

[dockery07]

Great tank - I am looking at LED lighting

 

[DivineStler]

Nice! This is exactly what I am doing except I'm going DIY LED. I'm even going to use your tank stand as a model for mine.

Cool man! Send me a link when you get your build thread up. I'd love to tag along with you.

 

[tuumi]

Any chance of getting more pics of the cabinet build? I'd like to see the inside and get a look at how you put it together.

 

[DivineStler]

Any chance of getting more pics of the cabinet build? I'd like to see the inside and get a look at how you put it together.

I'll take a couple when I get the sump and plumbing done this weekend.

It was seriously very easy... Just take the diagram from the DIY stand page and make it in your dimensions.

This is not mine, but this is exactly what it looks like on the inside (mine is square).

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964

 

[saltygeek]

Seeing more people using this light. Can't wait to see results after people have been using them for awhile. Any ideas on stocking?

 

[DivineStler]

So I spent the weekend with my buddy setting it all up. Was a bit tricky to plumb the overflow with only 12" of height. After a couple beers we managed the squeeze the durso and returns in. I added the sand, water and a little LR seed and fired it up! Going to add more LR from my current tank in a week or 2.

H20!

DAY 2... pretty murky still.

Sump... need to pick my ATO resevoir up from John. It holds about 2 1/2 gallons and sits in front of the sump. Currently Using a 1/2 gallon vase the wifey had laying around. It's been pretty hot and I've only been burning through about 1/4-1/3 a gallon a day.

 

[joem1cha3l]

wow things look amazing so far! Keep it up and keep us posted!

 

[teckt]

looking sick man! Im glad we could get that plumbing all solid and we didn't lose any flow for the return. Did a great job on the sump organization. Looks real clean. I cant wait to see some corals actually grow out under leds! It amazes me that leds can actually grow corals. Post up some new pics soon man.

b

 

[elite401]

Looks so great! Awesome equipment and it all looks so clean.

 

[Clavius]

Very nice!