DivingTheWorld's Custom Leemar 80g Rimless Reef

[DivingTheWorld]

Well, the longest reef tank build in history continues. I just realized I haven't updated this in 3 months!! After a month vacationing with my family in Asia, kids birthdays, busy at work, etc., I am back working on the build.

I've added the doors. I ended up going with some really nice Blum soft close hinges. It was super tricky to get them installed and lined up correctly. I ended up having some plexiglass adapters made for the side hinges since there wasn't enough wood in the design to mount flush door hinges. But I got them installed and moved the stand into the house.

I'm waiting on some door pulls to arrive which will match our other living room furniture and I still need to set the tank on top. But here's some stand pics with the doors. It turned out better than I could have hoped, being that it's my first attempt at furniture.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Ok, got the door pulls installed (stand complete!!) and put the tank on top. I'm starting to put together the filtration components now.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Got my RO system installed and ready to start mixing water.

Time to cook the Pukani rock to remove all the phosphates. I'm thinking this will take 2-3 months...

First step I'm doing is a few days mixing with just plain RO water, no salt. This is after about 12 hours mixing. I guess you can see why this rock needs to be cooked before placement in the tank!

 

[650-IS350]

Looking nice,

 

[greengeco82]

Looking nice,

+1. Looks awesome.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Thanks! Two kids under 4 really slows things down (also why the foam is still covering the glass!). But I'm hoping to have it up and running by fall.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Got a little behind on pics. So last weekend after a 1 week soak in R/O, I shook out the rock and dumped the water. I put them in a clean batch of saltwater and added a dose of bacteria.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I'm starting to figure out my electrical panel. I'm planning to use Starboard to mount the electronics to. They'll be mounted at the left side door with the Starboard panel facing away from the sump. I'm deciding whether or not to have a bottom to the panel or to just leave it open for wires, etc. I left a little room on the panel to add additional in the future if needed.

 

[JayVIP]

Props on the patience my friend. As a joke, by the time you set this up, all your equipment will be out of warranty and out of date. haha

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Props on the patience my friend. As a joke, by the time you set this up, all your equipment will be out of warranty and out of date. haha

I know! WTH?? I'm actually considering using Radion Pros instead of the Reefbreeders LEDs. But I can make that decision after the tank is up and running.

The skimmer I chose has already been discontinued...

 

[DivingTheWorld]

So here's the rock cooking. This was taken last weekend after 1 week in R/O and 1 week in Saltwater. It looks clean already and I haven't even started dosing.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I picked up a couple new toys. I got a 3 part dosing container and a 5g ATO reservoir. The ATO fits great, but depending on how fast I burn through water, I may need to have one custom made in the future to fit more gallons and still fit under my stand. The builder did great work on these!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Ok, plumbing work has begun! I installed all 6 bulkheads. Schedule 80 for the two 1" drain bulkheads and 3/4" return bulkheads. Then I used Schedule 40 for the two bulkheads from the side of the overflow into the tank. Those were much lower profile and since they'll be seen in the tank I didn't wan them to be huge.

Here's a few pics of the outside of the overflow:

Here's what it looks like with the lid on. I glued on a long acrylic handle to match. I read a couple threads that the LeeMar lids will warp over time, so besides just needing a handle, I wanted it to add structural integrity.

Here's a better view from the right side showing the Loc-Line. I'm reducing each side from 3/4" to two 1/2" Loc Line. I'm debating on whether I want to just leave the open ends or have flare nozzles. With 4 outputs on the return, I'll be able to direct to each of the 4 corners (or any other dead spots there turn out to be).

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Ok, now I need a little advice. LeeMar didn't drill the return holes to be lined up! So I can't use rigid pvc to go from the bottom of the overflow to the return bulkheads. So... my option was either to use a couple ugly 45 degree elbows or use flex pvc. I chose flex. Here's a couple pics:

It almost looks white in the photo. But with the exception of the Sch 40 side overflow bulkhead and Sch 40 verticle flex, everything else is Sch 80.

My question is, should I glue in the overflow or not? If I glue, it will make it all but impossible to take apart and either clean or replace at a later date. I can say that the fittings are extremely tight. I had to really work them all the way on.

I really do not want to use glue in the overflow. Any reason why I should?

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Well, I was planning to swap out the weak bulkheads on my Trigger Systems Ruby30S sump, but after measuring, it doesn't look good.

They drilled for their cheapo 1" bulkheads which are 1.375. In other words, they would work for a normal 3/4" bulkhead, but not 1".

So my options are to either just use their bulkheads (they're not terrible I suppose...), or whip out the dremel and make the holes bigger. I definitely don't want to reduce the drains down to 3/4".

Suggestions?

 

[neuro]

great looking tank!

IMO, you should not settle for a hole size you did not want or intend to use.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

great looking tank!

IMO, you should not settle for a hole size you did not want or intend to use.

Yeah, I'm thinking the same. The holes were actually drilled by the manufacturer (it's not a custom sump) so I couldn't specify. I just find it weird that they would drill a non-standard hole. I wouldn't expect a Sch 80 hole, but it should have a normal Sch 40 hole. It's a really cool sump otherwise.

 

[Mikesville510]

Looking good! nice build thread! Though frustrating because of all of the waiting involved, setting up the tank is so much fun!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Well a couple updates...

I think I've finally decided my under tank plumbing plans. I just ordered a ****load of Sch 80 fittings. I also ordered a couple more Sch 80 bulkheads and I plan to drill out my two sump bulkheads to fit. Wish me luck, with existing holes already this is going to get tricky...

The wifey also dropped a bombshell that she doesn't want my lights hanging from the ceiling in our family room. Happy wife = get to keep reef tank build going. So...sold my brand new Photon 32 and ordered a pair of replacement LEDs. Which ones? Here's couple hints... They're brand new, they (better!!) will have new mounting arm brackets available for them soon, and today they were on sale for 10% off @ BRS which is what made me pull the trigger. I hope I don't regret selling that Photon 32...

Pukani continues to cook (or whatever the pc term is). Phosphates should be nil by the time I put them in the tank.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Top end plumbing complete:

I also re-drilled my sump bulkheads to 2" to fit 1" Sch 80 Bulkheads. It was tricky because the holes were already there, just smaller. What I did was pick up a hole drill bit and drilled out a wood core the width of the hole (1.5"). It was still a little loose, so I caulked them in.

After about 24 hours, the caulk was hard and the cores were tight. I then took the 2" drill bit and drilled out he new holes. I cleaned up the edges a little with a dremel, but they were fairly smooth to begin with. Turned out better than expected!