Jonas 3.13, 150G of Miracles fun

[ojonas81]

Hi everyone!

Time to start another build thread. Some of you may recognize me from the nano forum where I have been documenting the build of my JBJ 28G LED Advanced tank (1.0) for the last couple of years. (2.0 is the same tank restarted after a nasty power loss). Build thread can be found here for those who are interested: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2096071.

The nano world has been a lot of fun but I have quickly grown out of the tank and its limitations. I wanted something bigger, something "real" that would offer me more playroom. After going back and fourth with tank sizes and discussing with my wonderful and understanding wife I finally decided on a 150G "custom made" tank from Miracles. Its measurements are 48x30x24 with three sides Starfire glass and a center overflow. The tank is set to be shipped early this week and hopefully I will have it here sometime early next week.

This thread will document my build process as well as the life of the tank itself after being started. It will be a mixed reef with a strong focus on SPS. Being a tech guy my goal for this tank (as it was/is for the nano) is to make everything as automated as possible.

Since the tank is not here yet I have had time to go over what equipment to use, get the stand designed and built etc. I want to do everything right from the beginning and rather spend a few extra bucks now than having to regret a purchase later on. Please feel free to comment/suggest changes at any time. I am very open to suggestions/critique.

First off, the stand itself. I was planning to build it myself but in the end decided to use a friend that is a carpenter to build it for me. He did a much better job than I could have ever done. The stand is 72" long and 30" deep and 37" tall. Like the tank slightly higher than normal for viewing purposes even though it may make the maintenance slightly harder.

Here is the location of where the thank will sit.

I had an electrician come in and install dual 20A circuits and GFCI outlets instead of the old single line (shared with other outlets) non-GFCI.

Old outlet.

Halfway through.

New outlet.

About a week ago the stand was ready (minus the top board which will be done this week).

Doors open with sump inside (will get to the sump soon).

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jw4lhVqhP28/UZoufp9snvI/AAAAAAAAA6g/eyD29MdGUn8/s800/_MG_8488.jpg

Inside the stand.

With all the extra space in the stand I should have no issues housing all my equipment, ATO etc. Should work out fine.

The sump was custom made by Tyler at Elite Aquatics. It is a work of art. My plan is to have one (or possible more) remote refuges with DSB, LR and macro algae.

As for the equipment, this is what I am planning to use as of today. The list may change and if you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know.

Lightning
2 x Ecotech Radio Pro

Return pump
RLSS Waveline DC-12000 (dialed down) feeding a manifold

Water movement
2 x Jebo WP40 with variable power supply to start with and down the road upgrade to 2 x Ecotech MP40 WES.

Skimmer
Reef Octopus Diablo DCS200-INT. this is where I am not sure yet. I am leaning more and more towards a RLSS skimmer instead. Any recommendations?

Reactors
GFO and Carbon fed from the manifold.

Rock
About 100 lbs (give or take) of dry BRS Pukani rock (or Marco Rock)
About 10-20 lbs of live rock from TBS in refugium

Sand
Probably around 150 lbs Caribi-Sea Fiji Pink but I am not sure yet. Want the fine white look but also do not want a sand storm due to the high floor for SPS.

Controller
APEX that I already have from my nano tank

Chiller
Will probably need one since I am living in Florida and we do not keep the house super cold during the days. Need recommendations on how big I would need.

ATO
At the moment using my JBJ ATO but will probably *** redundancy with sensors connected to APEX as well as a backup.

Dosing
Planning to use three BRS 1.1ml/minute dosers. I already using two on my nano for Alk and Ca. Controlled by the APEX.

Manifold configuration
The return pump can handle quite a lot of flow so wanted to run as much as possible off a manifold in order to take advantage of that. The manifold will power GFO and Carbon reactors, one or more remote refugiums, possible UV down the road. I f I need to, the chiller will be plumbed inline with the return after the manifold. One return back to the tank that will split up into two or more outlet loclines pipes.

Drain
Planning to do a BeanAnimal style of drain.

Think that covers it all for now. It will be a slow and methodical build. I am in no rush and want to do it correct the first time. Please feel free to comment an be a part of the build as much as possible. The more who chimes in the better the end result will be.

Thanks for tagging along!

 

[Scffvariable]

Looks good. I think you picked the perfect tank size. When I upgrade I have been eyeing those same dimensions. Will afford you great options for aquascaping.

 

[Animadverto]

Wow! I really like the attention to details with your build. I would go with the RLSS skimmer as I've read nothing but fantastic reviews on them. Fiji Pink is a little too fine and will get stirred up a little by the MP 40's with strong undertow IME. If you plan to vacuum your sand bed with your water changes, some of the sand will get sucked out along with the water. I wish I had put in coarser sand instead.

If you can swing it, I would pass on the WP40's and opt for the MP40's from the start. Wires inside the tank really ruin the clean look of it, and in the long run you'll be saving money from not having to buy the WP40's and then the MP40's for the upgrade. (Saving money on MP 40's...what??? lol)

Finally, the sump is absolutely a fantastic well-thought out piece of art. What are the dimensions on it. I may have to do a little sump upgrade myself and copy yours by getting in touch with Tyler at Elite Aquatics.

Subscribed.

 

[vitodog]

Nice. I especially like the custom sump. Can you tell me the dimensions of the sump?

 

[ojonas81]

I would go with the RLSS skimmer as I've read nothing but fantastic reviews on them.

So have I. Leaning more and more towards the RLSS. Will probably give them a chance.

Fiji Pink is a little too fine and will get stirred up a little by the MP 40's with strong undertow IME. If you plan to vacuum your sand bed with your water changes, some of the sand will get sucked out along with the water. I wish I had put in coarser sand instead.

Will look into this. Don't want a snowstorm but I do not like the look of the bigger grained sand either. Right now I have a mix and after six month all the finer gains were on the bottom and just the larger ones on top. Not looking very good.

If you can swing it, I would pass on the WP40's and opt for the MP40's from the start. Wires inside the tank really ruin the clean look of it, and in the long run you'll be saving money from not having to buy the WP40's and then the MP40's for the upgrade. (Saving money on MP 40's...what??? lol)

I will give the WP40 a chance. Worst case I use them as mixing pumps for new saltwater down the road. They are cheap enough to play around with at this stage. Would have been a different question if the tank already were up and running.

Finally, the sump is absolutely a fantastic well-thought out piece of art. What are the dimensions on it. I may have to do a little sump upgrade myself and copy yours by getting in touch with Tyler at Elite Aquatics.

No problem. He make awesome sumps. Please tell him my name and he should be able to pull up my design in a heat beat.

Nice. I especially like the custom sump. Can you tell me the dimensions of the sump?

The size is 33x17x17, about 40 gallons fully filled.

 

[ojonas81]

Took advantage of the Memorial Day sales yesterday and got most of the stuff missing. Ordered the following:

• RLSS Waveline DC-6000 return pump
• RLSS R8-I 8 Skimmer
• Hanna Checker - Phosphate
• Hanna Checker - Calcium
• 160 lbs "live" sand
• 60 lbs BRS Pukani dry rock
• 20 lbs BRS branched dry rock
• 2 BRS GFO/Carbon Deluxe reactors

Saved a couple of $100 total which always is nice. Christmas in June it looks like. My FedEx guy will love me.

Only major item that would be left to order now are the two Radio Pros (will wait some until I get the tank setup since I do not need the light right away), new salt mix, tank(s) for remote refugium(s) and finally plumbing parts.

Any recommendations for salt mixtures? I have been fairly successful with IO Reef Crystals for my nano but I am at the end of my bucket there and this would be a good time to switch IF there is a good reason to. If not, I will just keep using IO and be happy with it.

 

[oscarinw]

Loving your thread.
I really like your sump. What's the plan for your skimmer? Or is that middle section where you plan to put it in? Remember that the footprint of the DCS200-INT is 16x11 inches so plan ahead...
I have been doing some research on salts myself and have decided to give the Red Sea Coral pro a try. People seem to favor the Tropic Marin as well... Right now I am about to start adding corals so I've been using the Instant Ocean salt so far.
Finally, make sure to dedicate and expand your power outlets from your electric box to avoid any future problems.
Good luck with things and please keep those pictures coming.

 

[ojonas81]

I decided to go with the RLSS R8-I 8 Skimmer which has a much smaller footprint than the DCS200-INT so space-wise I will be fine. In fact the sump was designed with the DCS200 in mind so it would have fitted fine as well.

Think I will be more than fine for my electrical outlets as well. Have two separate dedicated 20A lines going to the wall outlet. Then I will distribute it evenly inside the stand via APEX EB8 power strips.

 

[ojonas81]

Just found out that the skimmer I ordered is back ordered and won't be available until end of June/early July. Bummer!

May keep the order as is for now but if anything changes short term and another skimmer comes up a s a good option I may cancel this order and order something else instead. However, I may not even be ready with water in the tank by end of June so may not be a huge issue.

 

[ojonas81]

Forgot to add earlier that I also ordered two WP-40 pumps as well. If they don't work out I will just use them as mixing pumps for new salt water. Worth a shot because they are so cheap.

 

[Animadverto]

Just out of curiosity, do you have to go through U.S. Customs and pay import taxes on the Miracles tank or is that covered under NAFTA?

Looking forward to more pics!

 

[ojonas81]

Just out of curiosity, do you have to go through U.S. Customs and pay import taxes on the Miracles tank or is that covered under NAFTA?

According to Miracles I do not have to pay taxes on it because of the trade agreement between USA and Canada. I guess we will see if that is true later this week or early next.

7 packages of fun shipped from BRS today. Can't wait until everything is here.

 

[Animadverto]

This may be a little too late to bring this up since the Radions may already be on their way to you from BRS. Have you thought about the ATI Led/T5 powermodules, the Mitras or the Vertex Illumina?

 

[ojonas81]

Have not ordered the Radions yet. Wanted to wait to order the lights until I am ready for water and have my canopy built in order to maximize the warranty period.

I have looked into the other options and they are all good. I do however like the Radions more and since there are rumors that they soon will be able to talk to my APEX it will only make them an even better choice for me.

 

[ojonas81]

Christmas arrived early today. Two(!) UPS trucks arrived this afternoon with goodies from BRS.

They dropped off the following:

• 160lbs of Fiji Pink Reef Sand
• 60lbs Pukani dry rock
• 10lbs Tonga multibranch dry rock
• 10lbs single branch rock
• 2 BRS GFO/Carbon Deluxe Reactors
• Hanna Calcium checker
• Hanna Phophate checker

I saw that one of the sand boxes were broken and slightly wet.

My guess is that one of the bags have a small hole in it. Should I be worried or just move one and don't bother contacting BRS regarding this?

Also got contacted by the freight company. The tank will arrive at the freight depot here in Jacksonville on Tuesday of next week! Cant wait to get it home. I do however need to figure out how to get it home. Will not have access to a lot of carrying help on Tuesday. Any recommendation on how to resolve this? Can you hire a moving company to pick up the tank at the depot and transport it into my house?

 

[phantomg23]

i like your stand

 

[ojonas81]

Unpacked all the dry rock today and man do you get more than you expect with the Pukani.

To practice I marked out the tank size on a wood board to see what I have to play with.

Started to play around with different rock structures to see what I like. Will probably play around a lot with this before I'm happy. The goal is to have a fairly open tank but still keep a lot of places to play SPS. The plan was also to have an BTA island somewhere as well. Not sure that will be a reality though.

Here is my first attempt. Think it is too much rock here. Looks a little too closed up. What do you guys think?

Version 1 - Front

Version 1 - Front left angle

Version 1 - Left side

Version 1 - Right side

Version 2 is just a slight modification of version 1 but it makes it much more open.

Version 2 - Front

Version 2 - Front left

Version 2 - Left side

Version 2 - Right side

As you can see I have not used one single of the branching rocks here and I also have a few Pukani rocks left as well. Please give me critique and suggestions on how to modify to make it better. I may carve out some caves in the bottom rocks. All rocks will ultimately be cemented together for stability.

 

[TKCC]

I like version 2 better. Both look good though.....cannot wait to see it in water! Best of luck!

 

[mgrmax]

Number 2

 

[ojonas81]

Picked up a 20 gallon tall tank today that will work as my remote refugium. Fits perfect in the stand. I also got the stand moved into its final position. Also have a new version of the aquascape courtesy of my beautiful wife.

Here is the stand in its new and final location. The top board will arrive tomorrow Monday and the tank is set for Tuesday or Wednesday.

Inside the stand with the 20 gallon tank fitted. It will be sitting elevated on a small shelf so it can use gravity to drain back into the sump.

Finally, version 3 of the aquascape.

Vesion 3- Front

Version 3 - Front left

Version 3 - Left view

Version 3 - Right view