SPotter
Active member
Awesome! were you able to round up enough muscle to help move the tank?
Kelly's 300g in-wall build thread
- Thread starter kelrn98
- Start date
Awesome! were you able to round up enough muscle to help move the tank?
tony11387
Reefer
I bought the same fixture and I believe they are fine as long as you change the bulbs that come with them. I swapped mine for some pheonix 14k bulbs. Good luck on the build.
kelrn98
Member
they are not shipping to my door. I am meeting them at the interstate, not too far from my house. They are in transit from AL to TX. It cost me only $120 to ship since it was on there way.
I am trying to "round up" some muscle. I think I have enough to get it off the trunk and into my truck. However, it may sit in the truck for a few days until I can get some more help.
I am trying to "round up" some muscle. I think I have enough to get it off the trunk and into my truck. However, it may sit in the truck for a few days until I can get some more help.
BongoSolo3
New member
I bought a similar fixture when I started my 75 and got a year out of it before the digital controller fried.
I had the same goal - get something cheap to start and upgrade later on. Goal accomplished.
I had the same goal - get something cheap to start and upgrade later on. Goal accomplished.
kelrn98
Member
Ugh........a minor delay
Ugh........a minor delay
Glasscages just informed me that my tank won't be here until the 25th. I was supposed to be here on the 20th. Oh well, I guess it gives me more time to prepare.
This weekend we will be completing the fish room, painting, and putting baffles into the sump. And, BTW I will also be working 12 hour night shifts all weekend. Just another sacrifice for this hobby,lol.
Ugh........a minor delay
Glasscages just informed me that my tank won't be here until the 25th. I was supposed to be here on the 20th. Oh well, I guess it gives me more time to prepare.
This weekend we will be completing the fish room, painting, and putting baffles into the sump. And, BTW I will also be working 12 hour night shifts all weekend. Just another sacrifice for this hobby,lol.
tylersarah
Member
Subscribed...can't wait to see the finished result, watching the progress and build is awesome too!
Michael cicco
In Memoriam
that looks like alot of work did you use a ceratin paint for the wood or just stain ?
kelrn98
Member
Hey all, I will try to catch up on some responses.
@ gmate: the floor was a total bummer. I had the new hard wood floors put in after hurricane Katrina ruined my previous hardwoods. I set up my 120g a few months later and then ruined the flooring within a month. I left the tank sitting on ruined floor and put a rug over it until now. I am so happy to just have new flooring, the new tank stuff is just a BIG bonus.
@ SPotter: My boyfriend is a police officer in Biloxi where they will be delivering the tank. I plan to round up some big cops to help with the move off the moving truck onto my truck. The move in the house.........I am borrowing a floor dolly and plan to build a ramp over the 2 small steps into the house. Holding my breath that it goes well.
@ tony11387 & Bongo: I will replace my MH bulbs. Hopefully that will make the difference as you suggest. If I have to upgrade I will. I would have rathered have LEDs anyway, but the info on the LEDs is still new to me and I'd rather wait until there are specifics about what LEDs to buy.
@ Michael: the wood is just regular 2x4's untreated. I am going to paint it, then apply clear acrylic to protect from water. Below you will see that I am enclosing the fish room completely, there will be a bar in front of the tank, and the only visible part of the tank will be the front glass.
@ gmate: the floor was a total bummer. I had the new hard wood floors put in after hurricane Katrina ruined my previous hardwoods. I set up my 120g a few months later and then ruined the flooring within a month. I left the tank sitting on ruined floor and put a rug over it until now. I am so happy to just have new flooring, the new tank stuff is just a BIG bonus.
@ SPotter: My boyfriend is a police officer in Biloxi where they will be delivering the tank. I plan to round up some big cops to help with the move off the moving truck onto my truck. The move in the house.........I am borrowing a floor dolly and plan to build a ramp over the 2 small steps into the house. Holding my breath that it goes well.
@ tony11387 & Bongo: I will replace my MH bulbs. Hopefully that will make the difference as you suggest. If I have to upgrade I will. I would have rathered have LEDs anyway, but the info on the LEDs is still new to me and I'd rather wait until there are specifics about what LEDs to buy.
@ Michael: the wood is just regular 2x4's untreated. I am going to paint it, then apply clear acrylic to protect from water. Below you will see that I am enclosing the fish room completely, there will be a bar in front of the tank, and the only visible part of the tank will be the front glass.
Phishguy
New member
I have the same light. Been using it for years without any trouble. First thing you will want to do is replace the bulbs. I went with phoenix 14k. I also swapped out the t5's for leds. It is a very basic light but its all in one which makes it nice..
kelrn98
Member
[B][/B] Yesterday's progress
Yesterday's progress
Here are a few pics of yesterday's progress and some of the equipment that has arrived. I will work on it a few hours today before having to sleep. I work night shift.
BTW, this fish room project has expanded to all surrounding areas. First, I had to replace the flooring as mentioned above. I figured since I was replacing the flooring in the living room, I may as well replace the flooring in the adjacent laundry room and bathroom. Then, I decided the new tile and walls did not match and the room (since it is now 70 sq ft smaller) should be much brighter, so I am painting the living room and fish room. I wish it stopped there. I decided since the washer and dryer were pulled out to put in flooring I needed to go ahead and paint the laundry room too. And, oh well, may as well paint the bathroom too. So things are crazy busy, not to mention I work fulltime and I am in school full time. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!
So here are a few pics from yesterday:
My dad, hard at work. We placed plywood before the sheet rock so no one can accidently put their foot through the sheet rock while sitting at the bar.
After most of the sheet rock was placed on living room side.
view from within the fish room:
Living room almost painted (it was coffee brown before)
calcium reactor arrived yesterday. Havent opened it but the box is huge.
portable AC/dehumidifier arrived earlier this week.
and finally.... I have played around w/ some PVC to build a structure to attach my rocks. I have bought 2 sheets of egg crate lighting filter to place in bottom of tank and thought I may zip tie this to the egg crate for more stability
Yesterday's progress
Here are a few pics of yesterday's progress and some of the equipment that has arrived. I will work on it a few hours today before having to sleep. I work night shift.
BTW, this fish room project has expanded to all surrounding areas. First, I had to replace the flooring as mentioned above. I figured since I was replacing the flooring in the living room, I may as well replace the flooring in the adjacent laundry room and bathroom. Then, I decided the new tile and walls did not match and the room (since it is now 70 sq ft smaller) should be much brighter, so I am painting the living room and fish room. I wish it stopped there. I decided since the washer and dryer were pulled out to put in flooring I needed to go ahead and paint the laundry room too. And, oh well, may as well paint the bathroom too. So things are crazy busy, not to mention I work fulltime and I am in school full time. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!
So here are a few pics from yesterday:
My dad, hard at work. We placed plywood before the sheet rock so no one can accidently put their foot through the sheet rock while sitting at the bar.
After most of the sheet rock was placed on living room side.
view from within the fish room:
Living room almost painted (it was coffee brown before)
calcium reactor arrived yesterday. Havent opened it but the box is huge.
portable AC/dehumidifier arrived earlier this week.
and finally.... I have played around w/ some PVC to build a structure to attach my rocks. I have bought 2 sheets of egg crate lighting filter to place in bottom of tank and thought I may zip tie this to the egg crate for more stability
kelrn98
Member
Today was pretty slow when it comes to pictures. Mainly did some caulking, trimming, and painting. I will post pics when I can.
I need some suggestions in plumbing. I plan to run a closed loop with a reeflo barracuda. I have a Mag 1800 I was considering using as a return from the sump, but I wasn't sure this is enough.
I will have 4 bulkheads drilled in bottom of tank. 2 overflows. Each overflo has one 1'' bulkhead and one 1 1/2'' bulkhead. I need to feed from the drain lines my sump and possibly my refugium if I cannot get it drilled. (I am tanking both my sump and refugium to a glass shop to see about getting them drilled.
The skimmer and calcium reactor I believe have their own pumps. I have ordered the Reef Octopus 5000 internal skimmer w/ bubble blaster and Reef Octopus 5000 Calcium reactor. My media reactor also has its own pump. I would like to run a GFO reactor w/ a small 2 little fishies reactor if you think it would make a difference. Otherwise I can run it on my QT tank. If I run it on the display (on the sump) do you think I should run flow from a manifold or does it need its own pump?
I need help in lines of how to plumb and in what order to plumb. Please help. I know there are threads, I have searched, believe me. But this is my weakest link for sure. I am pretty much planning this alone and I am a RN, and no where close to a plumber. Of the 4 bulkheads, how many should drain to the sump? should flow go through the sump then to the fuge or 1 drain to sump, one to fuge? how many gph through sump and fuge? Is there a way to measure or calculate this or do I just use a gate valve to adjust? I would also like to plumb in a frag tank. It will be sitting adjacent to the tank whereas the sump and fuge are below the tank. What is the best way to incorporate the frag tank? off the closed loop? Also, what about the whole concept of getting air in reactors when shutting the return pump off? I heard someone talking about having a manifold pump? How does this work?
Finally, I am going to run the closed loop above the tank. The tank is 96'' x 24'' x 31''T. I was thinking to run a T piece at the beginning and run two 8' pvc sections down the legnth of both sides of the tank w/ 4-6 drains into the tank to be placed approx 1 inch below the surface of the water. Is this enough or too much? What size diameter PVC for this closed loop? I plan to feed the Closed Loop from one of the bulkhead drains in bottom of tank. Should I use a 1'' or 1 1/2'' bulkhead for the drain to closed loop?
Oh, one more thing, I saw this on marine depot and want to know if it will truely make a difference? If so, I will gladly purchase and place on returns from closed loop. http://www.marinedepot.com/Hydra_Aquatics_Twist_Water_Flow_Accelerators_MPT_Flexible_Ball_Socket_Tubing_Plumbing_Parts-Hydra_Aquatics-AZ21452-FIFTFB-vi.html
I know this is ALOT of questions. Don't feel obligated to answer them all. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!! I am sooooooo excited about this build!!
I need some suggestions in plumbing. I plan to run a closed loop with a reeflo barracuda. I have a Mag 1800 I was considering using as a return from the sump, but I wasn't sure this is enough.
I will have 4 bulkheads drilled in bottom of tank. 2 overflows. Each overflo has one 1'' bulkhead and one 1 1/2'' bulkhead. I need to feed from the drain lines my sump and possibly my refugium if I cannot get it drilled. (I am tanking both my sump and refugium to a glass shop to see about getting them drilled.
The skimmer and calcium reactor I believe have their own pumps. I have ordered the Reef Octopus 5000 internal skimmer w/ bubble blaster and Reef Octopus 5000 Calcium reactor. My media reactor also has its own pump. I would like to run a GFO reactor w/ a small 2 little fishies reactor if you think it would make a difference. Otherwise I can run it on my QT tank. If I run it on the display (on the sump) do you think I should run flow from a manifold or does it need its own pump?
I need help in lines of how to plumb and in what order to plumb. Please help. I know there are threads, I have searched, believe me. But this is my weakest link for sure. I am pretty much planning this alone and I am a RN, and no where close to a plumber. Of the 4 bulkheads, how many should drain to the sump? should flow go through the sump then to the fuge or 1 drain to sump, one to fuge? how many gph through sump and fuge? Is there a way to measure or calculate this or do I just use a gate valve to adjust? I would also like to plumb in a frag tank. It will be sitting adjacent to the tank whereas the sump and fuge are below the tank. What is the best way to incorporate the frag tank? off the closed loop? Also, what about the whole concept of getting air in reactors when shutting the return pump off? I heard someone talking about having a manifold pump? How does this work?
Finally, I am going to run the closed loop above the tank. The tank is 96'' x 24'' x 31''T. I was thinking to run a T piece at the beginning and run two 8' pvc sections down the legnth of both sides of the tank w/ 4-6 drains into the tank to be placed approx 1 inch below the surface of the water. Is this enough or too much? What size diameter PVC for this closed loop? I plan to feed the Closed Loop from one of the bulkhead drains in bottom of tank. Should I use a 1'' or 1 1/2'' bulkhead for the drain to closed loop?
Oh, one more thing, I saw this on marine depot and want to know if it will truely make a difference? If so, I will gladly purchase and place on returns from closed loop. http://www.marinedepot.com/Hydra_Aquatics_Twist_Water_Flow_Accelerators_MPT_Flexible_Ball_Socket_Tubing_Plumbing_Parts-Hydra_Aquatics-AZ21452-FIFTFB-vi.html
I know this is ALOT of questions. Don't feel obligated to answer them all. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!! I am sooooooo excited about this build!!
SPotter
Active member
Lets see if I can answer some of these questions or at the least give you my opinion....
Return pump....ditch the mag and go with an external like a hammerhead or barracuda. You can build a manifold that will feed a fuge, chiller, reactors....anything you want it to. It will require another hole in the sump but its totally worth it.
I don't think using one of the drain lines to feed the closed loop will be a good idea because the flow rate might be too fast and it will become awfully loud. I would put a post in either the DIY or Advanced topics thread.
Flow thru the sump should be 5-10 times your tank volume per hour so you will need both of your drain pipes draining into the sump and then feed the fuge off of the manifold. You want a slower turnover in the fuge too so by using the manifold you will be able to adjust the flow rate on the fuge.
Are you totally set on going with a closed loop? If you are planning on stocking a lot sps you might not be able to generate adequate flow with one closed loop system on a tank your size. I was all set to do a closed loop on my 315g and after talking to a lot of people I realized I would have to put 2 pumps on the tank in order to get the turnover I would like to have. You might want to think about using the pump you were going to use for the closed loop as your return and manifold pump and then look around for some used power heads. They will give you more flexibility in terms of directions to point them in and much higher turnover. I will be putting 2 tunze 6301's and 2 tunze 6305's on my tank which will probably give me around 100x an hour turn over in the tank but I will be able to turn back as much as I want based on my needs. I will then use a barracuda pump for my return lines and then use an iwaki 70 to feed a manifold which will then feed my fuge, reactors, chiller, uv and anything else that I might want to put on the tank.
Finally, I would definitely get the penductors from marinedepot and put those on your return lines as well.
Return pump....ditch the mag and go with an external like a hammerhead or barracuda. You can build a manifold that will feed a fuge, chiller, reactors....anything you want it to. It will require another hole in the sump but its totally worth it.
I don't think using one of the drain lines to feed the closed loop will be a good idea because the flow rate might be too fast and it will become awfully loud. I would put a post in either the DIY or Advanced topics thread.
Flow thru the sump should be 5-10 times your tank volume per hour so you will need both of your drain pipes draining into the sump and then feed the fuge off of the manifold. You want a slower turnover in the fuge too so by using the manifold you will be able to adjust the flow rate on the fuge.
Are you totally set on going with a closed loop? If you are planning on stocking a lot sps you might not be able to generate adequate flow with one closed loop system on a tank your size. I was all set to do a closed loop on my 315g and after talking to a lot of people I realized I would have to put 2 pumps on the tank in order to get the turnover I would like to have. You might want to think about using the pump you were going to use for the closed loop as your return and manifold pump and then look around for some used power heads. They will give you more flexibility in terms of directions to point them in and much higher turnover. I will be putting 2 tunze 6301's and 2 tunze 6305's on my tank which will probably give me around 100x an hour turn over in the tank but I will be able to turn back as much as I want based on my needs. I will then use a barracuda pump for my return lines and then use an iwaki 70 to feed a manifold which will then feed my fuge, reactors, chiller, uv and anything else that I might want to put on the tank.
Finally, I would definitely get the penductors from marinedepot and put those on your return lines as well.
kelrn98
Member
I have been busy, busy w/ work and painting........Grrrrrrrr, I hate painting, but I love the results. The tank will be here Saturday, but I work all weekend :sad2:
I need some suggestions as to what bulbs I should change my T5's to. I have a total of 8 T5's. The fixture came w/ "Sun World" actinics only. Though I am starting from scratch w/ the SPS, I would really like to bring out greens and purples.
Also, I would like some opinions on painting the back/sides of the tank. This tank will not be going anywhere anytime soon. If I ever get rid of it, it will be because it has broken or I am getting out of the hobby. I cannot decide whether to paint black or blue and I also cannot remember which paint is recommended. Any tips for flawless painting? lol.
Lastly, if any of you could post a pic or 2 of your manifold and other plumbing, that would be of great help.
Sorry for being so needy, I just really want to do this right!
I need some suggestions as to what bulbs I should change my T5's to. I have a total of 8 T5's. The fixture came w/ "Sun World" actinics only. Though I am starting from scratch w/ the SPS, I would really like to bring out greens and purples.
Also, I would like some opinions on painting the back/sides of the tank. This tank will not be going anywhere anytime soon. If I ever get rid of it, it will be because it has broken or I am getting out of the hobby. I cannot decide whether to paint black or blue and I also cannot remember which paint is recommended. Any tips for flawless painting? lol.
Lastly, if any of you could post a pic or 2 of your manifold and other plumbing, that would be of great help.
Sorry for being so needy, I just really want to do this right!
