Kovy's 180G Reef

[TheFishTeen]

- Kovy's 180G Reef Build Thread - ​

Introduction: Back when I first started getting serious about the hobby, I read a quote in one of my reef keeping books:

"Whereas today the average aquarium uses white sterile corals, it is entirely possible that the aquarium of tomorrow will contain nothing but live corals and fish...”

Robert P.L. Straughan, 1973
The Marine Collectors Guide

With a website like ReefCentral, its obvious the community has have taken this above and beyond. So without further or do, here is my first official attempt, to join the crew.

End Goal: To build a successful reef aquarium, that puts the finishing touch on our recently remodeled basement. The aquarium cabinetry will match the wall to wall entertainment system on the opposing side of the room. Here are some pics:

Wall unit on opposite side of the room, facing the wall were the tank will be: (excuse the mess, the basement used to be our storage/junk room :facepalm

And the opposite side of the room, where the tank will be located: (Again, excuse the mess :worried2: All the boxes and junk will be removed).

And the (hopefully) end result:

More info coming soon!

 

[TheFishTeen]

Tank Specifics:

-60"x30"x24"H Eurobraced glass tank.
-Black Trapezoid overflow with two 1.5" Durso drains.
-Black Back
-Four returns atop the tank, on the eurobracing.

Built by Advanced Aqua Tanks (Maker of Visio) here in Los Angeles.

The design is NOT 100% final. I might make a slight change.

 

[TheFishTeen]

Stand:

60"x30"x40"H. Double studs, two cross center braces and four bottom braces (for sump).

2x6" top frame, the rest is 2x4. If anyone has any suggestions feel free. 3/4" plywood atop the stand after everything is all said and done.

 

[danfeig]

I am excited to follow along Kovy! One question, why only 24" high? It looks as if you have plenty of room.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

I spot call of duty in picture one. Off to a great start :thumbsup:

 

[Jacob Sellers]

Will be following this one.

 

[mwminer]

I would make stand 34 or 36 tall looks better and fives room for under tank access

 

[TheFishTeen]

I am excited to follow along Kovy! One question, why only 24" high? It looks as if you have plenty of room.

Hi Danfeig, my build will probably be (in scale) something close to your quarantine tank.

My previous tank was 24" high, and I really liked it. Once I go higher, he cost will probably jump a lot, since the height will increase the thickness of the glass. I'll think it over some more, Im not ordering the tank until sunday.

 

[TheFishTeen]

I spot call of duty in picture one. Off to a great start :thumbsup:

:wildone: Yup, thats definitely COD. Welcome aboard.

 

[TheFishTeen]

Will be following this one.

:dance: Since we've talked I've made TONS of changes to the setup. I will be using your pump though!

 

[TheFishTeen]

I would make stand 34 or 36 tall looks better and fives room for under tank access

The stand is 42" tall, not 34/36".

 

[TheFishTeen]

Time for a sneak peak of some of the equipment for this build:

Skimmer: Deltec AP851. I acquired this skimmer from an RC user who had to shut down his build before it even touched saltwater.

 

[TheFishTeen]

I haven't decided yet if Im going to do a return and a closed loop or just a strong return, but no matter what I do choose, i'll use my Oceans Motions 4-Way to randomize the flow. This OM4 is a key component to this build.

 

[TheFishTeen]

Alight, lets take a look at the sump:

The design is based off Vivid Aquariums custom sump.

NOTE this is a 'beta' design. 90% chance of this design being changed.

 

[geaux xman]

12mm glass?

 

[BigOldReef]

You'll be very happy with that Skimmer. I ran one on a 400g system and it did a great job.

For your sump design since the water flows up and through the filters socks and then down, you might not need the 3 remaining baffles as a bubble trap, since the water is passing through the socks and the socks should stop the bubbles.

Also I'm trying to figure out if your last baffle, where the return pump goes is going to be too small for a high flow pump, and make your topoff very sensitive because it is such a small reserve of water.

 

[BigOldReef]

You'll be very happy with that Skimmer. I ran one on a 400g system and it did a great job.

For your sump design since the water flows up and through the filters socks and then down, you might not need the 3 remaining baffles as a bubble trap, since the water is passing through the socks and the socks should stop any bubbles.

Also I'm trying to figure out if your last baffle, where the return pump goes is going to be too small for a high flow pump, and make your topoff very sensitive because it is such a small reserve of water.

 

[TheFishTeen]

You'll be very happy with that Skimmer. I ran one on a 400g system and it did a great job.

For your sump design since the water flows up and through the filters socks and then down, you might not need the 3 remaining baffles as a bubble trap, since the water is passing through the socks and the socks should stop the bubbles.

Also I'm trying to figure out if your last baffle, where the return pump goes is going to be too small for a high flow pump, and make your topoff very sensitive because it is such a small reserve of water.

Hi BigOldReef,

The sump design isn't mine, but I do know is it is very effective at removing bubbles from the system. Im kind of bothered by the sump dimensions, I want it to be as big as possible but I need the extra space.

Just to explain a few things, the reason the final chamber is so skinny, is because the pump is going to suck from the back, not the side. Im doing this to conserve space under the tank, and making use of some space I will have behind the tank. Like I said before, this probably isn't going to be the final design.

Also keep in mind the sump is 24" front to back, so although the middle chamber looks small, it really isn't.

Just to give an idea, the wall the tank is going against is this shape:

 

[TheFishTeen]

Here is another look at the sump, with the front pane removed:

 

[TheFishTeen]

12mm glass?

Hi geaux xman, I see you have a tank with similar dimensions.

If 12mm is 1/2", then yes Im pretty sure they'll be building it with 1/2" glass. I will check tomorrow, before I put in the order.