Mike's 300 Double-D
- Thread starter prop-frags
- Start date
prop-frags
SPS Slave
This is Terry posting a quick update for Mike:
Thanks Dan!
Quick Update
We had another long, crazy, busy day yesterday. A BIG Thank You to our wonderful friends crabby10 and Redhdfishgirl
for all their help with the move back to the dt.
We're now in the process of reclaiming the garage (again), lol.
Our fish are happy to be back in the dt and the corals are a bit beat up, but no losses. We'll post some pics later.
Thanks again everyone for the encouragement, support and advice. We are truly appreciative!
Thanks Dan!
Quick Update
We had another long, crazy, busy day yesterday. A BIG Thank You to our wonderful friends crabby10 and Redhdfishgirl
for all their help with the move back to the dt.
We're now in the process of reclaiming the garage (again), lol.
Our fish are happy to be back in the dt and the corals are a bit beat up, but no losses. We'll post some pics later.
Thanks again everyone for the encouragement, support and advice. We are truly appreciative!
blumoon reefers
New member
Glad to hear that you got everything back in!!! And even better to hear that you suffered no losses this time.
prop-frags
SPS Slave
Here's a bit more detail on what we've done to get the tank back up and running.
After we drained the tank on 4/24, we did a clean up job. This involved using the shop vac to pull out all remaining water and sand, including the closed loop. A neat little trick we discovered was to run the OM4 allowing it to roll through all the CL outlets, while using the shop vac to pull the water out. This is a really convenient way to drain the CL pump, intake and all four outlets without having to disconnect anything!
After getting everything vacuumed out, we used R/O water and vinegar to wipe down all the surfaces inside the tank, then a couple of rounds of just clean R/O water to rinse everything down. Then the shop vac is used again to dry it all out. This was the prep for the repair of the overflow box. The repair happened on Monday 4/25, went very well, and we braced the overflow box with a length of 1.5" PVC pipe. That remained in place until Friday 4/29 to give the silicone plenty of time to cure.
This Friday, we cleaned up the mess left from the overflow repair, and then did a leak test. This was accomplished by blocking the drain holes, filling the overflow box with R/O water, and then waiting for while checking for leaks. The repair was well-done. Not only did we have good structural strength, but no leaks. The only downside to the repair was the use of clear silicone rather than the black silicone that the factory used. A minor cosmetic issue that hopefully won't be noticeable. With the water test done, we then flushed the drain lines and return line with R/O water, and did one last wipe down.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5677482675/" title="nt 1037 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5677482675_c3562f7a19_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1037"></a>
A bit of closer look at the repair job. This is the left side of the overflow box (we GLOPPED the silicone on - no more failures please!):
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5678046540/" title="nt 1058 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5106/5678046540_a55b09a2e2_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1058"></a>
As we mentioned a few days back, one of the bright spots in this latest problem is that we have the opportunity to re-work the CL outlets. We we looking for some fittings to use in the back two outlets that blended into the background exceptionally well, but also provided great flow and allowed us to direct the flow where we needed it. After playing with several prototypes, we came up with something that looks a bit like a Texas hood ornament! On the front outlets, we up-sized to the larger flared nozzles, and added some length to be able to curl them up and contour to the bottom of the rock scape. Here's a look at the left side:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5677484247/" title="nt 1039 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5677484247_7fecdd419b_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1039"></a>
Right side:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5677486351/" title="nt 1040 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5061/5677486351_ab11c220fc_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1040"></a>
Saturday was BUSY BUSY. As Terry mentioned, we had some awesome help moving everything back into the display. We had made up 180g of fresh salt water mix. This was because the water that went into the 180g stock vat where we kept the fish all week had become quite polluted (PO4 was measuring 0.55 - ouch!). So we moved all the live rock back, rebuilt the tree structures, caught all the fish, released all the fish, moved all corals, scooped all the sand, you get the picture. Tons of work. :hammer:
Here's how it looks right now: not too shabby, but the corals are not real happy with us, and a few of the fish are pretty beat up too:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5678146248/" title="nt 1069 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5678146248_0359fec44d_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1069"></a>
Now, its time for champagne to celebrate getting back in the game. After all, it's not how you fall, it's how you get back up...
:beer:
After we drained the tank on 4/24, we did a clean up job. This involved using the shop vac to pull out all remaining water and sand, including the closed loop. A neat little trick we discovered was to run the OM4 allowing it to roll through all the CL outlets, while using the shop vac to pull the water out. This is a really convenient way to drain the CL pump, intake and all four outlets without having to disconnect anything!
After getting everything vacuumed out, we used R/O water and vinegar to wipe down all the surfaces inside the tank, then a couple of rounds of just clean R/O water to rinse everything down. Then the shop vac is used again to dry it all out. This was the prep for the repair of the overflow box. The repair happened on Monday 4/25, went very well, and we braced the overflow box with a length of 1.5" PVC pipe. That remained in place until Friday 4/29 to give the silicone plenty of time to cure.
This Friday, we cleaned up the mess left from the overflow repair, and then did a leak test. This was accomplished by blocking the drain holes, filling the overflow box with R/O water, and then waiting for while checking for leaks. The repair was well-done. Not only did we have good structural strength, but no leaks. The only downside to the repair was the use of clear silicone rather than the black silicone that the factory used. A minor cosmetic issue that hopefully won't be noticeable. With the water test done, we then flushed the drain lines and return line with R/O water, and did one last wipe down.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5677482675/" title="nt 1037 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5187/5677482675_c3562f7a19_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1037"></a>
A bit of closer look at the repair job. This is the left side of the overflow box (we GLOPPED the silicone on - no more failures please!):
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5678046540/" title="nt 1058 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5106/5678046540_a55b09a2e2_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1058"></a>
As we mentioned a few days back, one of the bright spots in this latest problem is that we have the opportunity to re-work the CL outlets. We we looking for some fittings to use in the back two outlets that blended into the background exceptionally well, but also provided great flow and allowed us to direct the flow where we needed it. After playing with several prototypes, we came up with something that looks a bit like a Texas hood ornament!
On the front outlets, we up-sized to the larger flared nozzles, and added some length to be able to curl them up and contour to the bottom of the rock scape. Here's a look at the left side:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5677484247/" title="nt 1039 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5677484247_7fecdd419b_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1039"></a>
Right side:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5677486351/" title="nt 1040 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5061/5677486351_ab11c220fc_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1040"></a>
Saturday was BUSY BUSY. As Terry mentioned, we had some awesome help moving everything back into the display. We had made up 180g of fresh salt water mix. This was because the water that went into the 180g stock vat where we kept the fish all week had become quite polluted (PO4 was measuring 0.55 - ouch!). So we moved all the live rock back, rebuilt the tree structures, caught all the fish, released all the fish, moved all corals, scooped all the sand, you get the picture. Tons of work. :hammer:
Here's how it looks right now: not too shabby, but the corals are not real happy with us, and a few of the fish are pretty beat up too:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5678146248/" title="nt 1069 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5678146248_0359fec44d_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1069"></a>
Now, its time for champagne to celebrate getting back in the game. After all, it's not how you fall, it's how you get back up...
:beer:
TheFishTeen
New member
Wow! This came out to be quite an amazing journey. Not that I don't expect that from a big set-up like this, but there was definitely some stuff I wasn't prepared for...
drummereef
Team RC
Still beautiful, still jealous, still amazed at your ability to take a hit (or 2) and keep on moving forward. You guys are great! Congrats getting it all back up and running. :thumbsup:
apayan
New member
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5678146248/" title="nt 1069 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5678146248_0359fec44d_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1069"></a>
Good luck through the kick started ammonia cycle. Looking better than ever! Congrats to you both :bounce3:
Good luck through the kick started ammonia cycle. Looking better than ever! Congrats to you both :bounce3:
110galreef
New member
Wow, tank looks amazing still!
The redoing of rockwork many times has to suck! It never goes back the same, even if you move like 2 pieces!
The redoing of rockwork many times has to suck! It never goes back the same, even if you move like 2 pieces!
launchnukes
New member
glad to see everything made it back into the tank ok. looking good.
D5HP
New member
Well although I didn't like having to read about you "getting back up" TWICE it sure shows your dedication to what will undoubtedly become a beautiful aquarium.
I wish I had been closer to help you out this is really something else.
Looking forward to more and more photos!
prop-frags
SPS Slave
Yes, as much planning as we do, there always seems to be unexpected things that pop up. The trick is to just keep on learning and looking for the worst case scenarios. This weekend, we saw several things in the sump room that needed fixing...more on that later.
Thanks Brett... we're glad for the livestock to be back in the display and hopefully no more stress!
Thanks Michael! We have been inspired by so many of you guys here on RC. The tanks that fill these forums keep us motivated to make our system better, and help our livestock thrive.
Thank you! We did not move any of the water from the 180g stock tank the fish were in, so we're hoping the cycle will be minimal. Phosphate reading yesterday was .1 and ammonia test was zero. We're dosing Stability right now since we added so much fresh salt mix. Hopefully this will all help keep the cycles short and low intensity.
It is a mix of CaribSea Special Grade Sea Floor and Tropic Eden Reef Flakes.
Austin (Stunreefer) pointed us toward the Reef Flakes early in our build thread, and we're glad he did! It's the best sand we've ever used. Highly recommended.We know exactly what you mean! This time, we took some video of the rock work as it was being disassembled so that we would know how to reconstruct. Once we get the sand spread and the corals arranged again, it will look a whole lot better. Thanks for the compliment.
Thank you Matt! We're watching your epic build with great interest. It's pretty awesome how your profession intersects with your hobby...we are absolutely in awe of your drawings and your planning. Can't wait to see it play out.
Thanks! The Kole tang is pretty beat up, but looks like it will be ok. The male lineatus wrasse still has a bit of a bruised lip we are keeping a close eye on that. Terry is going to take some fish pics later this week.
Dustin, we appreciate that more than you know. There have been a lot of moments where we weren't so sure if we were going to be able to rise to the occasion, but it was the generous help and support (both physical and emotional) that you guys have given us that kept us in the game!
:fish1:
The big change that we made in our ghetto sump room this weekend was to move the main return pump outlet "manifold" (the term is used loosely) from under the sump up to above the sump. Here's what it used to look like - you can see the poor design with all those connections that can leak right down on top of the pump:
And now:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5682132818/" title="DSC_6030 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5682132818_cf84a7a664_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="DSC_6030"></a>
It's a bit hard to see, but the pump outlet now has only the TUBV at the pump, and then the line comes up from under the stand on the right side to a union and a 1" tee (you can see just behind the right back corner of the sump), which then splits off to the right is another TUBV for the line heading up to the display. To the left of the 1" tee is 1" spa flex line which climbs gently (behind the octopus skimmer cup) to the John Guest quick-connect for the calcium reactor, and then another TUBV which goes on up to the left through the UV reactor and on to the prop tank/refugium.
All this is going to get reworked in the coming weeks - we're being embarrassed by Brett and Chris' sump rooms
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5681567719/" title="DSC_6029 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5681567719_8fbc3b5fc7_z.jpg" width="640" height="422" alt="DSC_6029"></a>
Last edited:
cubsare1
New member
Thanks for the reply, I saw that (tropic eden sand) in the posts earlier and have not been able to find any available.
I actually just picked up my 300d.d. last week and have been following your thread, and a couple others, for ideas. You and your wife are more of an inspiration than you may know. Keep up the great work on your beautiful aquarium
I actually just picked up my 300d.d. last week and have been following your thread, and a couple others, for ideas. You and your wife are more of an inspiration than you may know. Keep up the great work on your beautiful aquarium
110galreef
New member
And now:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5682132818/" title="DSC_6030 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5682132818_cf84a7a664_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="DSC_6030"></a>
It's a bit hard to see, but the pump outlet now has only the TUBV at the pump, and then the line comes up from under the stand on the right side to a union and a 1" tee (you can see just behind the right back corner of the sump), which then splits off to the right is another TUBV for the line heading up to the display. To the left of the 1" tee is 1" spa flex line which climbs gently (behind the octopus skimmer cup) to the John Guest quick-connect for the calcium reactor, and then another TUBV which goes on up to the left through the UV reactor and on to the prop tank/refugium.
All this is going to get reworked in the coming weeks - we're being embarrassed by Brett and Chris' sump rooms
[/QUOTE]
Is that sump supported by a 2x4's only? It looks to be sagging. Don't want Another failure. Why not a center support?
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5682132818/" title="DSC_6030 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5682132818_cf84a7a664_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="DSC_6030"></a>
It's a bit hard to see, but the pump outlet now has only the TUBV at the pump, and then the line comes up from under the stand on the right side to a union and a 1" tee (you can see just behind the right back corner of the sump), which then splits off to the right is another TUBV for the line heading up to the display. To the left of the 1" tee is 1" spa flex line which climbs gently (behind the octopus skimmer cup) to the John Guest quick-connect for the calcium reactor, and then another TUBV which goes on up to the left through the UV reactor and on to the prop tank/refugium.
All this is going to get reworked in the coming weeks - we're being embarrassed by Brett and Chris' sump rooms
[/QUOTE]
Is that sump supported by a 2x4's only? It looks to be sagging. Don't want Another failure. Why not a center support?
drummereef
Team RC
I think it might just be the perspective of the pic 110g. Happens to me when I am pointing the camera slightly downward when taking a picture. The glass tanks with a bottom rim only really need to be supported at the 4 corners. Looks like there's plenty of vertical support at the corners.
Happens to me when I am pointing the camera slightly downward when taking a picture. The glass tanks with a bottom rim only really need to be supported at the 4 corners. Looks like there's plenty of vertical support at the corners.
prop-frags
SPS Slave
You're welcome! We purchased our sand thru Premium Aquatics and last I checked they had it in stock. Glad to hear about your 300dd. You are going to love the dimensions of this tank. Have you started a build thread yet?
Thank you... that means a lot! We do have a plan to improve the design of the sump room just haven't had time to start work on it yet.
I think it might just be the perspective of the pic 110g.
Thanks Brett, yes it is the perspective of the picture. Kind of makes the tank and stand look like a bow front, LOL. Definitely no sagging and we're planning to replace the glass tank and stand with a larger capacity stock vat soon anyway.
A Quick Update:
It's been a busy week with work, so we haven't gotten as much accomplished as we'd like. We took our 75g refugium/prop tank offline today and gave it a good scrubbing - long overdue!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5698496516/" title="nt 1076 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3587/5698496516_ab04fd7f8d_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1076"></a>
The back ordered skimmer neck cleaner for our Reef Octo finally arrived and we programmed the Apex to control it:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5698496622/" title="nt 1079 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2732/5698496622_42c0d07716_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1079"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5697923091/" title="nt 1078 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2053/5697923091_f1d9bfef6c_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1078"></a>
Terry decided we needed another new toy: :lmao:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryl93/5683366369/" title="nt 1070 by terryl93, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5110/5683366369_b783859b72_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="nt 1070"></a>
I was perfectly happy with the Hanna Checker, but do have to admit the photometer is easier to use. The last check of our phosphates was .05 on Friday, so continuing to go down with no adverse effects on our corals.
We'll post some updated pics of the DT as soon as we're finished arranging the corals. We did at least manage to spread the sand so it no longer looks like a DSB, lol.
launchnukes
New member
Love the skimmer cleaner. I think thats going to be my next non-livestock purchase.
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