mpcart's 240G build

I used maybe half of it believe it or not - but I did use all of the "large" pieces. I have a big pile of <6" rocks in the sump and in a tub with a heater and pump.

Next time I'm going to hand pick my rock.

-Mike
 
mpcart said:
Water changes? What are those?

Just kidding. I was actually pondering that tonight while dry fitting the plumbing. The plan is to block the flow to the returns and force all the pump water up to the manifold. One of the valve on the manifold will have a hose attached to it and I'll pump it from there. I may just tee off closer to the pump and then block off both the manifold and the returns.

The return section of the sump only holds 40 gallons with I suppose about 25 of that being available for water changes. That's not a lot so I guess I'll have to do water changes more frequently.

Any other ideas for getting a larger volume of water out? On my 58 I just shut off all the pumps and scoop it straight out of the top of the tank. i don't plan on doing that on this tank.

-Mike
Click to expand...


I've done a couple water changes and figured out a super easy way. Rather than running a hose off the manifold, I decided to use the drain valve on my external skimmer. Without shutting anything off, I just open the drain valve and let the water run into the sink. It drains 15 gallons out of the return section of the sump. I then stick the hose from my WC station into the sump and add 15 gallons. If I want to do more then I just repeat 15 gallons at a time.

When I'm done I just close the drain valve and go about my business. I don't have to turn any pumps or skimmers off and the fish never know what's going on other than feeling refreshed with the new water pouring over their gills.

It's so little effort compared to my 58 where I have to shut off all the pumps, pull water out the top using a bucket, slop it into the sink, and pour fresh water back in - slopping all over the place.

-Mike
 
Thanks, Newbie. I was really frustrated with the lack of large rocks so I went and paid full LFS price ($$$) for two large ones. That are now done cycling and need to be added. I'll take some new pictures that hopeful show an improvement.

I have three fish - a yellow tang, a yellow eye kole tang, and my favorite - a magnificent Foxface. All are getting along and doing well.

I'll post an update of other advancements in the past month.

-Mike
 
Mike,

Your project looks awesome! I am in the planning stages of my next tank which will be 180g or larger. Did you frame the stand yourself? I am in the process of engineering a custom aluminum stand so I can house the sump/refugium below. I have to be honest and let you know I may steal some ideas from you!

Steve
 
scubasteve319 said:
Mike,

Your project looks awesome! I am in the planning stages of my next tank which will be 180g or larger. Did you frame the stand yourself? I am in the process of engineering a custom aluminum stand so I can house the sump/refugium below. I have to be honest and let you know I may steal some ideas from you!

Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks. I built the stand myself out of 2x6's. You can see a few build pics in my original thread.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1157518

The stand was built ca. 2008 :spin2:

Go ahead and steal all the ideas you want - I stole all of them from others. I'm not sure there is an original thought in my entire build!

I wish I had a custom steel powder coated stand built but it was just easier to throw one together myself since the width of the stand required wouldn't have fit going into the basement.

-Mike
 
Your tank looks well planed out! I like all the space you have in your fish room. Is the grey table for you to stand on when digging in the tank or will you move it when you want to get in to the back of the tank?

I only used two boxes of fiji ultra and one of pukani on my 270. It's a little minimalistic but I hope for the coral to fill the spaces :) As for getting control of all your cables, check out a product called Panduit. I use it in my build thread for my tank. I have the 2"x2" but the 2"x3" would make it a little easier to fit thick power cables into it. As it is right now I have had no huge issues with room but I could foresee over time it will get full!

Cheers,
Scott
 
Scythanith said:
Your tank looks well planed out! I like all the space you have in your fish room. Is the grey table for you to stand on when digging in the tank or will you move it when you want to get in to the back of the tank?

I only used two boxes of fiji ultra and one of pukani on my 270. It's a little minimalistic but I hope for the coral to fill the spaces :) As for getting control of all your cables, check out a product called Panduit. I use it in my build thread for my tank. I have the 2"x2" but the 2"x3" would make it a little easier to fit thick power cables into it. As it is right now I have had no huge issues with room but I could foresee over time it will get full!

Cheers,
Scott
Click to expand...

The gray table was the table that used to hold the calcium reactor and ATO reservoir for the small tank. I keep it in front of the tank as sort of a work table so I think I'm going to keep it there.

I stand on a small 2-step ladder if I need to get to the bottom of the tank - otherwise, since I'm 6'5" with gorilla like arms, I just stand there and reach in.

Is it the Panduit raceways you are using for wire management? Looks like they have a lot of products.

For bundling cables I am using a combination of TechFlex split loom for the big bundles (power cords) and smaller plastic split loom for the smaller bundles (ATO and probe wires.)

I've also bought a whole bunch of cheap USB cables and power cables from monoprice so I always have something the right length and don't have to roll up long wires.

For further improvement I'm thinking about using additional outlets and PVC electrical conduit as hard "extension cords" for long super-clean runs. Check out drummereef's awesome thread for an example. He's the guy I stole a bunch of ideas from.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1599945&page=38

-Mike
 
Last edited:
I like the pandit because you can take a wire out of the track almost anywhere and feed it to the device, socket, probe, etc. Also, the removal top plate makes it easy to reorganize or add new cables! Here is a link to the actual item.

You can see it used in my build here.
 
Thanks. I did a quick look at your build thread and I'm going to grab a beer and read through it slowly tonight.

"Project Mayhem" is an awesome thread title. I should rename mine "Project Snail's Pace".

-Mike
 
Completed a redesign of the lights. Because I don't have rock in the middle of the tank, I eliminated one fixture and that looks like it will help keep the heat down.

I also added actinic supplementation and moonlights. The primary purpose of the actinics is for dusk/dawn lighting before and after the MH are on.

This lighting is two kits from RapidLED with 48" heat sinks, dimmable ballasts, 12 Cree RB solderless LEDs on each bar, 4 additional RB LEDs on the front bar for moonlights, and an Apex VDM module.

This is the plan.

actinicLED.jpg


-Mike
 
And here is the execution.

The solderless LEDs on a predrilled heat sink.

file-8.jpg


file-6.jpg


I bent four matching galvanized steel strips that are normally flat and used for wood straps.

file-5.jpg


I then used two on each side with bolts connected to the heat sink center channel.

file-9.jpg


file-12.jpg


file-11.jpg


-Mike
 
Nice!
You will really like having a fish room. I won't have another tank with out one, great for hiding smells and sounds!
Diggin the rails!
 
I like the sliding rails above the tank to move the lights out. I have a engineered beam right over my tank or I would have done something similar! Looking good.
 
Here's the latest tank shots.

I fought diatoms for a couple weeks but they have cleared up - don't know if it was because I added a cleanup crew or they cleared on their own, but the sand is starting to look white again.

I've added a couple test SPS and will move a few larger pieces over the next couple weeks if the test pieces do okay.

There are three fish who've been there about 4-6 weeks. A magnificent foxface, kole tang, and a yellow tang. They all get along fine and follow each other around. The foxface and yellow tang are eating great - frozen and nori, but the kole tang won't eat anything other than film algae. He's fat and seems happy so I won't worry about it for now.

Front (need to work on a backing to block the tank room)



Side 1



Side 2 (really should clean the glass before pictures!)









-Mike
 
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