My 150 build thread...

[xtlosx]

Hey everyone.. As most of you know, I received the go ahead to migrate from our current 60 cube to a 150 I found from a local reefer. I couldn't pass up the price (never thought I would go so big), but went ahead! Tank has been picked up, moved to the basement (was that ever a friecking adventure), and cleaned.

Official Parts List (Updated: 12-2-2012)

- 150 Gallon Marineland 60x24x24 Tank
- Maple stained Canopy & Stand.
- 40 Breeder sump, with Fuge, Return, and Input... Input area has two bubble towers built. One for each drain.
- Bubble Magus Curve 9 Skimmer




Here are some pictures as of tonight...

The tank is 150 gallon, 60x24x24, with a 40 breeder sump...

Here is the stand by itself...

Tank and Canopy on top

Tank with the back glass cleaned of coraline... there was a LOT....

Big props to Dre for coming by yesterday, helping draw out the plumbing, and get some things settled for this coming weekend. We plan on getting new bulkheads installed, silicon'ing the 40Breeder sump and some other various things.

I have a skimmer on order (Bubble Magus Curve 9), RO\DI unit, and a bunch of other stuff. I still need to pick up rock, sand, and some other odds and end things... Would like to get this tank running by the end of the month if possible...

When I get a chance I'll write up a much more concise equipment list... Thanks everyone, and looking forward to input as we go along.... I can't wait to get this thing going, it's a dream come true.

 

[xtlosx]

Alright so a quick update for today... I ordered the RO\DI unit, heaters, PC4 for the RKL, and bulkheads....

The sump was brought downstairs finally, and everything was kinda sketched out to get a visual of how it will all look. For a return, think I'm going with a Quietone 6000, so that will be about 5" of width needed for the pump.. So the sump breaks out this way..

Overall look of the sump.

Left side (Drain) We've got two drains, and two custom bubble traps built for draining and to help with bubbles. I'm still debating on if I fill it with rock rubble yet, but have heard pros and cons to both sides. Thoughts?

The white piece of paper is our skimmer (mocked up). We're getting the Bubble Magus Curve9. Should be here any day now. Going from an eshopps PSK-75, this thing is a friecking beast.

The intake side measures 12" wide.

Then you will see the bubble traps. Since they aren't siliconed in place, I just laid them against eachother to take up the room they will need. First baffle will be at 12" second at 13", and third at 14". From what I understand, you want an 1" between baffles. Am I correct here?

The return will be about 8"-9", so plenty of room for a quietone 6000 or comparable pump. I'll also house the 2x 200W heaters in this area going width wise, so plenty of room.

A full shot again shows the entire thing, plus the mock-up fuge.... For me, it's a big fuge... I love it. I wish it could be the entire 40B dedicated to the fuge, but this is a great start. I'm thinking maybe someday I'll plumb in a remote fuge or something, but this is definetly a great start. The fuge is about 12" by 18".

I can obviously adjust everything, but wanted to confirm with the group this looks about right. Interested in your thoughts and constructive criticism if you have any. I'm doing this build right from the first time, so any feedback is great.

 

[MHG]

Nice. Leave room for the plexi to expand at a different rate that the glass so you dont crack the sump...

 

[xtlosx]

Nice. Leave room for the plexi to expand at a different rate that the glass so you dont crack the sump...

You mean on the sides of the acrylic baffles? There is some room in there, they were cut to fit the 40B by Anthony @ NanoSeaCreations, so I'm assuming he has done this once or twice... The Fuge doesn't stand on it's own hence why there is a little can there, and the baffles don't either, so I'm guessing there is plenty of room..

Other than that, the design of the sump looks like it makes sense? No glaring holes at this point? We're going to silicon it this weekend and do a nice leak test when its cured.

 

[MHG]

The sides should just not be snug so you should be fine...

 

[xtlosx]

The sides should just not be snug so you should be fine...

Absolutely, there isn't anything snug in here, they have to be held up or else they fall over... Should be plenty of room...

How high from the bottom does the middle baffle need to be? I'm doing Over -> Under -> Over... I'm wondering, 1 " or 2" from the bottom?

 

[abfleck]

Tom-when I built my sump for my current set-up, I had glass baffles cut to size and used silicone. My question or concern is silicone going to bond well to the acrylic baffles?

 

[yahutch]

Looking good Tom. I have some large pieces of dry/once live rock I am selling if your interested (nice shapes,plenty of holes for frags).I would give you a good deal on it. Sounds like you are in good hands , but if you need any help just let me know.

 

[xtlosx]

Looking good Tom. I have some large pieces of dry/once live rock I am selling if your interested (nice shapes,plenty of holes for frags).I would give you a good deal on it. Sounds like you are in good hands , but if you need any help just let me know.

I actually am... Can you take some pictures? What kind of rock is it?

 

[xtlosx]

Tom-when I built my sump for my current set-up, I had glass baffles cut to size and used silicone. My question or concern is silicone going to bond well to the acrylic baffles?

I pinged Anthony @ NanoSeaCreations with this question and he said there will be absolutely no problem with this. Thanks for the heads-up. See yea Saturday!

 

[badazztealcobra]

Tom-when I built my sump for my current set-up, I had glass baffles cut to size and used silicone. My question or concern is silicone going to bond well to the acrylic baffles?

Absolutely nothing wrong with using acrylic to have as baffles. There's pressure from water on both sides so it doesnt actually need to "hold" water in just direct it through the sump.....

The only catch with it is to make sure you use thick enough acrylic so it doesnt flex on the baffle where evaporation occurs. If it gets low enough you can see the acrylic bow....

We made my brothers skimmer=>return<=fuge sump with acrylic in black to keep the light from the fuge in the refugium area:

Great start to the setup xtlosx.... Glad to hear Dre helped out, Ive met him a few times and have nothing but compliments for him....

 

[N3gative Cr33p]

Looking good so far! Can't wait to see more pics in the future. :thumbsup:

 

[badazztealcobra]

Absolutely, there isn't anything snug in here, they have to be held up or else they fall over... Should be plenty of room...

How high from the bottom does the middle baffle need to be? I'm doing Over -> Under -> Over... I'm wondering, 1 " or 2" from the bottom?

The spacing can be different depending on the flow through the sump... more flow needs more space.

I always use 1" strips of extra foam for spacing which you can see when I was doing my brothers sump.... I do the middle piece thats raised, then clamp the outside two after the middle one is dry so I have a nice even spacing.

Here's the 40B i made for my tank:

 

[ali1]

I have a bubble trap in my sump and found it to be useless. If you fill it with LR, alot of the debris get's caught between the rocks.. causing a nitrate factory. Also, depending on what your using for plumbing, it may put pressure on your drain hose. I had flex tubing, and tried to bend the tube to fit inside the bubble chamber, i felt like I put too much pressure on the hose.

It would be difficult for you to clean the LR in your bubble trap because the hands don't fit in there that well. Instead, I used filter socks and replace them every three days. Works best. Catches all the fine particles and debris, keeps my tank crystal clear, and easy slip off slip on socks. As for bubbles, the filter socks take care of that.

Thats my advice to you when finishing your setup..

 

[xtlosx]

The spacing can be different depending on the flow through the sump... more flow needs more space.

I always use 1" strips of extra foam for spacing which you can see when I was doing my brothers sump.... I do the middle piece thats raised, then clamp the outside two after the middle one is dry so I have a nice even spacing.

Here's the 40B i made for my tank:

That sump looks awesome! I need to get some clamps, and foam blocks... Good looking sump though.. hoping mine looks just that nice.

I have a bubble trap in my sump and found it to be useless. If you fill it with LR, alot of the debris get's caught between the rocks.. causing a nitrate factory. Also, depending on what your using for plumbing, it may put pressure on your drain hose. I had flex tubing, and tried to bend the tube to fit inside the bubble chamber, i felt like I put too much pressure on the hose.

It would be difficult for you to clean the LR in your bubble trap because the hands don't fit in there that well. Instead, I used filter socks and replace them every three days. Works best. Catches all the fine particles and debris, keeps my tank crystal clear, and easy slip off slip on socks. As for bubbles, the filter socks take care of that.

Thats my advice to you when finishing your setup..

Yea, I'm not thinking much about the rubble, but at least we'll see if the bubble towers work.. either way, they are there, so going to use them to some extent.