Avast Marine
.Registered Member
Now the hardest part of the wait begins 
Once you've seen it, it can't be delivered any faster....
Once you've seen it, it can't be delivered any faster....
My 240G Addiction - It's a Miracle
- Thread starter jknecht
- Start date
jknecht
Member
Thanks for the compliments. It's kind of like waiting for Christmas.
But I'm okay with it since it gives me time to get everything else done.
I have a few updated pics.
Everything has two coats of Kilz and two coats of Valspar Severe Weather Exterior paint. I put some extra outdoor carpet down that I used in my garage (It cleans up easily). I cut it into three sections so I can pull it out if I have too.
The stainless steel rails are mounted
Rails Extended - The rails are only going to support the face of the canopy. The lighting will be supported by a 4:1 pulley system.
Fan and work lights are complete. The pulleys are there for the light rack
I'm working on the light rack next
But I'm okay with it since it gives me time to get everything else done.I have a few updated pics.
Everything has two coats of Kilz and two coats of Valspar Severe Weather Exterior paint. I put some extra outdoor carpet down that I used in my garage (It cleans up easily). I cut it into three sections so I can pull it out if I have too.
The stainless steel rails are mounted
Rails Extended - The rails are only going to support the face of the canopy. The lighting will be supported by a 4:1 pulley system.
Fan and work lights are complete. The pulleys are there for the light rack
I'm working on the light rack next
jknecht
Member
I'm slowly getting things done.
The light rack is complete (except for lights). It can be raised and lowered using a pulley system. All of the hardware on the rack is stainless steel. I'm waiting on the IceCap T5 retro's and will be moving my existing ReefOptix III pendants once the 90g is down and adding a LumenMax 3 pendant. I will eventually replace the ReefOptix III's with LumenMax 3's.
I realized as I was hanging the light rack that I wasn't going to be able to easily access the pulleys, fan, or work lights if I needed to. So I decided to cut three holes through the wall and made insulated plugs using plywood and insulation to fill the holes. I will add weather seals and will screw the plugs to the wall to make sure they are good and tight. Now I can get to everything fairly easily if I have to.
The roof cap for the Panasonic fan is installed. The model I'm using has a 6 inch duct so roof cap is a little larger than any of the others on the roof. I have to say that Panasonic exhaust fans are almost silent. I may add another fan to the basement fish room.
I finally got the correct size hole saws for the Hayward bulkheads; so I could start on the new sump. I put two 1.5 inch bulkheads and one 1 inch bulkhead in the sump. One of the 1.5 inch bulkheads will be connected to the Barracuda and the other will be capped for now. The 1 inch bulkhead will be used to pump water from the sump straight to the drain for water changes.
1.5 inch bulkheads - I will never go back to the lightweight bulkheads after using these. They are worth every penny - IMO
1 inch bulkhead
I also extended my current ARC fault circuit from the 90g to the new tank. That was a pain as the local codes require conduit. Once the 90g is down I will remove the ARC fault run to the old location.
I think that's about it for now. I'm going to paint the top of the stand this week and start running PVC from the basement up to the new tank.
The light rack is complete (except for lights). It can be raised and lowered using a pulley system. All of the hardware on the rack is stainless steel. I'm waiting on the IceCap T5 retro's and will be moving my existing ReefOptix III pendants once the 90g is down and adding a LumenMax 3 pendant. I will eventually replace the ReefOptix III's with LumenMax 3's.
I realized as I was hanging the light rack that I wasn't going to be able to easily access the pulleys, fan, or work lights if I needed to. So I decided to cut three holes through the wall and made insulated plugs using plywood and insulation to fill the holes. I will add weather seals and will screw the plugs to the wall to make sure they are good and tight. Now I can get to everything fairly easily if I have to.
The roof cap for the Panasonic fan is installed. The model I'm using has a 6 inch duct so roof cap is a little larger than any of the others on the roof. I have to say that Panasonic exhaust fans are almost silent. I may add another fan to the basement fish room.
I finally got the correct size hole saws for the Hayward bulkheads; so I could start on the new sump. I put two 1.5 inch bulkheads and one 1 inch bulkhead in the sump. One of the 1.5 inch bulkheads will be connected to the Barracuda and the other will be capped for now. The 1 inch bulkhead will be used to pump water from the sump straight to the drain for water changes.
1.5 inch bulkheads - I will never go back to the lightweight bulkheads after using these. They are worth every penny - IMO
1 inch bulkhead
I also extended my current ARC fault circuit from the 90g to the new tank. That was a pain as the local codes require conduit. Once the 90g is down I will remove the ARC fault run to the old location.
I think that's about it for now. I'm going to paint the top of the stand this week and start running PVC from the basement up to the new tank.
jknecht
Member
The day has finally come! Thanks to the hard work of Derek and Elka at Miracles the tank was delivered on Saturday.
I thought I would share a some pics. I didn't get any shots of us taking it off the truck, as it was all hands on deck. To get the 700 pound crate off of the truck, I rented a 24 foot truck with a lift gate and backed it up to the 53 foot trailer it came on. We pushed it onto the lift gate and lowered it to the ground. It worked like a charm. :rollface:
Once we got it off the truck we rolled it to the garage on furniture dollies.
On and up the Genie lift it goes
Pushed into place
I filled it with the garden hose to leak test it. No Leaks! Ignore the wires over the tank. I'm still working on the T5's
I bought 1.5" ChemKor bulkheads through Miracles and they actually seem a little bit beefer than the 1.5" Hayward bulkheads I have. I really like them. The flange side inside the overflow is huge.
I also hung 160 feet of PVC in the basement for the overflow and returns. I need to take a few pics of it.
I thought I would share a some pics. I didn't get any shots of us taking it off the truck, as it was all hands on deck. To get the 700 pound crate off of the truck, I rented a 24 foot truck with a lift gate and backed it up to the 53 foot trailer it came on. We pushed it onto the lift gate and lowered it to the ground. It worked like a charm. :rollface:
Once we got it off the truck we rolled it to the garage on furniture dollies.
On and up the Genie lift it goes
Pushed into place
I filled it with the garden hose to leak test it. No Leaks! Ignore the wires over the tank. I'm still working on the T5's
I bought 1.5" ChemKor bulkheads through Miracles and they actually seem a little bit beefer than the 1.5" Hayward bulkheads I have. I really like them. The flange side inside the overflow is huge.
I also hung 160 feet of PVC in the basement for the overflow and returns. I need to take a few pics of it.
cybrsufr
In Memoriam
Update Please. That is one great looking builds.
<b><font size="3"><font color="sienna">WreckDiver</font> </b>
<i><font size="1"><font color="teal">aka: CyBrSuFr</font> </font> </i> <br>
<i><font size="1"><font color="red">Click the little red house for the latest tank picts</font> </font> </i> <br>
<br>
<b><font size="3"><font color="sienna">WreckDiver</font> </b>
<i><font size="1"><font color="teal">aka: CyBrSuFr</font> </font> </i> <br>
<i><font size="1"><font color="red">Click the little red house for the latest tank picts</font> </font> </i> <br>
<br>
jknecht
Member
cybrsufr & thor32766 - Thanks for the compliments.
TripleP - It will be barebottom with mostly SPS and a couple of clams. I'm working on my fish stocking list now.
I've been working on the plumbing and hope to have water in it by the weekend. I'll snap some pics tonight if I get more done.
My remaining plumbing parts from Savko arrived today so I should be able to get it finished up. My fishroom is in the basement and 40 feet away from the tank so I had to lay alot of pipe.
I ran four 40 foot sections of PVC:
1 - 1.5" Return
1 - 1.5" Drain
1 - 1.5" Emergency Drain
1 - 1.5" Future use
What is making the plumbing difficult is I'm not ready to take down the old sump and cabinets it sits on in the fishroom. So I have to run all of the plumbing to a temporary location for the new sump. I'm making the plumbing very modular (lots of unions and threaded fittings) so it will be easy for me to move the few pieces of PVC once I take down the old sump. I'll get some pics...
TripleP - It will be barebottom with mostly SPS and a couple of clams. I'm working on my fish stocking list now.
I've been working on the plumbing and hope to have water in it by the weekend. I'll snap some pics tonight if I get more done.
My remaining plumbing parts from Savko arrived today so I should be able to get it finished up. My fishroom is in the basement and 40 feet away from the tank so I had to lay alot of pipe.
I ran four 40 foot sections of PVC:
1 - 1.5" Return
1 - 1.5" Drain
1 - 1.5" Emergency Drain
1 - 1.5" Future use
What is making the plumbing difficult is I'm not ready to take down the old sump and cabinets it sits on in the fishroom. So I have to run all of the plumbing to a temporary location for the new sump. I'm making the plumbing very modular (lots of unions and threaded fittings) so it will be easy for me to move the few pieces of PVC once I take down the old sump. I'll get some pics...
jknecht
Member
I finally got around to taking some more pics.
The plumbing is complete and the sump and tank are full of RO/DI. Everything has been leak tested, No Leaks!
Here is a pic of the plumbed drains
I had to show you how large the flanges are on these ChemKor bulkheads.
I put true union ball valves on the drains just in case I ever need to shut them down.
The drain runs through the floor. I cut an extra hole in case I ever need it.
I like using unions, in case I ever want to change something. This is the beginning of the two 40 foot runs of drain pipes.
The plumbing is complete and the sump and tank are full of RO/DI. Everything has been leak tested, No Leaks!
Here is a pic of the plumbed drains
I had to show you how large the flanges are on these ChemKor bulkheads.
I put true union ball valves on the drains just in case I ever need to shut them down.
The drain runs through the floor. I cut an extra hole in case I ever need it.
I like using unions, in case I ever want to change something. This is the beginning of the two 40 foot runs of drain pipes.
jknecht
Member
The four 40 foot runs of 1.5" PVC pipe. I spent more on pipe hangers than I did on pipe.
The business end of the plumbing. I still need one more union.
The return unions. I'm only going to use one.
The sump will eventually be where my old sump is. I stripped most of the values already from the old sump so it's almost ready to be removed. This is it's temporary home and temporary plumbing.
I ordered a Barracuda pump and week later found out ReeFlo is releasing their new Gold series which use less power and have higher flow rates. I was able to get my hands on the new Hammerhead Gold. Max Flow 5555 GPH, Max Head 23', Avg Draw 272 Watts. Not bad at all compared to the current Hammerhead. Here's a pic of the gold series. It uses a Marathon motor which is just as quiet as the Barracuda and it's the same size as the Barracuda. I got it running last night and it rocks.
I ordered a couple of Pacific Coast Flow Accelerators for the returns. I also ordered a couple of short bulkheads so the returns fit better through the Euro-brace. Regular bulkheads interfered with my light rack.
Tank full of water ready for salt. I had to use a couple of rocks to hold the starboard down.
I hope to paint the wall to match the rest of the room tonight and put the salt in. I got it get it cycling.
I got the new IceCap 250MH Ballast yesterday. I think I will eventually replace my older IceCap 250MH Ballasts with the new ones. They look cooler.... I'm also upgrading my 25W AquaUV sterilizer to a 57W UV sterilizer (bought the 57W transformer and bulb). The LumenMax III pendant will be here today. I will eventually use all LumenMax III's. To save a little now I will be moving my two ReefOptix III's from my 90G until I buy them.
The business end of the plumbing. I still need one more union.
The return unions. I'm only going to use one.
The sump will eventually be where my old sump is. I stripped most of the values already from the old sump so it's almost ready to be removed. This is it's temporary home and temporary plumbing.
I ordered a Barracuda pump and week later found out ReeFlo is releasing their new Gold series which use less power and have higher flow rates. I was able to get my hands on the new Hammerhead Gold. Max Flow 5555 GPH, Max Head 23', Avg Draw 272 Watts. Not bad at all compared to the current Hammerhead. Here's a pic of the gold series. It uses a Marathon motor which is just as quiet as the Barracuda and it's the same size as the Barracuda. I got it running last night and it rocks.
I ordered a couple of Pacific Coast Flow Accelerators for the returns. I also ordered a couple of short bulkheads so the returns fit better through the Euro-brace. Regular bulkheads interfered with my light rack.
Tank full of water ready for salt. I had to use a couple of rocks to hold the starboard down.
I hope to paint the wall to match the rest of the room tonight and put the salt in. I got it get it cycling.
I got the new IceCap 250MH Ballast yesterday. I think I will eventually replace my older IceCap 250MH Ballasts with the new ones. They look cooler.... I'm also upgrading my 25W AquaUV sterilizer to a 57W UV sterilizer (bought the 57W transformer and bulb). The LumenMax III pendant will be here today. I will eventually use all LumenMax III's. To save a little now I will be moving my two ReefOptix III's from my 90G until I buy them.
Can we get more pictures of your plumbing from the tank through the floor? I'm in the process of designing a 125g on the first floor to a basement sump/refugium. I would like to get an idea of how you did this since I can't seem to decide on what I want to do. I'm afraid to drill through the carpet since the tank might eventually be taken down and/or moved and then I would be stuck with a bunch of holes in the carpet. Going through the wall and then down to the basement is also an option, but I don't want to tear the wall up if I don't have to. Just looking for some more opions really.
jknecht
Member
mdaybowls - For this tank I just used a hole saw and went straight through the floor. I get some more pics. Since this is an in-wall I really don't mind the holes in the floor behind the tank. I agree if it was in my living room on a stand it may not look as nice. On my 90G I went through the drywall and through the bottom floor plate. I'll snap a picture for you.
mcliffy2 - I love my tank. It's built very well and the quality is excellent. Derek at Miracles is great to work with. Just have patience, it's not a fast process. Mine took a little longer because they were in the process of moving to a new building and I wasn't in a huge hurry. Good luck, you'll love it!
mcliffy2 - I love my tank. It's built very well and the quality is excellent. Derek at Miracles is great to work with. Just have patience, it's not a fast process. Mine took a little longer because they were in the process of moving to a new building and I wasn't in a huge hurry. Good luck, you'll love it!
Thanks for the info jnecht. My tank will be on a stand in my office. But it won't be easily visible from either side. On one side there will be a wall and the other side will some office furniture. It is possible that someone could walk around and see it, but for the most part it won't be visible. And any pics you could post would be great.
jknecht
Member
Well the holidays have kept me busy. But, I am finally able to get around to providing an update.
I had to replace the regular bulkheads I was using for the returns through the euro-brace with shorter bulkheads. The taller ones interfered with my light rack. I got the short ones from AquaticEco and they work great. I didn't realize they were Hayward until I got them, which is always good.
Heres' the ends of the returns with Pacific Coast Flow Accelerators attached. I shortened the loc-line. I like the fact you can still angle them slightly. They're working great on the Hammerhead Gold. I used a Y just below the tank to split the returns. I also added the blue vinyl background to the return end. Miracles forgot to install it so they sent me a couple of pieces and told me how to apply it. It's very easy. Thanks again Derek.
I built my Durso standpipes. I may raise them up another inch. The water falls about 2 inches into the overflow. Which isn't bad but I want to see if I can quite them a little more.
After debating for sometime on how I wanted to run my UV. I decided to put it on the return. I know not everyone will agree with the placement. I upgraded my AquaUV 25W to a AquaUV 57W by buying a new transformer and bulb.
I got the new IceCap 250MH ballast and made an adapter to convert the IceCap plug to a Sunlight Supply plug.
I hung one of the SLS LumenMax 3's. The other two are on order. I was going to use my existing Reef Optix III's for a while but decided to just go ahead and change them now. I still have to clean up the wires for the T5's. I just got the IceCap harness extensions.
The wall is painted and ready for trim. The trim should be done in the next few weeks.
I also took the plunge and ordered two Vortech's WWD. I debated forever I whether to get Tunze's or Vortech's. I hope I made the right choice. I also got two Vortech Battery Backups so I can cut the power to them overnight to reduce the speed. Hopefully they will come up with a night option.
The only other item I would like to change is my skimmer. I am planning on running my heavily modded ASM G3 for a while. But I know it's not enough. I was originally thinking of going with the ATI Bubblemaster 250. But now I think I may go with the Reeflo ORCA 250. Thoughts?
I've also been eyeing the Geo Media Reactor 618. However I may end up making my own out of 6" PVC. We'll see. The Geo would be cooler. :smokin:
Finally - rocks are cooking and salt is in the new tank. I should be able to take down the 90G soon. I'll be selling most of the 90G off so stay tuned...
I had to replace the regular bulkheads I was using for the returns through the euro-brace with shorter bulkheads. The taller ones interfered with my light rack. I got the short ones from AquaticEco and they work great. I didn't realize they were Hayward until I got them, which is always good.
Heres' the ends of the returns with Pacific Coast Flow Accelerators attached. I shortened the loc-line. I like the fact you can still angle them slightly. They're working great on the Hammerhead Gold. I used a Y just below the tank to split the returns. I also added the blue vinyl background to the return end. Miracles forgot to install it so they sent me a couple of pieces and told me how to apply it. It's very easy. Thanks again Derek.
I built my Durso standpipes. I may raise them up another inch. The water falls about 2 inches into the overflow. Which isn't bad but I want to see if I can quite them a little more.
After debating for sometime on how I wanted to run my UV. I decided to put it on the return. I know not everyone will agree with the placement. I upgraded my AquaUV 25W to a AquaUV 57W by buying a new transformer and bulb.
I got the new IceCap 250MH ballast and made an adapter to convert the IceCap plug to a Sunlight Supply plug.
I hung one of the SLS LumenMax 3's. The other two are on order. I was going to use my existing Reef Optix III's for a while but decided to just go ahead and change them now. I still have to clean up the wires for the T5's. I just got the IceCap harness extensions.
The wall is painted and ready for trim. The trim should be done in the next few weeks.
I also took the plunge and ordered two Vortech's WWD. I debated forever I whether to get Tunze's or Vortech's. I hope I made the right choice. I also got two Vortech Battery Backups so I can cut the power to them overnight to reduce the speed. Hopefully they will come up with a night option.
The only other item I would like to change is my skimmer. I am planning on running my heavily modded ASM G3 for a while. But I know it's not enough. I was originally thinking of going with the ATI Bubblemaster 250. But now I think I may go with the Reeflo ORCA 250. Thoughts?
I've also been eyeing the Geo Media Reactor 618. However I may end up making my own out of 6" PVC. We'll see. The Geo would be cooler. :smokin:
Finally - rocks are cooking and salt is in the new tank. I should be able to take down the 90G soon. I'll be selling most of the 90G off so stay tuned...
Last edited:
Rickyrooz1
Acropora Nut
Awesome tank! I will keep coming back for updates.
Similar threads
