My 540G Inwall Display Build Thread

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

As of today I have fish back in the tank. I wanted to wait longer but I'm heading out of town and I wanted to get all my fish in the tank so the house sitter only had to feed 1 tank not 5 different ones. In the tank now are 4 bar gobies, 4 scissortail gobies, 3 purple firefish, 1 mandrin, and one convict tang. Over the next 2 days I will add the rest of the fish that are coming out of QT tanks including a naso, 2 yellow tangs (one for the display one for the frag tank), neon dottyback, lamarck angel, and a melenarus wrasse. I'm hoping to QT a pair of Vlamingi tangs when I get back in town. Hopefully they will still be available.

 

[geemanaz]

any new photo of the tank

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

I'm trying to borrow a video camera again so I can put up a video. Hopefully this weekend I can do that, no promises. I have a pair of Vlamingi Tangs and a Moorish Idol both out of local tanks currently in my QT. Hopefully all goes well and they will be transfered into the tank next weekend.

 

[gcfiend]

Just caught up to your build thread. WOW. You've been busy the last three years Looks awesome Ryan!!

So much drama, suspense, (screw that neighbor!! Let me know if you need a good drive-by egging, I may know some people ) I loved the whole read and can't wait to read and see more.

Way to represent the valley!!

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

Gonna try to get some new pictures up in the next week or so but here is a short progress report. Coralline algae is growing very well at this point. While the rock is only at 7 months old it looks pretty mature. Corals are doing great in the frag tank with lots of MH lighting but only so-so in the display. My strong assumption is lack of light. I will be adding 2 more 400w halides once I can find the cord I lost to my ballast. I will then be at 3x400 and 2x250 to go along with the tubes. Fish are doing great with no signs of parasites. My current fish list is as follows,
Pair of Vlamingi Tangs
Naso
Yellow
Convict
Lemarks Angel
Neon Dottyback
Mandarin
Purple Firefish x3
Scissortail Goby
Bar Gobies x3
Moorish Idol

Currently in QT
Scissortail Goby x4
Bar Goby
Royal Gramma
Red Firefish x2

I hope to find a nice orange shoulder tang for my next fish into the QT.

 

[dahenley]

Hows the wan skimmer? Any new pictures of the equipment room and equipment running?
Love these updates!!

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

Hows the wan skimmer? Any new pictures of the equipment room and equipment running?
Love these updates!!

I'm pretty happy with the skimmer short of a few very minor leaks. Here are a few pictures of the skimmer and the fuge growing in.

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[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

Here are a few pictures of the frag tank. I'm not sure how it already got full :lol:

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[dahenley]

what kind of leaks? got any pictures of the leaks?

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

The o-ring where the collection cup and skimmer body connect leaks, hence the towel in the above picture. After a day or so it seals up and stops. There is a few more minor leaks in some of the external plumbing and where the recirc pump is connected. All these leaks are just salt creep at this point so its not a big deal. I just hate the dirty salt everywhere and I feel that if I clean it up it may leak again.

 

[dahenley]

have you pulled the o-ring and cleaned both pieces and then cover the surface and o-ring with silicone grease? it works wonders and isnt harmful

just a thought.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

I will give that a try, Thanks.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

I continue to struggle with my camera. But I still refuse to open the owners guide. Here are a few pictures from tonoght. I took about 100 but these are the only decent ones, and only 1 of them looks good in my opinion.
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[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

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[dahenley]

nice pictures, and good looking fish!
(hows the closed loop working? anything you wish you would have done or things you would change if you could do it again?)

 

[david00061]

I like it!!! going to tag along
looks great

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

nice pictures, and good looking fish!
(hows the closed loop working? anything you wish you would have done or things you would change if you could do it again?)

I really like the closed loop. The VFD is really the way to go IMO. I have both running at about 66% right now and its plenty of flow. When things grow in I can up the flow with about 30 seconds worth of programing. I dont think I would change any part of the closed loop.

 

[tgunn]

With all the equipment out in the utility shed like that, your tank must be amazingly silent. I miss my old 140g setup where I had all the equipment in the basement. The pumps and skimmer on my 34g solana are noisey and it takes away from the peacefulness of the tank.

Your overflow pipes go directly to the utility shed, correct? How has this worked out for balancing/adjusting the drain lines, etc?

I've been thinking about my next tank being in my basement, and I want the sump to be across the basement in another room. I'm thinking of running pipes down under the basement slab (need to cut some areas up to put in some plumbing anyway) to connect the two.

My thought was either a direct connection from the overflow drains (similar to how you have it), or to have a small sump under the tank and then another large one in the fish room. I'd have a bulkhead near the bottom of both tanks and use a 2" PVC pipe under the slab to connect the two. Curious if you have any thoughts either way.

Great work!
Tyler

 

[david00061]

I see you have the best RODI system out there

 

[zachtos]

I finally read through the entire build and was quite impressed with how detailed it was. I was disapointed in the solar tube PAR readings though... would they perform better if the tube was extended or rotated on the roof somehow? I know some companies have them 'track' the sun throughout the day.

I too have ran a VFD. I've run my 'storm drive' as I called it, for 2.5 years now without a problem. I have it oscillate throughout the day to achieve random flow from zero to 24,000gph. I used eductors to gain the extra flow by using a pressure rated pump/head combo.

HVAC is a big problem for us large tanks. I did not plan properly for humidity when designing mine, and it's been a problem since. Michigan is quite different from your climate of course, so I have to worry about electric heat costs (I heat w/ gas to save). Humidity is only a problem for me maybe 2-3 months a year total, and usually is solved by air conditioning, heating or de-humidifiers running more often then normal. How has the humidity issues been working for you so far in that climate?

Where did you get the big water tanks from by the way? Didn't see that in there.