Myka's 69 SPS Tank 2015

[Myka]

The sump holds water! I'm just waiting for trim for the sump (so I can partially cover it) which will arrive with the tank. I wish I left the divider between the RO chamber and the sump 1/2" lower than the sump sides to allow room for the trim. When I designed the sump I wasn't planning to put trim on it. I think this is the only detail that I overlooked.

Done welding and grinding!

(Almost) Finished product! It has 3 coats of paint on it, but I'm going to put another 3 coats on. I'm also going to fill the inside corners of the braces where the welder couldn't get in. I still need to install the tray for the filter pad and get the Uniseal figured out (my drill bit was a tad too big for the Uniseal so it is not a snug fit). Maybe I will use a bulkhead instead (which fits well).

I will install some plywood on the bottom of the stand to go between the stand and the floor to protect the floor. I will also install some plywood under the sump side of the stand (on the top of the stand framing) to help support the sump.

I'm also considering building an acrylic "tray" that the sump will sit in to catch any drips, leaks, or spills (I'm paranoid about damaging the new flooring). I might even build it tall enough to help protect the back of the stand area from salt spray from skimmer overflow as that area will be tough to clean - even with the removable panels. The sump will be easily removable for cleaning it as well as the inside the stand. The sump will slide out the left side of the stand.

I'm not real excited about how the Red Dragon pump attaches to the skimmer body - the inlet to the pump is SO close to the outlet of the skimmer. Considering the basic sump runs from one direction to the other (mine has a circular flow), you would think they would design the skimmer to have the inlet of the pump as far from the outlet as possible. All they had to do was change the pinwheel cover so that the inlet goes into the left side of the pump instead of the right. I'm not sure why it is designed the way it is. It doesn't matter in my sump too much because the flow of the sump is less than the flow of the skimmer pump, so the skimmer will be sucking in already skimmed water no matter what.

 

[reefmutt]

Looking really good so far!

 

[Myka]

Thank you! Lots of work still ahead.

 

[915MANG]

Cool Build!

 

[coral102]

That is some beautiful craftsmanship. Well done mate!!! :beer:

 

[cugly]

Great start so far .

 

[biggles]

The new reef build is looking great, you did a great job on building that sump considering you're Canadian Mindy :thumbsup:

Has Matt ever taken you on one of his ill fated Canadian acro collecting trips......... :rolleye1:

 

[Myka]

Thanks for the comments guys!

The new reef build is looking great, you did a great job on building that sump considering you're Canadian Mindy :thumbsup:

Has Matt ever taken you on one of his ill fated Canadian acro collecting trips......... :rolleye1:

Ha! Matt's on the other side of the country, so no Acro collecting trips with him, but it looks like he's got a line on some good ones! :facepalm: I think Matt needs a power auger - around here the ice is 3 feet thick!

 

[biggles]

I've only seen snow twice and my dog refused to get out of the car she was so freaked out by it. I dragged her out and shut the door and she proceeded to scratch the paint off the door trying to get back in...... $800- later, the dog and i agreed no more visits to the snow.

Is that last chamber in the sump for your ATO water reservoir, how's the stand coming along and are you filling the display this weekend.

 

[Myka]

I've only seen snow twice and my dog refused to get out of the car she was so freaked out by it. I dragged her out and shut the door and she proceeded to scratch the paint off the door trying to get back in...... $800- later, the dog and i agreed no more visits to the snow.

Is that last chamber in the sump for your ATO water reservoir, how's the stand coming along and are you filling the display this weekend.

Ha!! That's hilarious (well, not so much for the paint)! I've seen dogs get freaked out by smooth floors too when all they've known is carpet and grass/dirt.

Yes the last chamber is for the ATO. I might regret doing that when I have to clean the biofilm out of it occasionally. I needed to be creative with space under there though.

I was working too much this week to get any more progress done. I am going to buy the plywood for the skinning of the stand today, and see how that comes along. I don't have the display tank yet so I can't fill it, but I hear rumors that it might show up by the end of the week. I'll probably let it sit empty for a week just to make double sure the silicone is well cured.

My current frag tank (all I have at this moment) is partially sitting in the location where the new tank will be, so I am going to half empty it and slide it over so the new tank can fit into it's spot. Get 'er running first, then move the frag tank contents over (I gotta sell a bunch of that stuff!).

 

[Usernam Invalid]

Following along looks great so far

 

[sahin]

Nice build. Looking forward to seeing this one setup.

 

[Myka]

Thanks for following along guys!

I didn't do too much with the project this last week/weekend. Needed to do yard work and had MIL 60th bday.

I did get the last few coats of paint on the stand and got the media rack silconed into the sump. I bought the plywood for the stand skinning and a new blade for the saw, so I'm all ready. I have the walnut for the beer ledge too. I rough-cut it to see how it would look, and I think I will rip it down so it's narrower. It looks funny 6" wide because the stand/tank is so small.

On the other hand, I have a vat of dirty rock that had half dried and sat in the shed for the winter. I bleached it a few weeks ago and refilled with RO water then kinda forgot about it. This morning I tested PO4 at 0.49 ppm (Hanna) and NO3 >100 ppm (maxed out Salifert kit). GROSS! So I drained the water and refilled it with used saltwater from my 50-gallon. I might acid wash it...we'll see how it tests in a few days.

 

[Myka]

Let there be light! (thanks to riceboy)

It's an ATI Sunpower 6x39w dimmable T5 fixture. I plan to mount a couple of Reefbrite blue LED strips on either side. Not sure if I'll be wanting the XHOs or the if the Techs will do the trick. Maybe XHOs on a dimmer? This way I can run some high PAR T5 bulbs and have the LEDs for the blue supplementation. I'll be running a combo of ATI Aquablue Special and Coral Plus.

 

[SpSChief85]

Nice build thread can't wait to see you get it wet.

 

[sahin]

Mindy, the ATI and a couple of Reefbrites will make a great lighting combo. :beer: Nice choice. T5+LED = nice corals.

 

[Flatlander]

The stand is good work Mindy.

 

[Myka]

Nice build thread can't wait to see you get it wet.

Thanks! It might be awhile yet - I guess there is a backup at the polishing machine.

Mindy, the ATI and a couple of Reefbrites will make a great lighting combo. :beer: Nice choice. T5+LED = nice corals.

Yeah it certainly should! I`m thinking the Reefbrites might even be strong enough to allow me to use a couple of white bulbs like KZ Coral Light on Channel 1 (which only operates 2 bulbs on the ATI) for a nice midday peak.

The stand is good work Mindy.

Thanks! I'll tell hubby. All I did was paint it.

 

[Myka]

Well, I got to finishing the inside of the stand, and glued plywood to the steel. I used PL Premium and clamped it, but this morning when I released the clamps the glue came apart - still very wet. I looked at the label and it says to apply mechanical pressure for 24 hours. Holy crap. I didn't know it took that long to dry! :mmph: I'm going to go get some Sikaflex EBT. That will cure faster.



Cell pic:

 

[Myka]

The tank builder called and said he's finishing up the tank today. So I should get it this coming week. :dance: In the meantime, the stand inside skinning is ready for paint. I should manage that tomorrow. Then time to move onto the outside panels and beer ledge. Mmm beer... :beer: