NEW SPS Tank - Adopted a New 185G Bowfront

[mnmnm1951]

I adopted a two year old Oceanic Systems 185G Bowfront from a neighbor around the corner. It is a lot like the one I already have. He bought it and never set it up. Most of the stuff is still in the original unopened boxes. It is the Reef Ready (meaning two holes drilled for overflow and two drilled for return - This is Reef Ready??). It has corner overflows, the Oceanic Overflow plumbing kits + Stand and Canopy. The Canopy is pretty flimsy plastic so as far as I can tell it is only realy useful as a facade for the true internals of the hood. He got the glass aquarium top panels and the panels for the top of the canopy

I got a 30Gal Sump, Reeflow Dart pump, and a Precision Marine Venturi Skimmer. No other plumbing included.

He bought two 250W MH's from CoolLighting and two Spider Reflectors, plus two 10K Ushio Bulbs. He got four 95Watt PC Ballasts + four 96W Actinic PC's.

SO HERE'S THE PLAN: Bare Bottom (or very thin sand) SPS Dominant Tank.

Lighting: Add one more 250W MH and spider Reflector and use only two or three of the 96W PC's
Canopy: Build a custom Light fixture that the plastic canopy can either fit over or around (anybody have any ideas or experience here?)

Circulation. I cannot find anybody willing to drill the tank with any level of confidence that it will not crack. So I will add a Oceans Motions 8 way using the existing Reeflo Dart as the Closed Loop pump. Plumbing will go down the inside back of the tank and be covered by the black Pond Foam I have seen in other threads. The OM website has a pretty good how-to that looks like it fits this tank to the letter: http://www.oceansmotions.com/8wayplumbingproject.htm

Sump will be plumbed with the existing overflows using an Iwaki MD55. Add in an Aqua-C EV180 skimmer, a DIY Calcium Reactor, a DIY Kalk Nilson Reactor, and an Via Aqua Chiller that are all in storage in my garage. I also will add in a Neptune Controller I have sitting around primarily as an X10 control for lights, leak alarm, and Kalk refill shutoff (in case float switch sticks it will shut off at a preset PH). I also have an Ozotech Ozone generater but have never used it. Perhaps I can add it to this tank to see how it works.

Added next to the sump will be a 30 gallon acrylic tank to be plumbed as a Refugium from the tank overflows and draining into the sump. Refugium will be a DSB and primarily used for macro-algae and Nitrate reduction and copopod breeding. Lighting will probably be one or two of the 96W PC's.

Stock the tank with around 100-150 lbs live rock.

Any suggestions before I start?

 

[Purple Haze]

Why can't a find deals like this? lol

Call Global. They drilled my glass tank for $10/hole.

 

[JmLee]

you adopted?. So you didnt pay anything for ALL that?.

 

[SERVO]

The only down side to your tank is that you can never get any type of wave flow in a system that is arched. With that said, it looks like you'll be moving a lot of water. At least this will give you time to use all of the stuff that you have laying around that you are not using! Good luck.

 

[mnmnm1951]

SERVO: By "wave" do you mean a back-and-forth or random turbulance? I have a bowfront reef that has good random tumbulance using powerheads. MAkes sense that a back-and-forth motion would be tough.

I traded the guy some tools and other stuff I no longer use. I am into bartering and DIY. I also write a lot of grants for marine research and once the research is done there is a lot of excess used equipment around. All the "stuff in my garage" is used and taken from some research project that completed. A lot of times it has been modified or is in just bad shape or worn out. My philosopy with aquariums and most other things is the same as with cars: a new one depreciates too fast so a two-three year model is usually a better deal.

 

[JmLee]

nice, i agree with the two-three year model being a better deal,that is why i bought my 60 gal used, just so long as it is in good condition. Good stuff mnmnm1951, keep us posted please.

 

[mnmnm1951]

So here I am after a month.

I am determined to create as nearly maintenance-free and fault-free tank I can. Being in Houston we can count on losing power for a day or two and get very hot in the summer and very cool in the winter.

I have started off with some basics. The Neptune Controller will have all probes in the main tank rather than the sump. One of the primary reasons for the Neptune controller is to monitor the temperature of the water. If the main pumps fail it will do no good to measure the temperature of the sump while the tank temperature climbs to dangerous levels. With the probe in the tank the controller can turn off the lights at a set temperature.

I am incorporating an OceansMotion 8-way/Dart combination for one closed loop pushing water into the back and sides of the tank and another Dart attached to a closed loop manifold on top of the tank with eight LocLine flexible outlets pointing into the water. This should give me plenty of flow. I got six Diamond holesaws and will practice on a few surplus tanks first. Pretty nervous about hitting this tank with a drill. Especially ten times!

I have acquired a LiterMeter III with two pumps to provide fresh refill water during the day and then refill through a Kalk Reactor at night. The tank pH will at all times be monitored by the Neptune controller and turn off the Kalk pump if pH rises too high. The LiterMeter has a water-change option but I really don't like how it does it. It basically just drips old water out at the same rate it drips new water in. Anybody have an opinion on this?

I have two Eheim 1260 pumps that will be used as the main circulation pumps. Each one will drive one of the returns to the corner overflows. A tee off one of these will provide water to the Calcium Reactor.

The Aqua-C skimmer will be driven with a Pan World pump. I read a thread about replacing the fan on this pump with a CPU fan and will incorporate that modification. The Calcium Reactor effluent will be dripped through the skimmer to blow off eny excess CO2.

I am still considering the Ozone Generator but I think I will hold off until I see if it is really necesary.

Under the tank will the the main 30G sump and an older 30G Acrylic aquarium as a Refugium. I have not thought through the complete plumbing but will probably feed the refugium from the overflow and connect the refugium to the Sump. In the Refugium will be a DSB and different macro algaes and some rock. The skimmer will sit in the sump and the two Eheims connected to the sump with bulkheads.

Outside in a deckbox will be the RO unit refilling the top-off water container and a container for new salt water. I am considering also putting the chiller outside. Any opinion on feeding the chiller? Can I just Tee off one of the overflows and run it through the wall through the chiller and back through the wall to the sump? Need to think about this one as I really want the chiller outside because the one I have running now heats up the living room. Perhaps I can just duct the hot air output through the wall to avoid heating the living room?

I got a case of the Pond Foam for the back wall of the tank. Am still thinking this one through. I am not that artistic so maybe I will decorate the back of a surplus tank to see how it goes. I will need to lay the tank on its back as this stuff does not adhere to vertical surfaces when wet, at least according to some of the threads I have read.

Well, that's the status. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Dudester]

So how's the progress on this project? I'm very interested, as I'm considering buying a 180g bowfront from a neighbor of mine who's also moving. If I buy it, I'll also have a lot of work to do to make it a functional system to accomodate SPS. Good luck with your project!