Our 375 Gallon project

Just found your thread, and wanted to say how impressed I am with everything. I have a lot of reading to do still just wanted to say how nice everything looks.
 
:eek2: :eek2: You have totally went over the deep end and I will be joining you this year. just found the post and am very thankful for your dedication to this thread. Your tank is magnificent!!!! My tank is either going to be a 96"x36x30 or 96x30x30 island. the ends will have columns that house the miscellaneous tanks while the sump and fuge will be under the tank. House was built around the tank and has drain , water, and 4 dedicated circuits. What are your thoughts on keeping the stand and canopy cool enough without the ability to install an AC to the stand?
 
This is a LOOOONG thread, but very impressive! Well thought out and very well built. I like the equipment area in the garage. I was just curious how long the T-5's will last if they are "overdriven"? I have 2 660's laying around and I wanted to swap VHO's for the T-5's but all I ever hear is that's a no no. So before I go throwing money all over I would like some more opinions??
 
Controlling AC on off

Controlling AC on off

Hi sidewinder770,

I'm not sure if this has been covered yet but how do you control the On/Off of the A/C Unit?

Does it come on when the temp in the fish room hits a certain temp?

Is it controlled by Aquacontroller?

Or do you use the units built in thermostat to control the on off?

I'm looking at a similar setup for my fish room here in the tropics.

Thanks,
Mark
 
I firstly must definitely tip my hat to Sidewinder. When I mentioned this tank to my girlfriend with the huge plumbing project and remote controller canopy raiser she rolled her eyes and gave an emphatic NO!!
Lucky for her I am a nice guy and would never dump her over something like this:P I guess I will slowly have to erode her resolve until my dream tank comes to fruition. Until then I will be happy with my nano:)
Anyways great job, especially the cabinets, they look really sharp and I will definitely file away that little tidbit about using the foam. Thanks alot for documenting the journey.
 
tk1360: Nevermind that crap, do you think that Sidewinder asked his grilfriend if he could build this tank?

Just DO it Dude...nice guys have nanos! :lol:

Hey I am just kidding of course, but seriously, make it happen. If you want a cool reef, your girlfriend wil support you. She can "no" all she wants, but what she is really saying is YES! :D
 
Thanks all for the compliments. Not much new to report lately- everything seems to be going along as it should. I still haven't added the T5 lights or gotten a good picture of the cabinets yet but hopefully soon.

Tank102a- I seem to get at least 2 PM's a month on the subject of the foam. So far no problems and it is holding up just fine. It's basically live foam at this point as it looks just like the live rock.

jnarowe- Actually- I think you are reffering to my Chevron tang- it is almost completely black now and at least twice as big as he was 6 months ago. This is what he use to look like-
chevron.jpg


kconboy- I was a bit concerned with a sealed canopy and not providing any ventilation or A/C to it. I had initially planned to vent the canopy but it just never seemed to need it. it also keeps the house cooler in the summer as all the heat is contained in the canopy and doesn't get into the house. I still think it may be a good idea to vent it but it seemd to be working just fine for me without.

Alphabet- How long the T5's will last being overdriven? You got me :). So far they have heald up just fine. I was thinking about replacing the bulbs soon but just as a "do it every year" kind of paranoia. i think the amount of light and great color is worth the shortened life span of the bulb- i have a few friends that do the same and they all like it as well. Especially if you have the 660's laying around- go ahead and do it- I don't think you'll be disapointed.

markmcc- The dual chillers are controlled by the aquacontroller. The units are turned on and off by x10 modules. I basically rigged it up to turn on automatically whenever power is applied to the unit so the x10 modules work great. One comes on at 79.5 degrees and the second if it gets to 79.6 degrees. it turns off again at 78.8 degrees and it's based on the sump water temp. My flow from the display tank is about 3000 GPH so the temp in the tank is almost identical to the sump temp.

tk1360- Like jnarowe says- just do it! :). I guess I can say that because I had the full support of my girlfriend and she was right there with me saying "we could just drill a hole here, and here, and here " :). She wasn't excited about the canopy system at first but I think she likes it now that it's up and working. Hopefully she'll come around to the idea. I like the cabinets as well and hopefully I'll be able to get a better picture of the whole display tank with cabintes soon. it's just hard to get a good shot as I have window reflections during the day and at night the light from the tank washes out the color of the cabinets. I'll see what I can do though.
 
wow. what a cool color change. my orange shoulder seems to be stuck between juvenile and adult colors. It has been that way for months. It still has a yellow front 2/3 and the back 1/3 is darker. At night it turns to more of the very dark gray coloration.
 
I guess this is one of those time when her mouth may be saying "no" but her eyes are saying "YES". I gotta be careful with those, Last time I misread those signals and I ended up with a restraining order. :lol:
 
Chiller Parts List

Chiller Parts List

I think you forgot 1 part in your chiller parts list, correct me if I am wrong but you will also need a 3/8in. Standard Union to connect the lineset to the chiller barrel.

Is this correct?

Please let me know as I am trying to hook mine up now.

Is there anything else other than a 3/8in. Standard Union under the tape where the freon exits the chiller barrel?

Thanks,
 
I think you're probably right- it will need a union since they are both female ends. I also found it was easier on the supply side (going into the TXV) to have a 3/8" threaded- 1/4" tube flare nut put on instead of a ruduction fitting that went from 3/8-1/4. So instead of going from 1/4 tube to 3/8 tube then putting on a 3/8 flare nut Basically silver sodering an adapter which takes more time and material)- instead get a flare nut the has 3/8 thread and 1/4 tube that way it's a simple cut, put on the nut, flare the end and your done.

Here is a closer picture of the TXV- not sure if I posted this in the past or not-

chiller_tube.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9455870#post9455870 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sidewinder770
I think you're probably right- it will need a union since they are both female ends. I also found it was easier on the supply side (going into the TXV) to have a 3/8" threaded- 1/4" tube flare nut put on instead of a ruduction fitting that went from 3/8-1/4. So instead of going from 1/4 tube to 3/8 tube then putting on a 3/8 flare nut Basically silver sodering an adapter which takes more time and material)- instead get a flare nut the has 3/8 thread and 1/4 tube that way it's a simple cut, put on the nut, flare the end and your done.

Here is a closer picture of the TXV- not sure if I posted this in the past or not-

chiller_tube.jpg
Click to expand...

I just reread the thread and couldnt find it so i am sorry i missed it. how much did you pay or how much did it cost to make that chiller?
 
Scott - As you stated earlier that you "seem to get at least 2 PM's a month on the subject of the foam". Thanks for the information as I was one of those PM's on the topic! I sprayed the majority of the foam on my 225 gallon acrylic tank last Tuesday. I have yet to complete the sides of the center overflow as the foam wanted to slide down the box, so the tank will need to be tipped on its sides to finish up the project.

My point is to others that want to try the foam, please be sure to heed the warning about wearing latex gloves when working with the foam. It had been used on my outdoor pond and I kind of forgot the mess it made on my husband’s hands while using it with only one can ... not the 11 I used. Needless to say I had purchased the yellow kitchen latex gloves, but the fit was too large so I tossed them to the side and used about 2 fingers on each hand to work the foam. I had a big mess literally on my hands and it took many days to remove the residue completely. I would suggest getting tight fitting latex gloves, like the ones in the Doctors office. With those it will be easier to work with and you can actually feel the texture/consistency of the foam when you are working with it and molding it to the shapes you desire. I would also have a few pairs on them on hand so that you can change out to fresh pairs with the foam starts to harden on the ones you are using. Just my recommendation for the day!
 
thanks again!!!

thanks again!!!

sidewinder770,

Thanks for the close up and the detailed explanation.

The flare nut was actually included in your list and I got one!

You have saved me a bunch of money and especially time on this project. I will post some pictures when my system is fully up.

My refer tech will be out on Tuesday am to hook the whole system up.

Many thanks again,
Mark
 
[QUOTE
I just reread the thread and couldnt find it so i am sorry i missed it. how much did you pay or how much did it cost to make that chiller? [/QUOTE]

The information is on page 30, I think he said somewhere around 1040.00
Page 30 lists out all of the parts and the vendors that they purchased them from.

Scott, again a big thanks for the legwork!!!:bum:
 
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