RC 75 DIY Stand and Sump
- Thread starter rmchoi
- Start date
chilli_reef
New member
Absolutely excellent job !
BigElvis31
New member
Awesome build! I really like the modern look of the stand.
I had also made the same mistake of tying all of the wires together to neaten up the tank. It was such a hassle to undo everything.
I had also made the same mistake of tying all of the wires together to neaten up the tank. It was such a hassle to undo everything.
rmchoi
New member
Thanks!
You never think you will have to remove or replace equipment often, but when you do, accessibility is key. This looks like a mess but removing equipment is easy.
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chilli_reef
New member
Tag them
perforator
Member
Did you replace the Radion's?
rmchoi
New member
My corals were doing okay, but growing very slow. There are so many ways to set LED lighting colors, that I decided to go back to basics and try to eliminate those variables. I replaced the Radions with an old Hamilton metal halide / fluorescent fixture. This MH fixture is temporary, until I can setup a Hamilton CEBU Sun. If my corals don't respond well, then I can eliminate the lights as the issue.
I found you need more LEDs than what the manufacturers recommend for good light spread and to avoid shadowing. This maybe hard to believe, but I use about the same wattage for MH/T5 and I did with the LEDs. Also, I was surprised how bright and clear the MH lighting makes the tank look.
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rmchoi
New member
The silencers work well! I really stumbled on to making them. The acrylic circles were leftover pieces from cutting out the holes for the sock holders. Makes sense they perfectly fit the sock.
I taped papers together and drew a life size cabinet. My skimmer clearance determined the inside cabinet height. Then measured the drawing for the panel sizes.
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rmchoi
New member
The wheels have saved me three from emptying the tank to relocate. Once to install new flooring under the stand and another to move the tank to a new location. Another to move the stand away from he wall for equipment changes. I don't recommend wheels on thick carpet, but works well on smooth surface like concrete and now, cork flooring.
Filter socks are preference for sure. But when I see how much debris they trap, I can't help to think they improve water quality. Maybe make a place for socks, but only use them as needed?
The sump design worked well. Two changes I would make is to go with a bigger sump size - as big as you can fit. You forget all the other stuff like probes, dosing tubes and reactors that you think to add later.
Another change is to make the splash chamber bigger. Especially if you have two drains. Keeping the drain lines separate from the socks, makes changing out the socks quick and easy. That alone made it worth separating.
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Marshall7199
New member
Very nice build. I really like then electrical wire planning and the white interior for enhanced visibility. By the way, what color is the back of your tank; it that a deep blue or black?
rmchoi
New member
Update
Update
I made several changes this year. Stopped Zeovit, filter socks, and dosing. Too many things that needed to be done too often was turning into a burden. I had to rethink things long term to make it sustainable.
So I moved things in a different direction. First I switched to a Lifereef sump and skimmer. Its designed like a "turnkey" system, with all the components fit together in a compact space. Everything is accessible and easier to maintain than my previous sump and skimmer.
Update
I made several changes this year. Stopped Zeovit, filter socks, and dosing. Too many things that needed to be done too often was turning into a burden. I had to rethink things long term to make it sustainable.
So I moved things in a different direction. First I switched to a Lifereef sump and skimmer. Its designed like a "turnkey" system, with all the components fit together in a compact space. Everything is accessible and easier to maintain than my previous sump and skimmer.
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rmchoi
New member
Initial set up of Lifereef sump
Initial set up of Lifereef sump
This is the change over to the Lifereef sump and skimmer.
The yellow pump is a Blue Line system pump. I kept the UV sterilizer, due to outbreak of ich earlier on.
The sump is the CLF1 and skimmer is a VS3-24". The extra large skimmer cup is nice t empty less often. A MagDrive 9.5 pump runs the skimmer. I had to cut away part of the cabinet shelf to accommodate a taller skimmer.
There is a valve for each of the 3 media cylinders to control flow independently. At first, the cylinders were awkward to fill and refill, but found them easier to use over time. Actually they are so simple, there is nothing to break on them.
Lifereef uses is a thick yellow sponge filter and a fiber filter for mechanical filtration. About 7-10 days, rinse the sponge and toss the blue filter. This was way easier replacing and cleaning filter socks every 2-3 days.
Initial set up of Lifereef sump
This is the change over to the Lifereef sump and skimmer.
The yellow pump is a Blue Line system pump. I kept the UV sterilizer, due to outbreak of ich earlier on.
The sump is the CLF1 and skimmer is a VS3-24". The extra large skimmer cup is nice t empty less often. A MagDrive 9.5 pump runs the skimmer. I had to cut away part of the cabinet shelf to accommodate a taller skimmer.
There is a valve for each of the 3 media cylinders to control flow independently. At first, the cylinders were awkward to fill and refill, but found them easier to use over time. Actually they are so simple, there is nothing to break on them.
Lifereef uses is a thick yellow sponge filter and a fiber filter for mechanical filtration. About 7-10 days, rinse the sponge and toss the blue filter. This was way easier replacing and cleaning filter socks every 2-3 days.
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