reef System V2

[pascal32]

I've learned a lot on the last few years and the system has been creeping up in size, so i thought a refresh over the vacation would be nice. And what's nicer than adding a tank and refreshing the sump?

Over the next few months I hope to have some nice upgrades, time will tell!

phase 1:
* move 72 onto main system. relocate across the room to get out of direct sun light
* upgrade to larger return pump
* upgrade plumbing to existing 120 to 1 1/2" water line and add full siphon lines
* rebuild sump stand to hold future glass frag tank
* upgrade sump to 65 gallon from 40 breeder
* move reactors and frag tank off the main return pump

Phase 2:
upgrade 50 gallon Rubbermaid to glass 48x24*12
possibly add a second glass 48x24*12

Phase 3:
hmmmm...that will have to be a surprise!

Phase 1 off to a start!

started with some destruction, as every good project should.

location for the 2nd display on the system. need access to basement sump. Expansion Treaty of 2011 signed with governing body (wife)

marking basement access point:

cut a little too far, I should have used a sharpie so I could see the line better. or done this while there was daylight.

and checking the grate fit for the day we move so the floor looks nice:

 

[Johnny C]

Very nice! Knowing you, I bet I can guess what type of "upgrade" phase 3 involves!

 

[Conesus_Kid]

Out of curiosity, are you moving the 72 out of direct sunlight because of temperature issues, or other issues?

Looks like a fun project!

 

[pascal32]

Out of curiosity, are you moving the 72 out of direct sunlight because of temperature issues, or other issues?

Looks like a fun project!

The tank has been doing well in it's current location, however, I've never felt that the corals were as "happy" in that tank as my other tank. Part of me wonders if this is partially due to running a late light cycle in addition to having daylight on the tank starting early in the morning.

Temperature has not been an issue, though looking at the logs during the summer the fan runs quite a bit to keep things cool which adds humidity in the house.

regardless, the move is due to the furnace and water heater being underneath the tank. I plan to upgrade this to a 120 and add floor support. My house uses unusual joists which are hard to sister. By moving I get away from the furnace where I can put floor supports in.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Looking good. This will be a great project in the long run.

 

[pascal32]

new sump stand built, made to take a 18x48 or 18x36 sump. The side supports stick out 1/2" to make for an 18 1/2" opening (will be tight with most tanks at 18 1/4" wide), stores were not open to get a different cut and I didn't feel like ripping pine on the table saw with a nice blade. For rough cut wood the stand is very square which is nice.

The current stand will be reworked to accommodate a second 2x4 frag tank.

also made a switch box for the reefkeeper:

 

[solRNY]

I liked V1 but V2 looking like it is going to be pretttty nice!

 

[pascal32]

made some progress Made a last minute decision to move to a 90 gallon sump. I ran some pessimistic numbers on the amount of water that could flow back assuming a larger display than what I have now. part of the capacity issue is the 1.5" supply lines and a potential for (3) 1" full siphon lines, not to mention two frag tanks. Even at 90 Gallons a worst case scenario still puts me at loosing water. If this becomes reality I will have to put a check valve in on the supply 1.5" line

Thanks to ABC Reef for having a 90 gallon on hand and even being nice enough to lend a hand moving it into the basement!

volume calculation:

90 gallon is a tight fit, had to take a planer to the stand to squeeze it in. Maintaining a top footprint which fits a 2x4 frag tank. We are running out of basement space, so i was asked to keep things as compact as possible, hence this arrangement

Hole for the return pump, hole is towards one side allowing expansion to a second return pump for after the day we move - plan to run two return systems so that I can loose a pump and the tank keeps going.

plumbing is in, a nearly turnkey sump!

The pipes sticking up are the two 1" full siphons for the display, the valves go at the top of pipe shown (lower would be nice, but room is scarce). The 1.5" is the secondary overflow. The third layer of protection is a float switch shutting down the return pump.

The two side pipes are the 1" siphon and 1.5" drain for the other display on the first floor.

The 1.5" that goes all the way through is for the external skimmer.

 

[pascal32]

Got a late start as usual The sump is in place and all the plumbing is connected for both displays. The outlets are mounted and ready to roll!

The frags are in a 100 gallon holding bin, and the display is still off-line. Checked the KH on the display SPS tank and it is at 8, will go back up tomorrow with a lot of new water coming in. Unfortunate to raise the KH with new water, unfortunately that's how the RC is mixed, not much I can do about it.

I'm reluctant to fire the system up this late in case there is an issue. I'm going to call it a night and pick it up tomorrow morning

 

[boosted chemist]

phase three is profit of course, tagging along here.

 

[pascal32]

phase three is profit of course, tagging along here.

I doubt that as I have a habit of giving everything away

hint - 31104 cubic inches of goodness :fish2:

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Hope things went well when you fired it up this morning!

 

[boosted chemist]

I doubt that as I have a habit of giving everything away

hint - 31104 cubic inches of goodness :fish2:

lol, it was a reference to a south park episode.

 

[pascal32]

water is running! slight drip from the threaded connection on the top of the pump, surprised as I used the heavy duty tape. oh well, that is why there is a union there! re-taped and it is good to go!

pump is heavily turned down as all i have is the current 120 display. pump is much louder than I hoped for. I'm going to re-do the connection to the sump with a couple inches of flex and get a rubber pad for the pump.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I use rubber couplings instead of traditional vinyl flex. They will slip on and clamp down to plain old PVC without the need for restrictive bulky nipples. They look like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Premier-3-Rubber-Coupling/dp/B000DZFVYM

Made a HUGE difference in noise level on my system.

 

[pascal32]

never thought of using those - I like it!

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

They're quick and easy enough to take off that I've removed the unions around the pumps, too.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Got a late start as usual The sump is in place and all the plumbing is connected for both displays. The outlets are mounted and ready to roll!

The frags are in a 100 gallon holding bin, and the display is still off-line. Checked the KH on the display SPS tank and it is at 8, will go back up tomorrow with a lot of new water coming in. Unfortunate to raise the KH with new water, unfortunately that's how the RC is mixed, not much I can do about it.

I'm reluctant to fire the system up this late in case there is an issue. I'm going to call it a night and pick it up tomorrow morning

Confused about your KH concerns? Do you want it higher? Are you concerned about it doing up abruptly with the newly mixed SW?

Just trying to follow along?

 

[pascal32]

Confused about your KH concerns? Do you want it higher? Are you concerned about it doing up abruptly with the newly mixed SW?

Just trying to follow along?

The display was "off-line" for a day. Being a heavy SPS tank I was worried that the alkalinity would take a hit as it didn't get the 220ml of dosing it is used to.

that make sense?

 

[Capt_Cully]

Yeah, gotcha. I think it'll be fine, personally. The one day blip may affect the numbers but the corals should be good.