ReefWaters' 220 Sun Room Reef
- Thread starter ReefWaters
- Start date
Also, I must add that your set up, fish room, inwall build, dimensions and everything are perfect! This is exactly what I want to do in our next house when I have the room for it! It's very well planned out and I'm sure it will be a very nice and easy to maintain system.
What do you plan on doing for mixing saltwater and doing water changes. I've found that this is the most labor intensive part of my current setup and if I could simplify that my tank would be 100% easier to take care of.
What do you plan on doing for mixing saltwater and doing water changes. I've found that this is the most labor intensive part of my current setup and if I could simplify that my tank would be 100% easier to take care of.
melev
Well-known member
ReefWaters
Premium Member
Well, I've been thinking a lot about some of the suggestions I've gotten here.
I'm really considering gravity feeding the skimmer from the display overflow. Even though I'll have to plumb it all the way around the room, as I'm not willing to change where the skimmer is located in my original design.
I'm just waiting from confirmation from some Deltec experts as to whether I have to perfectly hit the rated through put or not. I'm concerned I wont be able to dial in the flow through the skimmer coming from a drain as easily as I will a pump. I also dont have much flow through the overflow to begin with. Only about 800 gph at my best guess.
Things are still going slow, as I warned, but I have made some important decisions that should speed things up.
I'm going to build the fuge and prop tank myself. I'm going to have the glass cut to size and polished for me. I'll just glue them up. They will both be 58" L x 19-3/4" W x 12" H, rimless and braceless. I think 3/8" glass should be fine for this at these dimensions. Anyone have any experience with this and want to give some advice???
The secondary sump is still a go and will most likely still be a standard 20 Long. The water change and main sump are a little bit in the air still but will definitely be standard store bought aquariums.
I'm a huge fan of IceCap products and swore a long time ago I would never buy another brand ballast. But I got an email from Premium Aquatics the other day saying they had found a case of 2 year old (but never opened) 175 watt Reef Fanatic electronic ballasts and were selling them for $40 each.
opeye: I couldn't resist. 40 bucks a pop. I was planning on dropping 120 bucks each on 2 IceCaps. I figured it was worth a shot. It seems like a very nice ballast. I'll be running 2 of these on my prop tank with 14K Hamiltons and 2 x 110 watt VHO actinics.
That's about all I have to update right now.
I'm really considering gravity feeding the skimmer from the display overflow. Even though I'll have to plumb it all the way around the room, as I'm not willing to change where the skimmer is located in my original design.
I'm just waiting from confirmation from some Deltec experts as to whether I have to perfectly hit the rated through put or not. I'm concerned I wont be able to dial in the flow through the skimmer coming from a drain as easily as I will a pump. I also dont have much flow through the overflow to begin with. Only about 800 gph at my best guess. Things are still going slow, as I warned, but I have made some important decisions that should speed things up.
I'm going to build the fuge and prop tank myself. I'm going to have the glass cut to size and polished for me. I'll just glue them up. They will both be 58" L x 19-3/4" W x 12" H, rimless and braceless. I think 3/8" glass should be fine for this at these dimensions. Anyone have any experience with this and want to give some advice???
The secondary sump is still a go and will most likely still be a standard 20 Long. The water change and main sump are a little bit in the air still but will definitely be standard store bought aquariums.
I'm a huge fan of IceCap products and swore a long time ago I would never buy another brand ballast. But I got an email from Premium Aquatics the other day saying they had found a case of 2 year old (but never opened) 175 watt Reef Fanatic electronic ballasts and were selling them for $40 each.
opeye: I couldn't resist. 40 bucks a pop. I was planning on dropping 120 bucks each on 2 IceCaps. I figured it was worth a shot. It seems like a very nice ballast. I'll be running 2 of these on my prop tank with 14K Hamiltons and 2 x 110 watt VHO actinics.
That's about all I have to update right now.
jnarowe
New member
you can control the water volume through the skimmer quite easily with an exit gate valve. just run it into a bucket while keeping time, do the math and you will know where you are at. I have an inbound BV and an outbound gate valve on my skimmer so it is essentially infinitely adjustable.
StingRay1969
Premium Member
Any updates on the progress?
ReefWaters
Premium Member
Nothing too exciting to report.
I placed the order for the main sump and water change tank and Im working on ordering a bunch of other stuff.
The sump is a standard 50 gallon at 36x18x18.
And the water change tank is a standard 55 gallon at 48x13x20.
That's about it....
I placed the order for the main sump and water change tank and Im working on ordering a bunch of other stuff.
The sump is a standard 50 gallon at 36x18x18.
And the water change tank is a standard 55 gallon at 48x13x20.
That's about it....
TheSaltwaterGuy
New member
Nice tank! Can't wait to see it finished!
ReefWaters
Premium Member
Okay, not much to update but I figure I'll keep everyone in suspense. 
I have not done much at all in the last month. I own my own business, and things are booming right now, so I have to set my priorities and I cant complain. I certainly cant pay for this puppy if I don't make any money right?
The main and water change sump have arrived at the LFS. I just have to pick them up.
I ordered the cut and polished glass for the fuge and prop tank today. It should be here next week. Its a little pricey but its all 3/8" and cut so the tanks will be rimless and braceless. Its going to be tricky assembling the prop tank because I'm going to have to do it "inside" the stand (the middle section of the white powder coated stand). I think I've got it figured out but it may not be the prettiest silicone job because of it.
Next on my to-do list is to finish up the few feet of base moulding that I haven't finished in the fish room, cut the feet on the support tank stand so it will sit level, build the light rack, and then assemble the tanks and start plumbing. Sounds easier than it will be in reality I'm sure.
Other than that, I have placed several orders for miscellaneous items that I am going to need. The boxes are starting to pile up.
I'm really wanting to get this thing up and running. I had a small crash in my 50 cube a few weeks ago. I lost my two largest corals. My Cali Tort and my green stag. I still want to cry when I think about it. They were both 10" plus and several years old. Fortunately though, I did have a few frags already started from both colonies so I will be okay in the long run. I just REALLY wanted those two corals to start out the new tank.
I have not done much at all in the last month. I own my own business, and things are booming right now, so I have to set my priorities and I cant complain. I certainly cant pay for this puppy if I don't make any money right? The main and water change sump have arrived at the LFS. I just have to pick them up.
I ordered the cut and polished glass for the fuge and prop tank today. It should be here next week. Its a little pricey but its all 3/8" and cut so the tanks will be rimless and braceless. Its going to be tricky assembling the prop tank because I'm going to have to do it "inside" the stand (the middle section of the white powder coated stand). I think I've got it figured out but it may not be the prettiest silicone job because of it.
Next on my to-do list is to finish up the few feet of base moulding that I haven't finished in the fish room, cut the feet on the support tank stand so it will sit level, build the light rack, and then assemble the tanks and start plumbing. Sounds easier than it will be in reality I'm sure.
Other than that, I have placed several orders for miscellaneous items that I am going to need. The boxes are starting to pile up.
I'm really wanting to get this thing up and running. I had a small crash in my 50 cube a few weeks ago. I lost my two largest corals. My Cali Tort and my green stag. I still want to cry when I think about it. They were both 10" plus and several years old. Fortunately though, I did have a few frags already started from both colonies so I will be okay in the long run. I just REALLY wanted those two corals to start out the new tank.
ReefWaters
Premium Member
Yeah, it sucks, but its my fault. They both RTN'd over night. They were both touching each other and growing around and on top of each other. I have not been as diligent with testing, etc, as I should have been, plus the stress of outgrowing their space and competing for space, light, etc, I think the Cali Tort just did what it would do in nature and "blew up." It went 100% white in about 24 hours. It was gone before I knew it had started. The large stag started RTN'ing where the tort had been touching it. I was able to frag the heck out it but not the tort.
Oh well. Ive done a few water changes and everything seems to be coming back around now. I really believe this was just a natural process of competition and survival of the fittest in a VERY small, enclosed environment.
Oh well. Ive done a few water changes and everything seems to be coming back around now. I really believe this was just a natural process of competition and survival of the fittest in a VERY small, enclosed environment.
ReefWaters
Premium Member
Yeah. Im broke!
:lol: Ha ha, just kidding. Well, not really. I just finished a few projects around the house that I promised myself I would finish before I started back on the tank. Now, Im back in the process of getting some things together (lighting components, plumbing, etc) so that I can start really putting things together and get some water in this thing. Other than that, nothing has changed. Keep bugging me though. Its good motivation. :smokin:
