iwishtofish
Active member
Those projects turned out nicely. Happy New Year to you, as well!
RocketEngineer's 75g/125g Setup
- Thread starter RocketEngineer
- Start date
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
While trying to install the kalk reactor I realized that the sump needed to be moved in order to place it where I want. The fix involved emptying the sump and manhandling it 4" to the right. The plumbing isn't quite as in line as it used to be but it should suffice until the 125g goes in.
Before the move:
After the move:
I also built a platform for the reactor out of Legos (mine btw) to get the union above the rim of the sump. Now that the kalk reactor is positioned, I can run it full time even when I go on vacation.
In addition to getting the reactor in place I also changed out the ATO bucket with a pet food container. This increases the size of the ATO bucket from 4g to 8g. Now I hope to be able to go a full week during the summer without having to refill the ATO bucket.
RocketEngineer
Before the move:
After the move:
I also built a platform for the reactor out of Legos (mine btw) to get the union above the rim of the sump. Now that the kalk reactor is positioned, I can run it full time even when I go on vacation.
In addition to getting the reactor in place I also changed out the ATO bucket with a pet food container. This increases the size of the ATO bucket from 4g to 8g. Now I hope to be able to go a full week during the summer without having to refill the ATO bucket.
RocketEngineer
joe_himself
New member
lookin good. beautiful stand.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The stand came out better than I expected and has stood up well to two years of abuse. The 125g will use it as well so it will see a long life.
This is actually my third skimmer. My first was a HoB Reef Octopus BH100 that I used on my 30g. I still have it if I need to set up a hospital tank. The one currently on the 75g is a Reef Octopus NWB150 and the only problem I have with it is the clear body has algae growing inside due to the refugium light. The newest one is a kit that you glue together from Avast Marine. They sell an assembled one for more $$$ but since I enjoy DIY, I figured the kit would be about the same price as a new skimmer anyways and yet I would get a better end result.
The CS1 Cone Skimmer kit has a couple neat features that work well with my setup. First, the cone is smoked acrylic so the algae issue should be reduced. Second, the skimmer is a recirculating model which means there is one pump creating foam and a separate pump supplying water to be processed. For most in-sump skimmers, they need 6"-8" of water to work properly. This skimmer can sit in up to 11" or so without affecting how the skimmer functions. This feature lets the amount of water flowing into the skimmer be decoupled from the amount of bubbles the skimmer pump is creating. While it means I have an additional pump supplying the skimmer, this is small potatoes in the overall setup. The third thing I like about this skimmer is the small footprint. According to the Avast Marine website the skimmer has a 9"X10" footprint due to the pump being located under the body. While this may make pulling the skimmer pump a little more challenging than one outside the skimmer, I typically only clean the skimmer pump twice a year. For me, the small footprint is great as it doesn't take up unnecessary space in the sump.
HTH,
RocketEngineer
iwishtofish
Active member
What's the footprint of the 125g? Isn't it deeper (front to back) than the 75g? Did you build a stand (as did I) that can accomodate two different size tanks?
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Both the 75g and 125g are 18" front to back. My stand has an internal frame that will support either size. I had always intended to upgrade but it wasn't until I found a deal locally that I went for it. As I got the 125g back in March it is well past time I got it assembled and installed.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The kalk reactor is officially up and running. End of Line.
iwishtofish
Active member
Zipping right along! Any updated prediction as to when the 125 will be on the stand?
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
I don't know if zipping is the right word. It seems to be a lot of fits and starts with stretches of almost nothing happening in between.
At this point my goal is some time around March. I have one more major purchase (powerheads) before I set it up and I want to wait for my tax return before I pick those up. If I can get everything else in play first, I may go early and use what I have until then.
On a side not, when I went to feed the tank tonight I realized that one of the clownfish was missing. I know it was around when I got back from the holidays so I went searching. Turns out it had taken a ride and ended up in the sump. Not the first fish I have had do that. Its back in the tank now as if nothing happened.
RocketEngineer
At this point my goal is some time around March. I have one more major purchase (powerheads) before I set it up and I want to wait for my tax return before I pick those up. If I can get everything else in play first, I may go early and use what I have until then.
On a side not, when I went to feed the tank tonight I realized that one of the clownfish was missing. I know it was around when I got back from the holidays so I went searching. Turns out it had taken a ride and ended up in the sump. Not the first fish I have had do that. Its back in the tank now as if nothing happened.
RocketEngineer
i started reading this thread last night and finished it up this evening. i enjoyed every post in it. you had detailed posts covering stages of your planning, stages of the build, and fantastic posts on stages of the growth and the progress in your tank. it was really cool to be able to see all the details that you included. i especially loved seeing the pictures of your rock, as life started to take hold on it. i loved the pictures you included of your corals, from the very start, to current stages. i loved the occasional pictures of the dog and cat! good stuff. thanks for documenting everything so well!
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
I'm glad you took the time to read through it. If you learned something, hopefully you can keep from making the same mistakes I made. Easier on the wallet to learn from another persons mistakes than your own. I have made plenty over the last few years.
Some of the corals are doing better than others. I will admit that my husbandry has been lacking of late and things have reacted accordingly. My SPS corals are struggling while the LPS are either holding their own or growing. I hope to improve things in the next few weeks. With the 125g upgrade conditions should improve for all of them and I can see growth again. Keeping on top of things is important for long term health.
I will say that planning is a key part of any build. I started with a 30g, learned a bunch and then upgraded to the 75g. While I incorporated most of what I had learned, I missed a few things that I regret now. So for the last year I have been working and reworking the design for the 125g. Just today I redid the plan for the sump and return line. While it doesn't sound like much, simple is best with fewer things to go wrong. KISS principle.
Read and learn. Oh, and remember, this is a HOBBY, you are supposed to enjoy it.
RocketEngineer
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The pieces for the hood panels have had pocket holes drilled and biscuit slots cut :bounce3:. Assembly has started.
Another step forward.
Another step forward.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
It has been a busy weekend building the panels for the hood. It started with drilling the pocket screws and cutting the biscuit slots into all the pieces.
The key to this whole thing is labels. You will note the panels are numbered and each corner is lettered. In my case I intentionally changed up the lettering between each of the same size panels to help me keep it straight. With everything cut I used my pipe clamps to glue the short ends onto the center panel.
Once that was dry I glued the long boards on.
With that in place, I installed the pocket screws to secure everything together. This is what the end result is:
I have one big panel left to go and I hope to have that completed tonight.
Like I said, a good weekend.
The key to this whole thing is labels. You will note the panels are numbered and each corner is lettered. In my case I intentionally changed up the lettering between each of the same size panels to help me keep it straight. With everything cut I used my pipe clamps to glue the short ends onto the center panel.
Once that was dry I glued the long boards on.
With that in place, I installed the pocket screws to secure everything together. This is what the end result is:
I have one big panel left to go and I hope to have that completed tonight.
Like I said, a good weekend.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
The panels are now complete.
They still need to be trimmed as the oak pieces came up a little long vs the plywood. After that some sanding and polyurethane.
They still need to be trimmed as the oak pieces came up a little long vs the plywood. After that some sanding and polyurethane.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Tonight I spent 3 hours reducing large pieces of glass into small ones. Some smaller than others............Not my best work but at the end I have four pieces that I will use for the baffles of my new sump.
Last weekend I picked up a 40B from Petco for their $1 per gallon sale. The plan is to silicone in the baffles this weekend and paint the back and while the weather is still nice.
In other news, the cat decided she had a new toy:
Yeah, that's a PVC 45 degree elbow I plan to use for the return plumbing. At this point its probably under something. I will have to find it eventually.
Last weekend I picked up a 40B from Petco for their $1 per gallon sale. The plan is to silicone in the baffles this weekend and paint the back and while the weather is still nice.
In other news, the cat decided she had a new toy:
Yeah, that's a PVC 45 degree elbow I plan to use for the return plumbing. At this point its probably under something. I will have to find it eventually.
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Last night I cut the wood spacers for the new sump layout and this morning I siliconed all the pieces into the new 40B.
The layout has 10" for the skimmer, an over-under-over bubble trap, a 8" return section, and a 14.75" refugium. This works out to about 4.5g of evaporation above the pump inlet and a 13.5g refugium.
If the weather holds I should be able to paint the back of the sump tomorrow.
After the silicone sets I can start plumbing the return manifold. Now where did the cat push that elbow to.......
The layout has 10" for the skimmer, an over-under-over bubble trap, a 8" return section, and a 14.75" refugium. This works out to about 4.5g of evaporation above the pump inlet and a 13.5g refugium.
If the weather holds I should be able to paint the back of the sump tomorrow.
After the silicone sets I can start plumbing the return manifold. Now where did the cat push that elbow to.......
RocketEngineer
Space is big.
Today I finished painting the back of the sump and got the external overflow box assembled and installed on the 125g.
Completed Sump
Plumbing Layout.
The idea is the main return is controlled by the gate valve, the branch line has a 1/2" barb fitting to go to the phosban reactor and the end is the refugium supply which will have a Loc-Line valve and flared outlet.
Overall a good weekend.
Completed Sump
Plumbing Layout.
The idea is the main return is controlled by the gate valve, the branch line has a 1/2" barb fitting to go to the phosban reactor and the end is the refugium supply which will have a Loc-Line valve and flared outlet.
Overall a good weekend.
