SMB2415 550g (84x36x42) build

Looking Good... Curiosity question : I am having hard time arranging rocks & reaching bottom of my 30" deep tank for maintenance etc. How do you plan on maintaining such a deep tank, any special tools or once water is on just clean glass with long reach tools .. Your thoughts are appreciated and thanks
 
@Osama - true my tank depth is beyond the reach of my arms at least to get to the bottom. I measured it and I can get to all but the bottom 12". I'll be using extension tools and long tongs, forceps, and hemostats to reach. AquaCave carries a brand named Marlin which has 24" versions of these. I am also using various support rods to keep the rocks in place and easily removed by lifting from the rod. A long vacuum called a cobalt power cleaner will help keep the sand bed tidy. Lastly if I need to physically touch the bottom I will use a snuba type setup - but connected to a tank instead of a compressor. I am a certified diver and so it not too big of a deal to put together.
 
Thanks for the info.. Looking forward to pictures of rock support with rods.. In my case I can reach almost to within 4 inches of bottom. Helps that a lot of my rocks are large pieces heavy and easy to reach .. the smaller pieces will have to be anchored to the larger pieces over time with putty or? .. Thanks for sharing.
 
Sand finally came in from being on backorder. 19 bags of 40lbs!! Now should I wash it considering its 22 degrees outside.....

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Weir overflow box is in, overflows drilled for Bean Animal, bulkheads in, And the fish closet is progressing. Here you see a photo of the pond liner which runs in one piece under the whole tank and into the whole fish closet. It'll hold about 2" of water. Tomorrow the closet will be done. I need to finish lining the plywood with FRP (stuff used to line commercial baths).

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Looking good . I wished I had thought of this idea four month ago. Would have been so simple to create such a tub to hold unforeseen water mishaps...
 
FRP is installed in fish closet.
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Return plumbing just about complete. I need a short nipple to finish...uggh gonna have to wait until Monday for that.

Here is my thread about heat forming pvc. I made a sweeping 90 to improve flow and reduce friction loss.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2358980

Some photos of the process and return pump.

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Sump is now in place. 150g Fuge tank will have to wait tip after the new year. I will be using a Waveline Dc10000 for that. I plan on running that submersed in the sump. The coil in the sump is the closed loop primary heater. Electric backups will be placed in the sump as well.

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tank is now filled with freshwater. Since its a new tank (to me) gotta check for leaks and test my overflow. So far we're good.

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just a bit of plumbing left and then the fun stuff! Aquascaping!! I'm restless and wanting this tank to be cycling!!
 
tank is looking awesome. I just kind of skimmed your list since its not definite and i'd be weary of an angler with all the gobies and smallish fish you said. The list looked good with just a few trimmings here and there, like pick just a few of the tangs.
 
I did not wash the first batch of sand I put in but decided to wash the other batches of sand, I am glad I did . Since it is also cold in Chicago I had to do it in the basement sink... Sounds like you got your hands full building your own Christmas present!!
 
The system is running!! I have freshwater running through the the sump, returns, and DT now. :) I have a few finishing touches to do once I drain it.

I am really impressed with the Bean Animal overflow. Although it's not 100% complete I was able to see it function across all 3 pipes while adjusting it. I couldn't max out the 2" drains with my reeflo hammerhead at full bore using 2" returns!! There was so much water flow that it looked like Niagra Falls and no issues at all. When I turned off the full siphon valve the open channel kicked in. At some points during my "adjusting" I even saw the emergency overflow briefly kick in. Once I dialed it in - it is QUIET - just as claimed.

Changing my setup form a standard weir to a coast-to-coast, drilling (3) 2.5" holes and setting up the bean animal was something I was nervous about. In the end I am extremely happy with the result and would recommend it to others.

I definitely could've gone with 1.5" overflows, but at least I know I am sized for the worst case scenario.

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Another progress report: Tonight I also was able to test my custom closed loop recirculating heater. My detailed build thread is listed below. This heater works awesome!! 500g heated 7 degrees in an hour using minimal electricity and from what I could tell no more than average firing of the hot water heater.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2285507

This was a DIY idea and build which I was skeptical about as I had no exact calculations on how to properly size the titanium coil. Tonight I feel like a kid on Christmas morning!! The tank has water flow, heat, and no leaks.

The last parts to bring the system online were ordered today. For the rest of the week it's aqua-scaping, washing 740lbs of sand, making RO, mixing salt water, and hopefully starting the cycle.
 
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