Soulpatch's 150 SC build

I agree everything looks good from what I can see with the AWC station. And as far a going to Bean I would. I did on my newest tank and I will never go back but of course I always like a good fail safe just encase something happens to the first emergency drain.
 
JonezNReef said:
I agree everything looks good from what I can see with the AWC station. And as far a going to Bean I would. I did on my newest tank and I will never go back but of course I always like a good fail safe just encase something happens to the first emergency drain.
Click to expand...

I thought about this more last night as I was looking around the new sump. A second emergency is great thing to have so you dont flood a tank BUT you can achieve the same thing with a float in the return compartment which is what I will probably do. I will put a switch in there that if triggered means that the water level is low and stop the return pump and send me an alert. The pump can come back on after x minutes when the float allows so that things dont sit stale but also so that the pump isnt on/off constantly before I can get to it.
 
SP - Curious if your water level mark in the tank is above the bottom part of the canopy? I saw another 150 gallon with canopy and their water level was below the canopy. I am not sure if they are restricting the flow to raise the water level or not. If I decide to go with the canopy I would like the water level to be above the canopy and not seen.

After seeing the last few posts I may have Steve drill 2 holes in the back for returns and run the bean animal drain. I don't think I'd really mind having the overflow box in the tank as it would be something I could use to my advantage when it comes to the rock work and maybe support some of it with the overflow.

Should be moving my current tank into another tank this weekend. I've already listed my cube/stand/sump/skimmer and return pump for sale locally. Seems like a pain to move from one tank to another tank to then upgrade, but it won't be that bad. And selling the cube will offset "some" of the costs. I already had the other tank sitting on a shelf.

Thanks!
 
I can not see my water line with the canopy on. I actually keep my water towards the top of the overflow and not just at the start of the teeth so with flow the front of the tank water line is actually against the eurobrace or a hair below it.

I cant say I mind the overflow box as I too used it to stack rock against but I would have preferred to not have it. I think I would have been totally fine had I had returns drilled like you are thinking of doing. If you go that route though ensure that the overflow acrylic does not have any teeth removed and is solid all the way around...
 
I like the idea of a float valve in the return section of the sump. I have considered doing it so that my return pump doesn't run dry if say my skimmer goes crazy, ATO doesn't work or some other horrible event happens and I lose water in the DT.
I also drilled my sump and added a drain in the second section of it. It is plumbed to drain outside encase my DT drains too much, the sump wont overflow.
 
I wish I had the ability to drain the sump somewhere as I wouldnt have had to spend the 600 on a new sump but that wasn't an option AND the new sump color coordinates with my other gear. HA HA. Being a Penn State grad the stand interior is going to be mainly blue and white at this point with the electrical conduits and water change tubing being orange (which is my fav color).

I am really pushing to get the kitchen done ASAP so I can move back to the tank and my cleaning up my basement so I can sit down there and view it more. At this point by the end of this weekend I hope to have my backsplash and paint done in the kitchen with trim to be put in some other time. If only my wife would lend a hand other then sitting back and commenting about why it is not yet done....ugh
 
LOL! Thats what wives do best!!! Atleast you are on the home stretch with the kitchen.

As for your sump I like the color cordination with the rest of the equipment and over all look! I would love to do that when I decide to upgrade again...if my wife will let me LOL. But for now it will work since all my equipment is in a fish room and only I have to see it but one day it would be nice to look at a fish room that is show quality. Maybe one day
 
Now see thats where I got lucky.

My wife will pick up a hammer or use the table saw, and she's actually quite good at "helping". She just won't do it my way, she would rather do it her way and have to do it a second time. Then we end up arguing and she'll go and sit down, leaving me to finish by myself. lol
 
My wife will work on things like making flower beds and such. She doesn't have the skills to do a lot of what I am doing but I am at paint now so she can and should be jumping in. But she cleans the bathrooms and such which makes it much ok in my mind, just dont complain about the length of time it takes me to finish.

Even when I do the dedicated fish room in the next house everything will be coordinated. Just the way I am.
 
soulpatch, as part of my plan for AWC, I put in a second 1/4" line going from the tank to the sink drain via the attic (First one is for ATO direct from RO\DI). I plan to use a small 1-3 gpm diaphram pump off Amazon to pump water from the sump to the drain. These pumps are made to handle chemicals like fertilizer, so they should have no problems dealing with SW.

On another note. I put a float switch with magnetic mount (from marinedepot) right in the overflow box and have apex kill the return pump if the water level rises to much. I accidentally tripped it once when I was messing with the drain plumbing and it worked as expected.
 
I would have to do a measurement but at worst it is 58x22. Best way to visualize it I guess is to think of what all I currently have in the stand with only the doser suspended from the top of the stand. The reactors have full access with nothing in front of them presently.

So in stand now:
Doser
Ruby elite 30 sump
2 BRS reactors
BAO ATO container
BAO dosing containers (2)
Apex mounted on slide out panel

Then add onto that I have my spare pumps, gfo/carbon/kalk containers, nets, ect in there as well and it is roomy. The amount of roominess will be tested coming soon though with the 40 inch sump I am going to throw in there. LOL


PamLee - Thanks. This is not a cheap hobby. Even my biocube 29 easily had 3+K in it (if not considerably more). I have not sat down to think about money on this tank but here is a quick rundown of stuff I can think about:

tank and stand (including paint, led lighting for stand and such) 2K
sump (now 2 though I will sell one eventually) 900
skimmer (bought used) 250
ato (used) 100
BAO containers 400
apex (only additional mondules from when on biocube) 200
powerheads 500
lighting 1400
pump and heaters 400
plumbing 200
water change station 300
rocks and sand 400
reactor 50
doser 500

so without any of the livestock I am at least 7600 into the tank right now. Add in salt, livestock, and all the small things I have forgotten to include and well into 10K at this point.

Sounds like a lot but it can be added over a long course of time. I am 2 years into this hobby now. Couple that with fact hat other hobbies are not cheap either depending on what you are into. I track motorcycles during the summer and a single weekend will run me 500 to start and that is if nothing goes wrong with the bike, tires, or me. Should it go wrong like the one year I had a nasty off and that simple weekend's cost climbs into the 10-20K to get the bike and myself operational again...
 
I want to fit a 40"x18"18 sump in the stand. The only thing else that would require floor space would be ATO reservoir and dosing containers. I look forward to see how your new sump fits.
 
yes a 40x18x18 sump fits with no issue. My emerald is pretty much those measurements so you will be able to see shortly...
 
I dont like glass sumps for a variety of reasons but the largest being that they dont look as nice as colored acrylic. Glass is cheaper though but just doesn't look as good. Functionally they act the same so long as you have ability to adjust water level in some fashion.

But I would happily pay more money again for the acrylic sump. Hell I was oh so close to happily paying over a grand for a fully custom solution but that upgrade will wait till I have a fish room.
 
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