Soulpatch's build thread (ongoing)
- Thread starter soulpatch
- Start date
soulpatch
New member
married with kids means that christmas is light for me these days. LOL. Money goes towards the little one instead.
That said I got 2 LED rechargeable flashlights to peak into the tank with. One is red the other white. So I can sneak up on them should I wish or blind them.
I got a new coral frag kit and the IM coral rack to finish my conversion to a frag tank (which means that that is happening with the cube now...)
So unless my parents got me more things that I will see tonight I am finished and need to go shopping. My issue is that I want all the big components in hand before I start to plumb so I dont have any oops moments later. I need the following before I start:
rock
dosing containers from BAO
ATO container from BAO
BRS reactor
BRS mini reactor to switch big one off cube
ATI 6x54 fixture and bulbs so I can have T5 in the center of tank
Some long throws of tubing for AWC
I also need to get a board to mount my electronics to. I think I want to try to mount in a slide out so I can access when needed but leave be otherwise. Think reverse motion of a upper desk cabinet where the door lifts up and slides in.
That said I got 2 LED rechargeable flashlights to peak into the tank with. One is red the other white. So I can sneak up on them should I wish or blind them.
I got a new coral frag kit and the IM coral rack to finish my conversion to a frag tank (which means that that is happening with the cube now...)
So unless my parents got me more things that I will see tonight I am finished and need to go shopping. My issue is that I want all the big components in hand before I start to plumb so I dont have any oops moments later. I need the following before I start:
rock
dosing containers from BAO
ATO container from BAO
BRS reactor
BRS mini reactor to switch big one off cube
ATI 6x54 fixture and bulbs so I can have T5 in the center of tank
Some long throws of tubing for AWC
I also need to get a board to mount my electronics to. I think I want to try to mount in a slide out so I can access when needed but leave be otherwise. Think reverse motion of a upper desk cabinet where the door lifts up and slides in.
soulpatch
New member
I will run 2 Kessils in it since I already have them. I will have both at each end angled inwards slightly so as to get the shimmer and some of the coloring that I like from them.
Yeah I think the 48" 6 bulb fixture should do a great job coloring up my acans and eventual SPS. I just need to get it in and mounted then decide on bulbs...
Yeah I think the 48" 6 bulb fixture should do a great job coloring up my acans and eventual SPS. I just need to get it in and mounted then decide on bulbs...
6x54" will be excellent. That's probably the "safe route" I'd go if I were doing a 4-5' tank right now. I'm not sure how well LEDs work on a tank that size yet, and unless my electricity prices were cheap (and I was in a cold climate), I wouldn't run MH (though it is my preference).
If you have some reading time over the holidays, there is Grim Reefer's T5 recommendations thread. It's over 9000 pages long (only a slight exaggeration), but it starts here and ends here
I think it'll be neat to do the T5 with LEDs.
If you have some reading time over the holidays, there is Grim Reefer's T5 recommendations thread. It's over 9000 pages long (only a slight exaggeration), but it starts here and ends here
I think it'll be neat to do the T5 with LEDs.
soulpatch
New member
Well I need to order in some more bulkheads. I tried to use the 1" ones supplied by SCA and the 1" pipe I have is a bit loose in two of the bulkheads. So I will just replace all three while I am at it.
Started to do a rough layout of where I want the plumbing to run and realized like a moron that I have no tubing in the house so I want some of that as well to run the last portions but also to ensure I have no kinks or areas for air to develop. I will most likely do vinyl in a straight shot then back to PVC for the turns.
Also realized that having a fish room would be ideal for the longer pipe runs to better have the space for unions and such. Probably wont be able to get the lights till next month at the earliest. I need rock and a few other things first and honestly I can go about cycling while I await lighting anyway.
Started to do a rough layout of where I want the plumbing to run and realized like a moron that I have no tubing in the house so I want some of that as well to run the last portions but also to ensure I have no kinks or areas for air to develop. I will most likely do vinyl in a straight shot then back to PVC for the turns.
Also realized that having a fish room would be ideal for the longer pipe runs to better have the space for unions and such. Probably wont be able to get the lights till next month at the earliest. I need rock and a few other things first and honestly I can go about cycling while I await lighting anyway.
Just saw that Marine Depot has the 8x54w ATI sunpower non-dimmable fixture on clearance for $585, and they have a 20% off clearance products right now. Coupon code is XMASCLOSEOUT.
soulpatch
New member
My remote control helicopters finally sold on ebay giving me 200 to put towards a light. (200 is a very small fraction of what I paid for this package but oh well I am out of that hobby now).
Premium Aquatics is going to give me a discount towards the 6x54 light that I want so I am solid there. I will be placing that order tomorrow most likely when they are back in the office. Then all I really need to get going is my rock. I can add the dosing equipment later with the bins for dosing liquids and ato. I will probably start it with a simple 5 gallon bucket for the ATO just to get going and start the cycle.
The month or so that the cycle takes will give me time and money to get in the BAO stuff and the reators. I will already have the manifold plumbed so it should be a simple push tubing into push fitting and open gate valve.
I should get the new bulkheads and tubing from BRS tomorrow so I can get back to my plumbing. I would like to get this all hooked up and do a few leak tests...Test the overflow and drain piping first with only a few cups of water, then move onto the return lines by filling them and ensuring no leaks, then finally slowly fill the system and let her rip for a couple days with just RODI to ensure no leaks.
Premium Aquatics is going to give me a discount towards the 6x54 light that I want so I am solid there. I will be placing that order tomorrow most likely when they are back in the office. Then all I really need to get going is my rock. I can add the dosing equipment later with the bins for dosing liquids and ato. I will probably start it with a simple 5 gallon bucket for the ATO just to get going and start the cycle.
The month or so that the cycle takes will give me time and money to get in the BAO stuff and the reators. I will already have the manifold plumbed so it should be a simple push tubing into push fitting and open gate valve.
I should get the new bulkheads and tubing from BRS tomorrow so I can get back to my plumbing. I would like to get this all hooked up and do a few leak tests...Test the overflow and drain piping first with only a few cups of water, then move onto the return lines by filling them and ensuring no leaks, then finally slowly fill the system and let her rip for a couple days with just RODI to ensure no leaks.
soulpatch
New member
Light and kessil mounts ordered. Unsure when the light will get here as it is being drop shipped but it is at least paid for.
Got in the new bulkheads today as well as the 3 foot section of vinyl tubing I will use to deaden vibrations and sound transfer. So I will be putting those in tomorrow morning and hopefully by the end of the weekend should have enough hours to myself to dry fit everything as I want it. So stay tuned for more pics.
As for the nano she has a few more acan frags. HA HA. Couldn't resist and I will shoot some decent pics when I do my water change this weekend. I should have plenty of acans for some serious gardens come the big tank transfer time...
Got in the new bulkheads today as well as the 3 foot section of vinyl tubing I will use to deaden vibrations and sound transfer. So I will be putting those in tomorrow morning and hopefully by the end of the weekend should have enough hours to myself to dry fit everything as I want it. So stay tuned for more pics.
As for the nano she has a few more acan frags. HA HA. Couldn't resist and I will shoot some decent pics when I do my water change this weekend. I should have plenty of acans for some serious gardens come the big tank transfer time...
soulpatch
New member
If anyone wants to give some input on the plumbing I have dry fitted see this thread for the big tank:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24225947#post24225947
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24225947#post24225947
soulpatch
New member
got buy in for the plumbing in the thread linked above. I got spa flex and need to pick up the paint this week so I can get it all capped off this weekend. I still need to dry fit the pieces inside the overflow and most likely order in a standard to metric adaptor so I can salvage the loc line the tank came with as opposed to buying new.
Similar threads
