Nice. I love scoring free stuff! I look forward to seeing what you end up using it for.
The Return of Hans - A 150 Gallon SCA Mixed Reef Build
- Thread starter hhaase
- Start date
Still not sure what I'll be using all that extrusion for, too many other things going on at the moment.
However, I've received an update from the shop making the stand. Mainly needs some grinding to smooth out the welds, and they haven't added the extra mounting bracketry yet, but the frame itself is almost ready for the paint shop. It'll be getting skinned on 3 sides with stainless steel.
Waiting on this before doing much else. Really just been grabbing 30lb bags of oolitic aragonite at PetSmart as they restock. They seem to only ever have one bag at a time. I'm up to 90lbs, so only one more to go.
However, I've received an update from the shop making the stand. Mainly needs some grinding to smooth out the welds, and they haven't added the extra mounting bracketry yet, but the frame itself is almost ready for the paint shop. It'll be getting skinned on 3 sides with stainless steel.
Waiting on this before doing much else. Really just been grabbing 30lb bags of oolitic aragonite at PetSmart as they restock. They seem to only ever have one bag at a time. I'm up to 90lbs, so only one more to go.
Well, the people building my stand haven't done a stinking thing on it since the first week in February. I told them to forget I even asked, and just scrap the damn thing at this point. I started talking to them about it the first week of December. They obviously don't want my business so they're not going to get it.
Looks like all that extrusion is going to come in handy after all.
-Hans
Looks like all that extrusion is going to come in handy after all.
-Hans
Sorry to hear that, Hans. Good luck with whatever you end up doing.
Oh, the project will continue, I'm determined, and this story gets more amusing.
I told company #1 to stop work, I no longer want the stand, and that I will be picking up my tank from their facility on Saturday. Owner was very embarrassed but everything was very clear that I didn't want the stand and they can proceed to scrap it.
I contacted company #2 about cutting and prepping that extrusion I have to make a new stand, and I told company #1 about this.
Company #2 is like a happy puppy. It was a very 'Sure, bring it in, we can do that, sounds fun, no problem at all, easy stuff,' kind of conversation. So I told them I'll sort all the material and get back to them Monday.
Company #1 just sent me a few new photos, and the original stand is going into the paint booth this morning, they just wanted to make sure a couple things were in the right place, it'll be ready for when I pick up the tank on Saturday.
::: sigh :::
A bit delayed from the update last week, but all the smoothing and grinding is done on the stand now, and the extra mounting brackets I wanted are all installed too. Ready for the paint booth. It'll be getting done with speedliner, as opposed to powdercoat, for the extra corrosion resistance.
Still a bit of a waiting game but I feel a lot better knowing that it's being done finally.
Still a bit of a waiting game but I feel a lot better knowing that it's being done finally.
That's good news. I look forward to seeing your project!
I'll upload pictures later tonight, but the stand is completed and ready for pickup. I'll be grabbing a trailer on Sunday to bring it and the tank home finally. Despite the very long wait and frustration, I'm quite pleased with the result. I think you guys are going to like it.
-Hans
-Hans
Maybe this will get me motivated again. The tank and stand have come home today! I'm upset at how long the stand took, and all the drama that came along with it, but I am extremely happy with the end result.
Just a recap, this is an SCA 150 gallon, pre-drilled for a Synergy Shadow overflow. Though I'll be having Modular Marine make the overflow instead as there are a few things I don't like about the Synergy. The tank is oh so pretty, and I'm glad I went with this one over something like an Aqueon or Marineland with a frame. You really don't appreciate the size of these tanks until you and three friends are trying to get it down a set of stairs. It all went without incident, and a great thanks to Chris, Dave, and Jimmy.... none of whom are on Reef Central.
The stand is all 1x2 steel with Speedliner bedliner material on the frame. Doors and sides are brushed stainless. Sides can be removed if needed should I decide on a larger sump in the future. I also had them add a crossbar along the back, with two more across the top, to allow for some kind of plumbing and electrical mounting.
The measurements are spot-on for the stand, weld quality is very good, and the paint work excellent as well. I'm extremely pleased with the stand.
I'm not going to put the tank onto the stand just yet since I need room to work on the initial plumbing. Tomorrow I'm going to get some 3/4" plywood cut for a top and also a bottom shelf. The top plywood piece will get slotted for T-Molding, as I want a clean look. I also need to sort out door latches, at my request they didn't put any on yet.
Man, this is going to be a busy week though. Too many parts arriving for a few of my home-business projects, plus another 3D printer, and I'll be re-arranging this whole room due to the growth of my business. Fun problems but still a lot of stuff to do in here.
Just a recap, this is an SCA 150 gallon, pre-drilled for a Synergy Shadow overflow. Though I'll be having Modular Marine make the overflow instead as there are a few things I don't like about the Synergy. The tank is oh so pretty, and I'm glad I went with this one over something like an Aqueon or Marineland with a frame. You really don't appreciate the size of these tanks until you and three friends are trying to get it down a set of stairs. It all went without incident, and a great thanks to Chris, Dave, and Jimmy.... none of whom are on Reef Central.
The stand is all 1x2 steel with Speedliner bedliner material on the frame. Doors and sides are brushed stainless. Sides can be removed if needed should I decide on a larger sump in the future. I also had them add a crossbar along the back, with two more across the top, to allow for some kind of plumbing and electrical mounting.
The measurements are spot-on for the stand, weld quality is very good, and the paint work excellent as well. I'm extremely pleased with the stand.
I'm not going to put the tank onto the stand just yet since I need room to work on the initial plumbing. Tomorrow I'm going to get some 3/4" plywood cut for a top and also a bottom shelf. The top plywood piece will get slotted for T-Molding, as I want a clean look. I also need to sort out door latches, at my request they didn't put any on yet.
Man, this is going to be a busy week though. Too many parts arriving for a few of my home-business projects, plus another 3D printer, and I'll be re-arranging this whole room due to the growth of my business. Fun problems but still a lot of stuff to do in here.
A little bit of woodworking today and added 1/2" plywood top and bottom shelves. I'll be adding T-Molding around wood that's under the tank, plus a layer of yoga matting as well since it's a frameless tank.
Without the removable side panels the only way to get the sump in and out would be through the top. With the side panels off I can easily swap in a different sump even with a filled display tank.
Now that I have the tank in the house I could properly measure for the overflow, and Modular Marine is already working on it. Things are finally moving again. It's a good feeling.
Without the removable side panels the only way to get the sump in and out would be through the top. With the side panels off I can easily swap in a different sump even with a filled display tank.
Now that I have the tank in the house I could properly measure for the overflow, and Modular Marine is already working on it. Things are finally moving again. It's a good feeling.
Lookin' good!
Feels good to be working on it again finally, even if it is daunting with the amount of work still to do. Next step will be to pull the sump out again and finish up the shelf with some fresh paint. I'm going to paint the top plywood too but have to wait until I get the t-molding slot cut in it. I'm also going to screw some 1x6 stringers on the underside of that top panel, for the sake of more mounting options for things in the future.
Return pumps were ordered today. I went with a pair of Jecod DCP-3500's, one for each return fitting into the tank. I couldn't find a head chart for that pump so I had to do some educated guesses on flow rates. At maximum rate, zero head, these two pumps would be 1850gph, but factor in 5ft of head and I estimate around 1100gph flow at full speed on the pumps, probably over-estimated. Overflow is rated at 1600gph (triple 1" drains), so if something happens and both pumps go to 100% it won't overflow.
My actual target is 500gph through the sump. The two pumps are mainly for redundancy and safety. This way if one pump fails I'll be able to maintain close to my target flow rate through the sump until I can get a replacement pump. In-Tank circulation will be handled by powerheads of some type or another. I'll pick the powerheads at a future time since they don't affect my current steps.
-Hans
The Return of Hans - 150gallon SCA mixed reef.
The Return of Hans - 150gallon SCA mixed reef.
Pumps are here, just waiting on the overflow box to proceed. I just got a tracking number for the overflow, expecting it on Monday.
A̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶f̶i̶g̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶g̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶i̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶c̶h̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶b̶u̶i̶l̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶s̶t̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶.̶
The Return of Hans - 150gallon SCA mixed reef.
Pumps are here, just waiting on the overflow box to proceed. I just got a tracking number for the overflow, expecting it on Monday.
A̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶f̶i̶g̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶h̶a̶n̶g̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶i̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶c̶h̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶b̶u̶i̶l̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶s̶t̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶.̶
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There was a minor setback, mainly because I'm not very good at woodworking. I tried cutting a slot in the plywood in order to insert the T-molding..... and completely goofed up the cut on the first side I tried. So I scrapped that idea.
Instead, I have a vinyl cutter for my side business, so I used some grey vinyl material and wrapped it around the edge of the plywood. This will easily hide the edge of the plywood for me and matches fairly well. Then I topped the plywood with a 6mm thick yoga mat. Came out looking pretty darn nice I think. The stuff is also so thin that I had no issue wrapping the edges to make sure I didn't have any visible wood.
This was looking promising enough that I called a buddy of mine over and got the tank on top of the stand finally! It still needs to be moved a bit into its final location, I left it out a bit from the wall for now so that I can get the back-side plumbing done. I ordered the pipe for that a week and a half ago, and finally got a tracking number today.
Either this weekend or next week I get to start working on the plumbing.
Instead, I have a vinyl cutter for my side business, so I used some grey vinyl material and wrapped it around the edge of the plywood. This will easily hide the edge of the plywood for me and matches fairly well. Then I topped the plywood with a 6mm thick yoga mat. Came out looking pretty darn nice I think. The stuff is also so thin that I had no issue wrapping the edges to make sure I didn't have any visible wood.
This was looking promising enough that I called a buddy of mine over and got the tank on top of the stand finally! It still needs to be moved a bit into its final location, I left it out a bit from the wall for now so that I can get the back-side plumbing done. I ordered the pipe for that a week and a half ago, and finally got a tracking number today.
Either this weekend or next week I get to start working on the plumbing.
The pipe should be here tomorrow for the drain lines, I'll be working on that over the weekend hopefully. Then I had an epiphany while shopping for fittings and decided to completely change my concept for plumbing the return lines.
Drains will be fairly simple, even if I'll be over-complicating the install a bit to keep it clean. Bog Standard Bean Animal. It's what the overflow box is set up for and really will be a nice and simple run down to the sump. Normal stuff really.
Returns will get a bit more complex than originally planned, but it will result in a lot cleaner install underneath. Since I'm only intending to run the pumps at 50% or so capacity I have a LOT of available water flow to drive a manifold for my media reactors, which in turn pulls a few pumps out of the system and free's up a lot of real estate inside the sump. It will be a bit of a trickier situation with the dual pumps but I have a few layouts that should work. Will have to mock it up to see which one I prefer.
I'm not currently going to have an active refugium at all, but I do have a few plans on clean ways to install one later if/when I decide it's needed.
Drains will be fairly simple, even if I'll be over-complicating the install a bit to keep it clean. Bog Standard Bean Animal. It's what the overflow box is set up for and really will be a nice and simple run down to the sump. Normal stuff really.
Returns will get a bit more complex than originally planned, but it will result in a lot cleaner install underneath. Since I'm only intending to run the pumps at 50% or so capacity I have a LOT of available water flow to drive a manifold for my media reactors, which in turn pulls a few pumps out of the system and free's up a lot of real estate inside the sump. It will be a bit of a trickier situation with the dual pumps but I have a few layouts that should work. Will have to mock it up to see which one I prefer.
I'm not currently going to have an active refugium at all, but I do have a few plans on clean ways to install one later if/when I decide it's needed.
that is where I am at as well. The only place I know of that carries saltwater/reef livestock and supplies is Woof and Waves, are there other places? If you ever need a hand with anything shoot me a message Id be more than happy to come help you out and possibly learn a bit in the process.
Sioux Falls Aquatics is an install / service place with livestock and supplies. Their store is secondary to their service business and not a huge selection, but he does care for this tanks well. The hours are mainly just in the afternoon to visit the shop.
Mini-Critters also has a frag tank and some saltwater livestock, with a fair selection last time I was there. But I do prefer either Woofs/Waves or SF Aquatics.
Once I get this beast cleaned up a bit more I'd be more than happy to show it all to you.
Mini-Critters also has a frag tank and some saltwater livestock, with a fair selection last time I was there. But I do prefer either Woofs/Waves or SF Aquatics.
Once I get this beast cleaned up a bit more I'd be more than happy to show it all to you.
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