The Tank that REEF CENTRAL Built - 450 gal display, 800 gal volume

[theReefKing]

Happy to help also. Good luck. I also will be moving and doing 2 massive builds. 2500 gallons and 20k gallons.

Drew, thank you so much for joining the conversation! I have been a subscriber on your threads for a while. And am waiting (just like the rest of RC) with bated breath for the two builds you are going to unleash on the world.

And I promise you I will follow through with that drink offer some day I am visiting family in NYC.

 

[theReefKing]

The only reason I say 12/3 is the wire gives you a spare. Not that you need it but in the event that you have to upgrade a circuit later in life the wiring is already there.

I will talk to the electrician, but I am going with worm, and to error on the side of more is better. The extra panel has already been dubbed the worm box after all.

 

[theReefKing]

I used all 20 amp breakers on a dedicated panel with room to grow...12-2 Romex...working great for me! :dance:

20 amp breakers! Check those would not be likely to pop on a simple power surge.

 

[theReefKing]

My suggestions are more general. Plan for the future. When the time comes and you need to make a change how are you going to do it? How can you run new wires if needed? If you have access to walls from above you'll be running them above. If you have access from the bottom you be running wires from below. The smartness thing I have ever seen done was to put in a few empty PVC pipes that ran from the attic to the basement in a 2 story house. After that the guy to do ANYTHING he wanted as far as changes to the house simply by running wires thru the PVC pipe.

Worm has a really good point about putting in a generator. Even if you do not do it today you'll want to down the road so prepare for it now. Also his point about GFE is a good one. I would put GFE outlets in so should they trip ONLY the outlet trips and there is less impact on the tank.

Thanks my 2 cents worth and if it wasn't for inflation I doubt it be worth that

Joe

I live in Charleston aka the lowcountry, so no crawl space.
The house is just finished framing and I am going to look it over tomorrow with just this PVC idea in mind.

With the new plans for a fish room this would be the best way to ensure some way to connect the tank location to the fish room.

Can anyone say Auto topoff and auto water changes?

Thank you so much Joe this suggestion is going to make a huge difference in the design and plans.

 

[theReefKing]

I am using rather will be using 12-2 wiring for my setup.

Sounds like 12-3 will be overkill., but that is ok by me.

 

[Made2Rock]

Sounds like 12-3 will be overkill., but that is ok by me.

Its been a long time but I believe you will need 12-3 for a 20 amp circuit and 14-3 for a 15 amp circuit to need the building code. The -3 means the wiring will have a ground and I believe everything needs a ground these days.

BUT I COULD BE WRONG. An electrician will be able to tell you. You just need to determine if it should be a 15 amp circuits or 20 amp circuits. some of others on here can tell you more about the demand you have for this size tank.

Joe

 

[worm5406]

There is another reason that I was saying to put quad outlets in:

A 12-2 has a bare copper ground cable, It would be used for a single 20 amp circuit. (YES it has three wires in it.)

You can share a ground and neutral across most circuits, but breaking the quad into two separate circuits on different phases will help. I mean this is new wiring being pulled, not like you have to tear out the drywall and pull the cable out.

In the event of a phase loss (elec company or generator) you will not lose everything in the tank area. Yes, it can also be used where you need 240v (Hopefully not to cook fish with though).

I have been a volunteer firefighter for 20+ years. I have been Treasurer of fire house for over 10. For a full time job I do computers/telecom. In my tenure on these, I have been on and also in charge of projects for renovation/new projects which has included the heavy-up of elec service and error-proofing critical utilities. (Not an error on the end users aspect, but on nature and other issues)

I have been in situations where the loss of a phase has caused problems and burned up pumps/chillers/compressors. While the loss of a phase will cause that segment to stop running in a normal home, at least some sections of the tank would continue to run. A quad wired on different phases would split the load and not take out everything. We do not use multi phase devices on a regular basis.

On a generator, in the future, the separate phases will even the load across the generator.

Just a thought/recommendation... Some people wonder why 1/2 their house goes out during a tree limb or brown out situation. Normally the entire circuit will go out. Personally I have lost 1 AC compressor and 1 dryer from inadequate phase protection. Yes this is based off multi-phase elec appliance. But just looking out for the future, espc with a generator involved.

Now I am not saying to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on phase protection, which would drop the entire load in the event of the loss of a single phase. I am just trying to future proof it some, since the walls are already open.

As the adage goes... Sometimes it is better to run a bigger pipe, in the event that you need the extra.... ok I used that wording on an aquarium discussion which actually greatly effects things. LOL...

Plus saying that you have '20A Double Pull GFI breaker' sounds so cool.

 

[Mark...]

I like 12-2 with a 15 amp breaker. I want the breaker to be the weak link not the wire. It's over kill, but I'm a safety freak...

 

[hedgedrew]

Reefking. What lighting here?

 

[theReefKing]

Reefking. What lighting here?

We are not decided yet.
I have 4 AI Vega over my 180, and have not been impressed, actually had to pull out all of the sps from the tank and move it to tanks that were under MH to save them.

Also have 2 Orphek PR-156 over my 110, but they just keep SPS alive but not growing.

So we are weary of LED just based on personal experience, but we love the control, color, power consumption, and heat production of the LEDs.

Everyone seems to love the Ecotech Radion Pro, so if we do LED that will be what we go with, but 400W MH and LED supplemental are right at the top of the list.

Thoughts?

 

[theReefKing]

I like 12-2 with a 15 amp breaker. I want the breaker to be the weak link not the wire. It's over kill, but I'm a safety freak...

Wouldn't the gfe be the first to go?

Ideally it would be gfe, breaker, wire. The wire being anything but last in the packing order would be a BAD thing!

 

[hedgedrew]

I love the versatile bulb blends of 2 metal halides in each reflector. The whiter one like ushio 14k can be 250 w mixed with radium 400.

 

[theReefKing]

I love the versatile bulb blends of 2 metal halides in each reflector. The whiter one like ushio 14k can be 250 w mixed with radium 400.

Yeah. The growth under the MH can not be argued with.

With this type of combo MH lighting, have you also included LED stunners? Or T5?

 

[theReefKing]

There is another reason that I was saying to put quad outlets in:

A 12-2 has a bare copper ground cable, It would be used for a single 20 amp circuit. (YES it has three wires in it.)

You can share a ground and neutral across most circuits, but breaking the quad into two separate circuits on different phases will help. I mean this is new wiring being pulled, not like you have to tear out the drywall and pull the cable

In the event of a phase loss (elec company or generator) you will not lose everything in the tank area. Yes, it can also be used where you need 240v (Hopefully not to cook fish with though).

I have been a volunteer firefighter for 20+ years. I have been Treasurer of fire house for over 10. For a full time job I do computers/telecom. In my tenure on these, I have been on and also in charge of projects for renovation/new projects which has included the heavy-up of elec service and error-proofing critical utilities. (Not an error on the end users aspect, but on nature and other issues)

I have been in situations where the loss of a phase has caused problems and burned up pumps/chillers/compressors. While the loss of a phase will cause that segment to stop running in a normal home, at least some sections of the tank would continue to run. A quad wired on different phases would split the load and not take out everything. We do not use multi phase devices on a regular basis.

On a generator, in the future, the separate phases will even the load across the generator.

Just a thought/recommendation... Some people wonder why 1/2 their house goes out during a tree limb or brown out situation. Normally the entire circuit will go out. Personally I have lost 1 AC compressor and 1 dryer from inadequate phase protection. Yes this is based off multi-phase elec appliance. But just looking out for the future, espc with a generator involved.

Now I am not saying to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on phase protection, which would drop the entire load in the event of the loss of a single phase. I am just trying to future proof it some, since the walls are already open.

As the adage goes... Sometimes it is better to run a bigger pipe, in the event that you need the extra.... ok I used that wording on an aquarium discussion which actually greatly effects things. LOL...

Plus saying that you have '20A Double Pull GFI breaker' sounds so cool.

I'm not sure that I understand Everything you just said. Are you saying is that right now the 12-3 would not have any immediate benefit, but as equipment and power sources begin to implement phase protection the 12-3 wiring will be ready to accommodate those needs?

Any immediate benefits to 12-3 other than the potential for phase protection?

 

[worm5406]

No.... future proofing now. Just like when you wire a light in a ceiling. Run the wire, NOW, so you do not have to worry about it in the future. It is not like you are wiring a WHOLE floor. Just 5-8 outlets (and a network jack.)

 

[hedgedrew]

Reefking. My lighting is built on a steel frame with 4 reflectors ( 2bulbs each) and 4 t 5s in between each reflector front to back. And then vho actinics on the edges going length wise. These or blue leds would due

 

[theReefKing]

No.... future proofing now. Just like when you wire a light in a ceiling. Run the wire, NOW, so you do not have to worry about it in the future. It is not like you are wiring a WHOLE floor. Just 5-8 outlets (and a network jack.)

Proper prior planning prevents **** poor performance.

I'm not opposed to planning ahead at all!

How many outlets would you go with in the tank area? I am thinking 8 locations, each with 4 plugs.

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

Proper prior planning prevents **** poor performance.

That phrase brings back memories.

 

[Anim8me2]

Look at the GHL Mitras. People seem to be having outstanding results with them and the look is beautiful.

 

[Mark...]

Wouldn't the gfe be the first to go?

Ideally it would be gfe, breaker, wire. The wire being anything but last in the packing order would be a BAD thing!

That is correct...that is why I like a beefer wire with a weaker breaker. Just in case the GFE does not do its job...it looks for grounding issues. not necessarily over heating of wire.