Viewpoints – A Photographic Journal of my Reef Tank

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - Custom Sump

Viewpoints - Custom Sump

The Search for the Perfect Sump
Early in my research, I came across a sump at my LFS. I was immediately intrigued by it because of its size, built in refugium and integrated ATO reservoir. On the flipside, I was immediately turned off by the price of $370. From this point on, I didn't spend much time researching sumps, however, I spent a great deal of time trying to find a cheaper option that measured up to the gold standard. During my search I found several alternatives with refugiums but never one with a built in ATO reservoir. In the end, I decided to pay the premium and get the custom sump from my LFS.

After finding this custom sump at my LFS, nothing else measured up​

The Details
The sump measures 30x18x16 and holds 37 gallons of water when completely full. I estimate that the sump will hold 20 gallons of water when the return pump is running. The skimmer section is 17" long by 18" wide. This section of the sump will easily fit an oversized skimmer and a Zeo Reactor. The ATO reservoir will hold 6 gallons of water. With the reservoir being integrated into the sump, it only takes up an additional 6" under the stand. Without a basement or fish room for my equipment, real estate under my stand is precious. I'm hopeful that the reservoir will provide me 10 to 14 days worth of top off water but with the open top, I'm thinking seven is more realistic. An additional feature of the sump that initially excited me was the built in refugium. Since finding the sump, I've decided to use a Vodka/MB7 regiment, which from my research will eliminate the need for the refugium. I will see how my Vodka/MB7 dosing goes, if successful, I will use the refugium chamber as a small frag tank.

Custom Sump - Built-in Refugium, Integrated ATO Reservoir and a Huge Skimmer Section​

Sump Layout
Water enters the sump through the inlet chamber and is forced through a baffle into the refugium. From the refugium the water is sent through vents and another baffle before it hits the skimmer/reactor section. After the water is skimmed it flows to the return chamber where it sent back up to the display. Due to the multiple baffles, micro-bubbles are supposed to be non existent with this sump. The ATO reservoir is connected to the sump and has a small opening for tubing to be ran between the reservoir and the sump.

Here is a pictorial representation of how the sump is laid out.​

 

[Mr. Right]

Nice sump. I like the ATO reservoir. On my 120 (4’x2’x2’) I evaporate at least 5 gallons a week (probably more like 10). Just something’s to keep in mind. Also, is there and reason you went with the octopus skimmer? Thanks.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Acrylic sumps seems to be expensive don't they? But that is a real nice one, I like the idea of having an ATO tank incorporated into the design.

 

[allsps40]

Nice setup. I also live in Arizona. What LFS did you get the sump from? The best I have seen locally are from About the Reef and Aquarium Arts. You will like the NWB150 skimmer. I have the older NW110 and it is great. I want to upgrade to the new NWB for the cone neck design and bubble plate.

 

[powderhound]

Really like the equipment panel. I keep trying to get mine organized like that but never find the time. Setup looks great

 

[mallorieGgator]

Wow, that looks really great! The controls are amazing. I love how organized things are. I feel that's one thing my current system lacks is the very nice organization (mainly bc there's no room under the tank for much of anything). Good job!

 

[iap]

Great start. Subscribed for sure. Hope this 3weeks go by fast cant wait to see you start on the tank

 

[urbaneks]

Hi there dude, I'm sure we've posted on each others thread on Nano.reef before. Nice seeing you here.

This is a very nice thread. Subscribed.

That panel looks awesome. You really put a lot of thought into all of this. I just know that your tank will be something really great.

Good luck with the build and keep us posted regularly. Will be keenly following this build. :bounce3:

sahin - We have absolutely posted to one another's threads over on Nano-Reef, I've always been fond of your tank. Thanks for the view here on RC and subscribing to my thread. I'm excited to get the positive feedback on the equipment panel, I have some great plans for under my cabinet as well.

Enjoy your thread, specially your devotion to detalis. Will follow it closer.

wish you the best

Rodrigo_BG - Thanks for taking note of the details and expressing your enjoyment.

Awesome thread! I'm very, very impressed.

Mr. Right - Thanks for the kind words and the PM. I will certainly look you up next time I'm in Tucson.

wow, very clean and professional look...

ctxmonitor - Professional! I Love It! Thanks for the post.

Unreal start, cant wait to see the rest of it!

buzzy - Much appreciated. I'm very excited to get things moving along.

Looks like you set the bar pretty high and have a lot of readers following along. I'm pretty confident that you won't let us down. I can't wait to see more progress.

Sisterlimonpot - Thanks again for the post. I'm actually just trying to keep up with the bar that's already been set extremely high here on RC. I hope not to let anyone down as well.

Nice sump. I like the ATO reservoir. On my 120 (4'x2'x2') I evaporate at least 5 gallons a week (probably more like 10). Just something's to keep in mind. Also, is there and reason you went with the octopus skimmer? Thanks.

Mr. Right - Thanks for the evaporation data, I evaporate about 2 gallons a week on my 28g which is close to the rate you are seeing as well. As for the Octopus Skimmer, it was highly recommended by a LFS and the feedback through the forums backed that up. In the grand scheme of things, its relatively inexpensive, so if it's not getting the job done, I will replace it.

Acrylic sumps seems to be expensive don't they? But that is a real nice one, I like the idea of having an ATO tank incorporated into the design.

Sisterlemonpot - The price for acrylic sumps was much higher than glass sumps. It seems like tanks are opposite of that. It doesn't make sense. At any rate, I don't have any buyers remorse on the sump. I think it's going to be a great piece of equipment for me.

Nice setup. I also live in Arizona. What LFS did you get the sump from? The best I have seen locally are from About the Reef and Aquarium Arts. You will like the NWB150 skimmer. I have the older NW110 and it is great. I want to upgrade to the new NWB for the cone neck design and bubble plate.

allsps40 - Thanks for the vote of confidence on the skimmer. I bought it before making the decision to dose Vodka/MB7 so I'm hoping that it's still over sized enough for my tank. The sump came from Reef Culture, I also looked at Aquarium Arts which had a sump with a fuge but no ATO reservoir. About the Reef is out of business, was by there a few weeks ago and found that to be a surprise.

Really like the equipment panel. I keep trying to get mine organized like that but never find the time. Setup looks great

powderhound - I understand the time constraint completely. I'm actually thankful now that I've had to wait for the tank. It's allowed me to take my time on the equipment panel, light installation, etc. Thanks for the view and comment.

Wow, that looks really great! The controls are amazing. I love how organized things are. I feel that's one thing my current system lacks is the very nice organization (mainly bc there's no room under the tank for much of anything). Good job!

mallorieGgator - I bet you have more room than you think. If you work to organize the equipment and add a couple shelves, you might be surprised by how much space is being wasted. Before making a similar effort to my Nano Cube, it too was cluttered and seemed like I had little to no room. Thanks for looking and providing the encouragement.

Great start. Subscribed for sure. Hope this 3weeks go by fast cant wait to see you start on the tank

iap - Thanks for looking. On the bright side the 3 weeks is almost up. My tank will be delivered tomorrow!!! It has been a very long 3 weeks but did provide me with some good planning and work time on things that did not involve the tank.

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - The First Bump in the Road

Viewpoints - The First Bump in the Road

The First Bump in the Road "“ Apparently it was a Big One

I think anytime you go into a project; you need to expect a little adversity. After all everything can't go your way, right? Well today, Viewpoints had some adversity and things definitely did not go my way!

I woke up this morning feeling like a little kid on his birthday, you know the feeling! I bounced right out of bed pretty much floated into work. You see I was only working a half day because the tank was being delivered sometime between 12 and 4. Things went as planned at work and I was home right at noon. I figured that the tank would arrive on the tail end of the delivery window so I completed a water change on my Nano Cube. Just after 2:30 the door bell rang and it was Old Dominion Freight. The moment I had been waiting for was finally here. Eight months of research, 2 months of decision making and 4 weeks of waiting for the tank to arrive, it was finally go time! I waited patiently as the delivery driver pulled the tank and stand from the truck with a pallet jack. As the package was coming off the truck, I thought it was odd that the top of the crate was leaning; I also found it odd that there wasn't any wood on 2 sides of the crate. I quickly dismissed the idea of there being a problem and proceeded to think about the work ahead of me. The driver wheeled the crate as close to the house as he could, I signed for the package and he was off for his next delivery.

You can see the top of the crate leaning to the right. Also note the missing wood from the lower part of the crate.​

Without waiting another second, I reached into the black shrink wrap, thinking I was going to get my first look at 3 sides of starfire glass; I instead get a 1 inch gash on my index finger. Pulling my hand away quickly, I get my first look at a completely shattered right side of the aquarium. I've always told my kids that there will be problems in your life; it's how you handle them that defines who you are. I'm really hoping right about now that Cadlights is the company I think they are. I immediately contacted Eddie at Cadlights who assured me that they would start a new build right away. He requested some photographs so that he could work with Old Dominion on resolution. Time will tell on how this problem is resolved, but for now, I'm optimistically hoping that the resolution is handled quickly and with class.

If a picture is worth 1000 words, this one must be worth a few 100,000​

Even with this setback, I still have plenty of work to do with the stand, programming the controller and installing lights into my cabinet. Another journal entry is not too far away. Thank you to all of those that have viewed my work up to this point and taken the time to post.

 

[Brian Chong]

Man, that really bites. Hope everything gets resolved quickly. I'm pretty sure they will take care of this since every company knows customer service has a huge impact on profits and it's especially important when u're a fairly new company trying to find a niche in a saturated industry because reputation is everything. Let us know how it all works out.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Oh, that's simply horrible. Is it going to be another 4 weeks before you get another tank?

Please keep us posted on what they decide to do to resolve the situation.

 

[Brian Chong]

btw, are you a drill sgt? because your attention to detail is outfrickinstanding! my drill said that all the time lol

 

[coralreefdoc]

Sorry to hear about the setback Brad. Im sure CAD will handle the situation swiftly and professionally. Best of luck on the resolution, and if its any condolence I've had a couple setbacks with my system's start date as well. On a positive note, you undoubtedly have the blood aspect of the blood, sweat and tears proverb invested. This system already has character !

 

[dailydriven911]

Wow impressive thread to say the least! I would probably take a 2 week vacation just to get the broken tank off my mind, and help shorten the days until the next tank is finished lol!

 

[sahin]

Ouch. Man I dont know why these delivery guys do this. They just dont take care or dont give a $**T about other poeples stuff.

I hope Cadlights replace it free of any charges and dont make you feel like somehow you broke the tank.

Man, I was expecting just some nice photos and a brilliant write/build thread, not to see a disaster of a tank.

 

[iwishtofish]

Very sorry to see this! I was excited about the arrival of your tank, as well!

I am sure it will be properly resolved.

 

[ctxmonitor]

oh wow.. really sorry to hear... they must be so eagerly to have you sign and run off.. i think they probably know they crack it....

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - 3/5 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 3/5 Responses to Feedback

Man, that really bites. Hope everything gets resolved quickly. I'm pretty sure they will take care of this since every company knows customer service has a huge impact on profits and it's especially important when u're a fairly new company trying to find a niche in a saturated industry because reputation is everything. Let us know how it all works out.

Brian Chong - Thanks for the empathy here. Cadlights has been in contact with me and they are actively working on it.

Oh, that's simply horrible. Is it going to be another 4 weeks before you get another tank?

Please keep us posted on what they decide to do to resolve the situation.

Sisterlimonpot - Cadlights has said they can have another tank completed in 14 days. The rimless tanks need to sit for 10 days without moving after the silicon is put on. I'm trying to pin them down to a specific date but for now I'd say 3 weeks.

btw, are you a drill sgt? because your attention to detail is outfrickinstanding! my drill said that all the time lol

Brian Chong - Sir No Sir! I've had the question asked of me quite a bit, not just for the attention to detail but because of the short haircut. No military background for me.

Sorry to hear about the setback Brad. Im sure CAD will handle the situation swiftly and professionally. Best of luck on the resolution, and if its any condolence I've had a couple setbacks with my system's start date as well. On a positive note, you undoubtedly have the blood aspect of the blood, sweat and tears proverb invested. This system already has character !

coralreefdoc - I would never of thought about the blood, sweat and tears proverb. Now that you bring it up, I've had the sweat as well. Last night I pulled my lighting cables through the wall and worked up a bit of a sweat. Just need the tears! Perhaps if the replacement gets here in one piece there will be tears of joy.

Wow impressive thread to say the least! I would probably take a 2 week vacation just to get the broken tank off my mind, and help shorten the days until the next tank is finished lol!

dailydriven911 - Thanks for the comment. It's funny you mentioned the vacation because, I already have a ski trip planned over spring break. That will help the pain and time of waiting.

Ouch. Man I dont know why these delivery guys do this. They just dont take care or dont give a $**T about other poeples stuff.

I hope Cadlights replace it free of any charges and dont make you feel like somehow you broke the tank.

Man, I was expecting just some nice photos and a brilliant write/build thread, not to see a disaster of a tank.

sahin - It does seem like the delivery folks were at fault here, I must say though the crating job done by Cadlights was not great. Cadlights is taking action and they've never made me feel any blame. They are pointing the finger at old dominion. I really don't care who's fault it was, just need to get resolution. As for the nice photos and write up, there will be plenty to follow. I'll have an update posted later today on my cable pull through the wall and LED light install in the cabinet.

Very sorry to see this! I was excited about the arrival of your tank, as well!

I am sure it will be properly resolved.

iwishtofish - Thanks for the condolence. I'm back to being excited now, as I have more work to do on the build and that is keeping me busy.

oh wow.. really sorry to hear... they must be so eagerly to have you sign and run off.. i think they probably know they crack it....

ctxmonitor - In hindsight, he did bail out of here pretty darn fast. I think you are correct, they knew it was broken. At any rate, thanks for the view and post. More to follow shortly.

 

[Balletomane]

Heavy sigh. That was a lot of anxious/excited anticipation. For you and a bunch us voyeurs here. This is a work of art in progress and reading about it is highly instructive for a noob like me. I anxiously await the delivery of your replacement tank.

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - Geisemann Cable Run

Viewpoints - Geisemann Cable Run

Viewpoints - Geisemann Cable Pull
They say an idle mind is cause for trouble so in an effort to forget about the shattered tank, it's time to get back to work. I'm slowly completing the projects associated with the tank startup. Next up on the docket is to get the cables from the Geisemann ran into and down the wall to minimize the distraction they create. I'm fortunate that my brother installs custom home theaters and other electronics that require wire/cable pulls. Through different projects at my house and joining him on the job, I've learned enough to confidently cut holes in my walls. While the task may seem complicated, it's really quite simple. For less than $5 you can pick up a low volt box and cover, add a drywall saw and you have what you need for this job.

A low volt box, cover and drywall saw are the tools for the job​

Once I had identified where the cables would enter and exit the wall, I used the low volt box as a template to mark where the wall would be cut. The photo below shows the markings on the wall prior to making the cut. It's important to know where your studs are so that you can cut freely and route your wires without hitting the studs.

Once I was satisfied with the markings and 100% certain on my hole location, I made my cut. Its easiest to use the point of the drywall saw and simply wiggle it up and down until it breaks through the wall. Once you've broken through, the saw will easily cut through the drywall. At this point I have a nice hole in the wall. At my house, it's best if the wife is not home for this part. She doesn't care to much for the open holes in the walls.

Once I had the hole cut, the low volt box slides into the wall and the two screws are used to tighten it down. The low volt box keeps the drywall hole from getting larger over time and provides a place for the cover to be mounted to.

​

I repeated these steps again for the point where the wires will exit the wall. The photo below show my wall after I had installed low volt boxes in both the upper and lower locations. The stand will end up covering the lower location.

With both low volt boxes in place, I routed the cables from the entry point into the wall and down to my exit point. Once I had my cables fed through the wall, the cover plates were installed.

With the majority of work behind me, it was time to add some finishing touches. A black grommet was used to close the 2" hole in the cover plate to something easier to look at. I also added some clear wire loom to route the two cables coming out of the Geisemann into one. I will replace this clear loom with black once I can get back to Home Depot.

This last photo shows how the project is taking shape. Once the tank is installed, you will not see any wires between the light fixture and the tank.