WreckDivers 180 Reef

[cybrsufr]

Well I have had this thread in our local club forum but figured it was time to make the move to this forum. I am just finishing up my new 180 Gallon Setup. I have had a 90 Gallon reef for the past year and a half and in February of this year I aquired a 180 Gallon tank setup for a steal and could resist that almighty urge to go bigger. I decided I was going to do this one right the first time and have spent months collecting the equipment and building a sump room and counter with sink in my basement utility room, and completely re doing the stand and canopy. I wanted a system that was easier to maintain instead of lugging buckets. I decided to install a 40 gal water change tank with its drain connected to the house drainage system. This was when I need to do a water change I just remove the 40 gallon from the loop via ball valves, drain the 40 into the house drain, close vales and fill with fresh SW. I also will have my skimmer, kalk stirrer, ca reactor, and denitrator, on shelves out of the sump and either gravity feed or remote pump fed, making getting to equipment a breeze.

Well now the wait is over and today was the first full day after the fill with SW and starting the wait for the cycle to complete. Here a a few picts and the link to the original build thread in out reef club forum here on RC. Enjoy and post comments and questions

Link to Original Thread here on RC

Couple shots of the current 90 system I am moving from

Original look of tank and stand

Canopy and lights

After starting the re-skin of the stand

Beginning the sump room

Drilling the tank

Starting the painting

Cont...

 

[cybrsufr]

Tank Plumbing

Almost there

Closed Loop Plumbing

New Sump Room

Finished, Ready to fill

Up and Running

 

[Itaysworld]

Wow! That's quite a transformation. I love how the stand looks and the hardware on it.

Looking great! Once you have it stocked you should invite the old owners and show them what they are missing out on!

Best, Itay.

 

[LECorals]

Amazing your really turned that tank around! LOOKS AWESOME!

 

[Galantra]

Wow looks really good

 

[cybrsufr]

Added the LocLines and 3" flange to the returns tonight and added five small pieces of live rock to seed the dry Puccani in the tank. I also added the first dose of ProdiBio BioDigest to the tank. I have been using the ProdiBio products on my 90 for the last 6 months and love the results so decided to start this tank on it from the beginning. They clain that you can complete a new tank cycle in less than 14 days using it from the beginning so I have put them to the test. Even if it cycles in 14 days, I may start moving fish a couple at a time but the corals will still wait for the full 2 months or more before transitions from the 90 to the 180. In the mean time each 20-30 gallon water change in the 90 will be going into the 180, so that will help in establishing the biological filter in the new tank as well as getting the parameters as close as possible to the old tank for less of a shock when things start to move.

 

[dougie]

looks great.

 

[Jflip2002]

Ever thought about flipping that middle top rock the other way, so flat side is down? Id make the rock stacks look more appealing. You can always put the SPS around that in the holes still...... just an idea. Great looking tank though.

 

[cybrsufr]

Cycle is completed and the first fish are in. I have sold my 75 gallon so its inhabitants were the first guinea pigs for the new system. Move a 4" sailfin tang, diamond goby, and yellow damsel, along with the hand full of snails and hermits. Transfered them about 2 hours ago and all appear to be fine beside the transplant shock and having no idea what just happened to them . Will get picts later as they are pretty much hiding for now. Got a skimmer on the system about a week ago. Running a Deltec 851 here are a couple picts of the sump room right now. If I can talk the guy who lent me the Deltec to trade for my APF600 and some $$$ (he is setting up a smaller system and could use the APF600) then I will reroute the temporary skimmer plumbing to something permanent. If not then the APF600 with use only one of the connections shown in the pictures.

 

[LOTUS50GOD]

wow.. looks great. I would get some clamps on those hoses, especially the pressured ones.

 

[herpboyben]

looks really nice. def. put some clamps on that tubing

 

[CharChar15]

wow your 90 looked exceptional. Cant wait to see the new one when its done!

 

[Brandan]

The setup looks great. Do the tall return nozzles not bother you? I think they would take away from the clean open look of your setup.

 

[cybrsufr]

Yes the closed loop does annoy me a little but cannot see how to get the additional 45 degree bend back towards the center without the additional fitting on them. The only other alternative that I am still considering before adding all my corals, would be to cut the pipes back to about the center of the tank, take the 45's off and pint the nozzels straight up. I may end up doing just that because the flow would hit the surface tension of the water and roll back around the front and back walls creating a churning effect similar to a breaking wave in the ocean. Got about two weeks to decide before the corals start going in. I am open to suggestions from those of you running a closed loop.

 

[Itaysworld]

Hey cybrsufr,

Looking great!

Regarding your closed loop, what if you shorten the pipes coming across the bottom by a little bit, so that they don't come up so close to the edges.

That would then allow you to recess them from the glass and hide the eductors inside a rock/rubble formation. Not sure if its the look you're going after but it would be a good solution to retain your water movement and make it better aesthetically.

I was amazed at the 'visual improvement' when I covered up the eductors on mine.

Itay.

 

[cybrsufr]

Well as a start I removed the 45's tonight and moved the "Eductors to the first elbow after removing the 45's Makes the closed loop pipes about 4 inches shorter. The flow is straight up but still getting the wrap around effect when it hits the surface tension of the water. Looks like it may work out and still give me the flow I was trying for. Will take picts tomorrow and post.

 

[cybrsufr]

Made some changes to the closed loop ends so they did not obscure the tank so much and moved about 70% of the corals into the new tank. Here are a few picts so far. I am sure coral placement will change a couple times before I am happy with it, but its a start.

Cont...

 

[cybrsufr]

 

[Itaysworld]

Looking great, The closed loop looks so much better like this!

Nice corals and great pictures.

...Can't wait to get some more into mine.

Itay.

 

[cybrsufr]

Large amount of pictures update

Large amount of pictures update

Ok Just about completed. All of the Corals have been moved, and started an Interceptor Treatment this morning. Hooked up the Chiller and the UV last night and all thet is left is the Calcium Reactor and KalkStirrer which should be done tonight. Here are pictures of the final setup (of course coral positions and all can and probably will change)

Lots of picts (got picture happy )

Cont...