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BornToHula's 240 Gallon Build


BornToHula

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New build thread time!


I ordered a 240 gallon tank from River City (Planet Aquariums) last week


Dimensions: 96.5" x 24.5" x 25"


I made some renders to get an idea of what it will look like. There will be some bracing on it that is not shown.


Front

qpV2Gv5.jpg


Top-down

ZrS3M8b.jpg


It has a 36" overflow and will be drilled to accommodate a bean animal drain.



Here is an idea on how it will be plumbed. I've never plumbed a tank before so if you have any critiques I am all ears!

View from back:

ugti8m8.jpg


Front:

PK3mAwD.jpg


I'm also getting a 42" stand and 12" canopy made for it!


Hopefully it will look something like this:

PM5qXuf.jpg

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Equipment: Still a work in progress, I'll update as equipment is purchased.

I'll be moving stuff like the ATO system, apex and dosing pumps from my 75g to this new tank.

Lights: Two 48" ATI LED/T5 Hybrid Powermodules

Sump: Standard 75 gallon tank with custom made baffles

Return pump: Ecotech Vectra L1

Powerheads: Maxspect Gyre XF150's on each end. Neptune WAVs in the middle for added randomness. MP10 in the frag area.

Skimmer: ATI Powercone 250IS

Heaters: Two 500W Finnex Titanium Heaters

Other toys necessary reef tools: Apex, Apex Leak Detection Module, IceCap Controllers for the Gyres, IceCap Battery Backup, Aqua Illumination Sol Blue over frag area,

RODI: Bulk Reef Supply 150 GPD upgrade kit.

Edited by BornToHula
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I agree with Jim. Also, any thought to external overflow?

For your plumbing, if at all possible, I like to have the manifold over the sump in case there are any leaks. You can always run the tubing to where the reactors are but I like to originate the connections over the sump to account for Murphy's law. Also, I'd add valves to your drains so you can fine tune them if needed. You can probably just run with true union connections with integrated valves for that. What's the extra bay in the sump with the diverted line from the return pump for? Frag tank? Refugium?

For the skimmer, I'm happy with my Skimz 201 for my 250 gallon total water volume.

For lighting, I like that plan for a mixed reef. If you plan on going SPS dominant anytime soon, I'd go with different LEDs or supplement the BMLs with other lights instead of investing more in them.

Just a quick note on these larger type tanks, I've noticed in my house... acute signs of moisture damage from evaporation from my saltwater tank even with my old 125-gallon. Not wanting to see what a 215-gallon could do, I made it a point to vent the air from my cabinet/canopy to the outside. A possible thought to consider when you're going this big.

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Also, any thought to external overflow?

Yes, an external overflow was what I wanted and was in the original plan. However, I became concerned with where the tank is going to be located (niche in dining room) I would not be able to access the bulkheads if I ever needed to. I consulted with Jake @ River City and he said I needed to do an internal overflow. The internal overflow does take up a lot of room, but I think I would rather have that then have to cut a hole in a wall to repair a leaky bulkhead.

For reference here is the original design I wanted:

w2ohSV5h.jpg

For your plumbing, if at all possible, I like to have the manifold over the sump in case there are any leaks. You can always run the tubing to where the reactors are but I like to originate the connections over the sump to account for Murphy's law. Also, I'd add valves to your drains so you can fine tune them if needed. You can probably just run with true union connections with integrated valves for that. What's the extra bay in the sump with the diverted line from the return pump for? Frag tank? Refugium?

That's a good idea, I will move the manifold over the sump.

The siphon drain on the bean animal will have a gate-valve to control the flow. From what I have read the durso and emergency drains don't need valves, but they can be added if you want more control. Since valves are relatively inexpensive I will probably add them.

Yes, that extra bay will be a frag tank and will also have some miracle mud underneath the frag rack. I'm planning on using an AI Sol Blue I have lying around to light it.

For lighting, I like that plan for a mixed reef. If you plan on going SPS dominant anytime soon, I'd go with different LEDs or supplement the BMLs with other lights instead of investing more in them.

This tank is going to be SPS dominant. Just curious on why you would go with with different LEDs? I admit my SPS growth has been fairly slow under BMLs on my 75g, but I kinda attributed that to inconsistent Alk levels I had until a few months ago. Any suggestions on lights? I like the Ecotechs but like everything from them the price tag is quite heavy.

Just a quick note on these larger type tanks, I've noticed in my house... acute signs of moisture damage from evaporation from my saltwater tank even with my old 125-gallon. Not wanting to see what a 215-gallon could do, I made it a point to vent the air from my cabinet/canopy to the outside. A possible thought to consider when you're going this big.

Hmm, I hadn't really thought of this, but it is concerning. I had always heard that with an Air Conditioner you don't really have to worry about evaporation. The wall the tank will be in front of is empty, so perhaps I could run a vent from the tank up through the attic. It would probably need pretty strong fans to push air that far though.

Any chance you have a picture of your setup?

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I can't see the renders..... sad.png

Sad to say but I had tons of BML's over my tank and I didn't get great color and growth. Ironically I had better color and growth with the Evolution Fixtures I started with that were just White and Blue.

I've seen lots of tanks with Radions that have great SPS growth and color. Another popular fixture especially for the price are the ones that Ty and Vu have. IDK the name

If you have the budget, come take a peek at my ATI Hybrid Powermodules, 8 bulb T-5 Fixtures with LED's integrated. I'm very satisfied and still plan to tinker for more tuned colors.

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Also, for an 8' Tank, Vortechs won't cover that ground.

Without 4-5 MP40s lining the back glass you will have lots of dead spots in the center.

is the tank going to have a close loop pump? otherwise,

I'd go with Tunze, Wp's/Rw's, Gyres, or possibly the ecotechs. I don't know much about them yet, either way you're going to need something that covers more length than a vortech.

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I compare BML to kessils. They can keep LPS and softies happy, and some SPS keepers have success with them... but I think they are overpriced and probably not the lighting I'd go with for a SPS-dominant tank. This is based from personal observation of other tanks I've seen and also other's experiences with them. The successful SPS dominant tanks with them are few and far between whereas there are a ton of successful SPS tanks with MH, T5, Radions, and to a lesser degree, the Ocean Revive fixtures I use.

I still think T5s give the best color rendition on SPS and to me, the ultimate for coloration would be a T5/hybrid light, much like the ATI hybrid light Juiceman mentioned.

Air conditioners will process a lot of the humidity but if yours isn't constantly running (for instance mine runs less during the day) and during the Spring/Summer when it hardly runs at all, you'll get a build-up of moisture in the house. Granted, my house is almost 40 years old so the taping on the drywall may not hold up as well as a newer home but I've seen plenty of evidence of moisture related damage in my 1800 sq ft home. That's why I opted to vent all heat and moisture outside. I'll try to snap a picture sometime soon so you can see the setup or if its a slow day at work, you can peruse the 99 pages of my build thread and see it for yourself. doh.gif

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Juiceman, not sure why you can't see the pictures. They are hosted on imgur.com, maybe that site is blocked for you? If others are having the issue I can re-host them somewhere else.

Also, for an 8' Tank, Vortechs won't cover that ground.

Without 4-5 MP40s lining the back glass you will have lots of dead spots in the center.

There isn't going to be a closed loop, so I will be relying on powerheads for water movement. I like the Vortechs because there are no cords in the tank and the controllability with Apex. Are you saying you don't think a MP60 would have enough power to cover 8'? I've seen a few out and about and it seemed they move a massive amount of water. According to their website flow calculator 1 MP60 and 1 MP40 is right where I would need to be for SPS.

That said I am leaning towards the Gyres due to the better cost/value ratio, even if I have to deal with their cords in the tank. I believe they just released something that allows them to be controlled with the Apex. Still no random modes though.

Hmm, I had always considered Build My LEDs to be near the top of the line when it comes to price/performance. I guess that's because I come from my planted freshwater tank where the BMLs are top of the line in that world.

However, at the end of the day the goal is to grow SPS and I'd rather it be my skills than my equipment that hold me back from having growth.

Those ATI Hybirds look awesome, I hadn't ever seen those before. How often do you have to replace bulbs on T5s?

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You're right, it must be the school Firewall because I can see them on my phone.

I had an SPS dominant tank with Build My LEDs. I was never happy with the growth or color.

I really like the ATI Hybrids so far! The bulbs will be changed once a year. I think it will be worth the yearly cost.

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I had an SPS dominant tank with Build My LEDs. I was never happy with the growth or color.

I really like the ATI Hybrids so far! The bulbs will be changed once a year. I think it will be worth the yearly cost.

Have you had any issues with bleaching? I did a tad bit of research and the PAR those ATI Hybirds put out are insane! I wonder since my tank is only 25" deep if they would be too bright (if there is such a thing)? I assume I would need 2 of the 48" fixtures to cover the 8' span.

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I had an SPS dominant tank with Build My LEDs. I was never happy with the growth or color.

I really like the ATI Hybrids so far! The bulbs will be changed once a year. I think it will be worth the yearly cost.

Have you had any issues with bleaching? I did a tad bit of research and the PAR those ATI Hybirds put out are insane! I wonder since my tank is only 25" deep if they would be too bright (if there is such a thing)? I assume I would need 2 of the 48" fixtures to cover the 8' span.

My tank is 24". No problems so far. They're mounted about 6-7" above the water.

I have the LED's peaking out at about 60%, but i'm probably going to kick it up a bit. I have BMLs on the tank right next to them so you could get an idea of the difference. Up to you, I drove around town looking at peoples lights during the summer so I could make an informed decision about what fixtures to go with.

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I've got 2 gyre 150s and they are perfect for an 8' tank. Yes they do not have random settings but it's fine. And if you get an Apex you can set it up to control them and make it fairly random.

I put in a 9.5" exhaust fan in our canopy that exhausts the air outside the house. It was a low rpm fan so it's very quiet and moves more than enough air to keep the humidity down. I also put it on a humidity controller so anytime the canopy his 60% humidity it kicks on.

Considering our tanks have the same dimensions your more than welcome to swing by and get some ideas.

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I've got 2 gyre 150s and they are perfect for an 8' tank. Yes they do not have random settings but it's fine. And if you get an Apex you can set it up to control them and make it fairly random.

I put in a 9.5" exhaust fan in our canopy that exhausts the air outside the house. It was a low rpm fan so it's very quiet and moves more than enough air to keep the humidity down. I also put it on a humidity controller so anytime the canopy his 60% humidity it kicks on.

Considering our tanks have the same dimensions your more than welcome to swing by and get some ideas.

I'm fairly sure I will end up getting the Gyres. It doesn't look like their price/performance ratio can be beat.

I'm on board with getting some exhaust fans installed. The problem I think I'm going to need to overcome is the tank is going against an interior wall, so the duct would need to go up through the wall to the attic. There aren't any pipes running through the wall, but there are electrical wires running though it. I'm not sure if it will be possible to get a duct past the wires or not.

I definitely want to come by and check out your tank. Maybe next week sometime? I'll send a PM.

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OK, after looking things over and comparing my current tank with other SPS tanks of the same size I'm pretty convinced the adding more Build My LEDs are not the way to go.

The more I check out the ATI Hybird Powermodule, the more I want one! Seems like they can grow SPS like crazy even at the bottom of tanks. Not sure how I never knew they existed until yesterday. I'm hopefully going to check out Juiceman's light soon to see one in person.

The other lighting option I am considering are the Ecotech Radion Pros. Each unit supposedly can cover a 24"x24" area, so 4 units should do it for my tank.

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Tank is heading to production!punk.gif

I'm starting to order some plumbing items so I can have the parts in by the time the tank arrives. I'm a plumbing newbie so I need some advice.

Is there a disadvantage in using flexible PVC, besides price?

Is there a source for black sch. 40 PVC fittings? (elbows, Y's and tees)

Are loc-line fittings available bigger than 3/4"? If not are there any other products that are similar? This is what I want to do, but I'm not sure how to do it without loc-line. The pictured returns would be kept at the surface of the water to help with surface skimming and prevent the need for a check valve.

JvByArd.jpg?1

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I used flex-pvc and it works just fine. I found it can be a bit of a pain just because it wants to curl, so running long straight sections is probably easier with regular PVC, but otherwise it worked great for me.

As jolt mentioned, FlexPVC has some black sch. 40 PVC. I also had to get a few pieces on Amazon.

What type of drain are you using?

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Brs also has black pvc pipe and fittings as well as locline in various sizes. I would still put a check valve on the returns just incase the locline gets bumped accidentally or something, better have it and not need it than flood your house.

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