Reburn

Ah that's such a nice way of saying good planning on the slowest build ever lol But that is why I have built egg crate sumps. It's a lot easier to cut that egg crate then to figure out, crap I wish I had an extra inch or two to get my skimmer out.

Ty, If I started with the pics no one would read what I have to say lol. Exhibit A - Ty's build thread. Wha how big is your tank again, SHOW ME PICTURES

Some general notes. I tried and tried to make the sump 16" deep. It's just not going to work. I have settled on 14" tall x 53" long x 30" wide. The width and the height on the inside compartment was the primary concern with going to 14". I needed to be able to get to the very back of the ultra wide sump with ease. At 16" it wasn't easy. The stand has 3/4 ply tops on the top deck and bottom deck. They are both secured with some way oversized, countersunk, self tapping metal lags. There will also be 1" foam that goes on top of the tops. The stand has adjustable leveling feet. The feet can hold 2k lbs each and have hard rubber on the bottom that oscillates and adjusts to sit flat. No I know everyone is gonna say. But weren't you going to rhino coat your stand. Yes I still am. I am taking the time to mock everything up exactly before I take it back apart to coat the stand and marine grade epoxy paint the tops. I still have a couple touches that I am working on that will take the sump area to a new level. Stay tuned!!!!

Return area. Sicce 5.0 return pump, stand alone IM Minimax GFO reactor midsize version, Sicce 1.0 pump to bio pellets reactor then to reef octopus BR70 biopellets reactor and then over to avast marine CS1 recirculating skimmer with neck cleaner. The heater will also go in this return area as will the float control for the ATO and the backup emergency float. There is a Geos reef CR612 calcium reactor in the back there too. It will feed off the return pump and the BRS carbon reactor will too. You can also see the electronics compartment. The skimmer compartment will be fed by the main siphon on a bean animal external overflow controlled by a spears gate valve. The second bulkhead you see is for the unrestricted emergency drain. The ph, orp, temp and salinity probe will be in this compartment. The calcium reactor and ATO and dosers will dose into the bubble trap.

Since I promised an update. I'll keep this simple. Since I know we're like yea blah blah words, great. SHOW ME PICTURES. here ya go Full shot. The lights will suspend by the light bars and shackles by adjustable cables. Ladder rack and light layout. Just need to weld it up. Working on the DIY led stunner strips. Once those are finished it will get welded up. Refugium area. Flow will be controlled by a spears gate valve. BRS reactor on left for carbon.

Alright you got it bluemoon, I'll do a full update tonight.

Thanks for the compliment!!! I'll be honest the regulator was $360 shipped and insured. I got it from flowerfishs on planetedtank.net. He posts regulators in the for sale section sometimes. I've decided to not run the glass shields because the weight and the design. Hamilton designed those reflectors where you unscrew a trim piece and slide the glass out the back. This makes removing the glass Impossible with the fixture in the air. I would rather not take down the ladder bar every 6-9 months to do lamp changes as its really a 2 person job. I will be flying 14" off the water to start and the ladder rack will be adjustable.

Nah. I'm gonna wrap it with Syran wrap. I'll be good ?

And here is the electronics.

So it's been a couple dog years since I've update this thread. But I'm not ready to type a full update so here is a teaser. I mounted the ballasts with nylon bolts, nuts and used the rubber feet and mounted to the plywood so they are completely isolated from the rest of the electrical system and can't ground to the stand just in case something goes bad.

I was also a fan

Thanks guys. At 14" off the water I'm not too concerned about splashing but it is a nice safety net to not have glass and metal end up in the frag tank.

They are quiet too. No noise and they run cool to the touch. I ran everything for 2 hours or so. The ballets were still cool. The shrouds over the reflectors was warm but not too hot to touch. The reflectors came with glass shields. Does anyone actually use them on mogul MH? The glass adds a lot of weight to the fixtures and I'm sure traps lots of heat inside.

Yea I'm getting excited. It's truely been a slow build but I think all the advance planning will pay off well. Such as having my rock cycled for 4 months and covered in coraline before the tank even starts

All I lack is ordering the bubble counter and 90 degree fitting on the regulator. It is a victor SGT 500 stainless steel dual stage regulator with all SS pieces, a kip 3w solenoid that is capable of closing a 3000psi bottle and a swagelok series 21 needle valve. I know most reefers don't care but to the planted freshwater guys this is the holy grail regulator combination. Also most 1w solenoids are only capable of closing 1000psi. Which is why the 3w. The kip solenoids also run a lot cooler which decreases the risk of a solenoid failure.

Quick fire layout test. Obviously the T5's will be level across the bottom with the MH in the fixture.

Update #1 So I expected to have the stand here by now. I had to bump it for some other projects for work. It is finished but I have yet to go to pick it up. I'm trying to coordinate my trip to Yokaum to take them some material for another project for work. Hopefully I'll make it there next week. Update #2 The Hamilton Cozumel sun reflectors fiiiinnnaaalllllyyyyy showed up after being on back order for 8 stinking weeks. It was worth it though. They are exactly what I wanted. The Solis Tek E-Ballasts fired up perfectly. Yes one MH fixture is 400w radium and the other is a 250w radium. Hopefully in the next 2 weeks I will start construction on the ladder bar with the 6 24" T5 fixtures. The T5 fixtures will be a mix of ATI blue plus and UVL 454.

Boognish, I have a couple tubes of momentive RTV108 clear if you need to use one to get you tank up and running.

I've looked at this thing a couple times. How does the overflow re start the siphon in the event of a power outage?

I know a couple people that do very well with LPS, monti, chalices, digi, softies especially zoas with the Chinese black onyx fixtures.

Manny and Ckyuv, The offer stands when we get to see the money shot. No Ty this pic is never gonna go away Ty, I'll be over there directly to collect my new frags

They are supposed to be really good. We shall see. The waiting does give you plenty of time to upgrade water free. The tank has gone from 48x24x12 to 72x24x12 to the final size maxed to the stand at 72x32x12.

It sucks that it went down like that. Same as Ty, if/when your ready to try again I'll have some pieces for you.

Just patiently waiting for my spot in line. May seems so far away. Since the stand is in production I have been focusing on the skin and top for the stand and getting the light ladder bar built. It is currently on hold waiting for the Hamilton cayman sun reflectors to come in. They were back ordered for 2 weeks. I have all of the T5 fixtures and lamps. I am going to start with ATI Blue plus and UVL 454 lamps for supplement to the 400w and 250w radium lamps. I found a good deal on some metal hot spot diffusers that I'm going to experiment with on the halides. They are 2 different kind of metal diffusers. I don't think one will be needed on the 400w SPS side but for the zoa side I might need one. On a personal note I am getting anxious, I knew going into this that reef savvy had a 6 month lead time but waiting for it isn't much fun. The upside is it does allow me plenty of time to plan and build all the support systems. The down side is I am trying to hold buying more coral. I had a good opportunity at a space invaders pectina frag for a great price but I had to pass since they can't be crowded with their sweeper tentacles. I know there will be more coral later so I am trying to remain patient.