Reburn

I'm confused you said 2 three foot ATI or 4 400w MH. Don't you mean 3 400w MH?

I have a 7' tank. It creates issues when it comes to fixture lengths.

3 Halides mounted properly don't spread well across 7'

I currently have 6' led fixtures, so I say 2 3' T-5 because there will be a few inch gap in between the fixtures at the center of the tank, I believe I'll have spill over if I get 1 3' and 1 4'

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Thank you sir I understand now. I was assuming a 6' tank. I apologize.

Ty is right on the arctic revives and radions either with 4-3' supplements I think will give you what your looking for.

I disagree with him on the MH statement. 4-400w is a lot of juice. The heat output is going to be insane. I would lean towards the ATI even with the increased lamp cost.

I'm confused you said 2 three foot ATI or 4 400w MH. Don't you mean 3 400w MH?

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.

Juice,

I'll give you mad props for being honest.

One thing that helps me is using aquatic log.

At a minimum you can set it up to email remind you of pump maintience at your desired service intervals.

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.

My guess.

He knows how to use the search button. I applaud him for that for sure.

Juiceman,

I have a IM Minimax "Midsize" reactor that in saving for my build. It will hold 34 tbs of high capacity GFO while only filling half the reactor. I haven't test ran it. Your welcome to give it a shot and try it to see if you like it before you haul off and buy one.

I second that with.....

Sasha,

Something that those of us in the hobby miss is when a non reefer comes to your house they will remember the little yellow corvette or the PBT. While most reefers won't give the fish a second look, most non reefers won't give your prized acro a second look but they will go on and on about the pretty fish.

PBT and yellow tangs are common and beautiful and fairly inexpensive. I don't see how you could go wrong with either.

He only looks stiff because he just ate a Texas sized serving of sticks and can only move his fins

The salt guys don't quite have the photography down like the freshwater guys yet.

From a photography perspective those TOTM tanks need the line loc fittings vinegar soaked and the powerheads removed prior to pictures. I challenge you to find a professional freshwater tank that shows its lily pipes or spray bars. They are all removed prior to photographing. Amano while a genius when it comes to freshwater aquascaping is 100% guilty of this practice. All the equipment in the tank is removed prior to photographing. He also trims his plants a week or so before pictures are taken so the cut ends have a minute to heal. Yes the tank looks awesome in the picture at the moment it was taken and yes the tank is beautiful but that golden moment when all the plants are in exact proportions doesn't happen by accident.

You know in all honestly Sasha do they look that good all the time probably but not quite that good.. Close but not quite so pristine. Hours can go into photo shoots like this prepping the tank. Carbon to clean the water to a shiny glass look. Scraping and mag floating the glass. Tweezering any algae of the rocks. Feeding the fish just enough to get them out if they are shy. On top of that there is a hundred or more pictures taken at just the right angles to hide that little dead whatever that everyone wants to pretend like they don't have or make the tank look fuller. Fragging the corals at just the right time to get the perfect proportions and color blend in the aquarium. If the pictures are taken in the daytime blackout curtains can be hung to remove any glare from windows or doors.

I have found many tanks have that golden moment when everything is perfect. This is when you take pictures. Professional photo shoots can take hours to complete.

Do I believe these tanks are that good. Yes. Do I believe that these tanks routinely look so perfect. No.

Well bud.

I'm glad that you got into the grad school program that's awesome!!!

It's sad that your breaking down you tank but I know that the grad program will allow you to get that job upgrade and house upgrade and the THE BIG TANK UPGRADE!!!!

Btw - sent you a pm the Doser set is mine

Yep the old, "you have an algae problem here stock this amazingly big cleanup crew that will starve after they have eaten everything and the algae will come back so you can rebuy again" Cycle.

I always found the "reccomended" clean up crew sizes to be quite laughable. The 1 hermit/snail to a gallon is ridiculous.

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.