ReefHaus

Amazing color and polyp extension.  You're my hero, Ty!  Out of curiosity, what brand of salt mix do you use?

Today I finished an important part of the build.  I had to determine how to open up the stairwell by safely removing the stud supports under the stairs.  This was needed if I were to have unobstructed access to the newly opened space under the stairs, from the adjacent coat closet.

This video shows the dilemma I was facing, namely, how to safely remove the stud supports under the stairs.

I had a friend come over this evening and we were able to knock it out (literally) in a couple of hours.  We ended up being “safe rather than sorry” and chose to reinforce the opening with a new framed header.  This allowed us to remove the old support studs, while retaining structural stability.  I think it was probably over-kill, but the new frame and header does provide some peace of mind.

This video shows the result.

Next step:  Plumbing and electric!

Water Mixing Station 2.0

Upon further reflection, the dimensions of the original design will not work.

It doesn’t capitalize on the vertical dimensions of the closet and ends up being too wide.

This design works better, given the space limitations of the coat closet.

I’m considering these tanks instead:

https://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=9513-A-SP0020-OM

I’d build the stand and containment basin myself. 

I initially thought it’d be nice to purchase the shelving and containment basin with readily available ‘off-the-shelf’ products.   The tolerances of the space I must work within are too limited for that.

I ‘m researching recirculating plumbing-designs with vertically-stacked tanks.

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 11:02 AM, mhart032 said:

Look at uline for the containment you can get any size really, and it true containment. That really will hold 55gals and so on. 

Here’s the initial draft of the water/mixing station:

Containment Basin:  The basin I'm considering is marketed as an “oil leak drip pan”.  It’s intended catch any fluids that might leak out from under a car during oil changes. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F4PBCHP/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07F4PBCHP&pd_rd_w=LDngT&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=HOhKb&pf_rd_r=8ZE3325MKNFZSX7QTF42&pd_rd_r=0ada1e61-9ea5-11e9-acd2-e9c7b410e391

Its smaller footprint (40” x 28” x 5”) accommodates the small coat closet I have to work within.  The more common 55-gallon drum basins are too large for the build.  This basin holds 24 Gallons.  

A concern is that it has ribbing along the bottom. I’d like to place the shelving directly on top of this basin to provide full containment for any leaks from the mixing tanks/plumbing.  The shelves will be holding a 15gal salt mixing tank and a 20gal ATO, at a minimum.  The combined weight of just these two tanks will exert nearly 300lbs of force onto the basin floor that the shelving will rest upon.  The design of the shelving I’ve selected evenly distributes the weight, so in theory, that load would be under 2.5 lbs/square inch across those ribs, and I imagine they’d support that weight?  Difficult to tell without having the basin in front of me to assess its rigidity.

I could scrap this pre-formed plastic-molded basin idea altogether and just build my own containment out of plywood and seal it watertight, but my preference right now is for this one.

Sump Pump:  This auto-sensing pump triggers at low depth (1/3 inch).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MWG69RN/ref=psdc_554568_t2_B0009X8O2E

 I’d plumb it to the guest bathroom drain-line.  When the basin fills, this kicks on, pumping water from the containment basin to the drain, preventing the 24gal basin from overflowing.  My plan is to cut-out a 10” x 12” rectangle from the bottom-center of the shelving to accommodate placement of the pump underneath the first shelf.

Shelving: I like this unit because it’s plastic, it fits inside the footprint of the containment basin, it’s ventilated, and it’s rated at 150lbs/shelf which should accommodate the tank weights.

https://www.grainger.com/product/PLANO-MOLDING-Freestanding-Open-Plastic-54VJ03

It’s also one of the few designs that rests completely flat to the floor, evenly distributing weight.  And, I should be able to cut out a 10" x 12" rectangle from the bottom of it to accommodate the sump-pump.

Mix Tanks

Salt Tank:  I already have a 15gal (26”x11”x15”) rectangular tank from my last build with a recirculating external pump for salt mixing.  It works well as a mixing/storage tank for small batches of salt water.  I generally only mix 10gal at a time for periodic water changes.  I also have a 32-gallon brute trash can in the garage when larger salt production is required.

Discharge Tank:  I’m contemplating adding a second 15gal tank to accommodate the discharge of a continuous-water-change system but I’ve not yet decided on that yet.  It's another fail-point and I'm a big fan of eliminating every possible fail-point in the system, wherever I can.  If I'm able to learn the arcane secrets of the hobby from Farmer Ty, I won't need to change water!  Kidding aside, I'd love to limit water changes as much as possible.  And, I have much to learn from Farmer Ty. 

RODI Tank:  Something like this 20gal (14”x28”x12”) tank is what I'm considering for the RODI.

https://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=A-SP0020-LC

Its small footprint and rectangular-design accommodates the space-restrictions I’m working within for this build.

ATO:  I have small 15gal ATO that I had custom-built by melevsreef for my last tank.  It's a perfect size for placement over my sump, which is an interesting Idea I'm considering.  The concept is to periodically pump water from the primary RODI tank to this satellite ATO tank, then gravity feed the ATO into the sump.  This design would provide a fail-safe ATO solution as there’s no way to ever flood the system with more than the capacity of the small ATO over the sump.  The gravity feed eliminates switch failure, as there is no switch to fail in this setup.

Just my thoughts for today...  I'm still working through the plumbing/electrical design elements of the build.  I realized that I needed at least a rough outline of my intentions for the water changing station to do that.

Thanks for any insights!

16 hours ago, mhart032 said:

 had the same idea, with my redsea 115 under the stairs closet is a good room. right in the middle of the house so it stays cool. and have access to lots of power on both sides of the walls. Ive pulled power through both sides ran the dosers and ATO through the wall as you can see the ATO container and containment.

Thanks for your image- what a great use of space! That ATO design (with the catch basin) really helps me visualize the implementation of a “flood basin” in my build.

My goals for water management include:

-Flood Basin:  a way to contain water in the event of a critical-fail (ATO’s are classic fail-points).  Go to the 7minute mark of this video to see how Melevsreef new sump install had an ATO fail last week – it happens to even the best reefers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBWPqxzDVxA

I’m contemplating installing a small basin under the water mixing station and possibly another larger basin directly under the stairs.

-Mixing Station/Water Changes: The first step is to determine how best to tap the plumbing from the adjacent guest bathroom.  I want to connect

-RODI in and out water lines

-Drain: Plumb a discharge-line from the sump to under the sink for water changes.

Once I get the essential plumbing design sorted out, I can move on to the next step - design plans for the mixing station area.

ELECTRICAL:  The guest bathroom also has a dedicated 20amp circuit that’s GFCI (shared with the master bath GFCI circuit).  It’s probably going to be my best bet for adding a second circuit under the stairs, without running a separate dedicated circuit.  A dedicated circuit under the stairs is not very practical/economical based on the homes current wiring.

TEMPERATURE CONTROL:  also impacts the electrical circuit design.  Thinking how to connect a ventilation fan to ceiling above and possibly a second fan to expel air from under the stairs out into the living room and provide a cross-current of air-flow through the fish room.  This design element will include electrical considerations to power the fan(s), so I’m noodling through various ways of doing this.  Goal is to provide some form of air-flow through the fish room. 

I haven’t found many threads with images of under-stair fish room designs, here’s a few I did come across:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/andrews-240-gallon-with-fish-room-under-stairs-build.292509/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/120g-standard-ulm-reef-tank-build.344519/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/180g-build.290155/

31 minutes ago, victoly said:

Looks like an exciting build. I know you're thinking this, but if this is going to be a long term tank (even 2-3 years) you might be better served with a 90 than a 75. The extra depth is going to make aquascaping a lot easier and you have no equipment tax (bigger lights, etc.)

Here's the initial draft of the fish room with the 75 gallon display I already own.

75 Gallon Display

Upgrade Path

My focus has been on building the fish room, which represents a significant capital outlay to do it right.

Current thoughts regarding the display (subject to change) is to use my old system's display and lighting which includes a 75-gallon 48x18x21, Metal Halides/LED Hood, and a 1/4hp chiller, all of which I already have.

The cost to purchase a 60" tank (I like the 125 (60x 18 x 17)) with T5/LED lighting is a 3k-4k upgrade.  I just don't have that outlay right now.

Having said that, I'm definitely weighing lots of cost/benefit options for the display of my current build.  My biggest concern is incorporating the lighting I already own, which is where the upgrade path gets crazy (in the thousands of $$$$) when I go to 60" footprint.  If I keep my current lighting, it means staying to a 48" wide tank and running my chiller (adding complexity and another potential fail-point to the build).  

The alternative consideration I think you're pointing to is an interesting possibility. Sell the 75 and buy a tank which accommodates the lighting I already have.  There's a possibility of plumbing a new tank with the overflow to the side (peninsula-style), which opens up my options to accommodate even a  24" wide tank.  Keeping to a 48x24  footprint, and playing with height options I could keep my current lighting and go up to a 150 gallon at 31" deep.  I don't like tanks deeper than 25" because I find them too difficult to reach the bottom, and I'm open to any consideration.  The tank I really like is the 17" tall 125 (60" x 18" x 17").  I think the more streamlined profile looks nicer, but I'm years away from that decision.

Many options to be weighed right now.  I love the possibilities your pointing to! They substantially open up the gallon potential of the current build.

Keep those ideas flowing!  Thank you!