BBMarlin Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 (edited) My aquarium will be here next week! The custom planet aquarium I ordered is a 48” x 24” x 25” with an internal overflow, crystal 36 sump and a gray stand. I initially was going to go with an external overflow but since my tank is against a wall and feedback from @Jimbo662 regarding the noise of the OEM external - I felt it made more sense for me to go with the internal overflow. I love taller tanks, so I decided to go with a custom aquarium that added a solid 4” to the height of the tank compared to the prefab builds. I ordered another custom “kit” from eztube to extend my OR T247 light rack to 4 lights. You can see my custom light rack that I designed in my other build thread here: Still need to assemble the new light rack and figure out how I’m going to attach the two light racks together to make my 4-light fixture. I had great success with 2 of the T247s over my 76 Gallon, I figure adding 2 more T247s will be lighting overkill for this 125. I would rather have too much light than too little for this SPS dominant tank (can always adjust downward) , I'll take PAR measurements once I get everything set. Circulation will be driven by el cheapo Jabeo PP-20s. My experience with Jabeo has been mixed, I’ve found that as long as you keep their circulation pumps running at a lower setting they tend to last. If you run them full blast, they crap out on you in < 6 months. Their return pumps seem to be solid however. No skimmer will be used in this set up unless something prevents me from controlling nutrients with simple water changes. I’ve always used 2-part dosing to control chemistry for my demanding SPS coral, once I get this tank stable and growing I plan on plumbing in a calcium reactor to eliminate the PITA with two-part maintenance. I’m fortunate to have a sink adjacent to my tank that I will plumb a RODI unit directly into my tank for topoff and no longer having to lug 5-gallon jugs upstairs!!!! For controlling I will use a APEX Jr. for those very few items that I need to control/monitor remotely. **I'm going to try my hardest to not overstock this tank with coral - and provide significant spacing between frags. This to prevent SPS colonies from gowning into each other - I believe this has caused me issues in the past.** Pics coming soon. Edited September 20, 2019 by BBMarlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 New builds are always fun, sometimes I think its the best part of reefing 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 I gotta agree with Jolt. :D The cause of problems in systems that have been trouble free for years is a real puzzler. In my systems that have run for one or two decades there certainly appear to be cycles where some animals don't seem to be happy and then everythings good again. I know from the research I've read corals are affecting the bacteria in the water and those bacteria can change over time. There's still a lot we don't know about individual coral's immune systems or how they change as they become mature but Dr. Wright's research shows it varies at the genotype level. I suspect there's a lot of combinations that like fish may work when there's a group of juveniles but when they mature not so much. We know different taxonomic groups promote different microbes in the water column (one) (two). So I can't help but think we need to pay a lot more attention to the conditions individual coral species are found in nature. The Strawberry Shortcake acro being one example which is found almost exclusively in association with other acro species 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted September 29, 2019 Author Share Posted September 29, 2019 Let there be (lots of) light! Interesting that the fixture enclosure on the 2 new T247s are a shade or two lighter than the older lights (~2years). Jake says he should have my tank on Friday! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 Tank arrived today! Still a construction zone in my media room, but happy to get this beast up the the stairs as it was a lot heavier than expected. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Nice to have a sink right there! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 8 hours ago, jolt said: Nice to have a sink right there! Indeed! I'm thinking I will go with a RO/DI reservoir under the tank with a float and still run a ATO. I will plumb the RO/DI unit to the sink and to the reservoir in the stand and run it manually when I'm running low. This way I can flush the membrane before I use it, and I won't have to worry about floods as long as I don't forget to turn the main going to the RO/DI unit off. I really wanted to just leave the RO/DI running all the time and not have to worry about top off any more but this is probably not worth the risk. @jolthow are you doing it on your larger tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 I have a 60 gallon RODI reservoir in my garage and the RODI unit is in the house on the same wall as my washer/dryer. I use a float valve on the tank to shut off the flow, and I have a booster pump with a pressure sensor shutoff switch. I manually run the RODI unit whenever it looks like the big tank needs topping off. When it's full the float closes which turns off the booster pump. I also have a HM Digital FM-2 filter monitor that beeps at me when it the flow is cut off. I don't like to leave the RODI unit on when not needed. My ATO pumps draw topoff water directly from the tank in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 5 minutes ago, jolt said: I have a 60 gallon RODI reservoir in my garage and the RODI unit is in the house on the same wall as my washer/dryer. I use a float valve on the tank to shut off the flow, and I have a booster pump with a pressure sensor shutoff switch. I manually run the RODI unit whenever it looks like the big tank needs topping off. When it's full the float closes which turns off the booster pump. I also have a HM Digital FM-2 filter monitor that beeps at me when it the flow is cut off. I don't like to leave the RODI unit on when not needed. My ATO pumps draw topoff water directly from the tank in the garage. That sounds like a great setup! My garage is directly below the tank and I certainly have considered a similar configuration. I would have to drill a hole in my floor to accomplish this and not sure what kind of pump I could use to deal with ~25 feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 I use the diaphram pumps from Avast Marine. They are noisy but it pulls from the garage up through the ceiling down the inside of a wall, probably like 45 feet or more 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 (edited) 59 minutes ago, jolt said: I use the diaphram pumps from Avast Marine. They are noisy but it pulls from the garage up through the ceiling down the inside of a wall, probably like 45 feet or more This sounds like a good option for me. Thanks. Edited October 9, 2019 by BBMarlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgautrea Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 You're looking good here too. Did I see your tank at RCA this past weekend when I was picking mine up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 10, 2019 Author Share Posted October 10, 2019 48 minutes ago, bgautrea said: You're looking good here too. Did I see your tank at RCA this past weekend when I was picking mine up? Indeed you did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 10, 2019 Author Share Posted October 10, 2019 Waterproofed the stand today with matching gray shower pan liner. This simple and inexpensive stand tweak has saved my floors countless times over the years.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 Nice!! I am looking forward to watching the progress of this build. That sink placement really is super nice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Progress update! Ran two hoses through the wall down to my garage where I already have a 65gallon tank for my RODI. For one of the hoses, I plan on using my Tunze ATO with the Avast diaphragm pump to pump water up to the tank. I will repurpose my DoS pump for continuous water change with the effluent plumbed into the adjacent sink drain, need to get another tank in the garage to accomplish this. This is such a big improvement over my previous set up, I’m really excited to bring everything online! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 (edited) double post Edited October 14, 2019 by BBMarlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 That avast pump will be loud, fair warning! I put mine at the aquarium, not at the RODI tank. It works like a champ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 3 minutes ago, jolt said: That avast pump will be loud, fair warning! I put mine at the aquarium, not at the RODI tank. It works like a champ Ya, I remember you mentioning this which is why I ran wires for it down to the garage. Docs say it should be able the head, we will see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 15, 2019 Author Share Posted October 15, 2019 After doing a bit more research pretty sure I'm going to go with a LiterMeter peristaltic pump as it appears I can wire it directly into the tunze osmolator and not have to do a switched outlet. Kind of a pricey pump but with the switched outlet from tunze and the avast pump together it's about the same amount of money and the litermeter is a higher quality pump. Maybe I can even use it to fill my tank. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 Found these sweet spears ball valves at Ferguson’s today. So smooth and easy to turn and just a few bucks each. Perfect for the manifold.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Nice! I've learned to check ball valves to make sure they turn easily before buying them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share Posted October 24, 2019 Guess you learn something everyday, didn't know cpvc was a thing. Back to the drawing board to find some nice manifold valves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolt Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Dang, I thought those were cpvc valves, but figured you knew what you were doing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMarlin Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share Posted October 24, 2019 5 hours ago, jolt said: Dang, I thought those were cpvc valves, but figured you knew what you were doing Know what I doing? Ha! I wish!! What's frustrating is I knew that there was something different about the valves and even asked, only to be told that it was just a different brand..lol. And what's worse is that this great information came from a plumbing specialty store! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.