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270 Gallon Advance Acrylics Build (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter krjackso
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sergio nuncio
Guest
Your tank is so dang sick !!! wow 
I'm very excited about following this all the way through.......... awesome awesome job ...........
I want this tank....
I'm very excited about following this all the way through.......... awesome awesome job ...........
I want this tank....
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Thanks for the compliments guys, I am fairly happy with it. Looks even better now that the water has cleared up.
Pffft! Needs more rock!
Seriously, it does look good! I guess I'm just used to more.
Going for the less is more thing. Just found myself leaning that way. Could always add some more later if necessary but hard to go the other way.
yeap, sandbed will be full of CLAMS ( I love em) and then some acans and scolys.
Yes it will be mixed, but definitely heavily biased towards SPS this time around. I just love scolys, acans, and blastos too much to do away with em.
She's a good sport. My wife said, "Hell no!"
Of course, I've a much sorter tank!
edit: Oh yeah, rockwork looks nice.
Well your wife allows a beer brewing setup, so consider yourself fortunate. Mermaid shots come and go, but brewing your own, that's can last a lifetime right.
Your tank is so dang sick !!! wow
I'm very excited about following this all the way through.......... awesome awesome job ...........
I want this tank....
Thanks so much for reading it all the way through. I know these longer threads can be daunting. I really appreciate the comments though guys. And no, you cant have my tank, haha.
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Update Time...
Well this whole process of getting up and running took a whole lot longer than I originally planned (go figure) and the buyer of my old tank that is currently holding all my livestock will be here in about 2 weeks to come pick it up. Hence, I needed a faster than normal cycle since I do not have the luxury of a normal 4-8 week cycling process time.
With that, I came across a product called Dr. Tims One and Only. see video here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPxExG-FbvI)
I started doing a lot of research as usual and all came back really positive. The rationale is sound, the research is there, so I decided to give it a shot.
Please keep in mind I am not one of those who believe in quick fixes and solutions, so this really goes against my school of thought and training.
I will keep everyone posted on the results. Started a new thread here to discuss not to de-rail this one too much...
http://www.marsh-reef.org/showthread.php/33058-Dr-Tims-One-and-Only-my-review
Also started on a few new projects and will update with some pics soon. As always, thanks for following along!
Well this whole process of getting up and running took a whole lot longer than I originally planned (go figure) and the buyer of my old tank that is currently holding all my livestock will be here in about 2 weeks to come pick it up. Hence, I needed a faster than normal cycle since I do not have the luxury of a normal 4-8 week cycling process time.
With that, I came across a product called Dr. Tims One and Only. see video here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPxExG-FbvI)
I started doing a lot of research as usual and all came back really positive. The rationale is sound, the research is there, so I decided to give it a shot.
Please keep in mind I am not one of those who believe in quick fixes and solutions, so this really goes against my school of thought and training.
I will keep everyone posted on the results. Started a new thread here to discuss not to de-rail this one too much...
http://www.marsh-reef.org/showthread.php/33058-Dr-Tims-One-and-Only-my-review
Also started on a few new projects and will update with some pics soon. As always, thanks for following along!
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Update…
So I spent the weekend cutting, sanding, and painting again. I am in the process of finishing up the electrical and RO unit side underneath the stand.
Another little thing I put together was a rolling platform for my GEO 624 Calcium reactor, 20lb aluminum tank, and my latest delivery, an Avast Marine large skimmate locker. I put those in a 20 gallon tank to help contain any potential leaks. (I had the GEO custom made with an Eheim to go internal, but think I will keep it out the sump now to maximize the room in there for now.)
The cart will be slid behind my tank to stay out of sight but easily rolled out for cleaning and maintenance.
So I spent the weekend cutting, sanding, and painting again. I am in the process of finishing up the electrical and RO unit side underneath the stand.
Another little thing I put together was a rolling platform for my GEO 624 Calcium reactor, 20lb aluminum tank, and my latest delivery, an Avast Marine large skimmate locker. I put those in a 20 gallon tank to help contain any potential leaks. (I had the GEO custom made with an Eheim to go internal, but think I will keep it out the sump now to maximize the room in there for now.)
The cart will be slid behind my tank to stay out of sight but easily rolled out for cleaning and maintenance.
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Another Update…
So I finished up the “cabinetry” on the left hand side. Haha, I use that term really loosely here, but hey, it’s what I could do.
The reverse osmosis holding reservoir, a 29 gallon tank, will be housed underneath, and I am splitting the top shelf in half. The back half will be the electrical station holding the DJ strip, battery backups, and 2 or 3 Apex EB8’s. The front section of the top shelf will be a fragging station/ storage for food etc. I decided to put both sections on ball bearing drawer slides for easier access is necessary. Electrical shelf slides to the back and the other to the front.
Here it is installed.
A shot with the shelves extended.
I also put up a divider between the sump and these sections to keep it clean and help avoid moisture.
I left the side of the top shelf open because I suspect I will have a side access panel as well. I also improvised some U brackets to hang my dj strip. I like the way it came out. Should make maintance easier and keep the wires out of the way too.
Thanks for following along.
So I finished up the “cabinetry” on the left hand side. Haha, I use that term really loosely here, but hey, it’s what I could do.
The reverse osmosis holding reservoir, a 29 gallon tank, will be housed underneath, and I am splitting the top shelf in half. The back half will be the electrical station holding the DJ strip, battery backups, and 2 or 3 Apex EB8’s. The front section of the top shelf will be a fragging station/ storage for food etc. I decided to put both sections on ball bearing drawer slides for easier access is necessary. Electrical shelf slides to the back and the other to the front.
Here it is installed.
A shot with the shelves extended.
I also put up a divider between the sump and these sections to keep it clean and help avoid moisture.
I left the side of the top shelf open because I suspect I will have a side access panel as well. I also improvised some U brackets to hang my dj strip. I like the way it came out. Should make maintance easier and keep the wires out of the way too.
Thanks for following along.
ModAquatics
Supporting Member
Any update on the Dr. Tims One and Only? I am going to rebuild my 75 gallon. I have use Boyd's Microbacter but I don't think it did anything.
flexrac
Guest
Looking really good!
below radar
Guest
Any new news on the beast? This thread has inspired me on my next build (I mean my first) to really take my time and make sure everything is EXACTLY how I want it. Even if it take a few months. Seems like one might appreciate their accomplishment a little more having spent a lot of man hours designing and crafting everything.
Granted I haven't done this long but I have scoured the internet for countless hours and I'm not trying to hump your leg when I say that this build is beyond run of the mill adjectives like cool, great, and awesome. It's just down right fantabuliciously disgusting.
I may get banned for saying this but I feel I must...
This may be the (gasp) Chuck Norris of aquariums. LOL!
Granted I haven't done this long but I have scoured the internet for countless hours and I'm not trying to hump your leg when I say that this build is beyond run of the mill adjectives like cool, great, and awesome. It's just down right fantabuliciously disgusting.
I may get banned for saying this but I feel I must...
This may be the (gasp) Chuck Norris of aquariums. LOL!
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Sorry for the delay everyone. Been super busy transferring everything over and getting the old tank moved out.
Expensive, but works.
Thanks Felix
Damn man! helluva compliment. thats really great of you to say. And yea I really did put A LOT of time and thought into this build from the very start. May not be everyone's idealistic aquarium, but like you said, it was all built to the inch the way I designed it, and that is something to feel good about. Im like you though, I read and read for hours and try to pull best practices, sound thinking, and practical application into all that I do. Thanks so much for following along. I am glad to see how much research you do being so new. It will save you in the end. Stick in there man.
Now I need to feed some pic junkies here, even though its not much to look at yet. Some pics are coming and some updates on lighting choice (FINALLY!)
Dr Tims worked as advertised to be honest. Everything went in (15+ fish and 30+ coral colonies) after 9 days start to finish and not a single loss. Its been almost a month now.
Expensive, but works.
Thanks Felix
Damn man! helluva compliment. thats really great of you to say. And yea I really did put A LOT of time and thought into this build from the very start. May not be everyone's idealistic aquarium, but like you said, it was all built to the inch the way I designed it, and that is something to feel good about. Im like you though, I read and read for hours and try to pull best practices, sound thinking, and practical application into all that I do. Thanks so much for following along. I am glad to see how much research you do being so new. It will save you in the end. Stick in there man.
Now I need to feed some pic junkies here, even though its not much to look at yet. Some pics are coming and some updates on lighting choice (FINALLY!)
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Update Time...
Gotta catch this thread up. Ended up giving all the powerheads, skimmer, and return pumps a good vinegar bath. Rinsed on fresh water and made the transfer. Wanted to start as clean and fresh on this one as possible.
I then had to transfer all the old livestock to the new tank. Everything is just sort of thrown in there at this point. I only plan to keep about half of what I had and sell the rest off. At that point I will start working on placement. Just wanna save room for specific corals this time around. So anyways here are some shots of the tank.
****please excuse the ghetto lighting rig for now, that is my next project****
Gotta catch this thread up. Ended up giving all the powerheads, skimmer, and return pumps a good vinegar bath. Rinsed on fresh water and made the transfer. Wanted to start as clean and fresh on this one as possible.
I then had to transfer all the old livestock to the new tank. Everything is just sort of thrown in there at this point. I only plan to keep about half of what I had and sell the rest off. At that point I will start working on placement. Just wanna save room for specific corals this time around. So anyways here are some shots of the tank.
****please excuse the ghetto lighting rig for now, that is my next project****
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Here are some livestock shots...
UofTOrange
Guest
Very nice Kelly!
rehab
Guest
Nice job man!! You definitely get the clean part right.
Mark L.
Moved On
Great job man! That tank looks awesome!
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Thanks a lot guys. Been busy figuring out the new lighting situation. More to come shortly.
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Update...
I suppose I am long overdue for an update. I guess once I got everything in, I have just been breathing a sigh of relief. Well here goes.
Being an open top tank, I felt it was necessary to build a nice unobtrusive screen topper for it. All in all, was pretty easy and inexpensive. Got the clear mesh from BRS and a window frame and spline kit from HD. Once on the tank, you barely even notice.
Next addition was the brand new Cadlights Bionic Biopellet reactor. I saw this video and thought it looked really cool. I was running the NextReef SMR1 with good results, but I am a sucker for new toys...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ZXKWzJBEI
Came in a little smaller than I expected, and doesnt quite make that same motion, but it is compact and functional (however prolly not worth the price tag).
I suppose I am long overdue for an update. I guess once I got everything in, I have just been breathing a sigh of relief. Well here goes.
Being an open top tank, I felt it was necessary to build a nice unobtrusive screen topper for it. All in all, was pretty easy and inexpensive. Got the clear mesh from BRS and a window frame and spline kit from HD. Once on the tank, you barely even notice.
Next addition was the brand new Cadlights Bionic Biopellet reactor. I saw this video and thought it looked really cool. I was running the NextReef SMR1 with good results, but I am a sucker for new toys...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ZXKWzJBEI
Came in a little smaller than I expected, and doesnt quite make that same motion, but it is compact and functional (however prolly not worth the price tag).
Jasonc
Guest
Super nice!
You mentioned in an earlier post that you were doing something with your lighting - what are you up to with that?
You mentioned in an earlier post that you were doing something with your lighting - what are you up to with that?
OP
OP
krjackso
Guest
Thanks for the segue into my next update sir.
I had been going back and forth on lighting for months. I could write pages and pages about all the research and thoughts I had, but I will try and keep it as short as possible. I have been running exclusively LEDs for over 2 years in a mixed reef with great success. I had 2 BWB what people call "Chinese LED" fixtures and 2 AI sols over my 180. Believe it or not those Chinese fixtures put out some serious light and par (yes I measured) with great spread.
Moving onto this build, I wanted to do an all in one LED fixture that was nice and enclosed and could be hung over the tank for aesthetics. Unfortunately, hard to find a 6 footer that I liked that didnt cost over $5 grand. So I then started to think about a floating canopy. My inspiration actually came from this build here...
http://www.neptuneaquatics.com/cont...-display-tank?cck_pager_field_gallery_image=8
I called it a bit of a reverse canopy, since it is finished underneath and all. I think it looks amazing. I will be doing something very similar but will be finishing it all the way up to my ceiling. More details on the floating canopy and skin to come. So back to the lighting choice. I then started thing about how many more Ai SOLS I would need to get the coverage and it got a little expensive for tech that I knew would be replaced quickly, and already has by the AI Vega.
I then started researching more of the worlds best SPS tanks since that is my new direction and focus and most were running halides with 20k Radium bulbs. So since I could not make up my mind between all LEDs and all halides again. I DID BOTH. I landed on 2 x 250 watt 20k Radium bulbs, fired by 2 new LuxCore adjustable ballasts by CoralVue (as they have a 250 HQI setting to properly run these bulbs), and 2 x LumenMax Elite reflectors. From Sanjays testing these were the best reflectors for my tank and use. Not the prettiest but very effective, but wont natter now because they will be covered. Not that I am growing money, but a few bucks more in electricity and yearly bulb changes were actually secondary on my list of concerns with this one. I want to create the best looking and aesthetically pleasing reef I could.
These halides will be straddled by 2 AI SOL super blues on either end and a new AI Vega color in the middle. The cool thing is the 3 AIs will give enough coverage to light the tank leading up until the halides kick on, then they will be tuned down to match the color temperature of the halides. I felt it was necessary to add back the halides (that I swore I never would go back to) because the LEDs did grow the heck out of some coral (namely zoas), I felt they lacked the color enhancing properties in the red and purple corals. Green and others were great. Just my experience. Don't hang me. Don't want to turn this into an LED versus halide and spectrum discussion. Trust me, I have read hundreds of threads and thousands of pages on this already.
Back to topic. So while I have been waiting to figure who was going to do my skin and canopy (now resolved) I wanted to get the framework mocked up and hung so I could make sure it would achieve my goals. I went with a hanging canopy that is 14" off the water to get proper spread and penetration for both haildes and AIs while at the same time allowing the most important thing to me... ACCESS. I also decided to mount this floating canopy on pocket door rails so that I could slide it back and forth if I needed the extra room. Found some studs and a pocket door kit and got to work...
Made a few mistakes along the way with what to suspend it with...
Those were a pain and didn't allow for adjustments, so I then went chains and did the final mock up and made my cuts...
Been running this rig for a couple weeks now and boy am I satisfied. Being only 250 watters, heat is a non issue. No chiller needed. They produce a great crisp blue color even for 20ks. Reds have come back with a furry and my tricolor is coloring up well with blue and purple tips. The LEDs are a nice offset and controllable feature that I love. Just waiting for my Vega to arrive to stick in the middle (9th in pre-order line). If it looks good, Ill prolly upgrade my 2 SOLs on the ends. However they look just great right now.
Also picked up an Apogee MQ-200 par meter as well. I figure hobbyist spend thousands on lighting, hours and hours debating par and effectiveness, debates over lights useful life and par shifts. Why not spend a little on a meter and monitor yourself and get truly accurate coral placement. I love having it so far.
So that is where I am at on lighting. Thanks for checking in and following along. I am super excited because I finally found a builder to do my skin and canopy. More details to follow on that.
I had been going back and forth on lighting for months. I could write pages and pages about all the research and thoughts I had, but I will try and keep it as short as possible. I have been running exclusively LEDs for over 2 years in a mixed reef with great success. I had 2 BWB what people call "Chinese LED" fixtures and 2 AI sols over my 180. Believe it or not those Chinese fixtures put out some serious light and par (yes I measured) with great spread.
Moving onto this build, I wanted to do an all in one LED fixture that was nice and enclosed and could be hung over the tank for aesthetics. Unfortunately, hard to find a 6 footer that I liked that didnt cost over $5 grand. So I then started to think about a floating canopy. My inspiration actually came from this build here...
http://www.neptuneaquatics.com/cont...-display-tank?cck_pager_field_gallery_image=8
I called it a bit of a reverse canopy, since it is finished underneath and all. I think it looks amazing. I will be doing something very similar but will be finishing it all the way up to my ceiling. More details on the floating canopy and skin to come. So back to the lighting choice. I then started thing about how many more Ai SOLS I would need to get the coverage and it got a little expensive for tech that I knew would be replaced quickly, and already has by the AI Vega.
I then started researching more of the worlds best SPS tanks since that is my new direction and focus and most were running halides with 20k Radium bulbs. So since I could not make up my mind between all LEDs and all halides again. I DID BOTH. I landed on 2 x 250 watt 20k Radium bulbs, fired by 2 new LuxCore adjustable ballasts by CoralVue (as they have a 250 HQI setting to properly run these bulbs), and 2 x LumenMax Elite reflectors. From Sanjays testing these were the best reflectors for my tank and use. Not the prettiest but very effective, but wont natter now because they will be covered. Not that I am growing money, but a few bucks more in electricity and yearly bulb changes were actually secondary on my list of concerns with this one. I want to create the best looking and aesthetically pleasing reef I could.
These halides will be straddled by 2 AI SOL super blues on either end and a new AI Vega color in the middle. The cool thing is the 3 AIs will give enough coverage to light the tank leading up until the halides kick on, then they will be tuned down to match the color temperature of the halides. I felt it was necessary to add back the halides (that I swore I never would go back to) because the LEDs did grow the heck out of some coral (namely zoas), I felt they lacked the color enhancing properties in the red and purple corals. Green and others were great. Just my experience. Don't hang me. Don't want to turn this into an LED versus halide and spectrum discussion. Trust me, I have read hundreds of threads and thousands of pages on this already.
Back to topic. So while I have been waiting to figure who was going to do my skin and canopy (now resolved) I wanted to get the framework mocked up and hung so I could make sure it would achieve my goals. I went with a hanging canopy that is 14" off the water to get proper spread and penetration for both haildes and AIs while at the same time allowing the most important thing to me... ACCESS. I also decided to mount this floating canopy on pocket door rails so that I could slide it back and forth if I needed the extra room. Found some studs and a pocket door kit and got to work...
Made a few mistakes along the way with what to suspend it with...
Those were a pain and didn't allow for adjustments, so I then went chains and did the final mock up and made my cuts...
Been running this rig for a couple weeks now and boy am I satisfied. Being only 250 watters, heat is a non issue. No chiller needed. They produce a great crisp blue color even for 20ks. Reds have come back with a furry and my tricolor is coloring up well with blue and purple tips. The LEDs are a nice offset and controllable feature that I love. Just waiting for my Vega to arrive to stick in the middle (9th in pre-order line). If it looks good, Ill prolly upgrade my 2 SOLs on the ends. However they look just great right now.
Also picked up an Apogee MQ-200 par meter as well. I figure hobbyist spend thousands on lighting, hours and hours debating par and effectiveness, debates over lights useful life and par shifts. Why not spend a little on a meter and monitor yourself and get truly accurate coral placement. I love having it so far.
So that is where I am at on lighting. Thanks for checking in and following along. I am super excited because I finally found a builder to do my skin and canopy. More details to follow on that.
