DocRobster's First Reef Tank Build Up Picture Story (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

Hello all, new reefer here, I joined Marsh last week and now I am hooked. I decided to expand my aquariums and venture into saltwater. I have seven freshwater tanks and keep and breed cichlids and guppies.

I thought I would start a thread to share the progress of my 75 gallon reef buildup. Here is what I have aquired so far:

THE EQUIPMENT
75gal Oceanic reef ready tank (thanks to cdt1607)
LR and LS from Chris as well
Homemade tank stand - just have the frame so far, will skin later
PM skimmer & waste collector (thanks to RR-MAN)
16 gallon sump (thanks to RR-MAN)
RO / DI system

Well I needed good water so I built up a DI / RO system in the laundry room. I created a manifold system with different grades of water. Also I modifed the DI cartridge to be vertical to prevent channeling. I used a pvc elbow and it worked like a champ. I must say these forums and several days of planning has helped. Also a special thanks to Garrick to replying to countless PMs from me.

Mounted RO in Laundry Room

RO Manifold

Vertical DI Cartridge

I have made my stand frame and I will post those tomorrow as well as made some RO water and filled my trashcans to keep my LR and LS alive.

Any suggestions or recommendations are welcomed.

SO THE VENTURE BEGINS!!!!!!!


Rob

 

[DonnieKim]

Welcome to MARSH and enjoy the ride!
Sounds like you've done some homework!
Let's see some pics of the setup!

 

[Guest]

The Stand

Ok here are pictures of my stand that I built out of 2x4s and 2x6s. After some blisters and 2 boxes of screws, I hope this stand is strong enough. I still have to router the top flush, but I am still in the dry fit stage of the project.

Front Shot of Stand

The stand is very flat. The shim is only in 1/8 of inch and it compensates for the uneven garage floor. I moved the stand to other areas and a shim is not needed.


Back Shot of Stand

Rob

 

[Guest]

The Tank

OK, here is my 75 gallon RR Oceanic tank. I made the stand 1/2 inch larger on the sides and 5 inches in the back for any accessories.

Tank Shot 1

Tank Shot 2

Side Shot

Checking the Bulkheads - NO LEAKERS!!!

Well it is coming along slowly but surely....


Rob

 

[dollarz81]

You may want to add more water in your overflow to check for leaks. I did the same thing and came up with a leak after I had the system running.

 

[RR-MAN]

Hey Rob,
Is this tank 24" deep?
If it is 24" deep get ready to invest some $$$ on the lighting.

Good Luck,

 

[AggieBrandon]

Yeah what are the dimensions of that tank?? Has the look of the 58 gallon tank but it does look taller. Everything is looking good so far. What direction are you looking to go as far as livestock? Keep up the good work

B

 

[Guest]

I am not sure on the livestock yet, I am up for suggestions and any donations in a couple of months 8).

I will post dimenstions later tonight. I just went to Home Depot and stocked up pvc parts...



Rob

 

[DonnieKim]

A 75 huh? What kinda standpipes are you gonna use in the overflow, Durso's or Stockman's?
The stand looks Plenty strong enough for that tank!
Nice thinking ahead on the room in back on stand!
I love setting up a new tank!
When I get off of nights I'm gonna set up my new tank, in place of the 125! I'm so excited I can't stand myself!!!!!!
I'm still trying to decide between the Durso & Stockman standpies!
Yeah with your tank being so deep you're almost gonna have to use MH if youre going with any type of Higher lighting corals!

 

[Guest]

Ok my bad, it is a 70 gallon RR tank from Oceanic. The dimensions are 36.5"x18.5"x25"

Now I have my live rock and sand in their respective trash cans.

My Live Rock

My Live Sand

Time to fill up the sump and wash it out.....

Ok have to finish the pinewood derby cars for Cub Scouts (lower left hand of pic)...

THANKS FOR LOOKING.....

R

 

[AggieBrandon]

Looking good

 

[BrianPlankis]

Looking great! If you put that much thought into the RO/DI manifold I think you have the right mindset for reefing and should do good

Brian

 

[DonnieKim]

Looking great! If you put that much thought into the RO/DI manifold I think you have the right mindset for reefing and should do good

Brian

Yeah what he said!

:twisted: Donnie :twisted:

 

[Guest]

A quick update.... After a day at the pinewood derby I finished cleaning my sump and started some rough piping. I must say you run to Home Depot for pieces alot more than usual.

I got the Durso pipe made and dry fitted the sump in the bottom. It looks like I need a standalone refug in the 5-gallon range. I will upload some pictures tonight.

Does anyone recommend anything?

Rob

 

[Guest]

Alright did some work over the past couple of days. I cleaned up the sump (isopropyl alcohol) and removed all the paper. I went to Harbor Freight today (I think I saw Garrick today driving by Specs) and got this foam padding to line the bottom of the stand.

I dry fitted all my pvc and it looks like a plumber's nightmare, but it looks clean. I will have some pics when I check the water tightness of my sump and tank.

The mat installed

The mat seen fromt the back of the stand

My Pipes

Checking for leaks around the bulkheads in the sump

Checking for leaks around the bulkheads on the tank

Thanks for looking

Rob

 

[Guest]

Looking FANTASTIC... You may question your decision to use the galvanized brackets in a few months though! I would recommend a LIBERAL coating of paint sealant to keep those guys from rusting!

 

[Guest]

Once it is all piped and running good, I plan on painting it and insulating it everywhere when it is broken back down.

Thanks for the complements.

R

 

[Guest]

Now it is time for a test run with water! After a little tweaking to Durso pipe, I got it to work. I noticed when the pumps were turned off, the sump kept on filling, so I drilled a small hole in the feed tube as to generate a syphon break.

My question to the group: Does the drainpipe generate alot of bubbles in the sump?


Running with water

The back of the tank and Durso pipe

More pictures

NO BUBBLES!

Thanks for looking. Any suggestions welcomed.

Rob

 

[Guest]

Everything looks great Rob! I am glad the Mag is working out for you.

About your question, are you talking about the bubbles produced by your drain water entering the sump? This is going to happen with the durso/stockman standpipes because air is entering at the top and traveling with the water down to your sump. I put a 90deg elbow at the bottom of my drain line right at water level followed by a vertical T. This allows a lot of air to escape out of the top of the T with the water going down the T. If your flow is high, you will still get water going out the top of the T, but it will mostly kill the gurgling/jacuzzi sound.

There is another potential solution posted on reef central, but it involves creating a controlled siphon where no air enters the line. I'm sure it is dead quiet, but I haven't tried it. Sounds rather risky to me.

 

[boogaman]

I had the same problem with all the bubbles and a wise person told me to use a filter sock. I do not have any problems now. You just have to take it out and clean it every now and then.