tas5tas' 237g Total System Build (1 Viewer)

[tas5tas]

Ok, I figured I would take a shot at doing a build thread so here is a quick breakdown of what the system will include:

125g Barebottom SPS Dominated Display
75g Sump with 15g Internal Refugium/6" Deep Sand Bed
20g Auto Top Off
17g Custom Acrylic Softie Tank
Custom Built Stand/Canopy with Integrated Bookshelves/DVD Holders

Main Display Lighting:
3- 250w Coralvue Dimmable MH Ballasts
3- 250w SE Reeflux 12k Bulbs
3- Lumenbright Mini Reflectors
1- Icecap 660 VHO Ballast
2- 60" UVL Super ActinicR 140w VHO Bulbs
3- Current White Lunar Light Module

Sump Lighting:
2- 8" Shop Light
2- 15w 6500k Spiral Flouresent Bulbs

Softie Tank Lighting:
4- 18" Under Cabinet Fixtures
1- 15w 10k Ocean Sun Bulb
1- 15w 50/50 Reef Sun Bulb
1- 15w 420nm Coral Sun Bulb
1- 15w 480nm Marine Glo Bulb

Main Display Water Movement:
2- Koralia #4's modded with Sureflo 1600 kit
2- Koralia #3's modded with Sureflo 1600 kit
1- Quietone 4000 Return Pump

Softie Tank Water Movement:
Provided from Ouietone 4000 Return Pump

Total System Filtration/Contollers:
1- Octopus Extreme 300 Skimmer
1- Geo 618 Calcium Reactor/5lb Co2/Reef Fanatic Regulator/Ehiem 1048/Milwaukee pH Controller
2- TLF Phosban Reactors(1 Carbon & 1 Phosban)
250lbs. Live Rock
6" Refugium Sand Bed
2" Softie Tank Sand Bed
1- JBJ Auto Top Off
1- Aqua Contoller Jr/Temp Probe/pH Probe/DC 8
2- 300w Via Aqua Contollable Titanium Heaters

Hopefully everything will turn out as well as I hope it will. I'm shooting for a completion date of 1/1/2009, but being disabled it may be delayed if I don't have the help around I need to lift things. Once everything is completed I will be taking down my current 55g display and moving all of it's inhabitants to the new system.

 

[tas5tas]

Here is the equiptment:

 

[stdreb27]

that is a big skimmer. A quiet one 4000 isn't going to be very much flow at all for your sump.

 

[tas5tas]

I will have about 4x turnover which is perfect.....it's right in the middle of the 3-5 times an hour recommended.

 

[crvz]

Some killer hardware, but where's the tank? Look forward to seeing this come together.

 

[tas5tas]

The tank is on the floor in the livingroom......will post pictures once my wife has cleaned up her mess from decorating the house last night for christmas.

 

[Timanator]

Wow!

 

[tas5tas]

Here are pictures of the sump....I was able to complete all the baffles last weekend. I still have to add my eggrate above the refugium and the bulkheads on the top edge for the water draining from the display.

 

[R-BallJunkie]

looks killer. hope you dont have center brace on the 125...that wil block quite a bit of light from middle reflector.

thats one heck of a sump!.

GL with build. looks like a good jump.

c

 

[klondike4001]

Tagging along, just an fyi in case you don't know, but w/ those reflectors you get a spotlight effect, you may have dark spots w/ it.

 

[tas5tas]

No center brace on the 125......it shattered and I replaced it with two braces made from acrylic.

I think the sump will perform great since all water will travel through the skimmer section. The water that enters the refugium even flows into the skimmer section.

As far as the spotlight effect.......no concerned since the bulbs will be 16" off the water. I have seen several tanks setup with these refelectors and no dark spots or beams of light.

 

[R-BallJunkie]

should be nice. i have T5's for actinic supplementation, but sometimes think i should have stuck to the VHO's, as they put out more, and nicer spectrum.

c

 

[tas5tas]

I was able to get some work done on the stand today since my father was here to help me lift things.

I will start to coat with Kilz tonight before I start skinning the bottom part of the stand and will start on the top half(canopy/bookshelves)once the bottom is skinned and primed.

 

[stdreb27]

I will have about 4x turnover which is perfect.....it's right in the middle of the 3-5 times an hour recommended.

Just remember they cannot handle head pressure at all.

 

[tas5tas]

RC calculator says 613gph.....for 5 ft head, 2 exits, 1 gate valve. 613/125=4.904. I will be sending about 100-125gph to the softie tank so that gives me my 4 times an hour turnover in the 125g and about 6 times an hour turnover in the 17g softie tank that won't have any powerheads. It's best to have a low system turnover rate through the sump so that the skimmer, refugium and deep sand bed have longer dwell times to do their job. I will have about 100 times an hour turnover in the 125g display via the modded koralia's.

 

[stdreb27]

I'm just saying,
I'm running that on a 58 gallon, and the water in my sump need a bit more flow, there was gunk building up on the top, and definitely doesn't keep the bottom clean. btw I think the rc calculator is a bit generous on that too. I don't think I'm getting that much flow, and I have about 4 feet of head.

 

[tas5tas]

I'll have to wait and see......I know mine will flow great because I'm not using any hard plumbing. I'm using black spaflex for my drains and clear braided vinyl on the return pump. No hard 90's or 45's to worry about causing excess head loss.

 

[RR-MAN]

Did you buy the Geo online/which vendor?

 

[R-BallJunkie]

that is a big skimmer. A quiet one 4000 isn't going to be very much flow at all for your sump.

i am running a mag5 on my 125.

i have a mag9 on my 72 and 90....i like the lower flow, have not noticed any adverse effects.

with the skimmer output, the Q1-4000, i wouldnt be too concerned.



c

 

[tas5tas]

I bought the Geo through an online vendor...not sure I can mention though since they are not a Marsh Sponsor. I bought everything minus the pH controller for $570 including 2 gal. of the ARM Coarse Media. Shipping was free since I ordered so much from them. The owner called me personally to let me know my items has shipped and that 1 item was on backorder.