150 gallon upgrade/build Log *** Updated 10/07 ***

Electrical:

Next it was time to connect the heaters, probes, power heads, fans, pumps, AquaController Jr, and lighting. I tried to keep the wiring at neat as possible, and was careful to route the wiring so that any leaks would not end up getting any equipment wet. Not typical “drip loops”, but the same principal.

Everything went fairly smoothly, my stash of power strips, extension cords, Velcro, and wire ties all were put to good use.
 
The Move:

Move day. After filling the tank with approximately 90 gallons of pre-made saltwater, I was ready to take measurements to determine if it was ok to move. I had been heating the circulating the water in the tank with a heater and power head from my 75 so that the temperature was correct and so the water was well aerated. I tested the salinity, temperature, and PH of the two tanks and they were nearly identical. Having recently moved the 75 to another room I knew exactly what I needed for Rubbermaid tubs, power heads, heaters, and other equipment to make the move go as smoothly as possible.

I pretty much moved everything over as quickly as possible, starting with saltwater. Next went the base rock pieces, then the corals, then the livestock. The aquascaping worked out just as I had hoped, and I even had one piece of live rock left over to add to my 30 gallon I use for quarantine (I quarantine EVERYTHING, no flatworms, parasites, brook, ich, amyloo, red bugs, or other plagues for me thank you)!

That’s not a developing bald spot, that’s there ‘cause my hair is wet from the water and sweat. Yea, that’s it. As you can see, aquascaping was as every bit as hair raising an expirience as I suspected it might be.

At the end of the day, assassin_boy and a couple of his buddies showed up to haul off my old 75.
 
Issues:

I had only one issue left to deal with. During operation the first day, the temperature kept steadily rising throughout the day despite the cooling fans running. My immediate solution was to add more fans. This time I went for two more powerful 4” AC fans, wired in with lamp cords directly to AC power.

Next day, same issue (although not quite as drastic). I never let the temperature swing more than about a degree, but I knew if I left the lights running I would be dealing with at least a two degree swing, and it’s the middle of winter. I like to run my tanks between 79-80 degrees, and given it was only 75 in the house I figured I might have a problem if left unchecked.

I figured I had four fans just blowing hot air around in the hood without some sort of ventilation. I did not want to drill holes in the sides of the hood, so I opted for several smaller holes in the top. With a two inch hole saw I ripped 9 holes evenly spaced across the front side of the hood top. Even though you can’t see the top of the hood (unless you are about 7’5”) I did not like the idea much. I figured if I screwed it up too bad I could always order another lid, so what the heck!
 
Issues continued:

To dress up the obvious mess, I opted to use “desk grommets” to cover and seal the holes. A trip to Lowes provided what was needed, nine 2” hole grommets and a tube of black silicone. I inserted the grommets in the holes, taped them in place, and secured then by placing a bead of silicone around the bottom edge. This should keep then water tight and the untreated wood in the holes safe from any moisture. Overall I was very happy with the outcome.

For the past several days, my tank has stayed between 79.2 and 79.8 degrees and the fans run much less. Perfect!
 
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I can see that you do the same as I do sometimes and that is to use that ledge on the stand for a foot stool.
 
Your project is coming along nicely. I look forward to seeing it mature and progress. Do you have your moonlights operating yet? If so, how do you like them?
 
I'll have to give an update later this week, but I need to spend some time in front of the tank with my digicam first. Thank you everyone who has left comments and suggestions, I value your feedback!

Tim
 
Excellent update. I love the method you came up with for cooling. I had fans in the back of my 55g canopy blowing inward, but there as a little bit of a convection oven going on as the heat seemed to blow around circularly rather than away from the tank. The wall behind the fan got dirty with dust accumulation similar to what you see around vents or ceiling fans.

In this picture:

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I'm concerned about your lack of a drip loop. If you'll notice, there is one wire that goes to a nice neat & tidy bundle, hanging directly over a powerstrip. If water were to trace that cord to the bundle, it would then drip down on the powerstrip and hit those plugs. I'm not talking about the cord to the small controller.

I like how you have the heater controllers away from everything, so they should remain untouched nor bumped due to accidental contact in that spot. Good!
 
Well look at that, I had not noticed! Thank you for pointing that out Marc, I’ll get that corrected right away.
 
Tremelle, I just love the moonlights! Perfect coverage, nice and bright, and the controller seems to be doing it's thing. Great setup for anyone looking to add moonlighting to a system.
 
A few update pictures...

Everything is settling in nicely, and I have had no deaths as a result of the move. In another 5 weeks or so (when my new PBT is out of quarantine) I’ll start slowly adding things to the tank.

Of course it’s about to get a good sized cleanup crew injection as a result of the group buy. I’m a little bummed out as I usually quarantine everything but I’m not so sure all those inverts would make it 6 weeks in a 30 gallon quarantine tank!

Tim
 
Here are some shots of the rockwork. The left side, right side, and center “channel” I built into the design.
 
Took a few pics today. None of them came out great, but it was good practice! Here are some shots of my mismatched clowns. Two false Percula, ones black and ones orange.

Tim
 
I love that last picture. Clownfish are simply adorable - and I never get enough of them. Post all the pictures you want. :p
 
That's a sweet setup! I'd love to see it in person sometime. I also love Perculas, they're awesome. I have a stuffed animal one I got at the New Orleans aquarium several years ago that's about three feet long.

Makes me start thinking about reviving my old tanks, heheh.
 
These pictures are for Bayou. Bayou, if you need to see anything else, let me know. The pictures in this thread represent only a small portion of the stuff I took during setup.

Tim
 
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