440g Starphire Custom Dropoff Reef Tank

Looks like a fun project! I dont know if anyones asked this but why cant you just make a regular tank and build the drop off out of live rock inside the tank?
 
@Shmoopy wrote:
Looks like a fun project! I dont know if anyones asked this but why cant you just make a regular tank and build the drop off out of live rock inside the tank? said:
That's what I thought too

@kuyatwo wrote:
Using a reg tank and building a step is the same thing in your drawing You just use the step inside the tank and the stand to create the L shape Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk said:
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And now with the first coats of paint and the LED light fixture...
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@Shmoopy wrote:
Looks like a fun project! I dont know if anyones asked this but why cant you just make a regular tank and build the drop off out of live rock inside the tank? said:
Because then you lose the space below the shallow area of the tank (if you look at the earlier sketchup renderings of the frame you'll see what I'm talking about). Currently I have it set up so my dosers, controller, and some storage area will be there, as well as a cutout for a taller skimmer if I ever choose to get one taller than 35" (the height of the stand).

Plus, because, well, I want to. [smilie=lol.gif]
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Lol. Good deal... my wife would have just continued the blank stare.... even though she got it. Apparently I'm funny in small doses... annoying in large! Hahaha
 
So, I've gotten a bunch of quotes on the electrical work, and so far I'm actually looking at about a quarter of what I projected for the cost of bringing in two fresh 20 amp circuits into the room. Looks like I'll have three dedicated 20 amp circuits into the fish room (not counting the separate 15 amp circuit the LED room spotlights are on).

Oh, and speaking of improvements in the room, looks like rather than doing the industrial laminated flooring, we'll actually be going with a pressed tile that looks like oak, that way it's impervious to water in case of a spill. The other stuff is fine, I found, if you spill on it directly, but if it gets below the floor surface to the bottom layer of the laminate then it just dissolves, which I think we can all agree is something bad to happen to your flooring. LOL
 
I'm sure you've researched this thoroughly and its obviously been done before. I'm sure yours will be even better !! This will be a great build to follow. Your success will surely inspire others to venture into this type of build. Best of luck and I'm definetely subscribed !!
 
Okay, so here's the planned setup of the LED lighting for the tank. It will be built in a curve over the tank so as to mimic the natural change of lighting angles throughout the day, and allow gradual ramping up/down across the overall fixture for more gradual lighting changes. Well, that's the plan, at least. LOL

The layout:
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The breakdown:
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@fjr_wertheimber wrote:
So said:
I have two 20 amp circuits for my tank and have not had any problems as of yet. Three will be awesome!

Also, you will be glad that you are not going with the laminate. We have it in our game room which is where our tank is and are about to have to tear down the tank so that we can to take it out since it is warping. We are going to go back with stained concrete. Did you look at real wood floor? I'm thinking about putting it in another room where we are going to put up a 28 gallon nano but am worried about the water destroying it but not sure if it will?

Kevin
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The LED plan looks great! Check into the Reef Angel controllers for having such a customized lighting plan. I have one that I'm currently programming and it has basically unlimited possibilities!
 
Cool, thanks for the heads up, I'll check those out, matt_longview.

For those of you asking what I mean by curving the LEDs, here's what I'm referring to. The LEDs will be mounted on strips (as denoted by the spreadsheet diagram above) that are on a curve over the tank, so that all the LEDs are equidistant from the center of the tank. This way, as the LEDs following their ramp up/ramp down schedule, the light will appear to come from a light source (i.e.- the sun) passing overhead throughout the course of the day, rather than from a fixed position. Or, at least that's the plan. LOL
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I would think that would create a par hot spot in the middle of the tank. causing some corals to have to much par and others not enough. If you want to simulate the sun movement why not use an LED on a track that slowely moves across the tank. This will be more like the actual sun movement. so a coral through out the day would have sun on one side and shade on the other. What you have about is one large pendant with no spread just a hot spot.
 
Well, it's designed to utilize the spread of the optics to maximize coverage (which is why the LEDs all have various optics depending on where in the tank they are), but I'm building it in such a manner that I can adjust the curve if need be to minimize that spotlight effect.
 
You might consider putting the far left LEDs pointing off to the right and the right pointing off to the left. It's hard to imagine without rock structure and coral placement in mind though. I think dimming them left to right without the angles would cause a similar look, but the angles are cool for sure. It'd be even cooler if you could light them way off to the sides... outside of the tank canopy even.
 
Matt_longview, if you look at the pic a few posts up, you can see that the LEDs on the left DO point to the right and the ones on the right point to the left.

A few folks have asked why I'm using so many LEDs, rather than pivoting a fixture of having it move via a stepping motor. Actually, the original plan was to either pivot the fixture, or move it using a stepping motor or hydraulic actuator throughout the day, but the issues I found in those plans was a) access to the tank without having to basically disassemble that whole assembly b) angles available without a HUGE canopy c) one more level of mechanical complication (I hate having to rely on motors unless absolutely necessary. I'm definitely a solid-state kinda guy.) and d) I like the flexibility of that many LED circuits, i.e.- if it's 2pm and the lights are on the "west" side of the tank and I choose to have a "lightning storm", I can dim the "west" side and have the lightning flashes come from either the "east", "west", or a combination of the both. And yes, trust me, the color balance will change throughout the day, with more of that afternoon "golden light" that photographers love so much showing up in the early morning and late afternoon.
 
Hope everyone is enjoying the planning as much as I am... Now to get back to the building! Speaking of which, the room is almost done, we're doing our paint touchups tomorrow, getting some drapes for the room, the electrician is coming on Wednesday, and the custom floor should be in sometime in the next couple of weeks! Woohoo!
 
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