New 210g in Garland

C

corwin

I kept holding off on posting in here thinking that I might regain my scenes but alas it appears that I am drawing ever nearer to a new tank.

I have never had an aquarium bigger than about 60g so this is a bit out charted waters. Your input and suggestions will be very helpful!

To let you know where I am in the planning, I have selected a location. I have a small bedroom size room that has been the junk/computer room for a while. It has the added convenience of being the laundry room too so it has water and a drain. I will probably try to add some mostly hard plumbing to help with water changes directly into the drain with a easy roll up of my husky32g trash/sw can for refills.

I am gonna get the Aqueon 210g that is 72x24x29, drilled with overflows.(unless a great deal on a used shows up really quick) I will build the stand out of some salvaged crotch-cut african mahogany panels that i got a really good deal on. 8)

I am at odds still on what protein skimmer to use. Of course space is always a factor (I want to keep all/most of the equipment under the tank) and since I travel reliability is a huge issue too and of course it will have to keep the tank really clean. I think that any of the mesh wheels are out as they sometimes don't restart by themselves. I have an old ETSS 800 dual downdraft model that needs some work and with a couple of Beckett injectors could be a real work horse. And of course the AquaC line is pretty good to about being maintenance free but they along with the downdrafts need such big pumps that add a lot of heat and energy consumption. The other option I looked at is the Bubble King Mini 200.
http://english.royal-exclusiv.de/skimmer-Bubble-King.htm

It is a pricey alternative but by the time you add large reliable pumps to the others they are not cheap either. If you have any experience with these or other skimmers that might fit the bill let me know.

I have a Precision Marine 4" calcium reactor w/ Milwaukee solenoid and meter/ controller. I still have my research to do on ozone but have a Milwaukee controller coming for it as well.

I plan to add a container to what ever space is left to do auto top off and if anyone has hooked up their top off reservoir directly to their RO/DI I would be interested in how that worked for you and any problems to look out for.

Another area that I am woefully ignorant in is controllers. I think I want to stay with the Neptune brand but don't know if I should get the ACIII or PRO model. I don't know much about how x-10 works nor what the real differences are between the models. I did find a deal on full version of aqua notes and ordered a copy for 29.99.

I have some PFO dual ballast MH retro fixtures that i can reconfigure to work in here.

Well for now that leaves circulation. To handle the return pump duties I have a Snapper external pump (2500gph) that will also be used to plumb into chem filtration containers, 2 for carbon and phosban as needed.

I am going to need a good sump but my acrylic skills are woefully inadequate. I don't know where I am going to find one that is functional. All the units that I see at the lfs or online look like they were made by people who keep gerbils not fish. Let me know if you guys have any ideas. :wink: (looks around to see if Marc is looking this way)

At some point I am sure it will need a chiller but that day is not this day.


Ok back to reading the forums of most major reefer clubs.
 
Well I am going to try going with the ETSS 800(clone?)
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modded with Beckett injectors. I ordered 2 injectors today.
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These replace the old injectors that are no more than some pvc fittings that are not adjustable.
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Since the old bulkhead has pvc cut off flush inside it I will replace it with a new one and add the gate valve back that was probably there when this was new. I will plumb it externally and power it with an Iwaki MD 55RLT putting out 1080gph. [/img]
 
Hi,

Too late now but here is a new skimmer that a few folks now use and like. There is also a new Cone skimmer by the same company that just rocks. www.marinesolutionsinc.com

As far as controllers the Neptunes is a good brand, I would recommed the ACIII at least. You don't need X10, there are DC8's DC4 modules available, which are hardwired via a phone line cable to the AC. The AC can also control ozone and your Ca reactor.

Cheers,
 
on keeping the build log up to date. A lot has happened in the last week. Went to NextWave for a much needed break from work and had a tremendous time.

Currently I have two projects going. I am mod'ing my ETSS 800 skimmer to include 2 beckett injectors. This has gone pretty well though I still need to get the protien skimmer out of the house and to the shop to try to figure out how /if it is going to fit into the stand.

Here is the skimmer with the Beckett's.
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Close up of installed Beckett
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My intention is to try to put the risers and becketts behind the stand due to them being several inches taller than the inside dimensions of the the stand. Another alternative may be to cut down the riser tubes to fit under the stand in which case the plumbing will be reconfigured to fit under the stand as close as possible.

Sorry I didn't get you pictures earlier of the stand build it has been a learning experience for me. My intention with this build has been to reuse as much as possible (gotta keep it green :wink: ) without sacrificing functionality. So when I got my hands on some 30 year old "plywood" for free I new I had my stand. This part of the project began with us stripping the panels of trim, screws and mounting hardware. We saved 2 of these for use later in the project. I then cut the panels up into componet pieces as they were inlaid with a different type of grain. I took 4 of them apart and shelved them for later use.

Next I cut out some 1 1/2" x 1/8" angle iron to create a platform for the top of the stand with 2 center supports. After welding and grinding this was coated with truck bed liner material. $20 a quart at autozone and was more than enough for the frame.

Here is a pic of the angle iron already in the stand.
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The frame is screwed to the skin about every 8"with 3/4" screws salvaged from the panels. The back supports are 2 pieces of plywood (1 1/2" thick) glued and stapled together and then screwed top and bottom into the stand. Another important feature here is one of the pieces sets on the bottom deck and under the upper horizontal support to provide a true compression upright support.

This picture also shows me cutting out the doors for the front. These are called slab doors because they are made with a single piece of plywood. After cutting them out I edge banded them with a heat sensitive veneer.

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The tape is trimmed with a razor knife after being ironed in place. After all the doors were complete it was time to strip 4 or 5 layers of finish off the cabinet. I used a spray on stripper from Home Depot that I thought worked well all except the spraying part. The supplied bottle was tiny with an opening to fill it about half the size of the one on the gallon can I was pouring from, so I ended up brushing it on. Working on a small area at a time (say the size of a door) it took 3 to 4 applications and scrapings to get it all off.

A warning here I bought vinyl disposable gloves and really wish I had found some more suitable for giving an ob/gyn exam to a cow. If you get this stuff on you it BURNS. And it is still burning as I write this. Protective eye wear would be a good idea as well. Don't ask me how I know.
:roll:

Here is a pic of the stand completely stripped.
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I am thinking of coating the whole inside of the stand with the bed liner material.

Tomorrow I am going to pick the dye stain and finish. I can't stand glossy finish so i will be using pre-cat lacquer in a hand rubbed finish.
 
I picked up a pair of Vortech 40w's at NextWave from Frank to keep the water moving. These are the wireless version. Wonder how they get power? :roll:

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And 2x8 Channel DJ KJ Light Lighting Controller from Progear Warehouse should be here soon to help with wiring.

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Nice looks like you've invested some crazy $$ into the project already looking forward to see what comes out of it when you put it all together.
 
Wow, after looking at the pics of your tank I hope that I will be able to do half as well some day. Just an incredibly beautiful tank.
 
OK lighting is next. Since MH puts out so much heat I didn't want to do a traditional hood. I also don't want to spend the money for a pre-made pendant. I have 2 PFO dual 400w tar ballast so I will use them with 3 Radium 20000k bulbs in Lumen Bright SE Mini Pendants that measure 16x16x7. This will all be mounted to an aluminum channel that then uses standard lamp parts to make it look like a "store bought" fixture.

The fixtures are here:
http://www.reefspecialty.com/Lighting-Reflectors-|-Pendants/c14_28/index.html

It should end up at about 17" - 18" off the water if my 3am math is right.

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While attempting to check that my ballast all worked I discovered I could not find the PFO plugs that came with these ballast. :shock:

So I decided to rewire the cords coming from them. The old ones used a cord for each bulb and with 3- 1/2" diameter cords running across the wall to the fixture was a bit more than I wanted to look at. So off to Home Depot I go. I got 2 Strain Relief Cord Connectors for .375"-.500" cords. I also picked up a pack of the small orange wire nuts.

First order of business is to remove the end panel that held the old connectors. Then I cut the wires loose from the back of the old connectors. Make sure you can tell which pair is which if you have a dual ballast like these. I accomplished that by only stripping the first pair.

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Next you are gonna need an approx 7/8" hole. I drilled this with a Uni-bit. These are mostly used by electricians and are very handy if you do projects where you need holes in light gauge metals. Next I slip the nut and friction washer over the cord. It helps to lube the cord up a bit.(a little spit will do) :wink:

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Put the Strain relief through the hole and secure with a locking nut from the back.

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Slip the wire through the strain relief housing and snug up the nut by hand then maybe an 1/8 turn with a wrench.

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Next rewire all the connections. I use white/black to first ballast(white/black) and red/yellow to the second ballast(white/black). Make sure all of your grounds(green usually) are connected together and you are ready to put the cover back on.

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As I was putting away my electrical supplies I of course found the leads with the missing connectors! :wink:
 
OK I know you guys like the eye candy but this is about as shiny as I can get right now.

The pendants made it in so that was today's project...one of today's projects. After helping the electrician run the wire under the house I started putting the pendents together. Electrician gets finished at 4 there is no way I am gonna round up enough folks to go get the aquarium. I asked the lfs owner if I could leave it there one more day and that I would be back when he opens at 11 in the morning. Well then it is time to drive out to Fate where I am building the stand and double check all the measurements against the aquarium and put a coat of vinyl sanding sealer on so I can shoot lacquer tommorow.

Remember the old adage measure twice cut once? Well the stand was 5/16" too short. The size listed on the web site is nominal and should not be used to build stands. So I fix that and get a coat of sanding sealer on everything, then it is back home to finish the lights.

So anyway here ya go.

Light bar assembled on the ground.
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Tools used.
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Finished fixture.
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Got the tank in the house today. it is taking up much of the living room waiting for it's new digs to get finished.

The stand was supposed to be finished a week ago and still it defies completion. So today was supposed to be 3 coats of lacquer and it was going to be done. I am using a precatalyzed lacquer that I had used before so no surprises only i put on a nice coat (no runs) and start cutting my star board for the bottom of the aquarium only it doesn't dry. Well not completely anyway. So I watch part of the super bowl...still not dry. Now the game is over and this stuff is supposed to have dried 3 hours ago.

Maybe tomorrow. If not I will wipe it with lacquer thinner to make it dry and spray it again out of a different can.
 
Got the lacquer sprayed (3 coats) and coated the inside with bed liner material. Found out stainless steel euro hinges are not something you can buy on every street corner and ordered mine today from Rugby. $8 a hinge. I think they were like $11 on the internet out of Canada. I am gonna let the finish harden another day or two and then bring it home.
 
looks good cant wait to see the finished product.

what is the distance from the bulb to the top of the tank....i run lumenbrites and have 17 inch from bulb to top of the water...any higher and i was getting bleed off outside of the tank.
 
If the hinges aren't exactly what you need, try Rockler in Mesquite at I-635 and Town Centre. They carry at least a dozen styles of euro hinges amongst others.
 
It should be around 17"-18". I may have to adjust the height and spread after I get the tank up this was kind of best guess. But just looking now I would guess it was a bit high.

Thanks for the heads up on Rockler, I have never used them before. I am just hoping Rugby can get me 1/2 overlay SS hinges in a week.
 
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