240 Gallon Mixed Reef Build

[rajkovich207]

In the pic of your skimmer are those bio balls? If so why and how long will they stay?

 

[ChrisKey]

I thought that I had read that you reduced them down, thats what im planning on doing. Im going to build a manifold on my pump also to run other equipment. I landed an Iwaki that has enough power to run everything I need plus the carwash down the street. When you get yours flowing let me know how it goes and if you find any changes that need to be made because im doing about the same build. Have you made the fish wish list yet? I have my stand frame built and I guess im going to drill the holes myself, like you said im dreading it.

The only added fish other than my overstocked fish from my 55g and 20g will be an Imperator Angelfish, Bartlett Anthias, and Purple Tang. Maybe even a Naso Tang or the Black Tang. I hope to be flowing water in two weeks when I get back to Huntsville.

 

[ChrisKey]

In the pic of your skimmer are those bio balls? If so why and how long will they stay?

The reason they are there is because of the type of skimmer. It is a downdraft skimmer so the balls are required to aerate the water as it enters the skimmer from the pressure rated pump. They will be there as long as I have the skimmer otherwise it would not create the bubbles necessary for removal of the organics. There is a quick way to make a "chain" of balls by threading them into a fishing line so you can easily pull them out and put them back in. I plan to do this so I can clean them every time I clean the collection cup since the skimmer will be turned off anyways.

 

[ChrisKey]

Here is an update on the saltwater mixing station. I didn't have a great setup to get my existing RODI water from the one barrel so I just decided to jack it up onto the stand with the water in it. I was able to rock it to one side and balance it on a pile of blocks, then use a motorcycle jack to raise up the other side, then rock it back and place a new block under it. SUCCESS! Oh, and the station is located directly by my Breaker Box, so I don't think that is quite up to code.

You can barely see the lines on the left side of the stand in the last picture that will eventually be routed into the back wall, through the laundry room, and through the wall under the stand. I have one line run for the freshwater top off and one line run for the saltwater changing. I hope to set it up in the future with a pump to remove water from the sump into a drain in the laundry room, then I can just open the valve and refill the saltwater with fresh water. I put the valves on the front in case I wanted to fill 5 gallon buckets or even sell a few gallons of rodi or saltwater.

I am going to have the RODI filter located in the laundry that is the room opposite of this wall and only route the RODI line through the wall to the float valve in the freshwater barrel on the right.

 

[ChrisKey]

And here is a picture of the Rack in the laundry room that will serve as my Refugium and Frag Tank. It will be plumbed from the sump (opposite of the wall on the left) so I will drill through this wall and up to the top tank on the left side. The top 40B is the refugium with 2 incandescent bulbs and will drain down into the bottom tank (drain on the right) where I will have a 40B as a frag tank with a 250w 20K Metal Halide HQI. Then it will drain out of the left side and return back to the sump.

The bottom rack will serve as a Phytoplankton Culture station as well as a location for a brind shrimp hatchery and copepod culture rack. I have an 8 way gang valve that will control 5 cultures of phyto (3 Nanochloropsus, 1 Tetraselmis, 1 Isocrysis), the single brine shrimp hatchery, and 5 gallon copepod culture tank.

 

[ChrisKey]

Next update and about 90% ready. I acquired a set of Vortech MP 40wes, some livestock, spare lights, and a few other things last week. I was able to bring about 1/4 of my live rock and coral from my 55g and 20g to put in the tank before one final big move.

I was able to get my plumbing to the refugium completed and all my return and input plumbing complete. One modification I plan to do before completing the system is to put a Ball Valve on each branch of the return piping because the flow into the left side of the tank is much stronger than the right and I have added my refugium/frag piping. So this way I can better control the plumbing to the left and right side to even it out. But I believe I have all that piping done.

I found a small leak in my used downdraft skimmer so I had to tear it apart and redo the bulkhead gasket to place it on the inside. Then I placed a bead of silicon around the outside to have just a little more security. I had acquired some acrylic weld and put it on every seam of the skimmer to make sure it was fully sealed.

I have some of that livestock I bought from a tank breakdown this week, but I haven't got the system running through the sump and skimmer quite yet. The tank is fully cycled and there are 2 mp40wes and 2 hydor koralia in the tank for circulation until I have time to turn on the system and check for a few hours for leaks.

 

[ChrisKey]

Here is the routing of the plumbing into the laundry.

I just placed the piping on the front for measurements. I will get an updated photo of the system with all of it connected next week.

 

[ChrisKey]

I have also put together my manifold for the sterilizer, carbon reactor and phosban reactor which overhangs the sump right in the center of the stand. Then I mounted the dual BRS Reactors to either side and suspends the sterilizer to the plywood between the stand and tank. When completed the manifold, I only have 4 feeds and plan for the last one to be for the future Calcium Reactor. I originally laid it out for 5outputs valves but I don't think I will ever use that 5th one so I took it out. I am using a QuietOne 4000 in the sump to feed it.

 

[Chameleon]

nice to see it wet and blue! that is one massive manifold! loving the aquascape

 

[markkazdad]

Is the drinking fountain for a chiller?


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[ChrisKey]

Is the drinking fountain for a chiller?


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You know, that's not a bad idea That is another restoration project for the future. Bad boy still works but needs a good cleaning, electrical chord replacement, and some new plumbing.

 

[H@rry]

You know, that's not a bad idea That is another restoration project for the future. Bad boy still works but needs a good cleaning, electrical chord replacement, and some new plumbing.

Just make sure there is no copper in it.

 

[ChrisKey]

That was exactly my first thought because that drinking fountain is probably 50 years old. I am sure it was made with copper pipes anyways.

 

[ChrisKey]

Well, the livestock move went great. I don't know of anything I lost except for 2 of my Birdnest Frags and one of my Pink Birdnest colonies (but I have another one so no biggie). I officially have no sand now because all the coral is sitting on it waiting for the next stage of placing the coral. Everything is up and running and my to-do list is getting much smaller:

1. Build Stand and Canopy covers. The Panworld pump is pretty loud and this will probably be the first thing once the wife hears it all running.
2. Run my pipe lines from the Saltwater mixing Station into the Laundry and under the stand.
3. Run the Ethernet for my Aquacontroller and finish setting up the DC8 outlets.
4. Fill up Carbon and Phosban Reactors.
5. Then just get all the smaller things taken care of like moving all the coral in place.

 

[ChrisKey]

Here is the idea I have for my stand and canopy. The color will be white and not this cream color but I hope to do the same style.

 

[crush240]

Sweet!


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[pickupman66]

Looking Good Chris.... BTW, that skimmer, is it an old MRC? I ask because I just got rid of mine. here is a bit of a tip. if you have an issue with it passing microbubbles, there is a slight mod you can do that eliminates them. just need two 1" elbows and some 1" pipe. where the water goes into the black body of skimmer is a bulkhead with the threads to the inside. fit one of the elbows on this so that it is sorta wedged between the outer walls and the bulkhead. add a few inches of pipe then the other elbow pointing back up the main body of skimmer. add an inch or two of pipe to this end and you are done. with this mod, the water is basically injected up the body so the bubbles stay there better. BTW, I have an extra injector you can have should you make it up to Winchester to buy some corals to fill that thing... Hint hint.....

 

[ChrisKey]

When trying to find out what skimmer it was I looked at the MRC, but the downdraft portion looked different than anything I could find. It was pretty much the same dimensions of the ETSS600 skimmer, which is very close to the MR-2 skimmer from MRC. And they are both rated for a maximum of 300 gallons. So it very well could be an older model of the MRC but I couldn't find pictures. I am getting everything settled into the tank and all fish and coral are looking good right now. Once I have some time to get them all off the sand bed and onto the rock I will start getting some more coral.

Send me a message and let me know what medium to larger pieces you have for sale and I may have to make the short trip. That drive up Winchester Road up to winchester, TN is always relaxing and a great trip.

 

[ChrisKey]

Been doing lots if work after the move. Expect an update with pictures soon...

 

[H@rry]

Waitin' to see 'em!