600G - 10ft Kahuna Starfire Build
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- Thread starter Thebrinc
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brownsalt92
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2015
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This tank looks amazing already what type of lighting are you thinking of using
OP
OP
Thebrinc
Community Member
For lighting I'm going with Led pendants... they are great for penetrating the 30" and I need something that won't block the open plan feel of the house.
I've already got 4 Kessils but might need to add some more when the time comes. Maybe a 360N to get all the way to the sandbed.
I had a giant Squamosa clam two years ago, measured around 20"... wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those again
I've already got 4 Kessils but might need to add some more when the time comes. Maybe a 360N to get all the way to the sandbed.
I had a giant Squamosa clam two years ago, measured around 20"... wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those again
charleslotz
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2015
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You have some mad skills,...
One should never ever run out of beer money,... It helps sooth the budget ,.... If you were close I would come over with a case or two of beer and enjoy your success together!
One should never ever run out of beer money,... It helps sooth the budget ,.... If you were close I would come over with a case or two of beer and enjoy your success together!
Epicreefster
Community Member
I build large tanks and just to let you know I am a little worried about that creeping bubble you posted on oct 7th. These are commonly seen on the eurobracing and sometimes on the seams but usually much smaller. Basically you start with a small round bubble and as the silicone cures it contracts a little. The silicone cures slower the further from the air exposed edge it is, that is why it is usually seen in the middle of the overlapping eurobracing, the center of this overlap is going to be the last spot to cure. You(or maybe just I) can see it started in the bead and then moved to the seam then up and down the seam. As far as risk of a leaking tank that depends a lot on where this is located. Your tank is 30" tall, I would say if it is within 6-8" of the top or bottom you don't need to worry about it, if it is dead center at 15" then I am a bit more worried and would trim the bead out and re bead it. The true test is when you fill the tank and this will tell you the most. As the glass bends from the weight of the water the glass bends in two arcs one from top to bottom and the other from side to side. So the most deflection in the glass is center of the bottom seam and mid height of the edges. This puts stress on the silicone seams and if they are under more stress than they can handle they will begin to white out on the inside edge of the seam. The best I can describe this as is white mold spots developing in the silicone at its thinest points. If yo see just a few spots here and there no worry, if the tips of that bubble have lots of spots I would be worried and reinforce that seam. Post pics of the water test and I'll give you what advice I can
OP
OP
Thebrinc
Community Member
It's full of WATER!
...but first things first. It was a real mind bender figuring out how to get the foam in under the tank. With 10 foot in length and no real way to lift this thing up I spent a couple of sleepless nights devising my master plan. I was going to tip the tank up from the front, slip some foam in there and then do the other side. The forces working in on it would be way less, although I would be point loading the bottom edge a LOT. That being said I only needed to lift this thing by 1/2". As always there were some issues but we figured them out and, long story short, it worked like a charm!
All you need is two heavy duty suction cups, two 4x4's and two cheap hydraulic car jacks.
A couple of creaks and groans later and the front was up. Had to synchronise the two jacks but all in all it was pretty painless.
With the foam underneath I put in a 2" floor drain into the crawlspace, just in case
To be honest, the stress of filling this thing right in the house was more then I was comfortable with... but there comes a time when you have to suck it up and just do it! After sticking a hose pipe in there and running it for a couple of hours it seems to have been worth it! No leaks!
I'm thinking of keeping the tap water in there for a week to see what happens. Really impressed with how it settled, didn't even hear the floor creak once!
Fingers crossed...
The seams are mostly covered by the steel angles so it's hard to see how they're holding up to the pressure. I'll try and get some photos up close though.
So far so good!!
...but first things first. It was a real mind bender figuring out how to get the foam in under the tank. With 10 foot in length and no real way to lift this thing up I spent a couple of sleepless nights devising my master plan. I was going to tip the tank up from the front, slip some foam in there and then do the other side. The forces working in on it would be way less, although I would be point loading the bottom edge a LOT. That being said I only needed to lift this thing by 1/2". As always there were some issues but we figured them out and, long story short, it worked like a charm!
All you need is two heavy duty suction cups, two 4x4's and two cheap hydraulic car jacks.
A couple of creaks and groans later and the front was up. Had to synchronise the two jacks but all in all it was pretty painless.
With the foam underneath I put in a 2" floor drain into the crawlspace, just in case
To be honest, the stress of filling this thing right in the house was more then I was comfortable with... but there comes a time when you have to suck it up and just do it! After sticking a hose pipe in there and running it for a couple of hours it seems to have been worth it! No leaks!
I'm thinking of keeping the tap water in there for a week to see what happens. Really impressed with how it settled, didn't even hear the floor creak once!
Fingers crossed...
The seams are mostly covered by the steel angles so it's hard to see how they're holding up to the pressure. I'll try and get some photos up close though.
So far so good!!
OP
OP
Thebrinc
Community Member
Time for an update! We've made some good progress...
Got the stand's main cladding done: (admittedly I'm not the best at carpentry, but I sure as sh$t have enough clamps now!)
I also installed a dimmable 16 foot LED strip above the top euro-bracing, locked inside the steel frame... unexpectedly it lit up the clear silicone like a light-saber! It actually gets pretty bright and was thinking I could dim them for moonlights and fire them up at full strength in the daytime to eliminate some of the harder shadows that the Kessil pendants cast.
Really a cool effect, hope the fish don't freak out.
The area to the left of the stand was going to get a hinged wooden panel but the floating corner started growing on me... now we're thinking of putting a smoked acrylic panel on that end with the electronics behind it... it's really handy to be able to see the tank specs at a glance. Maybe a old phone or tablet linked to my Apex to display temperature charts and stuff.
Now for the fun part, aquascaping! It's amazing how cold 1" of water can be in early winter:
My facial expression changed rapidly after sitting down ;p
RO-DI unit's been working overtime the last 4 days and I'm happy to report we're halfway there! This is going to take some patience.
I feel bad about all the waste water, but we've been having a rainstorm the last couple of days and there's now a creek running in front of my driveway so I guess there's enough water for the time being. I'll definitely plumb the rejected RO water into the garden by summer though.
Got the stand's main cladding done: (admittedly I'm not the best at carpentry, but I sure as sh$t have enough clamps now!)
I also installed a dimmable 16 foot LED strip above the top euro-bracing, locked inside the steel frame... unexpectedly it lit up the clear silicone like a light-saber! It actually gets pretty bright and was thinking I could dim them for moonlights and fire them up at full strength in the daytime to eliminate some of the harder shadows that the Kessil pendants cast.
Really a cool effect, hope the fish don't freak out.
The area to the left of the stand was going to get a hinged wooden panel but the floating corner started growing on me... now we're thinking of putting a smoked acrylic panel on that end with the electronics behind it... it's really handy to be able to see the tank specs at a glance. Maybe a old phone or tablet linked to my Apex to display temperature charts and stuff.
Now for the fun part, aquascaping! It's amazing how cold 1" of water can be in early winter:
My facial expression changed rapidly after sitting down ;p
RO-DI unit's been working overtime the last 4 days and I'm happy to report we're halfway there! This is going to take some patience.
I feel bad about all the waste water, but we've been having a rainstorm the last couple of days and there's now a creek running in front of my driveway so I guess there's enough water for the time being. I'll definitely plumb the rejected RO water into the garden by summer though.
805reef
Active Member
Fantastic work! Wow, this build is amazing!
Tank looks great so far. That rock is awesome! Can't wait to see it all filled up and your plumbing/wiring work.
How long did you end up making the overflow box?
Tank looks great so far. That rock is awesome! Can't wait to see it all filled up and your plumbing/wiring work.
How long did you end up making the overflow box?
OP
OP
Thebrinc
Community Member
Thanks guys! Been a long road but having fun so far!
805reef : The overflow is a "box" in the sense that all 4 sides are covered, as the image below:
I then applied silicone in only one horizontal line at the top of the box where it meets the tank (on the right of the image). That way I can paint the back of the tank and not have to see the ugly silicone joints where the box attaches. The lower 3/4 of the box floats and it's attached to the painted glass. If that makes sense... I cut some overflow teeth but with the design changing to allow the steel frame everything moved down an inche so things don't line up any more. I'll re cut the teeth though, and they'll go inside the tank, covering up the small overlap where the top of the overflow box meets the tank.
805reef : The overflow is a "box" in the sense that all 4 sides are covered, as the image below:
I then applied silicone in only one horizontal line at the top of the box where it meets the tank (on the right of the image). That way I can paint the back of the tank and not have to see the ugly silicone joints where the box attaches. The lower 3/4 of the box floats and it's attached to the painted glass. If that makes sense... I cut some overflow teeth but with the design changing to allow the steel frame everything moved down an inche so things don't line up any more. I'll re cut the teeth though, and they'll go inside the tank, covering up the small overlap where the top of the overflow box meets the tank.
OP
OP
Thebrinc
Community Member
Apologies for not keeping up to date on the build report! Things got a little crazy on this side... spending on average 5hrs a day on this build and we're almost there!
House has been a disaster zone for the last 3 months and now of course we're hosting the family for Christmas so I'm working through the night to get temporary fixes in place for things & clearing the space out.
ps. don't laugh at the tiny skimmer in the sump, it's been replaced with a Reef Octo Regal 300...
My attempt to put a wooden soffit above the tank was an epic fail with no studs to attach it to, only a metal I beam. Would have been nice to know before I had the thing in place above the tank suspended on multiple pulleys and structures.
Anyway, now I'm just running some Kessils from the current ceiling and I'll figure it out when my wits return.
The tank's doing great and my current livestock are loving the extra swimming space It takes my Kole tang forever to swim / flop from one side to the other. The engineer gobies are also really picking up bulk and set up shop in the far side for now luckily, turning that portion into a bare-bottom tank. lol.
Here is the tank as it stands at the moment... the white panels in the stand are going to become shelving...
This was my temporary sump covering solution that kept me up at nights.
The problem being, the wall behind the enclosure is the same one that the headboard of my bed sits against on the upper floor... no matter what I did I couldn't get the thing quiet enough to sleep at nights. The first two pumps were defective and had to be replaced but the 3rd one seems to be running smoothly... Even so it still vibrates by brains at night and I keep imagining it getting louder again. Paranoia. lol. I finally lost it yesterday so I cut all the plumbing and moved everything down into the unfinished crawl space, directly underneath the display tank.
Not fun.
Should have been a couple of hours of work but ended up taking till 2am this morning, and guess what? It gets pretty darn cold that time of day, (even on the west cost) so the tank temperature just kept dropping overnight despite insulating the sump as best I can with bubble wrap and foam pieces. The crawlspace is nothing but beams and concrete so it was freezing down there. The in floor heat for the living room runs from there though so I put that on and it helped a little. Tank didn't drop below 76 degrees luckily. For some reason the tank's a little murky this morning though... hopefully nothing serious. Softies and fish seem happy enough.
I'll take some proper photos once I have the space cleared from the sump move
I'm also running my old 100G cube as a QT right now, with 20G water changes every second day so I got my hands full! New babies are doing really well though
House has been a disaster zone for the last 3 months and now of course we're hosting the family for Christmas so I'm working through the night to get temporary fixes in place for things & clearing the space out.
ps. don't laugh at the tiny skimmer in the sump, it's been replaced with a Reef Octo Regal 300...
My attempt to put a wooden soffit above the tank was an epic fail with no studs to attach it to, only a metal I beam. Would have been nice to know before I had the thing in place above the tank suspended on multiple pulleys and structures.
Anyway, now I'm just running some Kessils from the current ceiling and I'll figure it out when my wits return.
The tank's doing great and my current livestock are loving the extra swimming space
It takes my Kole tang forever to swim / flop from one side to the other. The engineer gobies are also really picking up bulk and set up shop in the far side for now luckily, turning that portion into a bare-bottom tank. lol.
Here is the tank as it stands at the moment... the white panels in the stand are going to become shelving...
This was my temporary sump covering solution that kept me up at nights.
The problem being, the wall behind the enclosure is the same one that the headboard of my bed sits against on the upper floor... no matter what I did I couldn't get the thing quiet enough to sleep at nights. The first two pumps were defective and had to be replaced but the 3rd one seems to be running smoothly... Even so it still vibrates by brains at night and I keep imagining it getting louder again. Paranoia. lol. I finally lost it yesterday so I cut all the plumbing and moved everything down into the unfinished crawl space, directly underneath the display tank.
Not fun.
Should have been a couple of hours of work but ended up taking till 2am this morning, and guess what? It gets pretty darn cold that time of day, (even on the west cost) so the tank temperature just kept dropping overnight despite insulating the sump as best I can with bubble wrap and foam pieces. The crawlspace is nothing but beams and concrete so it was freezing down there. The in floor heat for the living room runs from there though so I put that on and it helped a little. Tank didn't drop below 76 degrees luckily. For some reason the tank's a little murky this morning though... hopefully nothing serious. Softies and fish seem happy enough.
I'll take some proper photos once I have the space cleared from the sump move
I'm also running my old 100G cube as a QT right now, with 20G water changes every second day so I got my hands full! New babies are doing really well though
