Boudster's 4'X6'X18" Dream Peninsula

boudster · Jun 20, 2016

-Logzor said:
I think the canopy looks great, to soften the look you could replace the heavy chain with some thin steel cable, which for this application should be plenty strong. Think the wire shelving will hold up to saltwater exposure? Should be fine if you canopy is high up enough.

Thanks! I've definitely been going back and forth about steel cable vs chain. Because of the fact that I currently have no idea how high I'll need to hang the Kessils, the chain makes it really easy to raise/lower the canopy, but I'm thinking once the system is up and running I may replace the chain with steel cable.

I'm fairly sure that the canopy will be high enough that I won't have to worry about saltwater corrosion on the shelving, but if it ends up being lower than I'm thinking I'll definitely keep an eye on that.

boudster · Jun 20, 2016

-Logzor said:
The gyres provide a lot of flow, but in my opinion they don't perform as well when mounted vertically compared to horizontally at the top of the water line. They run really well until you need to take them apart to clean them. Takes me about 30 minutes to put the things back together and working like I had it last. They're finicky and I've since taken mine out since it's way less hassle to run my Tunze and Votech pumps. Anyway, you may not want to rely on them entirely. Get some used Tunze 6105's and maybe one gyre.

Interesting thought. My main driver behind the Gyres it's that I don't want anything mounted on any of the viewable panels. Gyre seemed like the only solution for providing that kind of flow. I'm wondering if I should go with 1 Gyre 150 mounted horizontally on the center overflow, and then a Tunze or Vortech on the left and right sides of the back panel. Any thoughts?

-Logzor · Jun 20, 2016

boudster said:
Thanks! I've definitely been going back and forth about steel cable vs chain. Because of the fact that I currently have no idea how high I'll need to hang the Kessils, the chain makes it really easy to raise/lower the canopy, but I'm thinking once the system is up and running I may replace the chain with steel cable.

I'm fairly sure that the canopy will be high enough that I won't have to worry about saltwater corrosion on the shelving, but if it ends up being lower than I'm thinking I'll definitely keep an eye on that.

There are steel cables made for this application in aquarium lighting, where you can easily slide them up and down. See below and online.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewi...tent=3M01093&gclid=CInr2KrRt80CFZY1aQodHPEA3A

boudster said:
Interesting thought. My main driver behind the Gyres it's that I don't want anything mounted on any of the viewable panels. Gyre seemed like the only solution for providing that kind of flow. I'm wondering if I should go with 1 Gyre 150 mounted horizontally on the center overflow, and then a Tunze or Vortech on the left and right sides of the back panel. Any thoughts?

I wouldn't depend 100% on the Gyre. Supplement with Tunze and/or Vortech. I would suggest two large Tunze pumps or two MP 60's flanking the Gyre just as you're suggesting. Back wall should be fine if the pumps you get have enough punch. Not sure if two MP 40's would cut it.

boudster · Jun 24, 2016

Was excited to hear from AGE yesterday that my tank may be ready late next week...which would be a 3-week turnaround! In the mean time, all my fish, frags and corals are in my new sump with a couple of Kessils and my K2 skimmer... which seems to be doing a good job.

I've found some real benefits to running muy sump with a different configuration than originally planned...i will explain later today when I have a bit more time, and ask for your input. Thanks!

boudster · Jun 27, 2016

So I mentioned earlier that I'm going to change the way I'm using my sump. Here's how I originally intended to use it:

But after having it set up on my floor while I wait for my tank, I think I'm going to use the area originally intended for the frags, and put the skimmer there. The refugium will move to the area that was intended for the skimmer, and the frags will go where the refugium was going to be.

I believe this has 3 big benefits, that far outweigh the cons

Benefits:
-the skimmer will now be in the first chamber which holds approx 29 gallons of water. I can now put a dedicated pump in this chamber and completely drain it for 10% weekly water changes without having to lower the water level in the DT, fuge or frag chamber. This should allow me to do a WC in about 5 minutes.
-if I turn off the return pump for feeding, or any other reason, the water level in the skimmer chamber remains constant... Only the fuge and frag chamber levels increase due to draining from the DT. This prevents the skimmer from overflowing when the return pump shuts off.
-this allows the fuge to maintain a low level of flow, while the frags will be in chamber with the highest flow...i may not even need to supplement flow for the frags.

Cons:
-i have to put the skimmer on a stand since that chamber is 4" higher than the other chambers. I already built the stand and it's working great.
-smaller area for frags. I can fit 3 6x6 frag racks. Should be plenty. I can always hijack part of the fuge if I need to.

Can anyone see any flaws in this setup?

Feltman · Jun 29, 2016

Just a thought but does increasing the height by ur skimmer still allow it to fit under ur stand? I know I've ran into this problem with most of my tanks. Also if u simply leave the design how u originally had it but run dual return pumps (since you have 2 return holes) and place one in the skimmer chamber just before it goes to the refug then only half the water going through everything will go through the fuge allowing a reduced flow rate in the fuge and a bit of redundancy in the way of dual returns.

Feltman · Jun 29, 2016

Also a thought u could plumb all reactors off the pump in the skimmer section with a manifold and run the returns of all reactors into the bubble trap just before the return to bypass the fuge

rockstarta78 · Jun 29, 2016

Nice build. Following.

boudster · Jun 29, 2016

Feltman said:
Just a thought but does increasing the height by ur skimmer still allow it to fit under ur stand? I know I've ran into this problem with most of my tanks. Also if u simply leave the design how u originally had it but run dual return pumps (since you have 2 return holes) and place one in the skimmer chamber just before it goes to the refug then only half the water going through everything will go through the fuge allowing a reduced flow rate in the fuge and a bit of redundancy in the way of dual returns.

Feltman said:
Also a thought u could plumb all reactors off the pump in the skimmer section with a manifold and run the returns of all reactors into the bubble trap just before the return to bypass the fuge

Some good ideas that I hadn't thought of...i will definitely keep those options in mind as I probably won't decide 100% how I'm going to use the sump until I have the tank up and running (hopefully soon). The one thing I don't have to worry about is the stand height as it's 42" tall, so I have plenty of room for the elevated skimmer.

I've definitely decided to not use any sand (for a while at least) in whichever chamber I go with for the fuge... That way I can easily reconfigure things if I change my mind..which I constantly do!

Thanks for the feedback!

Lilmatty5dimes · Jun 30, 2016

Wow awesome build. Love your handing canopy idea with the wire racks. Following along.

R_C · Jun 30, 2016

Looking great! following.

spscrackhead · Jun 30, 2016

Awesome dimensions!

jsker · Jun 30, 2016

Really nice step up and a very well laid out plan. Great way to mount the light.

boudster · Jun 30, 2016

For reference, this is what the tank will look like, except for the green tint on the glass (this is the one they built without starphire). The new tank is supposed to be ready today, but no word on whether they can deliver it before the holiday weekend