My 265g Reef Tank (Starting from Scratch) Let's GO!

[imustbenuts]

So here is my finalized (possibly) design for my plumbing. I would like to hear your ideas. I was originally going to have my LFS do the plumbing but due to unforeseen circumstances that I will address shortly, it won't happen that way, so I am doing it myself. So I'd also like to hear from you about things I need to know about doing my own plumbing.

Ok, I'm not an expert but have plumbed a few tanks. Your design will work, howerever, I would make the drain larger if only drilled for 1" bulkhead. You would want a minimum 1.5" bulkhead if you want to use 1.5" pipe. I would move the gate valve to the drain instead of the return. Use a ball valve on the return if you want to close it for some reason. I like to set up a full siphon on one drain and use the other as an emergency or secondary. Split it like 75% drain 1 and 25% down drain 2. That is where the gate valve will fine tune the drain flow. That will also remove bubbles to the sump in that drain. So if you get tired of the socks, you can take them off the system without having microbubbles. I would move the fuge supply to the drain instead of the return. I prefer supplying raw water to the fuge. It allows for pods to bypass your socks. Your manifold valves can be ball valves if you want to cut down on the cost a little. Know your check valves will fail over time. Make sure to have enough room in your sump to handle the return back siphon.

 

[imustbenuts]

This is my plumbing

I have 2 drains. Drain 1 splits and supplies the fuge and sock chamber. Drain 2 is emergency drain to fuge. Drain 1 is a full siphon. Super quiet and no bubbles to the sump. Use lots of unions to help with adjustments during build and break down to clean if needed.

 

[Fishfinder]

Awesome!!

 

[Rhinotronics]

D-Day!!
Tank, Stand and Canopy have arrived today!! This thing is a MONSTER!!

 

[Fishfinder]

Yes! I can't wait to see it up. Looks huge!

 

[Rhinotronics]

So I've got good news and BAD news... and the good news again.
Good news is, just about everything has arrived.

The tank is here and everything is here except the Custom Sump that we are STILL waiting on. Maybe this week they can keep their promise, not like last week when they said it would arrive. (They = Tsunami Sump Builders)

All my equipment has arrived and you might be wondering... why does he have it all inside the tank all still in the boxes? Well funny you should ask... now for the bad news.
I found out in between the time I bought everything and the time it all arrived that I have to move. Not just a little move to another house up the block. Moving from Orlando, Florida to Nashville Tennessee!! Yeah I know. Sucks for my tank build. But the good news again is I am excited to move with my family and start a new adventure. The other good news is thank god I found out now and not a month from now after I got everything installed and set up. So that is why I'm leaving it all in the box and having the movers move it all. More good news, my wife's company is paying for it all!
So the build will just have to wait about 4-5 months before it can continue. It's killing me not to open up everything and play with it.
So anyone got any advice on moving a huge set up like this? Anything I should know about and tell the movers on how to pack it or move it? Should I leave the stand and hood in the boxes they came in or have the movers wrap them up in blankets and let them worry about it. Yes, I'm sure we will have the moving insurance in case they are morons.
Also anyone from Nashville area know any real good LFS! I'm gonna need one or two when I get there.

Well thanks for following my build, I promise it will be epic once it gets going as you can see from the equipment inside. I'll post more when the sump arrives.

 

[imustbenuts]

So I've got good news and BAD news... and the good news again.
Good news is, just about everything has arrived.

The tank is here and everything is here except the Custom Sump that we are STILL waiting on. Maybe this week they can keep their promise, not like last week when they said it would arrive. (They = Tsunami Sump Builders)

All my equipment has arrived and you might be wondering... why does he have it all inside the tank all still in the boxes? Well funny you should ask... now for the bad news.
I found out in between the time I bought everything and the time it all arrived that I have to move. Not just a little move to another house up the block. Moving from Orlando, Florida to Nashville Tennessee!! Yeah I know. Sucks for my tank build. But the good news again is I am excited to move with my family and start a new adventure. The other good news is thank god I found out now and not a month from now after I got everything installed and set up. So that is why I'm leaving it all in the box and having the movers move it all. More good news, my wife's company is paying for it all!
So the build will just have to wait about 4-5 months before it can continue. It's killing me not to open up everything and play with it.
So anyone got any advice on moving a huge set up like this? Anything I should know about and tell the movers on how to pack it or move it? Should I leave the stand and hood in the boxes they came in or have the movers wrap them up in blankets and let them worry about it. Yes, I'm sure we will have the moving insurance in case they are morons.
Also anyone from Nashville area know any real good LFS! I'm gonna need one or two when I get there.

Well thanks for following my build, I promise it will be epic once it gets going as you can see from the equipment inside. I'll post more when the sump arrives.

Looks better than Christmas!

As far as moving companies, you will want to see if they exclude your tank. Lots won't cover aquariums. As far as hood and stand, yes put back in original boxes. Good luck.

 

[Rhinotronics]

Wow... well the sump and ATO reservoir finally arrived from Tsunami, very late I might add. Horrible looking. I refused it and got a full refund. Came with scratches all over it. The manufacture offered a $200 refund if I kept it, but I declined. Of course they then offered to re-make a new one. But from the looks of this work, I'm gonna pass.

If you look close you can see tons of silicone all over the thing. I mean gobs of it on every surface. The lid design was horrible. Not to mention there is lid missing for one of the dosing compartments. What a headache. But I gotta hand it to my LFS, Top Shelf Aquatics, he was completely understanding and offered to refund me before I even said a word.

So back to the drawing board. What brand Sump should I look into. I originally wanted a Bashsea Sump and maybe I will go back to that now that I have time to wait with the move. What do you guys think I should do?

 

[imustbenuts]

You can't go wrong with a Synergy Reef sump. They are located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

 

[Rhinotronics]

You can't go wrong with a Synergy Reef sump.

Yeah I've been eye balling them too.

 

[Smashville]

Lucky for you Synergy is located in Nashville. I'm currently working on a 180g build and went with the CL-44. They will drop off at the LFS so you want have to pay shipping. Check out Middle TN Reef Club on the forum. I live in Mt. Juliet, just east of Nashville. Send me a PM when you get to town and I'll give you a hand with your build.

 

[tcarter1936]

Tennessee =possible basement and type of house you get will dictate where tank can go. I would wait on dump until you know where your putting the tank

 

[CJs Aquariums]

So here is my finalized (possibly) design for my plumbing. I would like to hear your ideas. I was originally going to have my LFS do the plumbing but due to unforeseen circumstances that I will address shortly, it won't happen that way, so I am doing it myself. So I'd also like to hear from you about things I need to know about doing my own plumbing.

heck of a build so far man!! ... The only suggestion I would make is related to your manifold ( that you will run additional equip from) .. there is no way to bypass it without taking your return offline... consider adding an additional Tee off of the vertical line coming from your return.. so you can put a valve on it and shut it off without effecting the tank...

this is an example of how I did my setup if that helps... my build thread is https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sca-120-gallon-pnp-build.288842/

 

[cale0721]

So I've got good news and BAD news... and the good news again.
Good news is, just about everything has arrived.

The tank is here and everything is here except the Custom Sump that we are STILL waiting on. Maybe this week they can keep their promise, not like last week when they said it would arrive. (They = Tsunami Sump Builders)

All my equipment has arrived and you might be wondering... why does he have it all inside the tank all still in the boxes? Well funny you should ask... now for the bad news.
I found out in between the time I bought everything and the time it all arrived that I have to move. Not just a little move to another house up the block. Moving from Orlando, Florida to Nashville Tennessee!! Yeah I know. Sucks for my tank build. But the good news again is I am excited to move with my family and start a new adventure. The other good news is thank god I found out now and not a month from now after I got everything installed and set up. So that is why I'm leaving it all in the box and having the movers move it all. More good news, my wife's company is paying for it all!
So the build will just have to wait about 4-5 months before it can continue. It's killing me not to open up everything and play with it.
So anyone got any advice on moving a huge set up like this? Anything I should know about and tell the movers on how to pack it or move it? Should I leave the stand and hood in the boxes they came in or have the movers wrap them up in blankets and let them worry about it. Yes, I'm sure we will have the moving insurance in case they are morons.
Also anyone from Nashville area know any real good LFS! I'm gonna need one or two when I get there.

Well thanks for following my build, I promise it will be epic once it gets going as you can see from the equipment inside. I'll post more when the sump arrives.

Middle Tennessee has a great reef club! Their annual swap is this weekend also. They have several great fish stores in the area. Aquatic critter is one that's great.

Good luck with the move. Can't wait to see the tank setup at the new place.

 

[Rhinotronics]

Ok Boys and Girls I am back and about ready to get started... FINALLY! If you have been following along I bought a 265G Tank and almost everything needed to set it up and a found out a week or so later that I had to move to Nashville TN. SO I did not set it up and had the Tank and all equipment moved along with the rest of my life. How nerve racking to see your brand new tank that hasn't had a drop of water in it crated up and loaded onto a truck. But we made it and turns out I bought a house that has a Salt Water tank already in it. I am guessing it is about a 120G with just rock in it right now.

Its not the prettiest thing right now, but it is built into the wall and the original owner decided on acrylic so as you can see he did not know how to properly take care of it. Scratches everywhere. But its here and set up so I might as well use it so I am not sure if I will use it as my Quarantine tank or what I will do with it.

But I have a perfect spot for the 265G

I think once I get it set up it will look amazing. This is off to the side of the living room and kitchen. So lets get started!

All I need now is my Sump... waiting on my customer Bashsea Sump to be built. In the mean time I need to set up a RODI water station and storage system. I have a perfect spot right around the left side of the tank is the laundry room with a bathroom and sink. I am thinking about putting in some 105G Twin storage tanks where the sink is.

I am thinking of pulling all this out that way I will have the space to put two of the 105 Gallon Vertical Closed Head Tank* 23" x 65". The space is 50" from side to side so I feel it will be a perfect fit. By pulling out the sink, that will give me access to water and also a drainage system for the RODI. I am wondering what RODI should I buy? Also what hardware will I need to set up a very effective water storage system. I would like to have it set up so I can have fresh water and saltwater and to be able to transfer the fresh into the salt easily for mixing. Also the tanks are right around the corner so I was thinking to start having a hose system I can bring around for water changes. Any recommendations?

This is the drum I plan on using from USPlastics.com With a 23" Diameter and 50" space to put two in I feel it will work perfectly. Would there every be any reason I would need to get beside them or behind them? Will it be fine squeezing them into such a small space? What do you recommend setting these drums up on. I don't want to be bending over constantly, plus with the bulkhead at the bottom I would think you need a few feet up off the ground for filling buckets if needed.

Thanks for following, Hopefully I can get going here within the next month, but I need help setting up this RODI.

 

[AquaART]

Just got a first gander at your build. Everything is looking awesome and I am glad you stuck to your guns when the sump arrived. Although it's difficult to see from the pictures, I noticed imminently the rounded edges on the acrylic. Usually manufactures that make solid reef sumps wont waste time on petty things like beveling edges unless you beg or your a high profile client.

A comment on the RO/DI

I personally have a BRS System and love it. I personally feel they are the absolute best bang for your buck, come with excellent service, and a complete profile of replaceable parts. Many people here use Spectrapure and swear by them, but I don't really see the difference between the two.

Also, despite your tank being just around the corner, consider running some pex or LLDPE tuning from the tank straight to the mixing station. It was the single best thing I have ever done for my aquarium.

 

[Rhinotronics]

Just got a first gander at your build. Everything is looking awesome and I am glad you stuck to your guns when the sump arrived. Although it's difficult to see from the pictures, I noticed imminently the rounded edges on the acrylic. Usually manufactures that make solid reef sumps wont waste time on petty things like beveling edges unless you beg or your a high profile client.

A comment on the RO/DI

I personally have a BRS System and love it. I personally feel they are the absolute best bang for your buck, come with excellent service, and a complete profile of replaceable parts. Many people here use Spectrapure and swear by them, but I don't really see the difference between the two.

Also, despite your tank being just around the corner, consider running some pex or LLDPE tuning from the tank straight to the mixing station. It was the single best thing I have ever done for my aquarium.

I do plan on down the road setting it up so I can have a constant water change going on. My goal is to try to make the tank as automated as possible so I can focus on the care and enjoyment of the tank.

 

[salty150]

Can't wait until you get this beauty set up!

I keep going back and forth between an Aqueon 210 and Marineland 265.

 

[Rhinotronics]

Can't wait until you get this beauty set up!

I keep going back and forth between an Aqueon 210 and Marineland 265.

Yeah I had a few people say Marineland isn’t trustworthy. But I feel it’s a huge company that I’ve heard about forever over some of these brands I’ve never even heard of. I’m sure all aquariums have a fail rate just like anything made. I could only find two examples online, which in my eyes wasn’t an epidemic worth worrying about.

 

[salty150]

Yeah I had a few people say Marineland isn’t trustworthy. But I feel it’s a huge company that I’ve heard about forever over some of these brands I’ve never even heard of. I’m sure all aquariums have a fail rate just like anything made. I could only find two examples online, which in my eyes wasn’t an epidemic worth worrying about.

Aqeuon used to be All-Glass Aquariums before they were bought out.

Marineland aquariums used to be Perfecto before they were bought out.

Two reasons I keep going back to the Aqueon/All-Glass - I don't like the side "sumps" on the Marineland that you can see; and there are a lot of complaints about Marlineland/Perfecto aquariums eventually leaking and their center brace busting.

However, the added 12" in length on the Marineland 265 also adds into the mix.