My New Frag/Grow System.

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

I just thought I would share. I just got this up and running. I am useing it right now to hold my display animals while I move their tank to its new home. After that it will just be a growout tank for frags.
The system is made up of 4 50 gal Rubbermaid Ag containers. I painted the inside white on the coral tanks to get more light. The tank under the coral tanks is a fuge w/ 150 lbs of live sand, grape calupera ( been in my tank for 15 years, if you can't beat it use it.), and live rock. The fourth container (under the table) is the equipment shed and holds extra live rock. The top tank is lit by a 250 watt XM 15K. The lower tank uses a 48 inch 6 bulb T-5. It all seems to be working well.

kev2me · May 31, 2009

Cool setup! Is this in your basement?

TonyB · May 31, 2009

Very nice setup. I will need to do something very similar when we move. Where did you purchase the ag tubs?

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

Yes. It is in the basement.
I got the tubs from a local Farm Supply store. They are pretty easy to find. Southern states and Tractor Supply both sell them. The lower tub was a horse trough on our farm for over 10 years, so they hold up well. They are not cheap though, about $70 each.
I will be able to add another on the table top if I need to in the future. I was thinking something like a 40 breeder or 36 bowfront on the table though.

J. Montgomery · May 31, 2009

Wow, thats pretty hardcore lookin' Looks like you'll be able to put a ton of frags in there.

Are you going to keep it plumbed separately from your display tank?

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

I also ran 2 new 20 amp circuits to the "lab" to handle the load. This is just the begining.

JR's Reef · May 31, 2009

Looks like everything has a good temp home til they get there new home.

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

J. Montgomery said:
Wow, thats pretty hardcore lookin' Looks like you'll be able to put a ton of frags in there.

Are you going to keep it plumbed separately from your display tank?

Whats up Josh.
Yes it is going to be seperate. I am going to hook the 120 and the 75 up to their own combo filter/fuge together.

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

Joey08 said:
Looks like everything has a good temp home til they get there new home.

Yeah. I was supposed to move the tank last week. Hopefully on Monday.

If it ever stops raining.

J. Montgomery · May 31, 2009

Its not raining right now! :lol:

You're going to setup the 120 and 75 both as display tanks, or turn the 75 into a fuge?

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

Both as display. I use this loosely as they will be in the basement too. The 75 will be mostly zoas and some other softies and the 120 will be mostly LPS and SPS. Right now anyway. I tend to let my ideas evolve so who knows. I am going to set the 75 right back up and get it running and I am going to put some water in the 120 and get it going for a month or 2 before I tie them together. Just to test the foam wall on the 120. I don't want any suprises.

CTMarinelife · May 31, 2009

What size bulkheads did you use? What size pump? Turnover Rate? Building similar setup but horizontal with 150 tub as sump, and motorized lighting.

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

CTMarinelife said:
What size bulkheads did you use? What size pump? Turnover Rate? Building similar setup but horizontal with 150 tub as sump, and motorized lighting.

They are 1" bulkheads. There are 2 of them between the fuge and the equipment shed. The top tank returns directly to the equipment shed and the bottom tank goes to the fuge. It is all ran off a Eco-Plus? pump that is supposed to be over 900 gallons an hour at 6' head. It runs both tanks and I have ball valves on each to tweak it in. It turns out that by having 1 tank return to each lower tank it gives great circulation down there without the need for addtional cir. pumps.
The 2 lower tanks are connected w/ 2 1 inch bulkheads and gravity keeps the level in the the same. I should have used 1.5 inch bulkheads but was lucky to find these 1" around here.
Both coral tanks have a MJ 1200 w/ sure flow mod to give them extra water movement.
The canister filter will be removed when I feel the tanks are ready.

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

They make a great size 70 gal that is 3' X 2' X 2'. That is what I plan on useing for the DSB / Fuge on my display tanks.
These 50 gal tanks are 4' X 2' X 1' deep. Perfect for frag tanks IMO.

NC Health · May 31, 2009

Very cool setup Dave. Al

I-K@ndY · May 31, 2009

very nice. how many total water volume on all?

jasert39 · May 31, 2009

nice setup...a lot of space there. What kind of paint did you use to paint the inside of the tubs?

dtpollard · May 31, 2009

It would be 200 gal if full. I would say it is about 150 actual water volume.
I used a spray paint made for plastic by Valspar. It took 3 coats. I let that cure for 3 weeks then cycled some RO reject water in it for another week.

ReefDreams · Jun 1, 2009

nice build man.

garrettm85 · Jun 2, 2009

Very nice build. I can't tell you how useful those rubbermaid tubs have been. I have used 3 of the 100g tubs and with the exception of a leak that I couldn't get to stop in the factory bulk head, they were great!

I used them as sumps but with the white plastic spray pain that you used, I could definately see how useful they would be as frag/growout tanks.

Keep up the pics!

Garrett