Scott's 110g Reef Build- 40x24x26h

[CoralIN]

OK, I am creating this thread at the request of a few people. I have it all on my local clubs site and now that the tank is mostly done and filled (still cycling currently) I thought it would be a good time to post it on my favorite national forum.

These posts are being shared here and are from the past 12 months on my local forum. I will try to get them all up today.

This build is 2 years in the making as that's how long I've been without a DT. I wanted to do it right and part of that meant a living room remodel before the wife would let me proceed.



Tank:

The tank will be a 110 gallon Reef Savvy Eurobraced tank. The dimensions are 40" x 24" x 27" high. 3 sided low-iron glass with a black back, low profile overflow and 2 returns.



Stand:

Stand is a 6' x 24" x 31" high to allow for plenty of equipment and a section at one end for electrical components such as the apex system. It's a tubular steel stand that will be powder coated and then skinned later with cabinetry.



Equipment:

This could be a little long so I'll be doing this part little by little but I will say a few words here.

• Lights- Orphek of course. Going to be using 1 unit of the full size Atlantik v2.1 I could use 2 units of the Atlantik Compact or even 2 units of the Atlantik Pendant.
• Sump- I've got a Zero Edge sump that I will be detailing out later.
• Controller- I'm switching to an APEX after previously using a Digital Aquatics Reef Keeper.

Ok, here is a sketchup of the basic layout for the tank and stand. More info and pictures coming.



The top (not shown), bottom and interior divider will all be made of white starboard to eliminate any possibility of moisture being absorbed. The divider is where the apex unit will be mounted with access from the end of the stand. This division will keep a large percentage of the moisture away from the electrical components.

 

[CoralIN]

This has been a LONG time waiting. It may take a bit longer. Apparently, I'm now replacing the subfloor in the living room before new carpet and tile and before the tank install but anyway, here is the stand info.



Stand is 6'x2'x31"high. It's going to be powdercoated this week and will have a white polypropylene top, bottom and interior divider to prevent rot.



How about some pics?????? OK!!!!





Here is the raw material in 24' length. 1.5 inch square stock steel.

After all the cuts have been made.

Squaring up the top frame before welding.

Doing some welding on the top frame.

Joining the top to the bottom.

Welding the final pieces in place.

 

[CoralIN]

After all the welding was done I realized that the welding was the easy part and finishing all the welds was the hard part. I didn't want any welds on the outside surfaces because they would cause issues with the floor, the bottom of the aquarium and the skins that I plan to build later for the outside of the stand.



So, after lots and lots and lots of grinding here is what we have.

 

[CoralIN]

We were able to work on the living room this last weekend. We ripped out the subfloor and below that was reclaimed barn wood. The main reason for doing this is that that the floor we ripped up was MDF and in bad shape. MDF is basically particle board and I have no idea why this was thought of as a good thing in the 70's. It had brittle spots, swollen spots and pretty much every joint had issues. To add to the problem everything was nailed down, so when you walked across it, the creaking and movement just weren't acceptable.



Everything is now screwed down and very tight. We are just awaiting the carpet install. Before they come I have a bit of electrical, drywall, tile and painting to do. What the heck am I doing on here posting pictures. I need to get back to work.



The tank and stand are going where the drywall has been removed. It will sit on a tile pad and the electrical will be reworked and include a GFCI.



Sorry, pics are from my phone and I have no idea what in the world happened to them. Apparently a setting has gotten changed.



My helpers getting started. My dad also came and helped for the long day.





Turns out that getting the old floor up was the easy part......







All cleaned up and ready to begin with the new stuff.







Plastic barrier to help eliminate wind to seal the floor better.







All done.

 

[CoralIN]

Drywall and electrical have been completed.



Painting, tile and carpet are all done as well.



Stand is currently at the powdercoater where it's been for about 3 weeks awaiting completion. He promises it will be this next week.



Ok. here are some pics.



First up is electrical. The outlet on the left is a GFCI and protects itself, the center outlet and the outlet on the right.

Then the drywall needs to be finished and sanded. This is not a strong suit of mine.

Then paint and tile.

Finally, I just couldn't wait to see how it looked mocked up. Don't forget 6 foot long stand. Tank is 110 gallons 40x24x28 high.

 

[CoralIN]

Sorry for the pictures with poor quality. I was using my phone and it's got major issues.



I picked up the stand from the powdercoater the other day after a brief stay of 4+ weeks.



Here it is on the powder rack and fresh out of the oven.

There's a little something extra in the powdercoat. It's subtle and you wouldn't notice unless you got close.

On the way home.

 

[CoralIN]

I was so excited to finally get the stand home that I totally forgot to take an pics of unloading it or carrying it in or anything else for that matter. I almost immediately began a mock up to see what it's going to look like. Here are a few pics.



I've already taken some flack over the stand length compared to the tank. Remember the tank is 40" and the stand is 72" There will be 16" on either end and this will be covered by stone, tile or marble. The entire stand will also be skinned in wood this summer as I try my hand at actual woodworking for the first time.



The stand and sump are an EXACT match colorwise.



I'll go in to detail on filtration at some point down the road. I'm still 2 weeks away from receiving my new overflow.

 

[CoralIN]

The light that is hanging over the tank is a freshwater version of our Orphek PR72 and I'd been using it to give some light to the plants. Just for fun I slid the tank over to check the coverage from the light on the tank. It's only 64watts so I'd really need two of them and a bit closer but cool to see what can be done.

 

[CoralIN]

I can't post pics of the overflow yet as Rick has asked me to hold off until Synergy officially launches it. However we can look at the schematic and get some info from the synergy site.



Keep in mind that Rick is the creator of the Ghost overflow that came out at MACNA in 2013 and the new Synergy overflow has some refinements and improvements. It also helps that Rick and his wife Vanessa are great people to deal with.



Here is a link to the product page. http://synergyreef.c...-reef-overflow/

 

[CoralIN]

Here's sketchup of the Return plumbing.



Everything is going to be 1 inch except the outlets on the manifold. They'll be smaller, so will the ball valves and nipples. Room for 2 reactors and an extra just in case......



Feel free to give me some feedback on the plan. Colors are accurate. ;-)

 

[CoralIN]

SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!



I can't believe I am doing this but it's for a very good reason. My wife is going to murder me when she finds out!



I just listed the sump for sale as I would like to go in a bit of a different direction.

 

[CoralIN]

Hoping to do Sump, Fuge and ATO all matching.

 

[CoralIN]

I've currently got a fuge but it's repurposed and doesn't match the rest of the build. The ATO would be the same way. I'd like the carpet to match the drapes..... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[CoralIN]

OK, It's been a couple of weeks and I've changed the plans a bit. I want this build to be clean with a well put together filtration system and Although I liked the zero edge sump, incorporating an auto topoff container and a preexisting acrylic box for a fuge just wasnt exciting me.....So I decided to change out the sump....it's listed for sale.



Here is a teaser of what's coming.

 

[CoralIN]

Ok, here is an update with the info on the Sump and a schematic from my buddy Rick at Synergy Reef. I highly recommend them if you ever get to the point where you want a well designed, good looking piece of equipment. They do tanks, sumps, ATO and a few other things. The CNC and laser work help them to fit perfect and look good.



I am getting 3 pieces; Sump, ATO and Refugium. Dimensions are as follows.



Sump- 34x15x15

ATO- 15x12x15 (10 gallons)

Refugium- 10x15x20 (12 gallons)

 

[CoralIN]

Rick from Synergy likes to tease so I'm going to share his teasing. Moving right along but here is a sneak peak.....

 

[CoralIN]

Ok, it looks as if the sump system will arrive tomorrow. Here are some pics and some info on what I'm going with.



The total package consists of a Sump, ATO and Refugium in three separate pieces.



ATO:

This is a standard item that was customized.

15x12x15 (10 gallons)

With cutouts for plumbing and lid

Marked on side for remaining gallons



Sump:

This is a standard SS-34 sump that has been customized

34x15x15

Dual socks

Adjustable baffle

probe holders

Dual heater holders

cord managment

ATO/Reactor plumbing included

Uniseal bulkheads included



Refugium:

Custom size and design

20x10x15

Mini Overflow and bulkheads included

Rick was also able to get the custom piece cut for the overflow as well as a couple of other custom pieces I asked for that will show up later in the final build.

 

[CoralIN]

The sump is basically off the shelf except for the color. Same as the ATO. The only actual custom piece is the fuge. Pricing wasn't cheap, that's for sure BUT I wanted this to be a showpiece.



Everything arrived today. Worked a bit on the bulkhead and did a test fit of everything in the stand. Adding in some accents tomorrow maybe and then hopefully on to plumbing.

 

[CoralIN]

Just going to leave these here.

 

[CoralIN]

OMG, My tank is still dry. Updates soon. I've been struggling with some issues related to the stand and top. I'll be sharing them and the hopeful fixes. Let's just start by saying that I've assembled the tank and stand several times only to disassemble and remove it all again.



Oh, yeah......there's also a major issue with the floor........

Now that I'm back from MACNA and feeling motivated, I think it's time to put this to bed or sell it....hahahaha