Reefs.com - Saltwater Aquarium - Reef Aquarium
  • Why not take a moment to introduce yourself to our members?

210G Mixed Reef "Built-Out" Thread

B

bleedingthought

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Welcome to my first build thread, folks! :D

So, I ended up purchasing a 210G AGA instead of the 180G that was in the original plans. The dimensions are 72"x24"x29" (LxWxH). It was a bit taller than I had planned for, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. It's got two megaflows already in it with 1" drains and 3/4" returns. (Again, smaller than I'd like, but it'll do.)

Now, the reason why I say that it is going to be "built-out" is that I wanted the flexibility and convinience of having it built-in but wanted to be able to view all three sides. So, that's how it's going to be. The tank room behind it will be about 4.2 feet by 12.5 feet. A little tight but big enough! :)

The bottom portion (stand) will be quite tall because I want to be able to see everything right in front of me. So, the tank will sit at a whopping 42 inches which will bring the very top of the aquarium to 71 inches!!! Should be harder to work in combined with the tank height but I hope for it to look stunning. 8)

These are the expected specs:

Aluminum light rack on pulleys with fans mounted to include -
  • 3 400W 20kk XMs on Lumenarc Minis
    4 110W VHOS (probably actinic only)
    8 Moonlights
Closed loop system to include -
  • Sequence Dart pump on a Oceans Motions 4-Way
    Flow will have a circular motion in the tank, designed by Paul at Oceans Motions. (With the dynamic of it, should be enough flow for mostly everything :D )
Sump to include -
  • 50G glass tank baffled out.
    ASM G3 modified for recirculation, drain feed, larger venturi, and meshwheel.
    Panworld 50PX-X return pump. (Manifold somewhere on the return line for reactor and carbon)
Fuge to include -
  • 25G tank with a little sand and live rock rubble and chaetomorpha.
Other things to be included/built -
  • DIY 2-chamber calcium reactor.
    DIY eductors on the return line.
    AC Jr controlling the tank.
    Phosban/Carbon reactor.
    Semi-Automated water change/top-off sytem.
Miscellaneous things in tank room -
  • Sink with countertop for cleaning/fragging/etc.
    Mini fridge for frozen food storage.
    Exhaust fan on thermostat.
    Possibly an AC unit in the wall.
Future plans for -
  • Prop tank. (Probably separate from main system.)
As of right now, I still need to finish building the tank room. Then, it will be trimmed to dress up the bottom and top portions. Calcium reactor and eductors need to be built and skimmer needs to be mod'ed. Diamond hole saws are on their way for the tank to be drilled. Some of the equipment listed still needs to be ordered. I expect to have this done in 2 months because of the equipment I still need to gather up money for and the really busy May I have ahead of me. Not rushing it since I want it done just right. ;)

Here's how it looked before everything started: (4/22/07)
210GBuild001.jpg

(Excuse the mess. The metal chairs were there to simulate what it would be like. The couch is being thrown away and 2 tall chairs will be in front of tank)

More piictures to come soon!
Hope you enjoy it! 8)




P.S. Suggestions are highly welcome!!!
 
C

ChrisRD

Advanced Reefer
Location
Upstate NY
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I agree - sounds great - good luck with it. :)

BTW, what's the plan for the eductors? That return pump is not pressure rated so I don't know how well they'll work on your return lines...
 
T

trido

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You are well on your way to a nice system. Are you switching over to the SPS side of things? One would wonder with 400w MH and calcium reactors.
 
B

bleedingthought

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok guys. It's been too long and I've been gone for a while (only posting on threads I was subscribed to, usually). Hope that the folks that know me are still here and someone cares about this super stretched out build. :D

But anyways, I finally have the tank running. I only finished collecting MOST (very little left) of the stuff I needed in November. This year I started finishing up the framing, built the light rack, drilled the tank and sump, baffled the sump, plumbed everything, filled it up, aquascaped it, and started stocking with fish. I still need to finish the front opening, transfer the rest of the fish and corals from the frag tank and the 75g, trim the outside of the tank, and paint (I think). Oh, and hook up the VHO actinics.

Picture coming soon. 8)
 
B

bleedingthought

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok, I deeply apologize for the delay of updates and pictures. I've only got a limited amount of time right now so I'll start posting some pictures.

Here's another picture of the masking tape where the stand for the tank would be and the walls to the sides:

210GBuild005-1.jpg




Here's the start of the framing:

210GBuild018-1.jpg


210GBuild025-1.jpg


210GBuild027-1.jpg



And the stand and side walls done and rocked:

210GBuild029-1.jpg


210GBuild032-1.jpg


210GBuild047-1.jpg
 
B

bleedingthought

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The stand was completely caulked and painted with killz. The door to the "canopy" was later removed since it was too heavy. I still need to work on it. I added 3 new 20a circuits dedicated to the system. Those 3 circuits are distributed to 8 GFCI outlets.

Pictures to come include: drilling the tank, moving it into place, plumbing, baffling the sump, and a bunch of others. Hope you folks are enjoying it so far and stick around. ;)
 
F

FifeReef

Experienced Reefer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Looking Awesome so far!.........and I'm jealous......it's coming complete with a fish room that ISN'T in the garage! :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top