Fyrfytr's new 93 bowfront build!

[fyrfytr1717]

Fyrfytr's 93gal AquaVim curved glass bowfront tank build!!!
Check it out, you'll be glad you did! (There's plenty o' pics!)
I like to do lots of research before I make a purchase and would love to pass on what I've learned...

Alright everybody, time for Tony to get building!
Join me on my journey back into the undersea world.
I had a 55gal FOWLR tank set-up back in my college days but I switched it over to freshwater when I entered the "real world" since I knew I would be moving a number of times. Now that I have a house, a wife, and a steady job it's time to get salty...


My plan is to start out with fish, live rock, and softies in a shallow sand bed, but at the same time to not limit myself and have to re-buy equipment when the day inevitably comes that I want to keep LPS and/or SPS. So here's what I've decided on so far...

AquaVim 93 gallon RR seamless glass bowfront tank (48"L x 26"H x 18"D)
Built-in overflow has 1" drain and 3/4" return
DIY Fly Guy rockstand
DIY sump I'm designing to fit my stand ~30 gallons - details to follow
ASM G4 skimmer
Velocity T3 return pump
IceCap 660 ballast
IceCap retro T5HO's (4x 39W with IceCap reflectors)
Rid-Volt titanium grounding probe

Under consideration...
ReefKeeper 2 or AC Jr. Controller
Spectrapure MaxCap RO/DI w/ auto top-off
Won Titanium heaters
Eductor (DIY?) to throttle down the T3 while increasing in-tank flow
2 or 3 In-tank powerheads for additional flow
2x 28W PC Fluorescents to supplement actinic and provide dawn/dusk

The tank is already here, the decided on items are on their way here, and the under consideration items are exactly that... Please feel free to offer ideas, advice, suggestions, etc. I would not be this far along if it wasn't for the TRT board and all of you. I don't mind going slow and I want to do it right. So please sit back, relax, and follow along... I promise to post lots of pictures along the way!

Tony

I wanted to wait until I had a least a couple of pictures to post for all you pic lovers out there...


Macy (my boxer) checking out the new tank... Shipped from the AquaVim distributor in New York!




Shiny new tank... still in the box!

[zero186]

i will keep a close eye on this i am thinking of a tank around the same stats, way to go cant wait to see it up and going

[fyrfytr1717]

Thanks! I can't wait either... go slow... go slow... go slow... Ok, I'm better now!

[zero186]

lol i keep nanos that dont have alot of stuff along with them so its new to me to see what stuff is needed for a tank that size

[Geoff]

i have had good luck with my www.airwaterice.com RO/DI filter. much less expensive than the big namers.

i run an old AC II. i like it a lot. have only had one problem with it, and it was really a problem with an X10 device and not the AC II. nothing is perfect.

G~

[know-it-all]

you should be able keep LPS with that set-up
looks like a good start

[fyrfytr1717]

From the research I've done I'm hoping that the SpectraPure system will pay itself off in the long run by not needing cartridge changes as often. The sediment and carbon filters are .5 micron as opposed to 1 micron (making the RO last longer) and they claim their MaxCap DI beds are supposed to be good for 3.5x the capacity of other DI beds for about 1200 gallons of DI water each. http://www.spectrapure.com/St_MaxCap-RO-DI.htm Is that good? Are their replacement cartridges that much more expensive? How many gallons do you typically get out of your airwaterice before cartridge changes?

As for the controller, it seems the ReefKeeper II is more user friendly while the AC JR. is more adaptable/capable. I want to stay in about the $250 range. I think the ReefKeeper II will meet my needs but the jury is still out...

[fyrfytr1717]

Originally Posted by know-it-all

you should be able keep LPS with that set-up
looks like a good start

Thanks! So what is my limiting factor at this point in regards to SPS? I'm guessing it's either lighting or water flow. Is that correct, or is there other equipment I would need to add?

[know-it-all]

Originally Posted by fyrfytr1717

Thanks! So what is my limiting factor at this point in regards to SPS? I'm guessing it's either lighting or water flow. Is that correct, or is there other equipment I would need to add?

yes, the limiting factor would be lighting and flow
I'm not sure about how much light you need,
I think it's a minimum par value of around 200

I've seen some SPS kept in tanks under T5 bulbs
but they were "up top" in a shallow tank

[mcliffy2]

Cool to see another aquavim tank on here, its heckuva solid tank for the money (see my avatar, I have the 118g semi-circle). A couple things I might suggest, since I'm guessing your stand has some similar specs to mine. Oh and this would apply if you are doing everything under the tank in the stand (if you are doing things external, then ignore this). I have a 30g sump on mine, its an acrylic ADHI sump and fits perfect in my stand...I paid about $240 for mine. Depending on what you want for a sump, this problem isn't much more expensive than a DIY glass or acrylic. Also, I doubt the G4 will fit under your stand, I'm guessing there wont be enough clearance. The G2 was the biggest I could fit under mine...it seems to be working nicely tho on my 118g, so I'm guessing for a 90ish tank youll be ok w/ a G2. The Aquavim tanks are cool, but do have a few quirks you have to design around, so let me know if you have questions...my system is just starting to sort itself out, so I'm far from an expert, but I'll lend any help I can.

[mcliffy2]

Originally Posted by know-it-all

yes, the limiting factor would be lighting and flow
I'm not sure about how much light you need,
I think it's a minimum par value of around 200

I've seen some SPS kept in tanks under T5 bulbs
but they were "up top" in a shallow tank

Oh and for lighting, their canopies are a little weird, does yours have the access lid on the top instead of the front? This makes lighting a challenge if you do. There has been some bad rap out there on Catalina lighting...but I went with them b/c they custom fit T5s to my need (5.75 in for 4x39w). If you went with them, you could probably get 10 T5s across your tank, but this might block your access? Or is your access door 36" across? Mine was super weird to figure out b/c of the semi-circle shape and a square door that is only 24 in across...I ended up attaching a 4x36 T5 to the back (covers about a third of my access opening) and put a 400w MH on the door itself, in front of the T5s...I havent ventured to SPS as my tank is very young (up for a month), but I do think this setup seems like it provides a ton of light.

[fyrfytr1717]

Thanks for the AquaVim info. Yeah, my top access door is 42" x 10" so I went with the 4x36" light set-up. The whole set-up will fit on the door itself. I could have fit the 4x48" light setup under my canopy but it would have totally blocked the access door and would have left the front of the tank unlit.

My front doors are 24.5" tall and the inside of the stand is 27" tall. The ASM G4 is 24" tall. I'll probably have to remove the collection cup to get the skimmer body out of my sump, but I don't imagine I'll be doing that very often. The big challenge with the G4 (and part of the reason I'm doing a DIY skimmer) is the size of the footprint. As for cost, I'm not buying an acrylic sump and putting baffles in it. I'm actually designing and building the entire thing. I'm hoping my acrylic costs will be less than modifying a pre-built tank (and I can get exactly the size I want). With the stand pushed up all the way against the wall I can slide a 28"W x 16"D sump between the door hinges. I could make it a little bigger, but I'm afraid I would not be able to get it out of the stand after the tank was set up.

As for other AquaVim questions... are the bulkheads they provided decent quality? Have you had any problems with them leaking? I know most of their accessories are pretty cheap imports so I was considering replacing them right off the bat. Then again, it can't be that difficult to make a decent bulkhead... How about the door hinges? Mine seemed to have some early signs of rust on them. Any other AquaVim advice you may have is greatly appreciated. Thanks!


Here's the opening I have to work with.

[know-it-all]

Originally Posted by mcliffy2

Oh and for lighting, their canopies are a little weird, does yours have the access lid on the top instead of the front? This makes lighting a challenge if you do. There has been some bad rap out there on Catalina lighting...but I went with them b/c they custom fit T5s to my need (5.75 in for 4x39w). If you went with them, you could probably get 10 T5s across your tank, but this might block your access? Or is your access door 36" across? Mine was super weird to figure out b/c of the semi-circle shape and a square door that is only 24 in across...I ended up attaching a 4x36 T5 to the back (covers about a third of my access opening) and put a 400w MH on the door itself, in front of the T5s...I havent ventured to SPS as my tank is very young (up for a month), but I do think this setup seems like it provides a ton of light.

lighting on the corner/bowfront tanks are very dificult
I made my own canopy and have (1) 250w MH and (2) 65w PC's

[mcliffy2]

Originally Posted by fyrfytr1717

Thanks for the Aquavim info. Yeah, my top access door is 42" x 10" so I went with the 4x36" light set-up. The whole set-up will fit on the door itself. I could have fit the 4x48" light setup under my canopy but it would have totally blocked the access door and would have left the front of the tank unlit.

My front doors are 24.5" tall and the inside of the stand is 27" tall. The ASM G4 is 24" tall. I'll probably have to remove the collection cup to get the skimmer body out of my sump, but I don't imagine I'll be doing that very often. The big challenge with the G4 (and part of the reason I'm doing a DIY skimmer) is the size of the footprint. As for cost, I'm not buying an acrylic sump and putting baffles in it. I'm actually designing and building the entire thing. I'm hoping my acrylic costs will be less than modifying a pre-built tank (and I can get exactly the size I want). With the stand pushed up all the way against the wall I can slide a 28"W x 16"D sump between the door hinges. I could make it a little bigger, but I'm afraid I would not be able to get it out of the stand after the tank was set up.

As for other Aquavim questions... are the bulkheads they provided decent quality? Have you had any problems with them leaking? I know most of their accessories are pretty cheap imports so I was considering replacing them right off the bat. Then again, it can't be that difficult to make a decent bulkhead... How about the door hinges? Mine seemed to have some early signs of rust on them. Any other Aquavim advice you may have is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Mine actually didn't come with bulkheads, so I got them from the LFS. The tank is a friggin rock...no issue with leaking or worry of it leaking...I think the glass is 5/8"? At any rate, it just feels incredibly sturdy. I also read from another person here (Mccarver I think) that their accessories weren't as great as the tank, so I just didnt order anything extra (they did throw in a free 24" T5 unit, which is actually fairly nice).

As for the top access it does get annoying, right now I have to get a ladder which I cant store in my living room, drag it down the hall and climb over the tank any time I want to access it, even to feed. I think I'm going to buy one of these Ben Franklin chairs, so I have something attractive I can leave out next to the tank (http://www.widerview.com/gg1012.html), if you have any other thoughts on easy access, definitely let me know. I've thought before about taking a saw to the hood to make it front access...

So the lighting. I think the IceCaps look awesome...buuut...I would check the specs and make sure you can fit the another 4 T5s or MHs in front of the retro before buying. You might not want now, but call it hunch, you are going to want at least 8 T5s or some MH down the road.

[fyrfytr1717]

My tank came with a free "plumbing kit" and a cheap NO fluorescent fixture. The plumbing kit is just the two bulkheads, a PVC standpipe, and a PVC return pipe (oh and a super cheesy siphon for emptying the tank) but hey, it was free. I may just buy new bulkheads from a trusted source because the last thing I want to do is change them out after filling the tank.

In regards to getting on a ladder to feed, doesn't your hood have a feeding tube built into it? I thought all the Aquavims did. Or is it that you need to specifically target your feeding in the area of certain corals?

My lighting plan includes adding two 12" PC actinic bulbs at the front of the tank in the "bow" area. It would take a little creativity and maybe some minor modifications to the canopy, but I could put a couple of MH fixtures in that bow area or to either side of the T5's if I really need to. Right now, I'm just trying to limit my lighting as I would really like to avoid getting a chiller.