70 gal Tech Tank

[Paramecium]

Alright it's about time to get this thing rolling. It's been hectic with the new house, lots of overtime at work and all the other summertime activities that keep people busy. I hope to start on the sump next week and to order the lights, skimmer, chiller etc... Still need to do a little more research to lock down all that equipment but that shouldn't take to long. At least the nano is coming along haha. I'm glad I tried things first on the smaller tank though, it's been a great learning experience that I think will help with the main tank.

~Danny

[crvz]

Are you sure you need a chiller? I'd hold off on that until it's a determined need. I spent a ton of money on one for my old 58 gallon, but now I don't need it for the 150. And with yours being open top (right?), you'll probably get a lot of evaporative cooling already.

[Paramecium]

Ya I'm not certain about the chiller, I'm just going off the problems I had keeping the smaller tank cool. I'll wait on actually buying one until I know for sure though.

~Danny

[ChuckP]

Paramecium, I would agree hold off on the chiller until your have a need for it. You will know if you do because you will have ~3 months before you put any real corals into the system. I went from a 30g now to a 70g both open top and I don't believe my 70g is going to need it, however it is in my office so I don't trust the AC system.

[Paramecium]

Well I know I keep saying it but I am really going to get this thing rolling soon. I'm tired of staring at an empty tank so I plan on getting the sump, basic plumbing, return pump and skimmer rolling soon. I've probably linked some of these things before or asked about them but it's been a while so I may need to revisit some of my earlier questions. I plan on building a sump much like this one on Melev's reef.

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/sump_23g.html

I like the fuge on on eside and skimmer on the otehr with the return in the center, but we'll see how it plays out.

Hopefully this weekend I can get some acrylic and start working on it. As for the skimmer has anyone had any experience witht the Octopus Extreme series?

http://www.aquariumsupplycompany.com...23/6016157.htm

I like the pump under the skimmer reducing the footprint.

~Danny

[ChuckP]

Paramecium,

That is the unit I ordered, sadly they have not come in yet so I don't believe anyone has experience with them. What I can say is they look identical to many of the other high end Bubble Master/Bubble King skimmers in design for a fraction of the cost.

Check out my thread and you can see what I have built so far, I will be hooking up the CA reactor tomorrow or Friday.

-Chuck

[Paramecium]

I did see your thread the other day Chuck, was actually where I got the idea from. Let me know how it works out for you!

~Danny

[Paramecium]

OK so some actual progress. I did some looking around and found that a 29 gallon tank had just about the exact dimensions I was looking for in a sump. I found one new at a local store for $45 so I picked it up. I also ordered the Octopus Extreme 160 skimmer and a Eheim 1262 pump for my return. I can't say enough good things about Eye Candy Aquariums here in So Cal. I ordered the pump and skimmer on Sunday and he called Tuesday to say it was in. Every piece of coral I have gotten from him for the nano has been great as well and he is really up front and honest about what he sells. Not to make this into an add for a store but it really is the best store in my opinion in this area.

I was looking into the Aqualight Pro series of lights for the tank as well but when I asked about them at the store he mentioned that I should look into the Current setups as well just as another option. He brought up a warranty isssues as a point of interest. He said that while the Coralife fixtures are great and that he himself has used them in the past, if you do have an issue with them it can be hard to find a rep in the area to do the warranty work. Not that they won't fix it just that it can be hard to find someone to take care of it. Has anyone else experienced this at all? I do like that you can get the Current fixtures with Halides and T5's though.

Well I am picking up the skimmer and pump this weekend and from there I will get some baffles in the sump and plumb this thing!!

~Danny

[crvz]

Sounds like fun! Regarding the light, what exact solution are you looking at in terms of number and type of bulbs?

[Paramecium]

Well I want to keep lps and sps in this tank. Of the two different fixtures both have a 150 and 250 watt halide option. For sps in a tank that is 24" deep I figure the 250 would be the way to go so as to never have to worry about lighting requirements. This is the Coralife

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=12113

And this is the Current

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...6&pcatid=15486

The tank is 36" wide so it would be the 36" 250 on either. The Current with the T5's though is 669 watts as opposed to 380 on the coralife that has compacts. Current does make a model with compacts rather than T5's but only in a 150watt halide and it seems to me in a SPS/LPS tank the halide/T5 option would be a better choice. I do have time on the lights, I plan on getting it up and running with just LR for a while before adding sand and then some lights.

~Danny

[crvz]

I'd probably lean towards the 250W setup as well, but placement of SPS corals could easily be done such that the 150W is plenty. LPS would be fine with the 150 almost anywhere in the tank, and may actually do better in a lot of instances, but I do like the T5 supplements. So that's a bit of a hard call.

[Paramecium]

Things are settling down and bonus and tax returns are done so I'm finally finishing this thing.

Ordered my lights a couple of days ago. Going with the Outer Orbit 2x250w with T5's. Also picked up my frag tank today that will be plumbed into the tank through the wall for some added volume and space for frags. Had John at Advanced Acrylics in So Cal fab it up and he did a killer job. I'm also ditching the 29 gallon I was using for a sump and having him make me up an acrylic custom sump with fuge, mounts for probes etc. Here's some pics of the frag tank, I'll take some of the lights and sump when they arrive.

[aquawolf]

Very nice looking tank! Best of luck with the build.

[Paramecium]

Busy couple of weeks here with lots of goodies. I got a stand for the frag tank, bought a Korallin 1502 calcium reactor from a fellow reefer buddy, got my lights and picked up my 2nd 1262 Eheim to go in my freshly completed sump for the frag tank return. Got lots of pictures of the gear along with the setup so far. Still needs to be plumbed and I'm waiting on my electrician buddy to come over and run a dedicated circuit for the tanks. The sump was going to be a 29 gallon that I picked up and planned to put baffles in however after getting the frag tank from John at Advance Acrylics I decided to have him build me one with a fuge, bubble trap, filter sock holder and probe holder. It came out awesome and fits snug under the tank. Have to take the side glass off to get it in which made much better use of the limited space I have to use.

Oh I also went to MAX this last weekend and picked up a few frags and got a look at the new Neptune Apex controller. I was a few weeks from buying the AC3 but after seeing the new product I've decided to spend the extra $40 that it will cost for it.

So, on to the pics.

The frag tank. Fuge on the right, skimmer on the left with a center return.


4" filter sock holder with a tab for 4 probes.


Fuge section. Just enough for a few pod condos and a little LR. Not sure if I want to put any chaeto in.


Skimmer and both 1262's in place. The skimmer will be on a 3" stand. I had him make the section 12" tall for more volume.


Nice and snug.


The frag tank on it's stand. This is directly behind the main display tank.


The Korallin reactor and CO2 tank.

[Paramecium]

The lights on the tank. Current Outer Orbit 2x250 watt with T5's Already ordered 2 14k Phoenix bulbs.




The setup. Will be plumbed through the wall with a common sump.




Under the frag tank I plan to have the reactor, ATO, controller and MH ballasts. I ordered a Lumenmax reflector, 250W Icecap ballast and 14k Phoenix bulb for the frag setup. All of the electronics will be run through the wall and into the controller under the frag tank. Hopefully this will keep a clean look. So, finally some progress. I'll be updating again soon as things come together.

~Danny