[customshopguy]

So I havn't been posting in a while but here is my new 300g all set up and ready to go. The rock from gulfview goes in tomorrow. Some specs of the tank are reeflo hammerhead pump, 2-250W icecap ballasts and pendants with phoenix 14K bulbs, AquaC 700 in sump skimmer, 280 gal display is custom made by ATM acrylic bullet style tank with built in overflow with nice 2" return with durso standpipe that is quiet Plumbing is there to add a sump when i feel like it. I'll post some more pic's when rock is in. Hood is with tank as well, hides lights and plumbing, just no point in putting it on yet. We have been refinishing the stand and hood and getting this thing ready for water for a few months now, it was a resturant tank and then sat in some kids garage for a few years before we saved it. Let me know what you think.
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Clint

 

[Neuticle]

Wow, that is an awesome tank!

 

[Loverotties]

Looking Good!

 

[Hop]

Cool. Post more when you get the rock in it! I like the bullhead look!

 

[customshopguy]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I forgot to mention that I had to redo all of the plumbling as well, the tank just came with some old leaky bulkheads and nothing underneath. This was probably actually a good thing because it forced me to fill it with good stuff
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Clint

 

[customshopguy]

rock in tank

the rock arriving and going in!

 

[quader94]

looks nice

 

[customshopguy]

Day 4 with a lace rock bridge and some more sand

 

[customshopguy]

More of day 4 with some pic's of the freebie coral, could i get some id help on that brown arco looking thing? I think its coming together pretty good, i will post more after a rock blow off and water change.
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Clint

 

[Dragonist]

What kind of tank are you going to set-up?

 

[Hop]

Looking great! I really like the build design! it just has a touch of class given the right room.

 

[customshopguy]

Hop, thanks for the encouragement.
Dragonist, the tank is going to be a mixed reef, the wife loves tangs so i am running a very large skimmer with a lot of flow to handle the load. We also have a lot of lps that will be coming over from the 50g. We decided to go with a 3 in sand bed and just fill it with maintenance creatures.
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Clint

 

[Loverotties]

Sounds good!Hope it works out good and easy.

 

[crvz]

looks like a great start so far, keep the updates coming!

 

[customshopguy]

Dead spots

So it's looking like I've got large dead spots under my rock mounds, suprise. I am trying something different with this tank setup in that I put the rock in first, then poured the sand up to it but in the rock mounds there is no sand, it is BB inside the mounds. The problem is i can see detritus collecting in these BB spots.
I am running a hammerhead pump so I am sure i can add another outlet off the pump manifold. Should I take another line off the manifold and run it over the overflow, down the back, and then maybe have a pipe with holes drilled in the bottom of it run the entire bottom of the tank? This is the only simple solution I could come up with, it would be much easier to do now while the tank is still cycling.
Let me know what you guys think of this plan or if you would try something different.
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Clint

 

[Dragonist]

In regards to help with the dead spots, I'm more like xtreme novice w/ reef equipment. What i do with and dead spots in my tank when blow sand a detritus of rocks(if i see any i get to blowing). Due to you have no sand in the areas i will get the turkey baster and suck it up personally! Alsomy clean up grew also(my gulf of mexico hermit(i have a total of 4 hermits in my 55g)usually gets in my deadspots and shifts the sand(i assume eating) detritus.

 

[Jadinop]

The return pump should be used primarily for filtration, what you need is circulation or in tank flow. For a tank that size, you are not going to be able to get enough flow using the return pump alone without putting massive amounts of flow through your sump. A closed loop or wave makers (Vortechs, Tunze, etc.) are going to be needed to get the water moving sufficently in your tank.

Looking at your plumbing pics, I think see a problem. The return pump intake should be connected to the sump with a pipe 1.5 times bigger than the pump fitting. It's hard to tell but it looks to me like you have a reducing fitting and some vinyl tubing connecting the pump to the sump.

Just doublechecked the specs, the Hammerhead pump has a 1.5" threaded fitting on the input/output. You should have no less than a 2" pipe feeding that pump.

 

[customshopguy]

Your info sounds about right, I am trying to make this sump work because I picked it up for cheap and it only has a 1 in outlet. To go larger I would have to drill the sump but I have never had any luck drilling acrylic, always seems to crack on me. I will do some research on the closed loop this sounds like an attractive alternative. Thanks for the advise.
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Clint

 

[customshopguy]

Ok so I did some research and it looks like a hang over back closed loop setup is the way to go.

?'s
Can i keep my current 1" outlet for my sump and put a 2" inlet pipe on the pump as you suggested and t the 1" from the hob closed loop into it?
Are there any restrictions on how for under the water the inlet or outlet for the closed loop have to be?
Can I use black abs vent pipe for the closed loop, the under the water portion anyways?
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Clint

 

[customshopguy]

I'm sorry, I meant any restriction on how for under the water they CAN be, im trying to direct flow under my rock mounds in my bare bottom spots.