Dugless/TimothyJ 250DD Build

TimothyJ · 05/02/2012, 11:10 PM

Back in October, my brother and I began constructing a stand and fish tank room in the basement. The tank is a Marineland 250 gallon deep dimension. The idea is to have the front glass and the sides back to the overflows visible to the room. Here is a photo journal of the progress to this point and a small description of the photos and equipment being used.

Tank, stand and sump getting setup.

Walls and electrical going up.

TimothyJ · 05/02/2012, 11:11 PM

Next is all the plumbing for the tank.

After we had all of the plumbing situated and ready to go, we progressed on to the lighting and pumps. We built the light rack out of angle aluminum from Home Depot and cut it to the size needed. We then used a drill press to put holes in the corners of the two "boxes" so we could use eye hooks to connect everything. This allows us to raise each corner independently to make sure the light rack is perfectly level with the tank.

After getting the lights in place we got the tank filled with water and a few Tunze pumps running to get everything ready for the move from the 125 to the new 250.

TimothyJ · 05/02/2012, 11:12 PM

By this time we were just in to 2012. As my brother started moving over rock and such from the previous tank, I was setting up the Apex Controller and Tunze ATO.

TimothyJ · 05/02/2012, 11:12 PM

Everything up and running for the tank. All corals and fish moved.

Skimmer getting broken in.

Sump.

TimothyJ · 05/02/2012, 11:13 PM

These photos were taken yesterday. I hope to keep this build thread up to date as the tank grows up with time.
FTS

Left half of the tank

Right half of the tank

View of the right side of the tank

View of the left side of the tank

View from behind the tank

sasharotty · 05/03/2012, 07:12 PM

Looks fantastic. Was it hard to tune in the sro using the overflow? Im thinking about doing that but always heard of what a pita it is to tune. I will be running a 3000ext. It would be great to remove a pump from the equation.

Dugless · 05/03/2012, 09:36 PM

I thought it was going to be rough because the first 3-4 weeks it was all over the place. It is pretty consistent now, thinking it just needed to break in. The only caveat currently is the plumbing is downsized to 3/4". It took some finagling to get the hard plumbing to marry with the skimmer and the only way I could get it connected was to downsize to 3/4". I have to close the gate valve more than I would like to get the water level where I need it, but it does produce well now so I haven't revisited it. My previous DAS EX2 was fed from the overflow.

bikeboss11 · 05/03/2012, 09:57 PM

Sweet set up,,,, very weird but kool idea for a sump.. Keep the updates coming

TimothyJ · 05/03/2012, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikeboss11

Sweet set up,,,, very weird but kool idea for a sump.. Keep the updates coming

While original thinking was a large body of water for the sump would be better, we are contemplating putting in a more traditional tank for a sump in the not too distant future. The surface area of the current one leads to more evaporation than wanted, not to mention the foot print of area that is stolen which could be used in a more logical way.

TimothyJ · 05/05/2012, 10:54 PM

Earlier this week I picked up a Kessil A150W from a member on ReefCentral. I have put it over the sump to start growing out frags on the frag rack that is currently just hanging out in the sump. I am looking forward to see what kind of growth we get from it.

TimothyJ · 06/18/2012, 10:21 PM

Just a quick update. Here are a few photos that I took tonight:

Left front

Right front

Couple closer up

Left side

Right side

TimothyJ · 06/18/2012, 10:23 PM

A couple even closer:

Rainbow Monti

Favia

Lpabsolute · 06/19/2012, 08:58 PM

Very impressive

TimothyJ · 06/20/2012, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lpabsolute

Very impressive

Thanks!

jt48 · 06/20/2012, 07:27 PM

Very Nice, hope to be there someday.

EnV · 07/16/2012, 10:52 PM

Awesome build, saw it on newage

TimothyJ · 07/19/2012, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EnV

Awesome build, saw it on newage

Thanks!

deepblue68 · 07/25/2012, 05:15 PM

awesome tank!! good luck with everything.

hackney · 07/25/2012, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timothyj

Man that's a lot of salt

TimothyJ · 11/21/2012, 12:11 AM

Took a couple macro shots of the tank last night. Hope you enjoy!

Pot of Gold Favia

Random Brain Coral

Close up of same Brain Coral

Miami Hurricane Chalice

Random SPS

Blue Hoeki SPS

All photos are unaltered.

salali · 11/21/2012, 02:16 AM

The stand is amazing great job.

What are the dimensions of the stand?

What type of paint did you use for the stand?

Dugless · 11/21/2012, 09:47 AM

The stand is L60.375" x W36.5" x H35.25". After measuring tank dimensions, I constructed the stand 1/8" larger in length and width to allow for later trim work, albeit further down the road. It was also overbuilt with excessive wood and pocket hole joinery, but that ensures piece of mind. Lumber is cheap.
The paint is nothing fancy, just an interior semi-gloss to seal the wood up. Really, unless you have an enclosed humid environment, interior paint will work fine.

TimothyJ · 04/15/2013, 10:31 PM

Well, it has been forever since I posted some tank shots. Just a couple from last night.

jt48 · 04/15/2013, 10:51 PM

Very nice, although i ultimately did not go with a dd, i have always been fond of the 250. Looks great.

TimothyJ · 04/15/2013, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jt48

Very nice, although i ultimately did not go with a dd, i have always been fond of the 250. Looks great.

Thanks. Looks like you have a decent size tank per your signature!

05/02/2012, 11:10 PM	#1
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	Dugless/TimothyJ 250DD Build Back in October, my brother and I began constructing a stand and fish tank room in the basement. The tank is a Marineland 250 gallon deep dimension. The idea is to have the front glass and the sides back to the overflows visible to the room. Here is a photo journal of the progress to this point and a small description of the photos and equipment being used. Tank, stand and sump getting setup. Walls and electrical going up. __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

05/02/2012, 11:11 PM	#2
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	Next is all the plumbing for the tank. After we had all of the plumbing situated and ready to go, we progressed on to the lighting and pumps. We built the light rack out of angle aluminum from Home Depot and cut it to the size needed. We then used a drill press to put holes in the corners of the two "boxes" so we could use eye hooks to connect everything. This allows us to raise each corner independently to make sure the light rack is perfectly level with the tank. After getting the lights in place we got the tank filled with water and a few Tunze pumps running to get everything ready for the move from the 125 to the new 250. __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

05/02/2012, 11:12 PM	#3
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	By this time we were just in to 2012. As my brother started moving over rock and such from the previous tank, I was setting up the Apex Controller and Tunze ATO. __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

05/02/2012, 11:12 PM	#4
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	Everything up and running for the tank. All corals and fish moved. Skimmer getting broken in. Sump. __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

05/02/2012, 11:13 PM	#5
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	These photos were taken yesterday. I hope to keep this build thread up to date as the tank grows up with time. FTS Left half of the tank Right half of the tank View of the right side of the tank View of the left side of the tank View from behind the tank __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

05/03/2012, 07:12 PM	#6
sasharotty Moved on to my couch Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: se michigan Posts: 1,065	Looks fantastic. Was it hard to tune in the sro using the overflow? Im thinking about doing that but always heard of what a pita it is to tune. I will be running a 3000ext. It would be great to remove a pump from the equation. __________________ Go big or go home!!!! Current Tank Info: Just loungin

05/03/2012, 09:36 PM	#7
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	I thought it was going to be rough because the first 3-4 weeks it was all over the place. It is pretty consistent now, thinking it just needed to break in. The only caveat currently is the plumbing is downsized to 3/4". It took some finagling to get the hard plumbing to marry with the skimmer and the only way I could get it connected was to downsize to 3/4". I have to close the gate valve more than I would like to get the water level where I need it, but it does produce well now so I haven't revisited it. My previous DAS EX2 was fed from the overflow.

05/03/2012, 09:57 PM	#8
bikeboss11 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NY Posts: 73	Sweet set up,,,, very weird but kool idea for a sump.. Keep the updates coming

05/05/2012, 10:54 PM	#10
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	Earlier this week I picked up a Kessil A150W from a member on ReefCentral. I have put it over the sump to start growing out frags on the frag rack that is currently just hanging out in the sump. I am looking forward to see what kind of growth we get from it. __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

06/18/2012, 10:21 PM	#11
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	Just a quick update. Here are a few photos that I took tonight: Left front Right front Couple closer up Left side Right side __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

06/18/2012, 10:23 PM	#12
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	A couple even closer: Rainbow Monti Favia __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

06/19/2012, 08:58 PM	#13
Lpabsolute Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Johns Island, SC Posts: 2,021	Very impressive __________________ "Do not float above me when I'm drowning in the abyss......float away from me.........float away" Current Tank Info: 54g Corner Reef Tank......and......5.5g Nano Reef Tank......and......20g Long Reef Tank.......and......27g Cube

06/20/2012, 07:27 PM	#15
jt48 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Richboro Pa 18954 Posts: 762	Very Nice, hope to be there someday.

07/16/2012, 10:52 PM	#16
EnV Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 68	Awesome build, saw it on newage

07/25/2012, 05:15 PM	#18
deepblue68 Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: wanaque,n.j. Posts: 819 Blog Entries: 1	awesome tank!! good luck with everything.

11/21/2012, 12:11 AM	#20
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	Took a couple macro shots of the tank last night. Hope you enjoy! Pot of Gold Favia Random Brain Coral Close up of same Brain Coral Miami Hurricane Chalice Miami Hurricane Chalice Random SPS Blue Hoeki SPS All photos are unaltered. __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

11/21/2012, 02:16 AM	#21
salali Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 291	The stand is amazing great job. What are the dimensions of the stand? What type of paint did you use for the stand?

11/21/2012, 09:47 AM	#22
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	The stand is L60.375" x W36.5" x H35.25". After measuring tank dimensions, I constructed the stand 1/8" larger in length and width to allow for later trim work, albeit further down the road. It was also overbuilt with excessive wood and pocket hole joinery, but that ensures piece of mind. Lumber is cheap. The paint is nothing fancy, just an interior semi-gloss to seal the wood up. Really, unless you have an enclosed humid environment, interior paint will work fine.

04/15/2013, 10:31 PM	#23
TimothyJ Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 634	Well, it has been forever since I posted some tank shots. Just a couple from last night. __________________ My Tank: Deep Blue 30 Gallon Frag Tank, 8 x 24 ATI Powermodule with two Reef Brite XHO LED Strips, Three MP10wes Pumps Brothers Tank: Marineland 250DD

04/15/2013, 10:51 PM	#24
jt48 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Richboro Pa 18954 Posts: 762	Very nice, although i ultimately did not go with a dd, i have always been fond of the 250. Looks great. __________________ My 900 Gallon System Setup. 75% of 344 DT to 125 to 60 refugium to two 40 breeders to 150 sump. 25% of 344 DT to 135 to a 75 to 150 sump. Filtration includes passive filtration pads, skimmer, ca