Life after the fire...

ScottC · 12/08/2007, 08:23 PM

My tank had a bit of misfortune over the summer.

While moving into my new house, I had my friend keep my tank and all it's inhabitants at his LFS for a few months. Not soon before taking re-delivery of my stsyem, there was a smoldering electrical fire at his shop and I lost almost everything in it.

Problem was, the fire happened on one of the hottest nights in July, so when the power went out, the tank turned into a big glass coffin (and it smelled like the inside on one, too!) I didn't have anything burn, just lots of soot all over the canopy and stand.

Here's a few pics of the tank the way it looked while in the old house, including the plumbing outside in the garage (just on the other side of the wall from the aquarium)

Just moved in, had to install the tank within hours of arriving from FL to SC. That was a fun drive!

New wall paint (that changed quickly)

One of the last pics of the tank. You can see the progress of growth of all the coral in the tank, one of the most apparent, at least to me, was the large bubble coral on the left hand side of the tank. It went from the size of a racketball when I got it 5 years earlier to larger than a football.

This is the filtration system in the garage. Left to right...
65g RO/DI storage, 90 GPD Spectrapure RO/DI, GRI 518 mix/transfer pump, CSL 1/3hp chiller, Aquadyne Octopus controller, RK2 system pump, 300g sump.

ScottC · 12/08/2007, 08:24 PM

So after I cleaned up all the woodwork, I set the tank back up. The only thing I found alive in the tank was a brittle star and an astrea snail. The rock was still in good shape, but it was stripped of all its coralline algae. I staged the rock in two separate islands, with a nice space in between them for a few clams.

Here is the same equipment listed above set up in the new garage. One thing I did differently here was I ran a dedicated circuit for all of the equipment. It keeps me from blowing fuses, and is just much safer.

The mix/return pump is on a switch

ScottC · 12/08/2007, 08:25 PM

The lighting circuit runs through the wall to right on top of the canopy on the ither side of the wall. The 15A circuit is plenty for the 2 140w actinic VHOs and 2 250W halides.

Another shot of the garage. All of the plumbing is designed to come completely apart with minimal headaches. I used all true union ball valves and gate valves. The components can be removed without shutting off the entire system.

As far as the mix/return system, the RO/DI fills the 65g storage unit. I add salt into the top of it, turn on the mix pump and let it rip overnight. The next day I hook up a garden hose to the hose bibb just above the main system pump, shut off the gate valve to the tank's returns and drain the sump down 65g.

I then turn the valve off that returns water from the mix pump to the storave vat and turn on the valve from the mix pump to the sump. Super easy!

This is the manifold for the Aquadyne sensors (3), plus one for the chiller temp sensor.

ScottC · 12/08/2007, 08:26 PM

Inside of the sump sits 2 Red Sea berlin skimmers (I'm in the market for a new skimmer, these 2 are not cutting it) and a filter sock. The wires are for the skimmer's powerheads.

Shots of the panel box

The large grey PVC piping holds the wiring that goes into the top of the panel box and up into the attic.

Here are some livestock pictures. I'm just about where I want to be with fish, and close to where I want to be with corals.

6" Deresa

5" Maxima

Firefish and Desjardini Sailfin

ScottC · 12/08/2007, 08:26 PM

Branching Hammer and Frogspawn

Xenia

BiColor Blenny

Bubble and Toadstool

Yellow and male Blonde Naso Tangs

Torch and Bubble

ScottC · 12/08/2007, 08:27 PM

Clown, Hippo, Orange Shoulder Tang, and Branching Hammer

Tangs posing in front of "Acro Island"

Clown Fairy Wrasse

Platygyra

ScottC · 12/08/2007, 08:28 PM

Torch

Red Open Brain

Rainfordi Goby

Bluejaw Trigger

My fish list:

Yellow Tang
Hippo Tang
Orange Shoulder Tang
Male Blonde Naso Tang
Desjardini Sailfin Tang
Lawnmower Blenny
BiColor Blenny
2 FireFish
2 False Percs
Yellow Clown Goby
Rainfordi Goby
Clown Fairy Wrasse
Bluwjaw Trigger

Corals:

Metallic Hammer, wall and branching
Metallic Torch
Metallic Green Bubble
Light Green Bubble
Red Open Brain
Green Open Brain
Green Star Polyps
Xenia Elongata
Platygyra
6 assorted colored Acros

Inverts:

Deresa
Maxima
Peppermint Shrimp
Cleaner Shrimp
Hermits
Brittle Star

Hope you enjoy the pics, and if you have any questions, please ask!!!

Scott

Agu · 12/08/2007, 08:39 PM

Nice tank and great clean setup !

DewDropPony · 12/08/2007, 08:56 PM

Man I wish I had that much extra cash just lying around...

Jeff · 12/08/2007, 09:19 PM

Very nice comeback

pledosophy · 12/09/2007, 01:26 AM

Keep it up!

Hop · 12/09/2007, 01:58 AM

Nice rebound! Things are looking good!

ScottC · 12/09/2007, 07:39 AM

Thanks everyone! I didn't post to show off, just to maybe give some ideas to the community.

pgammon · 12/09/2007, 08:09 AM

Agree, very nice, did you build the stand yourself?

seansod · 12/09/2007, 08:56 AM

Looks great. Where did you get your mix tank and sump?

Tony

greenhut · 12/09/2007, 09:09 AM

That's one of the nicest wet room setups I have ever seen - nice work!

ScottC · 12/09/2007, 09:43 AM

I built the canopy from scratch and the stand is a face lift on an old pine cheap-o model. The doors were bought from a cabinet supply house out of WI for $25 a piece!!! Real raised panel, too! If you do an internet search there are plenty of places to find them.

I ordered the RO storage tank from Tractor Supply about 4 years ago. It was about $110 and if you have the room for it, I say go for it!

dwd5813 · 12/09/2007, 09:48 AM

thats a very impressive setup you have there, sorry to hear about the fire but it looks like you're well on your way to another stunning tank. good luck with everything!

usmc121581 · 12/09/2007, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DewDropPony
Man I wish I had that much extra cash just lying around...

You dont need all the money up front. Just buy a little at a time. I didnt get were I am that way. But sry to hear about your friends shop, but a good rebound. You set up gave me the perfect idea how I will set mine up when I move back down to SC. Hope you dont mind if I borrow it. LOL

Rue · 12/09/2007, 10:08 AM

Nice tank...both before and after...sorry about the fire...that must have been just devastating!

ScottC · 12/09/2007, 02:09 PM

Thanks for all the compliments, and please feel free to use any of my ideas... just ask if you have any questions!!

mcrist · 12/10/2007, 02:30 PM

Love your setup....nice clean equipment room. I agree you really need to replace your skimmers.

Can you explain the plumbing in your sump where the water enters and you have a pipe doing an upside down U above the filter sock?

ScottC · 12/10/2007, 04:07 PM

In case I ever forget to clean a dirty filter sock the water has an "emergency" route. A dirty filter sock can't keep up with the water coming in from the standpipes, so instead of backing up in the tank and spilling onto the hardwoods, it goes through the "U" above the sock.

mcrist · 12/10/2007, 04:18 PM

Makes sense...thanks

ScottC · 03/10/2011, 06:30 PM

need to upload some new pics....

12/08/2007, 08:23 PM	#1
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	Life after the fire... My tank had a bit of misfortune over the summer. While moving into my new house, I had my friend keep my tank and all it's inhabitants at his LFS for a few months. Not soon before taking re-delivery of my stsyem, there was a smoldering electrical fire at his shop and I lost almost everything in it. Problem was, the fire happened on one of the hottest nights in July, so when the power went out, the tank turned into a big glass coffin (and it smelled like the inside on one, too!) I didn't have anything burn, just lots of soot all over the canopy and stand. Here's a few pics of the tank the way it looked while in the old house, including the plumbing outside in the garage (just on the other side of the wall from the aquarium) Just moved in, had to install the tank within hours of arriving from FL to SC. That was a fun drive! New wall paint (that changed quickly) One of the last pics of the tank. You can see the progress of growth of all the coral in the tank, one of the most apparent, at least to me, was the large bubble coral on the left hand side of the tank. It went from the size of a racketball when I got it 5 years earlier to larger than a football. This is the filtration system in the garage. Left to right... 65g RO/DI storage, 90 GPD Spectrapure RO/DI, GRI 518 mix/transfer pump, CSL 1/3hp chiller, Aquadyne Octopus controller, RK2 system pump, 300g sump.

12/08/2007, 08:39 PM	#8
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	Nice tank and great clean setup ! __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

12/08/2007, 09:19 PM	#10
Jeff Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 11,907	Very nice comeback __________________ Always remember.... any time you reef, you also reef with every reefer that reefer has reefed with. Mitch 2/18/10 IWNFT343F Current Tank Info: Innovative Marine 20

12/09/2007, 01:26 AM	#11
pledosophy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Beaverton Posts: 5,290	Keep it up! __________________ 120g mixed reef 90g QT

12/09/2007, 01:58 AM	#12
Hop Carpe Noctem!!! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 8,548	Nice rebound! Things are looking good! __________________ Hop Current Tank Info: 300-gallon in-wall system (mixed reef)

12/08/2007, 08:24 PM	#2
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	So after I cleaned up all the woodwork, I set the tank back up. The only thing I found alive in the tank was a brittle star and an astrea snail. The rock was still in good shape, but it was stripped of all its coralline algae. I staged the rock in two separate islands, with a nice space in between them for a few clams. Here is the same equipment listed above set up in the new garage. One thing I did differently here was I ran a dedicated circuit for all of the equipment. It keeps me from blowing fuses, and is just much safer. The mix/return pump is on a switch

12/08/2007, 08:25 PM	#3
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	The lighting circuit runs through the wall to right on top of the canopy on the ither side of the wall. The 15A circuit is plenty for the 2 140w actinic VHOs and 2 250W halides. Another shot of the garage. All of the plumbing is designed to come completely apart with minimal headaches. I used all true union ball valves and gate valves. The components can be removed without shutting off the entire system. As far as the mix/return system, the RO/DI fills the 65g storage unit. I add salt into the top of it, turn on the mix pump and let it rip overnight. The next day I hook up a garden hose to the hose bibb just above the main system pump, shut off the gate valve to the tank's returns and drain the sump down 65g. I then turn the valve off that returns water from the mix pump to the storave vat and turn on the valve from the mix pump to the sump. Super easy! This is the manifold for the Aquadyne sensors (3), plus one for the chiller temp sensor.

12/08/2007, 08:26 PM	#4
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	Inside of the sump sits 2 Red Sea berlin skimmers (I'm in the market for a new skimmer, these 2 are not cutting it) and a filter sock. The wires are for the skimmer's powerheads. Shots of the panel box The large grey PVC piping holds the wiring that goes into the top of the panel box and up into the attic. Here are some livestock pictures. I'm just about where I want to be with fish, and close to where I want to be with corals. 6" Deresa 5" Maxima Firefish and Desjardini Sailfin

12/08/2007, 08:26 PM	#5
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	Branching Hammer and Frogspawn Xenia BiColor Blenny Bubble and Toadstool Yellow and male Blonde Naso Tangs Torch and Bubble

12/08/2007, 08:27 PM	#6
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	Clown, Hippo, Orange Shoulder Tang, and Branching Hammer Tangs posing in front of "Acro Island" Clown Fairy Wrasse Platygyra

12/08/2007, 08:28 PM	#7
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	Torch Red Open Brain Rainfordi Goby Bluejaw Trigger My fish list: Yellow Tang Hippo Tang Orange Shoulder Tang Male Blonde Naso Tang Desjardini Sailfin Tang Lawnmower Blenny BiColor Blenny 2 FireFish 2 False Percs Yellow Clown Goby Rainfordi Goby Clown Fairy Wrasse Bluwjaw Trigger Corals: Metallic Hammer, wall and branching Metallic Torch Metallic Green Bubble Light Green Bubble Red Open Brain Green Open Brain Green Star Polyps Xenia Elongata Platygyra 6 assorted colored Acros Inverts: Deresa Maxima Peppermint Shrimp Cleaner Shrimp Hermits Brittle Star Hope you enjoy the pics, and if you have any questions, please ask!!! Scott

12/08/2007, 08:56 PM	#9
DewDropPony Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Wixom, MI Posts: 88	Man I wish I had that much extra cash just lying around...

12/09/2007, 07:39 AM	#13
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	Thanks everyone! I didn't post to show off, just to maybe give some ideas to the community.

12/09/2007, 08:09 AM	#14
pgammon Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Eastover, SC Posts: 282	Agree, very nice, did you build the stand yourself?

12/09/2007, 08:56 AM	#15
seansod Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, Va. Posts: 135	Looks great. Where did you get your mix tank and sump? Tony Last edited by seansod; 12/09/2007 at 09:06 AM.

12/09/2007, 09:09 AM	#16
greenhut Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 53	That's one of the nicest wet room setups I have ever seen - nice work!

12/09/2007, 09:43 AM	#17
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	I built the canopy from scratch and the stand is a face lift on an old pine cheap-o model. The doors were bought from a cabinet supply house out of WI for $25 a piece!!! Real raised panel, too! If you do an internet search there are plenty of places to find them. I ordered the RO storage tank from Tractor Supply about 4 years ago. It was about $110 and if you have the room for it, I say go for it!

12/09/2007, 09:48 AM	#18
dwd5813 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: 813 Posts: 2,827	thats a very impressive setup you have there, sorry to hear about the fire but it looks like you're well on your way to another stunning tank. good luck with everything! __________________ order some golf shoes, otherwise we'll never get out of this place alive. what can i say? in dog beers, i have only had one. - dublo8 Current Tank Info: 40B aiptasia farm

12/09/2007, 10:08 AM	#20
Rue Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Saskatchewan Canada Posts: 938	Nice tank...both before and after...sorry about the fire...that must have been just devastating! __________________ Authorized Pistol Shrimp/Goby Matchmaker... Current Tank Info: RSM 34g; 27g custom frag tank coming soon! FW: 25g community, 55g goldfish, 25l plakat

12/09/2007, 02:09 PM	#21
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	Thanks for all the compliments, and please feel free to use any of my ideas... just ask if you have any questions!!

12/10/2007, 02:30 PM	#22
mcrist Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania Posts: 1,598	Love your setup....nice clean equipment room. I agree you really need to replace your skimmers. Can you explain the plumbing in your sump where the water enters and you have a pipe doing an upside down U above the filter sock? __________________ Mark Current Tank Info: 450 Gallon Peninsula

12/10/2007, 04:07 PM	#23
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	In case I ever forget to clean a dirty filter sock the water has an "emergency" route. A dirty filter sock can't keep up with the water coming in from the standpipes, so instead of backing up in the tank and spilling onto the hardwoods, it goes through the "U" above the sock.

12/10/2007, 04:18 PM	#24
mcrist Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania Posts: 1,598	Makes sense...thanks __________________ Mark Current Tank Info: 450 Gallon Peninsula

03/10/2011, 06:30 PM	#25
ScottC Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greer, SC Posts: 140	need to upload some new pics....