Barely made the club but time for my 180 upgrade (Warning: Progress may be slow)

[nightOwl]

After having my 90 up and running for a few years the time has come to start the upgrade process. I am a procrastinator so I will admit to this early on. I will also admit I am not much of a planner so this thread will help me document what goes wrong more so than what goes right. Back in March I pulled the trigger on a used tank, stand, lights, etc.

The tank has been on the floor of my basement since March of this year, but I have been dragging my feet on doing anything. Due to the layout of my basement I was torn between putting it same place as my 90 or on the other side of room. Well after a little debating I decide I would put it behind the wall. So let’s play a little catch up…

Before the insanity started....
65


Both tanks


90 and 20


Early March - 2010 – Somehow I decided it would be a fantastic idea to tear up all the carpet in the basement (first sign of scope creep). New tank = new basement look and feel how could I go wrong? This is flawed logic! With my new tank the existing couch did not fit in so I threw it out and moved the TV up stairs to the first floor (more scope creep). I spent the next few weeks banging my head on the wall thinking why I did something so stupid and was it possible to get my couch back.

4/24/2010 – A whole was born. I completely removed the basement closet and drywall from the side wall.


9/19/2010 – Removed old framing.


10/10/2010 – Re-framed wall and hung drywall.








10/11/ 2010 – Put up drywall tape.

[nightOwl]

10/12/2010 – Started patching drywall.


10/16/2010 – Cut bottom of the wall to run 2 20 amp circuit breaks to the back room.


10/25/2010 – Cut holes for recessed lighting (more scope creep) the cool thing is they are on a remote controlled dimmer .


10/27/2010 – Picked up trim pack for recessed lighting and wired cans.

[nightOwl]

Now let’s fast forward to today. I will be looking for suggestions and hints on what pit falls to avoid along this journey. Even though I am sure I have already created some. One thing I see is scope creep. What started off as buy new tank and transfer contents is slowly building into a monster. I am going to try to consolidate a few threads into this one today so please bear with me.

Here are the items I have already and I am sure I will need more things as this build goes along. Please provide any input or suggestions on anything I may have missed.

1 -180 gallon tank euro braced two drilled holes for overflow already
1- Custom stand
1 - ReefSnapper pump
2 - 300W heaters
2 – Used VHO Super Actinic Bulbs
3 – Radium 400W Bulbs
3 – Reflectors
1 – Custom built Calcium Reactor and C02 Regulator
1 - Custom sump....to big for under stand
51 lbs of Pukani dry rock

Things I need to decide on:

• Controller - Leaning toward Apex
• Finalized Fish List will post the version 1.0 later
• Skimmer - Thinking one of the Reef Octopus skimmers
• New Sump that will fit under stand
• Plumbing - I am dreading this one
• Lighting Fixture/Rig for lights

Thanks in advance and please bare with me as I drag this thing out.

Henry

[SPotter]

tagging along with tremendous envy! hoping the approval stamp comes out so I can get a larger tank too!

[nightOwl]

Steve thanks for tagging along.

Not much progress since I am doing some research on the new skimmer and waiting for Coralvue to get back to me on a question I had on a skimmer. I have narrowed it down to that brand now just need a model.

v 1.1 of my proposed fish list I got some input from another thread I had.

Currently Have
1 - Yellow Tang
1 - Mated pair of False Clowns
3 - Glass/Longfin/Blue eyed Cardinal

Want
1 - Blue Spotted Jawfish
1 - Mated pair Mandarins
2 or 4 - Glass/Longfin/Blue eyed Cardinal
2 or 3 - Flasher wrasses or Fairy wrasses (need ones that eat from the water column and will not compete with my Mandarin pair)
5 - Lyretail Anthias
1 - Other tang that does not get too large ( Thinking Chevron or Kole or Tomini tang)

Is there any order I should add the fish in?

[Jorgens]

I have a very simliar set up going. One thing I would change is my sump. I am looking to get an external skimmer so I can use the entire 55g sup for a fuge. While I had plenty of pods before, I would like to increase my bio-load.

In a 180 with a healthy fuge you should be able to keep a pair of mandarins and a 6-line. I did for a numbe of years an I also fed plankton to the tank. I don't use a controller of any type, just a few timers for the lights and skimmer.

400w bulbs may be a bit extreme 250 work great and heat the water up plenty. I have 2-300w heaters as well but really don't need them even in winter in Wisconsin.
PM me and I can get you my phone number if you'd like to chat about expierences. By no means am I an expert thought. I can just tell youwhat I've done whats worked and not worked for me. Had a mixed reef and getting back into it after a year off.

[jpsika08]

Great project, tagging along.

[nightOwl]

Jorgens - What skimmer did you run on your set up?

I am hoping the 400W bulbs will be good since I plan on having a screen on top of tank to keep the BSJF and the trio of flasher wrasses from jumping out. I figure the light penetration I will loose due to the screen for the jumpers the extra wattage by the 400W bulbs will help.

In regards to the heaters I hope I don't need them as much, but my tank will be in the unfinished part of my basement. Currently the when I come downstairs in the morning I see the heater is on in my 90 and I keep the house at 77 degrees. In the past when I quarantined my fish that area of the basement was cooler. I think in general my basement is just cooler by a few degrees. I hope by having two they will be able to heat the water fast to keep the temperature more consistent.

jpsika08 - Thanks for tagging along

My Flasher Wrasse nominees
Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
Blue Flasher Wrasse
Red Tailed Flasher Wrasse

I also saw a Peacock Flaser Wrasse but can not find much info on them. If anyone knows please inform me.

Skimmer Update

More good new on the Skimmer front. Coralvue seems to have great sales service. Brandi the account rep sent me a breakdown of the skimmers that I could use on my suggested setup in all three price ranges. I wish they had the information on the website but its good they respond pretty fast. For those that did not know they have three price levels.

Beginner - Octopus models
Mid Level - Extreme XS models
Expert - Super Reef

Just have to decide on which one to pick. The main difference seems to be the pump used.

Controller Update

For those that do not know the customer service at Neptune Systems is top notch! I was emailing Curt back and forth yesterday and he was responding so fast I felt I was the most important customer. I know they receive a ton of emails, but Curt takes the time to answer all of your questions and never seems to rush you. Based on the items I want to control he suggested that I purchase the Apex System and then two EB4s and an additional EB8 or use my existing DC8. I was curious as to why two Eb4's and not three EB8. Curt recommended that the 2 - 300W heaters, chiller, and 3 - 400W MH all be controlled by our EB4 to balance the load. Sounds good to me .

This is the list of items I told Curt I would be controlling

3 - 400W MH
1 - Skimmer (Still deciding type) - leaning toward Reef Octopus
2 - VHO Super Actinic
3 - Moonlights
2 - 300W Heaters
1 - 1/2 HP Inline Chiller
1 - Custom Calcium Reactor
1 - Kalk Reactor
1 - Return Pump
1 - Light for sump/fuge
3 - Two Little Fishes Media Reactors (Carbon, GFO, Purigen sometimes)
2/4 - Fans
Frag tank?
1 - Red Sea Wavemaker (may not use on new tank)
2 - MP10 (may not use on new tank)

I may try to decide on the trim around the tank today.

[Lucidbeam]

Nice start. Tagging along also

[jpsika08]

Great update, for the skimmer the Super Reef Octopus XP-3000 ext is a great choice, I'm going to use the XP-5000 ext. For the price, there are few similar options out there.


Also, I have the Apex controller with 2 EB8's and it works great I will be adding more power modules, interesting about the 2 EB4's

[SPotter]

I also run the the apex, with two eb8's and the pm2 for orp and an extra temp probe that i use to watch the temp in my cabinet. If the temp in that area gets too hot, I have a clip on fan that kicks to cool things off. The apex is awesome because I can check on things from remote locations as well. Curt has been a tremendous resource for help.

[nightOwl]

Lucidbeam - Welcome aboard.

jpsika08 - I think Curt recommended the high wattage items on the EB4's since they are supposed to have the heavy duty relays in them. While using the EB8 will handle it I think the EB4's might be better suited for it. I think it's more for spreading out the items over multiple units.

SPotter - I will have read up on ORP are you running ozone? Do you still need the AquaNotes Software with the Apex? I second the Curt comment!

Trim Update - Decision Made

So Thursday (11/11) I journeyed to Home Depot to look at trim for the "giant hole" in the wall. I think it is starting to get bad because one the sales associates asked about my progress on the tank. So after an hour of looking at possible candidates I cut a few pieces to bring home and evaluate. I hung each of them up for about an hour or so and left the room coming back a few times to see if I was impressed with the look or not.

1.


2.


3.


I decided on number 1 as it does not look cheap and gives the opening a little character. I did not like number 2 since I am not going for the "picture on the wall look" and that reminded me of a picture frame. Number 3 was just too busy to me after I put it up. It is a combination of two trims, in the store I was thinking it would be the "one" but, after I got home it became my second choice. I like number 1 so much I am going to redo the trim around my door in the basement as well . More scope creep.

Skimmer Update - Decision Made

I have weighed my options on price and quality and I am going to order the SRO3000INT. I am going to to see if anyone is running a Black Friday sale hopefully I can save a few bucks. Now that I have decided on the skimmer I can start to design my sump next .

A few of the highlights of the SRO3000INT
- Dimensions: 14.5”x10”x24” - I like the footprint it will leave me with some space in my sump.
- Rated up to 300gal. - Probably overrated but I may have a heavily stocked tank when all is said and done.
- Features the new Bubble Blaster HY3000S - I have heard great things about this pump as well as a few issues but Coralvue seems to resolve the issues quickly. Only time will tell if the customer service is as good as the sales support.
- 3 year warranty on Bubble Blaster pump.
- 1 year warranty on skimmer.
- Lifetime warranty on support.

Controller Update - Decision Made

Apex is going to be my choice for the controller I had another thread I started before creating this one to get a feel of what people were using on 180 or bigger. You can read through the thread here. So far Apex is one the top suggested controllers. I will also place an order for this next week sometime, pending Black Friday sales . I have been happy with my AC Jr but now it is time to upgrade. I may still keep it around for my QT set up.

Aquascape v1.0 - New

I played around with the new dry Pukani rock I have and some old rock from my 65 gal tank. This stuff is so light and porous I really like it. I think I like one side and will try to get some snaps of it this weekend. Not sure if I want just two mounds or something else interesting. I want room for the fish to swim but lots of places to place coral. I do not plan on keeping much of the rock from my 90 gal tank except to seed the new tank. New tank new start! I am trying to avoid the packed to rim with rock look of my last two tanks.

[aleonn]

I'm also looking forward to the anticipated Black Friday sale. I like how your build thread incorporates how you came up with certain decisions. I may have missed it, but will you be using any controller outlets for in-tank pumps for circulation?

[SPotter]

I'm not running ozone and while orp is extremely difficult to understand I have been able to use it as a guide on my water quality. I don't think I would buy the probe again due to the expense of it. With the apex you don't need any software to see the data. if you want, I can pm you the address to my apex and you can take a look at the charts and everything.

I like your choice on the molding too!

[nightOwl]

aleonn - I say I'm not much of a planner but some things I like to think out a little...lol. I am not sure if I will using any of the controller outlets right off the bat. I think I am going to buy the Apex which will allow me to control Tunze pumps but at the time I do not have any Tunze pumps. So to answer your question yes but maybe not right away. I currently have a RedSea wavemaker on my 90 controlling various maxi-jets but I am not sure they are going to cut in my 180. I have to read up some more on what the 7095? Tunze multi-controller can do. I looked at some of the variable speed pumps and they are sooooo expensive.

SPotter - With the new tank I think I may need an early indication of when things are going wrong at least initially. I have seen a package with the ORP prob and looks like the probe itself runs $80 or so. How long do they last? I will PM you for the details. I can't wait to get a sneak peek of what I have to look forward to .

Trim Update - Tank Trim Completed

So things have been slow and not much progress has been made. I did manage to finished the trim tonight around the hole in the wall. I must say I am not a carpenter or anything but I stood back and looked and felt kinda proud. I will take pictures tomorrow as I still have to finish the doorway. One side effect of not being a carpenter is even though you buy more than enough trim you somehow manage to come up short. Tomorrow I have another trip to Home Depot to purchase another 35" of trim.

I also plugged up my lights and this thing is going to look sweet once its all said and done!

[nightOwl]

Trim - Update

I still need to caulk the trim but at least I have finished that part of the project. I will finish the caulking around the door and the hole in the wall this week. I forgot to pick up the caulk at Home Depot tonight so that means another trip tomorrow.

Before Trim


After Trim

Aquascape v1.0 - Update

I have to play around with the aquascape some more. I feel I need to vary the height a little between the sides. I don't want to get too high though cause once the corals grow in you will not be able to see the rock work anyway. I think removing the third sturcture will give the fish a nice swimming lane between the two structures. I will continue to play with it until I think it works. Since I am going to have a jawfish in the tank the rock structures will sit on pieces of PVC that sit on eggcrate. This will allow the jawfish to dig without the possibility of toppling over my rockwork.

Left Side




Right Side


Top Down

[nightOwl]

Trim Helper

While trying to hang the trim around the hole in the wall by myself I wanted to ensure I had the same distance of offset around the edges before applying caulk. Since I suck at measuring things I came up with a way that would allow me to put a consistent line around the whole rectangle. I cut a piece of trim off and drilled a hole along one side the size of my pen. Once I found the depth I wanted I pushed the pen in the whole and then slide the tool around each side. It left me with a perfect and evenly spaced line around the frame to which I could line up the trim. I forgot to take a picture before I finished the trim, but the second picture shows how it works.

Recessed Lighting - Update

I selected a basic trim kit for the recessed lighting. The Halo 310W it will give the ceiling a nice clean look when all is said and done. All but two holes are patched in the ceiling now. Scope creep is making me run a secondary coax cable in the ceiling to the other side of the room so I can have a TV on either side.

[jpsika08]

Great news on the skimmer and controller, hopefully you can get a good deal.

The trim looks really good as well as the v1 aquascape.

[SPotter]

V1 looks great! The progress you are making is great!!!! My envy and jealousy grows with each new post you make!!!

[nightOwl]

jpsika08 and SPotter - Thanks for the feedback on the aquascaping .

Tank and Equipment

So what's a upgrade tank without the tank. Now that the hole in the wall is pretty much done I figured I could start looking at the tank and the things I need to get it up and going. The tank is 72" X 24" x 24" and heavy! I made my own flat dollies to move the tank and other heavy items around on I am glad I did. The tank will sit 74" off of the floor. I wanted it to be up higher so it could be a conversation piece while standing and looking at the tank. I cut my pieces of PVC and eggcrate months ago and you can see them in the tank now. These will be covered by the sand and once the aquascape is finalized the excess will be removed. This this will allow areas of nothing but sand and also support for the rockwock should the jawfish decide to dig under it.

I thought of running a closed loop, but I am not sure I want to deal with the possible headaches, plus I will have to drill more holes. I may have a pump hidden under the eggcrate and plumbed with several oulets that simulate the closed loop outputs. The plumbing would be hidden by rock work. Water will flow into the tank over the top with a oceans motion or SCWD. I still need to decide.

The tank was already drilled with two holes. I will have to find out if I have any options on how to plumb it so it will be silent. I am already dreading plumbing as I have never had an external pump before.

This weekend I will work on the sump design a little and decide if I will try to build one myself or have someone build it for me. I think I will hit Melevsreef for some inspiration. I have a foot print of 66" x 18" x 24" to work with under the stand. I got lucky last year and a guy gave the acrylic pieces for a 300 gallon tank. I was so excited! After I picked it up I realized it was in no way thick enough for a 300 gal tank. So now would a good chance to use the acrylic . Now on to the pictures...

Front

Back


Custom Calcium Reactor - Footprint - 14" x 12" x 19"


Kalk Reactor - 20" tall


Reefflo Snapper - 2300 GPH ?


Chiller - 1/2 hp

[nightOwl]

Equipment Purchased - Apex Controller, SRO 3000INT, and Tunze 6105 (2)

Sorry progress has been slow around the holidays between travel and work I have been too tired to work on my side project. I do have a small update though. I am waiting for my new toys to arrive! Black Friday was full of deals from various places. I think SaltyCritter may have had the best deal with 15% off and free shipping . Shawn from there has been great with communicating about the status of my order and making sure I was aware of the backlog they had on the skimmer. Within 30 mins or so of placing my order I received an emaill letting me know the skimmer was on back order from the manufacturer and a suggested alternative if I did not want to wait. Another thing that made me thankful I ordered from them was that he realized I might be ordering the Tunzes to be used with the Apex Controller and had not purchased the required cords. Once again an email was sent with a suggestion to purchase the cord or make my own. No pressure at all to buy from them! With that said I did purchased the SRO 3000INT, an Apex system (std pH, and ORP) , some Spectrum medicated food for my fish that be in quarantine, and two Tunze 6105s. Hopefully by mid December all my new toys will be here.

I finally got around to emailing CoralVue again about the exact dimensions of the skimmer and ideal water depth. The stand I have was not as tall as I thought so I may have to change my sump design a little. Good thing is it only needs 1/2" clearance to remove the cup.

[nightOwl]

Framing - New

So with the holidays things have been pretty busy, but I have managed to make a little progress. Last Wed (12/1) I started to frame a new wall for the fish room. I thought I had an after picture, but looks as though I only have a before picture. I will post an after picture tomorrow. I needed to extend the wall to have something to put a few shelves on. It was just an excuse to buy some new tools.
Before

Partial Shipment from Black Friday Sales

Today there were three boxes on the doorstep so I was excited to get home from work.

Apex Controller with Tunze control wire


One of the Tunzes, some fish food, and frag disks

This was in the third box


I am still waiting for the skimmer 12/8 (fingers crossed) and the other Tunze (no date as of yet).

Top-off Water Reservoir - New

Last night I decided to work on my top-off water reservoir. The planned dimensions were 12"x18"x20". The box will hold around 18 gallons of water once assembled. I was able to get all the pieces cut and tapped together to see how it is going to look. I am not going to pat myself on the back just yet, but it came out just like my design. The cuts look clean and square but we will see how the gluing goes before I give myself the official pat on the back. I need to order some solvent and hinges for the top of the container. I will order those items sometime today.

For anyone cutting acrylic at home I highly recommend the blade I purchased from home depot. It was not that expensive, but the cuts are very nice. This blade made some of the smoothest cuts I have ever seen with my tablesaw. It felt like it was cutting the acrylic like a hot knife through butter. There was no melting the acrylic like in the past when I built a top down box.

Diablo Blade


Water top-off reservoir




I hope to start cutting the sump pieces next. My table saw is small so last night I built and attached an side extension so that the long piece of acrylic will have some support as I make my cuts.

[SPotter]

awesome progress! forget about the holidays and keep working on this!!!!!

[muttley000]

Looking good, wish my basement was usable for a project like this. Looking forward to your progress!

[SPotter]

I wish my wife would let me use the basement to do a build like this....lol.