Our 265 gallon upgrade
Printed From: Utah Reefs
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Topic: Our 265 gallon upgrade
Posted By: DLindquist
Subject: Our 265 gallon upgrade
Date Posted: May 30 2011 at 8:50am
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Working on an substantial upgrade and wondering if I am crazy! Current setup. 90 gallons  Sneak peak of the new setup which is 265 gallons.  ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Replies:
Posted By: tileman
Date Posted: May 30 2011 at 9:23am
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Welcome to the crazy club. You wont regret it. ------------- 335G Reef TOTM. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/2/aquarium ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012 http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month & |
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: May 30 2011 at 10:20am
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Nothing is every crazy in this hobby, it can always be justified... I see your running out of space! Time to make more... sell it ...bah I say no I say go bigger! ------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: May 30 2011 at 10:38am
------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
tileman wrote:Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: May 30 2011 at 10:41am
That is what I told my wife after having to sell some amazing show pieces because I was out of room. As I look more into it, I may like the dimensions of a 300 gallon even more.  However, because this tank will be on the first floor (basement below), bigger may not be better.------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: ptronsp
Date Posted: May 30 2011 at 3:11pm
That would be an amazing setup! Who ever regrets going bigger?  . I think it would be beautiful! You have the space for it, I say go for it!Pam |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 05 2011 at 3:03pm
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All the doubt is gone. Too late anyway. Only problem I worry about now is breaking the bank. Last call shots  Tank maintenance had been lacking. Knowing it would all be coming down, I took a quick break.  Preping the temporary holding area for rock, coral and fish.  Got Salt!! I have almost 200 gallons of RO/DI water in the basement in various bins waiting to be mixed.  Let the marathon day begin.  One structure down and three to go.  About three hours later, tank and sump were empty.  Loaded the tank and stand on the trailer. Road trip time. We got the stand and tank in our house about 10:00 last night.  We wrapped the back of the tank in black vinyl and love the way it turned out.  Wife is not loving the stand color up against our hardwood. Sounds like I will be doing some additional staining! There's that spouse factor. Although, I did tell her she could have the coat closet back. When we built the house, I designed what was a coat closet to be the fish mechanical room. That will now all be in the garage  ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
The time had finally come! We were able to tear down the existing 90G yesterday and drop it off to Joe on the way to Bountiful to pick up my new sump. Then off to the Aquarium to pick up the stand and tank. The tank is a Marineland- Corner Flow 265 G.Posted By: tcfab
Date Posted: June 05 2011 at 3:30pm
lookin good ------------- Need custom acrylic work? give me a call, www.Elite-Aquatics.net (801)645-6386 |
Posted By: tileman
Date Posted: June 05 2011 at 3:39pm
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Yep, you're having fun now... ------------- 335G Reef TOTM. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/2/aquarium ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012 http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month & |
Posted By: Kirklan
Date Posted: June 06 2011 at 1:34pm
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Looks like a fun build. Keep the updates coming! ------------- SE Idaho 67G Rimless Reef |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: June 06 2011 at 3:01pm
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Having seen how nice Dave's 90g was in person, I am very confident that this 265 will turn out to be a "must see" system! P.S. - Getting it started now means that it will be ready in time for next years REEF TOUR, right Dave?
 ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 07 2011 at 6:27pm
If you like the tank, you should see my sump ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 07 2011 at 6:29pm
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Brad, Kirklan- I am having so much fun. Pulled an all nighter and competed the plumbing at 7:30 this morning before leaving for work. Dead tired! Water test shortly. Pictures to come.
There's always a chance.
------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: tileman
Date Posted: June 07 2011 at 7:53pm
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Now that's the spirit. I call that enthusiasm........ PICTURES!!!!!! LOL ------------- 335G Reef TOTM. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/2/aquarium ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012 http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month & |
Posted By: keylargo801
Date Posted: June 09 2011 at 5:37pm
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i saved the pics you posted of your (mine) 90 gallon and printed them to put near my tank, so i have some extra motivation of what to aspire to.
------------- 90 gallon red sea max 130D rookie aquarist since 4/11 |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 10 2011 at 6:45pm
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Thanks for the compliment. I have the same idea for my 265. That's a lot of real estate to try and scape. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: saltlaketank
Date Posted: June 10 2011 at 7:04pm
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Wow it looks very nice.
------------- JayDee 8016042780 90 Gallon 30 Gallon sump G3 Skimmer |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 10 2011 at 7:41pm
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While I have been extremely busy at work, I still make time while I should be sleeping to work on the upgrade. As we sat looking at the new tank in various stages all across our first floor, all my wife could say was "I'm still not sure why we had to go bigger". I figured it was top priority to restain the stand and canopy as this was her biggest hang up. They both now match our front entry way. I also repainted behind the tank (even though this wall will not be seen).  All the plumbing is ran through the wall to the garage sump. Top line is return to both corner overflows and center Sea Swirl. Bottom line is the drain. Ball valves on everything.  We began building the raised frame for the sump at 11:30 the night we stayed up all night. Fortunately, I have very understanding neighbors who are aware of my obsession.  Sump in place  Plumbing is complete.  As the tank continues to fill the rest of the way, I have started rockscaping.  ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: badfinger
Date Posted: June 10 2011 at 8:58pm
| You going bare bottom dave?.... gorgeous dave! |
Posted By: Josh95
Date Posted: June 10 2011 at 9:48pm
| Very nice. what size sump? |
Posted By: rfoote
Date Posted: June 10 2011 at 10:21pm
| Looking awesome! |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 11 2011 at 9:14am
Thank you. I had not thought about going bare bottom, but I will be adding sand after the rock work is done. I love the current Diamond Goby I have and plan on adding another one. So I want all the rock to be sitting on the glass to avoid any potential digging problems. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 11 2011 at 9:17am
The Sump is 48"L x 18"D x 15"H and holds 56 gallons. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: badfinger
Date Posted: June 11 2011 at 9:18am
| Makes since, good thinkin.... keep up the awesome build |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 15 2011 at 2:32am
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The tank has been running for about 4 days now. I will probably be downsizing my Barracuda 5800 Gallon Per Hour Pump. It appears my Duraso drains can't handle that much flow. After testing my water and Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrates coming up at 0, I began transferring rock and coral over to the new tank. I am trying to incorporate this rock with the new rock. I am still working on finishing up the rock structures and with only a minor 2-3 gallon water spill on our hardwood floors, things are going fairly smoothly. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: kellerexpress
Date Posted: June 15 2011 at 5:54am
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Looking good! What are you going to do for lighting? ------------- IM 30L Kessil A160we x2 |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 15 2011 at 7:42am
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I will being using 2x175W MH's from my old system on either end and I will be picking up either a 250W or 400W MH for the center. I will also run 2 Super Actinic 110W VHO's. Down the road, I hope to upgrade to full LED's. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: thathiep
Date Posted: June 15 2011 at 3:31pm
| Update Pics? |
Posted By: Deluxe247
Date Posted: June 19 2011 at 1:03am
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Some day I will have a tank about that size. No space right now. This is a very cool build. How are your floor joists holding up so far? Have you thought about providing any extra support, what with the equivalent of a car sitting in your entry? ------------- 90G Mixed Reef |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 19 2011 at 11:30pm
I wish I could. My desktop won't read my SD card and my laptop won't load the internet
 . It looks awesome though  .------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 19 2011 at 11:38pm
Thanks. Floor joists are looking great. When we built the house, I had my framer build extra support for my 90 gallon. He actually said he would feel comfortable parking his truck in my entry way. When we decided to upgrade to the 265, I had an engineer come and look at our house. He rated two 12" LVL's for 4000 pounds with an 1/8" sag. I have four 12" LVL's and two floor joists under the tank. So far no sagging at all. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 19 2011 at 11:39pm
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Rock is complete. All fish and coral are in. Everything looks great. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: daranged
Date Posted: June 20 2011 at 1:34am
david i came out and got the tang from you and i am still in shock that has to be one of the most beautiful tank's i have evey seen i am totally amazed... you did an amazing job 
i can only hope that somday i have one that is half that nice. GREAT JOB cant wait till you get the new pic's up so i can look closer. and to those of you who have the chance to go see what he has got you absolutely must the pic's so far dont do it any justic at all it is truly an amazing beautful tank again good job oh and the tang lol he like's his new home doing great and thanks again
|
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 20 2011 at 8:05am
Thank you for coming out so quickly. That tang is an awesome fish. Enjoy. I appreciate your applause on my upgrade. It has been a very long two weeks. After pulling another all nighter Saturday, I was finally able to get the rock complete and all livestock moved over (besides your Yellow Tang). For everyone else, I am working on trying to post pics. Maybe in the next couple of days. Thanks for all your interest. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 20 2011 at 10:41pm
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Updated Pics Full Shot with Flash  Full Shot  Left Side  Center  Right side / Cave  Our nice fat colony of Dendros. I believe there are 15 heads now.  ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: tcfab
Date Posted: June 20 2011 at 11:47pm
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Where's the sump pics man, its always cool to see the "guts" of the system Looking really good though, how are you liking the bigger tank so far? ------------- Need custom acrylic work? give me a call, www.Elite-Aquatics.net (801)645-6386 |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 20 2011 at 11:57pm
Yes, I need more pics. Including the guts, which are all in the garage. My wife loves that and I love having all the room I need. This tank has been a blast to set up. I love the sheer size. Our eight fish seem lost in something so big. While I feel our existing coral from the 90 pretty much filled up the 265, we all look forward to 20 or so more fish. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: thathiep
Date Posted: June 21 2011 at 1:13am
| Looking great!! I really like the arches and open space. |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: June 21 2011 at 1:46am
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Awesome David!!! I will have to come by and see it in person sometime:) I am sure it's gorgeous!! ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Nick801
Date Posted: June 21 2011 at 10:10am
| Dang that really turned out nice =) |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 23 2011 at 6:59am
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Thanks everyone.
After stopping by the Aquarium last night, I have finally decided on lighting. I will be running 175W MH's on each end & a 400W MH in the center off a dimmable ballast with 14K Bulbs and two Cannon Exotic blue LED lights. These things look awesome. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: Josh95
Date Posted: June 23 2011 at 12:37pm
| I recommend pheonix 14k halides, feel free to come over if you want to check them out |
Posted By: jamzdean
Date Posted: June 25 2011 at 3:22pm
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I will have 3 400w Icecap ballasts and Icecap pendants for sell if you want them?????? Only used about a year and a half. Would give that tank the lighting it deserves. It looks great. ------------- 210g Reef 3 x 400w pendants 4 x actinics + moonlights Octopus Extreme 300 Skimmer Reefkeeper Elite controller |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: June 26 2011 at 7:36am
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I have a 250/400W Dimmable MH Ballast on order for the center. I was planning on using my existing 175W MH's for either end. However.... PM me some pics and prices. Who knows. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: July 09 2011 at 11:28pm
I have updated old cell phone pics from page 2. We are very happy with the way the tank looks and continues to progress (just wish I had more time). We have lost a couple pieces of coral. While all water tests have come back great (besides calcium pushing 550), I believe my lighting is severely lacking. My original plan was to use my existing 175W MH but since I needed new bulbs anyway, I decided to upgrade all MH's to the Lumatek 250/400W Dimmable Ballast. I stopped in at the Aquarium and Brad hooked me up. I have two 400W bulbs and 2 more Ballasts on order. Should be here by Wednesday.  I would like to take a quick moment to thank Brad (The Aquarium) for all the help (including some amazing deals), ideas and time he has devoted on our behalf. I can say, without that, this build would not have been possible. My wife might say, "If it wasn't for Brad, none of this would have happened".
------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: Kristine Woolsey
Date Posted: July 10 2011 at 12:16am
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Lookin good ------------- Kristine | Layton, UT | e-mail: [email protected] |
Posted By: tileman
Date Posted: July 10 2011 at 11:37am
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Looks great Dave. Awesome job. ------------- 335G Reef TOTM. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/2/aquarium ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012 http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month & |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: July 11 2011 at 9:26pm
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Thanks guys. Things are coming along. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: July 17 2011 at 8:24pm
I picked up the remaining lights and installed everything Wednesday night. There are now 3- 400W MH Bulbs currently running on 250W. Today is the first time I have been home to see them on. Apparently, we have 1-14K bulb and 2-20K bulbs. We have not decided which one we like better and may decide to run the lights as they are. Any opinions? ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: July 17 2011 at 9:50pm
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I think 20k is too blue. My vote would be 14k.
------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: ptronsp
Date Posted: July 17 2011 at 9:59pm
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This is really a beautiful setup! You did a great job. Pam ------------- The only clowns I like are in my tank! |
Posted By: Snowsrfr
Date Posted: July 17 2011 at 10:01pm
| Always been a fan of the 14K back in my MH days. Good color, and good growth from them. Get a little more pop from the 20K, but heard the growth rate (mainly of SPS) is a bit slower. |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: July 17 2011 at 11:03pm
| Put the 14k in the middle and the 2 20k on each side |
Posted By: Deluxe247
Date Posted: July 17 2011 at 11:06pm
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So did you end up putting on the LED Cannons? What lights do you have besides the 3 MH bulbs? I usually like to mix a couple of bulb types (i.e. VHO's and MH's). Whatever you choose I would make all the MH's the same color, then supplement your color with another bulb type like LEDs. If it were my tank, I'd go with 3x 14K MH's and 2x actinic of some type. ------------- 90G Mixed Reef |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: July 18 2011 at 7:28am
That was our original thought, but now we are not sure. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: July 18 2011 at 7:30am
Thank you. If you ever make it my way, feel free to drop by. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: July 18 2011 at 7:31am
True. You must be running LED's? ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: July 18 2011 at 7:32am
You mean like they are now? ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: July 18 2011 at 7:38am
We have not added any other supplemental lighting at this point. We were planning on the Cannons but are having a hard time justifying the cost  . We definitely want the supplemental lighting, just haven't decided what direction to go, which would also help decide what MH bulbs to go with. We would not go with 20K's if we knew we were adding the Cannons right away.------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: Josh95
Date Posted: July 18 2011 at 5:07pm
| I would leave if how it is for now, do some blue stunner strips, and when you are ready to replace the bulbs i know they make 16k halides which i would imagine would look pretty good. |
Posted By: Snowsrfr
Date Posted: July 18 2011 at 5:32pm
No, I made the switch to T5's when I set up my 50 cube. |
Posted By: TheAquarium
Date Posted: July 18 2011 at 6:52pm
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Dave its looking great
-------------  |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 03 2011 at 10:20am
Things are coming along great. It's so enjoyable to see our corals coloring back up after two weeks of no light and two weeks of insufficient light. We have finally gotten the electrical upgrade completed (minus two plate covers). The two panels contain 68 outlets total. I know- overkill! 6 Duplexes are on timers, 10 Duplexes are on switches and 18 Duplexes are constantly on. Now I am working on the recently acquired VHO lighting and the 75G holding /quarantine tank. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: August 03 2011 at 8:47pm
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Looks great! ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: TriggerHappy
Date Posted: August 04 2011 at 8:50pm
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Too sweet! My only question is what about winter time with that sump in the garage? ------------- 210 gallon Mixed Reef |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 04 2011 at 11:04pm
Thanks Steve. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 04 2011 at 11:08pm
Thank you. In regards to winter temps... I believe it is easier to heat a tank than cool a tank. Even with these hot summer days, with just a clip on canopy fan, we have been able to keep the tank from rising above 76.5. That is exactly one degree above our ideal temp. If winter temps become a probably, I would imagine the three 250W heaters in the sump will be able to keep up. That's our hope and we will find out soon enough. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: TriggerHappy
Date Posted: August 04 2011 at 11:10pm
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I think it is a great idea! Look forward to winter updates! ------------- 210 gallon Mixed Reef |
Posted By: jdinchak
Date Posted: August 05 2011 at 8:46am
| I would love to find out more about how you did the electrical. Did you do it yourself? |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: August 05 2011 at 10:15am
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Awesome as usual, David
I'd bet that you won't have heating / cooling problems with the sump in the garage
One thing you might want to consider is to get some styrofoam insulation to cover up the 2 exposed sides of the sump.
Might help a little if the garage gets chilly during the winter...
------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: August 05 2011 at 10:16am
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Way awesome!
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 05 2011 at 12:51pm
I imagine you are inquiring about the electrical panels? I had a neighbor of mine who is a certified electrician help me build the panels. They plug into one 220 (240) outlet I installed when we built the home. I absolutely love the design. All the lighting and hookups I have done myself. I rerouted all four ballasts from the canopy, through the wall and into the garage last night. They sit on a new shelve about 8' of the ground. More pics to come. Let me know if you have any other questions. You're always welcome to stop by if you would like.
------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 05 2011 at 1:12pm
I agree Bob. I don't think there will be problems (not any more than each of us already face). I have not yet decided how I want to enclose the mechancial room. Strangly enough, I like looking at all the equipment as much as I do the display tank. Once a design has been set forth, the insulation might prove to be a good idea. Thank you.
------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 05 2011 at 1:13pm
Thanks Adam. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: lockdown
Date Posted: August 20 2011 at 9:11pm
| What part of Lehi are you in? |
Posted By: laynframe
Date Posted: August 21 2011 at 1:16pm
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Ive always wondered if the cars exhaust getting sucked into the skimmer air inlet would let carbon dioxcide into the tank? Also anything airborne,wd40,paint, ect would get into the water as well right? I would enclose it and install a powered exhaust fan for humidity control, also with it enclosed you could run a heat run into that room to help with the winter months and save on your power bill a little from running 750 watts of electrical heat. Love the tank! great job! ------------- The time we enjoy wasting isn't wasted time!!!! |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 21 2011 at 8:20pm
East side of freeway. We are south of the Alpine Highway and north of Eaglecrest. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 21 2011 at 8:59pm
The skimmer air intake is so small I have no worries about it introducing contaminated air into the tank. Plus with a 800 square foot garage it would take a lot of anything before I would be to concerned. However, we have had the family discussion on not leaving cars running in the garage even with garage doors open. At some point I will be enclosing the mechanical area, for extra precaution. I don't see the cold winter months being much of a concern. The sump only contains about 50 gallons of water while 225+ gallons of water reside inside the temperature controlled home. If anything, I am betting I will still need fans running even in the winter months. But, as another safety precaution, I will have three heaters inside the sump if needed. Only time will tell. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: laynframe
Date Posted: August 21 2011 at 9:48pm
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My wife sprayed fabreeze in the kitchen, which is two rooms away, and in about 4 hours all my zoas started closing, wierd I know but that small amount of fabreeze was introduced through my skimmer and did that much damage. Cars produce about 2000 ppm of co every minute at idle, I did this at work with a co detector lol, and at 10 parts per million we as humans get sick and 20 parts per million will kill us, youll have to let us know if you see any issues arrise Im really interested. ------------- The time we enjoy wasting isn't wasted time!!!! |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 22 2011 at 6:32am
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Very interesting. You can never be to careful. I will keep you posted as we get further into things. -Thanks. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: philhender
Date Posted: August 22 2011 at 9:34am
Along with external contamination possibilities and heating concerns in winter... what about Cooling in the summer? I run a swamp cooler in my garage, and do lots of projects in garage, but wouldn't feel comfortable with sump open to 'garage elements'. I do all my heating/cooling(fan blowing on surface) in my sump... and see how quickly it can raise or lower DT temp. Definately get the walls/insulation around it. Beyond that, AWESOME!!!  ------------- I asked the Lord for the blessing of Patience... he gave me 6 kids! 125g Reef / 55g Sump-Fuge |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: August 22 2011 at 5:54pm
I appreciate the concerns. And as valid as they may be, I don't believe the sump location will be a problem at all. All the cooling is done inside the canopy (which is inside the house) and our tank has not gone above 76.5 degrees this summer. Since installing the second fan four days ago, the temperature has been a consistent 75.5. Once I decide on how I will be setting up the quarantine tank atop the sump, I will begin working on enclosing the sump. -Thanks for your comments. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 05 2011 at 8:35am
Things continue to progress. I was able to install the supplemental lighting system before we left town a few weeks ago. However, the new 12 hour VHO photo period proved to be too much for the tank and when we returned we had a serious algae outbreak. Reducing the VHO's by four hours and a little turkey baster action took care of the problem. The front VHO sits about three inches off the water. When needed, I can raise it above the MH's very easily.  I am in the process of building the metal stand to hold the quarantine tank atop the sump. Once that is in place, we will start adding new fish. During the mean time, we continue to add various coral frags. I was able to land a beautiful collection from Jake a couple of days ago. We now will need to place all those pieces and will probably hold off purchasing any more pieces. Well... maybe a select few still on my wish list. All electrical and ballasts are in the sump room now. I still need plate covers for a couple of electrical outlets.  Some current pictures. We have decided to switch out the two 20K MH's with 14K MH's to match the center. I should be picking up the new bulbs today.     ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: TheAquarium
Date Posted: September 05 2011 at 3:20pm
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Dave your tank looks great! can't wait to see that grown out
------------- |
Posted By: Tanuki
Date Posted: September 06 2011 at 4:42pm
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Even as good as this looks in pictures, it looks MUCH better in person.
------------- Defending Reefscape Champion (I Think) |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 06 2011 at 7:32pm
------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 06 2011 at 7:34pm
Thanks. Keep us posted on your progress as well. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: jcom
Date Posted: September 06 2011 at 11:48pm
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Looking really nice Dave! Now I have a picture to go with what your mom was talking when she mentioned your "fish room" for the plumbing
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Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 7:09pm
The "fish room" continues to evolve, but for now you should have "a face to go with the name." I finally got the various pieces I acquired from you placed. They look great. I look forward to seeing them grow out. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 25 2011 at 7:37pm
I recently replaced our two 20K MH's to match the 14K MH. While my picture taking skills are still the pits, I believe the tank lighting looks much better. Hard to see in this full tank shot, but I picked up an awesome frag pack from jcom. I placed these pieces four days ago before leaving town. Here is my favorite chalice-which highlights my cheap camera and awful picture taking skills  Here are a couple shots of some recent additions; I picked up four Emeralds about two weeks ago. We picked up this beautiful green Fungia about seven days ago. We just got back home from celebrating our anniversary and found this guy hiding out.  And this is a little something to help celebrate those 16 glorious years Our new MP60. The metal stand for the 75G quarantine tank is finally fabricated. I will try and get it powder coated in the next week so I can get the quarantine tank set up. Then we will finally be able to start adding more fish.
------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: wick246
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 3:12pm
| Really nice work! |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 7:04pm
Thank you- and welcome to the obsession! ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 7:11pm
A couple of actinic shots  ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: BillyC
Date Posted: September 27 2011 at 7:46pm
| WOW!!! Love the VHO look. Are those the super actinic bulbs? Is that an acro in the first actinic shot? That thing looks incredible. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 28 2011 at 11:01pm
Thanks. Yes, those are the (two) Super Actinic, 160W VHO's- and a Deep Water Acro. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: September 29 2011 at 8:49pm
I just got the stand back for the quarantine tank. Fits great and we love the overall look. I am beginning to envision how I will be enclosing the mechanical room once everything else is complete. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: October 08 2011 at 10:10am
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Well it looks like Old Man Winter is knocking at the door. Here is the first cold weather update- *Outside temp 41 degrees *Garage temp off a cheap food thermometer 62 degrees *Inside temp 65 degrees (Furnace is off and will remain that way until my wife turns it on) *Display temp 74.7 degrees with one of two 250W sump heaters on. Optimal temp is 75 degrees. We have yet to enclose or add any insulation to the mechanical room in the garage. Something I hope to do soon. I still need to finish the 75G Observation tank. If I can get away with it, I will try to start that project today. The 75G tank will sit directly above the sump (refer to previous picture). I plan on plumbing this tank into the existing set up using the existing return pump. As long as the fish show no signs of disease and do not need any chemical treatment- this will work out well. I can't decide the best way to route the return water from the 75G into the sump? Should I filter through the socks or should I bypass filtration and dump directly to the return chamber which would be much easier? Any ideas would be appreciated. Second obstacle- Should the fish need treatment, I will take the 75G offline from the display. Now what is the best way to circulate and filter the water? I would probably have to add another sump. More ideas please? ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: Deluxe247
Date Posted: October 09 2011 at 7:54pm
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Good idea to do an observation/quarantine tank. Most people don't have the resources to maintain one. About the circulation issues you're considering, I don't think it makes much difference whether you drain the 75G through the filter socks or not, as long as the water goes though the skimmer and refugium before getting pumped back up. If you do, you'll just need to clean them out more often. So I would just go with the simplest way. This may also allow for more pods to circulate through the whole system.
That said, quarantine tanks are an interesting animal. For it to really work effectively, you have to isolate it from the other system. routing it through the display system is a good idea in terms of getting it established (which will make the quarantine tank much healthier for specimens requiring special care). And certainly you could set up an independent circulation scheme for that tank when you isolate it. The only potential issue I see is when you're reconnecting it to the main system after treating an animal. If there is any trace of the pathogen (or medication) in that water it will contaminate the whole system and risk infecting others. I suppose you'd just have to find a way to make sure the quarantine system was really clean before reconnecting it. Depending on the particular pathogen, and treatment, it may not be as much of an issue as I imagine, but if for example you treated a fish with copper-based medications, you definitely don't want that getting into your main tank and killing invertebrates. Maybe some others can chime in. regarding the independent circ./filtration: it may work fine to set up some type of hang-on skimmer/refugium. It may be easier to do that than to do another full plumbing set-up. Anyway, that's my 2 cents, for what it's worth. ------------- 90G Mixed Reef |
Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: October 09 2011 at 10:24pm
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Deluxe247-
Thanks for your response. I agree with you completely. I believe I will route the return to the second chamber, thus bypassing the filter socks. Keeping any and all chemical treatments out of the display will be imperative. I will be plumping in a drain line back inside to tie into the bathroom drain pipe. If I need to take the 75G offline, I still need to determine the best filtration option. I am trying to avoid adding another sump. However, I have never used anything but a sump in my 16 years of reefing. ------------- A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have. |
Posted By: Trevor40
Date Posted: November 28 2011 at 12:40pm
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Thanks for showing me your tank the other day, it looks AMAZING!! Super clean and I love aquascape! It has so much potential to being one of the best reef tanks around. ------------- Call or Text (801)834-3119 |