New 220 gallon build
 

Well, I guess its time to start my own thread...building a 220 that will be viewed from both our dining room and television room.

I was going to order a custom tank to fit the opening (80" long) with starfire on both sides...you know planning without really adding up the total cost of this sort of system. Found out that the skimmers alone run $700 and up to get close too the skimming capabilities that I wanted and the aquarium estimate coming back at $2300 made me rethink that and now will be going with a standard 72" size and putting up some drywall to fill in the other 8 inches.

The tank will be going here:

http://homepage.mac.com/kschneid2_68...d/_D207585.jpg

I will be building the stand myself, the tank should be here next Thursday-Saturday.

The skimmer I decided on is the Octopus TDNW-300 which will be in the cellar along with a 300g rubbermaid tub as the sump. I also picked up a used calcium reactor to use and plan on setting up the basement this weekend.

Cellar currently looks like this:

http://homepage.mac.com/kschneid2_68...d/_D207576.jpg

Just picked up the plumbing and utility sink yesterday, need to work on placement and plumbing today and get the RO unit started filling up the 300g tub.

Hoping to sell either the 75 or 45g tanks I have running now and will be using the other as a refugium.

Also have some 400w MH lights that will be on the main tank.

My kids are looking forward too being able to get more fish...

NICE!!!!Keep us updated on the build.I love the in-wall tanks,and the penninsula tanks.I like to be able to view the tank from both the front and the back,plus it gives you room for more corals.Have you decided on what you are going to use for flow in the tank,return from sump ?Good luck with the build and keep us posted.

Gotta keep an eye on this one!!

Henry, I have not decided on a return pump yet. Plan on using the Mag7 on the closed loop, wanted to actually do most of the plumbing to see what kind of head were talking about getting it back into the tank.

Would like to have a pretty high flow rate, semi-quiet and low energy consumption...any suggestions?

When your designing the stand, make sure you leave room for the Bulkheads in the bottom of the tank. Sometimes people forget about this when putting together a stand and have uprights or cross beams where a bulkhead will be sitting.

Well, with a basement sump you'll have to also consider high-head pumps. You're prolly talkin 18-20ft of head when all is said and done and that's lot of head. That much head will quickly kill the flowrate on many high-flow pumps. As a general rule of thumb, high head pumps have relatively thin pumps (front to back) while high flow pumps have wide pumps (front to back). Physics and fluid dynamics pretty much force that design :)

When you say pretty high are we talkin like 2000gph, or more like 4000?

Closer too the 4k, I was actually wanting too find about 3500 for a 15 ft head which is my estimate of what it should end up being.

Thanks Randy, I was thinking that exact thing and tried to find a perfecto 220 diagram online last night but was unsuccessful too see exactly where those two overflows were drilled into the corners. I will be assuming that other than the 2x that the tank will set on if I leave 6" around the rear corners there should be plenty of room there?

Edited to add:
Gladly accept any help in building the stand, will be working on it this week.

Figured that's about the flowrate you were talking about. Probably looking at Sequence Hammerhead or Manta Ray pumps at those stats

I am working on a similiar project, with a 100g basement sump, approx 12ft head.. I have decided on a sequence barracuda for the return, and a sequence dart for my CL on the main display (125g). Have not decided on a skimmer yet though...

Jason

Today I finished plumbing the utility sink and running a new line for a hose outside by the wifes deck.

http://homepage.mac.com/kschneid2_68...d/200_7590.JPG

I also braced the floor where the tank will go. This is an exterior wall and may not have needed the added bracing, however better safe than sorry. Used a 10' 4x4 and two jack stands:

http://homepage.mac.com/kschneid2_68...d/200_7592.JPG

http://homepage.mac.com/kschneid2_68...d/200_7593.JPG

The plumbing (me and plumbing do not get along too well, go figure with aquariums being one of my big hobbies...) need to be repaired in two spots, outside where the hose hookup went and where I started the job...an old unused washer/dryer hookup, the cold water connection is leaking but i think that may be the inside of that old fitting.

You should be safe with 2" around the perimeter, but I would leave a little more than 6" in the corner.

Randy gave some good advice.
I'm wondering if you considered getting an aquarium with built in overflows at the center of each end rather than the corners, Kurt.
(Similar to the aquarium at the entrance of 'Reef Creations'.)
Corner overflows will end up being visible in one room or another in your situation. You might be able to do center end overflows if you offset the aquarium from the support wall, but then again you might not- I can't tell from here.
Just thought I'd make the suggestion...

Thanks Gary, in this case the back side of the aquarium will be 'inside' the wall for six inches that is why I went with the back corner overflows. The picture frame room where the stand will not be so the tank will look built totally into the wall will have the overflows on that side and appear shorter in size than the room with the stand. The sides of the tank will also be viewable, so we will really have all four sides and the center side overflows would be very visible.

Filling the 300g tub up, had the ro/di unit on all night. Tested the water coming out today it is reading 5 with my new handy dandy meter (water straight out of the pipes is in the 190's) there was some sand and salt residue in a tank I have sitting in the rubbermaid which may attribute to a bit of that....needed to get some ro/di for top off last night.

Kurt - Nice build - If you need a hand with anything let me know I'm in Eden so it's not to far to help. Look forward to this.

Jer

The 300 gal tub is filling with RO/DI water still, I would guess there is 120 gallons in there now.

Today I took out the windows with a bit of help.



http://homepage.mac.com/kschneid2_68...d/200_7600.jpg

http://homepage.mac.com/kschneid2_68...d/200_7603.jpg

It was harder to remove the window than I had imagined, we needed too use a reciprocating saw to cut the window out. A couple neighbors came by to help get it out.

Now to build a stand...

Edited too add....do not tell my wife I did not crop her out of that last shot, it is not too flattering.

Kurt - You are flying on the progress. I need to get moving.

Well, I am getting done what I can...

Randy wants me too pick the tank up this week, and if I do not get the stand done it will not happen as if I put it in the garage where you have yours the kids would crack it before a few hours passed.

I need too have the stand ready too at least hold a tank, getting it trimmed can wait a bit.

Nice write up, keep us posted

Great progress, Kurt. Give me a shout through a pm or call the store and I will help out any way I can.

Thanks Chris, still have that Dart pump you were selling?

Edited to add update:

Should have added what I accomplished last night...no photos to accompany the text this time.

The Octopus TNWD300 (Hope I have the model number correct here) arrived and I put it together on the deck. Big monster, lots of 'dust' from the packaging is the reason for the outside assembly. The instructions were a piece of paper with a crude drawing, however not too difficult. Picked up the second too last piece and found the package of washers that should have gone onto each item I had just attached so got to do it twice...must be an expert now on the skimmer. Dusted it off with the air compressor wiped it down and placed it in the cellar where there is now about 240g of ro/di water in the rubbermaid tub. Dumped a bucket of salt in and mixed it, boy is that water cold need to get a temp probe and a couple larger heaters today.

Lol, everybody loves spare parts :D

Question, is the sump tankdrilled for the sump pump yet?

Mike, how do you mean? A hole in the 300g rubbermaid for the return pump..no I have not. Deciding if I want to build in an overflow box or how I wanted that to look. Did you have some suggestions?

Tank will be drilled at Reef Creations tomorrow and drilled this weekend, decided on the Barracuda for the return pump and the dart for the closed loop along with an ocean motion 4-way...not sure when they will arrive yet. I am just going to build basically a stand connector between the stand and canopy on the sides to hide the lines coming to/from the aquarium. This will take care of the additional 8 inches of hole in the wall I needed to fill :)

Centrifugal pumps like the barracuda have one big downside, they cannot create much negative pressure suction on the inlet side of the pump. This means that if the pump is forced to create a significant negative pressure (even a few inches worth of water) the output pressure and therefore flowrate will be significantly lower. The specific model of centrifugal pump matters not, fluid dynamics hampers the design of any/all centrifugal pumps this way.

For example, a Barracuda may be able to generate 18' (432") of positive pressure; if memory serves they can only generate around 1' (12") of negative pressure before they cavitate (produce bubbles), and 4' (24") of negative pressure before they shutoff. I might be mistaken on those values, but the idea is simple, you can have very little negative head on these pumps before they start encountering significant operating problems.

This means the pump cannot be situated significantly above the water level of the tank upon which they're drawing from. Furthermore, they need large inlet pipes to draw off of. A Barracuda works best if it can draw directly off a 2" bulkhead fiting in the side of the sump tank. If that's not possible, at least use a 1.5" and prefferably a straight, short run. Trying to supply it on another tank with an overflow box is an exceptionally bad idea. These things suck a LOT of water, more than most overflow boxes can supply.

Unfortunately you allready have a lot of water in the sump which makes drilling the bottom side of it for a bulkhead (ideal) very difficult. Perhaps consider dropping a big magdrive in the bucket and pumping water temporarily into the display tank while you drill the sump tank and install the bulkhead/pump. Your only other real options for this would be to suspend the pump just above the water level (which could be disastrous if it ever falls in), or to use 2" spa flex, start a siphon, and pray the siphon never breaks (again not something I'd be comfortable with)

Kurt
I dont have a dart for sale, but I'm pretty sure Randy has an extra he may sell you. I think he also has a barricuda but I may be mistaken.

I think you might be thinking of when I was talking about my dart taking a sh*t. Anyway, my new one came in today hopefully will be plumbed by saturday.

Thanks Mike, yes the water that is currently in the sump will be pumped into the display tank eventually and then a three day process of again refilling the sump with the RO/DI water. Need to get a container for auto top off storage, have not done that yet but could be filling it now while waiting for the display to be ready for water.