My 280g Custom upgrade.....
 

Well, I am finally getting closer to my upgrade tank becoming a reality. First its important to know how I got approval for the upgrade. My wife bet me $1,000 that I couldnt use this piece of exercise equipment properly just once....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...8NXZVP3CHBEWF9

Before I accepted the challenged I realized that since she is home with the kids that her $1k is really my $1k and there was no real incentive to me. So I changed the bet and told her that if I was able to do it properly I would be able to upgrade to the tank size of my choice. Without hesitation she said yes...what little confidence she has in my athletic ability. With that, I got on the floor and snapped out not just one but I was able to do 10 before I felt something pop in my back

So I after 10 months of planning its all finally coming together and getting close to everything coming to life. The tank should be ready sometime in January but I wanted to start my thread now because I still havent decided on all of the equipment I will be using and figured this would be a good time to get some feed back before the holiday sales begin.

Without further delay...here's what I am planning.
Tank....
* 60x36x30 Tank will be 3 sides starphire glass, built on site in my basement by Coast to Coast Custom Aquariums
* 48x24x18 frag tank

Filters/skimmer...
* 48x20x20 MRC high flow sump
* Algae Turf Scrubber in place of a refugium
* Need help deciding on the skimmer...looking at Reeflo Orca Pro 2 or BK 300 ext THOUGHTS HERE?
* Undecided about getting a UV light

Pumps...
* trying to decide between one bigger pump to feed the skimmer, frag and display tank or two separate pumps...one for the display and the other for the skimmer and frag. THOUGHTS HERE?
* I got a really great deal on a used tunze package consisting of 2 x 6305's and 2 x 6301's.

Lighting....
* Definitely going with LED's for the display and was decided on 6 AI Sol's with T5 purple supplement but after seeing some of the Radion threads popping up....I dont know now.
* 48" 8 bulb T5 fixture for the frag tank

Finally location.......
This build is also part of a total basement remodel so the picture will give you an idea of where it will go minus my kitchen set and basketball hoop . Right now the stand height is set to be 32" but I am thinking about raising it up 4".

Attachment 165831

So, hop on and enjoy the ride as I am sure there will be plenty of ups and downs over the next few months. Thanks for looking and I look forward to everyones feed back!

Steve I am tagging along for the ride as I have become disenchanted with my build.

Henry your build is the one that inspired me to go bigger. Things will improve.

Steve

Steve,
Thanks man! I think I am off to look at flooring this weekend :).

tagging along, looks like fun!

@dprill thanks for joining in. progress will be slow for next few weeks but it will be fun once things really kick in.

Adding a new fixture to consider to the led mix....Vertex Illumina 260. Looks to have much better spread than the Radion and AI plus it has room for upgrading or adding new led pods. So the 60" fixture has 9 auxiliary slots to add new pods as they are released for different colors.

Slow and steady wins the race ;-)

Funny I just looked at the Illumina 260 yesterday myself. I need lighting for my 240g mixed reef tank, and still going back and forth on all the options. My tank has a depth of 30", so I am concerned about the light that will hit the bottom third of the tank.

They already have the red auxiliary module out, and looks like an easy upgrade..

Darin

Sounds like we have similar dimensions. My concern is the width of my tank @ 36" I am concerned about losing light in the front and back. I saw the red modules and I found a video that shows how to add the modules....very easy. Take a look at this thread on RC for the Illumina.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1943140

There's one guy on there that has the 260 on a 30" deep tank and says he is only running the whites at 50% and is seeing amazing growth.

Updates
 

SUMP

I picked up my sump over the weekend from a guy in my area. Its the MyReefCreations high flow 48" sump.

Attachment 167066

I was all set to order this online when I saw it for sale. It was only used for about 2 months before he decided to go with a bigger sump for his system.

SKIMMER
I am still debating on what make and whether to go with external or internal. The majority of the people I speak to either say Reef Octopus or Bubble King. I currently have a Reef Octopus and it does a great job. I need to do more research on whether external or internal has an edge over the other and then from there I can decide. Feed back and experiences here would be appreciated.

LIGHTING
Still going with LEDS but have ruled out Radions and Vertex.

TANK
I am thinking about changing the height of the tank a little so I can fit a pre built tank down my stairs instead of paying a lot extra for a tank built on site. If I lower the height, I can then stretch it out a little so I'm not giving up volume. My current plan is for a 60x36x30 but if I go with 66x36x28 I can save an incredible amount of money and not give up any volume.

Finally...the dumpster that was supposed to have arrived last week should arrive this week.

Following along Steve:) I can vouch for the SRO unit I've had on previous system and am also curious whether I should go to external or internal. I have no question on choosing it over a BK as they are just a waste of money IMO. You're paying for the name and honestly don't think it is going to do much more good than an SRO unit you paid much less for. With the SRO you've also got great customer service with parts in the U.S...Not always so lucky with the BK.

I am leaning towards the xp5000 and just need to decide on external or internal. I was talking with Jeremy @ coralvue and he said the internal will handle a fully stocked tank up to 400g and the external will handle a fully stocked tank up to 500g. While My total volume will be under 400g I do like the idea of having a little extra room.

Steve..im interested in seeing what you decide on for a skimmer. i have that sump on my 180 and have a hell of a time finding an internal skimmer large enough to handle the bioload of my tank, yet small enough to actually fit in the skimmer compartment of that sump. right now im running an old ER 8-3 and its a TIGHT fit.

I measured the skimmer area last night and Im pretty sure its 19x15. you could easily fit an sro 3000 int in there and thats plenty big for your tank. The xp5000 fits in there as well. You cant beat the customer service with coralvue either.

Steve

With my tank and the current configurations the total volume will be 800+ gallons. I've looked around a lot and think that I'll stick with my SRO 3000 internal while running frag tank and other systems (~300 gallons) and add an external SRO 5000 in the future. If I were you I'd go with the External if it will support another 100g and then you know you're not going to have to upgrade if you stock the tank heavier later down the road.

Steve,
Glad to see progress being made. Go with the biggest skimmer in your budget. I know you are a heavy feeder like myself :).

Budget??????? whats that??????

Tagging along, and looking forward to your progress!

welcome aboard mutley!

There will be a change to the tank dimensions and builder that I originally listed in the beginning. Tank will now be 72x36x28 and I am still working on where the tank will come from. I have it narrowed down to two builders. One tank only comes with an internal overflow and the other I can have what I want which is the external. Price difference is whats holding me up right now.

Big decisions made today....
 

TANK.....
I decided to change directions a little with the tank and have now decided to change the directions so the tank doesnt have to be built on site. The tank I am going with is 72x36x28 for a total of 315 gallons with external overflow.

Attachment 167334

I thought about just going with the Marineland 300dd tank and I would have save even more money but there were just things about the layout that I was not happy with. I really wanted external overflow for two reason...inside looks cleaner and just easier access for cleaning the overflow and plumbing adjustments if need be. I was really torn but my wife put it to me this way..."This will be your first, last and only upgrade tank so you better make it the way you want it!!!!"

LIGHTING....
I have decided to go with the Sfiligoi Genesis LED fixture. It will be a 60" fixture with 10 rows of LEDS for a total of 500w. Withing the 10 rows, 3 of them will include RGB LEDS for a fuller spectrum of color. The unit will come with a 6 channel controller and I have set it up so that the rows with white LEDS that are closer to the center of the tank will be on a different channel from the white LEDS that are towards the edges of the tank. So if I have corals that have higher light demands they can be in the center and the ones that need a little less can be towards the edges.


SKIMMER....
I will be going with another Reef Octopus just need to decide on internal or external. I definitely have the space to for an external.

Looks good Steve and you've gained 12 inches in length, who can complain about that;)

What manufacturers are you speaking with now on the build?

Ive bern talking to miracles and the guy from aquatics elite just started building tanks a few months ago. they are ready to start advertising this and given the cost of the led i am getting thru them they are offering me a really great deal. Plus they will ship the tank and light in the same crate saving me more money on shipping fees.

Steve

Tank, stand, light and skimmer updates
 

Tank has been ordered......
Tank was ordered yesterday with the following specs...
* 72x36x28
* 3/4" glass all around
* Eurobrace made from 1 piece of glass...no seams. No idea how they accomplish this but the pictures look awesome
* Single external overflow with 3 drains
* 3 side starphire
* Black bottom and back

Stand.....
The stand will be 2" steel and built by a local guy.

Light....
Here's a link to one of their LED fixtures with RGB in action....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6xZZT3cTuM

Skimmer.....
I have decided to go with the Reef Octopus XP5000 external skimmer. Just waiting for the black friday sales to start next week.

The tank and stand will be ready by the end of december and the light will be ready by the end of January or early February.

Looking good Steve...:)

thanks Mike!

Steve

Following!