150 Gallon Build Thread

[inktomi]

Hello folks!

I wanted to post some photos of my progress so far on my 150 gallon tank - just in case I'm going way off towards the realm of assured flooding.. and.. well.. to keep a log of what I'm up to in the tank.

As of today, the tank is in the test-for-leaks phase, filled with tap water and running that way. I'm waiting on the my lights, and still need to get another vortech before I'm fully ready to add rock.


The tank is a 150g LeeMar diamond edge tank, eurobraced and starphire on three sides. It's got a 1.5" drain, and two 3/4" returns drilled through the overflow towards the back of the tank. The back is coated in a black epoxy coating, as is the bottom.


I really like the eurobracing - it really makes the tank look nice not having that big black band around the top and bottom.


The overflow doesn't seem too large, and doesn't take up too much of the tank. I like that it's in the middle rather than in a corner.


This is the tank that I'm replacing, a standard 40 gallon tank. It has a mix of SPS (mostly montipora sp.), LPS, and soft corals. I'm going to be continuing with a mixed tank in the 150 gallon.


The interior of the stand was not sealed, so I bought some marine sealant that's made for boat decks and used that. It took a few days to dry fully, but water now beads up. I also went around all the seams with silicone - though in retrospect I should have done that after I used the sealant - it was hard to paint the sealant over the silicone.


While I was assembling the items for this tank, MSX decided to sell their demo MiniS skimmer for a good discount - I jumped on the offer and now am a proud owner of a MiniS cone skimmer. Should be a pretty good skimmer for my tank, and didn't break the budget. One of the things I'm trying to do with this build is get very good parts, but also not rack up a few thousand in credit card debt. To that end, I've been slowly assembling parts for the past couple months. Of course, my car also decided that it wanted me to pour money into it - so I had a $1,700 car repair bill too. Damn car..


In order to save money, I went with a 40 breeder that I already had for a sump. This allowed me to save the money I would have spent on a sump ($500+ probably) and use it for a Vortech. I also had a PanWorld 50PX pump that I could use as a return pump - so this part of the build was essentially free. Just had to buy some acrylic and a glass bit to drill the hole for the bulkhead.

I know the sump is a bit small, but I wanted to have room under the stand for other things, like the return pump, a Ca reactor, a phosban reactor, and an extra reactor for carbon if needed. Since the sump is small, my 50PX at about 500 gph should be fine for a return pump. I did have to turn the 1.5" drain valve way back though!


Of course my lights are back ordered - so I should be getting them in another 1 to 5 weeks. I took this time to finish up my plumbing.. I also ordered the lights along with the hood, and got:

4 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Aquablue Special
1 Fiji Purple
1 GE 6500K Daylight



I ordered almost all my plumbing from Savko. They're really a great supplier and waaaay cheaper than the local Lowe's or Home Depot. I did have to get a couple pieces that I didn't think about from Lowe's though. I added the two plugged tee fittings so that I can put in my reactors without having to change my plumbing in the future. They're angled up.. well... uhh.. so they don't leak? (no one has to know I glued them at the wrong angle!)

I used spaflex tubing to connect the pump to reduce vibration in the PVC piping, since this tank is going to be literally next to the sofa in the living room I wanted to cut down on noise as best I could.

[inktomi]

I waited a long time for this moment. Of course, as soon as the water level started to rise I realized that "hand tighten only" for bulkheads really means hand tight and then give it a quarter turn with a wrench. Once I did this, I no longer had a rainstorm under my stand. This did give me a good chance to check on the water sealant that I had used - and yes - the stand can actually hold water


After a bit of work on the plumbing connections this morning, loose unions, bulkheads, etc.. finally the tank isn't leaking. And it's full of water! Now.. what to do with 150g of tap water that I can't use.. /sigh

One thing I've noticed is that I need to work on my durso a bit. It's got quite the rushing water noise right now. I started with a 3/16" hole in the top - I'm thinking I should go a bit larger. I'll dig up some photos tonight before I change anything though and run it past the people here who know better than I.


I did already buy one part of the inside of the tank, since the LFS offered to make up for a 3 week delay in the tank's delivery by giving me sand for free. I got four 40 pound bags of special grade reef sand, and two 10 pound bags of aragalive fiji pink (to kick start the bacteria a bit).

As for fish, I'd like to get some opinions on my ideas so far. Here's what I already have in my 40g tank..

2x Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
Purple Pseudochromis (Pseudochromis porphyreus)
Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosus)

And this is what I'd like to add once the 150g has been up and running for a good while.
3x Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)
Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidu

(and one, possibly two of these)
Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum)
Whitecheek Tang (Acanthurus nigricans)
Powder Brown Tang (Acanthurus japonicus)

[Shane Hoffman]

Looking good...Im tagging along for this one...excellant equipment choice... I love the diamond edge tanks...

That pic of your sump is like an optical illusion...I was posting to tell you that your baffles were to high. Then I looked a later pic closer and realized the first pic was the sump laying on its side.

[nanshaw2001]

I've got a 150 that I got for mothers day. Will be watching this thread for info and ideas. looks great so far....congrats!

[LoyalConvict]

awesome start so far. i love your lighting and skimmer selection. i'll be tagging along, and cant wait to see the tank fully up and running

[luther1200]

Just be careful about the Dwarf angles in a reef tank. I had a Flame Angel that liked to nip at my SPS and LPS.

The tank looks great BTW.

[inktomi]

Yea, I've heard horror stories of dwarf angels, but so far mine has been a perfect citizen. I keep my fish very well fed on various frozen foods. I imagine that with a tang or two I'll also have nori in the tank often.

[inktomi]

Ok, so here's my home made Durso and the two returns in action..



And, since the photo looked cool.. another angle..



My questions are simply:

- Right now if the power goes out, there's nothing to break the siphon on the returns. Where should I drill that hole? If I drill it on top of the 90' elbows then won't I have a little jet of water shooting straight up from each of them? Should I drill on the side of them, or should I raise my durso up a bit so that the water level in there is higher up and drill a hole in the top of the returns? Do I only need one hole - or do they both need siphon breaks?

- My durso makes loud gurgling rushing water noise right now. Combined with the "waterfall" effect it's pretty loud. I assume I can fix the waterfall by making the standpipe a bit longer... I have extra 1.5" PVC so this shouldn't be too hard to do. As for the rushing water noise, I know that the durso gets quieter after running for a bit - but should I wait on that, or just drill a slightly larger hole now? It's a 3/16" hole right now.

I'd say that right now the water level in the overflow is a good 3 or 4 inches less than that in the display.

[inktomi]

So I think I might have an issue with the returns. Right now - there's not enough room in the sump for the water that would drain down through them in the event of a power failure.

How should I break the siphon on these? If the "power goes out" (I pull the plug), the overflow quickly fills with water and covers over all the PVC that I use for the returns. Should I use loc-line inside the tank and drill the hole in that closer up to the top of the water? (there's nothing on the inside of the bulkhead right now)

[jer77]

I like what you have going so far. Its definitely going to be an awesome tank! I have a 180 that I put together a lot like yours. I have a 40 breeder sump on my 180 but still insisted on using a PanWorld 200PS with 1750gph! Needless to say I have it dialed back a bit, but I like the ease and thoroughness of the flow it provides.

I'm trying to think, but I don't believe I have holes anywhere in my return plumbing. I plumbed my returns similar to yours through the overflow and alongside the durso. I attached loc-line to the ends of my returns. For some reason I don't believe my water back siphons down the returns.

For the durso, I drilled a much larger hole on the cap and I believe I drilled two more on the sides near the top along the water line.

I like the flexible pvc. That should get you some more flow. I guess you don't need a lot of turnover if you have 2 vortech's. Nice skimmer too!

[inktomi]

Hmm - I'd check on your siphon back just to be sure. Mine most certainly does drain about an inch of water from the display into the sump when the return pump fails. I guess I should have used a bigger sump

I'm going to look for some loc line, and use that to to the siphon break - that way I can raise the holes I have to drill up in the water some.

[adamblackburn22]

Those pics looks great of the water flow into the overflow, but it looks loud You have a great start. Put it together already!

[inktomi]

It is a bit loud. I'm trying to come up with ideas on solving that noise issue...

[inktomi]

Today I checked on my lights at reefgeek.. and by checked I mean I went to their site to see what the backorder note was saying now.

"Ships in 1 to 2 weeks"! Yay! Almost here! woot!

I also ordered some locline, which will be used on my returns. I need to run to the LFS this weekend and buy some threaded bulkheads, since the ones I have installed are slip =\

In order to prevent the back siphon through my returns, I plan on having the locline terminate right at the water surface, so that the line is even a bit out of the water. This should break the siphon fast - and it'll stir up the water surface. Two good things =)

[joelbegt]

What are the dimensions of the aquarium? I think I'll try to follow this build. It looks great so far.

[inktomi]

It's 60" by 24" tall by 24" deep. I love the dimensions, big enough for a good amount of floor space, but not so deep that you can't reach the bottom.

[inktomi]

Something to keep in mind - if you're not sure about a plumbing part, don't buy it. I'm now the proud owner of 2 sets of 2 3/4" bulkheads that I can't use for my tank, because they're not quite the right piece.

Slip/Slip - right size, but I need threaded on the side that goes into the tank, to attach my locline.

Thread/Thread - right size, but I need slip on the inside. Ok, I thought. I'll get a threaded / slip adaptor from Lowes on the way home. That worked out - except that now it's too long in the overflow and I can't get the pvc pipes for the returns to connect up nicely.

I just placed my third (!) order with Savko to get some thread / slip bulkheads. Hopefully (!!) these will be the right kind, and I'll be able to attach my locline returns and finish up with my water test.

I also bought a ball valve which will be used in my Brute water storage tank, along with one of the left over bulkheads, to give me a decently sized reservoir of RO/DI water to use. Right now with my 40g I'm using 5g pales, and that would just take foooorrreeeevvveeeerrr to use to fill my new 150 with!

[adamblackburn22]

I bet putting a cover over your overflow will cut down on the noise. Just cut some black acrylic the same shape of your overflow.

[inktomi]

Luckily it came with a pre-cut acrylic cover. I've left it off for the photos - but it fits really nicely when I need it!

I imagine that the overflow will quiet a bit as it slimes over, etc.

[tangtang clown]

Lookin good. Looks like a very expensive tank.

[inktomi]

It wasn't too bad - I've been spreading out the pain over a few months, slowly getting the things I need. As of right now, assuming ReefGeek ships my Powermodule in the next week or two, I'm planning on getting some rock into it in late August.

We'll see how it works out. I should (hopefully) be done with plumbing sometime this week.

[inktomi]

So I ordered my 8x80 ATI Powermodule back in July, and finally it was supposed to arrive today. Not so... Roadway had a delivery window that was from 2 till 5 this afternoon. 5 came and went, so I gave their office a call.

Now, keep in mind that this light is 58.1" x 17.5" x 2.3" - a large item for sure. Because of this, it's shipped on a pallet for protection. This means it needs a lift gate and/or forklift to get it out of the trailer that it's shipped in.

So, of course, today the trailer that came out didn't have a lift gate on it, and I don't own a forklift - so there was no good way of getting it down off the truck. So Roadway is going to try delivering it later in the week.

I just hope that the unit, and it's 8 eighty watt T5 bulbs, are in good working order when it gets here. I'm not sure how I'd return it for service

Almost here! Almost ready to go!

[tangtang clown]

I would pick that thing up and carry it inside with one hand. Congrats and good luck getting everything set.

[1fishkeeper]

Very nice I will be on this thread alot.

[inktomi]

Hah.. I would have clawed it off the truck if I had the chance. I actually had to call Roadway to find out what was up after not hearing anything all day and no delivery. Turns out at some point the driver decided that they needed the lift gate and didn't even attempt delivery.

At least I have some other goodies coming tomorrow for sure via UPS...