Double or Nothing... AJ's 405-Gallon Reef Savvy Upgrade

[Stylo328]

Stayed home today and started working on the plumbing. Was able to get both of the phantom overflows installed, nice and tight.





Hopefully I'll have another update later today.


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[Stylo328]

Had the final touches of the stand installed today. These panels extend beyond the end of the tank to cover the overflow boxes from the sides. The cabinet guy and I went over several options and settled on this one. I am especially pleased with the panel on the rear that bridges the gap between the stand and canopy along the side of the tank.

We installed one side today, but it has to be removed before repositioning the tank. Snapped a few photos before pulling it off.







And the side view.



I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.


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[Stylo328]

Progress!

Got to spend some time working on the tank with my wife today. We made some decent progress.

Started the day by cleaning the skimmer, including a vinegar bath and full teardown.



And the final result - not bad...







Also was able to mock up the calcium reactor and the overflow plumbing.





Was able to plumb the intake for both of the Vectra L1s.





Also installed the pair of 48" Geisemann reto T5 fixtures.



And here is the result of today's efforts.



Hope you enjoyed the update. Feel free to share any thoughts or suggestions.




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[Stylo328]

Quick update and request for help.

Update:

Spent some time installing the fans today. Was not sold on the previous configuration so I added two new 4 1/2" holes to optimize airflow. The outer two fans are forcing fresh air in and the fans near the center are extracting. I also rewired all of the fans. This represents a few hours of work, which doesn't seem like much but...





Request for help:

I mocked up the overflow plumbing today. This is pretty close to what the final layout will be, unless you have thoughts in how it can be improved. The lines with blue tape are the emergency drains which will be plumbed to be loud. The green line denotes where the flex pvc will go.









I'm really looking forward to your thoughts.

[Stylo328]

Want to give a huge thanks to Locito277 who came over and with another friend and my nephew, we lifted this beast off of the 2x10s it was positioned on for the laminate work. Our eldest son had the nerve wrecking job of getting the boards out without getting his hands crushed. He showed a ton of poise for a 12-year-old. To say that the four of us struggled to lift it would be an understatement, but we got it done. We were able to spin the tank as well. All that remains is to plumb it, move the 187, and slide this one into place.

Hope is to have water in it over the next week or so. Good times...


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[Adamc1303]

Great build thread! That stand come out very nice!

[saf1]

Nice looking setup, good job.

You probably already know this but if you haven't already done so I'd highly recommend you securing that CO2 bottle. Either by chain, bungee, or placing in a plastic milk container crate/square to prevent tipping. You wouldn't want Murphy paying you a visit. I witnessed one on base a few years back when someone in our medical department called to say they had one tip, snap off the valve, and it went through our cinder brick wall and into a car door.

[Stylo328]

Originally Posted by saf1

Nice looking setup, good job.

You probably already know this but if you haven't already done so I'd highly recommend you securing that CO2 bottle. Either by chain, bungee, or placing in a plastic milk container crate/square to prevent tipping. You wouldn't want Murphy paying you a visit. I witnessed one on base a few years back when someone in our medical department called to say they had one tip, snap off the valve, and it went through our cinder brick wall and into a car door.

That's great advice, thank you. I hadn't thought of that. I may have a solution. I'll post up a picture later to see what you think.

Originally Posted by Adamc1303

Great build thread! That stand come out very nice!

Thank you very much!


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[Stylo328]

Originally Posted by saf1

Nice looking setup, good job.

You probably already know this but if you haven't already done so I'd highly recommend you securing that CO2 bottle. Either by chain, bungee, or placing in a plastic milk container crate/square to prevent tipping. You wouldn't want Murphy paying you a visit. I witnessed one on base a few years back when someone in our medical department called to say they had one tip, snap off the valve, and it went through our cinder brick wall and into a car door.

I'm thinking of installing one of these inside the stand and using a long zip tie to secure the CO2 tank in place. Let me know what you think.





Thanks!


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[saf1]

Should be good. Main thing to watch for is tipping. I'm in California so more prone to earthquakes I think then your location. Accidently bumping is probably all you have to manage. So that would be fine.

Also, apologize if I was out of place or line. Everything is looking great btw.

[calbert0]

Originally Posted by Stylo328

Found the perfect bulkhead solution.



Thanks for the advice.


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I was going to say... Oil Filter Wrench!

[Stylo328]

Originally Posted by saf1

Should be good. Main thing to watch for is tipping. I'm in California so more prone to earthquakes I think then your location. Accidently bumping is probably all you have to manage. So that would be fine.

Also, apologize if I was out of place or line. Everything is looking great btw.

Please, no need to apologize. This is exactly why I have the thread. Our collective knowledge is powerful. Thank you for the contribution to the thread and the build. I hope you stay with us!

Thanks for the kind words and Happy Thanksgiving.


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[dave.m]

That black thingy on the strap around the CO2 tank is supposed to be screwed into the wall or cabinet.

Dave.M

[Stylo328]

Originally Posted by dave.m

That black thingy on the strap around the CO2 tank is supposed to be screwed into the wall or cabinet.

Dave.M

Thanks. I was just illustrating the fit in the photo. It is going to be mounted just in front of the calcium reactor.




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[Stylo328]

Finally got all the overflow plumbing finished today. I made some changes from the previous design and I am pleased with how it turned out. As always though, suggestions are welcomed and encouraged

On to the pics... the lines with blue tape are the emergency overflows. And the lines running across the rear of the tank have a slope as denoted by the two photos with the levels.
















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[worm5406]

Looking good so far. Nice upgrade.

[ddanis60]

I love how clean all your work is. So precise well thought out. Can't wait to see what this continues to become. Getting close being ready for water!

The only small thing I can think to add would be to swap the fuge and the skimmer section, if size allows and the second chamber has enough depth.. just so you're not skimming all the pods before returning to the display.

[Stylo328]

Originally Posted by worm5406

Looking good so far. Nice upgrade.

Thanks bud! And thanks for all of your contributions to the 187 thread. It's great to have you here as well.


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[Stylo328]

Originally Posted by ddanis60

I love how clean all your work is. So precise well thought out. Can't wait to see what this continues to become. Getting close being ready for water!

The only small thing I can think to add would be to swap the fuge and the skimmer section, if size allows and the second chamber has enough depth.. just so you're not skimming all the pods before returning to the display.

Thank you very much. That's a great suggestion. Let me take a look at the measurements and see if I can swap the skimmer and fuge. I'm also considering a chaeto reactor instead of the fuge.


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[scubadan206]

Great upgrade. Is there any reason you put the gate valves for the full syphon where you did VS under the overflows? I guess they're easier to reach there....
Can we have a picture of the old tank on this thread?

Daniel.

[Stylo328]

Originally Posted by scubadan206

Great upgrade. Is there any reason you put the gate valves for the full syphon where you did VS under the overflows? I guess they're easier to reach there....

Can we have a picture of the old tank on this thread?



Daniel.

Thanks Daniel. We have a Bean Animal set up on our current tank and I've had occasion where I needed to make some small adjustments. This location for the gate valves made it easier to get to them. I've also read that tuning-in dual ghost overflows can be a little tricky. I figured I'd make it as easy as possible on myself.

Here is a quick video and a few photos of the current tank.













Thanks again.


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[dgasmd]

Everything looks really good. You'll love the large removable panels, hopefully as much as I loved them in my old tank.

Very impressed with the laminate. Looks really clean and should be very easy to clean and keep looking new. The only, in retrospect, contribution I would have had originally is to make the canopy taller. You can always lower the lights if you don't need them high, but you'll never make that canopy get taller if you ever decide to add some MH there. I know you don't want to, but I just hate burning bridges myself.

Can't wait to see everything moved over and running. And of course, get my new tank LOL.....

[Stylo328]

Originally Posted by dgasmd

Everything looks really good. You'll love the large removable panels, hopefully as much as I loved them in my old tank.

Very impressed with the laminate. Looks really clean and should be very easy to clean and keep looking new. The only, in retrospect, contribution I would have had originally is to make the canopy taller. You can always lower the lights if you don't need them high, but you'll never make that canopy get taller if you ever decide to add some MH there. I know you don't want to, but I just hate burning bridges myself.

Can't wait to see everything moved over and running. And of course, get my new tank LOL.....

Thanks bud. In retrospect your right, I should have increased the height of the canopy. Alas, that ship has long sailed.

Trying to get your tank available for you to pick up before Christmas!


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[Stylo328]

Finally got the plumbing all wrapped up today. The only things missing are the six 3/4" loc-line returns, which should arrive later this week.

I ended up re plumbing the entire system and kept only the first 20" of existing plumbing out of the ghost overflows from the previous setup. I am optimistic that the drains will perform well and support the flow from the two Vectra L1s

The returns were plumbed starting with new 2" bulkheads in the sump and a pair of 2" Hayward true union gate valves. From the L1s, there another pair of Hayward true union valves, these are 1 1/2". All plumbing was accomplished with hard pipe, schedule 40.

One L1 (front) feeds the three 3/4" loc-line returns on the right side of the tank. I took the 1 1/2" line as far as I could before reducing to 1 1/4", right up to the 3/4" loc-line fitting. I tried to limit the 90s, but at the end, had to wrap over the rear brace of the tank.

The second L1 (rear) feeds a 1 1/2" line that runs along the rear of the stand, to a "T" reducing to 1" that feeds a manifold with three 1" Hayward ball valves, each with a 1/2" John Guest fitting, to feed the GFO, Carbon, and any other reactor, as needed. Beyond the "T" is a 1 1/2" gate valve to help force water through the reactor manifold. Finally ending in three 3/4" loc-line returns to match the right.

Overall I am pleased with how it turned out. I plan to leak test with tap water tomorrow. If all goes well I may be able to fill with Saltwater and begin cycling by next weekend. Fingers crossed!

A few pics.





















Hope you enjoyed the update!



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[dgasmd]

Fantastic work on the plumbing. Pad yourself in the back. Job well done so far!


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