300 DT w/ 150 gallon Sump +

[Aquatron]

Hello,
Hope you enjoy the pictures of building my "PLAY STATION" 300 gallon tank with 150 gallon sump + extras I wrote " EXTRAS" because these are what has taken me so long with this build. Being one of those freak hobbiest...lol
that enjoy the behind the scenes working's of a reef system as much as the beauty given off by the corals and fish inside.
Well starting of with my tank its a 300 gallon TRUVU AQUASYSTEM which means it has a build in double overflows and sump. It is sitting on a 2" x 2" steel tube custom stand painted black with KRYLON FUSION. As you will see i am a big fan of krylon fusion paint and krylon fusion UV sealer.
Here is the tank & stand....I didn't take many pics of the tank before i started and now will only show filtered pics because i have done some new things and want to only show once it has water.
This was an early view after installing 12 outlets to be used 4 1 " returns from sump and 8 1" returns with close loop.

You at least get the idea of the tank, stand, and can see the built in sump and how it sits in the DT.
Next comes the 150 gallon Rubbermaid sump i will be using for not only a high turnover sump but will also be my reactor control center. It is not finished but getting close


This one shows my reactor bench in the background along with morning natural lite from 4'x4' window at one end of sump.

Here is my return pump a Laguna Maxflow 4200gph with Askoll motor and power control micro chip. It will be left in the cage at the bottom of the large sump feeding my DT return manifold.



Lots more to come along with details with what you are seeing")

[maddmaxx]

serious looking rubbermaid sump.. nice big tank

[Adamc1303]

Cool looking setup. I hope the tank inhabitants will be as colorful as the filtration. Did you use Krylon Fusion for all of that?

[Aquatron]

Yes sump will be running at 16" deep so lots of room The skimmer won't be in the sump it sits on a skimmer bench i will show soon.

Yes i use Krylon Fusion paint and Krylon Fusion UV sealer that gives things a glass like look and feel.

[Aquatron]

Here is my reactor bench that sits behind sump area and will hold several different kinds of reactor's. I will show each ones build and explain their use as we go.




After staining the pump skids i covered the whole bottom with two layers of duct tape going both ways.



This picture shows finish coats along with skimmer bench and air pump shelf.

[owenspackman]

i love the color coding in the sump.

now tall is your stand? looks pretty low?

[Aquatron]

Originally Posted by owenspackman

i love the color coding in the sump.

now tall is your stand? looks pretty low?

I set the tank so when sitting the center of tank is at eye level since i have my couch 6' straght across from DT.
My stand is 24" tall and the tank is 30" for total height 54" still have to use a three step ladder when cleaning.

[Aquatron]

Since i am COLOR CODE..ING my build i have a few steps that i use before painting. This is just the way i prep others don't and i not sure if it makes a difference"_
I like to wash fittings in hot water and a little soap then let dry. I use WD40 to remove tags before washing......

I tape off needed areas before painting as i don't paint inside pipes or threads that go into another fitting.....



It may look a little strange at time's with the colors but once system is running it should make sense and look cool
Here is my sump return manifold....powered by a Maxflow 4200gph - head should return about 3000gph.

[EpicWin]

Very nice

[K AVEYARD]

Great attention to detail. I think the fish room can be as cool or even cooler than the DT. like a cool engine in a bad azz car....you have the right idea going and thanks for the tips.

[worm5406]

Very nice. Who picked out the color's?

[Aquatron]

Thank you for the thumbs up")
I picked out the colors for my build being it is 16' long with many different process going on at once. You can look at a color and follow it from start to finish also very easy to explain processes when it can followed.
I will share all the different things i am working on through out this thread along with details with how to build them.

[worm5406]

Very nice... Didn't know if someone else picked the colors... Just wondered.

[Aquatron]

I am from the old school with 25+ years in this hobby so i am building things that most hobbiest wouldn't at this time. Rimless tanks and MPs is the new hot........
Oxygen reactors, air injection, fluidized beds, vortex wave makers, close loop using 4 pumps is just a sample with this build. I also have built everything except pumps & lighting to run on air, as well with pump power Lots of planning, reading, ordering and building details is a big part of what i like about our hobby

[Jeff000]

Love the color. Wonder how hard it would be to paint after installation?

[K AVEYARD]

Ha i was wondering the same thing....guessing finish would not be half as nice

[Aquatron]

Originally Posted by Jeff000

Love the color. Wonder how hard it would be to paint after installation?

I wouldn't even want to try it that way but it could be done.....i guess

[Jeff000]

Originally Posted by Aquatron

I wouldn't even want to try it that way but it could be done.....i guess

lol.
I was trying to find a brush on plastic paint, but hard to find. It's not a huge deal. But boy it sure looks pretty all painted up nice.

[Aquatron]

You could maybe use a perma marker with a wide tip? Just mask off pipe on both sides of fitting your wanting to color. I would pick a dark color and try it on a spare fitting first then if it works just take you time
Also on ebay there is a guy that sales pvc stain with 10 different colors that also is used for aquarium plumbing coloring.

Good Luck!

[Kroamium]

I like your setup very organized. I plan on using the same type of sump on my 360g set up. and simular sock drain , how did you attached the egg crate to the sump? is that just drilled holes and zip ties?

[Aquatron]

Yes egg crate is great stuff any time i use it for something structural i double it and it becomes very strong. To answer your question i drilled 4 small holes toward top of sock holder and used ties.
Thanks for stoppN by

[Aquatron]

As you will see i get side tracked alot with my build while i will be working on one thing i will have a thought.............next thing i know its two weeks later
I call them "MO FLOWS"
Here is what happened when i thought about my 12 needed outlets for my DT

[Aquatron]

Then i to see how small i could build them




Then my poor man MP
Really works well.............




OK back to the build!!!!

[Pederreefnerd]

Thats a nice looking system - cant wait to see the endresult

Good luck

Peder

[Aquatron]

Thank You ..Yeah i am ready to start it up myself I have all i need to finish except materials for my foam wall and RO/DI unit. Doing everything myself with lots of details left i am looking at a month till fresh water fire up. I will then build foam wall while its running with fresh water.