DuffyGeos

My only worry is that I plan on running 4 250W MH on the DT and am worried that the transition from T5 to MH might be a problem. Any one do this successfully? I am debating on putting the 4' ATI all the way to the right over the QT frag tank and half the grow out tank. Then add a MH to the end of the growout tank so I can move them down and transition to MH. Anyone?

Very cool

Ok, that sound a little more doable.

I am going to watch it, learned from you! Thank you for the nice compliments, It is something I have thought about for a few years, and have spend many hours going over other builds and looking at WMAS builds in person to figure out what I wanted, and how I wanted to do it. I think talking to members helps so much. One of the questions I have always asked each member when I am at their house is "what would you have done differently if you it did it again"? I have made some of my decisions based on their answers. Thanks again, now go get a frag tank! Is that for a ladder or scaffold? I would like to see you up on 2 -2x4's on top of 2 5g buckets....check you insurance.

You are KILLIN' ME!!!! wow........

I could be wrong, but I think you are making this sound a little easier then it is. Buy the acrylic, buy all the items you need to build it, cut it, sand it polish it, glue it, how many baffles? What size? I think you might be over 60 min., especially if this is your first sump. IMO Now if you are going to just buy a tank and stick in 2 precut baffles, then yes on 60 min.

Thanks, it will be brighter when I lower it. I just need an extra set of hands and my son has not been available when I want to do it. Afraid to drop in on the tanks.!

Here is what I have for lights at the moment. 48" ATI T5 8 bulb. Still have to lower it a bit and do some wire management. Right now it covers the QT frag tank and half the main frag tank. Debating on switching out to T5 MH combo on the frags tanks....still not sure. Any input?

Pictures!? let the man sleep!!!!!!!!

No problem, just messing with you Actually I like Oakton better (no need to start a Oakton / Reston battle)

Thanks Nick! I hope it also fits in Oakton's nonplanned community since that is where I live :laugh:. I love the LMC's they are just gorgeous fish, even if they are *holes

And my male Lyretail Anthias needed to show the new FLMC who is boss of the tank. Well it worked, the FLMC was banished to the glass sump. Still a nice family pic.

First date pics of my 2 Lightning Maroon Clowns......Yea that didn't last long. This was in my QT frag tank which I am using for fish right now (and some corals)

More plumbing porn. These are the line for my 2 frag tanks. 4 holes drill in a row left to right. Now the trick was to then get the line all spaced evenly apart top to bottom os they could be mounted to the wall. They would also have to be in a certain order since they are from left: Return, Drain / Drain, Return. Oh,....and just to make it a little more complex we had to go around a 6" x 6" post so each angle coming off of the bulkheads was at a different angle.. The lines on the right are from the QT frag tank and would be the first two to need to be set in the glass tank sump in the corner. The next two on the left were going to have to run around the room to below the DT and the return is on the left side for the tank, but the drain is on the far right into the filter socks. So we had to calculate the slope from one side of the room to the other and make sure it did not run into any other lines but also tied into one of the drains on the left side of the DT. This took a lot of mocking up to check drain line pitches. We have about 30 man hours into the plumbing so far .

Mine lives in the frogspawn, I think he had swollen lips at first, now I don't notice anything. He won't leave it.

Thank you....but I have seen better, I do love it. Thank you, I am looking forward to making it stink. Thanks Thank you , you know you are welcome anytime.

With all of my planning I didn't factor in the best way for the return line to get back to the tank. The way I had planned changed once I decided on the 4 MH lights and the reflectors. Rob came up with the idea of just running in up the left side of the tank and up through one of the holes drilled in the overflow box. I had two on each side and had more then enough pipe dia. with the other three lines so that is the way we went. It worked out really well. We have a true union in the overflow box that allows us to take off the return pipe layout on top of the tank in one piece for cleaning or maintenance. It is a very clean installation and returns the water 1/3 and 2/3's down the tank. I will be able to add different pipe lengths and Linelock later if needed.

+1 Did my 300g tank and both of my frag tanks.....any size, any shape, any features. Talk to Adam.

Thanks guys, I have been putting time in that room cleaning all the equipment I have acquired over the past year ( almost 20 pumps of different sizes) over the last couple weeks. They have gone through a vinegar bath, broken down, scrubbed, rinsed, and run to check their operation. The cords are even getting a wipe down and then folded and zip tied...yes I am a little anal.

This is a view of the left side of the tank stand where the pump is returning the water (straight up in the 4 way pipe), to the manifold on the right (still have not plumped all the items off the manifold) for the UV filter, skimmer, calcium reactor, kalk stirrer (maybe), and biopellet reactor. The left return is for the large frag tank.

A pic of the sump area. I am really happy that I went to the problem of creating a massive stand to support a 300g tank and have an open area below the tank. 7' wide inside of post to inside of post. The sump was acquired at the closing of the National Aquarium in D.C. (thank you Dave Lin and WAMAS), I would never had a chance to get something like this if it were not for the club. To me this is a cool part of " Local Reefing History". Like getting stadium seats for an old stadium that is being demolished. I am going to be running the Deltec AP-702 (old school) that is rated for 444 gal. normally stocked or 333gal. heavily stocked. I also have a Swabbie that should increase the performance by 20% so that is 532 gal. and 400 gal.

Now I know why you have the screen name you do.......just beautiful.

Here is the final set up for the DT and the frag tanks. I still need to build a set of shelves for 2 fish QT tanks above the one sump tank in the back right corner behind the DT. I ended up plastic coating the top 1/4 of the 165g RO/DI water container since I realized that once I hung a light for the frag tanks it would be provide my water tank with some unwanted light, and some green algae down the road.