dandy7200's 400g SPS tank

[dandy7200]

Tank specs and system overview:

 

Tank:

108x30x27 Starfire glass built by miracles in glass.

2ea 30" long external overflows

 

Sump:

64x34x32 fiberglass with foam core insulation

 

Drip Sump/QT tank:

48x12x16 divided down the middle

 

Lighting:

3ea 400w XM 10k bulbs

3ea M59 ballast Pacific Garden Supply

3ea Lumenarcs

2ea IC 660's 4x24" T5 AB+ and 4x24" VHO Super Actinic all overdriven

Tek T5 on the QT

Neptune LED

 

Flow:

Hammerhead Return

2ea Tunze 6101's

2ea Tunze 6201's

Vortech with 2ea battery backups

 

Filtration:

Standard Twelve Skimmer

FR5000 Media Reactor running carbon and Po4 remover

240w Gamma UV

4x 100 micron filter socks

M30 Denitrator

300# Live Rock

2" Shallow Sand bed

 

Supplementation:

K8 Kalk Stirrer

M30 Calcium Reactor

 

Heating/Cooling:

Pacific Coast 1/2hp Chiller

2000w Inline heater

 

Control:

Neptune AC3

PX1000

 

Water Management:

Litermeter3

Litermeter water xchange module

Litermeter remote pump

105g Salt reservoir

20g RO reservoir

Typhoon 3 RODI upgraded to 7 stage

 

Project started 4th of July 2007:

 

[dandy7200]

Step one was to rip out the closet framing and the floor so I could reframe and reinforce the floor structurally so it would hold a couple tons:

 

 

 

 

Digging under the house for footings:

 

 

 

Blocks for the foundation and a whole bunch of wood to sister the joist:

 

 

 

I thank my wife for her patience during this part of the project:

 

 

By 8-17-07 the tank was being built:

 

 

Started lining the inside of the tank closet with sheet PVC, I sloped the floor to the back and put a few e-drains in the floor:

 

 

Put a few 4" bath fans in the ceiling, 8" return vent to central ac and 4" inline exhaust fan for the L3's:

 

 

PVC lining being tacked in place:

 

 

 

 

I later went back and welded all the seams (need to find a picture of that).

 

 

 

Light rack:

 

 

 

 

They slide

 

 

Power Center:

 

 

Sump on the Sump moving device:

 

 

9-7-07 tank is finished and ready for crating. I had the top eurobracing drilled and tempered so I could easily run my returns and route powerhead cords:

 

[jamesbuf]

Sweet, I've been waiting for updates.

[dandy7200]

Moving day:

 

Big thanks to Stevil, Jamesbuf, Dschflier and my buds at Tony's Auto!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jamesbuf]

That brings back painful, herniating memories.

[dandy7200]

The wife @ 6months pregnant:

 

 

1.5" drains 2 in each overflow:

 

 

1" Oceans Motions Omniflex returns:

 

 

Wiring 2 sets of ballast so that I had sliding capabilities and 1 bulb firing off each ballast every section between the halides:

 

 

 

 

Wiring cleaned up then Chip and Jon helped me navigate it into it's final resting spot and dead level:

 

 

9-19-07 first drop:

 

Edited December 22, 2007 by dandy7200

[davelin315]

The wife @ 6months pregnant:

 

 

Hmmm... I could have sworn there was no wife in the first picture and that she was going to kill you for calling a tank your wife... and then all of a sudden, there she is!

 

Dan, where did you get the sliding track for your lights? I've been looking for something like that for my system and settled on simply putting them into the ceiling and having them stationary because I couldn't find anything.

 

This forum, by the way, has already served it's purpose, as I haven't been able to find your thread over on RC and now it's here so I can see what's going on with your system!

[dandy7200]

The plan was to build an addition on the side of the house for a fish room. Expecting our first child guided my remodeling efforts to refinishing the attic for a nursery so I got this instead:

 

 

Tight fit:

 

 

SW tank and Sump Guard Dog:

 

 

Big things in place and half way lined with styrene insulation board 2"

thick:

 

:

 

 

 

That brings back painful, herniating memories.

 

 

I did most of the lifting!

 

Hmmm... I could have sworn there was no wife in the first picture and that she was going to kill you for calling a tank your wife... and then all of a sudden, there she is!

 

Dan, where did you get the sliding track for your lights? I've been looking for something like that for my system and settled on simply putting them into the ceiling and having them stationary because I couldn't find anything.

 

This forum, by the way, has already served it's purpose, as I haven't been able to find your thread over on RC and now it's here so I can see what's going on with your system!

 

 

I think you have been lickin the zoas again Dave

 

The light racks are from mcmaster.com I can look up the part# for you if you like.

 

I took a little break from RC, I might start posting there again one of these days but, I think the board is over policed a bit too much.

[dandy7200]

Left side cycling:

 

 

Right side cycling:

 

 

9-20-07:

 

 

Souped up my RO:

 

 

I like UV:

 

 

Some plumbing for the returns:

 

 

I think I am getting good output with the lighting setup:

 

 

Heater:

 

 

4" Bulkhead to run wiring outside, yes I bulkheaded my house :P

 

[Connor]

wow and i thought my 92 gallon tank was big

 

the setup looks great!

 

Connor

[lletellier]

if you have not seen this tank up and running yet you need to go take a look... it is amazing!

[davelin315]

Dan, that's some incredible stuff you have going on there. Also, many people do not know, but you built almost everything equipment wise yourself, including the heater. Did you rig up the UV yourself as well? I thought it was a typo when I saw the wattage you had listed... then I saw the picture!

[NRehman]

Dan,

Looking great. If you've got some time later next week, would love to see it in person.

Nadir

[dandy7200]

Connor, Lance, thanks.

 

Dave, the UV is Current USA.

 

Nadir, give me a ring when you want to swing by.

[vaironman]

It's incredible just to see how he has designed and built out the whole system, along taking care family + his restaurant business. I guess the passion for the hobby keeps his sanity in tact. Beside the heater, custom built, system, the whole tank setup is very clean and Dan had able to hide all the wiring away. Beautiful.

 

KLee

[treesprite]

looks awesome. I wondered how you were going to use that shed thing for a tank room... putting holes through the house!

[EBR]

Very well done, Dan. I like what you did for reinforcing the floor -- I used flitch plates for mine since there is a bedroom underneath, but the idea of having your tank on its own [mostly] independent piers is too cool.

 

BTW, where did you get that shed? it looks about the right size I need for other non-tank-related purposes -- like all the yard-work-related junk I have :-)

 

Looks awesome -- Keep it up.

Matt

[dandy7200]

Thanks Lee.

 

Forrest, I need to take more pics over the holidays, there are a LOT more holes through the house :P

 

Matt, yeah I feel safe about the floor. That job was the hardest part of the entire process. The shed came from Sears.

[lanman]

 

9-7-07 tank is finished and ready for crating. I had the top eurobracing drilled and tempered so I could easily run my returns and route powerhead cords:

 

 

You rule!!! Finding a better way to run the cords for my powerheads has consumed many of my poor little pea-brain's thinking hours. Of course, I got my tank used; but if I ever get another large tank - it WILL have those holes in it!

 

bob

[davelin315]

Hey Dan, how much juice are you running through your system? I know that my ballasts alone, 4 of them, consume almost 20 Amps... just curious as to how much your power supply is. Seems like it would be close to the consumption total for a small house!

[HowardofNOVA]

Dan, your my hero sir!!!

 

BTW, Congrats on the new addition, both baby and tank!

[davelin315]

Did you have the baby? Congratulations if you did! Last I spoke to you it was "any day now".

[dandy7200]

Dave, a whole lot less power then you might5 think. While there is 5ea. 20 amp circuits run to the tank, they are there for redundancy mainly. My equipment all is watt friendly. One day I will put the kilawatt on the system but, for now the wife said she didn't notice a difference in the power bill from having the 54 and 75 runnin to what it is now.

 

Thanks Howard, stop by next time your in the hood.

 

No baby yet, still in a "any day now" holding pattern.

[MOT]

WOW! ... WOW! You are the man. I really want to see this tank when it is set up.

[rioreef]

Dan,

 

With the shed are you concerned about temperature, especially during the summer with heat? Second, that is not sealed to tight, what about any pesticides, fertilizers, dust, etc. in the air that might make its way over to it.