DDiver December 23, 2012 Author Share December 23, 2012 Outstanding Billy-Can't wait to follow this one. Definately post up when you open up........I'll bring the whole family out. It's gonna be a hike for you Steve but I'll make sure you eat well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 23, 2012 Author Share December 23, 2012 DDiver, That 3-side layout is awesome and very similar to mine. You could consider hanging panels from the ceiling or top part of cabinet frame. They would swing out and give you clearance to work and get in on the 3 open sides of the tank. And looks cleaner with no doors or handles. Looks more like a wall than a cabinet. I did the same thing in my house. I will take some pics and send of the inside framing when I get home later. Also u r free to come see it anytime u r in dc. This is all I have on my iPad now..... hmm, i'll have to have a chat with the acrhitect and see what we can do...you're right though, i'd rather have it look just like a regular wall , it didn't show in the rendering but there will be cabinet style doors on the front and backside for access... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 23, 2012 Author Share December 23, 2012 Hey Billy- If you need help, just ask. I live across the street. i most likely will Rob, TIA... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind December 24, 2012 Share December 24, 2012 Congrats on taking this big step of opening a resturant and on the new tank. Let me know if you need any help, I'm about 10 minutes from you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 Congrats on taking this big step of opening a resturant and on the new tank. Let me know if you need any help, I'm about 10 minutes from you. Thanks David, appreciate the offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 Demolition started this past week and so it begins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splavey December 24, 2012 Share December 24, 2012 Congratulations Billy. I'm sure the tank and the food will be killer!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x-ray December 24, 2012 Share December 24, 2012 New place for a meeting/tour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 Congratulations Billy. I'm sure the tank and the food will be killer!!! Thank you.I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 New place for a meeting/tour? I'm sure that's bound to happen.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 I originally planned on running 3 400w halides supplemented by T5s but realized that being in a restaurant, heat was going to be an issue.Then i started thinking about power consumption and bulb replacements, well you know where that led me.My buddy was able to convince me to give LEDs a shot.I've always been a firm believer of the tried and true methods but i'm also willing to expand my horizons and try the different things this hobby has to offer.I really wanted the Radions but considering the cost of lighting up a tank of this size i had to look for a cheaper and comparable alternative.I did a lot of research on the many fixtures that are out today and decided that AI was the route to go.At half the price of the new Radions, it was a no brainer. I will be acquiring 4 AI Vega Colors as soon as the tank is ready for lighting.I'm holding off until the last possible minute to buy them to ensure that they have worked out as many of the kinks they possibly can.I will have 4 running perpendicular straight down the middle of the tank and will frame the outer perimeter of the tank with retro T5s to cover the rest of the area not covered by LEDs.It will be a peninsula mixed reef tank so I think this will be sufficient lighting to keep all the different types of corals happy. The tank will have 2 dedicated circuits , 1 to power just the lighting and the other to power the pumps and other equipment.I know thats overkill for running the LEDs but i designed it so that if the LEDs don't work out it'll be able to handle the originally planned metal halides.And since we are doing ventilation work for the kitchen, i figured i might as well do ventilation for the canopy to take care of any heat and humidity. The door opening you see still standing in the picture is going to be a closet attached to the backside of the tank.The closet will give me access to the overflow side of the tank and will house 2 55 gallon drums for water.The door of the closet will be undercut for make-up air.Inside the closet will be a spicket to supply the RO unit that's going to be hanging on the wall.There will also be a floor drain in case of any accidents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 I have about 250/300lbs of Marco/Fiji/Tonga that will be going in the tank.I plan on having a shallow sandbed of Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ "black sand".Those of you that have seen my tank knows that i'm a big fan of black sand because of the contrast it gives to the colorful LPS that will litter the sanded. I feel 1 MP60 to supplement the 6 returns off a Snapper/Dart will be sufficient in terms of flow.More than likely it will sit on the overflow wall so its not on any of the viewable sides.I will be implementing the Beananimal overflow method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Der ABT December 24, 2012 Share December 24, 2012 man check out the Evergrow or whomever leds lights for the cost they are unbeatable, if you havent seen them already let me know im in falls church now (just a few miles from petland by loemans) and have one over my daughters 30g cube ....they are suprisingly nice....still not a firm believer in SPS and LEDs but it seems to be getting closer these days just my 2 cents but im sure youve done a ton of research already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE December 24, 2012 Share December 24, 2012 This looks sweet and I'm looking forward to seeing it! I'm also less than 10 min down the road if you need any help! I've dealt a lot with AI's and I suggest you hang them, DO NOT put them on legs over the tank. I've never seen a good looking, successful tank with the AI's close to the water. Around 1 foot above the water is where I've seen the best results. Any less than 8-12in and the lights just bleach EVERYTHING, including the coraline in some cases. Changing the lighting intensity does not work either. They simply have to be higher above the tank. They can be touchy at first, but once you get them tuned in they're awesome for the price and I've seen some great looking tanks that use them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco December 24, 2012 Share December 24, 2012 I can't wait Billy. My office near there, do put me on the list if you need anything during the day. Congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 Evan, i actually just heard about those recently and haven't looked much into it but it's on my list of things to do. man check out the Evergrow or whomever leds lights for the cost they are unbeatable, if you havent seen them already let me know im in falls church now (just a few miles from petland by loemans) and have one over my daughters 30g cube ....they are suprisingly nice....still not a firm believer in SPS and LEDs but it seems to be getting closer these days just my 2 cents but im sure youve done a ton of research already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 Sam, i plan on getting the rail kit that AI offers.I will probably have them at 8" max awl. This looks sweet and I'm looking forward to seeing it! I'm also less than 10 min down the road if you need any help! I've dealt a lot with AI's and I suggest you hang them, DO NOT put them on legs over the tank. I've never seen a good looking, successful tank with the AI's close to the water. Around 1 foot above the water is where I've seen the best results. Any less than 8-12in and the lights just bleach EVERYTHING, including the coraline in some cases. Changing the lighting intensity does not work either. They simply have to be higher above the tank. They can be touchy at first, but once you get them tuned in they're awesome for the price and I've seen some great looking tanks that use them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 I can't wait Billy. My office near there, do put me on the list if you need anything during the day. Congrats Will do Doug, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE December 24, 2012 Share December 24, 2012 Which rail kit? They have lots! Whatever you go with, I'd just recommend something you can raise and lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBVette December 24, 2012 Share December 24, 2012 I think there is only 1 rail kit, but for different lengths. You can see the rails on my lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 24, 2012 Author Share December 24, 2012 Which rail kit? They have lots! Whatever you go with, I'd just recommend something you can raise and lower. Yea i'm pretty sure they only have one rail kit, just different lengths..It'll definitely be height adjustable no doubt about that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NamReefs December 25, 2012 Share December 25, 2012 (edited) wow really nice Billy. update more picture bro Edited December 26, 2012 by Coral Hind removed jiberish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver December 26, 2012 Author Share December 26, 2012 Whoa! What happened there?..lol Thanks Nam, I'll post pics as the project moves along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alieu07 December 26, 2012 Share December 26, 2012 Congrats Billy! We love Thai food and tank too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer December 26, 2012 Share December 26, 2012 I am probably the biggest LED-hater out there for SPS but I am still stuck with them because of heat as well. I am going from 5 AI Sols to 3 Sols with 4 80 watt T5 supplements and a bunch of additional Royal blue LEDs. T5 retrofits are cheap. I am happy with the ones that ReefGeek carries. My advice is to lean heavy on the T5 supplements. If budget is an issue, consider the Chinese LEDs. if you are supplementing with T5s (Purple and 65k), then you don't have to drop big money on fancy full-spectrum LEDs. If you or your coral don't like the light, you can fix it with a bulb change. Just a way to hedge your bets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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