monkiboy's 265g build thread

[monkiboy]

probably will install the custom coast to coast from adam (artfully acrylic) when i shim the stand for the resettling that occurs. definitely nice to see the tank in the space with trim and have that part of my basement back!

Edited April 3, 2013 by monkiboy

[YHSublime]

So far this is incredibly well thought out, and quick moving. It kind of blows my mind every time I read what's coming next.

 

And that looks boss, btw. I can't wait to see it grow!

Edited April 3, 2013 by YHSublime

[swimmatte]

YES!!!!!!! Looks great man. I'll shoot you a text tomorrow.

[monkiboy]

So far this is incredibly well thought out, and quick moving. It kind of blows my mind every time I read what's coming next.

 

And that looks boss, btw. I can't wait to see it grow!

thank you, sir. i'm really digging it, too!

 

 

YES!!!!!!! Looks great man. I'll shoot you a text tomorrow.

thanks a ton - look forward to the info!

[Omair]

Your a beast man, seriously. This build is massive in scope and your taking all the right steps to make this an amazing reef tank. I can't wait to see how you aquascape and grow out this tank. Good luck!

[monkiboy]

Your a beast man, seriously. This build is massive in scope and your taking all the right steps to make this an amazing reef tank. I can't wait to see how you aquascape and grow out this tank. Good luck!

thank you, sir. i appreciate the support. i honestly wish it was larger but i'm not going to be able to accomplish that in this house. i'll enjoy it for the next couple years for sure and then bigger and better!

[Der ABT]

when you do the coast to coast dont forget to make it 1/8th to 1/4 lower than you want the water height....obvisouly it will sit a little higher while overflowing as it needs to get up and over the overflow (mine is just slighly above the waterline with the orig overflows...thought i put it far enough down but i guess i was slightly off)

 

make sure it is big enough to fit your hand in in case something falls in or needs cleaning, (the trim takes up some room above it so if its too tight it could be a pain...almost had this issues before a test fit with some cardboard.

 

and another thing is the depth of the internal overflow....i made mine to match the external overflow box and i think it is actually a little too "deep" and would have been find just going to the bottom of the holes i drilled which would have given a little less fall to the water going in ....mine is still dead silent but just seems like it will cause a little more evap...

[AlanM]

How wide is your C2C going to be, and what flow rate do you have planned?

 

Given those two it is possible to calculate the height over the weir provided it is toothless. Teeth make the weir les wide, of course, but also add lots of friction, both of which increase the height.

[Sharkey18]

Wow.Impressive build.

[monkiboy]

when you do the coast to coast dont forget to make it 1/8th to 1/4 lower than you want the water height....obvisouly it will sit a little higher while overflowing as it needs to get up and over the overflow (mine is just slighly above the waterline with the orig overflows...thought i put it far enough down but i guess i was slightly off)

 

make sure it is big enough to fit your hand in in case something falls in or needs cleaning, (the trim takes up some room above it so if its too tight it could be a pain...almost had this issues before a test fit with some cardboard.

 

and another thing is the depth of the internal overflow....i made mine to match the external overflow box and i think it is actually a little too "deep" and would have been find just going to the bottom of the holes i drilled which would have given a little less fall to the water going in ....mine is still dead silent but just seems like it will cause a little more evap...

thanks for the info, sir. i'll definitely take all that into consideration. if you have any other tips feel free to post up.

 

 

 

How wide is your C2C going to be, and what flow rate do you have planned?

 

Given those two it is possible to calculate the height over the weir provided it is toothless. Teeth make the weir les wide, of course, but also add lots of friction, both of which increase the height.

the coast to coast will literally be just that, the entire span of the tank - so around 7'. i'm going back and forth on what return pump to utilize for the sump return to the tank but was thinking about 2-5x turn over to maximize efficiency through contact-time with the skimmer.

 

any ideas or calculations you want to do would be swell!

 

oh, and yes the C2C is going to be toothless.

 

 

Wow.Impressive build.

thanks a ton!

[monkiboy]

getting filtration systems back online including the RO/DI. waiting on information on a few new larger water containers and on some hose clamps to mount things neatly to the wall.

 

thankfully when i finished the basement i put plywood along the entire large rear wall behind the drywall because the space was intended to be a bar. now i can securely mount anything i like there, like the RO/DI. on the side, i mounted up a sheet to hold my AWC, ATO, and other systems within an easy guide path for the lines to drain, sump, and to the water containers.

 

 

 

 

 

[DaveS]

what are those little black "bucket" looking things? Are they for the doser?

 

Also, do you have a job? Where do you find time to make so much progress in such a short period?!

[DCReefer1964]

what are those little black "bucket" looking things? Are they for the doser?

 

Also, do you have a job? Where do you find time to make so much progress in such a short period?!

I think they are part of the Renew Genesis auto water change system.

Here is a link to the movie star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMdhsBkPQPk

Edited April 3, 2013 by DCReefer1964

[monkiboy]

what are those little black "bucket" looking things? Are they for the doser?

 

Also, do you have a job? Where do you find time to make so much progress in such a short period?!

the buckets are metering reservoirs. they have optical and mechanical sensors that measure exactly one gallon of fluid. they are part of the AWC system. a pump delivers one exact gallon of sump water to one while another pump delivers one exact gallon of new salt water. then when level and precisely measured by the sensors, they slowly release their water to their destination (sump water to waste drain and new salt to sump) per the requested input on the controller (amount of gallons per day/week/continuous).

 

yes i do, normally late nights or early mornings. i work a lot and don't require a ton of sleep to operate at peak but when i do get a bit fatigued the excitement of a finished portion of the build keeps me going the next day.

[monkiboy]

I think they are part of the Renew Genesis auto water change system.

Here is a link to the movie star.

 

haha, man that feels like years ago! thanks for posting up, sir. i did those for the manufacturer when i first got the system. the system and support are top tier. highly recommended system!

[DCReefer1964]

Are you still using it?

[DCReefer1964]

Hey when you are ready to fill that thing up with water come PU my 750 GPD RO unit.

[monkiboy]

Are you still using it?

heck yeah. that's what is shown in the last photo above that you replied to, haha. the system saves me so much time and energy as i just program how many gallons a week to do, i set it on repeat and it does all my water changes, with triple redundancies/fail-safes, with the only input i do is drop a bag of salt in my salt container twice a month. it'll definitely be put to use with the 265 build!

 

 

Hey when you are ready to fill that thing up with water come PU my 750 GPD RO unit.

haha, nice - for sure!

[Der ABT]

I was going to do a full coast to coast overflow but truthfully i dont think you need to, just pick how large you want it to be and it will skim the surface ALOT

i went with 18inch and did mine with 1/4 in glass i got from Banner, all said and done it was around 45 bucks for the internal 1/4in and the external 3/8 cause i was paranoid of it cracking..definately thicker than needed but i like the thickness on the bottom with the beananimal pipes exiting.

if i did it again i would actually do something similar to what coralhind did, basically the internal of his old tank was in inbox on an office door ...triangular shaped.

i hear cutting glass is very easy but i wanted to jsut get this done so i decided not to...could always change it in the future and figured it would cast less shadow as well

 

i would think a 3-4 footer would do fine on your tank (maybe even smaller) and make it easier to access the bottom of the tank as well, dont have to reach over the overflow. but thats all personal preference

i had to do mine off center because of the glass centerbrace....i still can see particles on the surface rush over to the overflow box from the opposite side.

 

 

What water pressure are you running from your pipes? ive heard you want 65+ for the 150gpd upgrade (aka running two 75gpd membranes in order to have enough pressure to flush it)...of course i only get 50ish (and that the static for the neighborhoood according to fairfax otherwise id go that route...im still considering it though, sick of the amount of waste water it creates.

[AlanM]

thank you, sir. i appreciate the support. i honestly wish it was larger but i'm not going to be able to accomplish that in this house. i'll enjoy it for the next couple years for sure and then bigger and better!

 

You appreciate the support? A large part of my enjoyment of this board is vicarious enjoyments of other's builds that I either dont have the time, space, or money to do. I appreciate you stopping work to take photos and share with us.

 

I will calculate a 7 foot weir at 1250 gph and show my work. 8). Can't type it all into the iPad, so I have to wait until I get computer time. I already pretty much know the answer, that it will be about .25 inches as others have said here. Wonder if it would be even quieter if you could get Adam to bevel the overflow edge to give a gentler fall into the box? And maybe drill and tap each end so you could use a short piece of scrap to hold on some gutterguard across the weir opening to help prevent critters from taking a trip.

 

[AlanM]

Der ABT, how much flow are you putting through your 18" and how far does it rise over the edge and how far does it fall to the water level in the box? You did a BeanAnimal, right? Want to see if the math gets close.

[monkiboy]

I was going to do a full coast to coast overflow but truthfully i dont think you need to, just pick how large you want it to be and it will skim the surface ALOT

i went with 18inch and did mine with 1/4 in glass i got from Banner, all said and done it was around 45 bucks for the internal 1/4in and the external 3/8 cause i was paranoid of it cracking..definately thicker than needed but i like the thickness on the bottom with the beananimal pipes exiting.

if i did it again i would actually do something similar to what coralhind did, basically the internal of his old tank was in inbox on an office door ...triangular shaped.

i hear cutting glass is very easy but i wanted to jsut get this done so i decided not to...could always change it in the future and figured it would cast less shadow as well

 

i would think a 3-4 footer would do fine on your tank (maybe even smaller) and make it easier to access the bottom of the tank as well, dont have to reach over the overflow. but thats all personal preference

i had to do mine off center because of the glass centerbrace....i still can see particles on the surface rush over to the overflow box from the opposite side.

 

 

What water pressure are you running from your pipes? ive heard you want 65+ for the 150gpd upgrade (aka running two 75gpd membranes in order to have enough pressure to flush it)...of course i only get 50ish (and that the static for the neighborhoood according to fairfax otherwise id go that route...im still considering it though, sick of the amount of waste water it creates.

i dont think i need to do a full C2C either but it's easier. two pieces of acrylic instead of four and it looks cleaner than just a section of the rear. while a bit obtrusive, it's a lot smaller than the RR overflows, takes up no useable real estate, and cheap as well. i dont know maybe a smaller section would look just as well but when i see it in tanks, i think it sticks out.

 

so you're using the bulkheads primarily to hold your external in place, correct? and then silicone for the seal? i need to go look at your photos again.

 

the mailbox slot (triangular) is of consideration but then i would have to use an external but then i would take less space away from the tank and visually it would move away from sight as you go lower which might be cleaner looking. also i wonder if it allows the water to cascade in gently over that 45° vs a sharp 90° drop causing less bubbles and creep? i'm going to do some research on it tonight.

 

you have a point on access. i think i am underestimating how difficult moving things at the bottom will be but i dont think 4-6" of an internal overflow will be much of a hindrance but who knows?

 

i have 98psi from my water supply line. i dial it back to 90psi to have a benchmark reference. thankfully i don't have to deal with booster pumps, etc. and the 150gpd upgrade was instantly noticeable how much more water you are producing and waste you are sending down the drain. i tried doing three membranes but was suggested by BRS that even with 100+ psi it's not advised. i forget all the mumbo jumbo talk of reasons why.

 

 

 

 

 

You appreciate the support? A large part of my enjoyment of this board is vicarious enjoyments of other's builds that I either dont have the time, space, or money to do. I appreciate you stopping work to take photos and share with us.

 

I will calculate a 7 foot weir at 1250 gph and show my work. 8). Can't type it all into the iPad, so I have to wait until I get computer time. I already pretty much know the answer, that it will be about .25 inches as others have said here. Wonder if it would be even quieter if you could get Adam to bevel the overflow edge to give a gentler fall into the box? And maybe drill and tap each end so you could use a short piece of scrap to hold on some gutterguard across the weir opening to help prevent critters from taking a trip.

thanks! i look forward to seeing the math. i would think it would be quieter if i had adam do that or if i do the mailbox slot type idea above. with the street 90° in it's place so close to the bottom it will prevent anything that may cause a headache or clog from making it down. or you can cuts slots into the bottom of the street 90° and get it even closer. anything that does make it through will have no problem sliding down 1.5 or 2" drain to a filter sock.

[AlanM]

For a 7 foot weir at 1250 gph I get 0.14 inches over the weir, so just over an eighth of an inch over the weir on one that long. That's really small, and I'd agree that no fish are going over that. It goes up to a quarter inch if you went down to 3 feet.

 

I can't attach the spreadsheet, but the link to it is here:

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AitCoGEDB43DdDJxaWZyZW1JbEpSUGtVVGRkZUt0Y1E&usp=sharing

 

The math is here:

 

http://www.aquatext....s/weir flow.htm

Edited April 4, 2013 by AlanM

[Der ABT]

its just under 1/4 in with a mag9 at just under 5ft head so i think thats around 750-800 gph.

math is great when it works

 

nice thing abuot hte internal overflow with an external box is its EASY to change the internal when you are so inclined..

 

if you go full coast to coast just have to be careful with the silicone around the seams of the tank if you ever change it

 

 

as for the covering,,,,,my frag tank has a little internal acrylic box. i jsut shoved some gutter gaurd cut slightly larger than the box and have it bowing up just below the top on the inside so it doesnt interrupt the surface skimming and nothign can crawl into the box that isnt tiny.

 

 

Monkiboy

As for holding the external in place, because its glass the silicon bond is insane....i was very weary but after just making the external box with 4 panes of glass it wsa rediculous how strong it was, i had to "sand" down the edges a little to get the glass truely flat but it came out great.

 

so silicon holds it to the back of the tank, the bottom pane is thickest because thats where the plumbing is connected to the bulk heads and if it gets bumped etc the last thing i need is for it to crack

Edited April 4, 2013 by Der ABT

[monkiboy]

thanks alan and evan! i was consulting with scott yesterday who was over looking things over to see if i missed anything (and i did) and i think a 4' overflow in the center like evan or someone mentioned a diagonal internal overflow with an external overflow with my herbie or bean style drains.

 

does anyone have a picture of this setup? i think someone mentioned dave (coral hind) has one but i did not see it in his photos in his build thread. i remember seeing it a couple years ago on RC/R2R somewhere but can't find it.

 

this way, it'll even further minimze the amount of space taken INSIDE the tank and instead of a 45° maybe 60° ro so for less space but still some nice soft cascading action.

 

any other tips or ideas about this design? how many holes to drill to allow water into the external box and size?