King_Neptune
Skimmer Skuzz
I been working on a little project for the last few weeks. Thought I would share some photos and whatnot to folks who like to follow builds. The base of the system is a 180g octagon tank that I picked up from a local reefer. Thanks, Jesse...this has been collecting dust long enough. Ill be doing a reverse style sump that will gravity feed back into the tank. Eventually Ill eventually add a frag tank to the system, but for now the build will have approximately 230g total volume once the sump is up and running.
Im really excited about the location of the tank, it sits next to a window and gets a solid beam of sunlight from around 1pm-7pm this time of year. During summer months, Im hoping to get some great coral growth. I also have an LED array that will fill in any gaps in the lighting schedule. Im currently modifying it from an existing 125 brick that I tore down a few days ago to populate the Octagon.
The outer perimeter will have 24" T5's to add extra lighting to complement the lack of UV light from my LED's. The inner space on the array will most likely house either a single 250w MH or a Plasma light. Im probably going to go plasma, but if I do...then Ill have to change the 80 degree optics for something tighter since Ill be raising the whole array a couple feet off the surface.
The control panel will feature dimmable banks, 4 blue strings, and 4 white strings.
Most of the wiring is done, I just need a couple more days to finish the project.
I scrapped the foam wall this time around, and went with a real rock wall instead. I used eggcrate for the panel, then placed pre-cut premium rocks and used mortar from the good folks at Marco rocks.
Key Largo Prime Cuts<br> By the pound<br> ships FREE - KL cut per Lb
Just in case, I ordered double the mortar I thought I would use...glad I did. If anything another couple lbs would have been nice...but I made due.
I made my own overflow for the back to hold the heaters and water pumps. I also got a Mag6 pump that will feed up to the sump that will sit on the nice bench you see the carbon reactor sitting on. From there the overflow will drop back into the tank. I want to eventually plumb in a frag tank to also sit on the 9ft table I made for this system.
The rock work is done in a horse shoe pattern with an open middle for me to have lots of space to do frags. Thats one thing that frustrated me about my old system...not enough room for frags. My overall plan is to have one arm SPS dominated, and the other arm to be LPS dominated, with a wave maker pushing up the middle.
Moved in my livestock and corals the other day. Everyone has adjusted pretty well.
I had 100lbs of mature LR. And since its a bare bottom system, I picked up another 200+lbs of base rock to finish the project.
Till the sump is up and running in a few days, I have the skimmer going inside the DT.
One thing that doesn't show in the pictures is my (for lack of a better term)closed loop system. Its actually pretty cool, I took 1/2 PVC and made an octagon ring that fits snug inside the tank wall. I drilled small holes every 6-8" that face up and towards the glass at a 45 degree angle. The ring is powered by an 1800GPH Pondmaster that draws from the back chamber and pushes it out to the front. The effect is a gentle yet constant upward draft of water that adds a nice amount of turnover for the system...but also ensures no dead spots on the glass. Im hoping this translates to less glass cleaning in my daily maintenance. If not, its at least nice to have the turnover it provides.
I want the overall project to look like a shallow reef lagoon from the front. I am anitcipating that the tank will give nice depth to the overall look of it all, and I cant wait to see it in 5 years.
Im really excited about the location of the tank, it sits next to a window and gets a solid beam of sunlight from around 1pm-7pm this time of year. During summer months, Im hoping to get some great coral growth. I also have an LED array that will fill in any gaps in the lighting schedule. Im currently modifying it from an existing 125 brick that I tore down a few days ago to populate the Octagon.
The outer perimeter will have 24" T5's to add extra lighting to complement the lack of UV light from my LED's. The inner space on the array will most likely house either a single 250w MH or a Plasma light. Im probably going to go plasma, but if I do...then Ill have to change the 80 degree optics for something tighter since Ill be raising the whole array a couple feet off the surface.
The control panel will feature dimmable banks, 4 blue strings, and 4 white strings.
Most of the wiring is done, I just need a couple more days to finish the project.
I scrapped the foam wall this time around, and went with a real rock wall instead. I used eggcrate for the panel, then placed pre-cut premium rocks and used mortar from the good folks at Marco rocks.
Key Largo Prime Cuts<br> By the pound<br> ships FREE - KL cut per Lb
Just in case, I ordered double the mortar I thought I would use...glad I did. If anything another couple lbs would have been nice...but I made due.
I made my own overflow for the back to hold the heaters and water pumps. I also got a Mag6 pump that will feed up to the sump that will sit on the nice bench you see the carbon reactor sitting on. From there the overflow will drop back into the tank. I want to eventually plumb in a frag tank to also sit on the 9ft table I made for this system.
The rock work is done in a horse shoe pattern with an open middle for me to have lots of space to do frags. Thats one thing that frustrated me about my old system...not enough room for frags. My overall plan is to have one arm SPS dominated, and the other arm to be LPS dominated, with a wave maker pushing up the middle.
Moved in my livestock and corals the other day. Everyone has adjusted pretty well.
I had 100lbs of mature LR. And since its a bare bottom system, I picked up another 200+lbs of base rock to finish the project.
Till the sump is up and running in a few days, I have the skimmer going inside the DT.
One thing that doesn't show in the pictures is my (for lack of a better term)closed loop system. Its actually pretty cool, I took 1/2 PVC and made an octagon ring that fits snug inside the tank wall. I drilled small holes every 6-8" that face up and towards the glass at a 45 degree angle. The ring is powered by an 1800GPH Pondmaster that draws from the back chamber and pushes it out to the front. The effect is a gentle yet constant upward draft of water that adds a nice amount of turnover for the system...but also ensures no dead spots on the glass. Im hoping this translates to less glass cleaning in my daily maintenance. If not, its at least nice to have the turnover it provides.
I want the overall project to look like a shallow reef lagoon from the front. I am anitcipating that the tank will give nice depth to the overall look of it all, and I cant wait to see it in 5 years.
