CFI - custom 155 Gallon - 60L x 30W x 20H

[csdoyle]

Hello all,

Starting this thread to document my long awaited CFI tank! I've been on the list of tank/sump builds for awhile and I think it will be completed soon, so I wanted to share some of the progress as things start heating up. So for starters here is some info:

The tank is 60"L x 30"W x 20"H x .5 thick. The approximate volume will be 155 gallons. It has dual corner overflows and returns from the sump.

From the sump (exact dimensions still being sorted out) I plan on running dual Eheim 1260's partially for redundancy. The sump will also include a refugiem for growing Chateo.

We are plumbing in a closed loop return which will be powered by a Reeflo Dart with 3,600 GPH (max of course) to 4 outlets in the tank. My dream skimmer built into the sump planning, the purchase of which may be awhile off, is the Bubblemaster 200. In the mean time I will use the wee little no name skimmer I have.

I was able to make it out to Jason's shop this weekend, in spite of the weather to check out the tank and it looks amazing. Gorgeous smooth edges, bubble free seams, etc.

I spent most of the day (sunday) working on the stand as things are getting close on the tank! If I sound impatient, it's only because I am excited and have been waiting! I want the stand to be ready to receive the 155 since I still need to stain and poly.

I'll be posting some pictures of the stand as it "stands", har har :lol:, soon.

Stay tuned!

Chris

 

[Scooterman]

Congrats on the new tank & welcome to RF! Can't wait to see the tank & progress!

 

[csdoyle]

New stand

Greetings,

I wanted to post some pics of the new stand for my soon to be completed CFI 155. The stand is currently unfinished so I didn't want to risk getting it to wet today as it was the second rainiest day on record for Seattle, and that's saying something! So.. my wife and I hustled it from the van into the shed near the driveway to wait for a break in the rain to get it properly inside.

The stand is constructed of 3/4" solid oak, 3/4" oak plywood, and 3/4" melamine. At this point there are no doors as the exact workings are yet to be decided. As the rain subsides I will be getting this bad boy inside and get started on the finishing.

Sorry about all the clutter in the shots.. but I had to make room fast in the shed!

Click here for some pics

Cheers,

Chris

 

[SteelHead]

Is there going to be some kind of bone structure added to this??

 

[class clown]

Chris - looks like you did a very nice job on the stand. What are your ideas for doors? working on those next or are you just purchasing some cabinet doors to fit on there?

 

[csdoyle]

Soon!

It sounds like the tank and sump will be ready to pick up this weekend! Woo hoo. I can't wait.

I'll get some pics of the tank/sump at the shop as it will take me a few days to sort out transferring my current 100 gallon reef to the new setup. I've been storing up RO/DI water and have a new bucket of salt arriving tomorrow!

I've been working on finishing the stand, a tad bit of life got in the way unfortunately so I am a bit behind. A buddy helped me move the stand into the house tonight and thus far I have applied a layer of "sanding sealer" and hope to get the first pass of wipe on poly administered tonight. If all goes well, I'll have another coat on first thing in the morning.

to answer a few questions:

No bone structure to be added, this is structure as it will stand to hold the tank.

As for doors, I haven't entirely decided. I'd like to have doors on all four of the openings to allow for maximum access in the future. Maybe Euro hinges that swing 110 degrees.. ? Not sure yet. This tank will not be in my living room and I don't mind the look of a sump that is visible at this point, so waiting to decide.

I'll have some tank/sump pics up Sunday if all goes well.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Jobiwan]

Wow Chris, what a great Xmas present! Beautiful stand you've made, you've got some talent. As for doors, mine haven't been installed yet on my stand, the tank has been running about 6 weeks, having a clear view of the sump/skimmer until everything is dialed in has worked out very well for me, you'll like being able to watch your BubbleMaster working away

 

[csdoyle]

Progress

Good day,

Well we have some progress today. I trecked out to the CFI shop today to pick up my tank. I was hoping the sump would be ready as well, but we're waiting on some bulk heads to arrive and the Reeflow Dart for the Closed Loop anyway.

We made some final decisions on the tank plumbing and I was able to help do the drilling. One of the great things about working with a local craftsman like Jason is that he encourages and welcomes your involvement in process. I have to admit it is a whole lot more satisfying being able to tell your wife, "hey honey, check out these bulk head holes I drilled today" rather than just picking a standard tank from a drop down list and deciding on your shipping options.

Another great thing about working with someone local and face to face is that you can talk about each and every decision, pros cons, the limitless sky options and then decide what is right for you and your budget. Jason's experience is worth every penny and he'll give you his all when deciding each and every dimension, overflow, bulkhead, etc.

Anyway, back to the state of things....

The stand is about ready, it has 8 coats of rub on polyurethane and all the seams are caulked. I still need to drill out the overflows and the closed loop however. I contemplated getting hole saw bits for my drill to accomplish this and decided to go another route.

I picked up a nicely priced and on sale (a perk of the Christmas season) RotoZip spiral saw which has an optional attachment for cutting circles. This seemed like a good option as the spiral saw has tons of uses and attachments for other projects beyond just bulkhead holes in a stand. Frankly it was a better value than purchasing all the hole saw bits I would need for my drill to get this stand ready to throne it's new tank.

As for the tank, we drilled the overflow and return bulkheads today and my tank is sitting in a company van outside at the moment. I want to install the new tank in an area that competes with my current 100 gallon setup, so tomorrow a buddy of mine is going to come by so that we can manuever the current tank out of the way a bit and get the new stand in it's place and level things out.

By that point I hope to have the holes cut in the stand for the bulkhead and by tomorrow night, hopefully I will have the tank on the stand at least for show. I still need to decide do I foam between the stand and tank or not? Opinions welcome.....

Here is a link to the new pics of the poly'd stand and a few of the bulk head holes, etc.

Click for stand pics
Click for tank pics

More pictures to come!

And to ask again.. foam between the stand and the tank? yea/nea?

Cheers,

Chris

 

[NC2WA]

"Foam between the stand and the tank."

An absolute YES from me. Otherwise your pump will reverbrate causing an increase sound level. My setup is in the garage, so it is not as important to me. But for someone who has thier tank inside their house, I would think it is a wise move.

Stand and tank look great.

Kirk

 

[Krish]

Looking good so far

 

[csdoyle]

Good day,

Well, we got the tank in the house and placed it on the stand to trace a few more bulkhead holes to cut. Wow, it looked great! Of course I didn't think to snap a pic when my buddy was still here. We moved the tank over to the floor till I get the other holes ripped into the 3/4" plywood.

The good news is I decided to setup the new tank in a different location than I originally intended, which will not require moving my current tank. This will allow me to take less risks trying to move the old glass beast and to take my time transferring everything over.

I should be picking up the sump and the dart from Jason on Wednesday! So by the end of next weekend, I should have everything plumbed and hopefully start testing the connections. I can't wait to get the Dart installed and to see water jetting out of those Ocean Motion Closed Loop return bulkheads. While playing with the returns in the sink it was cool to see they way they can swirl the water jetting through them.

I have decided to go foam between the tank and stand. I'll be looking for a half inch piece of closed cell foam tomorrow - if I can sneak out of work a little early.

I've updated my Picasa Web Album with a couple new shots of the CL hardware and an interior shot of one of the overflow returns from inside the tank.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[csdoyle]

Getting closer!

Good day,

Well we are getting closer. I picked up some 1/2" closed cell foam from The Foam Shop in Bellevue today. they had lots of it on hand and it is working out very nicely.

I cut all the rest of the holes in the stand for the CL returns and the foam as well today. A friend came by tonight to help me move the tank up onto the stand and sadly, I was off by a small degree in my cuts and I could tell that once the foam settled there would be stress on the tank as the nuts from the bulkheads would likely hit the 3/4" plywood. Just barely though! Argh!

It was to late to power sand out the holes as the little ones were sleeping already, so it will have to wait till tomorrow.

All in all things are progressing, though a bit slowly. By this weekend, I will certainly have some water in the main tank and testing the seals of the CL bulkheads.

I haven't had confirmation from Jason though I expect the sump to be ready this week and available for plumbing this weekend.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[csdoyle]

Good day,

Well good news. Apparently my sump and Dart pump are ready to pick up at CFI's shop. By the end of the weekend, I should have everything picked up and installed.

I sanded out the holes in the stand and the CL bulkheads appear to be able to align nicely now. My friend came by and we got the tank up on the stand, finally! Now for a little leveling and minor adjustments.

We peeled the paper and I have some of the obligatorily cute toddler in the tank pictures to post later. My 3.5 year old loved being in the tank helping peel paper while doing fish impressions.

We put some RO/DI water in to test the bulkheads and CL shut offs. I'll be keeping an eye on things and building up more RO/DI water. So far.. no leaks!

Best wishes,

Chris

 

[csdoyle]

Water is holding on the bulkheads at the moment. Picking up the sump Saturday night!

My picasa web album is updated with a few paper peeling pics...

Attached is a little sparkley one of my son playing fish and some paper peeling.

More to come..

Chris

 

[NC2WA]

Chris,

Great pics. My daughter likes to help daddy as well, esp when it comes time to feed the fish.

Kirk

 

[csdoyle]

Houston the Sump has landed...

Well we brought in the sump today. I still need to shore up the plumbing, but that should be fairly easy at this point. So some stats:

Total sump dimension: 42L x 24D x 19H
Skimmer compartment: 7.5" depth
Fuge: 12L x 24D x 17H

Total volume approx: 44.4 gallons
Sump area: 23.3 gallons
Fuge: 21.1

So after the added goodies about a 40+ gallon sump for a 155 (empty tank).

Things are looking great. Jason's reputation for quality work is for a reason. Everything looks top notch. I just hope my plumbing can live up to the quality of the tanks! I'll do my best.

So... still producing RO/DI water, and getting busy with plumbing. A few attached pics show the sump (intake area 1st, skimmer area 2nd, fuge 3rd), more available at my Picasa web album.

Happy Holidays,

Chris

 

[JPG@CFI]

Your system is taking shape quick, Man on a mission!

Jason

 

[csdoyle]

A full stand shot with the sump...

 

[Jobiwan]

Awesome setup, it's a work of art even without any water in it, what a great Xmas present for the family (always tell your wife you got it for her, they pretend they don't believe you, but it works at a subconscious level..)

 

[csdoyle]

(always tell your wife you got it for her, they pretend they don't believe you, but it works at a subconscious level..)

Ahh, a Jedi mind trick!