In Wall - going for it! - seeking your ideas/feedback/advice

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Hmmm.. oh yes, I did misunderstand. Yeah, that would work and keep plumbing out of the way on the sides. good call. Thanks for the drawing.
 
Just thinking it might save some dough on my already way extended budget.

So help me decide what equipment I can keep from my exisitng and what I should upgrade.

Here's what I have currently for equipment that I think I can keep:

  • GEO Calcium Reactor 612 (rated 300g) - all good there
  • 2 250w PFO MHs - can utilze
  • 4 65w PCs - can utilize for actinics
  • Sump = 45 g long BigT - shoudl be good enough
  • Return = Iwaki IWMD-40RLT (pressure rated) - 750gph - can I keep this?

Here's what I'll likely need to upgrade:
  • Euroreef skimmer Es6-1 (rated 100g) - would need to upgrade
  • Pacific Coast CL-280 1/10 HP Inline Chiller (rated 100 g) - probably need to upgrade, but may weight it out till the summer to see how my cool garage effects it.
 
My question is whether the depth of the tank can be appreciated if it's viewed from only one side in an in-wall. You might need to aquascape it so that the stuff in the back is still visible, you know?

I think either the 36" or the 48" would be great....
 
The Iwaki 40 should work just fine for a return pump.

You will want to upgrade both your Skimmer and Chiller.

I don't know how well insulated your garage is, but mine tends to heat up to the lower to mid 90's in the summer, and I'm very happy that I do have a CL-650. Fans blowing across the top of the tank, and over my sump do help with cooling (not to mention about doubling the evaporation), but without the Chiller the tank was getting up to about 85ish.
 
LakeEd said:
The Iwaki 40 should work just fine for a return pump.

You will want to upgrade both your Skimmer and Chiller.

I don't know how well insulated your garage is, but mine tends to heat up to the lower to mid 90's in the summer, and I'm very happy that I do have a CL-650. Fans blowing across the top of the tank, and over my sump do help with cooling (not to mention about doubling the evaporation), but without the Chiller the tank was getting up to about 85ish.
Click to expand...

great news about the return Pump! skimmer- yep, totally agree - will need to be upgraded. Bad news about the chiller. the garage stays pretty cool. It's on the side of the house that doesn't get sun very much. My sump would be about a half inch off the cool concrete. I can always hope it'd work out, can't I ? :D

if not, better start freezing coke bottles now :rolleyes:
 
Skimmer options? hmm.. been hearing good things about the Bubble Master 200 Protein Skimmer - rated up to 250 gallons.

$529 w/ $12 shipping from reefgeek.com

other options I should consider?
 
For skimmer options, I would get a hold of Mark (Skimerwhisperer) and see what he would recommend. Let him know any $$$ limits you might have, and what you have seen out there, then see what he would recomend.

In your situation, where you feel your garage will remain cool enough for your system... I would wait and see, but keep some spare change around about August incase it doesn't work out. You may find with some well positioned fans, and for only a couple days that small chiller you have... and you'll be good to go! Just don't let yourself totally plan on that working out, then be caught after stocking of your tank has happened without a get well quick plan.
 
Mark for skimmers!

i agree with ed. keep some money on hand incase. and if you need to sell that thing fast, i'll buy it =PPP

but hey Ed, when u said that your tank got to like 85, was ur tank in the garage? and is your garage facing the afternoon sun?? i am dealing with this myself and i dont know if i need to plumb to a fridge or just have a large fan blowing and have my garage door open. garage side door**
 
If you do go with a 4 foot by 4 foot I would consider having your CL drilled from the bottom. and concealed behind carefully placed rocks and corals. Will give you much better flow in a tank that size with bottom up flow. Youll just have to angle them properly to avoide any sandstorm problems. Paul at oceansmotions will draw something up for you if you ask.
 
Cwazy Clown said:
but hey Ed, when u said that your tank got to like 85, was ur tank in the garage? and is your garage facing the afternoon sun?? i am dealing with this myself and i dont know if i need to plumb to a fridge or just have a large fan blowing and have my garage door open. garage side door**
Click to expand...

My house actually faces North, with the Garage being on the North/East side of the house. However, the roof gets direct afternoon sun on it, and being an older house it isn't insulated the best, I'm sure.

I'm not comfortable leaving my garage door open when I'm not home, and unfortunately they aren't paying me for my good looks here at work (I'd be broke then anyway!!!), so in the summer things do get warm in the garage before I could ever open door and install fan to help cool it off.
 
man this thread is on FIRE!

So, I bumped the thread, but you can see it in the large tank forum and now it will be on the first page. Here is the link if it works.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=574147&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Thanks for all of the kind words guys! Trust me, I really didn't want to spend that much money. I thought that I had enough equipment and wouldn't end up spending that much, but that didn't work out to well. I ended up buying a chiller, never using it and selling it. That was dumb, dumb, dumb, but the A/C unit keeps the room cool enough so the tank never gets hotter than 83 degrees with the garage at a smokin 130 degrees. Damn summer in Texas!
 
Last edited:
Those of you with garage built ins could always turn portion of it into a tank room. I just spent $90 on 2x4s and will spend another $200 for sheetrock on a 10'X11' workout/prop room in a quarter of my garage. I spent $100 more for a small AC (much cheaper than a chiller) and another $60 on a bath fan and $30 for a humidistat for humidity. Total cost for a bare bones tank room in your garage if you can build it yourself. About 5-600 dollars.

Ben, If you do go with a 4x4x2 tank you could use your MH in the back for now and get an Ice cap 660 VHO with four bulbs for the front. You get the best of both worlds. Softies in the front and SPS in the back.

Also, Why would you want to make me cry when I am helping you build these things? The tank envy will bring me to tears. :)
 
servo said:
man this thread is on FIRE!

So, I bumped the thread, but you can see it in the large tank forum and now it will be on the first page. Here is the link if it works.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=574147&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Thanks for all of the kind words guys! Trust me, I really didn't want to spend that much money. I thought that I had enough equipment and wouldn't end up spending that much, but that didn't work out to well. I ended up buying a chiller, never using it and selling it. That was dumb, dumb, dumb, but the A/C unit keeps the room cool enough so the tank never gets hotter than 83 degrees with the garage at a smokin 130 degrees. Damn summer in Texas!
Click to expand...

Oh man Servo - just finished reading through first 20. Everything is rediculously amazing about it. Even the sump blows my mind! ;-) I like the idea of the room w/ AC. that lighting rack is pretty rad too!
 
well, if i understand correctly, this is for a 120g 4x4x2??

i would say the new bm160 would be perfect, it's rated for up to 200g, 150g for heavily stocked tanks, or sps quality water. and it's less $, and smaller than the bm200

1. Sump space required for the Skimmer only : 7" x 8"
2. Overall Height: 20"
3. Clearing Height: 20.3 "
4. Reaction chamber diameter: 6.6" (instead of 5.9")
5. Neck diameter: 4" (instead of 3")
5. Air intake: 800 lph
6. Waterflow: 1200 lph
7. Pump power consuption: 21 Watt @115/120 VAC 60 Hz
 
skimerwhisperer said:
well, if i understand correctly, this is for a 120g 4x4x2??

i would say the new bm160 would be perfect, it's rated for up to 200g, 150g for heavily stocked tanks, or sps quality water. and it's less $, and smaller than the bm200

1. Sump space required for the Skimmer only : 7" x 8"
2. Overall Height: 20"
3. Clearing Height: 20.3 "
4. Reaction chamber diameter: 6.6" (instead of 5.9")
5. Neck diameter: 4" (instead of 3")
5. Air intake: 800 lph
6. Waterflow: 1200 lph
7. Pump power consuption: 21 Watt @115/120 VAC 60 Hz
Click to expand...


Thanks Mark! Plans changed a bit on the size.. 240g is the new plan. I'd plan on stocking this with SPS and knowing me, it'd become pretty heavily stocked after a couple years:D . would the bm 200 be my best bet in that case based on your experience? I'm looking for the best bang for my buck.

Ben
 
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