Porkfat's 20H Resurrection

[Porkfat]

After taking a few years away from the hobby I've decided to dive back in. My last tank was a 55g for a while, but when I moved, I had to strip it down and sell it off. The last few years, I have been tank-less. For the new build, stocking is still up in the air and I'm open to suggestions, but here's what I have so far.

What I'm setting up is my old SoCal Creations custom acrylic 20 gallon high that they made for me back in 2005 before they closed shop. The tank has a coast to coast external overflow and is euro-braced. Here are the plans for what I ended up with.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I'm going to use the Same Stand I built back in 2005 posted in the DIY section.

The sump area was previously open to increase ventilation, but I'm looking for a cleaner look these days, and I ended up adding doors to the stand this past week.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Porkfat]

Then I started on the plumbing. I used a mix of braided vinyl tubing and PVC. Yes I know hose barbs suck, but to be honest I'm not expecting this tank to be set up for more than a couple of years anyway. It's set up with two overflow drains (much easier to make silent than one) and two returns.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

And then I plumed my Rubbermaid sump and added baffles to it. The return is a Poseidon PS1 at ~400 gph. Skimmer is an AquaC EV-120. Sump also contains bags of carbon and purigen.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Porkfat]

I've always had heat problems, and this set-up is no exception. When I leak tested, temps rose to about 88F. So I added in a couple of Iceprobes with a temp controller into where I had initially wanted to add in a closed loop. Crossing my fingers that it will be enough.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

When I tested them, they formed ice on the probes. A good sign for sure



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Porkfat]

Then I started filling it up again.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Very very slowly... I wish I had a faster RO/DI... but the mighty mite works.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Once I get the water flowing, I'll add in the rock that I've had sitting in some water with a powerhead for the past 3 weeks



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Porkfat]

Still fooling around with what I want to do for lighting. Since I'm in Hawaii, all I can grow legally are pretty much just zoas and nems. I have a 250w DE metal halide pendant that I could mount, but I think given my heat problems, I'm going to try and get a LED system going. I'm tossing around the idea of DIY, but I'm not sure. I figure I have a month before the tank is cycled anyway, so I have time to figure it out.

I'm also debating bare bottom or aragonite.

 

[Krish]

Bare bottom!!! It's the only way!!! . Good luck setting it all back up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Porkfat]

Update

It's been a few weeks, and my tank has finished cycling. Ammonia and nitrites are 0, nitrate is at 5. Just added my CUC; a few snails, couple of hermits and a sea cucumber I found. In a week or two I'll start with fish, and maybe a couple of zoas.

For lighting I really wanted to go LED, but I don't have the time to DIY something and I can't afford something manufactured, so I ended up going with AquaticLife T5 HO 4-Lamp Light Fixture.



It's nice fixture, only thing is where I got it from, they sent me the wrong bulbs. Turns out the bulbs this fixture came with are for fresh water, 6k and roseate bulbs. Sent them an email yesterday, and the correct bulbs are already in the mail.

Sorry Krish, I love the look of sand. So I went with a shallow sand bed. Here's a FTS. Nothing in there yet except the CUC.



I also set up my ATO and moved the electrical form beside the tank to raised up in the sump area.



Only problem now is micro bubbles. Not a lot, but enough to bother me. I think I could get rid of them if I could add another baffle to the sump, but it's already packed. I'll try to figure something out this weekend.

 

[Krish]

So far so good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[iroll253]

Looking good! An scwd would replace that pvc T fitting perfectly. Check em out.

 

[Porkfat]

So far so good.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Krish!

Looking good! An scwd would replace that pvc T fitting perfectly. Check em out.

Iroll, hmmmm that's an idea. If I calculate my head loss correctly, I think I get about 300 gph through both heads. It would switch about every 9 or 10 seconds and I would get about 210-240gph. I don't know... Alternating flow sounds nice, but I worry that it would end up breaking. I have an MP20 in there right now that I got from my old 55g setup and I get pretty good movement from that already. I'll have to think about it.

 

[iroll253]

No biggie, it was just the first thing that popped in my head when I saw the plumbing. I dont know if there would be any real benefit replacing the T since you are rocking that tank with a mp20. Regardless nice work.