[Lightsluvr]

Hi there... we have been around Reef Builders since 2007, and have upgraded our tanks several times in two years.
Recently we had an opportunity to purchase an AGE tank, stand and other equipment at a good price.
We will install this tank in a through the wall display, with all pumps, filtration and other gear in a dedicated "fish room" behind the display.

For those of you not familiar with AGE (Acrylic & Glass Exhibits, Garland, TX), here is a link to their website:
Acrylic and Glass Exhibits
Check out the AGE gallery. This place makes top quality tanks - they only sell through LFS.

Here is the tank, stand and some of the equipment included in the sale. (The sump was not included).


Dimensions: 96 x 36 x 25.5. Tank weight - 750 pounds.
Stand height: 40" steel also mfg by AGE.


More later.

[Lightsluvr]

Our existing tanks include a 180G SPS dominant reef tank and a 120G tank with seahorses and other compatible fish. The 120G features zoas, blastos, acans and other coral that are seahorse friendly. Here are the 180G and a 95G Wave tank that was replaced by the 120G in February 2009.

Here is the 180G


Both tanks:


Some tank shots:




LL

[Lightsluvr]

Quandry:

We have tanks totalling 300G displayed in our living room. While the room is quite large, the noise of 2 return pumps, 4 skimmer pumps, a chiller, 2 MH/T5 light fixtures with assorted fans and blowers all combine to make quite a din in the room. We don't enjoy watching movies and TV on our entertainment center near as much as we used to. Even polite conversation is a challenge at times...

Solution:

There is a 9 x 14' room adjoining our LR, connected by a pocket door. This room was a covered porch when the house was built 25 years ago. Subsequently the room was enclosed, but the addition was poorly done, with a very low ceiling.

Exterior of the future fish room:


Through the recommendation of a trusted local reefer, I found a skilled handyman who had the experience to undertake a remodel of the area, to include opening an 8' opening in a weight bearing (formerly an exterior brick veneer) wall.

Interior of the room - was being used for storage of accumulated junk. Had been used as an office in the past.


View from the fish room into the adjacent living room:


It was time to take the big step.

LL

[Lightsluvr]

The new tank and stand:


It is constructed of 3/4" starphire glass on the front, 3/4" standard glass on the sides. and 3/4" black acrylic on the rear. The bottom is 3/4" PVC, with seven holes drilled for a closed loop.

Rear of the tank showing the 36" exterior overflow:


Close up of the overflow plumbing and valves - four overflows and two returns:


Two Barracuda Gold pumps were included - one for the returns and one for the closed loop.


View of the Barracuda Gold pump from Sequence Reeflo:


We would love to have your comments when you read our thread.

LL

[Lightsluvr]

The previous owner of our tank had to remove a large plate glass window in order to gain access for this large tank and stand...

Hmmm.... The largest exterior door is 36" wide. Including the exterior overflow, the tank is 44" wide... do I want to risk trying to place the tank face down or face up while moving it???

I took a look at the window panes on the windows in the future fish room...they measure 44.5" x 46.5"

A tight squuze, but everything will fit through the window!



LL

[Lightsluvr]

Tank and stand Diagram from A.G.E.



LL

[Lightsluvr]

Say folks, it's okay to say hello, leave a comment or ask a question if you look at the thread...

That way I won't feel like I'm writing "Dear Diary"...

LL

[BLKBRDTA]

Originally Posted by Lightsluvr

Say folks, it's okay to say hello, leave a comment or ask a question if you look at the thread...

That way I won't feel like I'm writing "Dear Diary"...

LL

Hahaha!

Looks like an awesome build George, and quite the fit through that window pane! Can't wait to see the pictures of the installation too!

How are you going to run the closed loop?

[Lightsluvr]

Originally Posted by BLKBRDTA

Hahaha!

How are you going to run the closed loop?

The tank and stand will be coming through the window on Saturday June 20.

One of the Reeflo Barracuda Gold pumps will feed the five CL outputs drilled in the PVC bottom. They will be configured to push water in a counter-clockwise flow around the tank. Up higher in the tank will be a pair of Vortech MP40W pumps pushing water in a clockwise flow. I will program these two systems on a controller to maximize the potential of both. Sometimes they will be running alone, then alternating, then running at the same time. I think this combination will keep detritus stirred up in the water column for filtration and also keep the corals thriving.

We'll see.

LL

[Lightsluvr]

Demolition Day:
Oh where to begin?


There's brick behind that wall!


The trash pile begins...


This brick wall used to be the back of the house...now you see it -


Now you don't -


I was very fortunate to find an excellent contractor - recommended by a fellow reefer... that's him in the yellow shirt -


First the walls - now the ceiling


All this framing will be gone to make way for a raised ceiling in the fish room...


End of the first few hours of demo - the debris pile grows...


More to come...

LL

[SECRETREEF]

This looks like a great start. Hope everything goes as planed.

I have a question about the close loop, how do you prevent it from over flowing into the sump when the power goes off? Does it have a check valve or something like it?

[Lightsluvr]

Originally Posted by SECRETREEF

This looks like a great start. Hope everything goes as planed.

I have a question about the close loop, how do you prevent it from over flowing into the sump when the power goes off? Does it have a check valve or something like it?

It doesn't flow into the sump because it won't be connected to the sump. It is merely a pump plumbed to the (2) 2" intakes drilled in the tank bottom, and the output of that pump flows back to the (5) 1-1/4" returns fitted with directional nozzles or penductors. Thus the name "closed" loop. It just serves to circulate water (hopefully) at high GPH without ugly powerheads inside your tank. The returns and the intakes are all hidden by aquascaping.

LL

[Lightsluvr]

The closed loop:
If you look closely, you can see the Hayward bulkheads installed in the tank bottom for the closed loop described above. That large pipe you see under the tank doesn't go to the sump; it goes to the suction side of the Reeflo Barracuda Gold pump.


Here are valves and the start of plumbing for the closed loop:
In the foreground is one of the returns, while in the background is the left side of the intake which goes to the suction side of the pump. You'll note that every connection has a double union ball valve in case of downstream plumbing leaks.


Another view of the CL plumbing - the large pipe going toward bottom of photo goes to suction side of the CL pump.


This photo taken from the end of the tank. You can see the intake plumbing and four of the five returns.


The only thing I have to plan is the plumbing to interconnet all five returns into a continuous "circle", so to speak. I am told that by having the returns fed from pipe that has no beginning and no end ( a LOOP), all of the returns will receive equal pressure from the pump. Still working on that one...

LL

[Lightsluvr]

Back to demolition -

Removal of exterior panels reveal the insulation on the former exterior wall of the house:


All old ceiling joists and cross-braces will be removed...


...and they're gone!


The ceiling is raised to a normal 8 foot height. (2) 100 CFM fans installed above the tank location to vent heat and humdiity out of the fish room:


And bracing is placed to support the weight-bearing wall so the old wall can be removed completely and a 10 foot header installed:


LL

[Lightsluvr]

Removal of wall between the fish room and the living room...

Several layers of plastic drops attached to the wall of the living room to minimize dust and debis while finishing of the fish room continues. (This is where the hole will be for the 8 foot wide tank)


Furring strips to support the new drywall walls and ceiling. The new header is in place above the opening for the tank:


Reinstall R-19 insulation in the new raised ceiling:


Exterior of the messy construction zone:


Drywall done - almost time to punch through a wall.


LL

[Lightsluvr]

The tank opening is punched through into the display room...

Peek-a-boo:


Thatsa big hole:






Our Flamepoint Siamese checks out the demolition...


View from the fish room into the living room:


LL

[Lightsluvr]

As mentioned previously, this tank will actually extend into the display room by six inches. This will allow a side view along the length of the tank. I preferred this to a recessed look, where the sides of the tank are lost to viewers.

The front 10" of the 36" tank stand will sit on the existing slab and stem wall footing. It was necessary to build a reinforced slab for the back of the stand. Since the fish room was formerly a covered porch. it is unclear what thickness concrete we were dealing with. In order to support the tank and stand, which weigh half a ton (empty) plus the estimated 3200+ pounds of water, sand and rock, we elected to demo the existing slab and put down footings under an 8" thick foundation for the rear of the stand.

Destruction of the old slab was accomplished with a concrete saw and a lot of hard labor with an eight pound sledge hammer:




New footings being excavated:




Starting the pour:


40 eighty pound bags of high tensile strength was mixed on site and carried to the forms in 5 gallon buckets:


Our feline Inspector General approves by leaving his footprints in the wet concrete...


End of the day:


LL

[Lightsluvr]

Really folks...95 views and two comments? There's an echo in here...

If you read the thread, please "sign the guestbook" by leaving a comment, ask a question, tell a riddle...

Thanks.

LL

[BLKBRDTA]

Do you plan on keeping the 180g and the 120g running when the 300g is setup? Are you going with Metal Halide's or T5's?

[Lightsluvr]

The 120 is sold and the 180 is up for sale. The Current USA Outer Orbit lights are for sale as well...
The new tank will use 2 sets of 12x54W T5 retro kits mounted on a rolling light rack...
Only the aquascaping and live stock will go to the new tank. The old sand is going into a DSB in one of the two sumps on the 340.
Thanks for asking...

LL

[WILLIAM1]

Thats coming along nicely. I cant wait until I buy a house so I can get down and dirty with my tank build.... Keep it up we love pictures. I like the helper (slave) LOL

[Lightsluvr]

Originally Posted by WILLIAM1

Thats coming along nicely. I cant wait until I buy a house so I can get down and dirty with my tank build.... Keep it up we love pictures. I like the helper (slave) LOL

If you mean the little white cat, he is not the helper...he's the superintendant...just ask him. We raised him and his sisters from when they were three hours old...abandoned in a parking lot by their mother. He thinks he's human...even his paw prints are memorialized in the concrete slab...




LL

[Lightsluvr]

Plumbing considerations and other equipment:
*************************

Every build thread has to feature all that PVC plumbing that provides the life blood of a large reef:




Since my sumps, skimmers and other equipment lack the capacity to work in the new tank, we have made some acquisitions:

Reeflo Orca 250 skimmer w/ Baldor pump




95G acrylic sump, will feature DSB and Chaeto in the center chamber:


We will also use a 100G Rubbermaid Stock Tank filled with LR for additional filtration. The stock tank will gravity feed into the acrylic sump, like this:


Lighting will consist of (24) 54W HO T5 bulbs in two arrays 48" wide x 12 bulbs each. A pair of 48" R2 Moonlight Signature Series will provide simulated moonlighting during the "night" hours.


All lights, pumps, wavemakers, closed loop and other funstions will be controlled by a Neptune Systems "Apex" controller.
Neptune Systems - AquaControllers - AquaController Apex System


More later...

LL

[Lightsluvr]

The room conversion is completed, so time for paint:

Beofre:


After:


I have skills...


The room is painted...


LL

[Lightsluvr]

After painiting is complete, we called our electrician to finish the wiring, install the vent fan motors and GFCI receptacles. We have (4) 20A circuits in the room. There are not a huge number of receptacles, because most of the equipment will be controlled by a Neptune Systems Apex controller system. All of the "plugs" will be controlled by the Apex, so a wall full of electrical plugs aren't necessary.

Installing the waterproof flourescent work light over the tank location.


...and the vent fans to exhaust warm, humid air from the room:


One of the two 100 CFM 1.0 sone vent fans:


Installing new plugs in the existing circuits:


LL