400 Gallon Starfire Build - Mixed Reef
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- Thread starter AJsTank
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CivicDemon
New Member
Wow man ben looking at all the pages and this is one heck of a build, im planning something similar in the future when we actually buy our own house but just not as huge as your tank, I already have the tank in storage its a 285gl it will be an upgrade from my 125gl. Im hoping to find a house where I can build a back storage area for sump and all equipment to be placed so I don't have to use a under tank sump again. But man I love your build and im on here now to see it progress.
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AJsTank
Well-Known Member
Ideally, a support room is the best way to do a large tank, but my wife shut that idea down. However, it is really convenient and nice that everything is in front of my eyes every time I check on the tank or work on it. You'll love the bigger tank. I'm so anxious to start filling mine up!
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AJsTank
Well-Known Member
Day 16 of my cycle... Patiently waiting -
Opened up my lights today and will get them mounted later this week.
These are the controls for the return pumps and for my Skimmer.
Here is a shot of what is going on with all my controls. It's insane how much stuff is under this cabinet. I'm glad I took the time to plan it out or else it would have not fit right.
Here is a front shot of my Neptune board.
Got my dosser hooked up to my 1/4 inch lines directly into the sump
T'd in my Vertex reactor for my media (Will add it in a few weeks). I turned my Skimmer on the lowest setting. I don't want to skim anything yet because I have no cycled all the way yet.
I decided to go with the BRS bio-pellet -
This is for the wife
Got 2 of them under the cabinet - They will send me emails and texts if it detects water
Opened up my lights today and will get them mounted later this week.
These are the controls for the return pumps and for my Skimmer.
Here is a shot of what is going on with all my controls. It's insane how much stuff is under this cabinet. I'm glad I took the time to plan it out or else it would have not fit right.
Here is a front shot of my Neptune board.
Got my dosser hooked up to my 1/4 inch lines directly into the sump
T'd in my Vertex reactor for my media (Will add it in a few weeks). I turned my Skimmer on the lowest setting. I don't want to skim anything yet because I have no cycled all the way yet.
I decided to go with the BRS bio-pellet -
This is for the wife
Got 2 of them under the cabinet - They will send me emails and texts if it detects water 
monkiboy
Valuable Member
stuff is coming together! have you tested your libra soer and/or have had to update the firmware? i was pretty comitted to getting one but all the overdosing issues and pump-2 failures had me concerned and then when i reached out for support and with question on current status of the matter on folks that have the latest firmware and still are dealing with overdosing it was a crap shoot on whether i got a call back.
i'm rather certain i'm going with the kamoer now based on preliminary reviews and performance to the dollar. curious about your experience and research on the matter.
also, do you have a majority of your components hooked up to an EB8 or are you using any of those dj power strips? i'm trying to figure out how i'm going to get all my wiring cleaned up and set up and was curious how you ended up.
are you not concerned with the humidity and all those exposed electronics under the stand? plans to seal that section off? looks like it takes just one reactor hose or spa flex connection to fail and you're out more than $2k in goodies. i've been reading a lot on unfortunate fires and equipment failure from lack of humidity/water protection under sump with our precious electronics.
i really like those clean return barb nozzles into your sump for 2-part!
i see you got your dc10500s repaired, how did it go the second time around? everything copacetic now after the repair?
what light are you using above your sump for ambient lighting?
pardon for the laundry list of questions but we are rather close to the same stages in our builds and size and am trying to do as much planning and research to prepare for optimal results and the least amount of frustrations down the road. thanks!
i'm rather certain i'm going with the kamoer now based on preliminary reviews and performance to the dollar. curious about your experience and research on the matter.
also, do you have a majority of your components hooked up to an EB8 or are you using any of those dj power strips? i'm trying to figure out how i'm going to get all my wiring cleaned up and set up and was curious how you ended up.
are you not concerned with the humidity and all those exposed electronics under the stand? plans to seal that section off? looks like it takes just one reactor hose or spa flex connection to fail and you're out more than $2k in goodies. i've been reading a lot on unfortunate fires and equipment failure from lack of humidity/water protection under sump with our precious electronics.
i really like those clean return barb nozzles into your sump for 2-part!
i see you got your dc10500s repaired, how did it go the second time around? everything copacetic now after the repair?
what light are you using above your sump for ambient lighting?
pardon for the laundry list of questions but we are rather close to the same stages in our builds and size and am trying to do as much planning and research to prepare for optimal results and the least amount of frustrations down the road. thanks!
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AJsTank
Well-Known Member
1. As far as the Libra goes, one of my local store owners talked me into it. A couple friends of mine mentioned to me before I bought it, that there had been issues, but both of them said with the new update, that it was resolved.
2. Since I've got an extra EB8, I hooked everything up to them. I did, however put all the Vortech's on 1 power strip for simplicity. I will probably do the same thing with the Radions.
3. There is about a 1 inch lip on the front and the back that is water sealed. I've got leak detection modules around the sump and near all my plumbing. I'm not terribly concerned about the humidity with my equipment because the stand is about 6 inches off the wall and with the entire back open, it lets air get in and out. Also, the board that my APEX is mounted to, is about 4 inches off the ground, so if there was a flood, it would go out the cabinet before it reaches the electronics anyway. All of electronics are about 3 feet from the sump as well. I will keep a close eye on the APEX and Dosser and if I feel like it will be a problem, I will move them out. But for now, I'm going to play it by ear.
4. The DC pumps are ridiculously quiet and cool. I'm still REALLY nervous about those housing units breaking again though. We broke a total of 6 housing units by hand and wrench. I had to buy 2 new housing units for $30 a piece. I called and complained about the price of these small pieces of plastic and they sent me 1 more for free AND sent me an entire new pump for free on top of it. So as of right now, I'm happy.
5. I'm going to use stunner strips for my refugium lighting. They will be about 18 inches off the water and I know that Dave from Vivid Aquarium had good success using them on the 400 he maintains. I like how they are a small footprint, so I'm going to try them.
6. Ambient lighting for the sump is just an LED light strip from Home Depot. I plan on wiring it to my Break Out box so that when I open my cabinet door, it turns on.
monkiboy
Valuable Member
thanks for taking the time to answer thoroughly with your thoughts and plan. in the set up phase i think getting the gear, organizing, and sump design is probably one of the most interesting parts there is, at least for me!
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Man this is very well done! Sorry if I missed it but where did you get the Neptune Board?
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AJsTank
Well-Known Member
Elite Aquatics
I had Tyler build that custom stand that the Libra sits on top of as well. It pulls from the bottom of the chambers directly to the sump. He does great work.
Awesome build. I am going to read it one more time. Great Job!
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AJsTank
Well-Known Member
Keep in mind, I did change a few things along the way...
I'm doing an Emperor Aquatics 50 watt UV instead of the Turbo Twist, I also decided to cut out the Miracle Mud.
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AJsTank
Well-Known Member
Finally get to work on the lights.... I received the other 2 today.
Several of you have PM'd me about this box and how it works. As you can see one end goes from the dosser to the sump and the other end goes through the hole and down the back of the box. It pulls the liquid from the bottom of the box.
Several of you have PM'd me about this box and how it works. As you can see one end goes from the dosser to the sump and the other end goes through the hole and down the back of the box. It pulls the liquid from the bottom of the box.
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AJsTank
Well-Known Member
Today, I decided to start messing around with the programming on the lights and get them mounted.
Mounting the power supply's was kind of a pain because I couldn't figure out where to put them. I settled for the front of the tank and moved them to where I thought they would not be in the way when I change have to work on equipment. You can't really see them when you are looking into the cabinet from the front.
I decided to go with the Radion hanging kits. At first I printed off the manual and went over to Home Depot thinking I was pretty smart and that I would find all the parts. NOPE - They are a little over priced at $45 a piece, but after I spent an hour at Home Depot and pretty much giving up, I decided these kits were a good, SIMPLE and EASY investment for the installation.
They make it very simple for the installation.
Mounting the power supply's was kind of a pain because I couldn't figure out where to put them. I settled for the front of the tank and moved them to where I thought they would not be in the way when I change have to work on equipment. You can't really see them when you are looking into the cabinet from the front.
I decided to go with the Radion hanging kits. At first I printed off the manual and went over to Home Depot thinking I was pretty smart and that I would find all the parts. NOPE - They are a little over priced at $45 a piece, but after I spent an hour at Home Depot and pretty much giving up, I decided these kits were a good, SIMPLE and EASY investment for the installation.
They make it very simple for the installation.
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AJsTank
Well-Known Member
ANNNDDDDD... We have light! It looks like I'm getting a lot of micro bubbles from the skimmer I just turned on. I can make some adjustments and dump the outlet into a bag if I have too. I will play that by ear over the next few weeks. I threw in a couple shots of the scape with the lights on it.
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