80G Cube of Doom

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Onebaldman

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It's been a while since I updated on my tank. My tank stand is still not done, but in other news...I have admitted defeat when it comes to my lighting. There is no telling how much $$ I sank into DIY LED lighting, but I was never happy with the way the tank looked.

So, a few weeks ago I bought my first Radion 3 Pro:



and it provided the look that I was craving but...
 
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Onebaldman

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I then realized that one wouldn't be enough...so, meet the twins:



WP_20140427_15_52_37_Pro_zps42312f77.jpg


Forgive the messy wires, I'm still in the process of cleaning that up.
 
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Onebaldman

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I also started to work on my maintenance area (once again, excuse the mess). I finally bought a toolbox and fitted it in place. I will move all my hardware, testing kits, ect into this to clean up the area. I have to drop the toolbox down a little bit so that I can put my DJ switches directly above it.



Directly behind this area is a closet that I plan to move my water/salt buckets into. That is a future project that is coming fast: Nearly automated 5 gallon water change (every other day).
 

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Awesome upgrade! your setup is looking nice. your tank is now becoming one to envy :)
 
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Trying to keep this up to date as life allows it.

My buckets came in yesterday. For my spot, I thought I was only going to be able to fit 5 gallon buckets in there, but I found some 30 gallon barrels that fit the spot perfect. Now to plumb them in.

WP_20140506_13_02_34_Pro_zps344b7e99.jpg
 

markkazdad

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If you move your testing kits, supplements, food, etc. down next to the toolbox, you'll have room for more cocktail glasses or ingredients.
 
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Couple more pictures of the water storage/mixing area:

Placement of the 1/2" bulkhead:
WP_20140510_19_14_28_Pro_zps17a4f56a.jpg


Inside the barrel:
WP_20140510_19_14_40_Pro_zps123319f9.jpg


RODI Barrel in place on the shelf:
WP_20140510_19_15_29_Pro_zpsec7aca03.jpg


Plumbing for RODI barrel. Left is a 12v NC valve that will drop water into the mixing barrel. Center is the line back to the tank for ATO. Right is a line coming out to the front of the stand. There will be a faucet on this line so that I can fill other containers when needed.
WP_20140512_19_32_09_Pro_zps49538ff5.jpg


Finally, both barrels in place (I also plan on putting a strap along the top of the barrel before I fill it completely):
WP_20140512_19_32_20_Pro_zps2bf149db.jpg
 
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What's the diameter of your 30 gallon barrels?

19" Wide, 26" tall.

As you can see in the pictures, a standard 23-24" 55 gallon drum would have been too big, both in height and in width. It takes a small step stool for me to look into RODI barrel.
 
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Finally got the RO faucet in the mail and installed:
WP_20140519_12_39_29_Pro_zpsa8c9213a.jpg


A picture from last week, water going in the bucket with the float switch:
WP_20140513_14_55_36_Pro_zps32f3eb9b.jpg


The tank is now being topped off from this bucket. I just got the last NC solenoid valve and liquid flow meter in this weekend. I still have to read the documentation on the flow meter, but it looks like it will be able to monitor how much water is being pulled from my tank. More to come...
 
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It's interesting how life always gets in the way when trying to update posts...

Since my last update, I decided to scrap the algae scrubber for now because of time. I'm finally getting my aquarium dialed in (Finally growth in my sps) and decided to not chance it with both school/work/toddler in my life. Speaking of school/work, I do have to travel some, so I finally bought the AFS for my Apex for when I am gone:

[video=youtube;l0EC6OZPiT4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0EC6OZPiT4[/video]

The return pump shuts off a minute before it is time to feed and the Vortechs go into nutrient export mode. They all remain in this state for 15 minutes and then return back to normal operation.
 
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Yesterday was upgrade day:



I also bought two new Vertex 2.5L dosing containers:




Happiness under my tank:



The pickle jar lid is for the top of my 1 gallon collection jug. The float switch is wired to my controller to shut down the skimmer after the collection jug fills up.

My next project is: my wife wants to put down new flooring, so the tank will be coming down and I will be building a new stand so that I can upgrade my sump from a 20L to a 40B. This will allow me more room in my sump and also allow me to do 20 gallon automatic water changes directly from my sump using the system I describe earlier. With the new sump, I plan on also upgrading my return pump to a Jebco 9000 to power both my tank and a manifold for my reactors.
 
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Another change I have made is to my radion lights. My wife and brother mentioned to me that they didn't like the blue lights. Given what we know about the blue/deep blue spectrum, I decided to switch over my profile to the shallow reef setup at 12ft deep. Here is the snippet from the EcoSmart page:

The Shallow Reef schedule is based off spectrum measurements collected near Sipadan Island in Malaysia. The measurements were made from sunrise to sunset just above the ocean.

[FONT=Roboto, sans-serif]I have seen no side effects to this change except that now instead of the normal blue period we are used to seeing, I get more of a turquoise in the morning and evenings. I have the sunrise/sunset on for 30 minutes, so I get a good natural sunrise/sunset. [/FONT]
 
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I wish I had the power to rename this thread and move it to the build sections. :-( I never did start a proper build thread...
 

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I wish I had the power to rename this thread and move it to the build sections. :-( I never did start a proper build thread...

Shoot me a PM and I can do that. :)
 

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Your tank is looking good! Moved to the current forum and renamed. :)
 
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I tend to say this with every major posting, but I'm awful about updates...

So since I last posted (and even moved to the new forum area), I tore my tank completely down and started over with my stand. Not because I wanted to, but because my wife wanted new flooring. Who's to argue with that.

After the tank was torn down:

 

Reefing threads: Do you wear gear from reef brands?

  • I wear reef gear everywhere.

    Votes: 45 16.5%
  • I wear reef gear primarily at fish events and my LFS.

    Votes: 17 6.2%
  • I wear reef gear primarily for water changes and tank maintenance.

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • I wear reef gear primarily to relax where I live.

    Votes: 34 12.5%
  • I don’t wear gear from reef brands.

    Votes: 157 57.5%
  • Other.

    Votes: 19 7.0%
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