200 Gallon Peninsula Build (Custom)

[SEPDXReef]

This thread will be tracking the progress of a new system we are stepping into soon. For the past 18 months we have been maintaining a Waterbox Reef 70.2 (2' Cube) mixed reef as our first venture into the hobby. Needless to say our first year and a half has truly inspired us to dream big in terms of what is possible with reefing.

After the first 12 months with the Waterbox we had discussed on several occasions how we were looking forward to sizing-up the system to provide more room for our inhabitants. Based on the current location of the tank and our great room floorplan layout, we agreed that the only way to fit a larger tank in the space would be to install a peninsula style tank to act as a room divider. In May of this year, we were fortunate enough to stop into our LFS when they had received a custom system trade-in from a local hobbyist that was upgrading their setup. The system is a custom 72"L x 28"W x 24.5" H Peninsula style custom tank on top of a custom white powder coated steel stand with a Trigger Triton 44 V2 Sump. We decided right then and there that this was the upgrade we were looking for and that it would be perfect for the space.

Since May, we have moved the tank into place in the great room and completely cleaned the tank, plumbing, and sump the best that we could and plan to order the gear to get the tank up and running by mid July.

CURRENT SYSTEM SPECS
- Custom 72"Long x 28" Wide x 24.5" High Peninsula Style Tank with Starfire Glass (Approx. 200 Gallon fill volume)
- Synergy Reef V3 Shadow Overflow 16" Bean Animal Style overflow box
- Trigger Systems Triton 44 V2 Sump (Approx. 30 Gallon fill volume)
- Custom White Powder Coated Steel Stand (32" Tall)
- Overall Stand+Tank Height = 62"

CURRENT EQUIPMENT PLAN

TANK EQUIPMENT
- Sand: (8) Boxes of Caribsea Special Grade
- Rock: We plan to create two separate rock scapes using Marco shelf rock
- Flow: (2) Ecotech MP40's supplemented by (2) AI Nero 5's if necessary
- Lighting: (2) Neptune SKY Fixtures mounted on an AI HMSS Light Track that will be suspended from the ceiling. I hope to be able to install this onto a pulley system controlled by a
small crank or motor located on the stand to allow the light frame to raise up or down as needed for optimum lighting height and maintenance access. More on this once we decide on
means and methods.

SUMP EQUIPMENT
- Plumbing: We plan on using a combination of schedule 40 and schedule 80 pipe/fittings to run the overflow lines into the first chamber of the sump. The main overflow will be fitted
with a gate valve and reducer changing it from 1.5" to 1" so that we can direct it straight into a Reef Mat 1200. The Return plumbing will consist of a flexible line connecting the return
pump to the rigid manifold with (3) ball valve spigots in line. The return will then T off and run to the top of the tank and through (2) new bulkheads with Loc-Lines on the interior side.
- Fleece Roller: Red Sea ReefMat 1200
- Skimmer: Red Sea RK 900
- Refugium: Chaeto lit by Kessil H80
- Return: Ecotech Vectra M2
- Heater: Finnex 500W Titanium Heater (Controlled by Apex)
- Reactor: BRS Deluxe Media Reactor

MISC. EQUIPMENT
- Controller: Neptune Apex
- Tester: Neptune Trident
- Dosing Pumps: (2) Neptune DOS
- ATO: Tunze Osmolator 3155
- CO2 Scrubber: Standard BRS CO2 Scrubber connected to the RSK 900 Intake
- Stand Finish: We plan on working with a close contact of ours to customize the stand skin out of shop plywood with a smooth white finish.

MIXING STATION EQUIPMENT
- RODI: BRS 5 Stage RODI with BR Triple DI Saver
- Containers: (2) 65 Gallon Plastic Liquid Containers (purchased second-hand from another hobbyist)
- Mixing Pump: Reeflo Dart
- Plumbing: This is not yet finalized. I will share the final design and installation as soon as it is complete.

NOTES

NUTRIENT EXPORT
We are still in the process of finalizing our preferred methods of nutrient export for this system. We plan on continuing with a mixed reef style tank but with more emphasis on stony
corals. We also like to stock our tanks pretty heavily and feed generously. Our current plan is to run the skimmer and fleece roller at all times and to run the refugium light at night.
LIGHTING
We have been very happy with the color and performance of the Neptune SKY fixture over our current tank and plan to start with (2) on the 6' peninsula. We may find (as many others
have) that this length of aquarium will require a 3rd SKY fixture for proper coverage.
DOSING
We plan on following the BRS 2-part dosing with a hybrid method of the TM Balling method. We will use (4) dosing heads to dose Alk, Calc, MG, and Kalkwasser. The Alk, Calc, and MG
will all be tuned and adjusted based on the readings of the Neptune Trident.
FLOW
We are going to begin our journey with the tank attempting to avoid installing any powerheads on the opposite end of the tank from the overflow for aesthetic reasons. If this does
not work out we will install either a gyre style powerhead or additional MP40's on the far end of the tank to maintain proper flow.

Thank you everyone for your interest, and happy reefing!

 

[Devaji]

that is going to look so nice!
love peninsula tanks. once you have one it's hard do go back to a normal tank. ha

 

[bar|none]

What a score! I am starting a similar tank but you got the goods to start with. Congrats! Do you know who built the custom tank?

 

[beardedman11]

wow this is going to be a wicked build

 

[aabjones888]

Looking forward to this

 

[SEPDXReef]

07/19/2022 - Build Update
Ordering equipment and system set-up have been a slow process with the busy summer schedule we have. We have now received all pieces of the system except for the Reefmat, MP40’s, and the possible 3rd Neptune Sky.
This week we began piecing the cabinet skin on the stand together and the overflow plumbing is about 40% complete.

One small change so far in the plan - originally we had hoped to install the light fixtures to a pendant bar above the tank via a pulley system that would allow us to raise and lower the light bar to allow for better access to the top of the tank for maintenance. This has since been changed do to the fact we cannot find a suitable small hand-operated winch that would work for this application. Instead, we plan on hanging our HMS bar from the joists in the ceiling and create a hook system at the ceiling that will allow us to raise the light bar higher up temporarily for unobstructed access to the tank.

Mixing Station
This last weekend we were able to set up the mixing station stand, tanks, and plumbing.

We were able to pick up these (2) 65-Gallon containers from our LFS second-hand and they fit perfectly in our desired location in the garage. We began by modifying our original mixing stand that held a 32-Gallon brute trash can and added a sheet of 1/2” plywood to the that would match the footprint of the new containers. The original salt container had a good amount of mineral build-up from the previous owner so we ran it full of a citric acid mixture for 2 days with a pump running and it eliminated 90% of the scale. We finished the cleaning by running fresh RODI water into the container multiple times and removing with the Sicce Zero sump pump.
The last piece of work on the mixing system is to tackle a small leak at the outflow threaded connection of the Dart pump.

We hope to have more time this week and weekend to devote to setting up the plumbing and lighting on the tank. Updates should be coming soon.

As always, Happy Reefing!

 

[SEPDXReef]

07/24/2022 - Build Update
More progress was made today on the plumbing and lighting systems.

Plumbing:
The Bean-Animal Style overflow is complete with all 1 1/2” pipe and fittings installed and secured to the stand/tank. The return plumbing including the (3) valve manifold is complete and installed to the tank/stand. We intentionally left out the 3/4” back-flow preventer to see how the system functions without it. Next plumbing steps are to add a reducer fitting to the 1 1/2” overflow coming out of the gate valve so it can feed the Reefmat 1200 that is on its way.

Lighting:
The HMS mounting bar and hanging kit have been installed over the tank. We have yet to set the correct height of the mount for the Neptune SKY’s as the mounting method of the sky’s to the bar is still undecided. In order to secure the suspension wires to the ceiling for the HMS bar we decided to install a solid piece of oak on the ceiling that spanned (2) floor joists so as to ensure we have a strong connection to the ceiling to support the weight of the lighting.

Upcoming:
Next we will be heading down to the crawl space this week to add additional support to the floor sub-structure that will be carrying the load of the system. We plan on accomplishing this by installing 4x4 posts on top of concrete blocks that will transfer the load from the floor joists to the ground.

Thanks for reading and Happy Reefing!

 

[FreshCoastReef]

This looks like it's going to be an awesome build! Following.

I've got a 20g AIO that I just started with 4 months ago. Dreaming of the day when I can have a peninsula tank in my home. I'm a big fan of this shape and style of tank.

One question, you mention that you hope to not need any additional power heads in the tank - is the hope that the return pump will shoot flow down to the far end of the tank along one side, and then the flow will make a U turn and come back along the other side? Is that a common technique for peninsula style tanks?

 

[SEPDXReef]

This looks like it's going to be an awesome build! Following.

I've got a 20g AIO that I just started with 4 months ago. Dreaming of the day when I can have a peninsula tank in my home. I'm a big fan of this shape and style of tank.

One question, you mention that you hope to not need any additional power heads in the tank - is the hope that the return pump will shoot flow down to the far end of the tank along one side, and then the flow will make a U turn and come back along the other side? Is that a common technique for peninsula style tanks?

Hey FreshCoastReef, thanks for the interest. The current plan is to rely mostly on (2) MP40’s located on the return side of the tank to move water across the 6’ length. I am a big fan of opposite currents and alternating flow so there is a good chance that we opt to utilize a gyre style power head on the opposite end of the overflow to provide that extra flow across the top of the tank where our more sensitive species that require higher flow will be situated.

 

[OldRed1]

Such a cool build! Where did you learn about all of the plumbing? Looks so intimidating but the way you write about it makes it seem like anyone can learn it!

 

[FreshCoastReef]

Hey FreshCoastReef, thanks for the interest. The current plan is to rely mostly on (2) MP40’s located on the return side of the tank to move water across the 6’ length. I am a big fan of opposite currents and alternating flow so there is a good chance that we opt to utilize a gyre style power head on the opposite end of the overflow to provide that extra flow across the top of the tank where our more sensitive species that require higher flow will be situated.

Right on. Thanks for sharing.

 

[SEPDXReef]

Such a cool build! Where did you learn about all of the plumbing? Looks so intimidating but the way you write about it makes it seem like anyone can learn it!

Hey OldRed1, thanks for the interest in the build. Prior to firing up our first display tank a little more than 18-months ago, I began to research anything and everything I could find on the internet about the Reefing hobby. I think at this point I’ve seen every single video that BRS has produced . Through the research I’ve learned about all the popular plumbing methods for reef tanks so when it came time to plumb this system I pulled on the knowledge from the research to develop the design of be Bean-Animal overflow and manifold return. The only variables that I didn’t have to worry about were the pipe sizing as the existing tank came with 1 1/2” overflow outlets and 3/4” return holes in the glass itself.

 

[OldRed1]

Hey OldRed1, thanks for the interest in the build. Prior to firing up our first display tank a little more than 18-months ago, I began to research anything and everything I could find on the internet about the Reefing hobby. I think at this point I’ve seen every single video that BRS has produced . Through the research I’ve learned about all the popular plumbing methods for reef tanks so when it came time to plumb this system I pulled on the knowledge from the research to develop the design of be Bean-Animal overflow and manifold return. The only variables that I didn’t have to worry about were the pipe sizing as the existing tank came with 1 1/2” overflow outlets and 3/4” return holes in the glass itself.

Do you recall any particularly informative videos that you came across? I’ve watched numerous ones myself, but I’m always looking out for other recommendations!

 

[SEPDXReef]

Do you recall any particularly informative videos that you came across? I’ve watched numerous ones myself, but I’m always looking out for other recommendations!

Here is a great one:

There has been a lot more research and information published since this BRS series however I really liked the whole 52 weeks of Reefing and believe there is still a lot of useful information.

 

[SEPDXReef]

07/27/2022 - Build Update

Sump - We moved the sump into its final location and routed the overflow piping into it. The two emergency overflow pipes are going to remain un-glued to allow us to remove the sump from the stand without removing the plumbing. All sump baffles were set back in place at the desired water heights we plan to run.

Return Pump - I was able to successfully swap the M2 Return pump on our current display system with a temporary pump. We ran the M2 in a Citric acid bath for a few days to take off all the coraline and scale built up from being in the sump for over a year and a half.

Skimmer - The new Red Sea skimmer 900 has been assembled and installed.

Heater - Finnex Titanium heater installed in Refugium section of sump.

Powerheads - both MP40’s are installed in the tank. It was a little tricky selecting a spot for the powerheads due to the significant amount of plumbing on the overflow end of the tank. We situated the powerheads as high as the plumbing would allow on either side of the overflow box.




Upcoming:
We will be heading into the crawl space tomorrow to add support to the flooring. If we are successful, tomorrow will likely be day #1 of filling the system . After that, I will begin removing some of the systems off our current Display to bring over to the new tank including the Tunze ATO, Neptune Apex, Neptune Trident, and Neptune DOS. We also plan on installing a vertical ‘control panel’ to the left of the sump, under the stand so we can mount all of the system controllers out of the way of other equipment.

Happy Reefing All!

 

[Daveobrien]

Location = Portland
Is that Portland, West Coast or Portland, East Coast.
If west coast, reach out. we're locals

 

[SEPDXReef]

Location = Portland
Is that Portland, West Coast or Portland, East Coast.
If west coast, reach out. we're locals

Hey Dave, we are West coast. Not really sure how the DM messaging system works on this forum but please feel free to reach out to me if you are familiar with it.

 

[Daveobrien]

DM Sent.

 

[SEPDXReef]

07/28/2022 - Build Update
WATER DAY!

Today we spent the better part of 5 hours in the crawl space installing web stiffeners, concrete blocks, and posts to the floor joists of our living room to provide additional support for the 2000+ pounds of reef tank introduced. It was a a dusty adventure but we were able to set a total of 8 posts. We began by installing a 2x6 oriented below the 6’ edges of the stand and just longer than the length of the stand. We then placed concrete blocks directly below the floor joists in the location where the 2x6 intersected them. Finally, we used shims to secure and level the 4x4 and 4x6 posts between the concrete blocks and 2x6 and added a piece of 1/2” plywood to secure the posts to the 2x6 to prevent any movement.

We have had 55 gallons of salt water mixed and waiting so once the floor reinforcing was complete, we couldn’t wait to test the return and overflow plumbing to ensure they were leak-free. Great news! Both systems seem to be completely leak free!

Once the testing was complete, we emptied the remaining water into the display. We are hoping to complete the fill by Sunday to get the water cycle started next week.

Upcoming:
-Remove gear from current tank to install on New system.
-Fill New system completely and begin cycle with some live rock in sump.
-Complete and install the controller panel.
-Work on fish Wish-List!

If anyone has any recommendations for Tangs, Wrasses, shoaling fish, or any other you find interesting we would love to hear them!

Thanks again for the interest and Happy Reefing!

 

[Daveobrien]

nice update!