240 gal planet aquariums build

[Rusch]

My first post here but I have been reading a ton!
Last night I ordered my first big tank currently running a 40 breeder with not much in it.
Its a 8ft long 240 gallon center overflow, I went with a 36" tall stand and 12" canopy. The plan is to make it a mixed reef but start with softies and work my way up.
I am looking at a 8 week lead time for the tank and stand.
I decided this would be a good time to start a build thread and discussion as I go through this process and collect everything else I need.
Please comment if there's something I miss or a better way to do this as I work through it.
Next steps while I wait:
Sump- im thinking 75 gallon with baffel kit from ebay? I can do that for under 300
Lights- no clue the next step here. Ive watched too many YouTube videos. I know I really don't want to spend 3k on lights if i can avoid it.
Return pump, skimmer and in tank power heads- undecided at this point.
Pvc mat for the inside the tank. Cheap insurance i suppose.
Going to watch FB for cheap rock i can clean and reuse.
I guess I could look at a mixing station. I have the room in a closet.

What else folks?
This is exciting and overwhelming. I want to do it right but need to mind my budget at the same time.
Pics to come!

 

[obanarama]

I'm two months into our new Planet 180G - 6'x2'x2'. It's FANTASTIC. I have zero complaints. Its LPS heavy with a few SPSs on the left side. Plumbing is very quiet (16" center external overflow with three drains, durso style.) I'm just using AI 16s for the LPS side (right side) and AI 32s for the SPS side (left side) It's a bit of an uneven look but the AI 16s came from the 75g tank that I upgraded from and I didn't want to spend a fortune getting all new lights. PAR is 250~ on the left near the top of the rocks, and 150ish on the right side. Here it is right now:

 

[Rusch]

I'm two months into our new Planet 180G - 6'x2'x2'. It's FANTASTIC. I have zero complaints. Its LPS heavy with a few SPSs on the left side. Plumping is very quite (16" center external overflow with three drains, durso style.) I'm just using AI 16s for the LPS side (right side) and AI 32s for the SPS side (left side) It's a bit of an uneven look but the AI 16s came from the 75g tank that I upgraded from and I didn't want to spend a fortune getting all new lights. PAR is 250~ on the left near the top of the rocks, and 150ish on the right side. Here it is right now:

Tank looks fantastic! Its going to be a long 8 weeks!
Could you tell me how much room have under the stand front to back? I assume 22 inches or so.
Also what stand did you get? How do you like it?

 

[obanarama]

Tank looks fantastic! Its going to be a long 8 weeks!
Could you tell me how much room have under the stand front to back? I assume 22 inches or so.
Also what stand did you get? How do you like it?

I got the Elegance Tall Upgrade cabinet. Its 24" front to back, same as the tank. I love it, tons of room. And I went with the tall because I didn't like how everyone had to bend over to get a good look in our old tank, so 36" height on this one is perfect. Not really too tall to be able to reach into the tank if need be, but I do usually use a stool if I need to reach in and get down to the sandbed.

 

[obanarama]

I got the Elegance Tall Upgrade cabinet. Its 24" front to back, same as the tank. I love it, tons of room. And I went with the tall because I didn't like how everyone had to bend over to get a good look in our old tank, so 36" height on this one is perfect. Not really too tall to be able to reach into the tank if need be, but I do usually use a stool if I need to reach in and get down to the sandbed.

Oh, and I just realized you are asking for the actual room inside the stand - maybe for the sump? Its an office tank so I'm not near it on the weekends but can measure on Monday.

 

[Rusch]

Oh, and I just realized you are asking for the actual room inside the stand - maybe for the sump? Its an office tank so I'm not near it on the weekends but can measure on Monday.

Yes asking for sump fitment lol. Good to heat the 36" is good. I think the room and viewing angle should be great.

 

[Mebbid]

If you already have a 40 breeder, why not use that as the sump? I bet you'd appreciate the extra 5 inches of working space

 

[Rusch]

If you already have a 40 breeder, why not use that as the sump? I bet you'd appreciate the extra 5 inches of working space

Ahh I think i need a bigger sump. Also the 40 is drilled.

 

[Rusch]

Here is the wall the 240 will go on. The fresh water tank will move to the wall where the 40 gallon is sitting.
Any suggestions for lighting a 8 foot long tank?

 

[TJ42]

Wow that will be a huge tank. Ambitious. Welcome to R2R!! I'm looking forward to seeing the new tank take shape.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[Rusch]

Wow that will be a huge tank. Ambitious. Welcome to R2R!! I'm looking forward to seeing the new tank take shape.

Well I guess it's cheaper to upgrade once in the long run although it doesn't feel that way yet!

 

[TJ42]

Well I guess it's cheaper to upgrade once in the long run although it doesn't feel that way yet!

Very true!

 

[Rusch]

Working on collecting items for the build.
Today I was able to find a bubble magus NAC 9 (this thing is huge). Its an old Skimmer but seems to be low mileage and was a great deal.
Also found around 160-180lbs of dry rock. All but 3 pieces are brand new!

The wait for tank delivery continues.....

 

[Rusch]

Next piece of the puzzle!
I got a 75 gallon tank to build the sump. I ordered the kit from Ebay, hopefully that will be in this week and I can put that together.
I think I am going to start the lighting with 4- 48" AI blade lights. Anyone see any pros or cons to this plan?

The wait for tank delivery continues......

 

[Rusch]

 

[Rusch]

Sump kit has arrived but it's like 1/16th too big so I used a table saw to trim them down to size. That worked out well. I will get that set up in the sump this week.
Also just heard from my LFS that my tank will be here next week!
Still have a lot to do including building the mixing station. Its finally time to get some stuff done!

 

[Rusch]

Ok sump is built. May not be pretty but it's what I came up with lol. My tank will be here next Sunday finally!!!!

 

[fish_collector]

Your baffle kit is acrylic and the sump is glass, acrylic absorbs water and expands. I've not seen it personally but other members here have posted photos of broken sumps because the baffles were cut to fit snuggly before silicone was applied. The solution is to cut the baffles to fit a little loose, use polycarbonate which does not expand in water, or use glass. Not trying to throw you into a panic, just something to be aware of, it is a real thing.

#UncommonSense may have better answers.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-sump-glass-cracked-made-a-big-mess.1105496/#post-13465828

 

[Rusch]

Your baffle kit is acrylic and the sump is glass, acrylic absorbs water and expands. I've not seen it personally but other members here have posted photos of broken sumps because the baffles were cut to fit snuggly before silicone was applied. The solution is to cut the baffles to fit a little loose, use polycarbonate which does not expand in water, or use glass. Not trying to throw you into a panic, just something to be aware of, it is a real thing.

#UncommonSense may have better answers.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-sump-glass-cracked-made-a-big-mess.1105496/#post-13465828

Wow I have not heard of that. Thank you for telling me about it. I had to trim these pieces to fit. They had a small amount of play so hopefully I'm ok.