300 gallon oasis build in AZ

1ocean

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I got many request to start this post, so here it is.
I Started building and planning a 300 gallon reef to replace my current 140 gallon.
Tank is being made and I have started building the stand out of reinforced fiberglass and gluing it all together with special epoxy which is pretty pricey.
The fiberglass is NOT CHEAP but super strong and wont rust like steel (even if it is powder coated) or sag like wood and is lighter than both options.
A lot of care has to be taken when working and cutting this stuff, safety precautions have to be taken just like working on auto body fiberglass.
Here are some pictures of the progress...

300 gallon being made.jpg 300 stand part 1.jpg 300 stand part 2 complete.jpg
 

fishguy242

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sweet following along;):cool:
 
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1ocean

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I got many request to start this post, so here it is.
I Started building and planning a 300 gallon reef to replace my current 140 gallon.
Tank is being made and I have started building the stand out of reinforced fiberglass and gluing it all together with special epoxy which is pretty pricey.
The fiberglass is NOT CHEAP but super strong and wont rust like steel (even if it is powder coated) or sag like wood and is lighter than both options.
A lot of care has to be taken when working and cutting this stuff, safety precautions have to be taken just like working on auto body fiberglass.
Here are some pictures of the progress...

300 gallon being made.jpg 300 stand part 1.jpg 300 stand part 2 complete.jpg
 
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1ocean

1ocean

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I got many request to start this post, so here it is.
I Started building and planning a 300 gallon reef to replace my current 140 gallon.
Tank is being made and I have started building the stand out of reinforced fiberglass and gluing it all together with special epoxy which is pretty pricey.
The fiberglass is NOT CHEAP but super strong and wont rust like steel (even if it is powder coated) or sag like wood and is lighter than both options.
A lot of care has to be taken when working and cutting this stuff, safety precautions have to be taken just like working on auto body fiberglass.
Here are some pictures of the progress...

300 gallon being made.jpg 300 stand part 1.jpg 300 stand part 2 complete.jpg
Hey everyone thanks for the replies and support on my build journey.
Here are pic's of my sump plans made of cardboard to help with space planning.
Plan is 2 sumps (1 chemical and 1 biological) and 1 refugium (in center of both sumps) each with their overflow from main tank. Sumps 1 and 2 will be tied together with 2" or 3" pipe and the refugium will overflow into both sumps.
Both sumps will have Ecotech L2dc return pumps outside of the sump to control heat transfer.
All of this is still in the planning stage, any ideas would be helpful...
Have a great Monday everyone...
 

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revhtree

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Welcome and following along!
 
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1ocean

1ocean

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Seems like you have it planned out pretty well already!

What biological filtration are you thinking about for your biological sump?
Hi,
So far I have the BIO Sump planned in cardboard, which I still can changed and have changed a few times. Like for instance changed my idea from filter socks to those plastic filter media cups, which I can put a homemade filter sock into if needed and just throw them away instead of washing socks. I found that the natural felt stuff you can get at places like Joanne fabrics work great.
Both sumps are a race track design as you can see from the pictures.
24"wide x 28" length divided down the middle at the 12" mark, giving me 4 linear feet of sump area in each. I feel it is far better then a 8 foot long sump tanking up all my cabinet space.
The current idea is a 1 1/2 over flow pipe from above tank, into each sump and the refugium.
The BIO SUMP DESIGN so far is;
The 1 1/2 inch from above tank in to the BIO sump will be "T" off into two 1 1/2 pipes at the sump to create more flow, control noise and even out the water flow into the first chamber, controlled by gate values.
The first chamber (aeration chamber) the water will flow into and up to the 10" mark and then flow laterally into chamber two which will have 2 filter media cups which are 4" wide by 7" deep and the heaters temp probe .Total water depth for chamber two is 8.5" Then it will flow over the 8.5" divider and into the skimmer area at water height of 8.5" for reef octopus classic 200 and a True Temp heater.

From there it will flow into a second filter block and felt liner basket and drain into chamber 3 (water depth of 6") which will have wet bio balls at base and a 24" tall x 6" diameter clear pipe for trickle over bio balls feed by small pump, which will feed back into the wet bio ball area.
From there it will all past to the next filter pad area, chamber 4.
The rest of the sump will have movable dividers, so I can change chambers and whats inside them in the future.
I plan to create a chamber 5 for a brightwell cubes and some crushed coral rubble, and then move onto a brightwell bio block chamber 6 , then a final polishing filter pad chamber 7, and then in to a dosing chamber 8 area before going to the external ECOTECH Vecta L2 pump.

I am also considering removing the wet bio balls and using a Aquamax BIO Pellet reactor with pump in that chamber and a carbon reactor with pump in the same chamber....

I want to be able that when I have to clean a chamber I do not totally upset the good bacteria foundation that could cause issues in either sumps.
That is why I designed it to have 2 sumps, 2 return pumps and a separate refugium that will over flow into each sump. The 1 1/2 overflow to the refugium will have a "T" off to go to a UV Sterilizer with a flow control return pump to the main tank so that the water is flowing though at the right flow for the UV. KInda like a closed loop idea for the UV.
I don't like having the refugium in the sumps cause I think think the water flow should be slower in the refugium then in the sumps.

I hope my description helped you understand and you were able to follow.
I look forward to any suggestions or ideas you have.
I will try and take a pic of the inside of the cardboard mark up I have...and post it to my 300 gallon oasis in AZ thread.
Hope you have a great holiday....
 
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1ocean

1ocean

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Happy 2021 everyone !!!!
Oh it is coffee time here.
I attached a picture, I had the acrylic cut to size by the supplier here in AZ. I have a few smaller pieces to cut myself. Will be going to Home Depot for a 80 plus tooth carbine table saw blade and hole saw. I hope to start gluing some of this together with Weldon 16, which the supplier said works best.
I also ordered 3 boxes of Red Sea salt and 1 (of 3) Ecotech Radion Gen 5 Blue for the 300 tank yesterday from Marine Depot. Took advantage of the sale special $10 bucks off a $100.
The tank is 8 feet long by 30 inches wide by 24 height.
I am thinking of 3 Gen 5 Radions with 1 Kessil (so 2 total) in between each Gen 5, to give me a slight shimmer and give me lighting options.
I am thinking of using Kessil A160 Tuna Blue or 160WE Tuna Blue. I originally thought of using Kessil A360x Tuna blue but thought it might be too much light and I would have to dial it down so I would be wasting cash.
I think Kessil A80 may be too little light, but i could be wrong..
We are planning a mixed, sps, lps and zoa's in this tank.

Any suggestions would be helpful, as I guess I may have to buy and try with Kessils and then return if it doesn't work...

acrylic for 2 sumps.jpg
 
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1ocean

1ocean

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Hi everyone,
Was out shopping and found this used fish tank equipment store today, kinda like a flea market antique store set up. They have all kinds of stuff from tanks to even out dated chemicals, don't know who would buy those out dated stuff but.....hey....
But I found this Bubble Magus used sump, 30x14x16. It was a wreck and I cleaned it up as picture shows.
This is gonna be the stand alone refugium, with it's own over flow from the main tank and then will spill over into the 2 separate sumps I have planned.
I added a new blue media filter cup to filter the water, then into the chaeto chamber and then I can put a filter block before it goes back to the next chamber and then to the two sumps...
I think I may add crushed coral to the last chamber, and hermit crabs but not sure yet.
Anyone have any ideas to this, I appreciate all ideas....
It cost me $45.00 !!!! I could not buy the acrylic for that cheap and make it my self...
A score for the second day of 2021...
 

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AZMSGT

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Was out shopping and found this used fish tank equipment store today, kinda like a flea market antique store set up. They have all kinds of stuff from tanks to even out dated chemicals, don't know who would buy those out dated stuff but
Sounds like Discount aquariums in Tempe
 
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1ocean

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Sounds like Discount aquariums in Tempe
Could have been, we were running around all day that day giving out free 1/2 ounce samples of reef food at some store per owners request and meeting people.
We should have our product in some stores soon. We been test marketing it for 2 months now and it has been getting great responses.
Label design all done and we just got them from the printer.
 
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