700+ garage build

[Aquaticcove]

Hey gusts so im getting in the process of building/ setting up a garage grow out and fish holding system.
This is what I have so far and what I will need.
I have a stand that hold 9X 20 gallon long aquarium, 2 stands that hold 4X 55 gallon show tanks. I also have a rodi system already connected and 100 gallon storage holding tank.

I will be adding a 150-200 gallon sump for the water to be filtered in and hold live rock.
It will be controlled with an apex system.

1. I guess my need to know question is what LED lights work with the apex system or could I get a reef link and any wifi controls led and have the apex control the reef link and than in turn control the leds.

2. Out of the leds that apex is compatable with witch is the best how much covrage do they get.

3.where to find large skimmers for close to 1000 gallons of water.

 

[saltyphish]

Sorry, can't help with your questions but I want to follow your build. please share pics as you progress.

 

[lefkonj]

From a lighting perspective the ai lights and ecotech marine lights can be controlled via the apex with the right module added. I have used sol blues and hydra52s. Great coverage and I know plenty of folks have used he ecotech sand love them. Coverage depends on tank dimensions.

 

[Aquaticcove]

Sounds good@saltyphish

Yeah I like the new echo tech that just came out and I was thinking about running them on the 55 gallons and just have like Panorama Marine LED Lights running on controllers for the 20 gallon long aquariums and than may be a pendent over the sump so I can have the live rock and macro algae in the sump because 200 gallons is a lot of room.

Also does anyone know of a good thread that shows how people set up overflow on non drilled aquariums. Because I can't afford to buy 17 overflow boxes.

 

[AlexG]

I would build the skimmer. There are a lot of designs out there. The problem is when you get into that size of skimmer the price goes up fast. Get a good DC pump with adjustable speed. I am starting to build my new system and I plan to build my own skimmer but I am still thinking about designs. I am not going to use acrylic tubing as the pricing is crazy and there are lots of cheaper alternatives.

 

[Aquaticcove]

I could build one I think I would mess it up or something

 

[AlexG]

I could build one I think I would mess it up or something

I have built a few skimmers that have worked out great. Best thing to do is look at what type of skimmers are doing the best job from there you can create a similar design. When I get to building skimmer for my new system I will share the design and its construction. As long as it makes good foam and it is adjustable it should work out.

 

[Harold Green]

I have to ask. Is your garage sealed with heating and cooling? I couldn't find your location listed but a lot of areas see outside temperatures vary between below freezing to above 100 and the garage area can amplify those temps along with rapid changes. I'm counting 400 gallons of tanks without the sump. Normally I like to have a skimmer for twice the volume of the tank but with that large of sump you could probably get away with a skimmer that will handle 4 to 500gallons of tanks. I'd base the skimmer on the expected load in the tanks. I've built several skimmers and they were easy enough to build but on my last build I bought a bubblemagus 220 that's rated for almost 400 g and it was the cheapest skimmer I could find. I've been quite happy with it except I would have preferred a skimmer with an external pump. It would probably be cheaper in the long run to have all your tanks drilled instead of adding overflows which tend to have more issues than bulkhead drains. If you decide to go with the overflows it's possible to add pvc loops from tank to tank with a one way valve at the top of each loop to draw air out. As long as the tank water levels are all the same you can pump water into the end tank and have it drain down from the last tank. Personally I think that's going to be more trouble than it's worth. You might even get a glass saw and try drilling the tanks yourself. If you haven't already I'd check your lfs and see how they have their tanks plumbed together.

 

[Aquaticcove]

Well I have 3 of the walls have foam insulation in them and than the garage door is not insulated.
I can't drill the aquariums they are tempered glass. I might be able to 3D print a skimmer that would work.

 

[Harold Green]

Before working on the tanks I'd get a good thermometer and place it where the tanks are going. Then I'd make sure the air temperature is not changing more than 2 or 3 degrees at any time of the day or night. Unless you live somewhere that's 75 degrees all day every day you'll probably have to seal and insulate the garage door and wall. I'd also insulate the tank bottoms, backs and ends to reduce temperature gain or lose. I suppose the best option on the flow would be a large u-tube between every two tanks with one overflow on the last tank feeding the sump. Needs a lot of attention but cheapest option.

 

[Aquaticcove]

I'm located in Buda Texas the hottest it has gotten has been 99 so far. In the garage I'll have to get a thermometer and check and see what it gets in their. But I guess if it stays hot I'll get a small floor ac unit and have it piped outside. But I think a chiller that is 1.5 hp should be good. I talked to the guys at JBJ and they suggested for the garage a 1.25 or 1.5hp for all the aquariums.
I just moved all the stands into garage and cleaned out the sump and 7 of the 20 gallon long aquariums.

 

[Daytonareefing]

A lot of tanks have tempered bottoms but the sides are annealed so they can be drilled which is what I'm going to do with my 30 gallon. I'm going to drill the side because the bottom is tempered. I going to drill it so the top of the pipe is two inches from the top of the tank. Maybe you can do something like that with your tank. I would run AI hydra 52's or ecotech xr30w pro's. I run AI myself but both are owned by ecotech and are great lights.

 

[Harold Green]

I wish you luck. The only reason I mention the garage temperature is because I lost a large tank of African Cichlids many years ago from the heat in a garage. Many people make a bedroom out of garages so it's possible to heat and cool one like the rest of the house but it means time and money if you want to maintain tanks in there. I'd build a false wall inside the garage door and insulate it to make a room and unless there's a room above I'd get into the attic and insulate over it as most garages don't have insulation above. It's running 98 here along the coast but my reef tank is in the basement where the temperature is a constant 76 and with led lighting the tank calls for a small amount of heating most days to hold 78 degrees. I hope you'll send pictures as you progress and let us know how you handle the hurdles.

 

[Aquaticcove]

Yeah, the tanks I have are made from tetra and all sides are tempered gallass it says don't drill, but the 55 gallons I have I think 2or 4 of them are older tanks so I could drill them.
I really like the eco tech 3 pro that just came out, but they are so expensive at $650 each.
And having 15 aquariums that can be expensive.

 

[Daytonareefing]

Well in that case maybe a pvc overflow would be cheaper than overflow boxes.

 

[Aquaticcove]

Yeah, I'll have to look up how to build them.

 

[Harold Green]

Build a u out of 2" pvc with a one way valve in the top to draw the air out and expect to do it once or twice a week. Extend the pvc no more than a couple of inches below the water line to prevent overdraining the tanks in an emergency. Screen all the openings with fiberglass screening to prevent animals moving tank to tank. Lot of work ahead.

 

[Aquaticcove]

Yep lots of work ahead. I want to build an over flow system for each tank that has a ball valve so that I can shutoff a tank if I need to change the aquarium out or if I need to hospitalize a fish for any reason.

 

[Aquaticcove]

I found this great link for led lighting comparison chart from price to How much each cover, it's great.
http://www.tbaquatics.com/blog/2013/07/12/choosing-an-led-for-your-reef-aquarium/

 

[Aquaticcove]

I just ordered all the equipment.

2HP chiller
1X Dolphin Amp Master Diamond External Marine Pump - 4750 GPH (Type-2)
3X 48 Inch Current USA TrueLumen Pro Marine Fusion 12K/453nm Blue LED StripLight
Neptune Systems Apex Gold AquaController System
5X Kessil A160WE Controllable LED Aquarium Light - Sun
5X Kessil A160WE Controllable LED Aquarium Light - Tuna Blue