AllTheCoral's ManReef Build! 4000g+

[Sea MunnKey]

Dang if only you're closer to Miami this weekend onwards ... we'll be in Miami for my daughter's function for couple of days. Hopefully not affected by Hurricane Florence ...

 

[Willie Villasana]

This is absolutely awesome, I'm so jealous. Glad I stumbled across this.

 

[lafayettereefer]

Wow your skimmers cost more than my car. Awesome build man.

 

[jaxteller007]

It looks you are knocking a lot of this out yourself. Contruction/mechanic/handyman type by trade?

 

[Geebs19]

Wow, looks like its going to be an awesome setup. Im in for the ride on this one.

 

[AllTheCorals]

It looks you are knocking a lot of this out yourself. Contruction/mechanic/handyman type by trade?

I went to school for marketing, but I've been in the car wash business for about eight years now. In this business the only way to succeed is by fixing things that break yourself. There's always something broken haha. I'm an excellent student and tend to listen more than I speak. With the invention of google, youtube and forums; I'm a full time student always trying to learn what I can before calling a professional for help.

 

[jaxteller007]

I went to school for marketing, but I've been in the car wash business for about eight years now. In this business the only way to succeed is by fixing things that break yourself. There's always something broken haha. I'm an excellent student and tend to listen more than I speak. With the invention of google, youtube and forums; I'm a full time student always trying to learn what I can before calling a professional for help.

I can see where that line of business would definitely force you to learn this type of stuff yourself, especially plumbing type work which can be so expensive if you have to hire someone. Seeing all this makes me realize i need to toughen up and just finish the plumbing for my little old 75 myself lol. I'm taking it from a Herbie to just a standard overflow and return so all I need to do is plumb the drain and reroute the return. But with the bends, and there being water in the tank it's scaring me lol.

 

[AllTheCorals]

I haven’t had much time this week to do much. I have started on my lighting. One side is hung, but may need to come down. The ac is located right above the tank and hasn’t been cooling as it should.

I’ve spent the week thinking about how I’m going to do my wiring for the lights to make everything easily removable for cleaning and maintenance.

I’ve also been trying to learn about a/c units before calling around for some pricing. I have two units that will really be getting a work out. My plan is to have one smaller unit that’s closer to the tanks and will be on the sub panel that’s going to have the ondemand generator connected. The other unit will be larger to help with cooling with everything running at 100%. Im not sure if this is a good idea, but with us being in hurricane central it seems like a good idea to save power.

Anyone here familiar with AC units and could give me some advice? Total sqft is just around 2000. I believe I have a 1.5 and 2 ton ac. The 1.5 has been dead and the 2 isn’t keeping up.

 

[AllTheCorals]

I can see where that line of business would definitely force you to learn this type of stuff yourself, especially plumbing type work which can be so expensive if you have to hire someone. Seeing all this makes me realize i need to toughen up and just finish the plumbing for my little old 75 myself lol. I'm taking it from a Herbie to just a standard overflow and return so all I need to do is plumb the drain and reroute the return. But with the bends, and there being water in the tank it's scaring me lol.

I really like using flexible pvc, aka spa hose. Its real easy to work with and lasts for years outside. It takes a little more patience to glue. every connection requires holding it tight for about a minute, but ive never had it leak. It saves you a lot of work on little connections and helps with achieving a smooth flow. I like using a lot of unions too. If you make a mistake you can chop off 3-4" of pipe, add an extension and another union. Reuse the short union somewhere else.

 

[AllTheCorals]

 

[TheHarold]

Getting an automatic generator for this? If so, what is your estimated power draw for this setup? 30kV?

 

[jaxteller007]

I really like using flexible pvc, aka spa hose. Its real easy to work with and lasts for years outside. It takes a little more patience to glue. every connection requires holding it tight for about a minute, but ive never had it leak. It saves you a lot of work on little connections and helps with achieving a smooth flow. I like using a lot of unions too. If you make a mistake you can chop off 3-4" of pipe, add an extension and another union. Reuse the short union somewhere else.

I was looking at using the flex PVC but I hate the thought of spending crazy money on tools for it that I won't use again for a long time. Can that spa line be used for drain and return? Do you need any special tools for it?

 

[AllTheCorals]

I can see where that line of business would definitely force you to learn this type of stuff yourself, especially plumbing type work which can be so expensive if you have to hire someone. Seeing all this makes me realize i need to toughen up and just finish the plumbing for my little old 75 myself lol. I'm taking it from a Herbie to just a standard overflow and return so all I need to do is plumb the drain and reroute the return. But with the bends, and there being water in the tank it's scaring me lol.

 

[jaxteller007]

Yea so I think I'm going to be going shopping for some spa line and required fittings lol. Ok enough derailing your awesome build thread!

 

[AllTheCorals]

Getting an automatic generator for this? If so, what is your estimated power draw for this setup? 30kV?

I have no idea. I’m panel will be doing the heavy lifting the other will have only the essentials. 1 closed loop, return pump, 1 power head for each tank, heaters, calcium reactors, led lights and ac unit. Once everything is completele I’ll have someone size a generator. I’m not going to rush stocking the tanks. Once coraline starts growing well introduce coral so I have plenty of time.

Overall the game plan is 2 return pumps. The main pump that will run 24/7 is a reeflo barracuda. I have extras so I’m considering running them in series if the one doesn’t put out enough flow the second should do the trick. The second pump is a jabeo 18k due to its adjustably and low power consumption. This will be the one connected to the generator. It’ll run at 100% 8-10 hours a day during peak hours and at lowest setting or off other times. I don’t trust it as a main return, but it’s a great secondary.

 

[AllTheCorals]

I was looking at using the flex PVC but I hate the thought of spending crazy money on tools for it that I won't use again for a long time. Can that spa line be used for drain and return? Do you need any special tools for it?

Pvc cutters work just fine for it. Just make sure the blade is nice and sharp or you could oval the hose compromising the seal.

 

[reefrocks]

If you are looking to instal ac system yourself , you should look into minispit systems or ductless systems. Both are the same just some companies use different names. But they are the easiest to instal and cheapest to buy.... good lucl

 

[AllTheCorals]

Good news! I met with 3 ac companies yesterday. First one quoted me 13,500 to install two Goodman 3 ton ac’s. Laughed him out the door.

Second company was a family owned business and will be installing two rheem 4 ton units to replace the current 3 and broken 2 ton units. They’ll also be moving the unit further away from the tanks Incase there are ever any problems with it.

The 3rd company I met with had the best price, but after speaking with company two and having several referrals from my customers I decided to play it safe and spend a few extra bucks.

 

[AllTheCorals]

This morning will be spent testing out these two power heads to see how they compare to gyres which I’ll be using to keep detritus from settling in the bottom and ecotech powerheads. I use ecotechs on my home system, but find the wet sides to not be very reliable. They’re hard to place perfect without vibration. If the move the dry side dropping could be very expensive and the wet sides need replacing every year or two from the magnets going bad.

While expensive I’m hoping the stream 3 is a good option for random flow. The 5 year warranty is the longest in the industry and should pay for itself if there are any issues.

 

[Fishinbob]

Good news! I met with 3 ac companies yesterday. First one quoted me 13,500 to install two Goodman 3 ton ac’s. Laughed him out the door.

Second company was a family owned business and will be installing two rheem 4 ton units to replace the current 3 and broken 2 ton units. They’ll also be moving the unit further away from the tanks Incase there are ever any problems with it.

The 3rd company I met with had the best price, but after speaking with company two and having several referrals from my customers I decided to play it safe and spend a few extra bucks.

I have a local a.c. guy who is a close personal friend out of port Charlotte I'll pm him the details if your interested