Gimmito's 450 Gal L-Shaped Display

[gimmito]

Fits like a glove. I also drilled a 1/16" air hole on top.

 

[gimmito]

H&S 110/F2000 skimmer w/ehiem 1048 feed pump for the frag tank. This is the little brother of the H&S 250 skimmer I'm considering for the 450. I've never used a recirculating skimmer and I'm interested in seeing the skimmate production.

 

[gimmito]

I thought I would post a picture of my red sea max. I traded a vortech pump for it w/a fellow reefer...not bad eh ? I got it b/c I had to down size from a 75 gallon due to the remodel. It's mainly zoa's, lps, & a rbta which has split twice in a year since I've had it.

 

[rroselavy]

Gimm, your thread is posted all over the net...tsk-tsk. Make them come to you! LOL.

Found another possible skimmer if you are still looking for ideas:

the BEAST - i-Tech Forums

This is an internal model that supposedly can skim a 600g tank.

 

[gimmito]

Scott,

I just try to get as much opinions (like yourself) as possible. ')

Thanks for the link by the way...that i-tech "truly" is a beast !

 

[gimmito]

Its been awhile since my last post...been busy with the house, soccer, volleyball, cub/girl scouts, etc. I've been scouring craiglist and picked up a truvu 40 breeder and truvu 30 gallon for the qt.

I'll post some pics soon.

 

[gimmito]

Here's a pic of the 40 breeder. I'm going with a deep sand bed (about half way) and the rest w/chaeto & maybe some graciella for any future tangs. Do you guys think 8" is enough to denitrify the 450 ?

 

[gimmito]

Here's a pic of the truvu 30 gal I'm going to use as a quarantine tank. I'm thinking of painting the sides black as well to better acclimate the fish...Any thoughts ?

 

[gimmito]

Gen came over and finished installing the background and overflow covers via magnets and velcro. I have a buddy in the car painting business who will paint the top and bottom of the background acrylic black. This way you won't notice the 4 vortechs as much. I also will put a led in the middle to simulate more depth. A little trick the steinhart aquarium uses in their aquariums. ')

 

[rroselavy]

Thanks for the link by the way...that i-tech "truly" is a beast !

Yup. Although no comparison to the Beast, I should be receiving an i-Tech 100 in just a few days. I will let you know my impressions of the build quality and performance after it breaks in...

I just noticed now. Dave didn't wash that A110-F2000 out for you when he sold it...LOL. Let me know how that skimmer works for your frag tank.

Fuge and QT tanks look nice.

 

[gimmito]

Upgrade huh ? Christmas did come early for you. Yah, Dave did'nt clean it as promised, but it was a good deal and I'm hoping to get that frag tank up and running soon. I believe Dave ended up with a i-Tech 100 also and loves it.

 

[rroselavy]

Upgrade huh ? Christmas did come early for you.

Not exactly. I was waffling on buying one, and then someone decided to sell their "never used" unit for a good discount. Had to jump on it. :wink: Should be here Monday. Looks like I will be rearranging my sump AGAIN.

 

[Usefulidiot213]

Pretty Sweet looking project..

 

[gimmito]

Not exactly. I was waffling on buying one, and then someone decided to sell their "never used" unit for a good discount. Had to jump on it. :wink: Should be here Monday. Looks like I will be rearranging my sump AGAIN.

It sure pays to subscibe to all those "FOR SALE" threads huh ?? :wink:

 

[gimmito]

Pretty Sweet looking project..

Thanks...little by little.

 

[gimmito]

A few things I picked up from Marine Depot:

-(4) 1 1/2" heavy duty bulkheads for the overflows (I can't believe how big those things are).

-Small AccliMate (used it to pick up a magenta dottyback & sixline wrasse from a buddy and acclimation was a breeze...highly recommend it !).

-Eheim 600 pump (for the 2 phosban reactors in the frag tank sump).

-bottle of prime (always good to have around).

-pisces pro acclimator (makes having to uses your mouth to start a siphon a thing of the past).

-Kold Sterile replacement cartridges (for my Kold Filter system...I'm thinking of adding a Kati-Ani system down the line).

 

[gimmito]

Fuge and QT tanks look nice.

Scott,

What do you think about painting the other 2 sides of the qt black ?

Do you think 8" of sand will be enough to denitrify the 450 ?

Jim

 

[gimmito]

I thought I'd take a pic of the back of the tank light up at night.

 

[gimmito]

I haven't been updating this thread...so hear comes a bunch of pics !

A buddy in the car painting business helped me paint the acrylic black on the top and bottom to hide the vortechs. Looks a bit like a flag at this point, but we'll see how it looks with the aquascaping in there.
I can always get another piece of acrylic.

 

[gimmito]

Stocking up on schedule 80 true union ball valves, tees, elbows, etc.