Hugh's First Reef Tank... 150Gallons

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Boaz1021

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It also came with this Odyssea T5-48" Light. Is it any good? Will it at least be decent until I get the tank up and cycling. Maybe replace it later?
 

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I also do woodworking, I discovered my 2" hose for the dust collection worked great for draining the water out of my tank... only took about 3-5 minutes.
 

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I've got the first coat of black paint on, waiting for it to dry before putting on the second coat.
 

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My biggest concern is on where to drill for the Overflow box. The tank has a lip on the inside so I have to put it a little lower, but that means the water level will be a couple of inches bellow the rim. Should I cut the glass there and mount it higher, or just leave the water level lower?
 

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Repainting the base, hood and adding support to the inside of the cabinet, for the DIY 40Gallon Breeder Sump.. Not done yet, but it's coming along. I also had the Coralvue Hydros Control 4 come in, with 2 water level sensors, 1 leak sensor, 1 temp sensor, 1 pH Probe, 1 Hydros DC Drive Pump, Hydros DC Solenoid Water Valve. I was going to get the Hydros auto feeder, but it requires another drive output. I'm going to have to look at other auto feeders, maybe one to use the USB Output, or WiFi A/C plug.

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Well, almost done painting the stand, just one more coat and a clear sealer for good measure. I have some pvc plumbing coming in from BRS, so hopefully that will make it in soon so that I can start actually putting this beauty together... gotta say, I am really liking the way it turned out, especially for my first ever tank. 20210807_154752.jpg 20210807_154825.jpg 20210807_154806.jpg
 
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@Boaz1021, I have the 2400 gph version of that overflow in use now on two tanks. I love it AND I hate it. In fact I tried to give it a highly critical review on BRS that 'oddly' never saw the light of day. I even called it a "design flaw!!" (And this was after getting no satisfactory answer from Fiji; basically they said, 'We know what you are saying but it is what it is.') It CAN be made to work, but basically you have to gunk-it-up with silicone to the extent that it defeats the purpose of it being able to conveniently be pulled apart in-place for cleaning. The explanation is too long to go into here, but I can't say I would buy it again. :(

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On the return side, what did you use to transition the 3/4 pipe through the glass? I thought it was the 3/4" Bulkheads, and bought those, but NOTHING fits into the front on the slip side where I was trying to put the 3/4" Loc Lines.
 

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I’ll try to remember to take a photo or two for you tomorrow of the return pipe into the bulkhead, into the loc-line... is that where your getting stuck?
 
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14E83275-991A-45B6-985B-FC4A0FD04217.jpeg 19F4DE78-ECCC-42FC-A5C2-BDE305981F11.jpeg

Is this what you were asking about?
Yes! The front side, in the tank, which bulkhead did you use? I could only find the ABS 3/4" slip/Thread on dry side bulkheads and the slip on the wet side doesnt seem to have anything that will fit into it and screw into the loc-line that I could find in the plumbing store.
 

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6D195D96-C5CE-444C-BA93-167813C88DA8.jpeg


Not the prettiest, but anyway, the 3/4” pipe coming off my return pump gets split into two (2) 1/2” pipes to complete the return journey to the tank. So I am drilled for 1/2” returns— I think you said you are drilled for 3/4” returns (?)

Regardless of size, that piece at the end of the loc-line that in the photo looks like a hexagonal nut screws into the wet side of the bulkhead. Outside the tank (dry), the 40-degree “street elbow” is glued in place. (Don’t glue it until you are all set on your return lines!) I hope this helps. :)
 
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Not the prettiest, but anyway, the 3/4” pipe coming off my return pump gets split into two (2) 1/2” pipes to complete the return journey to the tank. So I am drilled for 1/2” returns— I think you said you are drilled for 3/4” returns (?)

Regardless of size, that piece at the end of the loc-line that in the photo looks like a hexagonal nut screws into the wet side of the bulkhead. Outside the tank (dry), the 40-degree “street elbow” is glued in place. (Don’t glue it until you are all set on your return lines!) I hope this helps. :)
So, what you're saying, is I need a "3/4" Bulkhead- Thread/Thread". You screwed the Loc-Line Adapter directly into the bulkhead, correct? Screenshot_20210813-185628_Chrome.jpg
 

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Mine is Thread / Slip, actually. The "threads" you see coming through the tank and out the back wall are actually the threads the retaining nut go on. The interior where the gray 40-degree street elbow glues into is smooth (slip).

As to the loc-line side, you are correct. Use an adjustable wrench and just tighten good into the bulkhead's threaded opening.

One more tip about working with loc-line: Put a male end in your freezer, stuck in your ice basket for a few minutes, to contract it, and use a hair dryer on the female end to expand it-- then they will push together much, much easier than you can do by hand.
 
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Mine is Thread / Slip, actually. The "threads" you see coming through the tank and out the back wall are actually the threads the retaining nut go on. The interior where the gray 40-degree street elbow glues into is smooth (slip).

As to the loc-line side, you are correct. Use an adjustable wrench and just tighten good into the bulkhead's threaded opening.

One more tip about working with loc-line: Put a male end in your freezer, stuck in your ice basket for a few minutes, to contract it, and use a hair dryer on the female end to expand it-- then they will push together much, much easier than you can do by hand.
Gotcha! So your bulkhead is essentially the exact opposite of mine.

I'll have to see if I can exchange them for the kind like yours on BRS.
 
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I've FINALLY gotten the tank together and in place! Now for the cycling, I'm using Dr. Tim's one and only and on Day 3. 0 Nitrites, 0 Ammonia, pH 8.4, temp 79.4°F, salinity 30ppt

My only concern is that I think I have the lights set too far apart and the center is darker than the edges. I think I'm going to move them farther to the center. 20210829_112425.jpg 20210829_113355.jpg 20210830_232714.jpg 20210905_004226.jpg 20210906_123935.jpg
 
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The list of EVERYTHING inside of my used 150 Gallon (60x18x31) Tank

Belkin Power Surge 8 AC Multiple Outlets
Jebao DCP-3500 Sine Wave Water Return Pump
Jebao DCP-8000 Sine Wave Water Return Pump
Battery Backup v3 - IceCap
2K Gyre Flow Pump Only (2000 GPH) - IceCap
2K Gyre Flow Pump with Dual Pump WiFi Controller (2000 GPH) - IceCap
Ice Cap Gyr Controller Extension Cables
600W Titanium Heater Element - Bulk Reef Supply
WiFi Aquarium Heater Controller - Ink Bird
E-SK 600 DC Controllable Protein Skimmer - Hydor
Vipar Spectra 165W LED Reef Light (2)
Hydros Control 4 Starter Pack - Aquarium Controller System - Coralvue
Hydros DC Solenoid Water Valve - Coralvue
Hydros Water Level Sensor - Coralvue
Hydros Rope Leak Sensor Kit - Coralvue
Hydros DC Micro Pump - Coralvue
Hydros WiFi Fish Feeder - Coralvue

40 Gallon Breeder Sump Baffle Kit - Fiji Cube
40 Gallon Breeder Tank
LoPro External Overflow Box (1600 GPH) - Fiji Cube
1 1/2" Slip Bulkhead Strainer - Lifegard
Replacement Gasket for 1 1/2" Schedule 80 Bulkhead
1 1/2" x 46" Blue Schedule 40 Pipe
3/4” Bulkhead Schedule 80 Thread x Thread
NPT Connector for 3/4” Modular Hose - Loc-Line
3/4” Schedule 80 Female Pipe Adapter
3/4" x 46" Red Schedule 40 Pipe
3/4” Schedule 80 Straight Barb x Male Thread
Y Fitting for 3/4” Modular Hose - Loc-Line
3/4" Modular Hose (6 segments) - Loc-Line
3” Flare Nozzle for 3/4” Modular Hose - Loc-Line
Hydrofarm Black Active Aqua 3/4" ID Tubing 25', HGTB75GF Inside Diameter, 25 feet
King Brothers Inc. GVP-1500-S 1-1/2-Inch Slip PVC Schedule 40 Gate Valve

5 Stage Premium 75 GPD RO/DI System - Bulk Reef Supply (bundle-211382)
Value Plus Upgrade Kit (800ml/min) - Bulk Reef Supply (bundle-200031)
1 x Dual Inline TDS Meter DM-1 - HM Digital (bundle-200215)
1 x Glycerin Filled Pressure Gauge 1-100 PSI - Bulk Reef Supply (bundle-208447)
1 x 800 mL Flow Membrane Flush Valve - Bulk Reef Supply $0.00
150 GPD Water Saver Upgrade Kit - Bulk Reef Supply
MATTOX 1/4" Quick Connect Water Purifiers Tube Fittings for RO Water Reverse Osmosis System Pack Of 12

HW-Marinemix Reefer Salt Mix 160 Gallons - HW Wiegandt
Hammerhead Float Plus - Algae Free
120 gallon Fishless Cycle Bundle - Dr.Tim's (bundle-213810)
FCHO Glass Suction Cups Heavy Duty Aluminum Vacuum Plate
 
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A little update: I've been using Dr. Tim's Fishless cycle for the last 12 days and it says that I can add fish on Day 9. My parameters have all been stable, (Nitrite & Ammonia at 0), Calcium was at 250 (I added some "reef booster" to it yesterday and am going to check it tonight to see three results). Alk is at 8.1, Phosphate is 0.49.

I added a couple of coral frags to a magnetic frag tray, and have them midway on the back wall. The LED's are at 15%blue 9am-9pm and 10% white 12noon-3pm each day. The corals still rough and closed up 2 days after adding them, but they looked like that when I got them home and took them out of the bag from my LFS (they were BEAUTIFUL in store, of course)... I'm hoping they open up soon. I'm ordering "All For Reef" from BRS, along with a dosing pump, in hopes that it will help the corals.

Oh, I also added 2 clown fish from my LFS to my QT tank. They were already quarantined and had a round of antibiotics/copper at the LFS, so they should be fine, but I'm leaving them in the 15gallon QT tank until I'm sure the main tank is ready. (My 10 y/o daughter was SUPER excited to bring her "Emo Nemo's" home. Lol) 20210912_113220.jpg 20210912_122207.jpg 20210912_113227.jpg 20210912_122334.jpg 20210911_145748.jpg
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Mixing lighting technologies: Do you use multiple types of lighting for your reef?

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