I had the opportunity to pick up a used tank/ stand/ sump from a fellow reefer in Madison. My current tank seems to be filling up, so I will be transferring things over as time goes on.
Here is my current tank:
The tank and sump were custom built by Crystal Reef Aquatics. 36x30x24, integrated external glass overflow setup for bean animal, 3" euro bracing, double glass starboard bottom (one outset, one inset then starboard. Pretty heavy. Sump is a modified version of the SRS20 with front compartment expanded 6". The stand is made of extruded aluminum.
First job was to clean it all up. Bought some citric acid from amazon, filled the tank and sump then let them sit with a flow pump for a day. Scrapped everything down then drained and rinsed. The glass is in good shape. The sump had quite a bit of hazing, so I bought a novus polishing kit and went to town. In the end it came out really well.
My plan is to rebuild the stand. It is a bit too short and I want it on wheels. The middle area will have the sump with areas for mounting control panels on the left and right. On the right will be a hole for my Trident. On the right side of the stand will be the electrical area (power bars etc). Left side will be the dosing/ skimmate locker. I am planning on setting up a water station (RODI and salt bins) for ATO reservoir and AWC.
Construction began. Ordered the extra frame pieces from 8020.net. I used expanded PVC from Home Depot. The internal structure is glued using PVC cement. Wheels are heavy duty casters with built in leveling feet.
Painting took a long time. Both the black and white are painted using primer then color coats of spray paint. The top of the stand is a piece of expanded PVC topped by a neoprene mat from BRS.
Plumbing came next. I want to maximize the flow through the tank and sump. Drain is fairly straightforward. Bean animal style, 2 45 vs 2 90 to adjust for angle and offset, 1" pipe (to match the overflow and sump holes) I have made a few adjustments to the overflow plumbing vs the pictures. I raised the secondary drain about 1.5" up and lowered the main siphon as far as possible. Also the 90 "end" of the main siphon seems to be limiting the drain capacity so I plan on upping that to 1.25".
The return side was a little more complex. I have a 57 watt Aqua UV that I will be using (Currently using a 2" mock up as stand in). The general idea is:
Cor20 --> 1.25" flex line --> up to 2" for the UV (goes up then exits down due to UV geometry) this feeds a 1.25" main tube in the back which has 2 1" verticals --> 1" check valves --> convert to 3/4" to match the return holes of the tank
I will eventually add flow meters to the left and right verticals of the return, but it is pushing the limits of the 1" siphon return, so I am guessing over 1k gph right now.
In the pics above you can also see the extra baffle that I added to the front compartment of the sump. I wanted to separate it into a refugium on the left and skimmer section on the right. By breaking it into 2 areas it also has dramatically increased the flow so I will be able to get the chaeto to tumble and stop and detritus buildup.
This brings it to where I am today. Filled the tank up and started cycling. 80 lb of special grade sand along with some previously used rock. I will eventually move the rock/ corals out of my current system. I have 2 maxspect gyre 350 on the tank. I really like the distributed flow. Return is a COR20. For the heater I bought a 300W finnex, bought it was struggling... so I threw in a 200W eheim but will replace it with a second 300W finnex. The wires are a bit of a mess because things are not in their final place right now.
Cycling is being done with a few pieces of live rock from my other system, a bottle of Brightwell microbacter start and the brightwell ammonia. Currently Ammonia is at 0, Nitrite is at ~0.5 ppm.
Here is my current tank:
The tank and sump were custom built by Crystal Reef Aquatics. 36x30x24, integrated external glass overflow setup for bean animal, 3" euro bracing, double glass starboard bottom (one outset, one inset then starboard. Pretty heavy. Sump is a modified version of the SRS20 with front compartment expanded 6". The stand is made of extruded aluminum.
First job was to clean it all up. Bought some citric acid from amazon, filled the tank and sump then let them sit with a flow pump for a day. Scrapped everything down then drained and rinsed. The glass is in good shape. The sump had quite a bit of hazing, so I bought a novus polishing kit and went to town. In the end it came out really well.
My plan is to rebuild the stand. It is a bit too short and I want it on wheels. The middle area will have the sump with areas for mounting control panels on the left and right. On the right will be a hole for my Trident. On the right side of the stand will be the electrical area (power bars etc). Left side will be the dosing/ skimmate locker. I am planning on setting up a water station (RODI and salt bins) for ATO reservoir and AWC.
Construction began. Ordered the extra frame pieces from 8020.net. I used expanded PVC from Home Depot. The internal structure is glued using PVC cement. Wheels are heavy duty casters with built in leveling feet.
Painting took a long time. Both the black and white are painted using primer then color coats of spray paint. The top of the stand is a piece of expanded PVC topped by a neoprene mat from BRS.
Plumbing came next. I want to maximize the flow through the tank and sump. Drain is fairly straightforward. Bean animal style, 2 45 vs 2 90 to adjust for angle and offset, 1" pipe (to match the overflow and sump holes) I have made a few adjustments to the overflow plumbing vs the pictures. I raised the secondary drain about 1.5" up and lowered the main siphon as far as possible. Also the 90 "end" of the main siphon seems to be limiting the drain capacity so I plan on upping that to 1.25".
The return side was a little more complex. I have a 57 watt Aqua UV that I will be using (Currently using a 2" mock up as stand in). The general idea is:
Cor20 --> 1.25" flex line --> up to 2" for the UV (goes up then exits down due to UV geometry) this feeds a 1.25" main tube in the back which has 2 1" verticals --> 1" check valves --> convert to 3/4" to match the return holes of the tank
I will eventually add flow meters to the left and right verticals of the return, but it is pushing the limits of the 1" siphon return, so I am guessing over 1k gph right now.
In the pics above you can also see the extra baffle that I added to the front compartment of the sump. I wanted to separate it into a refugium on the left and skimmer section on the right. By breaking it into 2 areas it also has dramatically increased the flow so I will be able to get the chaeto to tumble and stop and detritus buildup.
This brings it to where I am today. Filled the tank up and started cycling. 80 lb of special grade sand along with some previously used rock. I will eventually move the rock/ corals out of my current system. I have 2 maxspect gyre 350 on the tank. I really like the distributed flow. Return is a COR20. For the heater I bought a 300W finnex, bought it was struggling... so I threw in a 200W eheim but will replace it with a second 300W finnex. The wires are a bit of a mess because things are not in their final place right now.
Cycling is being done with a few pieces of live rock from my other system, a bottle of Brightwell microbacter start and the brightwell ammonia. Currently Ammonia is at 0, Nitrite is at ~0.5 ppm.