Luc Vogels's 600+ gallon CoralCare Reef

[Luc Vogels]

Some video's of the system in action (system was still under construction!!!):





And the final setup

The tank is already includes the first corals and fish..
Later I will share more details about the progress!

 

[MartinM]

Nice, what PAR are you aiming for?

 

[blaxsun]

Any updates?

 

[Luc Vogels]

Nice, what PAR are you aiming for?

Since the tank is new and needs to cycle I have a rather low light setting (it is running at 45% max). This results in a PAR of about 250 in the middle of the tank.

Any updates?

The tank is populated with corals but I am struggling a bit with getting stable water parameters.
I am now in the following vicious circle I need to escape:

When I increase nitrate and phosphate values to 1 mg/l and 0.04mg/l (my typical target values) I see an increase in cyano growth. When I dose a sugar/alcohol mixture I see the cyano fade but it also decreases the nutrient further. As a result the coral growth decreases and the alkalinity/calcium value runs up. As a result of low nutrients and high alkalinity/calcium values the corals are stressed by the light and colors fade.

Currently I am reducing light and alkalinity dosage and allowing the nitrates/phosphates to increase while suctioning all the cyano I can. This is a rather labor intensive solution but prevents me from using additional chemicals (as a backup if the cyano becomes to bad I will add chemiclean).

But in parallel I am also planning to extend my fish population since it is a bit limited for such water volume.
So work in progress !

I am also progressing with the filtration room; but it is still to messy to share pictures (from technical perspective it runs fantastic).

 

[blaxsun]

No problem at all. I've really enjoyed your build (particularly the aspect with the freezer conversion). Best of luck with your tank - will look forward to future updates with anticipation!

 

[Luc Vogels]

I hereby want to share some images of my filter room interior!

After finalizing the exterior of the filter room I have added the sumps to the room.
I have chosen for plastic sumps instead of glass ones since it is easier to adjust (drilling holes) and more shock proof.
The total combined water volume of the sumps are identical to about 20% of the display tank volume (+ frag tank).
I can fill the sumps up completely, stop the return pumps and open a valve to drain the water to the sewage.
I have also placed another 600 liter in the room so I can prepare the salt water for the water change.
This way I am able to do a 20% (600liter) water change in 15 minutes!

Some early image of the sump build in progress (the water is coming/going through the holes in the wall)

The first sump houses a DIY fleece filter and the second sump the skimmer + return pumps (separated in two compartments to ensure the proper water height for the skimmer).
I have considered many (automated) designs for the fleece filter but went for a simple manual version (for now).

I have used a standard plastic box in which I drilled holes; these are used to be able to flow all the return water through the filter. With help of some PVC rods I have created a space between the bottom of the plastic box and a frag rack/grid. On top of this grid I am able to place fleece material.

The filter is able to handle the 20 cubic liter (~5000 gallon/h) easily.
I need to replace the fleece manually every other day. It's a bit labor intensive.. which is for now the downside of the design. The replacement costs me 1-2 minutes.

At first I was bummed about the manual replacement frequency (I was hoping I could replace it every week).
By increasing the height of the container I could increase the water pressure (and hence the fleece would work more efficiently). Nevertheless after having some practical experience with the filter I am glad the way it works now.
The downside is the moment the fleece is saturated and the water fills up the container (overflowing). When I remove the fleece all the water in this container goes into the sump. This then instantly elevates the water level of the skimmer section with 2cm.. nothing to worry about but if I would increase the height of the container it would start to overflow when the fleece was removed. So for now I stick to the design and have to live with the fact that I need to replace the fleece every other day.

I have also added a small sink, fragtank an RO containers in the room.
Here some images of the current state:

I still need to finalize some (technical) things but I am already very satisfied with the room.. it works really practical.. which is a time saver and important to me.

 

[ksed]

Looking great! What will you be using for a return pump

 

[Luc Vogels]

Looking great! What will you be using for a return pump

Two simple Jabao DCP15000M pumps.
These pumps are a really good "bang for the buck" and are reliable.
I use a custom 24V Power supply (with some additional protections) and typically use the lowest throughput of a given model range. The DCP range (same body but different power settings) runs up to 20kliter but chose the 15k version.

 

[blaxsun]

Two simple Jabao DCP15000M pumps.
These pumps are a really good "bang for the buck" and are reliable.
I use a custom 24V Power supply (with some additional protections) and typically use the lowest throughput of a given model range. The DCP range (same body but different power settings) runs up to 20kliter but chose the 15k version.

And you're no doubt running two for redundancy.

 

[jhuntstl]

Two simple Jabao DCP15000M pumps.
These pumps are a really good "bang for the buck" and are reliable.
I use a custom 24V Power supply (with some additional protections) and typically use the lowest throughput of a given model range. The DCP range (same body but different power settings) runs up to 20kliter but chose the 15k version.

Can you give more detail on the custom power supply? Using a DCP-15000 as well.

 

[Luc Vogels]

And you're no doubt running two for redundancy.

Well actually.. one pump is for the filter return the other for the frag tank.
I keep one pump in spare but I do not run them in parallel.
Losing return flow is not that critical and the tank can easilyrun a few days without it.

Can you give more detail on the custom power supply? Using a DCP-15000 as well.

The custom power supply is nothing special but this way I can easily integrate all components/products in my own "smart" system. I have a 24V bus rail system ( over current protected for each product added) which is driven by an industrial 500W power supply. This ensures stable operation and is less likely to fail compared to the typical PSU's which come with the products (flow pumps, return pumps etc).

 

[Luc Vogels]

Some recent images of the tank.
It is doing great and I am still enjoying the hobby a lot!

 

[blaxsun]

I have been so looking forward to your updates!

 

[Gedxin]

Enjoyed the whole build journey, especially the clever use of a modular room, thanks for sharing! I absolutely love the motorized hanging/lighting system. Has it been working as well as the day you installed it? Dream canopy setup there as I imagine it makes getting your hands in the tank a breeze!

 

[Luc Vogels]

I have been so looking forward to your updates!

Happy to share these here

Enjoyed the whole build journey, especially the clever use of a modular room, thanks for sharing! I absolutely love the motorized hanging/lighting system. Has it been working as well as the day you installed it? Dream canopy setup there as I imagine it makes getting your hands in the tank a breeze!

Yes it working fantastically; very smoothly. I use it every week during cleaning activities!

 

[bandando]

I read all this thread with great interest. I admire you for your passion in this hobby, long in the time and your power to put in discussion and restart everytime with project always more cool.
I will continue to follow your great experience.

 

[dstockwell]

Beautiful tank

 

[AbdominalSnowman]

I don’t know how it took me so long to come across this build thread with how much time I spend on here, but this is hands down my favorite build to date! The thought that goes into the design and execution is meticulous, and definitely shows in the presentation of the tank and mechanical room.

Keep up the great work!

 

[Luc Vogels]

I read all this thread with great interest. I admire you for your passion in this hobby, long in the time and your power to put in discussion and restart everytime with project always more cool.
I will continue to follow your great experience.

Beautiful tank

I don’t know how it took me so long to come across this build thread with how much time I spend on here, but this is hands down my favorite build to date! The thought that goes into the design and execution is meticulous, and definitely shows in the presentation of the tank and mechanical room.

Keep up the great work!

Many thanks for the kind words !

 

[Luc Vogels]

Hereby some recent images of my tank.
The tank is stable and doing well!!
Recently purchased an Alkatronic to start monitoring my alkalinity.
I want to experiment a bit more with my water parameters and this is an ideal tool to determine the impact on coral growth.

(The images were made in the evening so a bit darker as usual)