monkiboy's 265g build thread

[monkiboy]

no stickers but they found the original grey seas swabbie and retrofitted a new motor so it's as awesome and original as it was years ago with a few enhancements. there's the classic logo on that. see...

they weren't photographed in the above photo but i think i mentioned that i picked up two reef octopus diablo 5500 skimmer pumps. here's a photo with them installed.

total height with the swabbie is right about 36". remember current plans dictate this guy has to fit under my stand which is at right around 42" so it has to stay reasonable.but yeah, it's still pretty large!

the other holes were for 4 psk1000s recirculating pumps originally, they are plugged now . other than just looking a little out of place the capped holes won't have any impact on the skimmer. dan considered gluing a patch on them but every now and then the acrylic will craze (spiderweb looking micro cracks) when glue is applied to something that was exposed to saltwater for a long period of time and we didn't want to take the chance as even if it wasn't leaking, would drive me nuts knowing it's there. there's a photo above showing the placement of the new skimmer pumps and how water comes in.

the diablo pumps (the 3500 and 5500s) can be bought as water flow pumps or skimmer pumps, actually. the skimmer pumps as one would guess come with the venturi and needle wheel.

i am not running these recirculating. we agreed that i'd get a much longer service life from the pumps this way as it will allow the pumps to be submerged in water and keep them cool and running well. with the recirculating option they are not submerged and dan's experience was that they will not provide a long term reliable solution. while a recirculating skimmer is a little more efficient, with 2 of these pumps i'm still way over rated for my system so there is really no loss in capacity here. lastly, by keeping the integrity of the dc5500 as it comes from the factory it will give me a bolt on easy replacement down the road should it ever be required.

all things point to incredible, efficient, reliable, and power-saving performance! eager to give these diablo pumps a go!​

we are sooooo almost there...

 

[monkiboy]

ooh, more goodies arrived today thanks to chris @ saltysupply!

what could it be?!

yea buddy!

looking good - i think i'm going to hook one up tonight to see how it deals with the head pressure going from my basement to the 46 clown/nem tank upstairs in comparison to the blueline HD pump i have now.

 

[monkiboy]

was really hoping to get my aquascape delivered by this weekend to have it in while we hung lights but it doesn't look that way. i've been through a couple changes and additions. here is one of the final pieces i think. it measures about 17" x 18" x 26". the photos i have been told do a horrible job of capturing the incredible depth that has been created. i really like how we raised the structure off the bottom for an awesome hiding and living space there and awesome flow to pass. the ledges at different heights for long-reaching colonies to spread up and into the depth. the detail of the root structure on the bottom, and the general design somewhat "bonsai" but a little less rounded. this is prior to the furnace, the purple'ing, and frag holes being made.



your thoughts? any ideas for the rest?

man, i really hope my avast skimmer is as good as my SWC 180 cone. i've had this thing for years without a single issue. it's reliable, skims incredibly consistently, no start up issues, etc. can't wait to see what the avast does,though!



how's that for seven days of skim!

got to the PVC sheeting install today. not really my thing and didn't enjoy it but i made it work. working by yourself with 8 x 4 sheets of this super bendy sharp edged stuff is no bueno and not a lot of room in there as i was not taking down the temporary sump system again.

in short, i really don't like it and think it looks like cr@p. while not the cheapest material ($35/sheet), i've got to re do it. i ended up making all those stupid cuts along the refugium and frag stand instead i should have just broken down the entire stand and done one flat sheet along the wall and rebuilt the stand up against and on top of the PVC sheeting. then i could the same for the sheet adjacent, behind, and under the stand area. the sheet under the tank stand turned out well, though and that will stay.


i'm frustrated as it took me a few hours to do what you see above and it's mediocre and not my style and i just wasted a few hours of work. humbug. tomorrow i'll get after it with a better attitude, focused drive, and a plan.

 

[monkiboy]

ome updated photos of the light fixture...look excellent. very industrial and raw. you can make out the machining and tooling marks which just add to the uniqueness. i'm really digging it!

my guy at cerameco is really earning his stripes as an artisan now.



we had a nice chat about my goals, coral placement, how i plan to set up the flow in my tank, and aesthetically what i want to accomplish again with some of the emphasis on the feedback provided above and boy did he deliver this time...



i mean, this stuff just made me so happy to see as it really mimics what i was seeing in my head and really got me amped to put into my new tank! he got he detail, barnacles, raised base, height, slope, coral placement levels, etc all of it in this new design. check it out and any feedback (in favor or not) is always welcome but i'm stoked

 

[monkiboy]

ooks so much better and will work better this way. removed the stand completely, installed a full PVC sheet on side and behind stand. then rebuilt stand and installed new leg on mid section right to allow for bulkhead tightening of the emergency drain on the frag tank.

light is basically done!!!!



..just gotta finish the t5 parts and the hard-wiring and dave is driving up for install on saturday!

 

[monkiboy]

here's a rare shot of the underside...

another tease...jeez louise i can't wait! if a fixture in reefing hobby was ever going to be sexy. this is it...

 

[monkiboy]

working late tonight but got to the redgard of the area above the tank. removed another 18" or so of drywall to completely expose that area so that the light can be mounted to the ceiling on the retracable mechanisms. so it'll retract all the way up to the top during maintenance, working on the tank, etc giving me over 24" of room and then i can lower to where i want and it'll hold it in place.



then installed a vapor barrier and used some extra trim i had laying around to hold securely in place. this will protect above against humidity and moisture and evaporation.

upgrading my previously bought nanobox duo to the new coralux controller. bye-bye multiple manual dimming drivers and gazillion power adapters, hello PWM, sunset/sunrise, lunar cycle, geosyncing weather recreations, and more!

 

[monkiboy]

what we came up with use of the retractable yo-yo thingie to hang the new LED monster... this is what i'll be doing away with in order to just go from ceiling bolt to y-splitter.

because if you're going to mount LEDs with a ceiling kit perfectly centered and above the tank appropriately then you just gotta break out the lasers, right? haha

 

[monkiboy]

ust the LEDS...oh my goodness i have lights!

more wiring fun for the t5s...

yeah, i think you got that wired right dave!

 

[monkiboy]

starting to get the t-5 assembly situated...

just the blue LEDs on...and this at 15% - the lights are redunkuliss bright. yes that bright at just 25%. it's just silly.

needless to say, i am NOT worried at all about coverage. can't wait to test PAR on the unit in comparison to my other fixtures especially with the extra depth this 30" tank provides.​

 

[monkiboy]

have to clean up a bit of wire and harness, find permanent and clean mounting locations for the power supplies and controller, and securely mount the t5 assembly. then play around with the controller with the manual in hand and figure out how to quickly program all the super cool things this coralux storm x can do! stay tuned!

ok got some more pics of the final pieces of the rock structure - it's really starting to blow my mind that this will soon be showcased in my tank and i'll have such a gorgeous layout to work with and can get my cycle started!

one possible aquascape with three of the pieces. i've been told it's very hard to convey but there is a great sense of depth with the pieces and how they slant away from the viewer both for mounting corals and to make the tank feel deeper than it is. i can't wait to play around and put together my final pieces in my 265 :bounce:

 

[monkiboy]

haven't done much but the stand for the frag and refugium tank was bothering me as i never did coat/redgard the underside of it and only did one coat vs the three i did on the stand for the 265 and area above so the perfectionist in me had to fix that. did two more coats and did the underside of the whole structure and the legs for good measure, haha.

 

[monkiboy]

ordered some more plumbing parts for this project from flexpvc.com to give them a try as it has been a while. i forgot that it takes freaking a week to get anything from them and they don't ship anything USPS - their sole shipper is UPS, unfortunately.



i went to them because they carry just about every unique plumbing fitting one can ever need. so when i went looking for 1.25" bulkeads, 1.25" sch80 pipe and true union gate valves they had it all and i gave it a go.


the fittings all look fine but the pipe looks janky at best. it's obviously abused and thrown around - it arrived all scraped up, scratches and small gouges in it and that just does not fly for plumbing that i am going to have exposed for oogling. if this were going in a wall somewhere that is fine but not for something that i plan to basically show off (show off plumbing, weirdo right?). the stuff i got from BRS is glossy and in mint shape but BRS doesn't carry 1.25 so i'm going to just bush up to 1.5" or down to 1" from the return's 1.25" fitting, i guess.


here's the 1.25" pipe from flexpvc.com

and the whole package that arrived today:

what was that mr. schedule 80, you have something to say? no? i didn't think so. now i've got enough umph to slice you up proper, wahahahaha...

 

[monkiboy]

if i told you how long just this took you might not believe me so i won't bother mentioning it. i think i need to relax a bit because figuring out the optimal plumbing job for this tank and revision after revision is getting taxing but i'm having a blast with my power tool PVC shears, haha.



i haven't even begun messing with solvent yet but this is looking pretty close to final version.



need to get the air line tubing added to the secondary drain, figure out how to secure the pipe to the stand to support it and final length or horizontal runs and positioning of the sump underneath to make sure i don't have issues with air lock on the bean animal.

i took apart the temporary sump for the upstairs tank in order to make room for the new sump. moved it to the side and rearranged plumbing to work. it was almost all braided hose so it was pretty easy but took some muscle moving that stupid sump around and into place.

figured out where i wanted the sump for the drains and for ease of removal of the skimmer head for maitenance and got to plumbing.



i dont know if i'm just slow, or i overthink things but i was plumbing this darn thing, getting the other sump out the way, water change, filling up again, doing the return for the new system, etc for just over 12 hours today. basically non stop from 3pm to 3am. i was determined to get the 265 moving water and letting it run over night.



i finished the returns and all my plumbing was done!

then as water began to drain into the sump i begin to see a big problem emerging...



the fu**ing sump is LEAKING---ahhhhhhh!

needless to say, i drained as much water as i could out of the thing, put a towel down there, cleaned up my tools and gave up.



this isn't how i planned to end my evening and feel completely defeated. at the very least, the plumbing is done but now i'll need to wake up in the morning, clean up the mess, drain as much i can again, get the skimmer out, the sump out of there and order up a new one.



i leak tested the tank (before it was cut in half and converted to a sump) twice but since then it's been to a few places so how this happened, i am not too sure about.



the added expense of a new sump was not in the cards but oh well. at least this time it'll be exactly what i need. it just irritates the heck outta me because i just had it reinforced, cleaned up, edges smoothed, and baffles redone and not it's scrap material.



pardon the rant. thanks for reading.

 

[monkiboy]

borrowing the club meter got a bet tedious so i got a new toy in the mail today. i am going to compare readings from the club meter once just out of curiosity but having my own will be loads more convenient and really helpful with coral placement on the new build. should be fun!

ok, so today i decided to remove one of the trim pieces from the first chamber area designed to keep salt creep away in favor of having a 2-3" more room in the back of the sump to navigate my skimmer body in.

thankfully, that was really easy work (maybe five minutes) with a circular saw and a jig saw - easier than i anticipated anyway. sanded it down and smoothed out nice and clean.

now onto the issue of the leak. this is where i thought it was coming from. not from any of the seams of the original tank but from where the two preexisting holes for the overflow drains where on the original tank design.

as you can see, a piece of black acrylic was laid over top from the inside to effectively seal this off.

so after draining everything, removing the sump yet again and all gear i had the sump outside for inspection.

filled up the various sections in parts where i could to isolate and ensure i found all leaks and problem areas.

no leaks along all original tank seams and even the new beefier and reinforcing baffles jeff/naga did for me were leak free - bonus!

i checked the underside where i suspected my culprit to be found et voila. one of the holes was leaking about a drop a second - no bueno.

the space to access from the top to try some weldon in the interior was too small and difficult to reach

so i had my godson, what kids are best used for if not to get into spots where our big adult cumbersome arms can't, put to work. it was messy but it couldn't be done any other way from the inside and he said "i got all the edges really good padrino" and proceeded to run off with sealant covered hands (that didn't end well but another story, haha).

now that was just stage 1 as i was going to go through all this trouble and not fix this 200%. so flipped the sump over and started working on the backside and sealed both holes (with the same dow 795 structural/building sealant almost completely to ensure leak free from both inside and outside. no way any water is getting out through there now!!

and just a matter of diligence and since i already had the sump outside, i went ahead and sealed all seams, baffles, etc. i dare say, i think after about a week and letting this thing cure properly, i should be good to go...again. fingers crossed.

 

[monkiboy]

wanted to do something with the tank while the sump's new seals cure so i cleaned up the hanging kit yo-yo contraptions.



i removed the yo-yo thingies. i thought it was a good idea to use them to aide in lowering and raising the light fixture for maintenance and working in the tank but they were not the self retracting kind i thought they were and relied on one tightening and loosening a wing-nut on its side to free or grab hold of the cable. this proved to be less efficient than i had planned for and no easier and possible more complicated than just using the standard adjustable wire hanging kit assembly pieces. removing them also gave me about eight inches of vertical flexibility back so now the light can go all the way up to the top leaving just 2.5" above it vs 10" or so with the yo-yo thing-a-ma-jigs.



cleaner, less components, less points of failure, more vertical adjustment = win in my book.

 

[monkiboy]

so my cerameco vida rock arrived earlier today!

big boxes - hopefully well protected structures...

let's get these things open!

so really well packaged, it actually was a bit of a pain to get the structures out but thankfully the foam was within plastic bags to keep it from adhering to the structures. only way to get the ceramic pieces out was to remove the box sides and remove the bags of foam carefully.



glad this came freight as i'm sure UPS/FedEx would have found a way to destroy them one way or another. i ended up with only one broken piece about six inches long that was an overhang that i found where it situates and will stick back on with some epoxy. really impressed it was as minimal damage as that. the frag holes were intelligently located and not just randomly drilled all over the place, too, which i was worried about losing a lot of the aesthetic to over drilling. and the purple color looks fine, too. nothing incredibly awesome about it but looks natural and is easier on the eye than the alternative.



going to see about getting these situated in the tank and complete my aquascape today!

 

[monkiboy]

before:

this stuff is awesome:

ten minutes later - rock solid:

 

[monkiboy]

ps - getting those structures in my tank by myself was NOT fun. even with the ceiling take out above the tank, because of how wide/deep the structures are it proved stressful and tiresome to grab hold of solid parts of the structures over the tank and slowly into position between the two braces. BUT they are in and boy oh boy did i make a smart move working with these folks. it looks phenomenal if i do say so myself

now, i learned i definitely need some sand, haha.



it just looks silly without anything done there.



might get to that as well tonight!

 

[monkiboy]

i'm trying to get it done but ran out of water even though i prepped and had both my 40g containers full. i topped off the tank and saw water rush down the overflow and boy that was exciting and it drained nicely and evenly into the sump. i have the sump about 1/3 full and have the RO running to top it off so hopefully i can have this thing moving water tonight!!



so i got the skimmer going for kicks with one of the dc5500 skimmer pumps and wowzers micro air bubbles batman!

[video=youtube;QdpmW8e4iw8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QdpmW8e4iw8[/video]


yes that is me chuckling because it was ridiculous.



so of course i had to try two, both of the reef octopus dc5500 skimmer pumps and holy moses i had a solid skimmer body of air bubbles like i've never seen before. and the soft start and stop is so sweet. i'm really digging them and hope the different design keeps it away from the troubles others have had with the waveline gen 1 pumps.



here's with the two skimmer pumps dc5500s going: