My High Energy Rainbow Garden - Niji No Niwa

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naterealbig

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@rushbattle - thank you for the links!. Richard Ross is one of my favorite reef authors/speakers, and I am reading his article now. Once I'm done with both, I will post my thoughts.

Have you or your facility used Triton?. If I recall correctly, ATI also provides this service, and I think there are a few others.
 

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@rushbattle - thank you for the links!. Richard Ross is one of my favorite reef authors/speakers, and I am reading his article now. Once I'm done with both, I will post my thoughts.

Have you or your facility used Triton?. If I recall correctly, ATI also provides this service, and I think there are a few others.
I have used Triton ICP before, but have no way of knowing how precise and accurate the testing was. Based on the Rich Ross article I would be cautious but think it could be useful. For example, it might do a poor job with accuracy and precision could be poor, but if it’s showing elevated copper, it’s at least likely to be somewhat to quite a bit elevated. That assuming they identify the peaks properly in the first place. I’d assume they do, based on the testing results.
 

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Just saw your build thread this morning and I'm glad I did. A very clean build and the dimensions of the tank are awesome. Had I known what I know now when I did my 90 I would have had one custom made closer to what you have. Glad I go to join the thread before it is wet.
 
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Just saw your build thread this morning and I'm glad I did. A very clean build and the dimensions of the tank are awesome. Had I known what I know now when I did my 90 I would have had one custom made closer to what you have. Glad I go to join the thread before it is wet.

Thank you so much for checking out the build thread, and for your very nice compliments! I took down my last system about 3 years ago, and I have had the vision in my mind for this one for quite some time! For this build, every detail has been planned, and it's size and complexity have dictated a long planning lead time. Being forced into waiting has been helpful, as I have had time to review and redesign as necessary. I have also caught a few errors that would have had a big impact. I'm waiting on a bulkhead and 2 x Male Adapters from BRS. Once I have these it's getting water!

Funny what you mention about the dimensions.... These proportions develop and get refined over time for me as well.... My last 4 display tank's dims were:

1. 36 x 36 x 24h
2. 48 x 30 x 24h
3. 36 x 24 x 16h
4. (current) 48 x 38 x 22h

Happy Reefing!
 
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@naterealbig great build! you're attention to detail is amazing. I'll be following along to see the progress.

Hi Bill! Thank you for checking in and your kind comments! I'm an artist and an engineer so I have high expectations for build quality, equipment, and asthetics - both inside the tank and out. My vision is slowly being achieved.

I should have 95% of the plumbing done by the end of this week, and I should have the last couple components I need by Monday. Monday night I will fill with freshwater and leak test, and then drain and fill with salt, and add rock and sand! I will also be working on the Apex programming throughout the week, so that once everything is connected we can go live immediately.
 

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Thank you so much for checking out the build thread, and for your very nice compliments! I took down my last system about 3 years ago, and I have had the vision in my mind for this one for quite some time! For this build, every detail has been planned, and it's size and complexity have dictated a long planning lead time. Being forced into waiting has been helpful, as I have had time to review and redesign as necessary. I have also caught a few errors that would have had a big impact. I'm waiting on a bulkhead and 2 x Male Adapters from BRS. Once I have these it's getting water!

Funny what you mention about the dimensions.... These proportions develop and get refined over time for me as well.... My last 4 display tank's dims were:

1. 36 x 36 x 24h
2. 48 x 30 x 24h
3. 36 x 24 x 16h
4. (current) 48 x 38 x 22h

Happy Reefing!
Your dimensions are what caught my eye as well. I am have @Tankme USA build 66”x40”x25” for my next tank. A similar sized frag tank at the same time. Hope I like the dimensions cause I’m stuck with them for a while now!
 
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Your dimensions are what caught my eye as well. I am have @Tankme USA build 66”x40”x25” for my next tank. A similar sized frag tank at the same time. Hope I like the dimensions cause I’m stuck with them for a while now!

Oh man, those are awesome dimensions! I love the super-deep tanks, but not quite square foot print. You can create some breath-taking aquascapes with it!
 

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Oh man, those are awesome dimensions! I love the super-deep tanks, but not quite square foot print. You can create some breath-taking aquascapes with it!
This my best attempt at a decent aquascape, just using a nice dimension to start. It’s not a strong suit of mine for sure. I based the dimensions off of the golden ratio. It’s pretty close anyhow. In the future if I get a bunch of money and someone to help me maintain it I will build a 80”x50”x30” tall tank ala the Fibonacci sequence.
 
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This my best attempt at a decent aquascape, just using a nice dimension to start. It’s not a strong suit of mine for sure. I based the dimensions off of the golden ratio. It’s pretty close anyhow. In the future if I get a bunch of money and someone to help me maintain it I will build a 80”x50”x30” tall tank ala the Fibonacci sequence.

Those are seriously dream dimensions! And psh- it's only 500 gallons - you got that by yourself, no problem!.

I've done some reading on the golden ratio myself, along with Japanese-style gardening, and am trying to apply many of the principles to this build. I got as close as I could get with "standard" dimension aquarium from the supplier... Not quite 1.61:1 but close..... I will also be using this for the aquascape,which will have a lot of focus on negative space. I've been collecting rocks for like three years (srs ) so I have some really neat pieces.

Were you going to put some pics in your last post?. You should if you have anything to show.... Have you started a build thread?. Post the link if you have!
 
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Got started on the plumbing system. The majority of it will be external to the stand. This will add ease to equipment and flow adjustments, give me extra space inside the sump recess, and more importantly, the coordinated piping and fittings can be shown off.

Anyone who has spent money on quality pvc pipe and fittings understands that I have died a little inside every time I closed the cabinet doors on an excellent (inside-stand) plumbing job!. This time I'm showing it off!!!

Last nice plumbing job I did on my 150g Reef Savvy (wasted because I had to crawl under the stand to see it!)....

9bcfcc4aaddaba2de0f5c194d3fe463f.jpg



Holes drilled, and installing plumbing actually inside the stand body.....

3204e41f72efef224fcb122b73121b7d.jpg


a759fa2f483a4504929c5797d55c4f98.jpg


d47bba76cd15672f401e5a952a4f810b.jpg
 
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Those are seriously dream dimensions! And psh- it's only 500 gallons - you got that by yourself, no problem!.

I've done some reading on the golden ratio myself, along with Japanese-style gardening, and am trying to apply many of the principles to this build. I got as close as I could get with "standard" dimension aquarium from the supplier... Not quite 1.61:1 but close..... I will also be using this for the aquascape,which will have a lot of focus on negative space. I've been collecting rocks for like three years (srs ) so I have some really neat pieces.

Were you going to put some pics in your last post?. You should if you have anything to show.... Have you started a build thread?. Post the link if you have!
Honestly, I would have done the 80x50x30 tank for this build but my space isn't big enough and I didn't want to do a bunch of renovations just to get a bit bigger a tank. If I do the 80" tank it will be a peninsula build for sure. I need to work on lighting before I tackle that anyhow.

I wasn't posting a pic, I just worded it poorly. What I meant to say was that this will be my best shot at a decent aquascape because I will have room and I am starting with good proportions in the first place. My rock is mostly in a 150 gallon rubbermaid stock tank with some T5 lighting while it is cycling getting ready for the new build. It isn't super nice pieces like Pukani as I ordered just after it went out of stock at BRS. I have some FL live rock that is sitting in there to seed the mined dry rock and it is generally a mess right now, algae central. Working on it!

I don't have a build thread because I don't have anything but some pumps, a skimmer, and a bunch of DIY LED and T5 parts laying around. Plus I don't want to have to publicly admit that I do a poor job compared to the gifted ones like yourself!
 
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Honestly, I would have done the 80x50x30 tank for this build but my space isn't big enough and I didn't want to do a bunch of renovations just to get a bit bigger a tank. If I do the 80" tank it will be a peninsula build for sure. I need to work on lighting before I tackle that anyhow.

I wasn't posting a pic, I just worded it poorly. What I meant to say was that this will be my best shot at a decent aquascape because I will have room and I am starting with good proportions in the first place. My rock is mostly in a 150 gallon rubbermaid stock tank with some T5 lighting while it is cycling getting ready for the new build. It isn't super nice pieces like Pukani as I ordered just after it went out of stock at BRS. I have some FL live rock that is sitting in there to seed the mined dry rock and it is generally a mess right now, algae central. Working on it!

I don't have a build thread because I don't have anything but some pumps, a skimmer, and a bunch of DIY LED and T5 parts laying around. Plus I don't want to have to publicly admit that I do a poor job compared to the gifted ones like yourself!

I agree, that would have been a lot of work for a few extra inches on the tank.

So your doing a diy lighting outfit?. I'm interested to know what you are thinking to cover that enormous footprint....

I've gone back and forth on lighting myself, but I minimize the diy work where I can. I've had to do a lot here, mostly because I could afford to pay someone for exactly what I want. [emoji14]. For lighting, I just couldn't DIY something that looked really sleek in the end, and I don't think I'd have the patience to work with all the LEDs....

Algae central sounds right, and it's better to go through as many ugly phases as you can outside of the tank!. Well, I'm certain that if you did a build thread it would be phenomenal, and I hope if you start one you will drop a link on this thread!

Best regards
 
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Doesn't seem like I've made much progress, but I just got done tackling the last complicated project for Niji.

I finally got all of the holes in the stand done, that the pipe will run through. After that, I needed help installing the unions on each side of the stand wall... My arms weren't long enough to press the fittings together, so I needed to wait on some help. Got it knocked out today finally, but there are still a couple issues. First, the holes are slightly larger than the pipe, so there is some play there. Next, I realized the wall of the recess isn't perfectly flat, so a couple of the pipe-union combos were too long so the unions did not butt perfectly up to the stand walls. Finally, there is nothing preventing the pipe from twisting when I tighten or loosen the unions.

To solve all of these problems, I decided to use a mixture of solid and liquid two part epoxy. The solid epoxy filled in the gaps and removed the play in the pipe and fittings. The liquid would go on top of this, to glue the base off the union to the stand wall to prevent twisting.

Pipe and unions installed/glued....
5550f206914e0d1478d136cffe339f1e.jpg


Here you can see the gap I'm talking about. At this point there is a small amount of play in several planes. Not a huge deal, except I don't want the plumbing moving around once it's installed....
2a67c8b5cd6ed88e384c1de5555874c0.jpg


Here the solid epoxy has been applied to the applicable fittings.....
1873cf61cb4c10ef2b1c8982c5ed1e4d.jpg


I'm disappointed in the way the liquid epoxy turned out. In my mind, it was a nice "weld" bead around the base of the union, but it turned out like this..... I tried to find a solution that would cover it up, but I came up short. If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears. Truly though, once the unions and plumbing is fitted, i don't even think I (or anyone else) will even notice.

499ede279e3587c8d8f799cb40345e4f.jpg


af95b09dfc124a2471dd82af72ebeef4.jpg
 
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Really love the amount of design that's going into this build. It's always fun to see well displayed equipment that goes into a setup.
 
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Really love the amount of design that's going into this build. It's always fun to see well displayed equipment that goes into a setup.

Thank you @UM Aquarium Club ! I really want everything to be top notch for the build, and to incorporate some new ideas especially in way the equipment is accessed, manipulated, and viewed. Please let me know if you have any other questions or feedback!
 

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I agree, that would have been a lot of work for a few extra inches on the tank.

So your doing a diy lighting outfit?. I'm interested to know what you are thinking to cover that enormous footprint....

I've gone back and forth on lighting myself, but I minimize the diy work where I can. I've had to do a lot here, mostly because I could afford to pay someone for exactly what I want. [emoji14]. For lighting, I just couldn't DIY something that looked really sleek in the end, and I don't think I'd have the patience to work with all the LEDs....

Algae central sounds right, and it's better to go through as many ugly phases as you can outside of the tank!. Well, I'm certain that if you did a build thread it would be phenomenal, and I hope if you start one you will drop a link on this thread!

Best regards
Here is my lighting thread. I am going for a thin floating canopy with some 60" heatsinks with LED pucks and six 5ft T5s per tank. With a drill press the DIY portion of this project would be super easy for you, it's even easy for me. The exterior fascia of the canopy and my aluminum stands however.... will not be easy for me.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/led-and-t5-combo-input.510908/

I'm making progress on the algae in the rock curing bin slowly. It is hard, because I need some N and P for the coralline to grow, but it fuels the nuisance algae as well. I have been using Vibrant and Algaefix and it is helping greatly!

If I manage a build thread I will post it here. Keep up the good work!
 
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Here is my lighting thread. I am going for a thin floating canopy with some 60" heatsinks with LED pucks and six 5ft T5s per tank. With a drill press the DIY portion of this project would be super easy for you, it's even easy for me. The exterior fascia of the canopy and my aluminum stands however.... will not be easy for me.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/led-and-t5-combo-input.510908/

I'm making progress on the algae in the rock curing bin slowly. It is hard, because I need some N and P for the coralline to grow, but it fuels the nuisance algae as well. I have been using Vibrant and Algaefix and it is helping greatly!

If I manage a build thread I will post it here. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the link, and I read through your thread today. Also checked out the led website you're using, and those look awesome. Well planned and well engineered. I definitely would take advantage of the customizable LED assemblies.

Since you've got ten, I'd definitely mix it up enough to give you some flexibility on color temperature. You mentioned floating canopy - what will you make this out of?

... Guess this would be better in your thread [emoji12].... Posting now...
 

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Thanks for the link, and I read through your thread today. Also checked out the led website you're using, and those look awesome. Well planned and well engineered. I definitely would take advantage of the customizable LED assemblies.

Since you've got ten, I'd definitely mix it up enough to give you some flexibility on color temperature. You mentioned floating canopy - what will you make this out of?

... Guess this would be better in your thread [emoji12].... Posting now...
Curly cherry and figured curly walnut are my jam, and I will get a thread going soon :)

Your double schedule 80 unions to pass through the stand are 100% insane, in a good way. Keep up the next level work!
 

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