NeveSSL's 180g Mixed Reef

[NeveSSL]

Glad to see this thing finally get wet Brandon! I know you have been jonesing for a tank for a loooong time. Being in a home of your own and being able to do it right is an awesome thing!

Thanks, Chris! Both are truly dreams come true and I'm sure you can relate. :) I've tried to not get into a rush with this tank, which has been pretty easy with a lack of tank fundage, but now it has become more challenging as I get closer to actually having it running. My wife has informed me, and I fully support her notion, that we will be adding fish even if we don't have proper reef lighting yet. Haha!

My wife has put together an awesome plan for skinning the stand and canopy, too, that I can't wait to see how they turn out. That may happen this weekend.

Brandon

 

[NeveSSL]

Got a little bit done tonight.

First, a pic with our one lone little cheal LED light:

I started getting into my plumbing tonight and its harder for me to makeup my mind on this than I thought it was going to be. I got a good chunk of my return done tonight, but I'm still plotting how I'm going to do my drains.

I've got to figure out how I'm going to run them so they're secure but also easy to get to. Tis going to be a little bit of a challenge, but I've got some ideas. If its not too cold out there tomorrow, I'll finish it up.

Brandon

 

[NeveSSL]

I put my WP40s on else mode before leaving for work today, just because I could and to see how the sand reacts. :) I will probably be controlling them with the Apex, anyway, but just for the fun of it. I'm curious to see how the sand looks when I get home... lol.

Also forgot to mention, I took the leaky bulkhead off and found a plastic barb that was kind of sticking out. I also reseated the o-ring and centered the bulkhead on the hole and no leaks! I thought I was going to have to order another one, but I'm glad I don't.

Brandon

 

[NeveSSL]

Got quite a bit done tonight. I moved the Apex over because it was a pain to get to, and that defeats the purpose. Had to redo some of the network line to get it over there.

I also glued the rest of the return line and got two of the drains started.

Since I'm going to need to put some pressure on those, I decided to let them cure a bit before I mounted them and finished the drain and started working on my pillow stuffing holder. I'm using pillow stuffing instead of filter socks on this build. The easier I can make the maintenance, the more likely I am to do it. :) Its just 4" PVC with some egg crate siliconed into it. What's more "reef" than PVC, egg crate, and silicone? :D

Its not as neat as I would like, but there's really only so much you can do when smearing silicone into place. Haha!

By the time I finished this, I realized it was 10PM. Time to get ready to wind down for bed!

Little by little, its coming together. Hopefully I can finish the plumbing tomorrow, aquascaping on Saturday, and a fish on Sunday.

Brandon

 

[chefb_5]

what is with the honking 4" pvc?

 

[NeveSSL]

Read the paragraph above the pic. ;)Brandon

 

[schooleyosis]

Good idea with the pillow floss/foam.

what is the deal with the cap on the one line that is "y'd" off and going into the sump? That's the best that I can describe it but I think you know what I mean...

 

[NeveSSL]

Thanks, Ryan. I hate dealing with filter socks and I think mechanical filtration is one of the easiest ways to improve your water quality, so this is my solution. :) A bag of pillow stuffing is $5 at WalMart and should last 6 months or so, I'm thinking... maybe 4 months, but worth it either way.

The Y with the capped off union is going to be where I put my manifold that feeds the other tanks I setup and possibly other things. I don't have the 3/4" tubing and caps to install it yet, so I put a union on and capped it.

Brandon

 

[schooleyosis]

I like your thinking about both the mechanical filtration and the manifold idea!

 

[NeveSSL]

Thanks! They're good in theory... lets hope they work out practically, also. :)

Brandon

 

[chefb_5]

So u just make a thing like u did and it blocks out more crap, or does it do the same thing just cost less to replace?

 

[NeveSSL]

It does the same thing, but is just easier to clean. With filter socks, you have to hand or machine wash them once a week. With these, you just toss the dirty pillow stuffing and put new in... no washing necessary. I HATE washing filter socks, so this is a better alternative for me. :)

Brandon

 

[schooleyosis]

I was always washing my filter socks by hand. Now I change them out about once a week and put them into a bucket with some bleach in it until I run out of clean ones. Then I just place them inside-out in the washing machine with some bleach and let it do all the dirty work. Surprisingly the fiance' hasn't said anything to me about it....

 

[mixer911]

I was always washing my filter socks by hand. Now I change them out about once a week and put them into a bucket with some bleach in it until I run out of clean ones. Then I just place them inside-out in the washing machine with some bleach and let it do all the dirty work. Surprisingly the fiance' hasn't said anything to me about it....

Same procedure here. Works like a charm and clear water :D

I run sockless for a few days a week as well.

 

[NeveSSL]

That's not too bad. I'd still rather not have to wash them. :D

Brandon

 

[bknapp]

Sockless, too much work for me ;)

 

[NeveSSL]

Almost done! Should have water flowing tomorrow.

Brandon

 

[Bueller]

Awesome! So close man! My pillow stuffing from wal mart makes my skimmer go crazy for a few minutes but it works great so i love it.

 

[NeveSSL]

Its about time you show up. :D

Brandon

 

[pickupman66]

Brandon I'm quite happy and proud of you for getting this thing up and rolling. Sometime soon you need to do a full ride up on your PVC pillow stuffing holders. I'm quite interested in reading that. By the way I want to stop by and get that cable. I'll give you a call later today.