Zoo Med "Low Boy"/Deep Blue -160 gallon frag tank system

[tippin.turtle]

And this photo is just for grins. What a rabbit hole reefing turns out to be...

 

[Smarkow]

Looking good!
What is the barrier to getting that pulpy wet and starting your cycle?

 

[motortrendz]

Question about your sump, I see a pump in the skimmer section, what's that feeding? And how are you gonna overcome the water being pumped out to maintain level and allow enough water to the return chamber...

Other than that... wow. This is an OCD'ers dream setup lol.

 

[tippin.turtle]

I still have a laundry list of gear yet to get: wave pumps (need five)
ph monitor (have the controller)
ph probes (need two)
new T5 bulbs (need eight of those)
Through in some salt, test kits, and an extra CO2 tank... maybe some dry rock or tonga branch ( not sold on the frag rack concept).
And some Dr. Tims bacteria. Oh, and carbon, a few more filter socks, and some additional DI resin
for the RO unit. And maybe a couple small things I cant remeber.
Thats It!
Then I'm going to start it up!

 

[tippin.turtle]

Question about your sump, I see a pump in the skimmer section, what's that feeding? And how are you gonna overcome the water being pumped out to maintain level and allow enough water to the return chamber...

Other than that... wow. This is an OCD'ers dream setup lol.

Sure,
Two pumps, Reef Octopus VarioS 6. The pump next to the skimmer feeds the manifold and the pump to the very right feeds the two tanks above. There are five ports on the manifold. The manifold has valves that allow me to feed it with a single or dual pump configuration. I plumbed the tank so not only
do I have a backup pump in an emergency; I also can run the system on just one pump for service/maintenance of the other, without a total shut down of the system.

 

[Cristy17]

This is looking great! Very well planned and thought out! Definitely following. Can't wait to see filled with corals!

 

[tippin.turtle]

A few more plumbing shots...

 

[motortrendz]

Sure,
Two pumps, Reef Octopus VarioS 6. The pump next to the skimmer feeds the manifold and the pump to the very right feeds the two tanks above. There are five ports on the manifold. The manifold has valves that allow me to feed it with a single or dual pump configuration. I plumbed the tank so not only
do I have a backup pump in an emergency; I also can run the system on just one pump for service/maintenance of the other, without a total shut down of the system.

Wow I thought I had it all figured out on my system when I changed things around and worked in redundancies and wifi notifications (no apex) but you got me beat. I actually really like that idea of feeding the manifold separately than the returns.. I may just have to make some changes to my system again. I run a battery back up to my return pump to maintain water flow in the main and frag tank for up to 8 hours during an outage. But that's through the manifold so it's running everything else that's not powered. So adding the second pump would be ideal and would probably allow the main pump to run longer bc its feeding less ports.

 

[tippin.turtle]

Wow I thought I had it all figured out on my system when I changed things around and worked in redundancies and wifi notifications (no apex) but you got me beat. I actually really like that idea of feeding the manifold separately than the returns.. I may just have to make some changes to my system again. I run a battery back up to my return pump to maintain water flow in the main and frag tank for up to 8 hours during an outage. But that's through the manifold so it's running ev,erything else that's not powered. So adding the second pump would be ideal and would probably allow the main pump to run longer bc its feeding less ports.

Of course all this extra jazz costs more. The more you look at something the more things you think of
that "might" be a good idea. Initially, I was going to run a single pump; but figured the demand would be to great for all the gadgets I may want to bring to bare. Stability, stability, stability,..... In this "microcosm", "planet for critters", we call a "fish tank" my approach is to make any adjustments to their world as slowly and gentle as possible to the best of my ability. So with two pumps, I can clean
one while only having a minor adjustment in flow through the system; and should one pump fail I'm not completely hosed, running around in "crisis" mode...lol.

 

[tippin.turtle]

This is looking great! Very well planned and thought out! Definitely following. Can't wait to see filled with corals!

Thanks Cristy,
My experience has been that every tank I've had has its own unique personality so to say.
So I'm just as excited to see how well this contraption pulls it off! Fingers crossed....lol.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Plumbing is immaculate!

Great job, keep it going......with lots of pictures.

 

[tippin.turtle]

Plumbing is immaculate!

Great job, keep it going......with lots of pictures.

Thanks! I "botched" about $50.00 dollars worth in the process...lol. It's painful, but it happens.
Can't say enough about Bulk Reef Supply. They carry "Spears" plumbing fittings and they are
supreme. Plus, you have a one year return on any plumbing parts you purchase from them.
BRS is an awesome outfit to have as a resource. Good people and good products!

 

[tippin.turtle]

Got a chance to add some labels to the PDU's today. Definitely takes away the mystery of it all!

 

[tippin.turtle]

Also received the ATO reservoir this week from Marc at Melevs Reef.
I couldn't be happier, It's a perfect fit.

 

[tippin.turtle]

Just received my order from Vivid Creative Aquatics today. Picked up two of these "slightly controversial" 3D printed flow generators. What's unique about these VCA RFG's are their color;
"azure blue".

They are pretty hideous looking under white light and really stand out. However, under more blue light they have a slight blue translucent appearance and the color is less obnoxious and more visually pleasing.

Being that my system is a "frag tank" with multiple colors of plumbing, I figured I could get away
with lots of different colors, even this one, "azure blue".

 

[qnguyen]

Awesome build. I love your plumbing and equipment choices. And I totally get your point about enjoying the journey. A part of me doesn't actually want to finish my build, lol. I am looking forward to seeing yours up and running though. Good luck!

 

[tippin.turtle]

Awesome build. I love your plumbing and equipment choices. And I totally get your point about enjoying the journey. A part of me doesn't actually want to finish my build, lol. I am looking forward to seeing yours up and running though. Good luck!

Thanks! I appreciate the compliment! The building aspect has been great fun.
As you are well aware i'm sure; gear is so ridiculously expensive!
I splurge on some things and skimp on others. For the most part, I'm pretty pleased
how things are turning out.

 

[tippin.turtle]

For all of us who have been labeled "OCD"; I picked up these 1/4 inch 3D printed RO tubing clips
from VCA.
Was looking for something more "streamline" and more "attractive" than zip ties.

 

[qnguyen]

OCD? Guilty as charged! I picked up a few other goodies from VCA while I was at it.

 

[tippin.turtle]

OCD? Guilty as charged! I picked up a few other goodies from VCA while I was at it.

How can you buy RFG's and pass on these silly clips? You can't.....lol.