Another 180...

gpodio · #1 03/08/2007, 03:14 PM

Finally made the cut for this forum

(barely)

The perfect xmas present:
http://www.gpodio.com/180g_build.asp

Hoping to be staining the canopy by the weekend and starting on the surge bucket... The rock work needs a little help, luckily I'll have plenty of time to play with it before I'm ready to migrate the current livestock over.

What do you guys think?

vegaskid11 · #2 03/08/2007, 03:37 PM

Looking good. Isnt it exiting!!!!!

gpodio · #3 03/08/2007, 04:00 PM

Very exciting! Originally we had ordered a 120g but when it arrived it just didn't feel like a big upgrade at all so we sent it back and upgraded to the 180. So glad we did!

gpodio · #4 04/09/2007, 02:07 PM

Minor update... the canopy is finished, I will be terminating the wiring tonight and hopefully have it lit sometime after midnight

The tank is cycling well, nothing interesting to report... no bugs, no pests, no anything of great interest... I did have to re-do the Rubbermaid sumps as my union was positioned too close to the rim around the tubs causing a small crack to form when under stress...

Skimmer is working well, this is about 3 days worth with nothing but rock in the tank:

The canopy stained and sealed:

Cold cathode moonlights (UV + Blue):

Finished canopy:

The UV CC lights look great while the blue CCs are whiter than the usual blue LEDs. We'll see how they look once over the tank, if I don't like them I will try something different...

gpodio · #5 04/09/2007, 02:09 PM

Never did post a full tank shot...

Tank and sump:

Rock:

NewSchool04 · #6 04/09/2007, 03:14 PM

hello gpodio! I'm setting up a 180 AGA this weekend and after reading your info on the bulkheads for the return and drain I'm thinking about switching them out and hard plumbing both with PVC. What do you think about his plan?

Do you have any other suggestions before I get started on this? I'm already going to paint the back with Rustoleum, that's a good one!

tbone28 · #7 04/09/2007, 05:06 PM

Nice setup! I'm in the planning stages for a 180g myself. How tall is your stand and skimmer?

I'm trying to squeeze a 30" high skimmer into a 32" steel stand.

gpodio · #8 04/10/2007, 07:54 AM

I would definetly not waste too much time with the AGA bulkheads. I did use the return bulkheads, I used a soft silicon based hose I had in stock which could probably seal a triangular barb if it had to ;-). But clear PVC tubing over the larger drain bulkhead was just a nightmare. If you can go with slip fittings and glue it all up, leave yourself a couple inches between bulkhead and union in order to allow you to cut it and re-use it if you ever need to remove the bulkheads from the tank in the future...

Make sure all the PVC pipes are slightly sloped so that when you turn the pumps off they drain completely, this way when you remove a union the tubes are empty... Can't think of much else though, it was a pretty simple setup besides the bulkkhead issues.

Hope that helps

gpodio · #9 04/10/2007, 07:58 AM

I'll measure the tank and skimmer, haven't done that yet. I have about 2" to spare above the lid of the skimmer...

NewSchool04 · #10 04/10/2007, 08:16 AM

That totally helps! I like how you plumbed your return pump with the vinyl hose connected to the T. I can see how that will help as far as precise measurements and such. Do you have a larger picture of that?

That canopy is something else! Very simple design but looks great. Congrats on the good work!

gpodio · #11 04/10/2007, 01:19 PM

Here's a quick photo from last night, VHOs only...

NewSchool04 · #12 04/10/2007, 01:50 PM

If you'd like the ability to raise and lower the canopy, you might want to look into this hanging kit. Scroll down the page:

http://www.reefexotics.com/lumenarc.htm

gpodio · #13 04/10/2007, 02:13 PM

I had thought about those, wasn't crazy on the way they looked though. The Orbit & SunPod Hanging Kit sold at DrsF&S seems lighter on the eyes.

For now I am using chains in order to easily raise and lower it as I'm using S hooks to do so. Once I figure out the two positions I want (normal and servicing height) I will use SS cables to make it a little neater. Otherwise everything is detachable from the wiring harness so it can be pulled off the tank very easily.

We'll see how it goes, if I do find myself wanting to vary the height a lot then I may have no choice...

Thanks

tbone28 · #14 04/10/2007, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gpodio
I'll measure the tank and skimmer, haven't done that yet. I have about 2" to spare above the lid of the skimmer...

Please don't forget to measure for me!

gpodio · #15 04/11/2007, 08:27 AM

Dahh... I forgot :-) I'll try again tonight!

BRISK495 · #16 05/16/2007, 04:08 PM

Very nice! Tagging along!!!!

hatfielj · #17 05/16/2007, 05:13 PM

Nice aquascaping! I love it! Can't wait to see it mature with corals

NanoGurl · #18 05/19/2007, 05:25 AM

Beautiful tank! Love the aquascaping.

gpodio · #19 05/21/2007, 08:38 AM

Thank you! I finally got my first fish in there over the weekend, a school of 10 green chromis, 5 PJ cardinals and a long nose hawk fish. Nice to see some movement in there finally. Hoping to be able to start moving corals in the next couple weeks depending on how the FWE treatments progress...

I need to bring the hood down for some minor tweaking, I'm happy with the height so I can now cut some stainless cable to the right length, should look nicer than the chains. The two reflectors on the ends need to be moved back about 1/4" to allow more airflow in the corners of the canopy. Other than that the canopy remains cool and so does the water, I really doubt I'll be needing the chiller on this tank at all!

I also added a Koralia to one end of the tank, what a difference from the Tunze/Seio pumps! It's gotta be a 90 degree cone output! Makes my Seio seem like a regular powerhead ;-)

Hopefully I'll have more updates shortly, I can't wait to stock this tank and get rid of the other one from the same room!

BRISK495 · #20 05/22/2007, 12:00 AM

Great! I bet the the school of damsels looks neat! Post some pics when you get a chance!

gpodio · #21 06/07/2007, 09:38 AM

This past weekend was finally time to move things over... I also took the last shots of the 40g hex prior to tearing it down, it was a little dirty but had no motivation to clean it for the final shot as most of the lower glass was impossible to clean.

I also pulled out some older photos of the tank to see how it developed over the last 3 years. Thought this was an interesting comparison:

08_2004

01_2005

01_2006

06_2007

And here is a quick snapshot the following day, still need to position most of the corals properly...

Time to relax and enjoy the tank for a couple weeks!

gpodio · #22 11/30/2007, 11:37 AM

Minor update... the tank is doing well and once again I'm unable to completely clean the front glass due to the two large SPS colonies having grown too close to it... I've never seen SPS growth like these two specimins!

Anyway, I am in the process of automating the system:

I'm using a HAI OmniLT controller and will shortly have the web server, touchscreens and cameras working with it.

More details on my website if interested:
http://www.gpodio.com/180g_build.asp

Regards

gasman059 · #23 11/30/2007, 02:23 PM

very very nice build

jaws_too · #24 11/30/2007, 02:53 PM

nice switch box!

jaws_too · #25 11/30/2007, 02:53 PM

nice switch box!