My 150 Gallon Reef Tank Build

[cubber]

Hi everyone, I am a long time reader and new poster to these fourms. I figured what better way to start off than to share with you my new 150 gal reef tank build.

The new 150 gal will be replacing my old 110 gal reef which had a cracked center brace and a pine perfecto stand. The stand scared the crap out of me! I could not belive that it could support the weight that it did! Before taking down the 110 gal I found that it had a nice bow in the glass from the center brace being cracked, and in the center it measured 3/4 of an inch wider than on the edges. I performed a temporary fix on it by cutting a peice of 1/4" plexi and fastening it to the center brace with wing nuts. This stopped the crack from spreading but I didn't want to risk comming home to 110 gals of water on my floor one day.

Here are a few pics of the 110 when it was set up...
http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/110gal.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/110close.jpg

And here is a pic of it after it was emptied...so sad after being established for over 2 years...

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-031.jpg

Most of the corals from the tank were moved to my 45 gal cube reef, you can see a video of that tank here (http://www.ronnysreef.com/content/view/25/2/), the rest of the corals, fish and rock are being held in my two 20 gallon quarintine tanks in my basement as well as 2 large rubbermaids.

[cubber]

And now to start the build!

the empty space after removing the 110 gal...

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-038.jpg

That is a staircase behind where the tank is going, and I am going to build a railing out of pine logs in the spring.

As you can see from the previous pics my wife had a cactus next to the tank and I figured instead of having her put a cheesy endtable next to the new tank I would custom build the new stand so there was room on each side of the tank for a plant, this also gives me more storage space under the tank for equipment.

So it begins...

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-039.jpg

notice we cut the carpet under the stand so that we had level ground from the start.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-040.jpg

The new tank measures 4'L x 24"D x 30"H and will sit in the center of the new stand with the angled sides being used for plant stands.

Here are some shots with the equipment placed below to give an idea of where it is going. I am using a 40 gal breeder for a sump/refugium and a berlin red sea skimmer (off 110 gal system).

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-044.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-042.jpg

Dedicated electrical area with battery backup...

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-043.jpg

Putting on the oak...

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-205.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-203.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-204.jpg

More to come soon!

[cubber]

The tank is up!

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/150-front.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/150-left.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/150-right.jpg

Still need to do some finish work on the top of the stand and around the tank to cover up the black trim. Also need to figure out some way to hide the overflow pipes on the side. I am thinking a sheet of black plexi cut to fit the area. Also still need to build the doors and the canopy.

[STEELERFAN747]

Hey, nice looking tank. It looks alot like mine. Is it a perfecto? Mine is a 120G with the same corner overflow and black silicone.

Looks great. Keep up the goodwork. I will be following along to see your progress.:thumbsup:

[smmscott]

what are the dims. of the tank?

[cubber]

Thanks,

The tank is made by perfecto, I love the depth of it compared to the old 110. The dimensions are 4' L x 24" D x 30" H. I also just purchased a new skimmer -AquaC EV180GR- so I wont be using the berlin on this tank. I used the berlin to replace the sea-clone that was on my 45 cube (http://www.ronnysreef.com/content/view/37/40/).

Anyone know where I can find some black plexiglass to cover the spot where you see the overflow pipes? I am looking for an online dealer that will cut me a piece to size.

[kamla]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8683026#post8683026 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cubber


Anyone know where I can find some black plexiglass to cover the spot where you see the overflow pipes? I am looking for an online dealer that will cut me a piece to size.

Nice tank..
If i would get get some plexiglass from HD and then pant one side black.. simple....

HTH

[cubber]

I was thinking that, but I think I want to find some semi-translucent plexi so I can see through it. Window tinting may work if I can find some dark enough. Hmmm...

[AndyB4784]

menards has sheets of plexi that is tinted for around 15 dollars. you can cut your self using a razorblade. make lots of cuts in the plexi forming a grove and then just snap it right off.

[cubber]

I don't believe I have a menards around my area. It doesn't look like they sell that over thier website either. Thanks though.

[Hendersonracing]

nice job

[cubber]

Thanks, should have more pics after the weekend.

[smmscott]

Any updates?

[PallidSilversky]

Looks good! I can't wait to see it up and running!
I love the stand!

[drummereef]

Wow, looking great. That's going to be nice. :thumbsup:

[wild fin]

you should try some window tinting, like they use on cars to cover up your over flow pipes. just an idea

[NickP123]

you can usually get sheets of limo tint from pep boys. that let's 5% of light through I would think that should be good. good luck and keep us updated!!!

[cubber]

Actually I did use limo tint will be posting updated pics tomorrow. Thanks everyone for all your comments!

[stan zemanek]

Hey cubber looks like a great tank, do you live in a log home? your stand looks kind of like mine i finished it off with T&G to match my logs
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e319/paintman27/my150barebottom.jpg

[Gundo5000]

SWEET!

[cubber]

Very nice, that does kinda look like my design. I live in wood home, my walls are all pine and I do have logs for beams. The outside of my house is cedar.

[cubber]

Here are some updated pics...

I ended up using window tint to hide the overflows, it came out nice.

The tint
http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-014.jpg

The finished overflow
http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-001.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-002.jpg

I also got my light - Current 48" Sunpod

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-003.jpg

[cubber]

I got the plumbing pretty much finished off this weekend, except for the skimmer which I am still waiting on.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-004.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-008.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-015.jpg

The overflow feeds into the 45 breeder then a mag 18 feeds the water through a eco-aqualizer and into a SQWD then back into the tank via 3 outlets.

[cubber]

We also were able to get a bit more done on the stand this weekend.

Got the trim work finished off on the top.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-020.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-016.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-018.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-017.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-019.jpg

more to come...

[cubber]

Stan: What did you use for a finish on your stand it has a nice glossy look to it? I am going to use the same stuff I used on my walls it is minwax polycrylic. It is water based, drys fast, has very little odor and protects the walls extreamly well against water once it cures up. I am going to do 3 coats and sand with 400 grit sandpaper in between each one.

here is a pic of the can..

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/polycrylic.jpg

[smmscott]

Looking good.

[cubber]

Thanks, should have more updates for you guys this weekend. This has been a weekend project for me since that seems to be the only time I get a chance to work in it. I did just get my AquaC EV180 skimmer in today though! I am also expecting my tunze stream kit to come in later this week also. Got the 2 - 6000's with the controller.

[mmd]

looks good BUT
is there enough support to hold the tank i saw very little 2x4 under the actual tank edges?????

[saltycreefer]

Wondering how the mag drive is plumbed into the sump, didn't see any bulkheads down there....

[cubber]

mmd: There is plenty of support. If you look back to the 2x4 construction pics we made sure to build up the area under the tank. Here is one of the pics. Notice all the extra support in the center of the stand around the 40 breeder. That is what the tank sits on.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-044.jpg

[cubber]

saltycreefer: the mag drive is plumbed in using fluval 304/404 hose and the bracket. It works pretty well on my 45 gallon reef. You can kind of see it in this pic. Look back behind the heater you will see the fluval tubing going over the side of the tank then look at the inlet of the mag drive and you will see the same tubing.

I will try to get a better pic later.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-015.jpg

[stan zemanek]

the watere based poly that you are going to use on your stand will be fine. i would suggest at least 3 coats to insure that the wood is sealed from any moisture. myself being a self employed painter, i can tell you that i haved used it on bars with 7-8 coats and it holds up just fine to the abuse the drunks give it:beer: just make sure you sand lightly between coats

[cubber]

thanks for the input stan!

[cubber]

Here are some updates:

Electrical area:

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-0082.jpg

I installed a bubble trap in the sump and created a separate chamber for the aquac ev180 and the overflow and one for the fuge area:

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-00122.jpg

Fuge area / coral frag holding:

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-00234.jpg

Skimmer / Overflow area:

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_image/tank-00234.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-00423.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-00511.jpg

[cubber]

For those of you wondering how the water gets drawn out of the sump here are some better shots:

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-00611.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-00711.jpg

My new tunze 6000's and sump outputs:

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-01011.jpg

and now I have all sorts of extra space on the other side of the cabinet, possibly for a cal reactor down the road:

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-00911.jpg

[cubber]

Well I got 3 coats of stain on the stand and it looks sweet! I tried to get some photos of it but they did not come out that great. I think we may be able to get the doors completed this comming weekend and will post some updated pics then. All the plumbing is finished and I am waiting on the silicone that I used on the sump baffles to cure up, then I am going to run a freshwater test on the system to make sure there are no leaks.

[Kurt03]

how long are you waiting for the silicone to cure? it says 24 hours right?

[sean48183]

Tagging along. I like the look of that setup. Very different.

Once possibe thing I might see being a problem for you down the road is your pump intake being in the same area as the fuge. Your intake will get clogged very quickly with algea and whatnot. I have an above the tank fuge next to main tank that gravity feeds to the main tank and I have to clean it pretty regularly and it isn't even that strong a drain. With a mag18 pulling pretty strongly could clog you up pretty fast.

Anyways keep up the good work.

[jeffbowhunter]

Nice Job ! Really nice Job ...

[cubber]

Thanks guys!

Kurt03: I am letting the silicone cure for 4 days to be on the safe side. I used the GE silicone 1 window and door. I am not in a hurry to fill the tank as I still want to get the canopy and all the finish work done before I stock it. I am going to run a freshwater test in the next few days though.

sean48183: The intake has the standard fluval strainer on it. I use this same setup in my 45 gallon reef tank. Once in a while it gets some macro debris on it but it is easily cleaned off in my daily maintenance, and is not enough to impede the flow. I also like having this in the fuge to help get some of the critters up to the main display for fish to eat.

[cubber]

Here is a pic of the stand stained. Not sure if you can tell the difference from this pic or not.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-stained.jpg

[goda]

why is there an eco aqualizer thingamabobbersnakeoilmagicalchemistpowereddohicky under your tank?

[cubber]

goda: I ask myself the same thing sometimes. I got it very cheep to test it out. I was very skeptical about it myself. I notice no difference with it , but figured since I have it I might as well use it. I know a few people at LFS's around here that think they are the greatest things since sliced bread.

[goda]

do you plan on building book shelfs on each side of the tank? that would be cool and then cram them full of reef books and mags!!!! the lil cut out is perfect for it. also have you decided on lihgitng yet?

[Kurt03]

what is the eco aqualizer, i havent heard of them... im a little slow :D

[goda]

it uses no electric and apparently the magnets htey tape inside of it and the ceramic insid e of it that "puts out far inferred waves " breaks down bad stuff in the water wher eit magicly disapears...

anyways.. idtake it off all its doing is slowing your flow

but i see ya got the tunzes :) sooooo

[cbeitel]

Love the woodwork! :thumbsup:

[cubber]

The light is the current 48" sunpod. However when I recived it I got a bad HQI bulb and am trying to get the place I ordered it from to ship me a new one. Its been over a week and I am still trying to get them to send me one. Gotta jump through hoops! As for the sides I am not going to be doing bookshelves, they are there so my wife can put plants on each side of the tank. I thought about book shelves but I think it would look odd on the side that the stair case is lower.

I think I may remove the eco aqualizer at some point, like I said I never saw any difference when I put it on my old 110. Supposedly it is supposed to ionize the water which provides more oxygen in the water column. I was very skeptical about it and only bought one cause I got it for 1/4 of the original price. One thing is for sure I will never waste my cash on another one again, I don't care if I find one cheeper than that. But I will say one thing about it, they claim that it is self cleaning and when I pulled it off after a year of use on my 110 it was spotlesss on the inside. I was pretty amazed at that.

[cubber]

goda: were you talking about under the stand for book shelves? I still have to finish the doors for all of them openings. There is no room under there to sacrifice for books. One side is my electrical area and the other is going to be reserved for a water top off drip system, a calcium reactor, CO2 tank down the road.

[cubber]

Hope everyone had a great holiday. We got the doors done over the weekend and figured I would share some pictures.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/doors_front.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/doors_left.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/doors_right.jpg

Check out these door nobs!

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/nobs.jpg

[Hop]

Wow, this looks great! Nice job, subscribed to thread now!

[cubber]

Thanks Hop! Still got the canopy left to go.

[goda]

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/doors_right.jpg

do the area next to the tank as a shelf

sure it blocks the side of the tank but it looks more built in and gives more storage

[cubber]

Thanks for the input goda but we are not gonna do a shelf on either side, I really want to be able to view the tank from 3 sides, and my wife is going to use the side spaces for plants. Plus I got to save some cash to stock the tank, that oak is expensive!

[Surferlopez]

lookin good

[NanoManMaster]

lookin good

[cubber]

Thanks!

[cubber]

Happy New Year!!

Well last week I filled the tank up with freshwater and started up all the pumps to check for leaks. Everything ran rather smoothly however I did have a few leaks in my return plumbing and my flow was way to slow on the return. Seeing as the tunze pumps provide all the necessary current I will need I decided to remove the SQWD and the Eco-Aqualizer (both were leaking) and just went with a straight run from the return pump to the tank, what a difference in the output! Its been running now for about a week straight with no issues. We started putting together the canopy this weekend and will probably get that finished up next weekend. I will have more pics once the canopy is complete.

Getting closer...

[cubber]

Almost got the canopy finished up this weekend. I didn't have a chance to take any photos though. Will post some as soon as I can. Just got to make a few finished touches to it and then put a few coats of poly on it. Once that is done its aquascaping time!

[cubber]

Here are some shots of the canopy, still need to sand it and put a few coats of poly on it. Also have some corner pieces for the tank edges that are clamped up right now till the glue cures. We used a piano hinge to make the front open up. Also I left the top fairly open for heat transfer by using slats with spaces in between them. We still need to put a few slats across it to finish the top it up, but we ran out of wood. Will get some shots of that part of the canopy when its done.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-001001.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-004001.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-005001.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tank-006001.jpg

more to come soon!

[Hop]

Looks good, but are your stairs up to code? No rail, no bannister. Some one might fall on or in your tank:lol:

[cubber]

Thanks Hop!

Waiting for spring and going to make a railing out of pine logs. Spring is the best time to cut down the trees and peel off the bark as the sap is more like a liquid and the bark just comes off like butter!

[MyMonkey]

Nice use of space. Great idea.

[cubber]

Thanks MyMonkey

The tank is in the living room area and there is an overstuffed couch and a chair pretty close to it. On the other wall next to the stair landing there is an entertainment center then my 45 cube reef (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=989872) in the corner. So when you sit on the couch you have the 150 to your left, the entertainment center directly in front of you and the 45 reef in front in the right corner. I can literally sit there for hours and never be board! Dunno if thats a good thing or a bad thing. :bum:

[cubber]

After letting the system run with freshwater for a few days to find any leeks I decided to simplify the plumbing. Here are some new shots. After making the changes my flow from the sump increased by at least 2x.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/150sump.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/150sump2.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/150sump3.jpg

As you can see by comparing the new pics to the old ones I have removed the SQWD and the Eco Aqualizer as well as shortened up the tubing from the mag18 to the return on the tank. I found that the tunze pumps in the tank were making sufficient waves and there was no need to use the SQWD. Also I always felt that the Eco Aqualizer was pretty useless and it was leaking, rather than try to fix the leak I just removed it.

[tktodd]

Lookin good!! Keep it coming.

[cubber]

thanks tktodd, should have more updates after tomorrow.

[cubber]

I found I was getting some cavitation from the way I had my mag drive set up. It was creating a ton of microbubbles in the display so I ended up putting it in the sump. I should be getting my salt and sand in sometime this week and will start my aquascaping. I still haven't had a chance to sand and stain the canopy cause its been way to cold outside here, and I don't really have any place to do it inside without making a huge mess. Once it warms up a bit that will be a priority. I will post some more pics once the aquascaping is finished.

[cubber]

The sand is down, and the rockwork is done. The fuge is all set up and the tank is up and running! I will post some pictures tomorrow. But for now you can see a video of the tank here. (http://www.ronnysreef.com/content/view/56/40/)

[New_Noob]

nice, looks like there are alot of places to secure corals in the flatter surfaces. i like

[drummereef]

Awesome job on the stand! :)

[cubber]

Thanks, I created the top of the rockwork as a nice flat surface all across the center of the tank. I also pre drilled holes in all the rocks so I can mount all my coral frags when I get them. The tank is going to be SPS, LPS and clams.

[cubber]

Here are some pics, the lighting came out more blue in the pics than it is in person. My digital camera doesn't have a white balance setting, they are 14k bulbs that look more like a cool white. I left the top half of the tank open water because I wanted to give the SPS corals room to grow and have plenty of swimming space for fish.

http://ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/full tank new.jpg

http://ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/left rockwork.jpg

http://ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/right rockwork.jpg

http://ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/lookin down the left side.jpg

http://ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/top middle of rockwork.jpg

drilled holes:

http://ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/drilled holes.jpg

Fuge:

http://ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/150-fuge.jpg

http://ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/150-fuge-2.jpg

[cubber]

Wondering if anyone with an Aqua C EV-180 can chime in and give me some input on how to tune this bugger in properly. It has been running for about 3 days now and must still be breaking in because it is not producing any foam yet, just boiling in the tube. I have the air regulator fully open and adjusted the gate valve so that the water level in the tube is about even with the top of the skimmer box as the instructions said. I also have the JG fitting plugged with a piece of airline tubing that I tied a not in the end to prevent the skimmer from pulling in extra air via the JG valve. Is there any other tricks I should do, or just let her be and see what happens?

[cubber]

Here are some updated pics, the canopy and stand are now complete!

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/stand front.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/stand right.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/stand left.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/lid open.jpg

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/lid open side.jpg

We built the top of the canopy with slats instead of enclosed to allow the heat from the lights to escape through the top of the canopy. The back of the canopy is also open to draw in cool air.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/canopy top.jpg

The sunpod light fixture that I am using has fan ports on each side of it so I used 4" speaker ports cut to size on each side of the canopy to accommodate for them and to allow proper air flow.

http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/slide_show/150reef/fan port right.jpg

Now I just have to wait for the tank to cycle and I can start stocking!!

[Hop]

Nicely done! Can't wait for the stocking!

[cubber]

Thanks Hop!

Here are some of the guys waiting to go in:

bubble coral
http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/bubble-coral.jpg

tiger goby
http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/tiger-goby-3.jpg

falco hawkfish
http://www.ronnysreef.com/images/site_images/falco-hawkfish.jpg

The bubble coral I have had for 2 years and was in my old 110, and the 2 fish I saw at a LFS and had to have them for the tank. They are all sitting in my coral prop tank waiting to go in.

[DrBDC]

How many watts are the 2 mh's on that sunpod?

I have a friend that is giving me a tank that size/dimensions. I was thinking about taking it to get drilled and swap out my 90. Glad I found this thread.

[cubber]

They are 2 - 150 watt HQI's and are very bright. I think the reflectors on them help the lighting a lot. The manufacturer states that each bulb puts out about the same light as a regluar 250 watt MH. I will see how this claim holds up when I start stocking the tank. I am very impressed at how cool the lights run though. The fixture is cooler to the touch than my Coralife Power Compact Aqualights that I run on my other tanks. I am looking to keep SPS on the top flat area of my rockwork and LPS in the lower areas of the tank.

[cubber]

Here is some more info on the lighting for you:

http://www.current-usa.com/sunpod.html

BTW the moon lighting on this fixture is phenomenal! I guess they came out with a 250 watt version after I bought mine, but it runs on a magnetic ballast instead of the electronic ballast that the 150 watt version has. Also the 250 watt's ballast is external where as the 150 watt ballast is built into the fixture. My tank runs at a steady 80 degrees.