233G custom starphire reef in the desert
 

After several months of planning the tank has been ordered from Aquarium Environments in TX! Lead time given was 6-8 weeks. It will be shipped to Arizona upon completion. Thanks to all those who have given advice and answered my questions.

72L x 29W x 25-3/4"H
3/4" acrylic perimeter brace
PPG Starphire front glass 1/2"
Standard glass rear and left side 1/2"
Standard glass right side 3/4" (24" linear overflow weir @ top)
1" Sch80 PVC bottom with countersunk holes for:
(4) x 1-7/8" for Hayward Sch80 1" bulkhead (CL returns)
(1) x 3-1/4" for Hayward Sch80 2" bulkhead (CL drain)
External overflow on right side 25"L x 4-3/4"W x 12"H
3/8" acrylic construction
(3) x 2-3/4" bottom holes for Spears Sch80 1-1/2" bulkhead
Metal stand 36" height with black powder coat, level feet, and plywood deck

I have also ordered and/or have:

Spectrapure MAXCAP 90gpd RO/DI
(3) x SLS Lumen Max 3 pendants
(3) x SLS female adapters
(3) x EVC 250w electronic ballasts
(3) x Phoenix 14K 250W DE lamps

Additional items to be ordered this week:

Deltec AP702 skimmer
Deltec PF601 calcium reactor
Deltec KM500 kalk stirrer
Tradewinds IL-55S 1/2hp chiller
Nautilus Reef MEGA 2" CJStandpipes
OM-4 way
Vortech with battery backup
Wavysea
Reeflo Dart
Sequence 4200SEQ12
Broan QTXE080 ultra silent 80cfm exhaust fans

Other things I need to do in the very near future:

Select and order controller
Plan plumbing and order pipe, spaflex, fittings, etc
Design and order custom sump
Build aluminum angle light rack and get bike lift from Target
Remove existing cabinetry, remove some drywall and framing
Install exhaust fans above tank area and equipment closet
Hire electrician to run (3) dedicated lines to equipment closet
Recruit lifting help for mid-late April :idea:

CAD diagrams of tank

[url]http://members.cox.net/ekovalsky/isometric.jpg[/url]

[url]http://members.cox.net/ekovalsky/top.jpg[/url]

[url]http://members.cox.net/ekovalsky/bottom.jpg[/url]

[url]http://members.cox.net/ekovalsky/right.jpg[/url]

Why an acrylic brace on a glass tank??

My understand is that this would be a danger. Acrylic and glass have different thermal expansion rates. That could cause considerable stress. I have heard stories from people who used acrylic baffles in glass sumps, and the sumps have cracked. There is also a bonding issue between the two. Silicone doesnt bond very well to acrylic, and you cant use weld-on on glass.

Hmmmmm.....

Eric, congratulations on your new tank from AE! I'll be following this thread for sure.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9299817#post9299817 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fiziksgeek [/i]
[B]Why an acrylic brace on a glass tank??

My understand is that this would be a danger. Acrylic and glass have different thermal expansion rates. That could cause considerable stress. I have heard stories from people who used acrylic baffles in glass sumps, and the sumps have cracked. There is also a bonding issue between the two. Silicone doesnt bond very well to acrylic, and you cant use weld-on on glass.

Hmmmmm..... [/B][/QUOTE]

Initially that worried me too, but [url=http://www.acrylicandglassexhibits.com]A.G.E.[/url] specializes in this type of hybrid construction.

Check out makoJ's tank ... mine will be very similar, except smaller and with the external overflow on the right side instead of the back.

[url]http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=987151&perpage=25&pagenumber=2[/url]

This one is going to look pretty nice!

Nice choice of equipment. You will be very pleased.

[url]http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1046032[/url]

Work progressing on layout for the equipment closet. I've only drawn in some of the plumbing so far. I plan on using long sweeps to keep friction losses to a minimum. One overflow line will enter a street tee, with the branch diverted to the sump and the straight down flow directed into the skimmer via a gate valve.

I still need to design the return plumbing, including a manifold off the return pump (Dart) which will supply the reactors as well as a drain for water changes. Main route from the return pump will pass through an inline chiller located in an adjacent (large) pantry and then back to the tank; or I could use a drop-in chiller and keep the return plumbing simple.

I am also working on the sump design. Since the skimmer is external it doesn't need to be particularly large. But I am going to build it large enough to accomodate a Deltec 420-4 Eco cooler should I decide to try that in the future, or build a DIY version. While an evaporative coller should work very efficiently since it is so dry here, the Deltec unit costs so much that the electrical savings become insignificant.

[url]http://members.cox.net/ekovalsky/closet.PDF[/url]

Just purchased...

Deltec AP902 with SCH
Deltec PF601 calcium reactor
Deltec KM500 kalk stirrer

Big boxes should arrive next week :smokin:

Are you over at MBWorld.org, too? :)

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9349923#post9349923 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tbone28 [/i]
[B]Are you over at MBWorld.org, too? :) [/B][/QUOTE]

Actually I go by Renntech55K over there :thumbsup:

The three forums I frequent are RC, MBWorld, and AudioCircle. I'm set with the car and audio, so have not been online much at MBWorld or Audiocircle. But I'm still spending lots of time on RC researching and learning...

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9351265#post9351265 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ekovalsky [/i]
[B]Actually I go by Renntech55K over there :thumbsup:

The three forums I frequent are RC, MBWorld, and AudioCircle. I'm set with the car and audio, so have not been online much at MBWorld or Audiocircle. But I'm still spending lots of time on RC researching and learning... [/B][/QUOTE]

I thought it was you! Nice to "see" you again. :) Yes, I realized that you're Renntech55K, but I remember your other screen name, AND can't forget that beautiful home of yours!

The forums I frequent are Reef Central (lurker), MBWorld, and HowardForums (cell phones)

edit: Sorry to go off on a tangent. Please, continue!!

Photo update!

[img]http://members.cox.net/desert_reef/P3034689a.jpg[/img]

Deltec AP902
Deltec SCH
Deltec KM500
Deltec PF601
SLS Lumen Max 3 (3)
SLS female adapters (3)
Phoenix 14K 250DE (3)
EVC Tech 250W ballasts (3)
Spectrapure Maxcap RO/DI
US Plastics 36G total drain tank

Here is an interesting side note -- the Phoenix 14K 250w DE bulbs are likely safe to use without the UV shield despite the ubiquitous warnings. The glass used by PEC in the outer envelope absorbs essentially all UV emitted by the lamp, except for an insignificant amount of UVA, and Sanjay's spectral graphs do support this, at least down to 310nm. If it absorbs down to 310nm, it will of course absorb everything with shorter wavelengths too.

I tested myself with a hand held UV monitor made by Oregon Scientific ($20 at Target) which registered a UV index of 0-1 at only 8" from the bulb and 0 beyond 12". Another 10K 250W DE lamp I tried gave a UV index of 9 without the shield and 2 with the shield. For comparison, UV index outdoors (12 noon in Arizona full sun @ 1370' elevation) is 11.

In the Lumen Max 3 without the shield these lamps are [i]very[/i] bright and quite blue with the EVC Tech ballasts -- definitely a 20K look -- and the spread is great. The matte and glossy surfaces in the reflector seem to minimize hot spots. The shield filters out relatively more blue light, pushing them towards a 14K spectrum.

Two LM3 on a light mover would probably give nice coverage for the tank. I'm thinking about doing this, rather than using three fixed on a light rack.

Are you sponsored by Deltec?? ;)

Cant wait to see the real thing!

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9387628#post9387628 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by invincible569 [/i]
[B]Are you sponsored by Deltec?? ;)

Cant wait to see the real thing! [/B][/QUOTE]

More like I am sponsoring Deltec :strange: Actually given the quality of the skimmer and SCH the price really isn't so bad. The SCH is a pretty complex device, while not cheap it will be worth every cent if it keeps me from being a nog janitor and stinking up the house. I am fortunate in that a fresh water supply and waste line will be available in the equipment closet (thanks to the powder room right behind it).

Here's the skimmer assembled with the SCH. Hopefully A.G.E. will be on time with the tank, meaning the "real thing" will be getting set up in early April.

[img]http://members.cox.net/desert_reef/P3044692.jpg[/img]

Looks great so far when can we see the tank?

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9395621#post9395621 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pistonkev [/i]
[B]Looks great so far when can we see the tank? [/B][/QUOTE]

I'm hoping April. Order was placed and deposit given about two weeks ago, lead time quoted by Aquarium Environments at 6-8 weeks. Figure another week for truck freight.

nice choice of equipment, i did the same thing...look likes it gonna be an excellent setup, i might have to purchased that SCH, had nice price tag but thinking on getting it..i will be following you on this one.....what the warranty given to you on the tank, by it being acrylic and glass...

Do you have any updates?

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9394187#post9394187 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ekovalsky [/i]
[B]More like I am sponsoring Deltec :strange: Actually given the quality of the skimmer and SCH the price really isn't so bad. The SCH is a pretty complex device, while not cheap it will be worth every cent if it keeps me from being a nog janitor and stinking up the house. I am fortunate in that a fresh water supply and waste line will be available in the equipment closet (thanks to the powder room right behind it).

Here's the skimmer assembled with the SCH. Hopefully A.G.E. will be on time with the tank, meaning the "real thing" will be getting set up in early April.

[img]http://members.cox.net/desert_reef/P3044692.jpg[/img] [/B][/QUOTE]

Fortget the Skimmer! those are some kick@#$ speakers. Are they Mcintosh speakers?

Good thread.
Your original plan is go for AP702. Why are you taking AP902 now?

yea what are those monster speakers? those things are sexy as hell!!! (- thinks to ones self..is hell sexy? anyway) holy crap!!! there awesome looking.

I should have been a Radiologist...... :)


BTW what model renntech do you Have. they make some monsters in that shop (deltec does to though ;))

Unfortunately there is not much of an update to report. Mainly I'm in a holding pattern until A.G.E. completes the tank. It has been six weeks since my deposit was placed, and I was given a 8-10 week time frame at that time. I will be calling them later this week or early next week for a progress report. Hopefully it will be here in another month.

Since I'm purchasing the tank and stand from AGE the warranty is supposed to extend to five years. Hopefully it will not be needed!

I'm about to order pumps and a chiller and a few other miscellaneous items. Also I still need to finalize the sump plans, it will be built locally by Tenecor. Lots of other things I still need to do -- order plumbing components, build light rack and get bicycle lift for it, and have dedicated lines installed and waste and fresh water connections established.

I went with the AP902 over the AP702 because the price difference was fairly minimal, and it has more capacity. Since I had the vertical clearance for it and it uses no more power, I figured why not ?

The speakers are the Nola Grand Reference. I got lucky and practically stole a pair of them used. It's a big system -- about one ton total weight with two large pieces per side (you really cannot see the massive sub towers in the picture). I have them set up in a much more sophistacted way than the manufacturer intended, using quad amping with DSP room correction, crossovers, and time alignment. As you can probably tell I'm a serious audiophile!

My car is a 2006 Designo Graphite CLS55. The metallic grey exterior is really great from a maintenance standpoint, particularly since my last car and my wife's current SUV are black. Also I love the two tone contrasting leather interior. Renntech mods include higher boost on supercharger, ECU reprogram and tune, carbon fiber airbox, equal length exhaust headers, and an enlarged throttle body. This is good for 598hp/626tq if you believe the dyno. The good ole butt dyno supports these numbers, as the car is as fast if not faster from 50-100 than 0-50 as traction is a major problem below 50 mph. There is no such as thing as too much power, just not enough traction! Car still gets respectable gas mileage for a very fast 4000lb sedan, about 17mph overall in mixed driving.

I also installed a Euro head unit which plays DVDs in dash and a separate DVD changer in the trunk for small headrest LCDs so my two little girls can watch movies, while my wife and I can watch/listen to movies or concert videos. There are few other goodies too, including a Lorinser roof spoiler, Brabus illuminated shift knob and door sills. It's a nice ride :)

when my tank was ordered beginning of the year the guy told me 3-4 weeks and I just listen to him but definitely know that wasn't true and end up taking two months, but worth the wait. main tank, sump and steel stand all this 3-4 weeks yeah ok. keep us updated, also very nice car BTW, was planning on purchasing 2007 BMW 750Li but wife told me pool and backyard needed to be done first after my project, so i will have to wait again...