well, it has been much smoother since the other day. slowly this thing is coming together. here is the progress we have made up thru today.
this was the first filling - before the fun filled afternoon a few days ago
here is how we used to have the drains to the sump - with over 2500gph coming in, there was some splashing over the back of the sump
this is how we have redone the drains coming into the sump - seemed to do the trick.
here is the center brace made out of acrylic. since we will have three 150 watt halides, we had to leave the center clear - so i copied this design from another local reefer - thanks troy!
here it is installed - notice the roughed up areas in the previous pic are where it is attached to the top bracing of the tank with silicone.
here is the old pump area of the sump. since they made so much noise, they were relocated to the utility room on the other side of the wall.
here they are
finally, after running with tap water for 24 hours with no leaks or issues, we drained it and added RO/DI water and salt. here it is with two of the three 150 watt halides. btw, the foam structure on the left is the one that didnt stay put the first time - after about a whole tube of silicone, it seems to be behaving now.
the third halide reflector will be here tomorrow. the four 80 watt t5 bulbs will be here on wednesday. should be plenty of light for this tank.