Hello everyone,
I haven't posted on here before but figured I'd share my current build for those that are interested. I'd appreciate any feedback and suggestions you might have on improving what I have so far. Before going into details of my build, my passion for saltwater aquariums started around (4) years ago. Growing up, I always had multiple exotic animals at any given time. These ranged from a few 3' long iguanas to white rats and koi ponds. However, I never did take the plunge into saltwater. After years of moving from apartment to apartment, I finally decided to set-up a saltwater reef in my office cubicle which was the only place for it at the time. Working long hours in a high stress environment, I wanted something to look at from time-to-time to help with the stress. My plans started with a small 20 gallon aquarium on the corner of my desk. This quickly turned into a 55 gallon aquarium along side the wall. I don't think anyone took me seriously despite marking out a spot on the floor with masking tape for several months to make sure the tank wouldn't interfere with anything. Of course, my general manager didn't see my set-up until it was partially filled with water and sand which looked like an absolute mess. After a few months of cycling, the tank was ready for livestock and really took off.
I kept my office aquarium for a year or two until I was promoted and it was time to switch office locations. Knowing I couldn't move it to our corporate office I decided to place in my apartment. There I continued to struggle with basic reefkeeping 101. From overstocking my tank with fish causing an ich outbreak that killed off everything to coming up to my prized ribbon eel dead on the floor, it seemed like a never ending learning curve. Around a year ago, I finally moved into my first house at transferred my 55 gallon reef for a second time.
At this point I had already started to collect various pieces of equipment for a larger tank build. My first purchase was a Bubble King SuperMarin 300 internal skimmer. Next I purchased a 250dd aquarium along with a 150dd that the guy had for sale as well. Being a mechanical engineer, I have always appreciated well built items and Royal Exclusive is top of the line in our hobby. In fall of 2015, I placed an order for a Royal Exclusive Dreambox. This was a rather involved experience with several issues along the way. However, the Dreambox finally arrived at my LFS in June of this year.
Here are a few specifications on the sump:
Being somewhat of a control freak, I want to keep as much redundancy as possible with all equipment. Each of the 230 watt return pumps will supply one return line to each of my (3) main tanks. This should minimize any issues with loosing a return pump. The 150 watt pump will circulate water through an industrial chiller placed on the side of my house. As of now, I'll use the 80 watt pump to circulate water though a series of macroalgae reactors.
The amount and size of aquariums has grown throughout my build. My original intent was to have only a 150dd and 250dd along with a large Rubbermaid tub in my fish room. At some point along the line I picked up two new 300dd Marnineland aquariums. The room will be surrounded on (3) sides with aquariums as shown below. Overall room dimensions are approximately 11' x 11' with a small closet shown on the side opposite the aquariums.
My intend is to utilize the 250dd for a SPS dominant reef that I can keep angelfish among other high light species of coral. It will be located immediately to the left as you walk into the room. The middle 300dd aquarium will be an LPS dominant reef where I can keep my chalices and other coral.The second 300dd will be predominantly a fish only aquarium for my Epaulette shark, Dragon eel, etc. I'll likely keep zoas and other LPS here as well.
I have spent a lot of time going back and forth on the stand design for all aquariums. After nearly a year of working on this I have decided to go with the stand as shown. This will be constructed utilizing carbon steel heavy wall tube for the support stands. The support beams will be made from 7 gauge, lasered and formed sheet metal with a 1/4" thick steel plate for the top. All steel is currently being fabricated and should be ready for powder coat in a few weeks. I'll be powder coating everything mirror gloss black as of now. All fasteners used to assemble the stand will be 316 stainless steel. As of now, I am planning on using powder coated sheet metal for the lower panels and doors which are not shown. I've contemplated building these out of black starboard and other materials. However, I believe the sheet metal will be the most economical option as of now since I have access to the metal processing and finishing equipment where I work. The weight of the fully assembled steel stand alone will be well over 2,000 lbs. It will be assembled in pieces.
Using laser cut sheet metal has allowed me to pre-cut clearance holes for return and over flow piping for all aquariums. Nearly all of the plumbing will be routed in the 7" deep section of the formed beams. This was not easy since the return plumbing consists of (2) 3" schedule 80 PVC manifolds running around all (3) sides. Each of the (6) overflows runs directly back to the sump using 1 1/4" schedule 80 PVC pipe.
The most challenging aspect of this build to date has been designing the plumbing. Even though I'll be using (2) 230 watt pumps capable of handling 5,500 gph each, there will be a fair amount of head pressure on each pump due to the manifold running around (3) sides of the room and numerous elbows, ball valves, check valves, etc. Using 3" pipe for the return manifolds is probably excessive but I wanted to make sure any friction losses are kept to a minimum. It was also challenging to fit the larger plumbing within a reasonable stand elevation. I believe I ended up with the top of stand being around 41". This required machining down a lot of the 2" and 3" fittings as much as possible. Below is a picture of one my two return pump set-ups. I'll be using a 2" check valve on each pump since my sump capacity cannot hold the back feed from all three aquariums plus the 15 or so gallons inside each of the 3" manifolds. The 2", 3-way ball valve will be utilized to drain each manifold prior to doing maintenance on the check valves.
LED lighting will be used for all (3) aquariums. As of now, I'll be mounting (4) EcoTech G4 Pro's over the 250dd SPS aquarium. The 300dd LPS aquarium will have (6) EcoTech G3 Pro's. I'm going to try to get by with only (3) EcoTech G3 Pro's over the other 300dd for now, since I won't be growing that much coral in the tank. All radions will be mounted using EcoTech mult-rail mount systems with power supplies mounted to the side of formed steel channels underneath each stand.
I'll be starting out with (2) EcoTech MP60 QD's mounted on the sides and (2) EcoTech MP40 QD's mounted on the back of each aquarium. Additional MP40's will be added as needed once things start to grow. I'll also utilize a few MP40's in the sump to keep detritus from settling. All Vortechs will be controlled using a Neptune Apex WXM module.
All electronics will be controlled using a Neptune Apex controller. I'll start out with (5) Energy Bar 832's. Each will be on it's own separate 20 amp, GFCI circuit. In order to minimize the number of required outlets, I'll be using power strips plugged into the energy bar outlets for lower voltage items such as Vortech pumps and Radion lights. There will also be several I/O breakout boxes by the time this is all configured. Most of the electrical wiring will be concealed in panduit and/or behind white starboard sheets I will use as backing underneath each aquarium.
I am trying to keep the underside of the 250dd and 300dd open for future frag tangs. With that said, most of the other equipment will be placed inside the closet. For calcium & alkalinity, I'll be using a GEO CR818 & KR818. The CR818 will be fed with a Masterflex Miniflex peristaltic pump for precise control. I will never use the precision needle valve or other means of feeding a calcium reactor ever again. The KR818 will be fed with a Neptune DOS with my fresh water on demand system. PH will be monitored with the Apex unit.
In order to keep up with a massive bioload in the not so distant future, I'll be building (4) custom macroalgae reactors. Each reactor will be 8" dia. x 48" high with an EcoTech L1 pump on the bottom. The reactor will be lighted with LED's wrapped around a titanium tube. The tube will be sealed inside of a watertight, clear, PVC tube and cooled by pumping saltwater through the inner diameter. Due to the required flow rate and friction losses, there will be a separate return line on the outside of the reactor. All (4) reactors will be fed from the sump with a Red Dragon 80 watt pump. This will adjusted so that the flow controls the amount of Phosphate removal through the reactors. The L1 pumps will be utilized to increase circulation on occasion to increase the amount of pods in the water column for feeding the main tanks. It will also be used to flush each reactor with RO water once a week to clean the Chaeto algae of detritus. In stead of taking each unit outside and cleaning on occasion, I am planning on decoupling the supply and return lines and circulating a strong bleach solution to dissolve all Chaeto and organic matter. The maximum flow of the L1 pump will create a nice vortex to ensure all organic matter is removed. Once cleaned, the bleach solution will be drained out through the bottom and the reactor will be flushed several times with RO water. It will then be allowed to completely dry before being re-stocked with Chaeto and filled with Saltwater. Below is a screen shot of my current reactor design.
Humidity will be controlled with an air exchanger mounted in the attic and ducted into by fish and quarantine rooms. It is my hope that this combined with Acrylic covers over all aquariums and sump will be enough for humidity control. If necessary, I will add an industrial de-humidifier to the fish room. There will also be a ventilation system to provide fresh air from outside the house to the skimmer air supply lines along with exhausting air from inside the sump and pulling outside the house.
Water changes and fresh water top off will be handled through the Apex. I am planning on purchasing the new Neptune module for this once it is released later this year. Water changes will be completed with a MasterFlex MiniFlex dual head pump. I am planning on doing a constant but minimal water change at all times. Sump water will be discharged from the Masterflex pump directly to an outside waste drain, while newly made saltwater will be pumped from my storage containers in my garage. A 300 gallon tank will hold RO water while a 250 gallon tank will hold freshly made saltwater. Both saltwater and freshwater will be pumped overhead through the attic with on demand, diaphragm pumps. This will ensure a constant 40 psi in the manifold for each. On the discharge end, a 24 VDC ball valve will be used in conjunction a Masterflex or DOS pump to meter the flow as an added fail safe.
Currently I have removed the existing carpet in the room and am waiting on the stand to be completed. Once the stand is assembled, I will install porcelain tile on the floor and inside the closet. The aquariums will likely have to come though the front window shown on their side. I'll likely hire a moving company to do this. Hopefully I'll have the aquariums in place and filled to start the cycle by the end of this year.
I have already completed the majority of my quarantine room. It measures approximately 12' x 12' as well. Two 20 gallon aquariums will be used to quarantine corals for a period of around (3) months to try and prevent any hitch hikers and parasites from entering the display tanks. A 150dd aquarium will also be used as a quarantine tank for fish. The 150 gal. Rubbermaid stock tank shown is only temporary to hold my Epaulette shark and a few other fish. All aquariums in this room will have their own automatic top off and saltwater changing systems along with automatic dosing. Porcelain 12" x 24" plank tile was installed for ease of maintenance.
I haven't posted on here before but figured I'd share my current build for those that are interested. I'd appreciate any feedback and suggestions you might have on improving what I have so far. Before going into details of my build, my passion for saltwater aquariums started around (4) years ago. Growing up, I always had multiple exotic animals at any given time. These ranged from a few 3' long iguanas to white rats and koi ponds. However, I never did take the plunge into saltwater. After years of moving from apartment to apartment, I finally decided to set-up a saltwater reef in my office cubicle which was the only place for it at the time. Working long hours in a high stress environment, I wanted something to look at from time-to-time to help with the stress. My plans started with a small 20 gallon aquarium on the corner of my desk. This quickly turned into a 55 gallon aquarium along side the wall. I don't think anyone took me seriously despite marking out a spot on the floor with masking tape for several months to make sure the tank wouldn't interfere with anything. Of course, my general manager didn't see my set-up until it was partially filled with water and sand which looked like an absolute mess. After a few months of cycling, the tank was ready for livestock and really took off.
I kept my office aquarium for a year or two until I was promoted and it was time to switch office locations. Knowing I couldn't move it to our corporate office I decided to place in my apartment. There I continued to struggle with basic reefkeeping 101. From overstocking my tank with fish causing an ich outbreak that killed off everything to coming up to my prized ribbon eel dead on the floor, it seemed like a never ending learning curve. Around a year ago, I finally moved into my first house at transferred my 55 gallon reef for a second time.
At this point I had already started to collect various pieces of equipment for a larger tank build. My first purchase was a Bubble King SuperMarin 300 internal skimmer. Next I purchased a 250dd aquarium along with a 150dd that the guy had for sale as well. Being a mechanical engineer, I have always appreciated well built items and Royal Exclusive is top of the line in our hobby. In fall of 2015, I placed an order for a Royal Exclusive Dreambox. This was a rather involved experience with several issues along the way. However, the Dreambox finally arrived at my LFS in June of this year.
Here are a few specifications on the sump:
- Dreambox - 8d
- Dimensions: 69"L x 30"W x 14"H
- Capacity: 113 gal.
- Return Fittings: (2) 1.25", (2) 1"
- Overflow Fittings: (6) 1.25", (2) 1.5"
- Skimmer: Royal Exclusive Supermarin 300 internal
- RD 2,000 & RD 1,500 pumps
- Automatic cleaning head
- Automatic freshwater flush system with spray nozzles and drain valve
- Reactor: Royal Exclusive 5.0L media reactor for carbon
- Return Pumps:
- (2) Red Dragon 230 watt with 10 volt variable control
- (1) Red Dragon 150 watt with 10 volt variable control
- (1) Red Dragon 80 watt with 10 volt variable control
- Heaters: (5) Eheim 300 watt
Being somewhat of a control freak, I want to keep as much redundancy as possible with all equipment. Each of the 230 watt return pumps will supply one return line to each of my (3) main tanks. This should minimize any issues with loosing a return pump. The 150 watt pump will circulate water through an industrial chiller placed on the side of my house. As of now, I'll use the 80 watt pump to circulate water though a series of macroalgae reactors.
The amount and size of aquariums has grown throughout my build. My original intent was to have only a 150dd and 250dd along with a large Rubbermaid tub in my fish room. At some point along the line I picked up two new 300dd Marnineland aquariums. The room will be surrounded on (3) sides with aquariums as shown below. Overall room dimensions are approximately 11' x 11' with a small closet shown on the side opposite the aquariums.
My intend is to utilize the 250dd for a SPS dominant reef that I can keep angelfish among other high light species of coral. It will be located immediately to the left as you walk into the room. The middle 300dd aquarium will be an LPS dominant reef where I can keep my chalices and other coral.The second 300dd will be predominantly a fish only aquarium for my Epaulette shark, Dragon eel, etc. I'll likely keep zoas and other LPS here as well.
I have spent a lot of time going back and forth on the stand design for all aquariums. After nearly a year of working on this I have decided to go with the stand as shown. This will be constructed utilizing carbon steel heavy wall tube for the support stands. The support beams will be made from 7 gauge, lasered and formed sheet metal with a 1/4" thick steel plate for the top. All steel is currently being fabricated and should be ready for powder coat in a few weeks. I'll be powder coating everything mirror gloss black as of now. All fasteners used to assemble the stand will be 316 stainless steel. As of now, I am planning on using powder coated sheet metal for the lower panels and doors which are not shown. I've contemplated building these out of black starboard and other materials. However, I believe the sheet metal will be the most economical option as of now since I have access to the metal processing and finishing equipment where I work. The weight of the fully assembled steel stand alone will be well over 2,000 lbs. It will be assembled in pieces.
Using laser cut sheet metal has allowed me to pre-cut clearance holes for return and over flow piping for all aquariums. Nearly all of the plumbing will be routed in the 7" deep section of the formed beams. This was not easy since the return plumbing consists of (2) 3" schedule 80 PVC manifolds running around all (3) sides. Each of the (6) overflows runs directly back to the sump using 1 1/4" schedule 80 PVC pipe.
The most challenging aspect of this build to date has been designing the plumbing. Even though I'll be using (2) 230 watt pumps capable of handling 5,500 gph each, there will be a fair amount of head pressure on each pump due to the manifold running around (3) sides of the room and numerous elbows, ball valves, check valves, etc. Using 3" pipe for the return manifolds is probably excessive but I wanted to make sure any friction losses are kept to a minimum. It was also challenging to fit the larger plumbing within a reasonable stand elevation. I believe I ended up with the top of stand being around 41". This required machining down a lot of the 2" and 3" fittings as much as possible. Below is a picture of one my two return pump set-ups. I'll be using a 2" check valve on each pump since my sump capacity cannot hold the back feed from all three aquariums plus the 15 or so gallons inside each of the 3" manifolds. The 2", 3-way ball valve will be utilized to drain each manifold prior to doing maintenance on the check valves.
LED lighting will be used for all (3) aquariums. As of now, I'll be mounting (4) EcoTech G4 Pro's over the 250dd SPS aquarium. The 300dd LPS aquarium will have (6) EcoTech G3 Pro's. I'm going to try to get by with only (3) EcoTech G3 Pro's over the other 300dd for now, since I won't be growing that much coral in the tank. All radions will be mounted using EcoTech mult-rail mount systems with power supplies mounted to the side of formed steel channels underneath each stand.
I'll be starting out with (2) EcoTech MP60 QD's mounted on the sides and (2) EcoTech MP40 QD's mounted on the back of each aquarium. Additional MP40's will be added as needed once things start to grow. I'll also utilize a few MP40's in the sump to keep detritus from settling. All Vortechs will be controlled using a Neptune Apex WXM module.
All electronics will be controlled using a Neptune Apex controller. I'll start out with (5) Energy Bar 832's. Each will be on it's own separate 20 amp, GFCI circuit. In order to minimize the number of required outlets, I'll be using power strips plugged into the energy bar outlets for lower voltage items such as Vortech pumps and Radion lights. There will also be several I/O breakout boxes by the time this is all configured. Most of the electrical wiring will be concealed in panduit and/or behind white starboard sheets I will use as backing underneath each aquarium.
I am trying to keep the underside of the 250dd and 300dd open for future frag tangs. With that said, most of the other equipment will be placed inside the closet. For calcium & alkalinity, I'll be using a GEO CR818 & KR818. The CR818 will be fed with a Masterflex Miniflex peristaltic pump for precise control. I will never use the precision needle valve or other means of feeding a calcium reactor ever again. The KR818 will be fed with a Neptune DOS with my fresh water on demand system. PH will be monitored with the Apex unit.
In order to keep up with a massive bioload in the not so distant future, I'll be building (4) custom macroalgae reactors. Each reactor will be 8" dia. x 48" high with an EcoTech L1 pump on the bottom. The reactor will be lighted with LED's wrapped around a titanium tube. The tube will be sealed inside of a watertight, clear, PVC tube and cooled by pumping saltwater through the inner diameter. Due to the required flow rate and friction losses, there will be a separate return line on the outside of the reactor. All (4) reactors will be fed from the sump with a Red Dragon 80 watt pump. This will adjusted so that the flow controls the amount of Phosphate removal through the reactors. The L1 pumps will be utilized to increase circulation on occasion to increase the amount of pods in the water column for feeding the main tanks. It will also be used to flush each reactor with RO water once a week to clean the Chaeto algae of detritus. In stead of taking each unit outside and cleaning on occasion, I am planning on decoupling the supply and return lines and circulating a strong bleach solution to dissolve all Chaeto and organic matter. The maximum flow of the L1 pump will create a nice vortex to ensure all organic matter is removed. Once cleaned, the bleach solution will be drained out through the bottom and the reactor will be flushed several times with RO water. It will then be allowed to completely dry before being re-stocked with Chaeto and filled with Saltwater. Below is a screen shot of my current reactor design.
Humidity will be controlled with an air exchanger mounted in the attic and ducted into by fish and quarantine rooms. It is my hope that this combined with Acrylic covers over all aquariums and sump will be enough for humidity control. If necessary, I will add an industrial de-humidifier to the fish room. There will also be a ventilation system to provide fresh air from outside the house to the skimmer air supply lines along with exhausting air from inside the sump and pulling outside the house.
Water changes and fresh water top off will be handled through the Apex. I am planning on purchasing the new Neptune module for this once it is released later this year. Water changes will be completed with a MasterFlex MiniFlex dual head pump. I am planning on doing a constant but minimal water change at all times. Sump water will be discharged from the Masterflex pump directly to an outside waste drain, while newly made saltwater will be pumped from my storage containers in my garage. A 300 gallon tank will hold RO water while a 250 gallon tank will hold freshly made saltwater. Both saltwater and freshwater will be pumped overhead through the attic with on demand, diaphragm pumps. This will ensure a constant 40 psi in the manifold for each. On the discharge end, a 24 VDC ball valve will be used in conjunction a Masterflex or DOS pump to meter the flow as an added fail safe.
Currently I have removed the existing carpet in the room and am waiting on the stand to be completed. Once the stand is assembled, I will install porcelain tile on the floor and inside the closet. The aquariums will likely have to come though the front window shown on their side. I'll likely hire a moving company to do this. Hopefully I'll have the aquariums in place and filled to start the cycle by the end of this year.
I have already completed the majority of my quarantine room. It measures approximately 12' x 12' as well. Two 20 gallon aquariums will be used to quarantine corals for a period of around (3) months to try and prevent any hitch hikers and parasites from entering the display tanks. A 150dd aquarium will also be used as a quarantine tank for fish. The 150 gal. Rubbermaid stock tank shown is only temporary to hold my Epaulette shark and a few other fish. All aquariums in this room will have their own automatic top off and saltwater changing systems along with automatic dosing. Porcelain 12" x 24" plank tile was installed for ease of maintenance.
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