My 150 gallon Reef Savvy tank build

[Harold Green]

Are you feeding your main pump through the gfi's? They're a nice safety feature but I'd like to think my main pump won't shut down because the breaker suddenly reacts to the moisture in the room. This is a topic I haven't seen covered before and I'd like to hear others opinions on gfi's for critical equipment. Gfi's can be a real life saver but they can also be very finicky when it comes to tripping out for very minor insulation leakage.

 

[Chriscrna]

Yes. Everything is going through the gfci's.

I don't think moisture in the room will be a concern.

I would rather my pump stop than my house burn down

 

[troels899]

I'll tell you I love and hate mine at the same time everything on my system is ran gfcis. My 75 gallon is in a small room so it can get humid quick if someone shuts the door (my wife does all the time) and it causes the breaker to trip. Can't tell you how many times i have cans home to a dark tank

 

[Chriscrna]

My lights, powerheads, and backup heater are up with the DT in a very large open room.

If a breaker trips in the sump room, I will still have light, heat, and flow upstairs in the DT.

But the sump will only have about 100 gallons in it. I will cover most of the sump to minimize evaporation. Couple that with the dehumidifier, exhaust vent/dehumidistat, and fresh dehumidified air from the HVAC, I feel ok about it.

Time will tell.

 

[troels899]

I'm no expert but with but with all that I think you will be perfectly fine. Room looks way bigger than mine like 2 to 3 times the size

 

[Chriscrna]

I'm no expert but with but with all that I think you will be perfectly fine. Room looks way bigger than mine like 2 to 3 times the size

Haha!!! Believe me, I am by no means an expert either. Learning all this I go. But I welcome and appreciate all the input.

 

[Harold Green]

Gfi's have no more to do with protecting your house wiring than any non-gfi breaker. They are there simply to protect against getting electrocuted. Normally they are only used when you have a chance of coming in contact with water and electrical devices at the same time. Yes that's likely around aquariums yet they are also very sensitive to moisture and will trip at levels below what most of us feel to be a problem. The truth is the manufacturers recommend that you replace any breaker that trips as they get weaker with each trip and more likely to trip again. I see little problem with having most of the equipment on the gfi's but for anything critical I'd have it on more dependable power.

 

[Chriscrna]

Well said Harold. Now you've got me thinking maybe I should swap out one of the gfi breakers for a regular one. That would give me one gfi and one regular circuit to the sump room instead of 2 gfi circuits.

However, the critical equipment like lights, powerheads, and backup in- tank heater are on a normal circuit upstairs.

I don't know, I'll probably change out one of the gfi's. My next door neighbor is an electrician and he's the one that helped me wire the sump room and recommended the gfi's. However, he knows absolutely nothing about aquariums and doesn't understand how devastating a power outage could be for a reef tank.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I'm sure I'll swap out the gfi. Then I can keep my return pump, skimmer, heaters, dosers, and Apex on a normal circuit.

I'll leave the exhaust vent, dehumidifier, utility sink pump, etc on the gfi.

 

[TaylorPilot]

Following along, any updates on when you'll be getting in the tank?

 

[Chriscrna]

Following along, any updates on when you'll be getting in the tank?

My last email with Katiria at Reef Savvy was June 10. She said the tank was on schedule for the beginning of September, and I would probably hear from Felix sometime in August to make sure there haven't been any changes.

I haven't heard from Felix yet, but I'm sure it will be soon.

 

[Fin]

Nice start. Unfortunately, they don't have basements where I live. That would be nice to have all that room for a setup. I am waiting on my (125) Reef Savvy tank. Probably about 3 months out for me. Will follow along and be envious.

 

[Chriscrna]

Lol, I'm a pretty patient person. I still have a few preparatory things to do anyway.

 

[troels899]

I'm very impatient I'm sure it wasn't obvious. this hobbie has taught me some patience but I'm still learning. Very expensive to not be patient

 

[Harold Green]

Chriscrna, I wasn't trying to dissuade anyone from using gfi's but I was trying to inform hobbyists that gfi's are prone to shutting down easily without necessarily having a true short in the equipment. They offer the hobbyist great protection, however I'm not sure that level of protection balances out against the probable tank shutdowns that type of breaker will likely cause just from normal moisture or equipment age. I can see protecting the lighting since there's the possiblility you might drop them into the tank while they are turned on. Even the heaters and circulating pumps, I have heard of large fish breaking a heater tube, but if you have a return pump or other pump that the entire tank depends on I'd want a more secure power source. For a well stocked tank I'd even suggest a backup power supply to protect your investment.

 

[11f150]

Nice build! Im glad to see someone in TN going all out.

 

[Chriscrna]

Felix emailed me yesterday. They are working on my tank and it shouldn't be much longer.

Been pretty busy with work lately, but I managed to get a couple things done today.

Literally did a very small amount of duct work

Plumbed and vented the Liberty 404 pump that goes under the utility sink. Now I can actually clean my equipment and wash my hands down there. I believe I will move the outlet to the adjacent 2x4 tomorrow.

Measured and cut egg crate for the sump. The plan is to cut 2 inch pvc into several 1 inch increments to support the egg crate and keep the rock off the bottom. I'm also going to cut out spaces to fit a powerhead on each side to keep the bottom fully circulated.

 

[Reeferdude500]

Now a gfci outlet would be a good idea around that sink. ....code is within 6ft of water requires a gfci....

 

[Chriscrna]

Now a gfci outlet would be a good idea around that sink. ....code is within 6ft of water requires a gfci....

Every outlet in that room is on a gfci breaker right now.

 

[Reeferdude500]

That will work!

 

[lluv24]

Very nice build;-)