150 Gallon Major Project Begins.

[NateHanson]

I made the cuts for the stand with a table saw and a good old fashioned hammer and chisel.
-Liam

The construction Liam used would be very easy for anyone to duplicate using a circular saw too. Just make a bunch of cuts, 1/2" or 1" apart, and knock them out with a hammer, then smooth with a chisel.

Much better way to go than the metal brackets IMO.

 

[NateHanson]

Wow. Those reflectors are pretty damn impressive.

 

[hawaii]

great work on the project the pvc work on the loop is going to work very nice. i like the painted rock behind the system. good luck

 

[Liam]

OK heres this weeks update,the walls are all done,as is the flooring.
The tank is in position,yeeehaaaa!

 

[Liam]

Heres a look from the front,still not finished.Tonight i will be wiring a dozen GFCI's

 

[Liam]

I made a trip down to Marc's on the cape saturday and picked up just over 100 lbs of dry rock.This is the best dry rock i have ever seen and it was well worth the trip.I put a four foot level in the pic for a sense of scale,some of those rocks are 20 inches across.You sure get a lot of rock for your money when you buy it this way.
Marc has a great store there and his displays are immaculate.

 

[Clam Man]

and its light and easy to put holes in it to add rods for overhangs if you are looking for dry rock than marc's got the best I filled my 210 1/2 way for under $200.00 the pieces are huge and can be broke up very easy

 

[Liam]

this weeks update

I now have running water,wohoo!!!

 

[Liam]

I have started building the fuge come frag tanks stand,here it is test fit for height(not designed for the vertically challenged )
If you look closely above the fuge you will see i have installed an access panel which is fitted with a John guest fitting which leads to the outside.The plan is the waste line from the RO/di hooks up here and makes it way oustide to the nearby gardens. There is also one on the other wall by the sink.

 

[Liam]

I started trying to form the rockscape,i am trying to do this in small sessions because as i'm sure everyone is aware how easy it is to lose your cool with this job

 

[Clam Man]

if you run the waste lines outside how are you going to keep it from freezing in the winter time if the water ran all the time it would be no problem but it does'nt it would be better to tap it into your home drain

 

[Liam]

if you run the waste lines outside how are you going to keep it from freezing in the winter time if the water ran all the time it would be no problem but it does'nt it would be better to tap it into your home drain

It can be ran into the drain via the sink.The fittings in the wall are an as and when type deal,i don't expect there will be much to water in the winter
The idea is just to make some use of the byproduct from RO/DI instead of it all going down the drain$$$$$

 

[wrassefan]

Looks good Liam...I'm trying to figure out how to get the waste outside also...worste case I use buckets up the back stairs. Why so high for the fuge tho??

 

[Liam]

Looks good Liam...I'm trying to figure out how to get the waste outside also...worste case I use buckets up the back stairs. Why so high for the fuge tho??

So it can overflow back into the main display,avoiding plankton shear

 

[jango]

How's it going Liam anything new?

 

[Liam]

How's it going Liam anything new?

Hi PJ,it seems like i have'nt had 5 mins spare this week,spent most of my time dealing with the rain.I have been waiting on parts also for plumbing etc but heres a couple of pics of my latest work.

The skimmer is plumbed!

 

[Liam]

I have plumbed my returns with 2 penductors which are mounted through two holes in the ends of the overflow,this makes them as invisible as possible.Each return has its own T4,spa flex was used to avoid all 90 degree turns in an effort to minimize headloss.I decided to use two pumps intead of one for several reasons and it made the most sense to me
1.If one fails i will still have circulation.
2.I can remove one pump for cleaning and still keep the system running
3.I think you get more from your pumps by minimizing plumbing
I know there are also downfalls like heat but i am hoping that will be offset by the gains.
-Liam.

 

[Liam]

cycle begins

Hi all,the tank is now full and running.I water tested for a few days,then filled with ro/di,salt has been added and the skimmer is running.So far the skimmer is looking like a worthwhile investment,it started skimming a sandy colored skimmate the moment i turned it on.I am sure it will take a while for the water to get to temp.
I will try to take some pics tomorrow
-Liam

 

[SteveDola]

cool. Good luck. looking forward to see the pics. Im just about to cycle my new 75 system too.

 

[Liam]

plumbing pic

Heres a pic of the plumbing,all up and running.I am just waiting on the temp which is at 70 and fine tuning the salinity and i will the be adding a bunch of chaeto and sand from my 46 to get things moving