Paul's' new build..

[reefkeeper2]

I thought I would document the craziness of the next few months for posterity. Maybe someone will find it useful when they do a new build under similar circumstances.
The specifications for the new tank are finished. The dimensions are the same as the old tank except it will be two inches wider. That will make it 84 x 44 x 30. There is plenty of room on the stand so I thought why not? It will give me a little more room to aquascape in front of the overflows.
There will be a center brace to fix the stress issues I'm now having which after all is the reason for this whole adventure. I could have kept the center overflow design and braced the tank on the top differently. However I want to change and improve the aquascape with some open space in
the center. I also don't want this tank to be a clone of the last one .So there will be two overflows , 6 x 8 inches located in the middle part of the tank and 18 inches away from the sides. That will leave me 48 inches of unobstructed space in the center.
With the tank specs settled and sent to the manufacturer, the next step was to set up the frag/storage tank. This will allow me to start the dipping regimen and storage of all the acros leading up to the installation of the new tank. With the help of Greg from UnderwaterWorld I got a great
deal on a Laguna molded pond in the perfect size I was looking for. It's 61 x 31 x 18. I got it last Saturday, built the stand on Sunday and it's now ready to be tied into the system.



I will have three Sol Blues to light this with. As I remove the corals, I can take some of the Vegas off the display for further lighting if I need it. I decided to put some sand in there too. It's pretty deep for a frag tank and some aragonite sand will help the pH. Eight years ago I made a mistake
with the choice of sand in the display tank. I bought play sand that was supposed to be a calcium carbonate sand. I trusted the label and used it. Later it flunked the vinegar test and is probably one of the reasons I have pH issues. One of the good things about putting up a new tank is
having the chance to fix the errors you made with the last.
In the next few weeks I am going to plumb the frag tank in, get some sand and hang the lights. Unfortunately the algae turf scrubber will have to come down and probably won't go back up until everything is completed. I will post new photos when this phase of the project is completed.

 

[The Reef Pit]

It sucks you have to set up a hole new tank Paul, I love watching your vids, and your current set up is like my dream get away room, lol, I wish I had the room to build a sun room like yours,such an awesome tank, I am sure the next one will be too, Good luck on the new build cant wait to see some more Vids.

 

[Turbosnail]

Glad to see you are getting started! Good luck and remember if you need help lmk.

 

[delta]

Paul i have a 50 gallon rubbermaid sump i used a frag tank if you if you need an additional temp frag tank. Itshallow perfect frag tank

 

[reefkeeper2]

Thanks guys. I will get a better idea of what more I'll need after I get the sps removed and settled. To keep myself from being overwhelmed ( I'm type A spastic :topsy_turvy my mantra is take a deep breath and then one step at a time.

 

[reefkeeper2]

So far so good. With the exception of one efflo, all the acros have been removed from the display. The efflo is huge and totally encrusted onto the rocks. I'm not sure how to remove it without bringing the whole structure down but I have to get all of them out. I was
going to use the Bayer Total Insect Killer to dip everything but became concerned with the possibility of some residual insecticide getting into the system. I am not dipping frags but many large colonies. Bayer Insecticide has two main ingredients. One is imidacloprid
and the other is a pyrethrin. The imidacloprid has a half life in water of only four hours so that didn't worry me. The pyrethrin however is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic life and persist in water for an undetermined period of time. There is a possibility of a build up
with the repeated large dips I'm going to do. I did use it though for the Hawkins, Red Dragon and a couple other smooth skins. I used Revive for everything else. All looks well as of this evening and nothing looks stressed. Everybody all tucked in safe.

 

[Flame Angel]

Way to go Paul. I would ask if you were attending the meeting today. But I am sure all your free time is being very well spent right now.

 

[reefkeeper2]

Sorry I won't be there today. Still have to get that efflo out and dipped. Sounds like it will be a great meeting.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

 

[reefkeeper2]

Decisions, decisions. I realized this past week that because of the layout of the interior of the new tank I was going to have to come up with a different plan for flow. A tank that is viewed from 180degrees does not have a back or side to attach powerheads to. Right now the Tunzes I have work well mounted on the center overflow. They have to reach about three feet or so and because of that center location they can do it easy. The problem is that the new tank will have two free standing overflows located 16 inches from each side panel. The tank is 84 inches long, so the powerheads that are mounted on them will have to provide flow that reaches all the way to the other side of the tank. Unfortunetly the pumps I have don't have what it takes. So I have been hurting my brain trying to decide what the best option is. I came up with an idea and would like to know what others think. Sometimes you can miss something important that is staring you straight in the face.
I remember the talk Jake Adams gave to the club and read his recent interview in Coral Magazine. With all that info I decided it would be best to create a gyre in the tank. My plan is to place a Jabeo wp60 on the front and back of each overflow. They will each face their counterpart on the other side of the tank pointed slightly outwards. When the pump on the front right and back left are running, a gyre will be created with a clockwise rotation. After a few hours, the flow will be reversed by shutting those pumps off and turning on the front left and back right pump. This will create a counter clockwise rotation. My apex will handle the timing. I'm hoping this will create good flow around the perimeter of the tank and simulate tidal movements. This all sounds pretty good but I'm afraid this configuration would leave a dead spot in the very center of the tank. Sort of like the center of a whirpool. To fix this I will place one of my Tunze pumps on the center side of each overflow facing each other. I will have them alternate on and off.
I hope that wasn't too confusing but what do you think? I'm leaning towards the Jebao wp60s because I can't find a pump with as much bang for the buck and the wp40 I have has worked with no problems. If anyone has a recommendation for a different pump or configuration please I would be glad to hear it. I have been a busy guy with a lot of tank stuff involving lights, sand, rock and aquascaping not to mention dipping corals every 7 days but I will leave that for the next post.

 

[phg1960]

That sounds like it will be fine. One thing though. The center of a whirlpool is not a dead spot, it's just the opposite. You will have the strongest flow there.

 

[reefkeeper2]

Really? I must admit I know nothing of the dynamics of wirlpools or gyrs. If that is true I wouldn't need the Tunzes at all. This time I plan to hide them all by partially enclosing them in rock I'm going to cut just for the purpose.

 

[phg1960]

With everything you have, I'm certain you will be able to get the flow you want. It will just be a matter of playing around with the placement. Do you already have the Jebaos? You might be able to just use the Tunzes and bounce the flow off the tank walls. The wp-40 on my tank wreaks have 5 feet across the tank when in "else" mode. I'm sure a 60 would do the same in a 6' tank

 

[reefkeeper2]

There is a problem with the placement. Like I said in the previous post, I have to place the powerheads on the overflows. These overflows are 7"x8" and will be encased in special cut reef rock . I will have to decide on placement before the tank has water in it. I haven't bought the WP60s yet and wonder if the wp40s or Tunzes might be enough. Gyrs tend to build momentum and I might not need that much punch. Can't figure out how determine that though and the WP60s can be turned down. It would be nice to save some money....

 

[lex_lutha111384]

I would go with 60's personally, because ive seen much smaller tanks with multiple wp40s on them. They get great flow, but like you said before, at least you can turn them down if need be. Thats a big tank. I wish you all the luck and if you want any help, pleeeease ask cuz that would be fun for me

 

[phg1960]

So the new tank is going to be 84x44x30 with the over flows kinda sticking up like columns 16 inches from each side. Are the going to be centered between the front and back walls? I'm thinking mount then on the inside of the overflows so the left one blows toward the right wall and vice-versa. By hitting just before the corner, the flow will bounce off the back and bounce to the side. This in itself will start your gyro. I don't know if the Tunzes alone would be enough to get the flow you want though. We need to find someone to write simulation software.

You new set-up sound like it's going to be extra sweet. Can't wait to see the finished work. Just remember, there's always going to be something that makes you say, "I should have done this differently."

 

[reefkeeper2]

Yup, they will be centered between the front and back walls. With every new tank you try and fix what you didn't like with the last. I want the powerheads hidden and the rockwork around the overflows more natural and less bulky with rock. By covering them with a relatively thin sheet of cut coral rock I should be able to avoid piling large amounts of live rock up around them. We shall see. I bet it will be a lot harder than it sounds. I will post picks after I make them.

 

[Pinkskunk]

any progress Paul? I am very interested in your technique/idea on concealing the overflow box and powerheads.

 

[Pinkskunk]

here is an idea for hiding an overflow......... instead of cutting the rocks, you can build something like THESE

 

[reefkeeper2]

I have had to modify my plan for the overflows. It would have been fine if I was starting from scratch with frags. It became clear to me that attaching full grown colonies to the rock was going to be much more of a challenge. I'm going to have to choose a rock, drill a hole and place an acrylic rod that I can fit the coral on and then place it in an appropriate spot. So I'm not going to do a pre-fab construction around the overflows. I will do it rock by rock as I place the coral. I might apply epoxy to the overflows first though and cover them with sand.
As for the powerheads I have an idea that I will try out soon. If it works, I'll post it. If not...back to the drawing board.

 

[reefkeeper2]

I have had to modify my plan for the overflows. It would have been fine if I was starting from scratch with frags. It became clear to me that attaching full grown colonies to the rock was going to be much more of a challenge. I'm going to have to choose a rock, drill a hole and place an acrylic rod that I can fit the coral on and then place it in an appropriate spot. So I'm not going to do a pre-fab construction around the overflows. I will do it rock by rock as I place the coral. I might apply epoxy to the overflows first though and cover them with sand.
As for the powerheads I have an idea that I will try out soon. If it works, I'll post it. If not...back to the drawing board.