Adamc1303's 250 Gallon Reef Tank Build

[JimmyR1rider]

That sounds like it hurts like hell! I'll keep you posted once I get the stand issue fixed.

Nah didn't hurt too bad. I just thought for sure the tip was gone. On e I looked down and saw the flap still there I was relieved. You can always stop the bleeding and deal with it if there's meat there to work with.


Just keep me posted on dates.

 

[cali_reef]

It has more vertical brace but the center braces go to the floor. It's 2" steel most people use 1" or 1.5" so I am not worried about that. The biggest issue is bending it down 1/6 of an inch now so it sits flush on the floor.

I was thinking of the tank top bracing. What width did you ended going with? The CAD drawing makes it look narrow for a 8foot tank.

On the stand legs, I am not sure how much weight or bending force you'll need to straightens it out, it would be a lot:arg:. You can shim the leg with a piece of steel? That's a lot of weight on those six legs and I would not use wood shims.

 

[Adamc1303]

For the center brace I ended up putting in a 4.5" center brace. I now know it isn't supposed to be done that way but I found out after I already did the repair. I am not really concerned because the tank was originally just euro-braced so now the center brace is added support.

On the stand issue I got it semi-repaired. The steel guys came by today and actually cut part of it and then re-welded. The legs are good and the top brace has no hump on one side but it still has a hump on the other side. The hump is really small now maybe 1/32 or less. I am not too concerned with it but still concerned. Should I be? I was thinking of siliconing the plywood to the metal. I know the silicone won't bond to it too well but most people don't use anything anyway. I just want it there so I can maybe fill the gap a little and even out the hump and I also figured it would add some cushioning which i don't think can hurt. Has anyone done this before? Does it sound like a good idea or am I totally wrong here? I am still going to use the Styrofoam on top of the wood. I got .75" white foam. It's white on one side and chrome looking shiny silver on the other. I will put it in shiny side up. You never know If ever went bare bottom it would reflect light up which would get the sps coloration on the bottom too.

Thanks,

Adam

 

[Adamc1303]

I got the stand finally perfectly repaired yesterday and now it's on the new stand! It's 100% level and it's smooth and even all the way around. The only thing is that I can shake it a little and it moves, it's still empty though. I screwed the stand down to the floors. It isn't screwed down tight just enough that it doesn't shift when they put the tank on it.

 

[Adamc1303]

So I ordered my lighting. 2 Aquamedic oceanlight fixtures. Each has 2 x 250 DE MH and 2 x39W t5. These fixtures look very decent and used to be very very expensive. The Reason I went with them is because I know that eventually I will get LED's and while looking for used MH fixtures online I noticed the resale value has dropped like 90%! These cost me 138 buck each directly on Aquamedic's site under the refurbished section! You can't get a better price then that. Anyway my question is what bulbs combo should I go with. I like a very very blue tank. Should I go with Ushio20K's or XM 20k's. I also noticed a company called XDE. For the t5's what are the most blue / purple bulbs out there. How do the ATI purple fiji plus bulbs measure up? I checked Sanjay's comparison chart but it didn't have the Ushio 20K DE. It's a really cool chart and have virtually every bulb made (emphasis on made) because I don't see most of the bulbs available anywhere any more due to LED's taking over.

 

[ClownAquatics]

glad to see things are going well!

Ushio 20ks w ATi blue plus and ati purple fji plus will give you a nice blue look, but with the hint of reds and such.

When I ran halides I ran phoenix 14k w/ 2 blue pluses and loved the blue/color.

How is the healing coming?

 

[SPotter]

Adam, cant help you on the mh bulb but for the t5's I've tried both the KZ and ATI purple bulbs. IMO I think the ATI is a brighter bulb that brings out great color. The KZ has great color too but I felt like it wasnt as bright.

 

[Adamc1303]

Thanks guys, I will go with Ushio's with ATI purple plus. The healing seems to be going ok. I should have the cast off in a week. I will then have a brace of some sort and I still wont be aloud to bear weight on the foot yet. Can't wait to stand evenly on 2 legs and pee in a straight line!

 

[jackson6745]

EVC 20k is the best color of any 250w DE (blue) bulb I have used. Very close to a se 400w radium in spectrum. Only problem is that they are hard to find. I am on a waiting list at WindyCityreefs.com. These used to be helios 20k bulbs way back when.

 

[ClownAquatics]

Thanks guys, I will go with Ushio's with ATI purple plus. The healing seems to be going ok. I should have the cast off in a week. I will then have a brace of some sort and I still wont be aloud to bear weight on the foot yet. Can't wait to stand evenly on 2 legs and pee in a straight line!

Take it slow! I shattered every bone in my left foot and was in a wheel chair for 6 months. When it comes to your foot you can't be too careful.:teeth:

 

[Adamc1303]

The basic plumbing is done so far no leaks while the RODI water is being made. I started working on the manifold. I got a controllable reef life support system DC 10000 pump. It does around 2,600 GPH at 85 watts and will pull less juice as I set it to pump less water. My plan is to have the manifold feed a skimmer, 2 media reactors and a calcium reactor. In the summer months I will add a chiller and ramp up the power on the pump. I will also add one blank output on the manifold for anything in the future so I should have a total of 6 outputs. Here are some pictures of the tank getting filled.

 

[Adamc1303]

Tank is running! Now I cross my fingers and hope nothing snaps or cracks!

 

[Adamc1303]

Aquascaping is done, I am just waiting for the water to clear up a little. Tomorrow is Apex programming day until the super bowl starts of course. I can't take credit for the manifold plumbing since I had someone do it, he used RO push fittings and valves for everything which I am really liking.

 

[ClownAquatics]

Very fun! Looking good, one question can you still close what looks to be a window by your skimmer :hmmmm: lol

 

[Adamc1303]

Very fun! Looking good, one question can you still close what looks to be a window by your skimmer :hmmmm: lol

I use a cane for that! lol I can't lock it but I can push it closed or pull it open. there are bars on the outside so i'm not worried about security. I actually put the skimmer there so it can suck in fresh air.

 

[ClownAquatics]

Haha just making sure, oyy oyy the cane!

That is actually smart putting it near the window, a friend of ours runs that skimmer thing is a poo magnet.

Glad to hear things are moving in the right direction though .

 

[Adamc1303]

Haha just making sure, oyy oyy the cane!

That is actually smart putting it near the window, a friend of ours runs that skimmer thing is a poo magnet.

Glad to hear things are moving in the right direction though .

Thanks, i'm really impressed with the octopus skimmer. I turned it back on and it did this in about 5- 10 min! No break in period or anything of that sort. It super easy to dial in too.

 

[ClownAquatics]

EWW!

I was going to recommend connecting it to a skimmate locker so in case it overflows it shuts off automatically. Now that is what we like to call a skimmate shake :yuck:!

Any ideas of stocking list yet ? I think you can fulfill our dream and keep a bunch of angels .

 

[Adamc1303]

I don't know about angels. Maybe a flame, I've been able to keep them in a reef. I do want a nice pair of exotic clowns though!

 

[ClownAquatics]

A flame angel will be in my own personal tank eventually. I saw a specimen awhile back that was maybe the size of a half dollar. Definitely a gorgeous fish!

We can help with the clowns when you're all ready! MR members get 15% off our website prices.