My 90 project... This is gonna take awhile

[BobNY]

That was good move getting the RR tank instead of your other one. You will be much happier with that.

It seems like your well on your way to having most of your equipment.

 

[strgazr27]

Should have bought a RR to begin with Bob but you know how that goes Lol. I'm pretty psyched. I pick up the light fixture tomorrow and hopefully the skimmer by Friday. I'm looking into a used 90 for the sump as it will allow me a huge 'fuge area as well as plenty of room for the skimmer, pump etc. The picture below is where the tank will ultimately be. The other side of the wall behind it will be a partially finished "Equipment Room" which will be 6X6 so I have plenty of room for everything. The soffit above the tank has an open back and the fixture will hang from it with the cords going up through it and into the room. I'm going to call you in a week or two. Would love to stop by, see your tank and talk about plumbing this beast and building the sump.

 

[pauliwalnuts]

Nice build you got going.
I'm also a big believer in refugiums. And the bigger the better.

 

[strgazr27]

Thanks Pauli! I value your opinion. So you think the 90 would be the way to go if I have the room?

 

[strgazr27]

So I managed to get the tank masked and sprayed first thing this morning. What a difference. Several coats of Krylon ultra flat black. Dries fast, sticks really well to the glass and it goes on with no runs.

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[strgazr27]

Not the best shot but a front view...

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[tosiek]

How big are the openings in the hood height wise? From the pics it looks a bit narrow which you will curse later. Might want to add a section of the front to hinge up or something to give you extra room if you ever need instead of removing the whole hood. Otherwise it looks great.

Make sure you seal the stand properly inside and out. Going to be alot of swelling and warping when the moisture hits all that shop grade ply and pine/poplar.

 

[fishman1069]

Looks great!! I also belive in a big fuge! I say the bigger the better. I went from a 6 gal fuge in my sump to a 30gal display fuge and it improved my water big time! Good luck with it, cant wait to see that sucker full!

 

[strgazr27]

How big are the openings in the hood height wise? From the pics it looks a bit narrow which you will curse later. Might want to add a section of the front to hinge up or something to give you extra room if you ever need instead of removing the whole hood. Otherwise it looks great.

Make sure you seal the stand properly inside and out. Going to be alot of swelling and warping when the moisture hits all that shop grade ply and pine/poplar.

Tos,

The canopy and stand is actually for my best friends 90 Discus setup. I'm hoping to finish it by next week so I can start on the stand for mine Lol. The doors are 7" tall. What I didn't show was how the entire canopy tilts up out of the way. Access is not an issue.

You are correct about sealing the wood. I installed custom hardwood floors for the likes of Joan Jett, Bobby Nystrom, Clark Gillies, Billy Joel etc for 12 years so I am in my element when it comes to wood. And the stand is cabinet grade, void free birch ply w a combination of Basswood and Pine trim.

 

[strgazr27]

Looks great!! I also belive in a big fuge! I say the bigger the better. I went from a 6 gal fuge in my sump to a 30gal display fuge and it improved my water big time! Good luck with it, cant wait to see that sucker full!

Thanks Fish! That makes 2 of us Lol.

 

[strgazr27]

New lighting fixture

I met Cris (CaptainCrunch) at Fishtown USA in Queens today to pick up the Current Outer Orbit setup from him. He is a first rate reef guy and a pleasure to do business with! The unit was even nicer than his pictures showed.

I'm really not crazy about the look of the Phoenix 14K bulbs and will likely be swapping them out for a pair of XM 10K bulbs in a few weeks. The bulbs are less than 4 months old but I'm old school when it comes to MH's. I LOVE the warmer look of 10K's. Call me crazy!

I will also likely hang the fixture as the look is growing on me and the fixture is so nice looking. Hate to hide it in a canopy/hood. Access would be much easier also.

Here are just the 130W PC's

Here it is with everything on. 2 150's and PC's. Even adjusting the cameras color balance can't ease the blue glow Lol.

And all the tank lights lit and the room lighting on..

One thing I am a little disappointed in are the "LED Moonlights" built into the unit. Barely visible, even in a completely dark room. I am wondering if they are UV? Couldn't find any info on that subject. That or I just plain missed it.

 

[strgazr27]

Almost finished with the "Test sump". I say test as its a proof of design. If it works out I will be selling it and making a duplicate out of acrylic.

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[strgazr27]

Different angle. I followed Melevs tips on routing 'Fuge drain teeth and it worked perfectly.

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[MIKE NY]

very nice..I found the 10ks to be too white even with the actincs....if you want alittle more blue look into reeflux bulbs...I was using 250 10k reeflux bulbs for awhile until the 12k came out....alittle bluer, but not as blue as the 14s

 

[BobNY]

Looking Great Bobby!!!
I like 14k's. When I bought my bulbs I thought I wanted the color more toward white than blue. I now kind of wish I went more toward blue. Since you have the 14k's I would setup with those, then buy the 10k's if you dont like the way it looks. I bet once you get some coral in there you will love how the color's look under the blue better.

 

[strgazr27]

very nice..I found the 10ks to be too white even with the actincs....if you want alittle more blue look into reeflux bulbs...I was using 250 10k reeflux bulbs for awhile until the 12k came out....alittle bluer, but not as blue as the 14s

Thanks Mike, I'll check them out. And Congrats again!

 

[strgazr27]

Looking Great Bobby!!!
I like 14k's. When I bought my bulbs I thought I wanted the color more toward white than blue. I now kind of wish I went more toward blue. Since you have the 14k's I would setup with those, then buy the 10k's if you dont like the way it looks. I bet once you get some coral in there you will love how the color's look under the blue better.

That's what I'm going to do. I think it's just that the 14's don't look "Natural" if you know what I mean.... When we went to St. Lucia for our honeymoon and I went snorkeling the reef was lit up with this golden shimmer that I will never forget. Would love to recreate that look.

Any further with your setup?

 

[BobNY]

Any further with your setup?

Yeah, I finally put some life in there this week, but I am already seeing some hair algea. Looks like I am already going to have a battle on my hands.

 

[sijohnjohn]

Gorgeous tank! im going through a similar project as we speak with a 110gal. I will post pics soon. Keep posting progress maybe we can exchange some ideas.

 

[strgazr27]

Gorgeous tank! im going through a similar project as we speak with a 110gal. I will post pics soon. Keep posting progress maybe we can exchange some ideas.

Thanks for kind words! Looking forward to your build. Would have loved a 120 but this deal was too good to pass up