110 gal Mixed Reef Build. 180 gal System

[lubeck]

Well I'm picking up a used 110 gal acrylic drilled tank and stand tomorrow for $300. 60x18x24.
As you can see it has a blue background and is drilled for a closed loop but does not have an overflow.
The stand internal dimensions are 58x15x28. I will need help with this dimension to get the most optimal sump.
So I have lots of questions. Here is round one of many
1. I need to build an overflow and was thinking coast to coast with bean pipe. Sound good?
2 what size over flow and pipe would I use ? 1.5"? How many drains and I was thinking of 1200 or 1800 gal overflow. What size pipe would the return lines be? How many? 2-1.5"?
3 I'm not a fan of the blue background and didn't know if there was any way to make it black? If not I will deal with it. If I have to stick with blue where do I get a blue acrylic overflow coast to coast?
4 I want to fit the biggest sump I can fit in the stand. I was hoping for a 75 gal but prob will only be able to fit a 55? I would consider modifying my stand to go wider if someone would help or suggest an alternative.
5 what is the best sump/fuge setup with a 55 or 75? Does any one have any good drawings I want the fuge to be big. I do have a 20 gal tall that I could repurpose and may be able to squeeze in if I went with a 55?
6 I'm going to utilize the closed loop. If you see in the pics it looks like the ID is 1"???? So could I use 1.5" return and intake for the closed loop? I was thinking of using the reef dart pump. Any comments?
7 do you think while I'm drilling I should add additional CL drains or returns?
8 what is used on the intake of the CL so fish don't get sucked up? Got pics?
9 I need to polish and get lots of scratches off the Panels. What to use? Can I use a electric sander? Is it best to do the whole tank or just the places that need it?
I want my turnover to be able to go up to at least 50x turnover





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[sweatervest13]

The tank looks good. A few scratches like you said, but they can be buffed out. I am not an expert on plumbing but I can say that I have read great things about a C2C overflow and the bean animal set up. Dead silent and super easy to tune.
I would think that a 55g sump would be a great size (if you can fit it under the stand). Melvesreef is a great resource for sump designs. A 55g would give you plenty of room to cram a ton of stuff into the sump.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Wow, that's a lot of questions. heh. I guess I could start answering some of them.
A 75g might be a bit too big to manage properly to be a sump - unless you plan on having a huge refugium or partitioning off a section to be an ATO reservoir. A 55g tank should be just about as big as you want to go, and even then you could partition off a 10g space for an ATO reservoir right next to your return chamber of the sump.
You want a 55x turnover in the tank, which means 110x55= 6,050gph going through your tank. A closed loop system is a great start, however, keep in mind that it is not the most electrically efficient thing in the world. The plumbing over time also builds up a slime layer of bacteria and sponges. The pumps over time if they break down, they are semi-difficult to replace and the external pumps are really freakin' expensive just to keep a backup. Also, straight linear flow from a closed loop isn't as good as something that can create some waves - so if you are going with a closed loop pump a possible oceans motions unit may be in order as well to give your SPS corals that back and forth flow of a tide that they like. Closed loop drains are covered by what is called a strainer. Keep in mind that if any small rocks, small snails, or even substrate gets into your CL drain, it could damage your pump or even stop it from flowing. There's a lot to consider when setting up a closed loop...
The scratches can be buffed out with an acrylic buffing kit. Your arm will be tired. lol.
That substrate has got to go! I would recommend using something that is very, very course grain, but not quite crushed coral. Since you are wanting to push a lot of water through your tank, it's going to be hard to keep sand in any one particular spot.
A coast to coast overflow would be neat. A beananimal coast to coast overflow would make it pretty silent as well.
For this monster tank, please consider adding a calcium reactor this time... GEO is what I would say is the best, but I am partial to Octopus brand products - so I went with an Octopus CA125 on my 75g. The GEO doesn't have a pH probe, which is a definite negative for me, but a positive would be the easy open hatch.
As for the blue background - find out what it is made of first. If it is a definite piece of blue acrylic, then your screwed as far as changing the color. If it is an acrylic paint, a cleaning with a plastic credit card could do it. If it's spray paint, you might could do the same. If it's a laquor paint you may have more difficulty - and I don't know what you could do about that. I know that mineral spirits is good for oil based paint. I also know that break fluid will strip paint as well - BUT DON'T DO IT until you know what kind of risk you are taking.
What kind of lights are you going with? I'm looking forward to the progress. Keep the pics coming!

 

[lubeck]

Thanks guys for the response still looking for more feedback from you reefers! I'm going to keep my two kessil 350w for now for lighting and see how the spread is. The acrylic back is blue, not painted so I guess I'm stuck with it. I'm going to keep my 2 mp10s for now for random flow but will prob have to upgrade to a mp40 or 60. Going to pick it up at 4 Can't wait. Keep the suggestions coming please!!!

 

[lubeck]

Picked up the tank already have water in to test for leaks. Pics coming. Any comments from above?

 

[lubeck]

Here is the tank filled for leak test. So far so good. The first thing I think I need to do is get the overflow installed. Should I do a coast to coast internal or external? Does it matter how deep the overflow is? As you can see from the pics there is a center intake for the closed loop that is about 5" from the top

 

[acrylic51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lubeck http:///t/394626/new-110-gal-mixed-reef-build-this-is-going-to-be-good#post_3512334
Well I'm picking up a used 110 gal acrylic drilled tank and stand tomorrow for $300. 60x18x24.
As you can see it has a blue background and is drilled for a closed loop but does not have an overflow.
The stand internal dimensions are 58x15x28. I will need help with this dimension to get the most optimal sump.
So I have lots of questions. Here is round one of many
1. I need to build an overflow and was thinking coast to coast with bean pipe. Sound good? Sounds good to me....the hard part is deciding internal or external.......

2 what size over flow and pipe would I use ? 1.5"? How many drains and I was thinking of 1200 or 1800 gal overflow. What size pipe would the return lines be? How many? 2-1.5"? Honestly if your interested in the BeanAnimal design you could easily get away with 1"....This isn't your typical or standard overflow setup so erase some of what you know or think a 1" bulkhead will handle....Read the thread over there and you'll see 1" is plenty, but nothing wrong with 1.5, just more cost and more space.......
3 I'm not a fan of the blue background and didn't know if there was any way to make it black? If not I will deal with it. If I have to stick with blue where do I get a blue acrylic overflow coast to coast? 2 options.....Sand it down removing the blue and repaint it whatever color you'd like or you could get 1/8" thick sheet of black and laminate it inside the DT covering the black........Not understanding your question on the blue coast to coast overflow.....You can buy different color sheets of acrylic, but your not going to buy a coast to coast overflow....You will have to DIY..........
4 I want to fit the biggest sump I can fit in the stand. I was hoping for a 75 gal but prob will only be able to fit a 55? I would consider modifying my stand to go wider if someone would help or suggest an alternative. Go as big as you can fit, but not sure what return pump your considering though.....If the sump is to big it becomes issues fitting a pump into things then......Any pump choices.......
5 what is the best sump/fuge setup with a 55 or 75? Does any one have any good drawings I want the fuge to be big. I do have a 20 gal tall that I could repurpose and may be able to squeeze in if I went with a 55? Go to melevsreef dot com.....Plenty of good examples and pictures.......
6 I'm going to utilize the closed loop. If you see in the pics it looks like the ID is 1"???? So could I use 1.5" return and intake for the closed loop? I was thinking of using the reef dart pump. Any comments? Best idea on plumbing size.....If you have some old fitting see what fits those bulkheads, but personally I'd replace them......Pull the bulkheads out and measure the hole opening.....Will give a pretty good indication what size bulkheads, but from pics more than likely 1".....There isn't any need to upgrade your CL returns to 1.5......Dart would be fine on a CL, but might want a little more.....Personally I'd opt for a Super Dart vs the regular Dart......
7 do you think while I'm drilling I should add additional CL drains or returns? Personally not a big fan of the bulkhead holes near the bottom.....Probably not the greatest location choice......I forgot to ask if those bulkheads are CL where is the supply for the CL at in the pics.......For reference you'd want your supply bulkhead for your CL if your considering a Dart or Super Dart to match the input of the pump.....You want to "flood" the volute of the pump and never restrict or cut it down coming from the tank......
8 what is used on the intake of the CL so fish don't get sucked up? Got pics? Take a look through my build thread.....I have some pics of what I did for my strainers for the CL.....Not intrusive at all, which anything store bought you'll find will be an eyesore and stick out quite a bit........
9 I need to polish and get lots of scratches off the Panels. What to use? Can I use a electric sander? Is it best to do the whole tank or just the places that need it? Depends really how bad the scratches are.....You might have to start with something like 120 or 220 grit and sand them out and then your going to want to get yourself Micro Mesh sanding disks and work through the progression of sanding disks....All the way to 12,000 grit.....Then your going to want to get some Novus 1,2, & 3 polish and work it out from there....The results are spectacular, but time consuming and tiring trust me......You can do your original sanding with a DA orbital sander, but don't go crazy.....It's super easy to really jack things up real quick if your careless or aggressively try to go after a scratch.....Slow and evenly.....Let the paper do the work, no force on your part.....The final buffing with the Novus polishes you can use a variable speed car buffer......
I want my turnover to be able to go up to at least 50x turnover Easily obtainable......




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[acrylic51]

Looking back at a couple pics, those definitely look and appear to be 1" bulkheads just from the look of the plumbing......Could be wrong, but is there anything you can make out on the plumbing.......Another quick question what is the thickness of the acrylic.....Looks like 1/2" material......Who built the tank as well.......1 thing that is wrong with the tank, and should be watched carefully is the cutouts at the top of the tank.....They are done wrong....You never square a corner in the cut like that......That is the biggest area of stress and will be the first to crack....Do a little searching around and you'll see those corners are suppose to be radius cuts, and squared corners will and do crack over time, so keep an eye on them.......

 

[acrylic51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lubeck http:///t/394626/new-110-gal-mixed-reef-build-this-is-going-to-be-good#post_3512442
Here is the tank filled for leak test. So far so good. The first thing I think I need to do is get the overflow installed. Should I do a coast to coast internal or external? Does it matter how deep the overflow is? As you can see from the pics there is a center intake for the closed loop that is about 5" from the top Very cute daughter......I'd opt to re drill the supply to the CL your talking about deeper in the setup......Perferably on the bottom, but safer is on the back wall IMHO, but definitely needs to be lower........C2C is my vote, and external....Why suck up good space inside the tank with an overflow......Overflow doesn't have to be deep.....Deep enough to house your plumbing.....Key to keeping the overflow quite up top is to minimize the distance the water drops from the tank to the water surface in the overflow box.....That can easily be fixed with adjustment in height of your stand pipes.......Check out my thread and you'll get some ideas as far as the overflow box/design.......


Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/394626/new-110-gal-mixed-reef-build-this-is-going-to-be-good#post_3512375
Wow, that's a lot of questions. heh. I guess I could start answering some of them.
A 75g might be a bit too big to manage properly to be a sump - unless you plan on having a huge refugium or partitioning off a section to be an ATO reservoir. A 55g tank should be just about as big as you want to go, and even then you could partition off a 10g space for an ATO reservoir right next to your return chamber of the sump. Not sure what you actually mean by "manage".....Why would a 55 be a big as he'd want to go......55-75 were talking dimensional difference really.....Height being the biggest issue against it IMO, but a bigger return chamber is definitely a plus IMO,
You want a 55x turnover in the tank, which means 110x55= 6,050gph going through your tank. A closed loop system is a great start, however, keep in mind that it is not the most electrically efficient thing in the world. The plumbing over time also builds up a slime layer of bacteria and sponges. The pumps over time if they break down, they are semi-difficult to replace and the external pumps are really freakin' expensive just to keep a backup. Also, straight linear flow from a closed loop isn't as good as something that can create some waves - so if you are going with a closed loop pump a possible oceans motions unit may be in order as well to give your SPS corals that back and forth flow of a tide that they like. Closed loop drains are covered by what is called a strainer. Keep in mind that if any small rocks, small snails, or even substrate gets into your CL drain, it could damage your pump or even stop it from flowing. There's a lot to consider when setting up a closed loop... Very good concerns.....But I've run CL with monster pumps....Hammerheads in the past with sand beds and no issues of sucking sand up through the CL intakes......The so called strainers that you'll find available are hideous.....Go to Lowes or HD and look at shower drain covers and do a little fabrication work to make them meet your needs.....As far as pump break downs.....Mmmmm not as common as what some might think.....Yeah things can and do go wrong, but with proper planning and implementation of valves and unions a pump can easily be pulled out of line and serviced; which should be done every 6 months.....Not a super big deal on the plumbing IMO building up sponges and such......As far as issues again with pumps.....Worse that might happen to your Reeflo is the seal go bad......shut the valve disconnect the unions on both ends......undo the front cover, remove impellor, pry the old seal out, clean area, press new seal into place with fingers, and then properly tap and seat the new seal and re install.........30 minutes tops......OM 4 allen screws to change out drum......Valves on all lines going from the and to the OM......Drain pump from drain hole in the Reeflo......change out drum/clean......re install, tighten screws, open supply valve to pump to check for leaks on OM if none apply electric and your off......
The scratches can be buffed out with an acrylic buffing kit. Your arm will be tired. lol. DA orbital sander......
That substrate has got to go! I would recommend using something that is very, very course grain, but not quite crushed coral. Since you are wanting to push a lot of water through your tank, it's going to be hard to keep sand in any one particular spot.
A coast to coast overflow would be neat. A beananimal coast to coast overflow would make it pretty silent as well. Would be dead silent.....
For this monster tank, please consider adding a calcium reactor this time... GEO is what I would say is the best, but I am partial to Octopus brand products - so I went with an Octopus CA125 on my 75g. The GEO doesn't have a pH probe, which is a definite negative for me, but a positive would be the easy open hatch. Geo's when ordered can be customized anyway you choose.....You can have the lid drilled to install a PH probe, but super easy to do yourself as well.......Compression fitting for the lid......
As for the blue background - find out what it is made of first. If it is a definite piece of blue acrylic, then your screwed as far as changing the color. If it is an acrylic paint, a cleaning with a plastic credit card could do it. If it's spray paint, you might could do the same. If it's a laquor paint you may have more difficulty - and I don't know what you could do about that. I know that mineral spirits is good for oil based paint. I also know that break fluid will strip paint as well - BUT DON'T DO IT until you know what kind of risk you are taking. Can be sanded down and repainted......
What kind of lights are you going with? I'm looking forward to the progress. Keep the pics coming!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lubeck http:///t/394626/new-110-gal-mixed-reef-build-this-is-going-to-be-good#post_3512379
Thanks guys for the response still looking for more feedback from you reefers! I'm going to keep my two kessil 350w for now for lighting and see how the spread is. The acrylic back is blue, not painted so I guess I'm stuck with it. I'm going to keep my 2 mp10s for now for random flow but will prob have to upgrade to a mp40 or 60. Going to pick it up at 4 Can't wait. Keep the suggestions coming please!!!
MP60's are way to much for the tank.....Guys with 150's are selling the 60's off.....Way overkill.....You'll never get them turned all the way up and some will argue why would you.....My argument is why the heck would you spend $775.00 on a pump and run it tops 1/2......On a 110 way overkill my friend not a wise investment.....

 

[lubeck]

Shawn you rock. Going to send you a PM.

 

[acrylic51]

Hey Bob....Shot you a text on the phone.....Give me a call anytime....Should be around the house plumbing the new shower in the master bedroom today.....

It was either I do it or the wife call a plumber.....That's fish tank money....

 

[acrylic51]

Might be off my rocker, but looking at the pics again might appear or seems the acrylic is 3/4" thick.....I do like the circular hole cut out in the euro bracing in the 1 corner.....Is it identical on the opposite corner as well.......

 

[lubeck]

Lol. Thanks. Yes there is an identical hole on the other side. What are you thinking it would be used for. I believe it is only 1.25" The tank is built a little different I believe the front and the sides wrap around and are 1/2" but the top,back and bottom are a little bigger than 1/4" I believe.

 

[acrylic51]

I have thoughts/ideas.....When we talk I'll fill you in....I wouldn't want to divulge any ideas ahead of time....That's your job and part of the excitement.......

 

[lubeck]

Thanks for all your help yesterday Shawn. Well I cleaned the tank last night with the novus. I may fill it with water to see if I can notice the scratches that are left. I only got step three done on the novus because I used step two playing around. So if I see any scratches still I will need to go to sandpaper and start all over.

 

[lubeck]

Just as appoint of reference the last pic is step three novus finished.
So I'm going to build a coast to coast external overflow and my biggest hang up is what type of holes to drill in the back of the acrylic and how low should those holes be? My thought was if I drill lets say 3 1.5" holes in the back of the tank for the water to pass through it would be loud and would need a great so fish and snails don't get sucked in to the overflow box. My second option and the one I'm leaning towards is using a drill bit and drilling or cutting a "grate" directly on the back wall from end to end. 1/4" hole with 1/2" spacing. Will that ruin the integrity of the tank based on my setup? What would be the best drill bit for this?

 

[acrylic51]

Hey.....Sorry couldn't answer the phone earlier when you called today.........
Tank looks pretty good after the 3......I'd get a bottle of 2 and work it out from there......It's a time consuming process, but the results can be amazing......I always like using the Micro Mesh first and then using the Novus polish.....Doesn't have to be done that way though......
On to your last post......Option 1 would probably be my last favorite option.....Either way there would have to be an overflow box.....That being said with the 3 holes drilled across the back to be efficient you'd want an internal overflow box to "skim" the water surface. You could just use the bulkheads to "skim" the water surface, but it would be less effective IMHO.....Plus water would really only be siphoned through 1 bulkhead not all three......You would have a "small" trickle of water through the open stand pipe, but not much surface skimming......The 3rd pipe wouldn't carry any water at all so it wouldn't be skimming anything. With that said option 2 would be my personal choice.......Technically you wouldn't need to loose any space inside the tank due to having an internal overflow box, and how I'd suggest it you would have good "surface skimming" ability, wouldn't compromise the integrity of the tank as well......I should mention using the 3 bulkhead holes wouldn't compromise the integrity of the tank as well.........
I'll try to illustrate the best I can with the pics I have, and if needed I can take additional pics for you on whatever you need......This is how I built my overflow.....A big key to me was teeth in the overflow.....Teeth do cut down flow vs not having any at all....But lets face it you have to think about the fish that might take the ride over into the overflow or the snails or what not....You want to try to minimize as much as possible anything making it's way into the overflow other than water........

Here's a pic of my overflow teeth.....Don't remember the spacing between them, but a big key to my design, was being able to remove the teeth if I wanted or needed to either to clean or really maximize flow.....

Here is a shot of the removable overflow teeth from behind....You can see that I routed out the edges of the teeth. This was done so the grating would sit flush with the tank wall, and basically when it's installed you would assume it's all 1 piece, and the fit is tight enough that they stay in place without water pressure against them, but are easily tapped out of place for cleaning.....

Here's a shot of my side wall of the tank where the overflow is located.....As you can see the teeth are in place, and the paper makes it appear they aren't flush, but they are flush with the side panel of the tank......I will try to get a better pic of this later......

Here's a decent shot of the overflow teeth in place......I'm hoping to stumble across the pics of how I cut the tank panel to accommodate the external overflow box.....But again gives you an idea of what you can do....

Here is a pic of my external overflow box.....You can go as big as you want, there's no hard set rule about size......

Here's a quick shot of the tank built and overflow box attached to the outside of the tank......

Here's a mock of of the standpipes in the overflow box.....Again the system is super easy to tune and is really super quiet, but adjusting the height that the water falls from the overflow to the water surface of the overflow box is key to making it dead silent IMHO......

Here shows part of plumbing started.....Take note that in the original thread the design was with 3 valves....It was later refined that you only needed a valve on your siphon line to tune and run the system......

 

[acrylic51]

Here's a quick glimpse of some of the bulkheads in the back of my display.....The 2 center bulkheads are 2" supplies for my CL's........Currently 1 is capped until I need to actually put the 2nd CL into action......
I remember strainers being mentioned a bit ago in this thread.....The disadvantage I see to what's available on the market for the hobby is they are bulky and intrusive IMHO......Here's a pic of what I did to "grate" my supply bulkheads off......


A couple dabs of PVC glue and glue the grates onto the front of the bulkheads and your set.......

 

[lubeck]

Thanks for the pics Shawn they a helpful. I'm leaning toward option two for sure. I found out I can aquire a router so this is what I'm thinking. I know myself well enough that im horrible at making the grates and so what if I used a router and made one continuous 3/8"(?) line from coast to coast (but leaving 3 inches on each end of tank). I really don't feel confident in welding an internal overflow and feel that I have more control with the external overflow. What do you think? I was thinking of making the line 1.5" from the top of tank.

 

[lubeck]

I got a lot done tonight. At least I think so. I finished polishing the tank with the novus 1 n 2. The tank looked really good. Then I decided to finish my closed loop and cut the 2" supply hole and added two additional 1" bulk heads so I will have a total of 5 return lines. As you can see it, made a mess and i had to clean the tank again.
Next is the overflow which I still haven't figured out yet.









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