Well, I've been working on this sucker since I got it last April. It
is finally running, even though there are still a couple of items to be tweaked. I started yesterday around 8:30am and finished last night (everything cleaned up) around 2am. I knew it was going to be a long day and a tough project since my current 75gal was sitting in the spot the 180 was going into. It's a total tank swap. Kudos to my wife for her patience with me and my mess.
A major thanks goes out to Bill Wann for his insight, ideas, and
assistance. Not to mention all the materials that he provided to help with the smooth transition.
Here's the details on the system:
Tank: 180gal Oceanic non reef-ready. I wanted it plumbed with a closed loop and overflows so I drilled 7 (really, 7!) holes in it. Many thanks go out to Joy and JT at Harbor Aquatics for their advice, tools, equipment, and assistance!
Stand: Self built pine stand 74"x25"x34". I wanted the stand to be taller to accomodate a beckett skimmer (next project). Unlike many others I didn't build my stand out of 4x4's. I modeled it after the AGA stand that I had on my 75gal so that I could reuse the cabinet that I had built to sit next to the smaller tank. A few mods (like 2"x6" instead of 1"x6" in the corners) and it's pretty solid. I still have to put the skirt around the bottom of the tank which you will see in the pictures.
Canopy: Also self built. It's a two piece canopy that I designed to allow great access and ventilation while also minimizing light leaks. I only have 2 of the 3 MH's on it so far but it seems to be a good design. I can slide the top piece forward and backwards to make more access. I also mounted 2 fans in the back blowing air in across the water to facilitate evaporative cooling. Thanks go out to RWD for the idea of beveling the front to reduce the "boxy" look.
Flow: A closed loop ran by a Dolphin 3600. It feeds up through the bottom in the middle of the tank and flows through 4 lines, 2 on each side of the tank. The bottom outlets are currently operated on 1" solenoid valves connected to a Tsunami wave timer to alternate flow back and forth. I'm hoping to put 2 more on the system for a full back and forth wave motion. The returns are plumbed up over the side and are driven by a Mag 24.
Filtration: ~300lbs (4"-5") of Southdown sand. Turboflotor 1000
skimmer until I get the beckett built. I also put in a 15gal refugium that contains 4 different varieties of macro. Lighting: 3 @ 400W 10000K bulbs and possibly some 50/50 actinic, I haven't
decided.
The tank was still very cloudy from the new southdown, but there's a
couple of pics posted here: www.geocities.com/scott_atk1969/180gallon
I still need to tweak a few things but will be doing the aquascaping today.
Regards,
Scott
is finally running, even though there are still a couple of items to be tweaked. I started yesterday around 8:30am and finished last night (everything cleaned up) around 2am. I knew it was going to be a long day and a tough project since my current 75gal was sitting in the spot the 180 was going into. It's a total tank swap. Kudos to my wife for her patience with me and my mess.
A major thanks goes out to Bill Wann for his insight, ideas, and
assistance. Not to mention all the materials that he provided to help with the smooth transition.
Here's the details on the system:
Tank: 180gal Oceanic non reef-ready. I wanted it plumbed with a closed loop and overflows so I drilled 7 (really, 7!) holes in it. Many thanks go out to Joy and JT at Harbor Aquatics for their advice, tools, equipment, and assistance!
Stand: Self built pine stand 74"x25"x34". I wanted the stand to be taller to accomodate a beckett skimmer (next project). Unlike many others I didn't build my stand out of 4x4's. I modeled it after the AGA stand that I had on my 75gal so that I could reuse the cabinet that I had built to sit next to the smaller tank. A few mods (like 2"x6" instead of 1"x6" in the corners) and it's pretty solid. I still have to put the skirt around the bottom of the tank which you will see in the pictures.
Canopy: Also self built. It's a two piece canopy that I designed to allow great access and ventilation while also minimizing light leaks. I only have 2 of the 3 MH's on it so far but it seems to be a good design. I can slide the top piece forward and backwards to make more access. I also mounted 2 fans in the back blowing air in across the water to facilitate evaporative cooling. Thanks go out to RWD for the idea of beveling the front to reduce the "boxy" look.
Flow: A closed loop ran by a Dolphin 3600. It feeds up through the bottom in the middle of the tank and flows through 4 lines, 2 on each side of the tank. The bottom outlets are currently operated on 1" solenoid valves connected to a Tsunami wave timer to alternate flow back and forth. I'm hoping to put 2 more on the system for a full back and forth wave motion. The returns are plumbed up over the side and are driven by a Mag 24.
Filtration: ~300lbs (4"-5") of Southdown sand. Turboflotor 1000
skimmer until I get the beckett built. I also put in a 15gal refugium that contains 4 different varieties of macro. Lighting: 3 @ 400W 10000K bulbs and possibly some 50/50 actinic, I haven't
decided.
The tank was still very cloudy from the new southdown, but there's a
couple of pics posted here: www.geocities.com/scott_atk1969/180gallon
I still need to tweak a few things but will be doing the aquascaping today.
Regards,
Scott
