A Golden Reef Tank
- Thread starter halmus
- Start date
We're heading to Grand Teton NP. I wish I was going to be on a beach. I guess our (my wife's) idea of a vacation is a half marathon. We're going to do that race, bike, and hike. I'm going to learn how to use my DSLR hopefully after owning it for a few years. Should be a good time. Im just happy to get away.
I haven't gotten pictures of the mixing station in progress yet, but here is the general sketch I worked up to build off of.
The left tank will be saltwater. Right fresh filtered. I am running separate DC pumps for each. Eventually, I will tie the speed/on/off of the pumps to a remote control. With the ability to pump the water overhead to various points in the system, I'll be able to turn them on/off up/down via the key fob remote.
The tanks are plumbed so that I could potentially turn them into a 300 gal mixing station with the turn of a valve.
Otherwise, I'll pump the fresh over to the salt station and mix the salt. I can pump either up into the overhead cable tray to run across the room with the turn of a valve.
I have plumbed in 1/4" access points so that I can potentially hook up peristaltic pumps to do a slow water change in the future if I want.
I also have drain lines at the bottom I will be able to hook up a long hose to. That way I can quickly hook into the plumbing and run the hose across the floor to the drain.
The last thing are quick access taps high enough to slide a bucket under if I wanted to fill those quick.
The left tank will be saltwater. Right fresh filtered. I am running separate DC pumps for each. Eventually, I will tie the speed/on/off of the pumps to a remote control. With the ability to pump the water overhead to various points in the system, I'll be able to turn them on/off up/down via the key fob remote.
The tanks are plumbed so that I could potentially turn them into a 300 gal mixing station with the turn of a valve.
Otherwise, I'll pump the fresh over to the salt station and mix the salt. I can pump either up into the overhead cable tray to run across the room with the turn of a valve.
I have plumbed in 1/4" access points so that I can potentially hook up peristaltic pumps to do a slow water change in the future if I want.
I also have drain lines at the bottom I will be able to hook up a long hose to. That way I can quickly hook into the plumbing and run the hose across the floor to the drain.
The last thing are quick access taps high enough to slide a bucket under if I wanted to fill those quick.
The tank on the top shelf is the approx 50 gal tank that will be the FWTO for all tanks in the room
The 3/4" line running to the top fills up the tank from the large barrel. I am going to incorporate some electronics into that tank in the future. For now, there's just a simple float switch at the top. A 1/2" line will run out the bottom to the various tanks for top-off.
The 3/4" line running to the top fills up the tank from the large barrel. I am going to incorporate some electronics into that tank in the future. For now, there's just a simple float switch at the top. A 1/2" line will run out the bottom to the various tanks for top-off.
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I'll be at a standstill for another few weeks. I cleaned up the space superficially for the time being. So, it's a good time to take some pictures.
I drained the fresh water from the fuge after soaking for months. I've replaced that water multiple times. I removed the plastic screen and I'll let that dry out for now. I need to buff the acrylic one last time.
I made a large cave structure in the fuge. That's kind of a cryptic fuge section. I have a closed loop system hooked up on the fuge
I drained the fresh water from the fuge after soaking for months. I've replaced that water multiple times. I removed the plastic screen and I'll let that dry out for now. I need to buff the acrylic one last time.
I made a large cave structure in the fuge. That's kind of a cryptic fuge section. I have a closed loop system hooked up on the fuge
Here's a closer look at the cave structure in the fuge. The closed loop has outlets back in this section. It's bigger and deeper than it looks in this image.
Looking at the back side of the fuge overflow. The bottom line feeds the closed loop which is a D.C. pump.
The other plumbing lines return to the main sump.
Looking at the back side of the fuge overflow. The bottom line feeds the closed loop which is a D.C. pump.
The other plumbing lines return to the main sump.
And finally, once I finish the plumbing, I will start on the light rack. This is the plan. I'm building an aluminum rack that will be on 60" ball-bearing glides. It will extend out over the end of the tank. That will allow me to get deep into the tank when needed. Otherwise, there will be quick access doors in the wood cabinetry. The wood will cover the aluminum rack and force all of the moist warm air back into the filtration room. The lights will all attach to the floating aluminum rack. That way, I'll have easy access to the lights for adjustments or bulb changes.
My plan right now for lighting is 4 x Radion G4 fixtures and as much T5-HO as I can pack in around that.
I used this model to layout the estimated space I'll have for lighting. That's the floating boxes above everything you can see.
My plan right now for lighting is 4 x Radion G4 fixtures and as much T5-HO as I can pack in around that.
I used this model to layout the estimated space I'll have for lighting. That's the floating boxes above everything you can see.
