SPS Peninsula Tank - 1000L x 700W x 450H

[Michael_Reefer]

Update No.6

I've managed to work on a few little pieces whilst the glue dries, salt is mixing and the couriers make multiple visits to my house.

I made a few decisions about the exterior of the stand so have been able to get started on the construction. The tank will be in our lounge room and will be used as a partial room divider so it needs to fit in with our exciting furniture which is white and timber.
I decided to make the top and front end panel out of beech timber and i'll make the access doors out of white kitchen panels.

Here is a photo I took during the joining process of two of the beech panels.



A few more items arrived this week (not all pictured) which will allow me to set up the quarantine systems.

Here is a quick rundown of what I'm planning but will happily take some suggestions from those who have more experience.

I plan on quarantining everything before it goes in the tank (fish, corals, inverts, sand and rock.) I plan to do the tank transfer method for all of the fish. I have purchased two of everything so that I can have two identical quarantine systems set up and can then move the fish from one system to the next every 72 hours. I'll then drain and sterilise the previous tank.
I'm hoping that doing this will reduce the risk of introducing Ich into the system.

Once I have completed 5 transfers I will then keep each fish in quarantine for a further 3 to 4 weeks for monitoring. I decided to just buy a variety of medications to treat anything that shows up. I figured it would be less than ideal to quarantine a fish and then have nothing available to treat them if they become ill.

I won't be running any biological filtration during the tank transfer period for obvious reasons but have a media reactor ready to fill with Aquaforest Biofil for the 3 to 4 week period.

I think I'll introduce the fish into the system before purchasing any coral which means I'll have some time to setup the coral quarantine system at a later stage.




My Caribsea dry rock has been soaking in some saltwater since Jan 1st so I'll be periodically testing the water to see if there are any traces of phosphate.

I have also set up a temporary mixing station and have about 300l of saltwater ready to go for quarantining the fish.

[Michael_Reefer]

Update No.7

Hey all,

I have requested three separate quotes for the tank and sump build so hopefully I'll here back soon and can get the building process underway.

In the meantime, I made a trip to my new favourite store to purchase some of the Schedule 80 PVC plumbing. I'll post the link to their website below as their service was exceptional. They mainly deal with commercial scale projects but they went out of their way to help me get all of the fittings that I needed. They also chucked in a handful of offcuts for me to use for joiner pieces etc. The Schedule 80 isn't cheap but they gave me a lot better deal than the prices listed on their site.

http://www.merrimancontrols.com/index.p ... cts_sub/16



Now that I have most of the plumbing parts I'm able to start putting a few things together.

I have cut the PVC pipe for the overflow box as per the instructions that came with the Synergy Reef overflow. I am using the BeanAnimal overflow method.

In the photo below:

Right - The main drain (full siphon)
Centre - Emergency drain
Left - Secondary drain for minor fluctuations



After watching one of the MACNA talks on plumbing I decided to go to the extra effort on this build to ensure the plumbing is done correctly.
I set up my router table with a 45 degree cutter to put a chamfer on all of the PVC pipe ends.



My Ecotech Vectra M1 also arrived a few days ago. All of the reviews that I've read discuss how quiet the pump is but I was honestly shocked to hear (or not hear) just how quiet the pump is.

[Michael_Reefer]

Just a quick update on the progress of the stand.

With the help of my partner, we managed to move the stand into the lounge room. It required taking off a sliding door and going up and down some stairs but we got there in the end.

The stand isn't complete yet but I wanted to put it in position to get a feel for how big it felt in the room. It's pretty big but hopefully when there is a tank full of corals and fish no one will be looking at the stand.

I have a few more components I want to add to the stand to tidy it up/ make it look better which hopefully I'll get done tomorrow. I also need to make a trip down to IKEA to get some panels to make the doors.

I received one of the tank quotes back today and am expecting a second tomorrow. So hopefully it won't be too long and the building process can get underway for that.

I'll try and post some more photos up tomorrow of the stand in place.

[Michael_Reefer]

Update No.8

I've started putting the final coats on the stand now that it's in position. I still have two coats remaining but will have to do them later tonight after some drying time.





I lined the inside panels of the stand with sign writers board so that I can use the surfaces to write on. I'll most likely record the most recent parameters so that I can refer to it and monitor changes. I also think it looks clean which is an added bonus.



After being frustrated earlier in the build process about the look of the electrical housing I decided to order some cable management rails which arrived today.



Hopefully I'll get around to starting that component soon.

[colg]

Love the progress updates - keep ‘em coming!
Stand looks great in that position, tank will be a real feature to your house

[MitchD]

Achieved a lot in a month mate, keep us updated.

[Michael_Reefer]

Love the progress updates - keep ‘em coming!
Stand looks great in that position, tank will be a real feature to your house

Thanks mate, I'm also particularly pleased that the Mrs is happy with it there.

Achieved a lot in a month mate, keep us updated.

Thanks Mitch. I'm happy with the progress so far but it will slow down shortly as I'm almost at the point where I can't do anything without the tank and sump in place.


In the meantime I installed the ventilation fan in the cabinet and made a housing for it to make it look clean.

I've also been playing around with sump layout. Originally I was planning on making the sump 800l x 600w x 500h, placing the baffles in this footprint was going to be difficult so I've decided to go longer, narrower and shorter to simplify things. The new dimensions will be 1120l x 450w x 450h. This length is the full length of the interior of my sump but still allowing me to easily remove it if need be.

In the photo below I was experimenting with masking tape. The white pieces placed in the different sections are the footprint of the skimmer and return pump to make sure everything fits. I've also got plenty of room for a much bigger skimmer if I ever 'need' to upgrade.

The rectangular section that is masked off in the top right corner will be for the RO reservoir. It should hold about 50l.



Here are some screenshots of the new layout.

[Michael_Reefer]

Hey guys,

Just a quick update as I've been in Sydney for a few days and haven't done much on the build.

I received a third quote for the tank build and am waiting on one more place to get back to me by the end of the week.

Not sure if others have had similar experiences but the quotes varied significantly. I requested a price for the tank dimensions I want in low-iron glass and braceless and have had some stores tell me they can't make it braceless and that I will have to go euro and others say that it won't be an issue.

The quotes have ranged from $750 - $2000+ with the more expensive quotes being the ones who won't do braceless.

I searched the forums to find builders who were recommended by other members and one of those recommendations was the cheaper price. I'm assuming this is because they are based in Sydney and build more tanks (allowing them to source materials cheaper.)

I'm waiting on one more quote from Eastwood Aquariums so will hold off on my decision until then.


On a different note, I arrived home to find a few more goodies.



Very keen to see how this Kessil light performs over the refugium.

On my way back from the city I called in and picked up my panels from IKEA so I can start putting the doors on the stand.



High-gloss all the way. Hopefully I'll get these mounted tomorrow and possibly even start building the light canopy and electrical housing.

[Michael_Reefer]

Update No.9

I managed to make some progress on the stand today. I installed the panels and made a start on the electrical housing.

For the panels I had to make some modifications to get them to fit but i'm really happy with the final product.
To attach the panels I used a french cleat on the bottom and a cupboard catch on the top. I also lined the edge of each panel with a 10mm foam strip so that when each panel is on there are no gaps where light and noise can escape.





In regards to the electrical housing, I have only mounted the power boards and cable tracks so far. I plan on doing more but there are some things that need to happen first so I know where to place holes etc.




The electrician will be coming out on Monday to install a dedicated 15amp circuit for the tank (that is why the stand is out from the wall and in front of the window in the photos.

I'll most likely get started building the hood tomorrow.

[colg]

reducing sound and light from the stand sounds good but make sure you have some ventilation. Passive is ok but forced would be better. Reasons:
- fresh air supply to skimmer,
- heat dissipation
- humidity reduction for electronics.
I would suggest a few holes in the back, even better with a fan sucking in on the electric panel side and pushing out in the other corner.