Jac's Adventure

[JacP]

Introduction:

Hi, I am Jacques, Jac will do just fine. I had an 8ft 500 gal marine tank, set up in 1990 and maintained for 20 years while living in Asia.
We have settled back into life in Oz, and are just about to pour the slab on an extension to the house. This will be a large room, lounge and dining, with pride of place being the new Aquarium as the divider.

System Objectives: A full reef tank, that can be maintained well, despite 3 young kids.

System Type: Mixed Reef

Display System:

Strike up Date: TBA

Display Tank: 2800L x 1100W x 850 H

Display Lighting: T5 HO and LEDs

Stand: Steel, powder coated

Hood: full hood, on ceiling mounted actuator to rise 60 cm for access

Sump: Located in the basement, 12 meters away and 1 fllor down. Size approx. 2000L x 750W x 500H

Refugium: TBA

Refugium Lighting:TBA


Support systems:

System Water: Natural salt water

Display Water circulation: Closed Loop

Return Pump:TBA

Skimmer: JNS

Evaporation Top Up:Auto topup


Chemical Support:

Calcium Addition: TBA
Alkilinity Addition: TBA
Other Chemical Maintenance: Magnesium etc

Current Water Chemistry: 0
Nitrates:
Phosphates:
Alkalinity:
Calcium:
Salinity / Specific Gravity:
Magnesuim:

[JacP]

Now that Col was kind enough to steer me in the right direction, and even post in the right place, I will make an attempt to upload the background info of the build, and status to date.

We live on Sovereign Island, Paradise Point, Gold Coast. We bought the next door block, and amalgamated it. On April 2 we knocked down the boundary wall, and started on the site prep . Over the last 4 weeks, all the general plumbing was done, and then the special plumbing just for the tank. The deal with my wife was, if I get my tank, she gets her fireplace. Good deal, right !
The other part of the deal is no noise, water barrels and heat from the tank, as it is in the middle of the room, as the divider between Lounge and Dining. I had the sump under the tank set up before, so agreed to these terms. As a result the design calls for the Sump being located in the basement, which is about 12 meters away and one floor down. This brings with it all sorts of technical and logistical problems.
We had to core drill through the slab to get 11 holes down to the basement - 6 x 50mm, 4x 40mm and one 25mm.

[JacP]

Now can someone show me how to upload images please :-)

[colg]

Hi Jac,
You need to use a third party image hosting site like photobucket. You can use the photo library on here but it is a little more tricky. Can even use Facebook but there are some challenges with that as well..
There are updates to the forum planned that will hopefully simplify the process.

Basically you need to upload your pics to the third party source and then use the image or URL buttons on the post screen:

Or
[url][/url]
Copy and paste the photo location between the brackets. Click the preview post button to see if it worked before submitting.
There are a few posts that explain in more detail that I'll try and find.

[JacP]

Col,
thanks. I opened up an account with DropBox, and uploaded several folders there. I then tried to go back to the MASA site, TJ and POSTREPLY, clicked the url, but then hit the wall... how can i paste the location of where the image is on Dropbox ??
After seeing all the wonderful images others have posted, I cannot imagine they would have had to go through this drama to upload them, so clearly I must be as dumb as bricks or i am missing something here ???
Jac

[JacP]

[JacP]

[JacP]

[JacP]

Thanks to Col's great patience and support, I was able to upload the images above.
We are all set to finish the form works tomorrow, and pour the slab on Tuesday morning. !

As the images show on the plumbing, we played it safe, and ran a series of 50mm and 40mm pipes for the main tank to sump return, and also the second cycle which will be a Closed Loop for internal water circulation.

With the size of the tank at 2800x1100x850, and all 4 sides view-able, a remote sump down one floor, my goal of having no pipes or wires visible, and none of the usual MP 40 or MP60 heads stuck to the viewing panels - this is where it gets interesting... or confusing, or maybe both.

There has been much discussion on which pump to use for the main return, considering the length of pipe ( approx. 12 mtrs) from tank to basement sump, and then the head loss in pumping it back up from the sump to the tank. I am sure we can arrive at the right pump to get this job done, as we only need about 3 to 4 times water volume per hour for this cycle.

The Closed Loop, has been planned to have 2 x 40mm pipes, drilled into the bottom of the tank, at the 'step-down' to draw water from the tank, then run to the basement, and through the pump, then up again to the tank. This plan calls for a 50mm hole drilled through the floor of the center Overflow box, up to above water level, then split into a left and right line, through an Actuator, and each side runs a 25mm line along the Euro bracing with a series of duck bill outlets, each with their own value.

Comments to date : -
Main return - we are planning to use a high quality DC Pool pump, commercial grade here, which from the specs will handle the head and be able to deliver the 3 to 4 times water turn over per hour we want for the sump. As a stand-by we plan a second of the same pump, to be plumbed in right next to the main pump, so if anything every fails, we can switch over in 1 minute, pull out the faulty pump, and still be operational.
Closed Loop - we will not get enough water flow unless we amend the plans to have the pump under the tank, in the stand cabinet.?? I have seen others use 4 separate pumps for this, each plumbed through the tank floor. I was steered to, and very impressed with the tank set up of Michael in 2012, as Galleri 1390... a class act, and a goal I have to even come close to with this build.
He encountered some issues with noise, but I just love the idea of being able to control the flows with 4 separate pumps.
The alternate set-up for the CL is to have one bigger pump, under the tank in the stand cabinet, with the return split through a maniford into 4 or 6 20mm pipes that punch through the tank floor, then with flexible pipes , so the flow can be adjusted, and they can be hidden under the rocks.

This then is the topic I am opening for discussion, advise, debate or violent reactions.
We were under the hammer with the slab being poured, so we played it safe and plumbed in the big 40 and 50mm pipes, based on the original concept, of having both cycles run to the basement.
If somehow, we decide to change to the Closed Loop being run to a pump under the tank, we can cap those pipes, and allocate a space under the tank, that will be only for the pump, so yes a compromise to the desired design of all equipment and noise remote, but with some of the new DC pumps, I am assured they are very silent, and i will be able to face my wife.

Enough for today. It is my Daughters 9th Birthday, so I am outta here.
Thanks again to Col for his support, and hope to make this a project that captures all of our dreams, theories, ends up with a grand design.

Jac

[wayne2.0]

Looks like it will be a great tank.

The new DC are mostly silent and don't produce much heat which is a plus.

4 Sides does limit your options for water movement, could the water enter the tank from above? could make it like a crashing wave that way to if you wanted too.