360 gallon build

[maze531]

My 125 is full and I ran across this tank. Can't wait to get it running I want to start a build tread so I can see progress as well kind of wish I did this with my 125.

Step one put in place.

Step two put child in to clean tank.

Working on the plumbing now. Wish me luck.

Need a bigger sump only have a 55 gallon right now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Zoarder]

I have a 120 sump I was planning on selling. Nice tank btw.

 

[RY@N]

enjoy the build!

 

[SchnitzelReef]

My 125 is full and I ran across this tank. Can't wait to get it running I want to start a build tread so I can see progress as well kind of wish I did this with my 125.

Step one put in place.

Step two put child in to clean tank.

Working on the plumbing now. Wish me luck.

Need a bigger sump only have a 55 gallon right now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks Awesome. What's the dimensions? And give us some more info!? What do u plan on using for lighting? What about filtration ?

 

[maze531]

Schnitzel thanks for asking. Currently I have picked up 2 Chinese led boxes I think I'm going to need one or 2 more. It's going to be a while before lighting is needed so I'm waiting to find good deals on them used. This is a 8'x2'x3' tank. Filtration I've been collecting dry live rock I think I currently have about 100 lbs. thinking about buying some dry rubble from my lfs he said he would make a deal for bulk. From the tank into filter socks in the sump. I currently am planning on using the 55 gallon tank I have as the sump until I find something bigger zoarder I sent you a pm about yours. I am trying to find a someone with a scratched up 125 for cheap to be honest. I will also still need a large skimmer, but have been hearing a lot about turf scrubbers do any of you guys run those? Well like I said a work in progress. One step at a time and collect things as I find them. Always up for input. Let me know what you think.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maze531]

Oh for the ato I'm thinking and wanted to hear what you guys think. My RO is right next to where the tank is. So what do you think of t-Ing off the ro line and putting a float switch in the sump. Only fault I can see here is if the float sticks but I could switch the water off if I knew I was going to be gone for long periods of time. Has anyone ever done this before?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ERIC1975]

I have a few of those full spectrum led boxes used for like 6 months. I can give you a good deal lmk.

 

[SchnitzelReef]

Oh for the ato I'm thinking and wanted to hear what you guys think. My RO is right next to where the tank is. So what do you think of t-Ing off the ro line and putting a float switch in the sump. Only fault I can see here is if the float sticks but I could switch the water off if I knew I was going to be gone for long periods of time. Has anyone ever done this before?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Your not gunna want to use a float valve. It will turn the RO/di on and off 50 times a day. Your gunna burn through di resin if you go that route. U need a float switch and a solenoid. Hook that up to a timer to only turn on twice a day. That way it will allow your RO filter to run for longer periods of time. Check out auto top off .com

 

[maze531]

Good call schnitzel I didn't even think about that. I will check out the website.

Eric I sent you a pm about the lights I am interested.

What would you guys recommend for a return pump?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SchnitzelReef]

Good call schnitzel I didn't even think about that. I will check out the website.

Eric I sent you a pm about the lights I am interested.

What would you guys recommend for a return pump?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fluval sp6

 

[Emac909]

Hey Robert. It's nice to see another large tank going up. I would go buy 2/3 50gal food grade barrels and set your self up a top off mixing station. I know nick and my self have ours out side in a storage shed. With the lines running through the wall of our houses. I would suggest doing that. I have not had an issue yet with heat having my top off outside. I keep 1 full of ro/di and the other with salt. This is what I did. Also I lifted them above my sump so that they would gravity feed on a float valve and I wouldn't need another pump using power.
View attachment 42161
Now for filtration. I do recommend having a big enough skimmer or skimmers (yes I said skimmers with an s) to handle that much water. But I do like algae turf scrubbers as well. I'm currently running two types of scrubbers on my 300 gallon tank. The first one in my sump that the tank water encounters is an under water ats.
I basically have have this scrubber in the first bubble trap. So I don't have to have an air pump to add the bubbles. Then the water goes through my refug. Then another set of bubble traps then the last algae turf scrubber. This scrubber is a falling water scrubber. Then the water goes through another bubble trap and in the last chamber I've got 2 skimmers, a bio pellet reactor, and a uv sterilizer.
I do like running the two different types of scrubbers. I've noticed that a different type of algae grows on each scrubber. The under water scrubber gets a true turf style algae growing on it that is thick like sea grass and the falling water scrubber gets green hair algae growth on it. Then for the skimmers. They only run when the pH in my tank goes lower then 8. So the skimmers hardly ever turn on.

 

[maze531]

eMac this is some good info thank you. For the turf scrubbers did you buy them or make them?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Emac909]

eMac this is some good info thank you. For the turf scrubbers did you buy them or make them?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Made them.

 

[maze531]

Do you have a tread on how you did that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Emac909]

Do you have a tread on how you did that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Try searching this whole thread
http://www.socalireefs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32129

 

[Emac909]

The sump on post 461 is the same sump I have on my 300 gall

 

[Adrock]

Your not gunna want to use a float valve. It will turn the RO/di on and off 50 times a day. Your gunna burn through di resin if you go that route. U need a float switch and a solenoid. Hook that up to a timer to only turn on twice a day. That way it will allow your RO filter to run for longer periods of time. Check out auto top off .com

but more importantly as the systems turns off there is back pressure so when it turn on again high tds water will run through the system and into your sump specially if u do not have a auto back flush system that in turn will cause algae problems among other issues

 

[maze531]

Awesome thanks guys I will check these out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maze531]

eMac so much info to take in from that build. What an awesome tank build. A question I have is what is the ats screen that you used?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Emac909]

eMac so much info to take in from that build. What an awesome tank build. A question I have is what is the ats screen that you used?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On my old 180 (witch was the link I added) I used a falling water scrubber in the beginning. Then after a year or so later I got a diatoms bloom in the tank witch was caused by a silica build up. ATS work really well at eliminating phosphates in the aquarium by breaking them down and having a place where they can be used as fuel for the algae that grows on the screen. But ATS do nothing for silicates. So on the 180 I had to use gfo to pull the silicates out witch caused the elimination in phosphate and caused the screen to stop producing algae and the screen died. Then I tried to put a new falling water screen when I put the new sump in but it never really produced. So I tried an UWS (under water scrubber) and had better luck with it.
Ok so enough with that old tank. So when I put the new 300 up I used my old sump from the old tank. I kept the UWS going but went back to skimmer as well. Then just recently I've felt that I wasn't getting the results from the UWS and skimming like I has with a FWS (falling water scrubber). So I put one back in. Here's a pic from under my tank


Here's the UWS

I just cleaned it yesterday so it look patchy. Here's what I got off

Then my fug

It's filled with 3 types of caulerpas
Then the FWS

And a big ball of chaeto under that.

The key to having a healthy ats is the lighting and keeping the right spectrum of light to grow the algae. When I first started using ats I use to use day light cfl bulbs. But the cfl bulbs only hold there par for about 3 months. So I was constantly changing out bulbs. I was getting sick of that and looking for other options. Natural sun light would be the best but even if I did run a line out side and setup a scrubber on the side of the house I would of had to deal with temp issues and environment issues so that wasn't an option, even tho I thought pretty hard about it. Then I thought what about a MH day light. Like a 175 watt those bulbs kick out a whole lot of par. But then the heat I would have to fight would be pretty hard to deal with. One day I google searched hydroponic grow lights (cause they give off the par and spectrum u need to grow algae). I found all types of lights from MH, giant cfl bulbs, and LEDs. So I went on eBay a searched "hydroponic led grow light" and found one in the size I needed from a pretty good deal. I bid on it and won. That led light has been growing algae like a champ and still is. If your planning on running an ATS get a hydroponic led light for it.