Here is the documentation from my 500g outdoor tank build- enjoy!
MANY MANY MANY THANKS TO STEVE GARRETT for helping me out with the planning of this.
This tank was started in 8/2010- started as a soft coral tank, and over the year I noticed a large die off/withering away of the softies and the SPS took off. Ive slowly switched over to SPS as the majority of the coral outside.
The tank started off with no fish, and I noticed the pods were getting aggressive so I dropped in 2 dragonettes they are now fat and happy. Recent additions have been a 12line wrasse and a foxface rabbit fish-
I do not feed the tank as all of the macro algae growing and pods feed the fish outside.
Tank Size is 48x72x16 w/ 4 chambers
Skimmer is ASM G6 and return pump is Reeflo Marlin.
All electric equipment is inside a costco shed, nothing electronic is outdoors except for the cooling fans in the summer. Almost all of my equipment was purchased used (saved tons of $)
I have the sump (tomato bin) and other plumbing completed and insulated. Temperature swings range from 76 degrees in the winter to 82 in the summer. I get monthly water deliveries of salt water into a 550g poly tank. Water changes involve opening the ball valve by a pool drain and draining the sump. A reeflo snapper gets hooked up to my water tank and pumped back into the sump...super easy.
Top off is in a 55g barrel, w/ a 5 stage ro/di unit- waste water gets dumped into the pool (great pool refill in the summer). A float switch in the skimmer barrel pumps water into the sump when the level gets low.
My current draw on the kill-a-watt meter with skimmers and everything running was approx 250 watts (without the heaters on). For heating and cooling I am using a Ranco dual stage controller running 2 carpet fans, I have hooked up a 1hp chiller in line for emergency purposes and the heating is (6) different 300watt heaters set at different temperatures so it the temperature gets really low one will turn on, and then another, and then the last set. I was not able to get a gas heating system out to that area of the backyard.
The Lux Meter is reading 1200-1300 (x100) under full sun and 300-400(x100) lux under the Polygal Polycoolite light lens.
Stand is made of Treated lumber and aluminum tubing.
MANY MANY MANY THANKS TO STEVE GARRETT for helping me out with the planning of this.
This tank was started in 8/2010- started as a soft coral tank, and over the year I noticed a large die off/withering away of the softies and the SPS took off. Ive slowly switched over to SPS as the majority of the coral outside.
The tank started off with no fish, and I noticed the pods were getting aggressive so I dropped in 2 dragonettes they are now fat and happy. Recent additions have been a 12line wrasse and a foxface rabbit fish-
I do not feed the tank as all of the macro algae growing and pods feed the fish outside.
Tank Size is 48x72x16 w/ 4 chambers
Skimmer is ASM G6 and return pump is Reeflo Marlin.
All electric equipment is inside a costco shed, nothing electronic is outdoors except for the cooling fans in the summer. Almost all of my equipment was purchased used (saved tons of $)
I have the sump (tomato bin) and other plumbing completed and insulated. Temperature swings range from 76 degrees in the winter to 82 in the summer. I get monthly water deliveries of salt water into a 550g poly tank. Water changes involve opening the ball valve by a pool drain and draining the sump. A reeflo snapper gets hooked up to my water tank and pumped back into the sump...super easy.
Top off is in a 55g barrel, w/ a 5 stage ro/di unit- waste water gets dumped into the pool (great pool refill in the summer). A float switch in the skimmer barrel pumps water into the sump when the level gets low.
My current draw on the kill-a-watt meter with skimmers and everything running was approx 250 watts (without the heaters on). For heating and cooling I am using a Ranco dual stage controller running 2 carpet fans, I have hooked up a 1hp chiller in line for emergency purposes and the heating is (6) different 300watt heaters set at different temperatures so it the temperature gets really low one will turn on, and then another, and then the last set. I was not able to get a gas heating system out to that area of the backyard.
The Lux Meter is reading 1200-1300 (x100) under full sun and 300-400(x100) lux under the Polygal Polycoolite light lens.
Stand is made of Treated lumber and aluminum tubing.
