Dave's epic start

[dbowman]

When I first got the itch I was thinking DIY so i looked at ideas online. I decided that I wanted a display tank with an over the top overflow. I would have a sump with a skimmer, refugium and return section. I read that a 75 gal. tank was a popular beginner size. At the time I had a 55 gal freshwater aquarium

[dbowman]

A Marineland 75 combo with stand was the tank I was considering. In May I found one on sale and bought it. Patiently planning to set it up when I was ready, I put it in my dining room. I reconsidered and decided that saltwater was too expensive and too much work so i set it up as a freshwater.

By July I had reconsidered
The problem that I saw was that I did not know what DIY ideas would work. Rather than setting it up, I thought it made sense to create a pilot system to test out my plans. I measured for height and cabinet room. I checked out craigslist for used equipment
In August I found a 32 gal bowfront and went to get it. The guy had more stuff and for a little more, I bought a 26 gal rectangular that had been used as a sump. No baffles but i could see traces of silicone where they had been. I had no stand but found plans online for a stand. I was going to put the sump under the 75 so I built the stand to put the top of the bowfront at the height of the 75 on its stand. (1.)

[dbowman]

ok i tried i wanted to insert pictures where i wanted and cannot

[dbowman]

By July I had reconsidered
The problem that I saw was that I did not know what DIY ideas would work. Rather than setting it up, I thought it made sense to create a pilot system to test out my plans. I measured for height and cabinet room. I checked out craigslist for used equipment
In August I found a 32 gal bowfront and went to get it. The guy had more stuff and for a little more, I bought a 26 gal rectangular that had been used as a sump. No baffles but i could see traces of silicone where they had been. I had no stand but found plans online for a stand. I was going to put the sump under the 75 so I built the stand to put the top of the bowfront at the height of the 75 on its stand. (1.)

[dbowman]

I bought a Sicce Silent 2.0 for a return pump. i bought a Bubble magus Curve 5 skimmer. The skimmer would sit with about an inch above the top of the sump giving me plenty of room inside the stand to service the cup. This skimmer was supposed to need 11.5 inches of liquid for optimal operation, so I used that for the height of the first baffle. the Sicce pump needed about 6 inches to stay submerged so decided 8 inches would be the last baffle. the refugium could surge up to 11" without disturbing the skimmer. I bought a couple of heaters and a couple of power heads. I bought Current USA Orbit Marine loop lighting. I had baffles made and got concerned about being able to seal the baffles into the used tank when for $1/gal I could have a new tank. I bought one. When the baffles came they did not fit the new tank. My measurements were wrong. I could turn them sideways and trim one of them to fit. But the bubble traps i had wanted got lost. Also 1/4 glass is hard to cut by hand.


in this picture the skimmer would be on the right, the return section is on the left beyond the eggcrate sandwiched around the baffle. plastic cross stitch fabric slips between the eggcrates to block macroalgae and large organisms from the return pump.
The Sicce pump had plenty of flow for 4 feet vertical head.

[dbowman]

While waiting on the baffles i tap water tested the plumbing to make sure the tank would not overflow or lose siphon in the overflow. I bought a pump control kit to shut off the return pump before it overflows the display. the float with snail guard is in the center of the tank, this is Sept. 19

The overflow sticks into the pvc on the left. the drilled holes were my first try to provide enough flow with out draining too much if the return pump stops.

[dbowman]

the pvc here was supposed to have circular saw cut slits in the top. The fingers broke so that fish could slip through. I wrapped the top in cross stitch fabric that could be removed as needed. that worked. By this time I stopped painting pvc because i realized that i would not use it in the eventual aquarium.

[dbowman]

here is the sump after being in use. The skimmer is now at the manufacturer's recommended depth. when i first put it in, before it had broken in, i had to put plastic squares under it raising it 5 inches. this concerned me enough that I started to think of abandoning the 75 plan. The issues of humidity inside the stand, the cramped conditions, the height of the skimmer, carrying water upstairs, started me thinking of just having this system as my saltwater option. I found it pleasant to be able to focus on the saltwater in the basement with no other distractions like in the dining room.

At this time i was topping off by hand. Several times the pump blew micro-bubbles before I was aware that it needed water. The overflow worked ok and the overflow protection kept the floor dry. Over all the plans were working, But...
I have a friend with an AIO. That tank kept drawing me back to... So I told him of my reservations and that i wish i could deliver water to and from the basement. Over time I thought about it and wished I could put a sump in the basement but the sump would have problems with the amount of water in the plumbing and the pumps that I could find were not sufficient to lift the return water upstairs.,

[dbowman]

One idea would be to increase the sump size so it wouldn't overflow. As it happened i had a 55 and a 75 freshwater tank. The 55 was heavily populated but the 75 was lightly loaded. Below where the 75 was was my furnace and hot water heater. Where the 55 sat there was a shelf unit below it. Long story shorter:
I determined to empty the livestock from the 55 into the 75.
Leave the 75 as freshwater and convert the 55 into a sump.
Buy a new 75 and put it in place of the 55. I was thinking of the 75, by Christmas the price was dropping. Merry Christmas to me.

[dbowman]

Find a pump that would lift 10 vertical feet. Originally I counted 9 vertical feet plus 3 90's to get over the top for 12 feet of head; by drilling the return I saved 2 feet.
originally i wanted a DC variable pump but i was advised that they did not perform well with a large head. i found a Hydor Seltz AC vario 2400 that looked like it would perform well and give me 6 settings for adjusting the flow without putting back pressure on the pump with a partially closed throttle valve. It recommended 1 1/4" plumbing so the return bulkhead I selected was threaded for that size.
Find an overflow. I picked the Eshopps Eclipse large with 3 one inch drains to accommodate a full Bean Animal.

[dbowman]

Drill the 75 for overflow and return.

[dbowman]

Drill through the hardwood.
Add two GFCI circuits to my Power panel.
Install a Back plate to attach equipment.
Plumb the system, you see the 'fuge on the left with the partial siphon and the emergency drain feeding into it. the return plumbing is teed to add future equipment
the skimmer section on the right has the full siphon drain, throttled with a gate valve
Test the system.

[dbowman]

Because the fresh white paint reflects light into the pump and skimmer sections, I repurposed the plastic backing as a shield for the back, side, and front of the skimmer section and the back of the pump section to reduce algae,
 the second picture is the sump as it is now

[dbowman]

my ATO a kit that has a float in the bucket to keep the pump from running dry and the float in the return section that keeps additions to about a quart in this 100 gal system for good stability
i have heaters in the display, the 'fuge, and the skimmer section.

[dbowman]

this is my display. i have a current USA Orbit Marine IC bluetooth loop system capable of running three wave pumps two dc flow pumps and two LED lights with a temperature probe.
currently i have 2 power heads and one 48 inch LED attached. it has sound effects but i haven't hooked up the speakers yet.
the Hydor Seltz has six settings. With no splitting of the flow i have it set on 2. the first setting holds the plumbing full and the second setting is enough to lift the 9 feet and the 3 90's that feed the DIY spray bar. I haven't decided whether to paint it black or leave it white. It is visible but high enough to not be distracting. Because of the size of the bulkheads, the distance from the top that I had to be to avoid cracking at the top of the hole means that the water level is above the return. This makes anti siphon problematic. i solved this by elbowing up so that the spray bar holes are above the water level. the rim on the top of the tank caused the Eshopps Eclipse to be lower than if it was rimless. That leaves the waterline visible. I'm waiting to see if that is a problem for me to the point that i would run electrician's tape along the base of the top rim.
the 24th of January i started the cycle with live rock and live sand from the bowfront (center) and dry rock (sides) added pink and purple Coralline from BRS and Fritzyme from the LFS
the cycle had the ammonia to 0 by Feb. 1 so i moved the mollies and the Springeri damsel from the bowfront to the main tank.
1 Feb i moved some emerald crabs from the bowfront
10 February I added Nerite snails and Hermit crabs
8 March I brought home a zoa frag from the meeting of the Ohio Reef Club
28 March that friend of mine gave me two Colt corals
1 April I noticed some damage to one of the zoa polyps and proximity of an emerald
also one of the Colts became dislodged and was being caressed by that same emerald. Two of the three emeralds are now out of there.
This morning that same wayward Colt was in the bottom of the tank. i pulled it out and tied it to a rock with fishing line. it seems happier than when it was wedged into a hole.
My latest project is a QT. i was planning to use the bowfront but if i need to medicate the Rock and Sand in addition to being hard to see and catch the arrivals would require extensive work

[dbowman]

since i still have that first sump that i didn't use viola:
HOB filter, heater, top section from the 55 for cover and light, pvc section, all sitting on a stand that was in my garage. not wide enough but DIY extensions and I'm good.
well I am up to date. thank you R2R for a place to document, hopefully in the future i will be able to make it all tidy and get better pictures.

[Heinbaughb]

I appreciate the story behind the product. Good job Dave, a lot of thought went into each step. Make sure to check your lighting using the clubs PAR meter. It’s a huge benefit to being a premium member.

[dbowman]

thank you sir! i  certainly will

[dbowman]

well a good month, or should i say year. once i got a good look at the last post's date!!
 i will try to catch up in a sequential way

[dbowman]

i was given some corals

[dbowman]

that was the grow out zoa


this is a mystery coral that i have no ID on

[Heinbaughb]

I’m not sure what the ID is on the mystery coral, does it fluff up when it is happy? You should post a full tank shot so we can see how it’s evolved over the past year. Have things being going fairly smooth?

[dbowman]

that shot is a lot different than what it looks like today

[dbowman]

it is out of that shot it has not added any heads but it has plumped up quite a bit. Aqua SD thought it looked like a candy cane

[dbowman]

here is mister shrimp for comparison

 i tried to remove one of the pics, no luck

[Heinbaughb]

I would agree with AquaSD, looks like candy canes to me as well. Tank looks good!

[dbowman]

since last
i found out that my QT should be at least 10 ft from my display system so the QT will have to be empties and moved.
i added a power head and 24" Current IC light to my fuge.
IMG_1415.jpeg IMG_1416.jpeg

got some more livestock


IMG_1407.jpeg IMG_1375.jpeg IMG_1373 2.jpeg 61124431336__4A1A3F6A-E0F8-4CFF-B3D4-CF3D4E1A8C4B.jpeg IMG_1385.jpeg IMG_1377.jpeg IMG_1378.jpeg


got calibration fluid and found my refract was reading higher than actual and raised the salinity. thank you all who helped me. Started dosing with ESV two part and Mg concentrate.
now i am current

Jun 23, 2020

in the last month i have gotten red Cyano, diatoms, dinos, and hair algae. My zoas became covered in green and stopped opening. i have gotten Salifert test kits for NO3 and PO4, I treated the zoa frag with H2O2 which reversed the issue and they are now opening. my nitrates and phosphates are under 2. I am cycling the skimmer to allow the bacteria to flourish.
I am increasing the feeding levels. One of my colt corals is thriving one is limping along. I lowered the blue level on my main LED. oh yeah, i have a 48" Current IC and have added the Marineland 36" LED that came with the 75 kit. i manually turn it on and off with the Current.11 hours on, 1 hour ramp, 12 hours off

IMG_1549.jpeg




have the skimmer off because of low nutrients and cyano is in full retreat. this poor rock was half covered and now just a little is left. watching...

[dbowman]

more pics

[dbowman]

this morning i went rock turning. Saturday i had put a banded serpent star into my DT. Sunday i moved rocks between my DT, my smaller bow front DT and a rectangular tank that was supposed to be a bare tank for quarantine. uh oh... two questions where was the starfish? was it pinned beneath a rock? good news it was in a gap between two piled rocks in the DT. Plus i rearranged some of the rocks/coral and i like it!!!
top pic the way it was, middle pic right side essentially the same, 445 degree gap between the two rocks is where the starfish was found. bottom is where the rocks were changed, imported bowfront rock with colt coral and hair algae for the blenny widened hole in small rock for the zoa frag to sit in IMG_1624.jpeg IMG_1633.jpeg IMG_1634.jpeg

[dbowman]

next

[dbowman]

Jy 31 two mushrooms added I looked up the gestation for mollies it is 60 days. i lost my male some time back but have been getting fry since then. i have 4 in the sump and one that may be the last in the DT it hangs out in my DIY feeding station(barrel from a Jif jar)




IMG_1667.jpeg IMG_1668.jpeg IMG_1671.jpeg IMG_1673.jpeg

[dbowman]

more

[dbowman]

I currently have (in order of addition):
2 female Mollies (lost one)
1 springeri damsel
1 clownfish
1 lawnmower blenny who just swam over to the tank wall to munch on algae

1 Pink Rings of Death zoa
2 colt corals (lost 2 cuttings)
1 RBTA
1 toadstool
1GSP
2 mushrooms 1purple, 1 blue
1 ? favia maybe

Emerald crabs
snails (lost some, see below)
scarlet and blue leg hermit crabs
copepods
4 brittle stars
1 skunk Shrimp
1 Banded Serpent starfish

Hitchhikers:
cucumbers
bristle worms
spaghetti worms
pineapple sponges
amphipods
tunicate
and some other stuff yet to be discovered

BIG FUN!!!

[dbowman]

looking at my return spray bar. all of the holes face the same way. I did this to push scum toward the overflow. but as you see there is a lot of turbulence at the pump setting i have now. It acts as a gyre which is good but i was just realizing that i might be missing some functionality by just having drilled holes this way. i am considering putting some holes along the backside and angled at 45 degrees. I'm thinking that f currently i have 14 holes facing left at slightly above the horizontal i could drill 4 facing right slightly above the horizontal with 4 aimed at the bottom corner of the tank to the right. these holes could be placed in groups or spaced along the entire bar. IMG_1492 2.jpeg

[dbowman]

Aug 17, 2020
diversity is beneficial in my tank. My photographic skill is limited to being able to document changes not to artistically celebrate them. (i can tell what is there even though it looks way better in person).
colt coral with bristle worm
paly

feel free to correct me or expand on my id's IMG_1706.jpeg IMG_1704.jpeg IMG_1703.jpeg IMG_1702.jpeg IMG_1701.jpeg IMG_1700.jpeg IMG_1699.jpeg IMG_1698.jpeg IMG_1668 2.jpeg

[dbowman]

GSP
my first successful super glue attempt

[dbowman]

closed paly
pillar

[dbowman]

staghorn
montipora

[dbowman]

blue mushroom

[dbowman]

Aug 23
my zoa has not been opening. when i look at the parameters the major change that i have seen since it was growing has been the ALK; the reading in May of 8.9 had risen to 12.5 by July 12. I have made WC's that have brought it to 10.9. I can turn off the return, remove 15 gallons from the sump, refill from my mix tank, and restart the return pump. This allows me to actually replace 15 gallons of old water in my @100 gallon system. i have done this Thursday 12.1 to 11.2 and Saturday getting me to 10.9. if i do it again every other day I should get the KH to 9 where i will try to hold it. the salt premix is 8.6 so adding it to achieve 9 might not work. We will see. I premix 30 gallons so two WC can be done every time i mix. i can make the 30 gallons of RODI on the day i refill the SW drum.

[dbowman]

Dec 30
prompted to update the thread before the end of the year. ok i will lol
a lot has happened since august i haven't added a lot to the population
i bought a couple of gyres to replace my current wave pumps that started acting up
i have a 4k and a 2K running off the ice cap wifi controller
i tried to peroxide treat the zoa to get it to reopen. it helped i thought but then subsided. i trashed it before it nuked the tank by dying. probably over reacted but there ya go.
flat worms ate the stag coral before i could dip it they don't seem to be interested in the pillar or any of the other corals enough to kill them.
My anemone is moving around and i am growing a lot of coralline

[dbowman]

more

[dbowman]

Feb 20, 2021
switching out from glass top IMG_2325.jpeg

going to try eggcrate before mesh, candid camera is how i roll. I did not think to clean up salt spots from light fixtures or stand before taking the shot. I did scrape coraline though.

[dbowman]

Feb 27
thanks to my reefing chums i decided i needed more poopers no appropriate black mollies avail so ...

[dbowman]

March 3, 2021
I installed my auto feeder in the eggcrate replacing my jif jar cutoff manual pellet keeper (front right corner)
A. until now i had no place to put it on the front or side with the glass tops,
B. the jif plastic was covered with coralline and the fish had stopped going inside for the pellets.
C. i hadn't realized this until i added the Chromis and the only one interested in the pellets before they sunk was the shrimp, and the amphipods and snails.

[dbowman]

more

[dbowman]

in the last couple of days i have noticed what I believe are ball anemones in the DT
1/4"
edit 3/5/21
today i noticed that all of the tentacles have been retracted and there is a body like anemones have, so I am more confident of the ID

[dbowman]

moving forward with my top configuration, I am trying egg crate. the next step was to replace the right-hand glass with a two piece. this allows access for glass cleaning, siphoning and using a grabber to feed chunks to the RBTA. IMG_2342.jpeg IMG_2343.jpeg IMG_2344.jpeg

[dbowman]

April 20, 2021
here I am , again.
I have added another current USA LED to replace the marineland LED. It is an older Orbit Marine v1 with a remote. i just matched the timer to the sunrise/sunset schedule on the other LED.
i finished the egg crate top by cutting the other side so that I can access the full length and clean the glass front without moving the lights
i updated my return line. i added a piece of 11/4" pipe to move the spraybar to the right end of the tank. I may adjust the orientation of the bar to aim above the horizontal to add more surface turbulence. right now it is just below horizontal.

[dbowman]

i am monitoring a serpent star that i bought with some short arms to see if they are regenerating. fingers crossed.

[dbowman]

4/26/21
as of Friday 4/30 i am getting additions to the tank. i have decided to bite the bullet on lighting. the rearrangement of the return pipe spray bar has increased the surface agitation and actually is splashing water up through the egg crate, getting the LED's wet. thanks to the live sale i have some corals coming and thanks to the club par meter i am aware that i am borderline on supporting them with the Current USA LED's. i have taken advantage of the Saltwater Aquarium.com 10th anniversary sale. To get a free shirt and a $25 store credit and some other stuff, i ordered a Red Sea mesh cover kit, some tools, some supplies, and 3 AI Prime HD 16's with gooseneck mounts. Happy Birthday to me
(a little early)

war coral, Ricordea, carpet anemone, branching hammer, Cyphastrea, aussie pipe organ

[dbowman]

all of that to catch up. this is my R2R build thread posts.
did you notice the Saltwateraquarium.com 10th Anniversary celebration? i did! i ordered some tools: a pikstik, a transfer pump, and an air pump to get the free tshirt.
then i ordered, one at a time, three AI Prime 16 HD's. each order til the 2nd of May is a chance at free stuff.  on one of the orders i won a $25 store credit. then i ordered a Red Sea mesh cover kit. so the egg crate goes away, the Current USA lights get re-homed, at least one on the FW tank another over some indoor plants.
big fun at the Bowman house!!!
i gotta go, more tomorrow

[JMM]

Can’t wait to see your progress Dave, gonna be cool.

[dbowman]

thank you

[Steve]

Love the pipe organ coral. Thinking of getting a piece myself, but not sure where I'd put it. Keep us posted on progress with new lights.

[Keith92]

It is ever changing. Glad to hear you are getting some corals and definitely interested in the lighting