220G reef build, sump and stand build

[ShadowNoob]

Lets try this again and see if this thread doesn't get deleted

Well for starters I am new to saltwater aquariums. This will actually be my first saltwater build. I had just did a 100 fresh but got rid of it. I am going to be building this over the next year or so little by little. I just had a kid May 1st so not really much time or money to complete this in one shot. so far i have some what started on the stand. well it was a stand i started when i first thought about making a saltwater I'm just gonna modify it a bit. Ill post pictures up of the current stand in a bit. I'm going to be building almost everything myself so ill post pics up here every time i get or add something and any advice that anyone gives will be appreciated.

Any thoughts on improvement is welcomed so far i have planned to frame the 2 sides and the front with 2 door cutouts for when i put the sump in there. Im also going to put molding on the top part about 2" past it so the tank will have a snug fit in there ignore the color on top of there that looked like a dark cherry color when i bought it but for some reason it came out darker then it was suppose to so i need to find a new color for the stain. I plan on coating the whole interior with polyurethane for protection purposes and throwing some silicone on edges once i get the shelf bored cut out.
Would a 55 gal tank be big enough as a sump or will i need something bigger? If i do what would be good dimensions for it? Also from what iv been reading its good to have it so your water turn over rate is somewhere between 6-10 times. If this is correct anybody have a good commendation for a good water pump?

 

[Smitty]

If you have the ability, you may think about adding a door to the end so you can get your sump out in case of an emergency (hey, you never know!). I designed my stand so I can get my 55g sump out and I'm glad I did. You may want to think about a 75g if you can fit, it will be able to hold a bit more water. A 55g would be OK, but the rule of thumb is to go as big as you can.

I use a Sicce 1321 gph pump and I'm very happy with it. Very quiet pump and it has worked really well for me.

 

[ShadowNoob]

I thought about adding the door on the side as well but I have to figure out where I'm going to put the tank exactly if I decide to leave it where it's at or put it in my living room by the window. Of course I would have to put a thick curtain on my window to block the sun. As for the sump I'm not really hurting on room under the stand the 55 is 48"x12"x20" and in only takes up a little room so I can probably build a custom one about 48x22x18 out of 1/4" thick acrylic and that should be close to 75. Or I might just up the height and make the glass thicker to be on the safe side.
Is that pump your using on a 220 or for less?

 

[Smitty]

I'm using that pump on a 90g with a 55g sump but the size of the tank doesn't matter, the drain into the sump is what matters for the return. I have a 1" drain into my sump and after head high loss, this pump is returning just about the same as is draining (I do have some flow restrictions going on to reduce the return flow).

If you have a lot of draining going down to the sump then you can always get a larger return or multiple pumps for return. I was just throwing out what I'm using. A couple different local reefers to me are also using the same pumps or are looking to move over to them as well.

 

[ShadowNoob]

How much did that one run you?

 

[Smitty]

It has been a while, but I'm thinking around 175 or so.

 

[ShadowNoob]

That's pretty good I was thinking I was going to have to spend like $300 on one and if I need a second one I can just buy another one of those.

 

[ShadowNoob]

Well there has been a new update on my stand. It's been dismantled. While I was looking at it earlier I decided I didn't like the way it was so apart it went. I started putting it back together with same pieces the way I want it to make sure it's sturdy enough and b4 I knew it the stand shrank in size. Now I did not cut any of the wood I just moved them into different spots. So now I have a option of either going with about a 180g that will be 64x26x24 or I can hand over the extra cash and still make close to the 220 at 64x26x30 it's about a $400 difference in price. I'll post pics of the stand in a few to show what I did.

 

[ShadowNoob]

Ok so it took me a lot longer to get back to this do to a lot of stuff happening but I am back again. Like i said last time i modified the table a bit and the size of it has been changed it is now 64x26. I have decided im going to still make the 220g and just make the tank taller so my actual tank is gonna be 64x26x32 its actually around 230g if filled but I'm not gonna have it filled so 220g is about what it will be. as for the stand i have put 2 coats of polyurethane on the inside parts along with some silicone to seal the gaps. Just need to spend like another $50+ to get the last few pieces the top, bottom and front and im adding 4 more 2x4s in there 1 in the back 1 on the front and 2 on the bottom pretty much just for more support im not staining the inside since no one will ever see it but me.
The outside i plan on making like a dark cherry if i can find the stain. if not ill try something a little lighter.

 

[ShadowNoob]

Got a question i happened to pick up some 400w metal halide lights from off of craigslist for my garage there actually shop lights as you can see from the pics. i got them real cheap so i was wondering if i switch the bulb in one of those to like a 10000k would that be able to work with my tank?
They had a ton of them so if it would work i can go grab like another 3.
I took these with my iphone the bottom pics had the lights on when i took it and they came out like that.

 

[ShadowNoob]

those lights are sitting on a fridge i picked up that im going to be using for my diy live rock

 

[ccCapt]

Those MH's fixrtures will work, you just have to make sure you can get the right type bulbs that will burn mounted vertically. Most of the aquarium MH bulbs are made to be mounted horizontally.

 

[ShadowNoob]

Well I'm looking into getting some of the hammertone like u have cause those ones you made look cool. But if I can't find a good supplier out here I'll have to try something else. Do you think the radium bulbs will work or is that a no go? I wanted to use those on my tank. If not I can always try another bulb.

 

[ShadowNoob]

New update I just did the frame for the canopy. currently it's sanded and ready for it to be painted / polyed. I did a layout for were the lights will be. I want to put a few T5 blue plus but not sure how I'm going to put them in. I was thinking about sticking some 24" ones the width way 2 in every space so a total of 6 2 on each side then 2 in the middle but im not sure if they would provide enough coverage or I could stick 2 60" in the front and 2 on the back. What do you guys think would've best for the layout?

 

[ShadowNoob]

Ok after some thought and looking at a few things i think i might go with some 10w Super Actinic blue hybrid Led's. was thing about spreading them out with 5 along the back 5 along the front and then 2 in the middle and 1 on each side heres a small little layout of it. I know its a crappy drawing.

 

[ReeferRusty]

I read something about you putting the tank by a window? I would advise against this. Unless you enjoy algae. Looks good so far!

 

[ShadowNoob]

The spot I was gonna put it originally was near a window but the window was gonna be covered so no light would get through. I'm in the process of getting a loan to get a new house so the place it's going will change yet again once I get the house. Hopefully they let me know I'm accepted soon so I can find a spot in the new house to put it.

 

[ShadowNoob]

Another update::
so i started working on that big chest freezer i have that im using for my DIY live rock Project. I have cut a 2" hole in it and hooked up some pvc piping to it and a mount for my metal Halide Im going to stick on it. The PVC is for my water pump im hooking up to it. to cycle water through it and keep it nicely mixed up. im also gonna hook a filter up to it as well. Just need to get a few more pieces of pvc and some tubing and it will be ready to be filled. Then ill get the radium 20000k Halide light and the salt for it. Then i can start my live rock making. I plan on making a bunch of caves for the fish to hide out in. Ill post some pics on my progress in a few.

 

[ccCapt]

Exactly what type of ballasts are those? You need a M155 pulse start ballast or an electronic ballast to fire Radiums. What you have are not electronic. Check if you can see any markings on them. Either M155 or M57 for a probe start ballast (which will not fire a Radium).

 

[ShadowNoob]

my ballast is a m59 ballast. hers a link to it: http://www.greenelectricalsupply.com/400-watt-f-can-mh-ballast.aspx
If that doesnt work what bulbs would? i did find something that said a Helios will work.
im also looking into getting the m155 ballast.
what do you think of this ballast as well
http://www.prolighting.com/40mehapustba.html
I get to make my own case for them so thats kind of fun.
also i would prefer just to get atleast 1 bulb for the m59 ballast since its just for the diy live rock tank so it doesnt really need the best light ever but for my main tank i rather dish out the extra cash and buy better ballast for the better bulbs so i can get better results. What do you think would be the best ballast for the radiums or should i just go with leds? if i go with led how many 10W Super Actinic Blue Hybrid Led do you think i would need for a 30" deep tank if those would even work for it?