Geoff's 240gal tank

wow lookin good... can't wait to see the finished product

 

loving it!!!

 

Update

O.k., it's been awhile since I've posted anything on my tank build but I'm finally getting some equipment in for it so I thought I would update.A couple of days ago my lights came in, 2 48" aqua-medic (2) 250 watt mh and (2) 56 watt t5 for each fixture.Got these babies for 200.00 a piece new but opted to buy just the fixtures and now just have to buy ballasts and bulbs. They also came with the hanging kit for it.
The octopus extreme 300 skimmer came in today and I knew it was gonna be big but this thing is massive.I almost installed my baffles in my sump last weekend but thought I'd better wait till I got the skimmer and it's a good thing I did. It says it has a footprint of 13" x 17" but I think thats being modest. I put it together and luckily it was pretty simple because the instructions were few and terrible. It takes up almost half of the 75gal sump.I will post a review when it's up and running.
As far as the tank goes I moved my computer desk to another room and moved the tank down to center it up with the wall,that was fun .I did build a small canopy for it.Didn't want it too tall so it wouldn't restrict air to the mh lights.Going this weekend and getting some 8" blocks for extra bracing up under the floor,didn't want to take any chances with that much weight. I have about 90% of the plumbing so that will be a major project coming up soon.
Well thats about it for now,so hopefully I'll be posting more updates soon.I'll leave you with some pics so I don't get into trouble with Luna .

 

wow that skimmer is huge!
I think the best part of having a reef tank is the building process.
Looking good so far!

 

The build part is fun but can be aggravating when you run into problems but I guess working the problems out can give you a sense of accomplishment...lol.

 

That's a beast of a skimmer, Looking good.

 

sump finished

Got the sump finished just waiting on the messy silicone job to dry:-/. The skimmer fit with the design I wanted so that was a plus. The last baffle into the return section is a piece of acrylic that I bent at a slope. I thought I'd try this to see if it would keep less microbubbles in the return. I noticed in my sump on my 55gal that when the water evaporates and the water level gets lower, water from the baffles starts dropping farther down and creates bubbles when it splashes on the water so I angled the last baffle to let the water gently slide down the acrylic even when the water level gets lower,we'll see how this works. This sump was also my first attempt at bending acrylic.It turned out pretty good, I had a few bubbles in the acrylic but doesn't hurt anything,mainly because I got impatient heating it up. The first section is where the overflows dump,I will have live rock rubble in here to help with bubbles. Then the water overfows into the skimmer section through the baffles where I placed egg crate.The bottom piece just helped hold the center baffle up off the bottom. Between the middle and last baffles I have the egg crate on the bottom and another a few inches above the bottom one.This is where probes and heaters will go,all I have to do is cut a square as big as I need it to place them vertically in the egg crate. The water then flows into the return section where the pump(s) will be.The fuge will dump into the skimmer section close to the first baffle away from the skimmer pump intakes. I also bent a piece of acrylic to make a stand for the skimmer because the water level will be 13" and the skimmer is supposed to run in 8 to 10 inches. I went with 9 with it on the stand.
Here are some pics I took with my iphone so excuse the blurryness.

 

That is a great sized tank! Congratulantions on a great deal. I have a 210, but would love to have a 240 with the dimensions yours has instead. Great score. Have you leak tested it yet?

 

Yes it has been tested for leaks and was good to go :2thumbsup. I had been looking for a long time for a bigger tank (around 150 or so) and I stumbled upon this one on craigslist and had to have it.

 

water test

Well anxiety got he best of me and while I was at home depot yesterday picking up some of my plumbing I saw a flotec 3000gph pond pump and decided to try the tank out with freshwater. I did a quick dry plumb job to the sump and filled the tank up and cranked her up this morning. I was wondering how loud the overflows were gonna be. With everything running this thing is super quiet ;D!! My 55gal is quiet but this thing has it beat, so I am pleased on that part. Sump working like it should and hardly any bubbles from overflows in the sump and none coming out of the return. Had one little small leak from my dry fitting but everything else looked good. This was freshwater and I am getting some more pumps(mag 18 or 24) 'cause I dont think the flotec pump is saltwater safe (correct me if I'm wrong) so hopefully when I get the permanent plumbing done and permanent pumps I will have the same results.I figured I could use the flotec for water changes at least.
I may do some extra plumbing and install a 1" scwd.Haven't made up my mind yet on that because I don't know if it will be needed with 2 mp40w vortecs with the wave driver.Any sugestions?