Beachbreaks 180 build

I'm finally getting my larger tank up and running. A lot of thanks goes out to you guys who have helped me as I read through page after page researching on this and other forums. Great knowledge bank here on 3reef!

History: I used to have a large reef tank in the late 90s/early 2000s. This tank did very well for me and was lucky enough to have it featured on Advanced Aquarist in 2002. I didn't know it at the time but within a year the tank would be torn down and sold. Life happens. Since that time I have had many FW tanks. They were easy to deal with and easy to move (I moved regularly when I was younger). I purchased a 180 about a year ago and had it set-up as a Tanganyikan cichlid tank. I loved it! One day I walked into my spare bedroom and saw the my old empty 30 cube sitting there and thought..."Why don't I try a reef tank again". So within a few weeks I had it up and running. I had forgotten how much fun these tanks were and by August I had plans to tear down the 180 and use it as a reef. So I sold off all of my fish and filters and started the process of acquiring both knowledge and equipment to run the tank.

Here is what my little 30 gallon looks like today. I'm hoping for something similar on this new build:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/beachbreaks-30-cube-126736.html

The Plans:

Over all I wanted this tank to be an SPS dominant but with a few softies thrown in to keep the queen happy so all my plans and equipment had to be geared toward that goal. Here's my list of items I plan on using:
180 gallon reef ready dual overflow tank
ATB Flowstar 1500 return
(2) Vortech MP40s on opposing ends
(2) Tunze for the back wall (maybe MP10s if they will hold on to the .5" glass)
100 lbs of BRS eco rock and ~35lbs of LR from my current system
Super Reef Octopus XP3000I
Avid Aquatics custom sump
(3-4) AI Sol Lighting
(2) dual bulb LET T5 retrofits
BRS GFO and carbon reactors
BRS 3 part CA/ALK/MAG dosing
Tunze Osmolator ATO
DA Reef Keeper Elite controller

Tank/sump/plumbing

I had the sump built by a local guy and it measures 48x18x16 and has three chambers. The first chamber is my skimmer/drain area followed by by return area and then a remotely fed refugium.



I initially planned on using an Eheim 1262 to run my return system but after working out the math I didn't think it would meet my flow needs. The 900 GPH Eheim looked good but once I took into account the 42" stand, the reactors/refugium feeds and the head pressures involved I just didn't think it would work out. I was over at frineds house looking at his tank and he was running a pump I hadn't heard of (ATB flowstar 1500) so I did some research and decided on using that pump. Now with everything plumbed in and running there would have been no way the Eheim would have worked out. My return pump manifold T's off three ways: it feeds two BRS reactors which exhaust into the refugium and one feeds directly to the refugium. Here is what the set-up looks like under the hood:





I had some major noise issues with the plumbing once I got it up and running. The water coming out of the drains sounded like a boiling cauldron. I got a referral from a forum member to consider a reverse durso. I found the plans online but all of the ones I saw were for single overflows and considering I had two - it wouldn't work. I was at Lowes when I had the idea to modified the reverse durso using a double Y which converted it to a "double reverse durso". Works well enough (no more noise) although I am having some micro-bubble issues. I'm hoping that with a little time a bio-film will form that may help alleviate some of those problems. If not; I'll figure it out later. Here's the DRO


Lighting

For lighting I plan on installing (3) AI sols parallel to the front glass on roughly 18" centers to begin with. On either side of the sols I'll have a dual bulb LET T5 retrofit running blue+ and purple+ bulbs (320 watts total). These will help me get a better color spectrum and add a lot of extra par. I may loose some of my shimmer from the sols but I think the extra punch from the (4) 5' long T5s will be worth it in the end. If I end up needing another sol it will be easy enough to add later.




Here's my aquascape as it is now (I'll get better pictures at night). I've still got a little live rock to add to it from the 30 but it came out OK. Lots of nylon rods, super glue and epoxy are holding up the structure.



I'm currently cycling the tank with Brightwell Microbacter 7 and hope to be done with the cycle in another week or two...

 

Here's how I did my lighting...

Took my canopy and cut a 6" wide hole in it. Then mounted a 2x80 watt LET retrofit (same ballasts ATI uses) on either side of the hole. I'm using 2 ATI blue+ and 2 ATI purple+ lamps





Here is where it is now. I've got two of the three Sols mounted and all of the T5s mounted and running. This pic is with the sols at 100% (no controller...it's on my 30) and the T5s on. I'm REALLY happy with the way the color is turning out. Can't wait to add that third one on.



Once I get the canopy on I'll snap another pic

 

Nice tank bud!

 

Very nice! I'll be following this build thread

 

Very nice! How did you plumb the overflows (above the bulkheads)? Did you do standard dursos for the drains or something else? Did you have 2 or 4 nozzles total for the returns?

 

Thanks guys!

I've got it plumbed with standard dursos that go into that double reverse durso contraption. I've got two returns that hit a locline splitter and then go in 2 different directions each (4 total).

I finally got the canopy on the tank...even with just two sols on (the third is over my cube) and all the T5s on I can tell this is going to work out perfect! It's definitely bright and around a 16K look to the overall color. I'm really anxious to get that 3rd over the tank to see how it looks with all LEDs blazing.

Sorry about the pic...the light is just blasting into the sensor and I can't get a decent pic

 

Here's a running list that I used during the build out. Kind of scary...and if my wife ever see's this it's not mine.

 

Did you pick up that stand at fish gallery? Looks great! Can't wait to see more.

 

oh you should never put that stuff in writing... LOL

 

HA HA! I've got one of those too since I'm starting up a 180 as well. My wife has seen mine and wonders why the price keeps changing. Lol. She is cool with it and knows I won't go out and buy all the stuff right away. I don't plan on having mine up and running for awhile as I'm working on the fish room at the moment. I have the tank, stand and canopy right now.

Thanks for answering my plumbing questions. This will be my first reef ready tank and I wasn't sure how to plumb it.

P.S. Looks like you got a good deal on some of those parts.