75 Gallon Reef Tank Build from Scratch

[Sir Alex]

The problem with the koralias I've heard is that if you try to put them on a wavemaker or timer they tend to break. I also prefer the sicce mounting system. And I found a place I can get them the same price or even cheaper than the koralias.

 

[old 5k0ol]

O yes, I have heard of the wavemaker issue. Otherwise a very nice circulator, and the evo is very energy efficient.

 

[Zissou]

OT: Koralias are good for the wallet and are decent for what you get, but if you go by reviews on forums, however, the Sicces are far superior; there doesn't appear to be any stop/start issues of any kind, are much quieter, and the mounting system is worlds better. The flow adjustability is just icing on the cake. They don't cost much more either.

I have to bang on one of my koralias to get it to spin every once in awhile. I wouldn't trust it on a wavemaker.

And that's a nice tank. :Cheers:

 

[Burch01]

That's pretty much the same thing I've heard about the Koralia powerheads and why I decided on the Sicce's. From what I can tell so far the Sicce's are a high flow pump and put out low pressure but they seem to be creating a fair amount of current.

 

[Burch01]

Ok guys ........ so I need a little info about something. I noticed that I have a very small gap between the bottom of the tank and the plywood top (about 1/16 to 3/32). As OCD as I am, I am afraid it will lead to problems down the road which will not boad well for my carpet or near by electronics should the tank fail. So I am thinking that I need to add some shims along the end with the gap to support the tank or some of that spray foam insulation??? What do you all think?

 

[Sir Alex]

Ok guys ........ so I need a little info about something. I noticed that I have a very small gap between the bottom of the tank and the plywood top (about 1/16 to 3/32). As OCD as I am, I am afraid it will lead to problems down the road which will not boad well for my carpet or near by electronics should the tank fail. So I am thinking that I need to add some shims along the end with the gap to support the tank or some of that spray foam insulation??? What do you all think?

I was wondering about this too. Even with the center brace the bottom glass is still under a lot of pressure.

 

[BL1]

Are you talking about the gap that the plastic frame creates? If so, some people use insulation boards to fill that space but, there's no need for it. The tank will be just fine without it, If the tanks had some sort of issue where they couldn't support the weight on the bottom, I'm sure the manufacturers would have changed the way they build those tanks a long time ago.

 

[Burch01]

BL, I believe we are talking about the same thing. The gap is between the bottom of the plastic trim and the top of the stand. Just for my sanity I was thinking of adding a few shims along the right hand side to fill this gap.

 

[BL1]

No, I don't think we were now, if the plastic frame has gaps where it's not touching the stand then they'll definitely need to be shimmed out.

I was talking about the fact that the plastic frame keeps the bottom glass from actually touching the stand.

 

[Burch01]

Thanks BL that's what I was thinking as well. Tomorrow's project.....shim the tank!!

 

[Burch01]

The tank is shimmed on the side with the gap. I used regular wood shims that they sell at Lowes and dang it was more unlevel than I thought!! So now my questions is do you guys think that the tank would be ok with them or should I bit the bullet, drain my water into my storage tanks, place down some foam and then refill the tank?

 

[buddy08]

if its not fully stocked, i would fix the problem the right way now before its a hassle down the road.

 

[Burch01]

Does anyone here have any experience with DIY LED light fixtures? I have decided to build my own set of LED lights. Right now I am planning on having 2 18" x 8.46" heatsink that will house 24 Royal Blue LEDs and 12 Cool White LEDs each. Each set of 12 will be controlled by dimmable meanwell controllers. I also want to add a set of 6 Royal Blue LEDs for a moonlight. The 8 controllers will be connected to a daylight lighting controller (http://www.rapidled.com/servlet/the-190/DDC-dsh-01-PWM-Controller-w-fdsh-Detail). This should give me a combined equivalent of a 350 W MH system. What's everyone's opinion on this set up?

 

[Sir Alex]

Does anyone here have any experience with DIY LED light fixtures? I have decided to build my own set of LED lights. Right now I am planning on having 2 18" x 8.46" heatsink that will house 24 Royal Blue LEDs and 12 Cool White LEDs each. Each set of 12 will be controlled by dimmable meanwell controllers. I also want to add a set of 6 Royal Blue LEDs for a moonlight. The 8 controllers will be connected to a daylight lighting controller (http://www.rapidled.com/servlet/the-190/DDC-dsh-01-PWM-Controller-w-fdsh-Detail). This should give me a combined equivalent of a 350 W MH system. What's everyone's opinion on this set up?

https://www.livingreefs.com/and-were-live-buddys-75g-setup-t32251p30.html

 

[Burch01]

THANKS Alex!!! I had completely forgot about Buddy's DIY LED lighting. As soon as I saw the link I remembered reading through the thread.

 

[old 5k0ol]

Before you get to hardcore check into GU10 led's on ebay. they're between 5-10$ a piece for 3 watt bulbs and they have white and blue. You could set your 75 up for SPS with 30 bulbs. The best part is they run off of a regular outlet, no drivers. Just buy the bulbs and the sockets and parallel wire them.
Read this...

GU10 LED Build Thread (Chinese Ebay Lights) - Nano-Reef.com Forums

 

[buddy08]

Thanks for the link sir alex, look at my build. I only have 48 leds in total, 24 cool whites and 24 royal blues. I assure you, its plenty! I'm still not running my lights at full capacity and the color variations are amazing. I used the 16x 5.9 heat sinks and they worked for me. If you want more LED's, definitely go for it... that way you know for sure you're setup for whatever you want down the road. Just make sure you have at least a 1.5inch gap between them to keep them cool which increases the lifespan. I bought all my stuff at rapidled and recommend them highly; great customer service! With 6 royal blues for moonlights, that in all honesty may be over kill. these things are bright, I would do maybe 4 at most for moonlights. They do sell a moonlight kit too so that may work for ya. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will try to assist the best I can :D

 

[Burch01]

Update!!!! So after a relatively small cycle, my ammonia only reached 0.25 PPM with almost no nitrites or nitrates, I have purchased two Percula Clownfish for my tank. They seem to be doing very well so far and haven't ventured too far from the spot where I released them. I am not sure if they are seeing their reflection in the glass or what but they are very intrigued in the front right corner of my tank. I have all these nice rocks with caves and they aren't the least bit interested. Could the flow of my Sicce 3 be too much for them?? I will continue to test the water parameters and if they get too high I will transfer the little guys to a 29 gallon QT tank that I have with just water and a heater.

 

[little_fish]

Cute little babies! Im sure the flow isnt too much, they just feel safe in the corner.

 

[ErinCahir]

Cute percs!!