DIY Stand/grow out tank(The LED's)

This is actually kind of a build thread but since most of the stuff is built by or for me I decided to put it here.

The project has been on going for a few weeks. I've slowly been piecing it together. I need more room to add dosing equipment, an ATO and I also wanted a grow out that is tied into my main system. This stand is what I came up with.
When finished it will be a stand/cabinet that sits next to my 75G reef tank. It will measure (WXDXH) 21"X24"X48". The full height when the LED fixture is added will be 64".
A 16"X16"X8 acrylic tank will sit on top of the stand and will be a grow out for new additions and frags I want to sell. A Mag12 with a manifold will provide flow from the main sump to the grow out.
The inside area will be a cabinet that will hold all of my dry foods, test kits, testing hardware. There will be an area that will be waterproofed so that I can install 6 outlets to plug in electrical equipment within the stand.
An AGA 10 gallon that has been drilled will serve as a dosing sump for the entire system. Below that another AGA 10G will serve as a ATO resevoir.
Here is what I have complete on the stand itself. Not much, just a frame.

Since the little acrylic tank holds quite a bit less water than even the return area of the systems main sump I decided to go with a scaled down version of the BeanAnimal over flow to be safe. I installed a DIY baffle with teeth to create the overflow and mask the plumbing in the grow out.
Cutting the holes for the Bean and the return. Gawd I need HCFM!

With the 1/2" bulk heads and baffle installed.

This week end I will get the valves and the rest of the plumbing to complete the tank part of the build.
The corals in the grow out will get light from a DIY kit I'll order from rapidLED. Since it will be out in the open I asked a buddy to craft a housing for the heatsink, fan and driver. He used 20 gauge stainless and painted it black with automotive bake enamel. It turned out pretty nice.


I'll be getting the kit made for the 14 BioCube and adding 2 more LED's to it for a total of 14. They will be naked, dimmed with a pot and sit 6" above the surface of the water. I'm ordering the kit next week.
The grow out will drain into the dosing sump. I drilled the 10 gallon and used a nano over flow from glass-holes I had laying around. The water in this sump will only be a few inches deep and will drain into the systems main sump just ahead of the return area. Eventually there will be two BRS dosing pumps adding calcium and alk into it. For now only the kalk will dose into there.
Drilling the 10



Well thats about it for today. I'm waiting on a Two Little Fishies Kalk stirrer to show up along with a 9V replacement pump for the Tunze Oscimillator. Those two will work in conjuction with the ATO to provide top off and kalk. It will dump from the ATO into the dosing sump. As a fail safe I plan on having the circuit controlled by a float switch and a programmable timer. This way I will not overdose kalk if the water level isn't high enough in the main sumps return area to shut the switch. The timer will only provide power for a minute or so once an hour.

 

Looks good, keep us posted

 

Ordered the LED's, heatsink and other stuff needed to build the rest of the light today.

Went to Lowes and got the plumbing. I really wanted schedule 80 because it's grey but I wasn't willing to pay over a buck each for tee's, street ells and caps. Not to mention an 8 ft. piece of pipe was nearly 10.00. White it is. Could paint it with Krylon but doubt I will.
Then it was over to WallyWorld for the electrical outlets. They are half the price there compared to home improvement stores.
The 80mm fan and cover came in this week along with some other small parts I needed like black egg-crate from BRS. Still waiting on the Kalk reactor.

 

tagged to follow along

 

After getting the Tunze replacement pump I read that it won't give the gph I need to make this work with the kalk stirrer. Contacted BRS for advice on return for credit and what a PITA that is turning out to be. All I wanted was to send it back and order a MJ instead. Now I gotta print out a form, give reasons for returning it blah, blah, blah...
A buddy threw me a used Maxijet 1200 to drive the ATO because I'd like this up and running by Thanksgiving.

 

Looking Good

Looking good along for more some nice work lots of detail you may want to paint any white plumbing that's seen a nice custom way to finish off a build. Thanks for sharing!

Happy ReefN,

 

Looking good Mike. Seems like everyone does their best to get you to keep whatever you buy.

 

I'm tagging along for the ride! Very excited to see this come to life.

 

Thanks! I think I'll leave them white. All that will be seen is the 3 street ells and then only through the smoked acrylic. They will be purple in a few months anyway.

Thanks John! And yes they do, even the wife and I when it comes to our business.

Thank you!

 

Life happened this weekend and reefing got slowed to a crawl. Hate when that happens. lol
Didn't get much done.
Top, shelf and floor put on and most of the mini BeanAnimal completed. Since the only "functioning" valve in a Bean is the center pipe I decided to just go with one. And since it will be inside of the stand I installed unions so that the plumbing to the sump can be left hanging so the tank can be removed if necessary.
Tonight I start working on the electrical outlets but didn't get to far on that before I had to stop and go take a look at our clothes dryer which was making a squealing noise .