All Acrylic Build

WOW!! one of a kind, nice build.

 

System update…

I added a very nice selection of SPS frags about ~2 months ago and all are flourishing! Even the first few that I added shortly after the system was up and running are returning to good health after appearing to be completely lost.

Water chemistry has stabilized after several weeks of testing and adjusting dosing rates. Now I am playing with lighting intensity levels to try and bring out the best colors and growth rates - I suspect this will be a long trial and error process.

Lessons learned (the hard way) –

My first build of the DT was a “rim-less” design with 1/2” acrylic walls – This turned out to be a VERY bad idea. After a several weeks the sides began to bow out so severely that the seams began to fail. Fortunately I was able to keep the tank together with a lot of clamps and a bit of luck while I constructed a new DT.

The new DT design was constructed to be “Bullet Proof” and it is! Now the tank is supported much better from the bottom, there is a top brace, and an additional 1/2” ribbing along all of the seams. I am convinced that this tank could fall through the floor and still hold together!

Fortunately the construction of the DT was the only major flaw discovered after the system was up and running.

Things that worked out very well –

Electing to use two 1” return pipes has allowed for a very high rate of flow though the filter system, and since one return is to the fuge and the other is to the skimmer, using the valves on the returns has allowed for a very adjustable filtration system!

My Custom LED lighting system rests 15” above the top of the DT, I can do just about any type of maintenance in the DT without having to worry about the lights. The optics I chose for the system were based on this height, so I still have optimal light spread at that height.


Close up of the frags


DT and Lihgting System


Full System

 

+1 8)

 

Wow... I didnt see this before. Such a cool build. Thanks for sharing. Keep us posted with more updates and pictures!

 

Same here!! idk how I missed this thing!

Freaking awesome build!!! Very nice skills my friend

 

Very cool!