Tony Vargas 300-Gallon Build

I can tell you I was nervous.

 

The floor panel that would be fitted to the inside of the stand and the back of the door panels were painted with white moisture proof oil-base paint. This makes it easy to clean up any mess that may occur and the reflective nature of the paint makes it easy to see in the darkest area of the stand.

 

The floor panel was painted on both sides and is now installed giving the stand a nice clean look.

 

The 90-gallon system had to be moved – slightly – but only just a little bit and look what we found. The sump fan blowing saltwater air from the sump ate through the paint and the first layer of drywall. So, where the 300 will sit an FRP board was attached to the freshly painted drywall for protection. If you know me you understand how important the “Spouse Factor” is to me, well I had to paint the whole room to make her happy.

 

The door panels on this stand will not use hinges. I have found through the years that doors attached to a stand with hinges always get in the way. I remedied this situation by making these door panels removable. They attach to the stand with neodymium magnets. Liquid Nails attached steel squire tubes to the stand and the door panels were notched. The magnets were then glued to the in-side of the notch.

 

Waiting as long as I did to find the perfect tank that would meet my needs as well as the families came with an added bonus. Technology has changed so much! Within the last several years the advancement of aquarium equipment has helped us keep our energy cost down. With this kind of information now available to me it made it easier to convince the wife (Spouse Factor) that the upgraded from 90 gallons to 300 gallons would not cost any addition energy cost.

90-Gallon
Return pump, Eheim 1262, 80 watts
Skimmer pump, Eheim 1262, 80 watts
Reactor pump, D-D FL5000, 78 watts
Circulation pumps, Hydor Koralia 4, 8.5 watts x 2 = 17 watts
Dosing pump Aqua Medic SP 3000, 4.5 watts
Return, 1” Sea Swirl, 5 watts
Controller, APEX, 6 watts
Illumination, 48” Giesemann Infiniti, (250-watt DE x 2 = 500 watts) (54-watt T5 x 4 = 216 watts) total 716 watts
Swapped out for two 400-watt DE = 800 watts and 54-watt T5 x 4 = 216 watts for a total 1016 watts
Sump fan, Honeywell Super Turbo 3-Speed Fan, 50 watts
No Heater(s)

 

Hi Tony. This is Wayne and we met on a Saturday in January on the LFS roadtrip with Sue and Torry. Congrats on the new tank I like the setup. I am using the same wow factor for friends and families when they enter the house the tank will be the first to see. Don't mind the clutter as I am cleaning up a few things.

The doors will be removed also.

Well congrats on the new tank. I am a big fan of the DD tanks. Hope to meet you in MACNA. Take care.

 

165-Gallon Sump

The sump that will be used on this system was designed to be used with the 500-gallon system but will be a great fit for the 300. I have been using this design since the mid 90s and find it still very effective today. This sump will use micron filter pads with a drip plate instead of filter socks, which I find difficult to clean and not as effective as filter pads.

 

What area will the filter sock be going.

 

Is this the stand you are using for the tank in the picture?

I'm not a civil engineer, not do I play one on TV, BUT,
if this is the stand, and the tank pictured.
correct me if I"m wrong please- BUT
The perimeter of the DT is not supported directly by the stand supports? It just sits on the wood, which is on the larger metal stand?
Living in Fl. it's probably on a cement slab for the floor right?

Please clarify.