lgreen's 58g Oceanic Reef w/ remote plenum
- Thread starter lgreen
- Start date
Main Plumbing:
Manifold
Side shot
Installed on tank
DIY Dursos (Down With MEGA BLOW Accessory Kit!!!)
Drain To The Sump
More pics in a while.
Added water and salt yesterday. Adding sand and installing plenum in a few hours. There will be many more pics. Some FTS's in a few hours.
Manifold
Side shot
Installed on tank
DIY Dursos (Down With MEGA BLOW Accessory Kit!!!)
Drain To The Sump
More pics in a while.
Added water and salt yesterday. Adding sand and installing plenum in a few hours. There will be many more pics. Some FTS's in a few hours.
Filtration:
Remote Plenum (meaning, not in main tank)
There is a lot of controversy over plenums. However after doing a lot of reading, I have found that if you set them up correctly, none of the claims made by those anti-plenum people are necessarily true.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about how to set it up correctly. Everything you need to know is in this article:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/feature.htm
I will point out a few very important things though. The plenum (dead) space below the sand needs to be no less (and really no more) than 1" tall. Usin 3/4" pvc for your plenum supports will get you exactly 1". The sand bed above the plenum needs to be 4" deep to function correctly. Less than 3.75 and it won't work correctly. Finally, use a substrate 2-4mm in diameter. Any smaller, it will fall through, and bigger, and it will collect debry and clog up. Caribsea Special Grade Reef Sand is the pefect size.
Here is one set of instructions that you can use to build a plenum:
http://www.garf.org/bulletproofreef/plenum.html
As you can see in the pics below, mine is the same idea, but I didn't connect the pvc support frame together with fittings.
Here are pics from my assembly process:
Remote Plenum (meaning, not in main tank)
There is a lot of controversy over plenums. However after doing a lot of reading, I have found that if you set them up correctly, none of the claims made by those anti-plenum people are necessarily true.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about how to set it up correctly. Everything you need to know is in this article:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/feature.htm
I will point out a few very important things though. The plenum (dead) space below the sand needs to be no less (and really no more) than 1" tall. Usin 3/4" pvc for your plenum supports will get you exactly 1". The sand bed above the plenum needs to be 4" deep to function correctly. Less than 3.75 and it won't work correctly. Finally, use a substrate 2-4mm in diameter. Any smaller, it will fall through, and bigger, and it will collect debry and clog up. Caribsea Special Grade Reef Sand is the pefect size.
Here is one set of instructions that you can use to build a plenum:
http://www.garf.org/bulletproofreef/plenum.html
As you can see in the pics below, mine is the same idea, but I didn't connect the pvc support frame together with fittings.
Here are pics from my assembly process:
Plenum Installed
Yes, the sump is very full, but I haven't added the rock to the main tank, installed the return pump, or the skimmer yet. I will take some water out when I do that.
First FTS:
Still cloudy! I didn't think using only Arag-Alive would make it cloudy, but it still did. Interesting. Moving rock from trashcan to tank will have to wait tell tommorow I guess.
Yes, the sump is very full, but I haven't added the rock to the main tank, installed the return pump, or the skimmer yet. I will take some water out when I do that.
First FTS:
Still cloudy! I didn't think using only Arag-Alive would make it cloudy, but it still did. Interesting. Moving rock from trashcan to tank will have to wait tell tommorow I guess.
mikeguerrero
Active Member
lgreen,
For some reason your pics are not comming out? Can anyone else see them?
MG
For some reason your pics are not comming out? Can anyone else see them?
MG
mikeguerrero
Active Member
Lgreen,
They are working, I'm so happy you came over to become a member at nanotank, I follow all your work at nano-reef. You are going to get a lot of praise for your hardwork in reefing; we respect reefers here a tenfold over other boards.
Since I've already commented on the beauty that this tank is approaching I will let my reefer family, Sadie, Djconn, Edgray, Incysor, Skimpm, Jennie, Aromano and any other members of my family that I missed, come in to ask questions. Lgreen comes to us with much experience we are lucky to have him join us.
Lgreen, welcome to nanotank...
Mike G
They are working, I'm so happy you came over to become a member at nanotank, I follow all your work at nano-reef. You are going to get a lot of praise for your hardwork in reefing; we respect reefers here a tenfold over other boards.
Since I've already commented on the beauty that this tank is approaching I will let my reefer family, Sadie, Djconn, Edgray, Incysor, Skimpm, Jennie, Aromano and any other members of my family that I missed, come in to ask questions. Lgreen comes to us with much experience we are lucky to have him join us.
Lgreen, welcome to nanotank...
Mike G
Thanks Mike!
I am glad to hear that. NR has changed a lot in the last year and become not the friendliest of places, so I was excited when I found this site, with a few people I already know and highly respect.
Your 72g has been very inspirational and is one of the finest examples on the net I have seen yet, of what can be done w/ proper research, planning, and dedication.
Very excited to meet everyone else.
lg
I am glad to hear that. NR has changed a lot in the last year and become not the friendliest of places, so I was excited when I found this site, with a few people I already know and highly respect.
Your 72g has been very inspirational and is one of the finest examples on the net I have seen yet, of what can be done w/ proper research, planning, and dedication.
Very excited to meet everyone else.
lg
EDGRAY
New Member
ok. here we are some of mikes family :lol: :lol: wow your setup sounds great alot of fishies but i know for sure you'll handle it good ... alot people in here we tend to do that...No mentioning names :lol: :lol: (including me 5 fish in 12g crazzzzzieee) but anyways sounds like we should spect alot from you just like the great reefers that own big tanks ,here in nano tank.... Incysor,dickie,mike, jesse (reefman) ,skimp & aromano..... sorry if i miss someone with big tank 
but i cant keep up with everyone's tank sorry ....
anyways keep forgetting :welcome to nanotank hope you have fun in here ... been helped & helping others... sounds like we are gonna have a big wise fish in nanotank???
great description of your setup and posibly live stock... really nice organize and clear.... looks like we have another goby lover :lol: :lol:
eddy :cool1:
but i cant keep up with everyone's tank sorry .... anyways keep forgetting :welcome to nanotank hope you have fun in here ... been helped & helping others... sounds like we are gonna have a big wise fish in nanotank???
great description of your setup and posibly live stock... really nice organize and clear.... looks like we have another goby lover :lol: :lol:
eddy :cool1:
Thanks everyone!
This is actually my first big tank. Up until now I have only had nanos.
Dickie,
Awesome light setup for the price. I am very happy with it. No problems at all. (Except I was sent a bad bulb, but no big deal, they replaced it right away). I however was not impressed w/ the AB 10k bulbs included. They were way to yellow, and so I changed them out for Phoenix 14ks. Much better. Only complaint is that their is no fans in the pendent. The hood gets very hot to the touch. Otherwise, I really like it.
This is actually my first big tank. Up until now I have only had nanos.
Dickie,
Awesome light setup for the price. I am very happy with it. No problems at all. (Except I was sent a bad bulb, but no big deal, they replaced it right away). I however was not impressed w/ the AB 10k bulbs included. They were way to yellow, and so I changed them out for Phoenix 14ks. Much better. Only complaint is that their is no fans in the pendent. The hood gets very hot to the touch. Otherwise, I really like it.
I, too, have followed your work on nr.com and am very happy that you found our site. Your tank look like it is going to be incredible. I especially like your future selection of fish...very colorful assortment. Looks like youve got some$$ invested too. That is always worth it. Look forward to the prgress of this tank.
Jesse
Jesse
aromano
New Member
lgreen,
First I would like to welcome you to NanoTank.
I can't believe I had missed this thread, and all I can say is. :shock: WOW :shock: You're tank's setup is looking AWESOME.
I love your tank, choice of equipment and the way you've been documenting everything. I am also a big fan of Euro-Reef skimmers, and you can never go wrong those . Your aquascape is coming nicely together and I can't wait until it matures a bit and you start adding things to it.
Congratulations lgreen, and GOOD JOB on the tank's setup.
Very NICE project you have coming together there. ;-)
First I would like to welcome you to NanoTank.
I can't believe I had missed this thread, and all I can say is. :shock: WOW :shock: You're tank's setup is looking AWESOME.
I love your tank, choice of equipment and the way you've been documenting everything. I am also a big fan of Euro-Reef skimmers, and you can never go wrong those . Your aquascape is coming nicely together and I can't wait until it matures a bit and you start adding things to it.
Congratulations lgreen, and GOOD JOB on the tank's setup.
Very NICE project you have coming together there. ;-)
ripcurrent
New Member
I think I just had an orgasim... nice tank!