PDA

View Full Version : Jasonanatal's 150 gallon "Lets Bring Out The Big Boy" Reef Aquarium.



Jasonanatal
04-26-2008, 10:29 PM
Well everyone I have had just a little vacation from the Forum and the hobby and now I'm back and I think it's time to start something new. I'm fortunate enough to have found a great position with a Law in Midtown Manhattan so what better way to celebrate then to go by the motto "Work Hard and Play Hard". I will be purchasing and transporting my new 150 gallon Oceanic Reef Ready Aquarium to my apartment in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx tomorrow morning and I'm really excited. Now don't get me wrong I make good money but I'm not a millionaire so this tank will take time to grow into a full blown Reef Aquarium. But I will keep photo-document with detailed information as much as possible. I will make every attempt to spare no expense in parts and equipment but I do have a a Wife (into Freshwater Planted Aquariums), a Son and a Puppy who still need to eat. http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/images/smilies/lol2.gif

150 gallon Oceanic SPS Reef Ready Aquarium Build Progress


(This section will contain photographs (hopefully live video feed in the future) and information of the current progress that I am making with the Aquarium. I will also include chaptered links so you can jump to various chapter in this Aquarium build for quick reference.)

Equipment Currently Owned

150 gallon Oceanic Reef Ready Aquarium & Oceanic Wooden Stand (Currently undergoing restoration).
JBJ Gen-X 55HP External Water Pump.
Megaflow Overflow Kits with Dual Loc-Line Output.
Tunze Turbelle 6060A.
Tunze Multi-Controller 7095 with Photo Cell.Current Expenditure on the 150 gallon Oceanic SPS Reef Ready Aquarium Build (Grand Total: $1,651.00)

Jasonanatal
04-26-2008, 10:30 PM
Craigslist Makes Dreams Become a Reality.

Well you have to go by the old addage "Ones man's garbage is another man's treasure". Well this was exactly the case on Craiglist for me. So I enlisted the help of one of my friends and jumped in my trusty Honda Element and for $325.00 and a little elbow grease I had the foundation for my new Reef Aquarium. (150 gallon Oceanic Reef Ready Aquarium and Black Wooden Stand.

However, for $325.00 it came with a price. The rear of the Oceanic 150 gallon Reef Ready Aquarium was painted black and not with Latex paint. Just standard flat black paint. Also the wooden Oceanic Aquarium Stand was severly water damaged within the interior and numerous amounts of scuffs and scrathes on the exterior. Also the hings of the doors are rusted. So I have some work ahead of my but hopefully picasso can turn this in need of work into a work of art.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3086.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3087.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3082.jpg
Photograph - The 2007 Honda Element 4WD EX, perfect for moving large aquariums.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3090.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3089.jpg
Photograph - Me and my friend Richie in front of my apartment with the Big Boy Reef.

Jasonanatal
04-26-2008, 10:31 PM
Restoring the Oceanic Reef Ready Aquarium.


The back side of the Oceanic 150 gallon Reef Ready Aquarium was painted using standard Flat Back paint which present an issue.
First I had to decide what method to use in order to remove the paint without damaging the Aquarium. Since the placement of the Aquarium is in the center of my living room I wanted to be able to see through on both sides.Unforuntately most chemical cleaners in the market that would have assisted in softening up the paint but most lkely could have had long term effects on future Aquarium inhabitants so I opted out of the easy road. Instead I decided that a single edged razor blade combined with a little elbow grease would do just the trick. We'll see if I am intitled to the fruit of my labor.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3123.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3092.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3122.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3132.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3140.jpg
Photographs - With a single edged razor blade as my tool and 6 days of patient scrapping. The black flat paint was removed.

Jasonanatal
04-26-2008, 10:32 PM
Oceanic Wooden Stand Restoration Project

Well the Oceanic Wooden Stand for this 150 Oceanic Reef Ready Aquarium was exposed to constant water spilling from it previous owner. I deemed after seeing the stability of the stand that I could restore it and add some reinforcement for my added piece of mind. So I have broken down the project into phases to complete for the entire restoration.

Phase #1: The entire Oceanic Wooden Stand will be sand down by hand to remove chipping paint and unsightly areas. This also includes the removal of screws that the previous owner had placed in to guide wires.
Phase #2: Once the sanding has been completed I will purchased wood beams to be placed at strategic points within the Oceanic Wooden Stand just for that extra added security.
Phase #3: Pressboard will be added over the existing base and rear of the Aquarium and screwed in.
Phase #4: The final process will include the Oceanic Wood Stand being primed with Latex White Latex Paint and finished with Black Hi-Gloss Paint.http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3157.jpghttp://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3150.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3152.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3156.jpg

Jasonanatal
04-26-2008, 10:49 PM
Delivery of New Photography Equipment.

Well I got my new toy delivered today. The Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1 Digital SLR Camera with 8 gigabyte Ultra Memory Card. This thing takes some awesome photographs for the money. Now all I have to do is purchase a Macro Len from Canon and the were good to take some professional photographs.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTiPhotograph010.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTiPhotograph011.jpg
Photograph - Canon Digital Rebel XTi Digital SLR Camera.

IAreef
04-27-2008, 10:01 AM
looks like you have a good start, i look forward to seeing your progress.

R. Deschain
04-27-2008, 10:14 AM
I'm excited for you and look forward to following your progress.

Jasonanatal
04-27-2008, 01:45 PM
looks like you have a good start, i look forward to seeing your progress.

IAreef, definitely appreciate that compliment and I appreciate you tagging along on this.

Jasonanatal
04-27-2008, 01:46 PM
I'm excited for you and look forward to following your progress.

Psychojam, definitely appreciate the company that I'm building. I will post as much as I possibly can.

CarmieJo
04-27-2008, 06:55 PM
JAY! WELCOME BACK! I've missed you around here. Looks like you have the makings of a cool new tank. Do you still have the nano?

Jasonanatal
04-27-2008, 08:21 PM
JAY! WELCOME BACK! I've missed you around here. Looks like you have the makings of a cool new tank. Do you still have the nano?

CarmieJo, I have definitely missed you as well. I still have the Nano but it will be taking a new role as a Quarentine Aquarium for my 150 gallon Oceanic.

CarmieJo
04-27-2008, 09:23 PM
That should make a nice QT tank!

Skurvey Dog
04-27-2008, 11:42 PM
Hello Jay and a pleasure to meet you. :) I admire you already as I am a bargain hunter and not only do I like to save money, but I also love the feeling that it gives me to know that I have spent my money wisely. You are off to a great start and I have enjoyed viewing your eye candy. I look forward to following your progress.

Phurst
04-28-2008, 11:54 AM
W00T!, gotta love Craigslist!

Welcome back! Looking forward to anoher of your well documented and informative threads :up:

Jasonanatal
04-28-2008, 07:34 PM
That should make a nice QT tank!

CarmieJo, that was my exact thought. :agree:

Jasonanatal
04-28-2008, 07:35 PM
Hello Jay and a pleasure to meet you. :) I admire you already as I am a bargain hunter and not only do I like to save money, but I also love the feeling that it gives me to know that I have spent my money wisely. You are off to a great start and I have enjoyed viewing your eye candy. I look forward to following your progress.

Skurvey Dog, thank you very much for the complimets and it is a pleasure to meet you as well. I will try to update this thread as much as possible in order to provide a sufficient amount of eye candy.

Sheol
04-29-2008, 06:59 PM
Hi. :)

I'm excited to see how your tank ends up looking. I just got an aquarium off of Craigslist, too - more expensive but in better shape, and I'm mechanically useless, so it works out. I just got a 180 and need to get started. My frient was able to get the aquarium portion home for me in her little Honda Fit - they gave that car an appropriate name.

Jasonanatal
04-29-2008, 07:52 PM
Hi. :)

I'm excited to see how your tank ends up looking. I just got an aquarium off of Craigslist, too - more expensive but in better shape, and I'm mechanically useless, so it works out. I just got a 180 and need to get started. My frient was able to get the aquarium portion home for me in her little Honda Fit - they gave that car an appropriate name.

Shoel, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm glad you found exactly what fit your needs. No pun intended. You would be amazed at what those little Honda's are capable of.

Rob's Reef
04-30-2008, 04:06 PM
Nice work so far, looking forward to seeing how this turns out along with more pics of coarse! :up:

Jasonanatal
05-02-2008, 05:59 AM
Addition of my Megaflow Overflow Kits

Well I finally purchased my Mega-Flow Overflow Kit for both overflows. Courtesy of Tim's Aquatics. This being my first true Reef Ready Aquarium I finally got the measurements of the Bulkheads that I required (1 Inch for the drains and 3/4 Inch for the Returns). Unfortunately I didn't bother to check if the Bulkheads would accomodate PVC Piping and they don't so I will be placing an order shortly to get the correct Bulkheads


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTiPhotograph003.jpg
Photograph - Mega Flow Overflow Kits from All Glass Aquariums Courtesy of Tim's Aquatics.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTiPhotograph004.jpg
Photograph - Dual Loc-Line Returns where included with these kits.

thesaent14
05-04-2008, 03:07 PM
where are the pics must have updates lol jk

Jasonanatal
05-05-2008, 07:38 PM
where are the pics must have updates lol jk

Thesaent14, you asked for it you got it!

Jasonanatal
05-05-2008, 08:57 PM
Restoration of the Oceanic 150 gallon Reef Ready Aquarium & Wooden Aquarium (In Progress).

The Oceanic Wooden Aquarium Stand that I purchased from Craigslist was severly water damaged but in my opinion still able to be salvaged. So with alittle time, effort and dedication I began my work. I started off by removing all excess screws that were left in the Oceanic Wooden Stand that were possibly used to hold up wires for equipment. Then the Oceanic Wooden Aquariums Stand was sanded down very slightly to provide a surface that the paint would bond to. I taped off the bottom rim of the Aquarium with standard Painter Tape so that I would actually paint the Aquarium itself. I choose Hi-Gloss Black Latex paint so that it would provide some protection should water spill from the Aquarium into the Stand. The Aquarium itself was filled with Tap Water and 1 gallon of Distilled White Vinigar and left for 3 days to remove the excess salt creep and algae from within the Aquarium. The Doors are still not connected to the Oceanic Wooden Aquarium stand since I am in the process of restoring the rusted hinges.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3158-1.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3156-1.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_3139.jpg
Photograph - The Oceanic Reef Ready Aquarium & Wooden Aquarium Stand before the restoration.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTiPhotograph027.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTiPhotograph012.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/CanonDigitalRebelXTiPhotograph01-1.jpg

Photograph - The Oceanic Reef Ready Aquarium & Wooden Aquarium Stand after the restoration.

rayme07
05-05-2008, 11:01 PM
Hi Jasonanatal Love the tank Ive been wanting a big tank like that since I first started this hobby but of course I have no money . Well anyways your tank looks nice I cant wait till its finished its going to be a awsome I look forward to following your thread and learn alot. Thanks :) :D

Raymond

Jasonanatal
05-06-2008, 05:46 AM
Hi Jasonanatal Love the tank Ive been wanting a big tank like that since I first started this hobby but of course I have no money . Well anyways your tank looks nice I cant wait till its finished its going to be a awsome I look forward to following your thread and learn alot. Thanks :) :D

Raymond

Rayme, thank you very much for the compliments. It is very much appreciated and I will try and not dissapoint everyone.

thesaent14
05-06-2008, 07:08 AM
thanks for the updates i use to live in ny and by then it was hard to have a reef tank i allmost no one had corals now is difrent

btw
i love the work is coming really nice

V
05-06-2008, 10:35 PM
J, wow bud, been like ages since we last spoke.

fill me in on the goss bud, whats been happening?

damn brother, your tank looked abit ordinary before that clean up, nice work!
im going to have to visit your thread again soon, time is against me today so a quick breif read was all i managaed to squeeze.

TBC.

CarmieJo
05-07-2008, 12:15 AM
Amazing what a coat of paint can do!

Jasonanatal
05-09-2008, 10:28 PM
J, wow bud, been like ages since we last spoke.

fill me in on the goss bud, whats been happening?

damn brother, your tank looked abit ordinary before that clean up, nice work!
im going to have to visit your thread again soon, time is against me today so a quick breif read was all i managaed to squeeze.

TBC.

Brother V, it definitely has been ages since we spoke indeed. Thing in my personal life were a little chaotic for a bit but everything has seemed to smooth out and it appears I'm back in the right direction. My wife and I are actually planning to visit Australia in the next few years so a few drinks are in order. How is it in the land down under?

Jasonanatal
05-09-2008, 10:29 PM
Amazing what a coat of paint can do!

CarmieJo, amazing it is but lets not forget the labor intensive hand sanding since I didn't want to go too deep into the wood. But their is more to come. :up:

V
05-09-2008, 10:38 PM
Brother V, it definitely has been ages since we spoke indeed. Thing in my personal life were a little chaotic for a bit but everything has seemed to smooth out and it appears I'm back in the right direction. My wife and I are actually planning to visit Australia in the next few years so a few drinks are in order. How is it in the land down under?

Glad the here it bud. its nice when things fall into line again!

beers, you dont have to ask me twice!:)

Things are good down under, the taxes sux, but then again cause i own the country i shouldn't complain cause it ends up coming back anyways right!!! :unsure:

Jasonanatal
05-09-2008, 10:41 PM
Glad the here it bud. its nice when things fall into line again!

beers, you dont have to ask me twice!:)

Things are good down under, the taxes sux, but then again cause i own the country i shouldn't complain cause it ends up coming back anyways right!!! :unsure:

Veriann, if you own the country some land for me would be nice as a new job gift. LOL

V
05-09-2008, 11:37 PM
yeah no probs, take...um, the centre of australia.
Im sure we can get a steady stream of sand monkeys to cultivate it into another vagas for you! :raining:

Jasonanatal
05-10-2008, 07:52 AM
yeah no probs, take...um, the centre of australia.
Im sure we can get a steady stream of sand monkeys to cultivate it into another vagas for you! :raining:
Veriann, sounds like a plan! :D

Skurvey Dog
05-10-2008, 10:14 AM
Wow! Doesn't look like the same set up you brought home. Bet your leg and arm muscles have increased 1/2"! :showoff: Good Job!!!!!!!!!!!

Jasonanatal
05-18-2008, 03:11 AM
Wow! Doesn't look like the same set up you brought home. Bet your leg and arm muscles have increased 1/2"! :showoff: Good Job!!!!!!!!!!!

Skurvey Dog, thank you very much for the compliments.

Jasonanatal
05-18-2008, 03:12 AM
Restoration of the Oceanic 150 gallon Reef Ready Aquarium & Wooden Aquarium (Completed).

Well I apologize to everyone for having taken so long to get some updates on the stand restoration. But here it is, I have finally managed to remove the rust from the door hinges and complete the front doors of the stand. I also decided to dress up the Aquarium a bit with a Digital Aquatics Digital Reefkeeper 2. I hope everyone likes it as much as I do.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_0090.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_0087.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/150%20gallon%20Reef%20Ready%20Aquarium/IMG_0088.jpg
Photograph - 150 Gallon Oceanic Reef Ready Aquarium & Wooden Stand fully restored with some extra splash of Digital Reefkeeper 2.

Jasonanatal
05-18-2008, 12:49 PM
Filtration of Tap Water To Remove Impurities

In preparation of partially filling the Oceanic 150 gallon Reef Ready Aquarium I purchased enough RO/DI Filtration Tubing to reach from my bathroom to my location of the Aquarium in the living room (20 feet to be exact). This allowed me to bypass having to fill seperate 5 gallon buckets and lift above my head to fill the Aquarium with water. Currently the RO/DI Filtration process has been running for over 18 hours straight and the Aquarium is about 40% percent filled with RO/DI Freshwater with a TDS Meter reading 000 PPM.

However, their is one process that has been debated within the Reef Keeping Society and that is the placement of your Deionization Resin Canister on a RO/DI Filtration unit. Commonly RO/DI Filtration units placed your Deionization Resin Canister in a horinzontal position. This normally results in a top layer of Deionization Resin absorbing impurities at an accelerated rate and thus allowing water within the upper most colum to bypass the final stages in the purification process. I personally have repositioned my Deionization Resin Canister on a RO/DI Filtration unit to a vertical position which results in a more efficient exposure of water to the Deionization Resin. Another observation which proves my method as being more efficient is the seperate layers formed within the Deionization Resin Canister. Used Deonization Resin changes color to brown and weighs heavier then unused Deionization Resin which maintains its black coloration and lighter weight. The video below displays my theory.


http://www.youtube.com/v/jii1UW3Ty00 (http://www.youtube.com/v/jii1UW3Ty00)
Movie - Reverse Osmosis Deionization Filtration.

CarmieJo
05-19-2008, 12:25 AM
Beautiful! Let us know how you like your RK2

Sheol
05-19-2008, 12:50 AM
It's looking beautiful! Great job! I'm super impressed. :)


I also decided to dress up the Aquarium a bit with a Digital Aquatics Digital Reefkeeper 2

Nice! I'm interested in getting something similar, but I haven't decided on one yet - too many decisions.


Let us know how you like your RK2
What she said.

Jasonanatal
05-19-2008, 07:34 AM
Beautiful! Let us know how you like your RK2

CarmieJo, definitely will do so far I love the thing.

Jasonanatal
05-19-2008, 07:36 AM
It's looking beautiful! Great job! I'm super impressed. :)



Nice! I'm interested in getting something similar, but I haven't decided on one yet - too many decisions.


What she said.

Sheol, thank you for the compliments. I will keep everyone updated on the Reefkeeper 2 but my honest opinion is that everyone should have one.

Phurst
05-19-2008, 08:40 AM
I will keep everyone updated on the Reefkeeper 2 but my honest opinion is that everyone should have one.

Do doubt. A controller wasn't something i knew needed until I had to do without it. I received a RK1 with a complete nano system I got from someone and had no idea how much I depended on it until it went on the fritz. My Aqua Controller 3 should be here this week to take it's place :)

thesaent14
05-20-2008, 09:55 AM
Sheol, thank you for the compliments. I will keep everyone updated on the Reefkeeper 2 but my honest opinion is that everyone should have one.

you are totally right about having a controller i have the aquatronica for my 180g at home and the RK2 in my frag system i like them both but the aquatronica have lots more features like i can add as many different probes and the rk2 you only limited to 1 ph probe

BTW lets see some pluming lol you know me i guest to much of equipment freak