Red Sea Monster 2000L+ in-Wall System

[jpsika08]

Index for the first tank build - the one that starts below:

Red Sea Monster 1420 System Index (Former Tank)
1. Cabinet sketches, building and Placement | DT Sketches and Building

2. DT Placement | Light Fixture Sketches | Light Fixture Building Part 1 |

3. Light Fixture Building Part 2 | Complete sections in place | RO/DI Install | Skimmer Positioning

4. Light fixture testing | Rockscape Part 1

5. Rockscape Part 2

6. Wiring and Electrical Installation | Sand Introduction | Side Cabinet Finish

7. Filtration Sketches | Sump Build | Sump / Pumps / Skimmer setup Part 1

8. Fuge Setup, lights, sand and rocks

9. Fish Wish List

10. Sump / Pumps / Skimmer setup Part 2

11. Water in the tank Part 1

12. Water in the tank Part 2

13. Water in the tank Part 3

14. Salt mixing in Tank | Skimmer testing

15. BeanAnimal testing | Skimmer Testing 2

16. Deli Shrimp Cycle starter

17. Vortech MP60 Install Part 1

18. Vertex Media Reactor Installation

19. FTS of the tank with lights on (No Stocking)

20. System flow

21. Diatoms and first Inhabitants

22. Vortech installation Part 2 | GEO Calcium Reactor

23. Diatoms and Coral Pictures

24. Pictures of Inhabitants (Yellow Goby and Stylophora)

25. FTS and Barnacle pictures

26. Tomato clowns video

27. Pictures: Tomato clowns, Yellow Goby, Montipora

28. Vortech with WXM Wireless Neptune module Schedule

29. Vortech with WXM Wireless Neptune module, Setup review

30. Pictures: Yellow Clown Goby, Green Chromis, Diamond Goby, Six Line Wrasse and Rock Blenny

31. Pictures: Pupo Food, Six Line Wrasse, Tomato Clown, Rock Blenny and FTS

32. Pictures: Green Chromis

33. Water Depot Version 1 | Video of Water Depot in action

34. Water movement with cyano video

Most of the links above take you to pictures section which are the ones that start lots of replies on the matter, lots of great info from all of you are around these.

Index for the BIGGER tank that followed this first build:


Red Sea Monster 2000+ System Index:

1. Sketches Fishroom Version 1 |

2. Sketches Quarantine Tank

3. Sketches Fishroom Version 2

4. Sketches 400 Gallon DT

5. Beginning of project, Land movement

6. Excavation and drainage layout

7. Cement flooring

8. Fishroom Walls construction Part 1

9. Fishroom Wall Construction Part 2

10. Tank Support Beams | DT Building

11. Fishroom Roof construction

12. New Sump Sketches

13. Fishroom Grey Construction Finished | Tank Support building

14. Tank Delivery Part 1

15. Tank Delivery (With Crane Video)

16. Fishroom Painting cleaning | Water Depot Build

17. Light fixture Modification Part 1

18. Apex Connections | RO/DI Install | Workbench placement

19. Fishroom and Pergola finished | Water Test

20. Light Fixture Railing system

21. Rockscape Version 1

22. Light fixture Railing System (Video Explained)

23. Fishroom painted and Pergola Shots

24. Rockscape Version 2 (Final Version)

25. Salt Water in the Tank Part 1 | Electricity Connections with Apex EB8 | New Sump in Place

26. Plumbing Stand Pipes

27. Plumbing Fittings | Magical Key | Sump Foam arrangement (With Video)

28. Final Fishroom details | Tank Water filled Part 2 | First FTS

This second index will grow from time to time as the thread moves forward

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So, recently I sold my RSM250 and decided to take the leap into a larger tank (at least large comparable to the RSM250). So, before I began planning equipment and all the systems requirements I decided to sketch it up in 3DSMax and step-by-step the project began taking shape.

I will begin by showing you the complete project, first, in render mode and then, the real project as it goes.

First off the Tank statistics:

Dimensions:

Made out of: Glass
Thickness: 1/2"
DT: 72î x 34î x 26î (275g)
Sump: 48îx10îx18î (40 gal)
Fuge: 48îx16îx18î (60g)

Total system: 375 gallons

Rock and Sand:
205 Pounds of Marco Rocks
200 Aragonite sand

Lightning:
3x LumenMax Elite Reflectors with Hamilton M80 HQI Metal Halide Ballasts and Radium 20k Bulbs
2x VHO 72î Retrofit kit with IceCap 660 Ballast.
2x Neptune Systems Lunar Sim (3LED/each) Total 6 LEDS with real moon cycles.

Skimmer:
Super Reef Octopus XP-5000 External Skimmer

Pumps:
1x Reeflo Dart Gold for Return
1x PanWorld 100PX-X for Skimmer and Fuge feed.
1x Vortech MP60w Powerheads (When released)

Controller / Monitor:
Neptune systems APEX controller

RO/DI unit:
Vertex Puratek 100GPD RO/DI system w/booster pump.

Plumbing and overflow and water connectivity:
- Internal coast to coast overflow system.
- BeanAnimal siphon system
- Hayward Bulkheads

All plumbing has 1.5" tubing.

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Cabinet:
All cabinet was made out of cypress wood.
Most of the cabinet's wood planks dimensions are 4x2 inches.
Because I live within an earthquake area, to hold the cabinet together I used screws instead of nails.
Once finished it was completely painted with G77 Epoxy for water protection and then painted white for visual purposes.

Render Mode:

1. Lower part of the cabinet 2x2 and 4x2 planks used:

2. Support columns are 4x2:

3. Upper part of the cabinet and middle section completed:

4. Added lateral sections to hold skimmer and electronics:

5. Completed floor for the whole cabinet as well as right compairtment with wall dividing from rest so electronics can be kept safely without salt or water damage:

6. Finished cabinet with lateral sections, the green glasses on each side are sandblasted for visual purposes, also, these will be removable for skimmer maintenance:

7. Lots of access for easy maintenance:

Real Mode: (Sorry for the bad qual. pictures, used my iphone for the majority of them).

1. Planks Ready:

2. Making a quick layout:

3. Big screws for ultimate support:

4. Assembling the middle section:

5.Began building the lateral sections:

6. Painted cabinet, the outer section has a glossy finish:

7. Now the challenging part, moving in the cabinet (As you can appreciate, someone had to take the pictures )

8. Screwing lateral sections to middle section and finished cabinet in position:

Display Tank
The DT is made of glass, really can't say I like acrylic (I have two small children as stated before).
Sadly in my country there is no starfire yet so the tank is made out of normal 1/2" glass.
I have decided to go with a coast to coast overflow and BeanAnimal's system for siphon/Return.

Render Mode:

Display Tank:

Real Mode:
Measuring the tank back wall holes for siphon and return:

Almost finished tank:

 

[jpsika08]

The really tough challenge, carrying the tank three floors, but hey, somebody had to take the pictures

And the tank in its resting place:

Lightning

Maybe this was the toughest part when deciding which way to go.

I basically studied all possible lights out there, LEDS, T5 or/and MH.

I really was inclined of going with a LED fixture but prices are still really high.

Render Mode

The Aluminum cage:

I left two possible accesses to the tank
1. Front opening compartment, for feeding, front window cleaning, and all basic needs.

2. The full maintance access:

Lights displacement layout:

Middle reflectors (3) LumenMax Elite with Radium Bulbs
Outter tubes: VHO lights
Black middle moonlights (6) Neptune Systems Lunar Sims.

Real Mode

Christmas (Without being in December )

Assembling the Lights Canopy:

 

[jpsika08]

I installed a total of 14 fans
6 on top which pull out the air from inside the tank
8 four on each side which push air inside.

Completed tank with Canopy (Still missing the Sump and lots of other things on the list: (For these pictures I used my Nikon D300, quality is now better )

RENDER MODE

REAL MODE

Testing out the lights with the controller:

RO/DI System:
I began installing the RO/DI unit, still missing the water canisters which will hold RODI water and Saltmixed water:

My Vertex Puratek system came in a great shape and quality seems good (First ever RO/DI system I owned)

Installation was really quick:

And here some pictures which I intendt to keep uploading as I go...

Installed a total of 12 Electric connectors inside the cabinet, each connection goes into a different plugin in the Neptune EB8 module so I can have a complete control.

My skimmer in position just begging me to install the sump

So, maybe this week I will begin rockscaping, all my rock has already arrived as well as the sand.

 

[jpsika08]

Pheeew, that was long! Good to be back

 

[steved13]

Wow!!! Nice setup, I can't wait to see more. Great chronical.

 

[jpsika08]

Thanks Steve

 

[Dweezil]

All I can say is WOW! That is amazing. I've really enjoyed reading this thread.
Absolutely beautiful.......next time I want to see someone else taking pictures though and YOU actually moving something. LOL

 

[tnwillia]

WOW, you've been busy. Your build looks great great great!

 

[jpsika08]

LOL Tammy, I will next time assign someone else the camera

Thanks Tom

I will keep updating soon enough.

 

[lethal]

That is an amazing build Juan and so well documented. No wonder we haven't seen much of you lately, you've been so busy. Did you do most of it yourself? If this is only your second ever tank, you have done an awesome job.

 

[Reefmack]

Well, we know where you've been for a month! That tank and setup are absolutely amazing! Thanks for the history and all of the pictures - WOW!

 

[jpsika08]

Thank you Leigh and Terry, I'm really glad to be back, and yes, this project has kept me really busy, it was a real hassle to choose all the equipment, lots of study was involved to make the right choices, also, the 3d tool helped me hugely to lessen the trial and error and saved me lots of money.

 

[Edison]

Great craftsmanship and design. going to watch this build for sure.

 

[imaccat]

Hi Juan,

Good to see you back, great looking tank and can't wait to see it evolve.

 

[dizzyg]

oh wow!

VERY jealous!

 

[colaboy]

Wow!!!!

What an unbelievable masterpiece! Excellent planning, documenting and building. I can only dream to be so handy!!!

I think a job for you is there at Red Sea. Designing the RSM1000 ))

Can't wait for more updates,


Ramon

 

[tnwillia]

Hey Juan, are you planning to put a matting or something like is on the base of the cabinet. No matter what you do your going to have minor water spills from the sump or the skimmer or the plumbing. Something like a splash guard to protect your cabinet. Just thinking out loud. Have fun!

 

[Kevnvan]

Gorgeous set-up, cant wait to see it evolve!!

 

[redsea reefer]

HOLY Juan! Talk about planning, design and documentation.

Excellent work! That is a beautiful tank and its gonna be amazing filled in with livestock...

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Juan - WOW is right sooooooooo nice !!! Another tank I am owner that I am proud to say started with a RSM

Thanks for sharing !