Hello everyone!

[Radman]

Having a home built in Winter Garden that we'll move into next spring/summer. I currently have a 60 cube that, while I love, will not be making the move with me. I picked up a 210 tank/stand/canopy from a fellow member of the Atlanta Reef Club which will make the trip down instead. The plan is to have the sump and equipment in the garage just on the other side of the wall from the tank. This should make maintenance much easier which means it's more likely that I'll actually do it in a timely manner lol!

I started in the hobby back in 2010 with a 29-gal biocube. In the spring of 2014 I got a steal on the 60 cube so upgraded to it. Now, with a dedicated fish tank room, I'll finally be able to get up to a fair size tank.

Looking forward to being involved with the club and meeting fellow members. Who knows, if we're down to check on the house when a meeting is going on I may be able to swing by!

Jason

[ccampo]

Hi Jason,

Welcome to ORCA forums !!!

A 210g tank is a good size tank, that's what I have and I love it.

It would be good to put a face on that screenname, I hope you can make any of our meeting someday.

[Radman]

Thanks! Looking forward to it. In the meantime, I'll read through your 210 journal

[Coach]

Welcome to the forums and soon the club.

[Flcorals]

Welcome to the ORCA forum Jason, hope to see you at one of our monthly meetings

[philip_r5]

Welcome man, glad to have another person in the family.

[Jim28fl]

Welcome Jason,
Nothing like a new tank project to get the wheels turning.. things I consider a must on a 100+ is house water supply at the sump/ filter RODI location with a gravity drain at the same a small sink is really nice, dedicated power with a power outage plan maybe a small generator around some where, two smaller ac systems vs one large one for solid temperature control as it gets hot fast in fl if an AC has a bad day, and space to expand n work as the setup matures.

Your welcome to come check out my place or ask for more details on how I have done mine. I am a third generation residential construction guy. I built my home with the lines where i wanted my tanks. I also converted my detached garage into a fish room recently. I have water lines going to n from all my tank locations to move new n old SW around as well as get rid of waste n so forth and it really helps towards the over all goal of consistency and manageability long term on bigger systems and multi systems.

[Radman]

Welcome Jason,
Nothing like a new tank project to get the wheels turning.. things I consider a must on a 100+ is house water supply at the sump/ filter RODI location with a gravity drain at the same a small sink is really nice, dedicated power with a power outage plan maybe a small generator around some where, two smaller ac systems vs one large one for solid temperature control as it gets hot fast in fl if an AC has a bad day, and space to expand n work as the setup matures.

Your welcome to come check out my place or ask for more details on how I have done mine. I am a third generation residential construction guy. I built my home with the lines where i wanted my tanks. I also converted my detached garage into a fish room recently. I have water lines going to n from all my tank locations to move new n old SW around as well as get rid of waste n so forth and it really helps towards the over all goal of consistency and manageability long term on bigger systems and multi systems.

I was hoping to get a floor drain in the garage but no such luck. What I will have a is a utility tub that I can at least set my RODI in so if it leaks it just drains. Also allows me to plumb an overflow line for my RODI tank to the sink so if a float valve fails it'll just drain into the sink.

We will have 2 AC's and I also have a generator powerful enough to run the tank, a fridge, and maybe something else. Insulated garage door so the temp, at least gauging from some of the spec houses they have, doesn't get too much warmer in the garage. Would like to avoid a chiller if possible. In my current house I have my controller, fresh sw tank, RODI tank, and old sw tank in my garage just opposite the wall where my current tank sits. Life saver since I've done it that way. Apex DOS for auto water changes.

Next step in this house will be to house the sump and equipment in the garage to make maintenance even easier. I'll be able to build in a distribution header off the return to power reactors, feed the fuge, and one or two more for anything else I come up with. My wife will love me changing out reactor media in the garage instead of the kitchen lol! I do need to find a clean way to pass water lines from the tank through the wall to the garage. Want to experiment with how to pass the Apex USB through the wall too. Might be able to use some stand alone USB wall outlets but need to make sure any pin connections are correct. The thought is to put one EB8 on the tank side to power lights and power heads with everything else powered off another EB8 in the garage.

Would love to check out the 300DD sometime once we get down there. That was atop my wish list but budget wouldn't realistically allow a new one and used ones are hit or miss to find. The 210 was a pretty good deal that I couldn't pass up.

Thanks all for the welcome!

[Jim28fl]

I set up a 1.5 ton mini split dc inverter ac system, "common in hotels and in puerto rico in the houses down there" dedicated for the garage. total cost about 1700 $ and the entire room stays 76 at a fraction of the cost of a chiller or even a typical home ac system. They have long warranties and are commercial grade. small and super quiet and efficient. mine is the fujitsu and has heat mode as well if it ever gets cold enough for a few days down here. So far i love it! and the garage is very comfortable. its something you could add later if needed for sure.

Because the locations that my poly tube comes in n out of are behind the tank i just used 2x2 plastic mud rings and if i ever moved i, just put blank plates on them. and i just strapped the pvc pipe which run to the exterior for high water drain and fresh air vent to the wall studs and mud them in tight with drywall mud. Even one of those dryer vent covers for out side on both sides would allow alot of freedom. I'd not use usb outlets for usb cords they corrode fast better to just feed them thru a 2 inch pipe or something like a chase. on that note change the outlets in the tank areas to weather proof versions. They are just made with corrosion resistant materials for use outdoors and around pool equipment n so forth. And they fair much better long run around the saltwater. they make gfi's and regular outlets in WP "weather proof" by the way.
another idea is a small bath room fan installed just over top the tank location maybe. and if it was reversible that would be really trick you could time it to extract during hot time and blow in during cold times relative to indoor out door temp. man that would be great for the tank ph and keeping the house fresh and getting rid of heat n humidity say from light fixtures n so forth. i cant think of any small bi directional fan sort of things off the top of my head but it would need to be ducted to out side under a soffit or somewhere probably not on a roof top.

While I'm thinks of it i highly suggest spray foam insulation on the house as an isolation up grade. 15 SER rated ac systems. " there pretty much the best for the buck across the board ATM I suggest carrier or trane personal. and a quality window and door product. I highly suggest five point locking doors over traditional single point. all of these things are a good bit over the typical builder grade stuff but well worth the extra money long run. I would look at wood look tile instead of real wood floors as well good ones you can't tell the difference except they way they feel walking on them. Florida rain and humidity VS wood floors is really a matter of time before they get ruined. And then there is the tank water issue of course. I can go on n on. if you wanna hear some more just ask... lol I think I'm excited for you!!! LOL

[Radman]

Yeah, house will have spray foam, even in the attic which will be conditioned. AC systems are 16 SEER but Lennox. Mid-tier brand from my previous experience with them but that's okay, just means I can expect to replace them within ten years. The house will have an air exchange system because of how tight spray foam houses typically are. Good idea on the weatherproof outlet. I switched the one near the tank to GFCI and it shouldn't be too hard to retro a weatherproof outlet in place of it and the one in the garage which was already GFCI. I may just look at using bulkheads at the drywall with some true unions on each side to facilitate cleaning and/or replacement. Or, I could just use a hole saw on a drill to match the plumbing size and rely on friction with unions on each side lol!

[Jim28fl]

Awesome. Sounds like your set up to succeed for sure. And as much work as a new construction house is, its peace of mind you did it the way you want it to be.

Keep us informed and make sure you go thru the whole house with a video recorder before they insulate and drywall for future use. Very very handy in future projects and locating lost or covered up stuff. If you can check on the house during the construction, thats great as well. Keep paper copies of everything exchanged with the builder to minimize cost run overs and extras in the end at the closing table which will be two months behind schedule at least, it always is I'm in the business lol..
I'm a big fan of led lighting thru out also.

[Radman]

Well, we close February 12. So getting pretty close. Purchased an Aquamaxx ConeS CO-3 skimmer on Black Friday for my Christmas present. We'll bring a large load down February 19 which, at a minimum, will include my 60 cube and hopefully the 220 as well. I'll have a long weekend at the house so time permitting I can start building the sump area in the garage up. Only issue I've run into is the spot where I'm putting the tank is barely 6 foot. I actually need to take down a tape measure to confirm. With trim on the stand I'm worried about it fitting. May put it along the outside wall and drill for the overflow on the end as that wall has the garage on the other side. Easy to route the pipes through the wall. In fact, may work best as if I want to go with a ghost overflow I'd have to move the tank out from the wall anyway so when people walked into the fish room they be looking directly at the plumbing behind the tank. Going with the ghost overflow will allow me to remove the 2 huge corner overflows.

In any case, getting closer . Looking at going with a 6 foot Hamilton Cebu Sun fixture with M80 ballasts and Radium bulbs. Sump will be a 40 breeder which I have and a cousin that owns a glass shop cut all of my glass partitions to size so need to silicone those in place. Looking at a 50-65 gallon stock tank for the fuge. I have an Eheim 1262 that will work for my return though I'm sorely tempted by the Ecotech Vectra L1. I already have a calcium reactor and an Apex DOS that may or may not be used for AWC. Used it for that purpose on the 60 cube but not sure it'll be necessary on this build as having the sump equipment in the garage might make water changes the old way much easier. That would allow the DOS to be used for kalk, mag, or something else. Maybe carbon dosing if I don't run bio-pellets.

My QT setup will be upgraded from 2 10gal tanks to 2 40 breeders kept under the stand with a couple power filters for flow. Might pick up a couple nano powerheads too for certain fish.

Anyone have experience with Tampa Bay Saltwater LR? Strongly considering them as a source for some extra rock to go along with what I already have and it should be easy enough to drive down and pick it up.

[Jim28fl]

i have tons of rock. live dry all types of structure.. I'm sure you can find 100 lbs of something you want.
some has been cooking for over a year in barrels with basic lights. no nitrates and some coraline. the marco rock i have 1000+ lbs of all sorts of pieces. i suggest new marco rock and a few pieces of cured rock from your system or a very trusted system with no bugs to get a good start. pm me your welcome to come over over n pick what you want. 1000 gallons of saltwater critters hiding out over here to jabber jaw about as well make an evening of it. easy to get to.

[techbiker]

Welcome, to the club, I live very close to Winter Garden and I just set up a 300 gallon, I don't have a AC on the garage, but it seems very good idea what Jim did, I use on my new tank Reef Rook from Carib sea, just because it is completely free of pest and come dormant bacteria, that activates with the water, so only took 2 weeks to be ready for fish and corals, and look awesome (purple) from the beginning

[eg8r210]

Well, I am late to the party but...Welcome to ORCA! I also live very close to Winter Garden (Ocoee). Let me know if you need any help and I will call Ricardo (techbiker) to do the work.

[Radman]

Long time no post but progress has been made!

I setup my 60 cube just to get something up and running, get my rock out of a brute, and get my fish back from a friend that's been taking care of them for me. 3 weeks ago the tank was setup and this past weekend I picked the fish up from my friend and made the drive straight down from Atlanta. Didn't get in until 1:30am but was able to get the fish acclimated and into the cube. Up at 8am to get ready for an interview and the fish were fine. Have an eheim auto feeder to keep them fed for a while. My brother in law gets down there this coming weekend, sister in law and daughter the next weekend. I have ~25 gallons of RODI in a brute as ATO. Skimmerless so I'll need to do a healthy water change once I finally make it down.

I was also able to transport down the 220 tank, stand, and canopy. Currently sitting in the garage awaiting a leak test but at least it made it down without any visible issues. Tech and eg8, I'll touch base when I'm ready to get it onto the stand. My 10yo son and I were able to get it out of the trailer but there's no way I can lift it up high enough myself to get it on the stand. I wouldn't mind 2nd and 3rd opinions on tank placement anyway. We're down there permanently, sort of lol, on Memorial Day weekend.

Also, after spending more time in the house I think I'll place the sump under the stand and the fuge in a closet that overlaps the wall that the tank will be on a little. This might let me put the overflow on one end, get the tank right up against the wall, and still use the garage for water mixing, RODI storage, and ATO storage. Much smaller holes through my nice spray foam insulated walls and less concern about summer heat affecting temp.