210 Gallon Custom Install

[Dan F]

This project has been a long time coming, but the end result is well worth it.

I decided to upgrade my 135 to a 210 a few months ago when we had to move it out to replace our flooring. The 135 was plumbed through the wall to an underfloor sump, so just moving it out to the garage was a chore in itself.

The first step after picking up the tank (an Aqueon 210 "Megaflow") was to paint the back. I used a bunch of coats (3 cans) of Krylon flat black primer followed by two heavy coats of Krylon satin black. I also painted the overflow plumbing, as you could see the white PVC through the overflow slots.

The stand is a custom built cabinet. It has three slide-outs and shelves as well. The rectangular cutouts are for the plumbing.

The last photo is the first fill - always an exciting moment.

I will be posting this a few photos at a time, as I still have super-slow dial-up...

 

[Dan F]

I almost forgot the obligatory kid-in-the-tank shot!

The plumbing goes out the back of the cabinet and into the wall.

I built these boxes lined with sound-deadening board to quiet things down.

 

[bigcatfan]

looks good! does the sound deadning board make a big difference?

 

[Dan F]

In the laundry room behind the tank are two access panels that were there from the 135 - I had them made when we built the house. In the access panels are lighting timers, a temperature controller, and the plumbing. The 1.5" PVC and 1" flex line in the left-hand panel are the drain and return. I also plumbed additional 1" flex lines for future filtration in the right-hand panel.

The sump (300 gallon Rubbermaid) is in the crawlspace. I put it there before the house was built - I definitely got some funny looks from the framers.

Filtration is through four bucket filters, two mechanical with pillow stuffing and two biological with bio-balls. There is also a DIY 6-Bio-Wheel contraption and an old Eheim 2017 with a broken impeller. The filtration is all run by an Iwaki MD70RLT. There is also a Quiet One 4000HH for the return.

Auto water changes are done with an ejection pump that drains to the sewer line and a float valve. I can set it to any level of water change, right now I am doing 96 gallons/day. We're on well water, so no issues with chlorine or expense.

 

[creepyoldguy]

That is awesome! What is the dimensions on that 210? Is it 7x2 footprint?

 

[Dan F]

One really cool feature the cabinet guy (he isn't on MFK, but he has a sweet 120 gallon reef) came up with is a sliding light-mounting board.

Normal position is directly above the tank. It can also be slid back for tank access or slide forward for changing bulbs.

 

[Dan F]

Here's a few full tank shots. The photo quality isn't great, full tank shots are hard for me.

The driftwood consists of four 3'-4' pieces of grape wood and three 20"-30" pieces of Mopani wood.

The substrate is 220 pounds of CaribSea "Sunset Gold".

There is also quite a bit of petrified wood and other cool rocks.

 

[Dan F]

looks good! does the sound deadning board make a big difference?

It did make a difference - I can't say that it was a really big difference, but since the tank is in the living room every bit counts. It is actually quite quiet, overall.

 

[Dan F]

That is awesome! What is the dimensions on that 210? Is it 7x2 footprint?

Thanks! It is a 72x24x30. I wasn't thinking monstrously when I designed the house and only gave myself six feet to work with.

 

[12 Volt Man]

very nice. I like your aquascaping. that wood is awesome.