Mateo’s Seapora 50 build

[19Mateo83]

I got the tank drilled today, the plan is to permanently attach the overflow boxes with black silicone to ensure a leak free setup. I do want to paint the back of the tank before I do that though. Here it is dry fitted in place.

 

[19Mateo83]

In the spirit of making things permanently leaf proof I decided to ditch the gaskets on the overflow bulkheads and I siliconed them in. Yea I know…. Can’t remove them if I need to but I don’t plan on removing them at all….ever… I want this to be rock solid, dependable and permanently leak free. Both boxes will also get siliconed to the tank once I test run it.

 

[19Mateo83]

While I had the silicone out I also started installing my sump kit. I got the filter sock section siliconed in and am now working out how I want the rest of the baffles laid out. I want a skimmmer partition, I want a section to fill with the live rock from my 14 gallon and all it’s marine pure balls. I also want to get the evaporation/return pump section to have enough room to hold at least 5 gallons in case of power outage plus I want plenty of room for tank drain down without risk of overflow. I’m considering having my adjustable baffle and bubble trap closer to the skimmer so I can maintain a stable water level for it and give me the room I want for drain down. I haven’t made my mind up yet.

On another note I want to give a big thank you and shout to @IOAOI ! They were kind enough to donate the skimmer for this build (PS-100). This thing is so well made! It was very simple to assemble and all the pieces went together right and tight. I am super impressed by the build quality of it. I can’t wait to get it up and running and dialed in. If it works half as good as it is built this is gonna be perfect for this tank!
I will also be doing a Full review of this skimmer once I get it up and running.

 

[19Mateo83]

Got the bean animal setup mocked up today. I had to trim down the elbows a little to get them to fit. Luckily I won’t have to trim off the bulkheads that pass through the tank thanks to the extension I added to the internal portion.

 

[19Mateo83]

I decided to go this route for my baffles. One more to go.

 

[19Mateo83]

Tank background got painted today. I masked off the area around the bulkheads so I can get a good bond when I silicone it on. The surface was cleaned with acetone followed by 90% isopropyl alcohol.

 

[19Mateo83]

The paint came out great and the overflow disappears into it as planned. I want to test run the weir to see where the water level will sit at once I get the plumbing put together before I silicone it in, I have about 1/4” of play to mess with. I also got the final baffle siliconed in to finish out the sump.

 

[Petcrazyson]

The paint came out great and the overflow disappears into it as planned. I want to test run the weir to see where the water level will sit at once I get the plumbing put together before I silicone it in, I have about 1/4” of play to mess with. I also got the final baffle siliconed in to finish out the sump.

Real nice sump!

 

[19Mateo83]

Real nice sump!

Thank you! The marine bio system kit is an awesome time saver and getting to set your chambers how you want them is so nice.

 

[Reef Psychology]

Tank background got painted today. I masked off the area around the bulkheads so I can get a good bond when I silicone it on. The surface was cleaned with acetone followed by 90% isopropyl alcohol.

Ah the ol' Priority Mail USPS box. "Free" cardboard for the taking in most cities in America. LoL

Looking good.

 

[19Mateo83]

Plumbing update! I’m still waiting on two unions from Amazon but I was able to get the tank side plumbing roughed out.

I opted to not add loc-line fittings on this tank. I wanted to do something different from what I’ve always done and go with a gentle flow return. I split the 3/4 return line into two 3/4” returns made from furniture grade 90* elbows. The in tank part is able to be rotated. There will be an anti siphon vent hole drilled just below the water line and a back flow preventer inline just above the return pump. They are sitting deeper than they will sit when its finished.

They will be attached to the back of the tank via acrylic mounting plate siliconed to the back side of the plastic rim.

 

[19Mateo83]

I started cycling my rock work. I’ve had a 5 gallon bucket full of rock and bio media that I have been taking and adding to since February. It has long since been cycled since it has sand from my tanks, bio media from my tanks and the leftover Tonga rock. I put everything in a bigger tub tonight with circulation pumps. I figure this will give me a slight head start to my dry rock. I will be buying 20lbs of gulf live rock to add to the tank once I get it all set up and going.

 

[19Mateo83]

Plumbing progress! I have it 90% roughed out minus a piece of pipe and a fitting or two. I’m debating putting ball valves on both of the returns and plumbing it a little more neatly.

 

[Reef Psychology]

I started cycling my rock work. I’ve had a 5 gallon bucket full of rock and bio media that I have been taking and adding to since February. It has long since been cycled since it has sand from my tanks, bio media from my tanks and the leftover Tonga rock. I put everything in a bigger tub tonight with circulation pumps. I figure this will give me a slight head start to my dry rock. I will be buying 20lbs of gulf live rock to add to the tank once I get it all set up and going.

Have you been feeding the bacteria (food, plankton, etc)? And are you going to cycle the gulf rock in a cryptic container or just go direct to tank once it’s done? I remember the gulf rock wrapped in news paper and man it smelled back in the day. Maybe they do or better now though.

 

[19Mateo83]

Have you been feeding the bacteria (food, plankton, etc)? And are you going to cycle the gulf rock in a cryptic container or just go direct to tank once it’s done? I remember the gulf rock wrapped in news paper and man it smelled back in the day. Maybe they do or better now though.

I have been feeding it every now and again. I was planning on getting the base rock so it hopefully has less algae’s to die off and curing it in my bin until no more ammonia and nitrates are ideal

 

[19Mateo83]

Overflows are in! I got the overflow siliconed in, inside and out. It may be overkill but I want this to be one with the tank.
The inside section.

Here’s what’s going on underneath the internal portion. Multiple silicone seals for a leak free lifetime.

And here’s how the external section is installed. You guessed it, more silicone! I also took this opportunity to silicone on the supports for the returns.

 

[19Mateo83]

Final plumbing rendition. I think I’m finally ready for glue. I added ball valves so I can tune my returns as needed. I also added a 1/2” layer of foam board between the tank and stand.

 

[19Mateo83]

That’s it, she’s glued! Tomorrow is leak testing and getting the overflow flow rate tuned to the pump.

 

[19Mateo83]

The tank got a test run today. Everything works as planned and no leaks! Yay! I really dig the dc pump. The overflow gets a little noisy at 100% power but runs very quiet at 80%. The only really audible part of this system is the gaping holes where the filter socks go. I just haven’t gotten them yet. AND, the Jabao gyre pump didn’t work out of the box…. Booo… so it’s going back to the amazon.

 

[19Mateo83]

I got the back installed on the stand today and it got a coat of paint. I also fabricated brackets for my ADJ power strip. I originally wasn’t going to paint the exterior of the stand but since I want to go ahead and get it up and running I figured why not. Once I get all my electronics and dosing setup I will start on the exterior, removable panels.