Conchman's 50 SCA Build

conchman

conchman

Premium member
So...looking to start a build thread for the 50 SCA. Have tank, stand and sump. Will be getting the plumbing needed, raceway, extra cabinet for ATO container, Reef Octopus Varios and skimmer later. Will be selling or trading the Fusion 20 when I break it down. Might setup a 10 gallon QT tank. So one last look at the 20, before I start posting the new one. Looking forward to help, comments...

So without further ado...

View attachment 22653
 
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conchman

conchman

Premium member
Updates and pictures

So Yesterday I dug out the tank and sump to do some work. Today I will be cutting, trimming and hopefully painting the deck plate for the tank. Marinelands stand is open on the top, I was going to deck it out. 24"x24" oak, comes out to be 23.75 x 24.25", and not even straight so I will fix that. The SCA 50 is 23.75" so it will work. Then I need to cut out the opening for the return and drain lines and then paint. Later I hope to order the pipe and fittings. Decided to go with red schedule 40 pipe with grey fittings. Informal poll, inside the stand paint color white or black? Outside will very likely stay black.
 
Mjl714

Mjl714

Well-known member
Inside stand color, hmmm white will hide salt better, but show basically everything else. When I look at my stands, white would probably be my choice, between white and black.

- - - Updated - - -

conchman said:
So...looking to start a build thread for the 50 SCA. Have tank, stand and sump. Will be getting the plumbing needed, raceway, extra cabinet for ATO container, Reef Octopus Varios and skimmer later. Will be selling or trading the Fusion 20 when I break it down. Might setup a 10 gallon QT tank. So one last look at the 20, before I start posting the new one. Looking forward to help, comments...

So without further ado...

View attachment 22653
Click to expand...
Regarding your experience with the fusion 20, any thoughts good, bad or otherwise?
 
conchman

conchman

Premium member
I like the Fusion. Limited on space, other than that great tank. I run low nutrient (no fish) so having any sort of skimming was not needed. I upgraded the pump (MJ1200), dumped the socks for the media tower and added an MP10. I run foam in the top for grabbing particulates, then Phosgard and once and a while charcoal. I bought the stand knowing I would upgrade to a 24"x24".
 
conchman

conchman

Premium member
So a little progress this weekend. Moved the Fusion, lets see, need a place to keep the fusion so I can free up the stand for the new SCA, hmmm....oh yeah, lets use the wife's end table...that went well. Of course I actually like the new rock setup, only to have to take it and move it into the new tank. Everybody seems to be doing fine. Cut and painted the back and deck plate for the stand. Marineland's cube stands come with no top or back. 3/4" for the deck plate. 1/4" for the back. Return pump should be in this week, pipe next week. I have picked up most of the oddball fittings, just need 1" unions. Of course the local Menard's showed stock, not...

Stand upgrades:
View attachment 22769View attachment 22768View attachment 22767

Temporary home for the Fusion (wife's end table)

View attachment 22770
 
Amozoc

Amozoc

Premium member
conchman said:
I like the Fusion. Limited on space, other than that great tank. I run low nutrient (no fish) so having any sort of skimming was not needed. I upgraded the pump (MJ1200), dumped the socks for the media tower and added an MP10. I run foam in the top for grabbing particulates, then Phosgard and once and a while charcoal. I bought the stand knowing I would upgrade to a 24"x24".
Click to expand...
I got a question my friend did you see any difference between the original pump of the nano fusion 20 gl and the new one MJ1200 ? I would like to replaced


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conchman

conchman

Premium member
Flow rate was better, think the MJ1200 is around 295, IM was around 211. Biggest reason was IM's pump was noisy. Most said the MJ was quieter, it was. No loss, I use the IM pump for mixing salt...
 
Amozoc

Amozoc

Premium member
conchman said:
Flow rate was better, think the MJ1200 is around 295, IM was around 211. Biggest reason was IM's pump was noisy. Most said the MJ was quieter, it was. No loss, I use the IM pump for mixing salt...
Click to expand...
Thanks my friend i gonna change it for the MJ


Sent from my iPhone using Thor
 
conchman

conchman

Premium member
A little more progress

Got the sump in the stand, tank on, level looks good. Installed the led motion activated light for when I need to do work inside the cabinet. Went with schedule 40, then painted the fittings. Hope to get a little pipework work done today but alas, the leaves wait...

Tank on Stand
View attachment 22810

Sump area with led
View attachment 22811

Painted Schedule 40 fittings
View attachment 22812
 
conchman

conchman

Premium member
Update on plumbing

So I had a little time today, finished the plumbing to the sump and in the over flow. Notice at the end where the pump goes, no pump. LFS said he could have the Varios in 4 days, that was 2 weeks ago. Only issue I had was more of a question. In the overflow of the SCA, there is a gap between the acrylic and glass overflow box, about 3/8". Not sure if it is part of the design. Seems to me a 3/8" gap, 20" tall and about 8" wide would be a detritus trap. If it is not part of the design I will put foam backer rod and aquarium sealant in it. Anybody got any input I would be grateful.

Sump plumbing set up for Herbie.
View attachment 22862

Gap between acrylic and glass overflow box
View attachment 22864


Update to overflow question;
The gap is there for a reason. After a quick google search and looking closer at the tank it has 8 teeth at the bottom of the acrylic overflow. It appears as it's design is to pull from water low in the tank behind the rock work using the overflow. Sorry it's hard to see in the picture, look real close...

8 weir teeth on bottom of overflow...
View attachment 22869
 
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conchman

conchman

Premium member
So the pump finally came in, made the final 1" poly connection. The bulkhead test passed first time, whew!. So I am now watching daisy's grow while filling the tank with RO for final testing, power off, that kinda stuff. Then will drain for final fill with new RO and salt. Attaching the controls and power supplies outside (due to lack of space inside) for the stuff that is not coming from the IM Fusion 20. For anyone watching, I will be cleaning the IM Fusion 20 and getting it ready for sale after the hyper-jump is made to the 50 SCA. Again, thanks go out to Tinman for the tank, r33fswagg3r for the second MP10 needed and of course, to trackfast, for selling me great frags, helping me out grow out of the 20 in short order.

New Reef Octopus pump (tiny compared to the Danner I used to run)
View attachment 22933

Getting the tank wet for the first time...
View attachment 22934
 
r33fswagg3r

r33fswagg3r

Premium member
Looking good! I would take those hose clamps off though. Get the plastic clip ones. If you leave those on you will have tin leaching into your water column.
 
conchman

conchman

Premium member
Thanks guys, trying to do this right. The clamps are stainless, but I do plan on replacing them with the plastic clips. So ran the pump test, ran good, nice and quiet, Herbie overflow worked as hoped. I had one small leak at the 1" slip to barbed for pump connection. Hoped I forgot to glue, not. So quick trip to Menards for new fittings and repair. Starting to refill and mixing salt up. I mix buckets salt heavy while adding in RO into tank.
 
conchman

conchman

Premium member
So, the saltwater family finally closed on their new home and moved in. Rock scape turned out well with a lot more open spots. I was hoping for a more shelf look, but that would have meant new rock, and a month in buckets, sawing , hacking. I will more likely make that a work in progress The leak I had, was glued so I had to make a quick repair, in unpainted schedule 40. I will fix that going forward, just how I am. Everyone is looking good, opened nice. The only frag was that is in question are the Rasta's. They get honked if I even look at them wrong, I'm going to leave them alone for a while. Now just have to finish electric running, fine tuning the 2 MP 10's. Oh yeah, I have to clean the 20 for sale, yeah....I love cleaning tanks.

New scape and corals
View attachment 23046

Sump with rubble slightly modified plumbing
View attachment 23048
 
conchman

conchman

Premium member
Seems every time I move them, I lose a few. Hopefully this will be their last move for a while and they can recover...I am gonna let the tank settle in, then hopefully add a few more Zoa's, few other things, pair off black clowns.
 
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