Do folks put build threads in a particular forum here? I should put a new thread together and post some pictures.
I spent the last week shaking down the plumbing and tuning the herbie drain with fresh water. All the leaks are fixed and the plumbing is looking good, despite a few setbacks (hose clamp failure on the return line today).
I spent yesterday washing sand and today draining the freshwater from testing. Finally starting to fill up with saltwater. I probably won't be done producing enough RODI and mixed saltwater until tomorrow night, but we're getting there.
I'm running an MP10 on each side panel of the tank, but I suspect they won't provide enough flow for SPS corals in a tank this large. They're doing fine for cycling the tank and should hold me until I buy a bigger Jebao wavemaker or suck it up and get an MP40. The Jebao DC-9000 has worked well as the return, only running it at about 60% (~ 1200gph for 10x tank turnover).
I have an array of three Kessil A350s on the tank now - one narrow and two wides on the edges. Coverage looks great, but I worry a bit about penetration with a 24" tank. Time will tell and hopefully I'll get a better range of PAR from the bottom of the substrate to the higher positions in the tank.
There were definitely some loud water noises before I got the herbie tuned in the overflow with the right water level. After that, the sump intake chamber was the noisiest until I raised the water level in the sump to mitigate the trickling noises through the filter socks.
I have a big order of rock and an Apex controller arriving for next weekend. Looking forward to aquascaping and automation.