180 gal build-in SPS tank

[Hermannsae]

After years of planning and looking for reasonable prices for parts & used tanks, here now some pictures from my 180 gal "œbuild in" tank and my "œfish-room".
In this way I would like to give back a little bit to the RC community from which I learned a lot and still learning.
I still don't have water in it. But hopefully that will change soon and I can start cycling the tank and seeding it.

The facts:
Display-tank:72" x 24" x 24"
Sump I: 48" x 20" x 20" (used also as Refugium)
Sump II: 36" x 18" x 18"
Upstream Refugium: 48" x 18" x 21"
Total system water volume: approx. 300 gal (net)

Water movement:
2 x Recirculation pumps Tunze
1 x closed loop
1 x Tunze Wavebox
2 x Tunze Nannostream
1 x Borneman Surge-Device in the upstream Refugium

Lights:
2 x T5's for upstream Refugium
1 x LED for Refugium in Sump I
2 x GHL LED's for DT (not sure about the lights yet. I am waiting for the release of the new GHL LED's , or maybe one unit with a light mover and some LED strips)
1 x dimmable blue LED strip for shadowbox

Water purification: ANIT & KATI, RO
Protein Skimmer: Tunze Master Doc

Controller: GHL ProfiLux ( not yet purchased)

Aquasculpture: dry rock & worm rock

View DT:

Fish-Room right:

Fish-Room left:

Refugium II with Surge-Device

Playing with the shadowbox

 

[Hermannsae]

support for the rocks

support for the rocks

I used a special Epoxy to "glue" the rocks together.
To provide a stable sub-structure I used the plastic tubes from plotter paper and the end-protection plastic parts. ( I don't know what the correct name is ) :headwally:
Anyhow, here is how i did it:

 

[CUNAReefer]

Wow! I love the clean look of your display and your up stream surge fuge.

 

[NEPTHEA]

very nice start. will look forward to see final product

 

[arshad98]

Tagging alone, great setup so far

 

[Hermannsae]

Plumbing

Plumbing

The plumbing was kind of challance because of tight quaters. My CFO didn't approve a sunroom. :rollface:

Plumbing layout:

Sump I plumbing:
Because I didn't have room for valves behind the tank, I had to move them into the tank. The valve handles are secured with clear tubing. Hence the red flags.

Return to Sump II:

Return to DT & Refugium II:

Return from Refugium II (surge-device & emergency overflow):

 

[Hermannsae]

Thanks for all the kind words!
RC is and was inspiring!

 

[Hermannsae]

updates

updates

My tank is running now for approx. 2 months.
I recently added a 250W Halide (on the right) and a Kessil 150 (on the left). Both will be eventually replaced by the new GHL Mitras LED fixture.
... and I got my first coral .... a hitchhiker :spin1:

BTW, I still have to install the shadow-box.

 

[BHD]

Thanks for sharing. I really like your aquascape in this picture.

 

[Hermannsae]

Thank you, you are welcome!

 

[Hermannsae]

water storage

water storage

For water change & top off I have two 35 gal. vessels in the basement.
For water change I just plug in the pump to get the desired quantity.

 

[layer3switchguy]

Very, very impressive!! Wow!

 

[tyler206]

very nice looking tank, i like aquascaping, what type of fish you will have in your tank?

 

[Sps Dream]

Nice start

 

[Hermannsae]

very nice looking tank, i like aquascaping, what type of fish you will have in your tank?

Thanks!
I am not quite sure yet. But I limited myself to 3"-4" max. fish length.
I was thinking Indo-Pacific (maybe). Definitely, I would like to have a shrimp goby (that's the reason for the sand), later on, a pair of Mandarins (Synchiropus splendidus), 6-7 longspine Cardinalfish (Zoramia eptacanthus)
We shall see ... :rollface:
But first, I would like to grow some corals. I will take my time.

 

[Hermannsae]

update

update

Since May the system is running. No major problems so far, even when I was out of town for three weeks.
The water parameter are OK, I think.

Temperature: 77F-78F
Salinity: 1.025-1.026
pH: 8.1-8.2
NH4: <0.25
No3: 0
No2: 0
Po4: 0
Ca: average 450 ppm

Test kits: Red Sea (Ca) & Salifert

Inhabitants so far:

- 3 x Peppermint shrimps
- 1 x blue leg hermit crab (Hugo)
- 1 x big turbo snail (big Berta)
- Several Cerith snails & Nerite snails
- 1 x Emerald crab
- 3 x mini Serpent stars (hitchhiker)
- Several bristle worms & spaghetti worms (hitchhiker)
- Many other little critters which floating around and colonizing the rock

By "œaccident" I also got some corals:
- Geen slimmer
- Yellow polyps
- Green birdsnest
- Green Velvet Acropora
- Dendrophyllia fistula (orange sun coral)
- Green flowerpot coral
- Green Briareum

Fish: none so far

Problems so far:
- Algae grow after my three weeks return (manual removal & introducing of clean-up crew)
- Start of bubble algae growth (introducing an Emerald crab)
- Detectable Ammonium because of heavy feeding (sun coral), trying to compensate with more frequently water changes


I am very proud that I was able to bring back the sun coral. I really believed I bought just a nice colored rock.
The future will tell "¦ if the coral will thrive.

I am hoping to get a Profilux controller in the near future to be able to monitor the water parameter more closely.

 

[Hermannsae]

pictures

pictures

Sun Coral

Yellow Polyps

Green Slimer

 

[Hermannsae]

pictures

pictures

Unidentified

Flowerpot Coral (?)

 

[d2mini]

Hermann, your build looks great! And it was terrific meeting you here in Houston. I'm glad you could stop by, even if for only a short while.

Where did you get those water storage vessels? I've never seen that style before.

 

[d2mini]

Hermann, your build looks great! And it was terrific meeting you here in Houston. I'm glad you could stop by, even if for only a short while.

Where did you get those water storage vessels? I've never seen that style before.

Any updates?