Tank
Tank
The space I had was approximately 6.5ft and planned to sit in between the living room and a computer room. So I would build a 6ft x 2ft x 2ft glass tank with 12mm glass. It was to be viewable from both sides. The overflow would sit in the centre. Not many people were willing to build this tank, so I got two hobbyists to build it.
I also plan to have a refugium because I currently have a mandarin whose been with me 9 months, and I'd like to offer it pods, as well as nitrate/phosphate extraction via cheato.
The stand was also a problem with the budget. The hobbyist would help me with it to with a local wood called 'meranti'. I also wanted to have the rare stuff that is seldom used here such as dosing and ato to make my life easier.
With my nano, I topped up with bottled RO water but i realised that this was no longer and option and bought a proper rodi system. Most of my stuff was procured from either the local hobbyist that stocks and some from saltwateraquarium.com (the only vendor i could find which ships internationally)
Equipment Listing
- Tank Size: 6.5ft x 2ft x 2ft (approximately 180G)
- Tank Stand: Meranti Wood
- Sump Size: 4ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft
- Oveflow: acrylic in the centre of tank
- Lighting: 2 x Ever IT2060, 1 x Ever IT2040 (the 2040 came from my nano)
- Skimmer: Bubble Magus Curve 9
- Dosing: Jebao DP4 Dosing Kit
- ATO: SmartATO
- Return Pump: Jebao DCT12000 return pump
- Chiller: Hailea HC-300A 1/4HP Chiller
- Chiller Pump: Eheim 1260
- Wavemaker: Jebao RW20 x 1 Jebao RW15
- Reactor: Two Little Fishies Phosban 150
- Sand: CaribSea Fiji Pink 20lb x 6
- Refugium Sand: Caribseas Fiji Pink 20lb x 2 (From my old tank)
- Refugium Lighting: Optiled PAR30 4500K 18W LED (has since been replaced by a LIFX 18W wifi controllable LED bulb)
- Water Source: Spectrapure 90GPD RODI
- Salt Choice: Blue Treasure SPS Salt
- Live Rock: 100kg
Equipment Justification
Tank Size: The size of the tank is equivalent to the size I could spare in my apartment which is 6.5ft. The sump is what could fit under the tank.
Lighting wise: I went with the IT2060's as the hobbyist only had those in stock, 2800s were sold out. I had a 2040 from my old nano, and in the end it worked out and fit nicely.
Skimmer: I wanted to go with the reef octopus regal initially or their newer DC Models, but ultimately the price put it out of my budget. The curve 9 fit within the requirements at a very nice price point.
Dosing: I chose the Jebao again because of price point. Saltwaterquarium had a nice kit with reservoir and I went with the hassle free option.
ATO: I wanted one with a pump included for hassle free and I chose this one.
Return pump: I had wanted a dc model and jebao was the only affordable model. Initially planned to use the eheim to do the job, but the jebao had more flow. I initially wanted the 15000 model but those were new and the hobbyist did not have it in stock.
Chiller: Looking back I should have went with a 1/2hp model, the price difference was not much, but I wanted to purchase from the LFS that the owner helped out a lot during the recent passing of my father
Wavemaker: I initially ordered one rw-20, but the wavemaker did not arrive in time for me to cycle my tank so I got an rw-15 from the hobbyist (He did not have a rw20)
Reactor: Having no experience with reactors, I went with a tried and trusted model. I realise now that it is just a canister that water flows to contact with a media.
Sand: 6 20lb backs is all the hobbyist was left with, so I filled the tank with this and it looks to be about 1.5 inch deep. I have about 2 20lb bags from my old tank and this went into my fuge.
Fuge Lighting: I initially went with a par30 led but 4500k was a bit low and the mechanical timer was kinky. I sold the bulb when my sister gave me a LIFX bulb, which I could adjust the spectrum and additionally provided me scheduling and control via wifi.
Water source: I ordered the spectracpure from saltwateraquarium as it was the only site that would ship initially
Salt: I have been using Blue treasure for my older tanks. I recently found a source for red sea (not-pro) and may switch
Live rocks: The hobbyist has these in a tub curing for about 2~3 months. I transported them in a truck with a big tub filled with water. The time out of water was very minimal. I ended up with almost no cycle at all. The rocks in my refugium (Approx 15kg came from my nano)
As you can see, my equipment is from here and there and I had to make do with a lot of compromise as well as china made to fit with my budget. I may slowly replace these over time. I honestly wish I could go all out with the budget like some of these guys, but that will be the next project. But I do feel that the equipment is suitable for its current purpose.
