225gal 5'x3'x2' in-wall mixed reef (lots of pics)

[whatcaneyedo]

I got into the hobby in 2004 because I wanted to have a lion fish. In 2006 I saw Chris Wards system in http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-10/totm/index.php and it inspired me to build this one day when we no longer rented a house. So when we moved into our first home in 2013 I got to work.

The tank is 5' long, 3' front to back and 2' tall with starphire glass on the front and both sides. The top is eurobraced and I've got a 2' long 1' deep 6" wide external overflow box currently setup as Herbie but with a third hole in case I later want to convert it to Beananimal. I had the tank custom built and shipped to me from Concept Aquariums in Calgary, AB. Apart from some unsightly bubbles in the silicone I'm very pleased with the final product.

Our home has a relatively simple layout with just a few nicely sized rooms beyond the bedrooms. We have no basement, just a combination of crawlspace and slab. So I built a 7'x8' room around the tank to contain all of the equipment, heat, humidity and noise. Actually I built the room in 2014 around my former 120gal (which now serves as the sump) with a few knock-out sections of wall to allow for this display in 2015. To handle the energy draw of the tank I ran a second 15A circuit to the room and for the humidity and heat I installed a 300 CFM exhaust fan in the ceiling. I also drilled a 4" hole in the exterior wall of the house to provide cool make-up air to the room.

 

[whatcaneyedo]

I built the stand myself and dressed it moderately with a combination of trim. It is comprised of 2x4 studs, 2x6 joists, 1/2 oak plywood sheathing and a 5/8 SPF plywood top. I planed the crowns out of the joists and placed a layer of Styrofoam on top to compensate for any imperfection.

I as able to prefab most of the plumbing out in the shop and water test it before moving everything into the house. I opted for an old school closed loop system because I hate the look and maintenance required of having internal circulation pumps/powerheads. A Reeflo Hammerhead is my closed loop pump and a Reeflo Dart is the sump return. To create alternating flow I use an Oceans Motions 4-Way with custom 1-1/2" connections. Together I believe there is about 7000gph of flow within the display or approximately 30x/hr turnover.

The tank employs most of the same equipment that served my 120gal. I run a Precision Marine Bullet 3 that has been in the hobby longer than I have with an Iwaki 70 pump. A PM 622 Calcium Reactor with Effluent Chamber plus my own DIY Kalkwasser Reactor keep up easily with the calcium carbonate demands of the system. A Neptune Apex controller with a few extras automates and provides a few layers of protection. Beneath the tank I've got two 15gal garbage cans, one for ATO water and the other for water changes. They are replenished automatically from a 5 stage Air Water Ice RO/DI filter in the crawlspace. GFO and carbon are contained within a BRS fluidized media reactor. And last but not least I'm getting by with three LumenMax 3 pendants containing 250W 14K Phoenix bulbs on magnetic ballasts and cooled by a 300cfm blower fan because of the heat.

 

[whatcaneyedo]

The tank/system contains a modest amount of live rock and crushed coral sand to allow for lots of open swimming space, more room for the coral to grow and to keep the sand bed from blowing around. My fish list is relatively short considering the overall volume:
Tomato Clown
Purple Tang
Fu Man Chu Lionfish
Powder Blue Tang
Snowflake Moray
a pair of Mandarin Dragonets
Flame Angel
Melanurous Wrasse
and a Long Nose Hawkfish that lives in the sump.

There are about 25-30 species of coral, a Sebae Anemone, 3 Tiger Tail Cucumbers, one Abalone and two misbehaving Urchins down in the sump (rock-boring and diadema) along with a second Abalone. I believe in a less is more approach and so I'm attempting to grow just a few coral to relatively large sizes rather than overstocking the tank with many small specimens. Because of the eel I am unable to have crabs and shrimp and I choose not to have any more snails because they just aren't necessary.

Maintenance is typically pretty quick, easy and minimal due to the amount of automation. I like it when my fish are fat and healthy so each day I feed 1/6 of a nori sheet, pellets twice (Eheim auto feeder), Mysis twice and every 2-3 days krill, silversides or clam for the eel and lion. Once a week I'll do a 15gal water change, clean the skimmer, change the filter sock, add a few drops of Lugol's Solution, clean the glass and test Alkalinity. Once a month I change 1 cup of GFO and Carbon and test Calcium and Magnesium. A couple times each year I calibrate probes, clean the Reactors and wipe up some salt spray. Once a year I might pull apart the pumps for a good cleaning or seal change and install new MH bulbs.

Where I'd like to improve or where I've made mistakes are with my lighting and with the layout of the tank to some small degree. I easily could have had the tank built a few inches taller which would have been nice and if the overflow box was built off of the left hand side I'd be able to keep the rear glass clean without having to look at the big awkward box through the pane. Now that the Phoenix bulbs that I like are no longer being produced I'll have to find some alternative soon. I'm considering a collection of LED pendants or just two large mogul reflectors like the Hamilton Cabo Sun or some used LumenArcs with Radium 20K bulbs. I'm also considering downsizing to an Iwaki 55 pump for the skimmer... one day I may even get a modern pinwheel. But for now it does a phenomenal job, its just too loud and draws too much electricity like everything else.

 

[ddanis60]

Great progression. Thank you for taking the time to share and please keep the updates coming. Love the details in your writing.

 

[Bogue Chitto]

You did a great job of putting the tank in your wall. That stand really looks good. The tank and all other stuff looks good too. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Rybren]

It looks great. Nice work.

 

[Savireef]

Very nice build and rebuild lol

 

[NeverlosT]

beautiful job on integrating the tank into the room!

 

[dave.m]

I like the seating arrangement. No messing about, the tank is the centre of attention. :thumbsup:

Dave.M