270 gallon reef / basement remodel has begun
- Thread starter skippyreef
- Start date
bguile
Premium Member
Lookin' good skippyreef! I'm not sure if I asked before, but since you've setup your equipment room and in-wall tank are there any changes you would've made if you could do it all over again? I'm in the process of designing mine and will begin once the house is built and the money is gathered, so I'm getting ideas, insight and wisdom from all the awesome setups that has gone before me.
skippyreef
New member
I would have made the room a bit deeper and would have gotten an eight foot tank 
because as a hard core reefer you always want more.
I would have cured the ceramics with uncured live rock to decrease the diatom time I had of nearly 3 months as well
because as a hard core reefer you always want more.I would have cured the ceramics with uncured live rock to decrease the diatom time I had of nearly 3 months as well
Goldleaf Reef
New member
Looks Great , I am gald you updated your Post. I am working on a 8 foot'er myself I was going to get it in July but found out my wife was haveing a baby after I broke my 120 down , so I put that on holdtTill the baby comes. So since I did that I now may go 12 Feet, since I had to wait, I reworked some things in the basement.
Keepa posting
Keepa posting
Awesome setup! I'm in the middle of my basement remodel and a large reef is part of the plans. Still undecided on dimensions, but suffice to say that it's in the 250-350 gal range. The opening to my basement will be the limiting factor! It's great to see someone local on here to compare notes with. I'm about 45 minutes east of you in Grosse Pointe. It's been several years since my last reef and it's amazing how much technology has changed. I remember when you were cool if you had a protein skimmer! LOL I can't wait to get back into it. Looking forward to more updates.
Andy
Andy
skippyreef
New member
Oldtimer I sent you a PM bro.
I get a decent range of lift with the sunlifts. I really like them.
I get a decent range of lift with the sunlifts. I really like them.
skippyreef
New member
Few pics
skippyreef
New member
Updated Pics:
I have added a nice school of Lyrtails with asuper male all from Vanuatu. I have a group of Queen ANthias with a Supermale eating now and they will go in the tank next week after they complete the stringent quarantine process.
Wrasses in Quarantine
I have added a nice school of Lyrtails with asuper male all from Vanuatu. I have a group of Queen ANthias with a Supermale eating now and they will go in the tank next week after they complete the stringent quarantine process.
Wrasses in Quarantine
tprize
New member
I haven't seen anyone ask this yet, but will the ceramics grow coraline just like normal rock. Does it grow as quickly? Do you have to add a few peices of real live rock to introduce the stuff into the tank? That stuff looks amazing so I am very interested, I just don't know exactly how it acts with the enviorment, as well as if it will eventually work like live rock and become a living filter.
skippyreef
New member
Patience is key with this. Teh diatom bloom was two stages and lasted three months then just went away as fast as it started. Diatons will be the first thing to colonize any surface so this was expected and dealt with (I just kept up water changes and scrubbed it when I felt like doing it). I have tube worms encrusting this now and several colors of coralline growing on it. It is wortjh the wait in my opinion! I added 30 poun ds of live rock to this system to get the bio boost, I also addd some kits from Inland Aquatics to the sand. I now have a breeding Mysis population behond those walls.
Chrisrush
New member
Skippy,
I agree about the diatoms and the waiting. I added 2 pieces of reef ceramics to my tank after MACNA and I am just starting to get some corraline. It is going to look great after another month or two. Probably helped that my tank was already established when I added the ceramics. I've been following your thread on z.com.
Did you order some mysis to start the population? I'd love to get some more copepods growing in my tank to feed my christmas wrasse.
I agree about the diatoms and the waiting. I added 2 pieces of reef ceramics to my tank after MACNA and I am just starting to get some corraline. It is going to look great after another month or two. Probably helped that my tank was already established when I added the ceramics. I've been following your thread on z.com.
Did you order some mysis to start the population? I'd love to get some more copepods growing in my tank to feed my christmas wrasse.
skippyreef
New member
I ordered a few fauna kits from Inland and also some tigger pods from Reed Mariculture. Now I have a pretty decent population in the tank. I have a school of five lyrtails in there from Vanuatu and have some Queen Anthias eating Artic Pods right now. They will spend another week in Quarantine and then I am placing them in the main tank.
It takes time to get going but I like the options fro creating your own aquascaping and the stability.
To date I have two wild pieces in the tank and the rest are all cultured and frags. I am trying to grow a reef for the most part from frags and maricultured corals. I have some pretty nice pieces so far and am slowly working into getting this the way I want it. I have a pink table that is recovering from shipping stress and an Orange Poccilopra that is also recovering. I am waiting on a Red and White Loripes and A Red Gemmifera to recover as well
It takes time to get going but I like the options fro creating your own aquascaping and the stability.
To date I have two wild pieces in the tank and the rest are all cultured and frags. I am trying to grow a reef for the most part from frags and maricultured corals. I have some pretty nice pieces so far and am slowly working into getting this the way I want it. I have a pink table that is recovering from shipping stress and an Orange Poccilopra that is also recovering. I am waiting on a Red and White Loripes and A Red Gemmifera to recover as well
skippyreef
New member
thanks alot!!!
It is coming along for sure!
It is coming along for sure!
tprize
New member
I really love the look of the ceramics, and the fact that I can design it to look anyway I want it. Now that I know I can culture the Coraline algae growth there is no reason not to go with ceramics. I really really love the back wall pieces that make it seem like your looking to a reef shelf. I'm am also surprised that you can add pods and such into the tank and they will live in the ceramics no problem. Did you find it hard to design the rock, or were they really helpful?
skippyreef
New member
every piece is unique. I actually told them what I was looking for and they let me pick what I wanted from stock. The large formati0on withteh arch way I made from three stock pieces and some 2 part epoxy to bind them together.
I have tube worms encrusing on this and the space behind those wall plates is a breeding area for pods and mysis.
I have tube worms encrusing on this and the space behind those wall plates is a breeding area for pods and mysis.
skippyreef
New member
Sorry I ahve not updated in a while. I took the ceramics out because I had issues as did a friend of mine locally that we could not explain. Both had same symptoms of high nitrates and SPS and fish deaths. Once the ceramics were gone that changed. The tank is still up and there are no humidity issues at this time. I run the panasonic whisper fan on the CAP controller and use a low temp dehumidifier in my basement and that takes care of things.
We recently had a baby and I sold all my corals when she was born after it was clear she would need a lot of attention for a while. She is now entertaining herself a little more and is not so demanding (don't get me wrong I love her more than anything) so I have a littel more time to work in the tank. I am in the process of taking care of some things in the equipment room and finishing some unfinished project down there like plumbing in the 30 breeder frag nursery and then I will post pics.
We recently had a baby and I sold all my corals when she was born after it was clear she would need a lot of attention for a while. She is now entertaining herself a little more and is not so demanding (don't get me wrong I love her more than anything) so I have a littel more time to work in the tank. I am in the process of taking care of some things in the equipment room and finishing some unfinished project down there like plumbing in the 30 breeder frag nursery and then I will post pics.
