300 DD Build

Just curious if you're going to run the sump that full... and if so, can it handle the back-flow from the display when your return pump is off? There really isn't much room to spare in it now.


Yea plenty of room. I only have the return outlet about a half inch under water so it won't siphon much. I have probably 5-10 gallons to spare after the siphon.
 
Here's a picture of the room before I revamped it.(ignore the bad drawing, used this when I was deciding where to put the tank)

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Got the rock and sand in early this morning. I'm not too sure how i feel about the scape. I might play around with it a little more. On the other hand reef flakes is definitely the best sand I've used hands down.

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I need to play with the water level for the skimmer to tune it in right.

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Just tagging along. I had a big tank before and my crazy ex wife made me get rid of it after a horrible tank crashing ice storm. I currently have a 110 but I’ve been thinking about the 300dd as well. Those bubbles in the seam concern me because these tanks have a history of leaking. I’m not talking bad about your build at all, just concerned for your safety. I’ll be tagging along to see your progress. Good luck and can’t wait to see how awesome it looks when finished
 
Just tagging along. I had a big tank before and my crazy ex wife made me get rid of it after a horrible tank crashing ice storm. I currently have a 110 but I’ve been thinking about the 300dd as well. Those bubbles in the seam concern me because these tanks have a history of leaking. I’m not talking bad about your build at all, just concerned for your safety. I’ll be tagging along to see your progress. Good luck and can’t wait to see how awesome it looks when finished

I'm not too concerned. I did notice that I can see the thickness of the side panel through the seam of silicone almost like it's a real thin coat.(about 4 inches of the seam on the top right). Most of the bubbles dissipated later in the day after I posted the pics. There's still a couple, but my 90g had bubbles that looked the same but had even more and they went away also. Most of the leaks that i have seen in the 300dds were in the bottom seam. A couple were in the side seam but it happened to the same person twice so that makes me think maybe their stand wasnt coplanar? I'll keep an eye on it and hope. You got me worried again haha.
 
I rigged up some wire to hang a couple lights the other day. Ill probably end up using chain so I can adjust the lights easier. Ordering another 3-4 leds (mars hydro) sometime soon.

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Got some felt at Jo-Ann fabrics(72"x36") for $3.50 and sewed up some filter socks. I've got about 10 so far and can probably make another 15-20.

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I didn't mean to cause you to freak out. Just a concern and that's the reason that I haven't gotten mine yet. I'm just trying to do alll my research before I finally get my dream tank.
 
I didn't mean to cause you to freak out. Just a concern and that's the reason that I haven't gotten mine yet. I'm just trying to do alll my research before I finally get my dream tank.

I hear ya man. I've definitely been paranoid about it but almost all of the 5 tanks I've used in the past had some sort of bubbles in the silicone and they all held up so I'm going to try and forget about it and enjoy the tank. But yea you'd hope to get a tank with good silicone for the price. I say go for it if you truly want one. It seems like a solid tank and I hope it lasts. You'd be looking at 2-3 times the price for a custom tank the same size.
Good luck with whatever you go with.

Liam
 
Thanks buddy, I know this is the one I want!!! Keep up the good work and I look forward to all your updates. Enjoy the rest of your weekend
 
Is that metal clamps you have on your return pump? I can't really tell it's hard to see. If so, I'd suggest swapping those out with plastic. Sharp tank!
 
Is that metal clamps you have on your return pump? I can't really tell it's hard to see. If so, I'd suggest swapping those out with plastic. Sharp tank!

Haha yes! It rusted the second day it was in there so now i'm using zip ties for the time being. Good eye
 
Yesterday I ended up moving the fish that were previously in the 90g over to the 300. They've been in a 40g qt for 2 months(they were healthy but im not risking getting anything into the display.) as a precaution.

They handled the transfer well and seem to be loving the new tank. I've got a few easier corals in also but I'm gonna give the tank a little more time before I start going crazy with Acros. The rock was cycled in a brute container for 3 months but I want everything to settle.

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I received some tangs today and they're all eating like pigs and look great. I got them all at once to hopefully avoid aggression. I might have to use an egg crate to separate them in the meantime if they start getting sassy. They're in a cramped 40g qt after all so I'm expecting some aggression but hopefully nothing too bad.


Powder Blue
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2" Orange Shoulder Tang
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Yellow Tang
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Kole Tang
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Regal Tang
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I'm giving them a few days to settle in and fatten up then i'll move on to the cupramine and make these guys parasite/disease free :)
 
looking great so far

Looking great!!!!keep up the good work

Thank you guys always a good thing to hear.

looks good... do you plan on adding a little more rock?

I actually ended up adding some more rock a few weeks ago. Ill post a picture below.


Sorry I've been slacking on the updates. Life got busy and the build hasn't been going as quick as id like.

I got to building a canopy last week and I think it looks a lot better. I just need to drill some holes in the side and add some fans. The evaporation on the back wall is insane.

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I ended up buying 2 ATI coral plus t5's to supplement my leds. Originally I was going to go all leds but decided to go with a led t5 hybrid. The combo looks great!

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This Monti has grown a good 3/4" all the way around and its only been in the tank for a month. It colored up real nice the second I got it out of the tiny quarantine tank and under some decent lighting and flow. All the other monti frags kept encrusting onto rocks so i put them onto an egg crate till I can find someone to buy them.

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Already have some coralline algae popping up on the rocks.

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I was planning on getting some corals this week and then posting an update..... but I was waiting for a check and the darn think won't clear with the bank. I called and they said hopefully it'll be in Tuesday, so we'll see how that goes.

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Top can is Rodi and bottom is salt. The right bulkhead is to drain water into my ato reservoir and the other is to drain rodi into the mixing can.

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The pvc running horizontally through the wall is to transfer water from the saltwater bin to the sump to make water changes easier. I keep a pump in the container and i just hook it up to the bulkhead.

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As far as the tangs go, they've all been doing great with the cupramine and eating Nori in the morning and a mix of rods, mysis and some nls pellets throughout the day. Yesterday I noticed the hippo tang has a bunch of white hair-like things on his face and body so I ordered Clout to hopefully take care of what I think are parasitic pods of some sort. Kind of a shame because the fish were going to be ready for the main tank in a couple weeks but now I'll probably hold off a little longer. Don't want to jinx myself but as of right now all of the other tangs seem fine..... but this is why we quarantine.

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Have you used prazipro on them yet? If not, I would do it. And feed food soaked in Kanaplex or metronidazole to eliminate other parasites. Quick and easy cures.

Might also try to give them nori multiple times per day. Basically as much as they'll eat. They will fatten up quickly and this will also boost their immune system.

What LEDs are you using? I've got the same tank and need to up the coverage a bit. I've got a pair of t5s just as you do but the LEDs are not big as the ones you've got.
 
Have you used prazipro on them yet? If not, I would do it. And feed food soaked in Kanaplex or metronidazole to eliminate other parasites. Quick and easy cures.

Might also try to give them nori multiple times per day. Basically as much as they'll eat. They will fatten up quickly and this will also boost their immune system.

What LEDs are you using? I've got the same tank and need to up the coverage a bit. I've got a pair of t5s just as you do but the LEDs are not big as the ones you've got.

When i first got them i let them settle for a few days then did 2 rounds of prazi and was feeding metro soaked food while doing this. Now they're on the 20th day of cupramine and im dealing with whatever this. I dosed another round of prazi last night as a last effort just so i can hopefully avoid using clout. I feed 3"x5" of nori every morning and its usually gone in 2 hours and i stuff them full with a bunch of other stuff the rest of the day haha.

The leds are cheap Mars Hydro 165w leds. Theyre only $100 and they grow coral great and i get good color out of them too. They don't look the best by themselves imo so you're definitely going to want the t5s still. They're very directional too. They pretty much only light up what is directly under the light. Anything 3 inches in any direction out from the light is not getting much light hence why i got the t5s. No regrets though, theyre a hell of a lot cheaper than other leds and look great with the t5s.
 
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