65g start up diary!

[blindskater02]

Hey guys! I have been into saltwater tanks and reef keeping the last 5 years with some great success and some tragic downfalls as well. So I am deciding to start up a thread for my 65g sps tank. Hopefully you guys will give me some great insight and ideas as you have so far in the past. And I thank you all in advance!

Well to start out it is an AGA 65g RR tank. On a 36'' tall stand with a 15" canopy in a golden oak stain. I have about 90lbs of fiji live rock in it presently with some good coraline growth starting up. The sump I chose was from MRC, Andy custom made one of his sump/refugiums to fit under the stand for me and it it an absolute tank!! I have 2-250w HQI's in lumenmax 3 reflectors, MRC nano calcium reactor, PCI RPS2000 skimmer, and 2 tunze 6000 streams with the multi controller. Also running all of the equipment is a reefkeeper2 made by digital aquatics.

The tank was actually setup in early may and let run over the course of the summer,while I was in chicago, with a few of my fish I added after it was done cycling. So that pretty much brings us up to date to now. Ill start with some of the pre construction pics through how it is today. I would love to hear feedback and ideas as I progress along in this project. Thanks!! Hope you all enjoy!

 

[blindskater02]

Here are some pics in chronological order.......

Tank and stand in the living room..

Stand with MRC sump located in it....

The MRC sump top down shot....

All plumbed up.....

Kick a** reflectors!......

And finally updated tank shot.......

 

[Serioussnaps]

nice start.....did you dial back the tunzes????? i only have 1 in my 55 at the moment but am considering another

 

[meschaefer]

Nice set up. I also have a 65, the biggest problem I have come across is tryinig to ft everthing in the stand.

 

[blindskater02]

My tunze are actually set around 80% believe it or not. I guess I lucked out with placement and not causing a sandstorm with them.

Yeah I feel ya on the stand part, my sump takes up 90% of the stand. So my skimmer is behind the stand, and my calcium reactor sits on a little bookcase next to the tank.

 

[blindskater02]

How beneficial is it to run ozone?? I have been reading about it and am thinking about setting up a 50mg generator on the tank. Any cons to this method??

 

[blindskater02]

Picked up my first 2 sps corals today!

Hopefully you guys can ID them for me =)

Here is the first....

And the second......

 

[Letmegrow]

The triggers and the tomini will out grow that tank pretty quick.

 

[trottman]

nice bed though....

 

[blindskater02]

BUMP..... =)

 

[blindskater02]

The first two pieces are showing great PE during the day, and even better at night. So hopefully I can pick up one or two more this week. Also ordered new bulbs. Some phoenix 14k so hopefully the colors will come out more in a short while. More updates to come as well. Enjoy =)