A Reef Tank in the Desert - +/- 1,400 gallon system

[Eauturquoise]

There were several companies whose products were strongly considered:

Reef Dynamics (formerly Euro-Reef)
Bubble King
ATB
Reef Octopus

In the end one company seemed to stand out and that is what I decided to go with. Deltec's 3070 External.

Hello,

SC3070 is a beast as you said, but at the end, why don't you choose BBK 300?

Thanks,

Laurent

 

[Newsalth2o]

looking awesome! Maybe you can inherit my Vlamingii Tang when he outgrows my 125.

 

[Styk]

That looks amazing. I love the satisfying feeling of plumbing everything and turning the water on for the first time..

 

[BigOldReef]

What's going to swim around in there while you are on vacation? Damsels or Chromis?

 

[Newbie Aquarist]

Thanks Wayne!

And yes... I am planning on using the Miracle Mud from EcoSystems. We just need to calculate how much I will need.

As far as the UV Sterilizer goes, the folks at Emperor Aquatics are very knowledgeable. You can call them and discuss UV and they will fit you with the right equipment for your needs.

Called them and they lead me in the right direction. As for the miracle mud, It only requires you have a 1 inch deep mud bed. I know on the site that the Pro Model 7222 you need 110 lbs and the Deluxe model 7222 you need 120 lbs but that's for their sump. I am going to use the 4822 pro sump with a modification. Thanks for your help.

 

[Andrew johns]

That's a nice looking tank

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2179002

 

[jjk_reef00]

Great work, I love watching this build progress!
I personally wouldn't use mag pumps because they seem to put off too much heat for my liking, I would get Ehiem to power your UV and reactors.

 

[gbrendonk]

Cant wait to see this thing stocked and lit up.

 

[danfeig]

That looks like a piece of artwork in the living room. In a couple of months it will be a piece of moving artwork in the living room!

Awesome!!!

That looks Perfect...

Sh8g8delik, Crazy_Beaver & Moore1811...

Thank you very much for the praises and encouragement. I am really pleased how things are turning out thus far.

I can't take all the credit. I have had a really great team helping me out!

 

[danfeig]

Hello,

SC3070 is a beast as you said, but at the end, why don't you choose BBK 300?

Thanks,

Laurent

Hi Laurent. Bubble King makes some great skimmers! I considered them along with Reef Octopus, Reef Dynamics, ATB and others too.

It came down to all of the reviews I read and discussions with fellow reefers here and abroad.

I am very happy with my choice!

 

[danfeig]

looking awesome! Maybe you can inherit my Vlamingii Tang when he outgrows my 125.

Perhaps at that time you will have to build a new system to accommodate your old friend?

I love Vlamingii Tangs. I have a pair on my "fish list." I am hoping that by the end of the summer i'll be able to introduce them to the system.

Thanks for following along!

 

[danfeig]

That looks amazing. I love the satisfying feeling of plumbing everything and turning the water on for the first time..

Styk,

Thank you for the kind words! I am very happy with how the plumbing turned out. Everything seems to be balanced and I don't have any leaks!

I am leaving the country with a lot of confidence that I am not going to have any plumbing issues. When I return I will tackle the plumbing of the reactors and the UV Sterilizer. Electric will come shortly thereafter!

 

[S14Swap240sx]

im not sure if this was answered yet, but do you plan on adding more rock to your scape or keeping it clean and simple like it is now?

 

[allsps40]

On the mud thing. I have used the stuff in the past both the mineral mud and miracle mud. I never saw a difference while using it or not using it. Unless you have plan to have mangroves and rooting macro algae it really wont do much over what a good sand bed will do.
Nice to see water in the system.

 

[dca22anderson]

Your closed loop plumbing looks great, simple, and gets the job done. Love your big sump as well!!!

 

[miami0reefer]

very nice i am very interested to see where this goes!

 

[MX175]

tagging along...

 

[TRdrummer]

Wow, what an awesome looking display! Everything looks great.

 

[danfeig]

What's going to swim around in there while you are on vacation? Damsels or Chromis?

Hi Dave!

Last night I introduced 10 Blue/Green Chromis and two Melanurus Wrasses into the tank.

My LFS was looking for a mated pair of six-lines but was having a difficult time finding them. They did find a few that had been kept together for a while, but the were tiny. The Melanurus pair are beautiful and each are just shy of 3 inches.

Unfortunately I was not able to shoot any pictures before we left for the airport. All of the fish immediately went hiding in the rock towers. I did count 9 of the Chromis swimming in a school this morning and spotted one of the wrasses. Unfortunately, when they spotted me they went back into hiding.

As my kids will tell you...I'll scare anyone in the morning!

 

[danfeig]

That's a nice looking tank
:dance:

Cant wait to see this thing stocked and lit up.

Andrew Johns and Gbrendonk. Thank you very much!

Andrew - you have a beautiful tank
Gbrendonk - I am anxious to start introducing my fish list!