AgentSPS' 300 Gallon ***DreamReef***
- Thread starter AgentSPS
- Start date
AgentSPS
New member
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Well folks the time has come to make a change for the bigger. I have decided to upgrade from my existing 225 system. This should be an exciting build as I have big plans to take it to the next level. I have chosen what I think is the most appropriate title not already taken; “DreamReefâ€Â. With power becoming so expensive here in CA, my goal is to keep it as efficient as possible without sacrificing performance or quality. Equally as important, is the requirement for this setup to be something unique!
For those of you who are not already aware, DreamReef represents the ‘reincarnation’ of Invincible569’s (Edward) Ultimate Reef Tank. I purchased Edward’s A.G.E. 300 gallon tank, stand, lighting, and chiller back in June. Everything is custom designed and I must tip my hat to Edward’s vision, impeccable taste, and attention to detail. I had already been planning out an AGE tank of similar dimensions when Edwards’ became available for sale. I have learned from experience that custom work can be very tedious and stressful to plan out and manage. I was able to bypass just about all that headache!! Shipping was a whole other story. Lets just say the crating and freight from TX to CA cost me close to what most people would pay for a decent large tank setup. In the end it was worth every penny as everything arrived without a scratch!! I will post some pics of the crates and packaging later. I will also share my experience and advice for anyone who may need to ship LARGE in the future.
As for the equipment, I have learned from my many years in this hobby that expensive does not necessarily equate to quality but quality, with few exceptions, is expensive!! I also avoid being an early adopter of new products and technologies. I prefer to let others hop on the bandwagon and learn from the experiences they post on RC J
Below is an abbreviated list of equipment:
TANK/STAND:
• AGE ¾†starphire glass tank with ¾†PVC bottom
(72†L x 40†W x 24†T)
• Steel Stand Frame (2†tubular steel)
• Custom black laminate fascia
LIGHTING:
• Giesemann Spectra fixture 3 x 250w SE w/ 4 x T5 (72†L)
CIRCULATION:
• Closed loop using Tunze Master Recirculation pump (~2,200 GPH)
• Oceans Motions 4 Way
• Two Tunze Stream2 6085’s (upgrade to Stream2 6105’s in Oct)
• Tunze Master Recirculation pump for chiller and return
FILTRATION:
• H&S wide body A250 â€"œ 2 x 1260 external skimmer (rated 700 gal)
• 57Watt UltraUV sterilizer
• Cryptic zone live rock rubble tower
• 30 gallon in sump refugium
• Shallow sand bed
COOLING:
• Pacific Coast Imports ½ HP Chiller
• Giesemann mounted fans
CALCIUM / ALK:
• H&S 150 calcium reactor
• MRC Nielson reactor fed with SpectraPure LMIII
• 60 gallon tank for topoff
MONITORING:
• GHL Profilux Plus II EX Professional Controller w/ WLAN
• BioMatix eAquatix Controller
AQUASCAPING:
One of the greatest benefits of this tanks dimensions is the flexibility for aquascaping. The 40†width provides great depth of field and allows good spacing between rock structures which creates a more natural look. If all goes as planned, I would like to create a canyon affect between two of the rock outcroppings. I also plan on having several “islands†of rock away from the main rock structure. Two will house anemones for the multiple clown pairs I have. One will be populated with only table corals. While I am not going for the Japanese look per say, I think having all the tables on one rock will create a pretty cool effect. I may even incorporate the spot lights Edward included. I should also mention that unlike my last system, I will be incorporating a shallow sand bed. The sand I sourced is very nice stuff from the Philippines. I was in Bohol last December where I experienced the finest sand beaches I have ever seen. So having a little of the Philippines in my tank conjures up great memories! Also pleases the Pinay girlfriend.
So that is pretty much all I have for now.
Stay tuned...............
INTRODUCTION
Well folks the time has come to make a change for the bigger. I have decided to upgrade from my existing 225 system. This should be an exciting build as I have big plans to take it to the next level. I have chosen what I think is the most appropriate title not already taken; “DreamReefâ€Â. With power becoming so expensive here in CA, my goal is to keep it as efficient as possible without sacrificing performance or quality. Equally as important, is the requirement for this setup to be something unique!
For those of you who are not already aware, DreamReef represents the ‘reincarnation’ of Invincible569’s (Edward) Ultimate Reef Tank. I purchased Edward’s A.G.E. 300 gallon tank, stand, lighting, and chiller back in June. Everything is custom designed and I must tip my hat to Edward’s vision, impeccable taste, and attention to detail. I had already been planning out an AGE tank of similar dimensions when Edwards’ became available for sale. I have learned from experience that custom work can be very tedious and stressful to plan out and manage. I was able to bypass just about all that headache!! Shipping was a whole other story. Lets just say the crating and freight from TX to CA cost me close to what most people would pay for a decent large tank setup. In the end it was worth every penny as everything arrived without a scratch!! I will post some pics of the crates and packaging later. I will also share my experience and advice for anyone who may need to ship LARGE in the future.
As for the equipment, I have learned from my many years in this hobby that expensive does not necessarily equate to quality but quality, with few exceptions, is expensive!! I also avoid being an early adopter of new products and technologies. I prefer to let others hop on the bandwagon and learn from the experiences they post on RC J
Below is an abbreviated list of equipment:
TANK/STAND:
• AGE ¾†starphire glass tank with ¾†PVC bottom
(72†L x 40†W x 24†T)
• Steel Stand Frame (2†tubular steel)
• Custom black laminate fascia
LIGHTING:
• Giesemann Spectra fixture 3 x 250w SE w/ 4 x T5 (72†L)
CIRCULATION:
• Closed loop using Tunze Master Recirculation pump (~2,200 GPH)
• Oceans Motions 4 Way
• Two Tunze Stream2 6085’s (upgrade to Stream2 6105’s in Oct)
• Tunze Master Recirculation pump for chiller and return
FILTRATION:
• H&S wide body A250 â€"œ 2 x 1260 external skimmer (rated 700 gal)
• 57Watt UltraUV sterilizer
• Cryptic zone live rock rubble tower
• 30 gallon in sump refugium
• Shallow sand bed
COOLING:
• Pacific Coast Imports ½ HP Chiller
• Giesemann mounted fans
CALCIUM / ALK:
• H&S 150 calcium reactor
• MRC Nielson reactor fed with SpectraPure LMIII
• 60 gallon tank for topoff
MONITORING:
• GHL Profilux Plus II EX Professional Controller w/ WLAN
• BioMatix eAquatix Controller
AQUASCAPING:
One of the greatest benefits of this tanks dimensions is the flexibility for aquascaping. The 40†width provides great depth of field and allows good spacing between rock structures which creates a more natural look. If all goes as planned, I would like to create a canyon affect between two of the rock outcroppings. I also plan on having several “islands†of rock away from the main rock structure. Two will house anemones for the multiple clown pairs I have. One will be populated with only table corals. While I am not going for the Japanese look per say, I think having all the tables on one rock will create a pretty cool effect. I may even incorporate the spot lights Edward included. I should also mention that unlike my last system, I will be incorporating a shallow sand bed. The sand I sourced is very nice stuff from the Philippines. I was in Bohol last December where I experienced the finest sand beaches I have ever seen. So having a little of the Philippines in my tank conjures up great memories! Also pleases the Pinay girlfriend.
So that is pretty much all I have for now.
Stay tuned...............
PnoyReefeR
New member
I just pd and extended Subscribtion on this thread. It will be a long haul and worth every single read on this thread. All the info so far looks really good .thanks Erik!
stunreefer
Reef Hugger
Man 'o' Man Im sooo excited for this!!! 
I started re-reading Edwards' thread the other day (never really read it, more like subconcious drooling the whole time :crazy1: )...I'm kinda planning a mini-version of what he had going on, less "mixed" though.
I cannot wait to see what you have planned Erik, regardless its going to be sweet! Congrats again, and keep us posted! :dance:
I started re-reading Edwards' thread the other day (never really read it, more like subconcious drooling the whole time :crazy1: )...I'm kinda planning a mini-version of what he had going on, less "mixed" though.
I cannot wait to see what you have planned Erik, regardless its going to be sweet! Congrats again, and keep us posted! :dance:
Last edited:
I'll be very interested to see how this looks as the aquascaping sounds similar to what I'd like to try. 
Itaysworld
Premium Member
This will be a great thread to follow. I'm happy to get 'on board' this early and not have to 'catch up' through months and months of progress, like I have done with so many threads on ReefCentral.
Can't wait to see your plan unfold!
Regards,
Can't wait to see your plan unfold!
Regards,
AgentSPS
New member
Yes good point but to quote myself,
"With power becoming so expensive here in CA, my goal is to keep it as efficient as possible without sacrificing performance or quality"
Halide is the only way to go in order to acheive what I am going for. Much of the rockwork and corals will be towards the bottom of the tank for better top down viewability. I still have worries that 250W halides are going to be sufficient. We'll see...
AgentSPS
New member
Hi Chad-
I am not familiar with coral snow. Do you have a link?
I was waiting for someone to ask about the two controllers. I was thinking I would just plug everything into both and just let them fight with each other
Okay JK. Basically what it comes down to is that I prefer to use the Profilux as it has way more features and I only recently acquired it too. Not to mention it cost me $$$$! The BioMatix, however, looks super cool built into the facia of the stand. My thoughts were that I could possibly just hook up the basics such as temp, PH, ORP and use it as an expensive monitor. I would not control anything with it. One thing I will say about the BioMatix is that their SAAS (software) blows the socks off Profilux. Check it out:
http://www.biomatixsystems.com/services/
Alternatively I could remove the BioMatix and have some sort of plaque or insert made for the hole.
Final option would be to look into the remote display for the Profilux. If the dimensions were smaller than the existing hole, I might be willing to do some sort of retrofit.
I am not familiar with coral snow. Do you have a link?
I was waiting for someone to ask about the two controllers. I was thinking I would just plug everything into both and just let them fight with each other
Okay JK. Basically what it comes down to is that I prefer to use the Profilux as it has way more features and I only recently acquired it too. Not to mention it cost me $$$$! The BioMatix, however, looks super cool built into the facia of the stand. My thoughts were that I could possibly just hook up the basics such as temp, PH, ORP and use it as an expensive monitor. I would not control anything with it. One thing I will say about the BioMatix is that their SAAS (software) blows the socks off Profilux. Check it out:
http://www.biomatixsystems.com/services/
Alternatively I could remove the BioMatix and have some sort of plaque or insert made for the hole.
Final option would be to look into the remote display for the Profilux. If the dimensions were smaller than the existing hole, I might be willing to do some sort of retrofit.
mcliffy2
New member
I would not worry about the performance of T5s, IME they put out more than enough light top to bottom. BUT, I do have to agree that for top down viewing T5s are far from ideal, I wasn't even thinking about that. The large bulbs reflect off the top of the surface making it hard to see anything top down - I went with MH for my frag tank for this exact reason.
As far as spread - you could try using blue plus bulbs instead of actinics to get PAR out of the T5s - with 2 T5s on either side, that might give you a little better spread.
invincible569
New member
Erik,
Im glad to see things are going well for you! I cant wait to see what you come up with. Also, this was my dream tank too.. but i guess I finally woke up?? LOL.
I will be in touch and most importantly, back into the hobby sooner than I expected.
Im glad to see things are going well for you! I cant wait to see what you come up with. Also, this was my dream tank too.. but i guess I finally woke up??
LOL. I will be in touch and most importantly, back into the hobby sooner than I expected.
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