ReefBum
Active member
A couple of years ago I decided I needed a break from reefkeeping after I hit one bump after another with my 120 gallon tank. It was not fun anymore so that is when I knew I needed to walk away. Here is a picture of the tank before I hit my string of bad luck.
Well, soon after that I moved and I found myself still surfing this board and visiting my local shops. The bug was still in me so I knew I would eventually get back into the hobby. This past XMas I decided to take the plunge with a custom made 225 gallon starphire tank (72L X 30W X 24T) from Aquarium Obsessed. I did a lot of research and made the choice to go with an open euro-braced top (no top canopy) and have full viewing on the sides. I like to think of it as a 4 dimensional look. I also wanted external overflows to maximize the room inside the tank. The key for me is to have a clean look and not overload the tank with rock. I really want to give the corals room to grow.
My new house has an unfinished basement so I am utilizing that as my sump and equipment room. One of the first things I needed to do was have a structural engineer come in to make sure I had the proper support in the room housing the tank. Here is what my contractor did based on the engineer's advice:
We also had to do a lot of work in the tank room, including the installation of a new floor, windows, trim, new furniture and a brand new paint job. Here is a before and after:
Before renovations...
After renovations (with the new stand)...
Here's a closer look at the new custom made stand (minus the bull nose and shoe molding)
And here is the stand before it was painted and without the panels....on its way into my house:
As for the equipment, I decided to go with a Sfiligoi light fixture with 3 SE 400W bulbs and 8 39W T5s. The halides will be driven by HQI ballasts. Both the skimmer and Ca reactor are from MTC and the chiller is a 1/2 hp Tradewind. Two Blueline 70s will act as my return pumps from the custom sump. Another main source of flow within the tank will be two Tunze 6200s. I will also be adding a phosphate reactor. I will post some equipment pics soon.
Right now I am in the middle of putting everything together and plumping the sump. The tank is due to arrive in about a week. Here are some shots of the finished product:
I know this is going to be a great tank because it is off the same AO assembly line as JBNYs! Joe - I believe our tanks are sharing a ride on an 18 wheeler at this very moment!
Keith
Well, soon after that I moved and I found myself still surfing this board and visiting my local shops. The bug was still in me so I knew I would eventually get back into the hobby. This past XMas I decided to take the plunge with a custom made 225 gallon starphire tank (72L X 30W X 24T) from Aquarium Obsessed. I did a lot of research and made the choice to go with an open euro-braced top (no top canopy) and have full viewing on the sides. I like to think of it as a 4 dimensional look. I also wanted external overflows to maximize the room inside the tank. The key for me is to have a clean look and not overload the tank with rock. I really want to give the corals room to grow.
My new house has an unfinished basement so I am utilizing that as my sump and equipment room. One of the first things I needed to do was have a structural engineer come in to make sure I had the proper support in the room housing the tank. Here is what my contractor did based on the engineer's advice:
We also had to do a lot of work in the tank room, including the installation of a new floor, windows, trim, new furniture and a brand new paint job. Here is a before and after:
Before renovations...
After renovations (with the new stand)...
Here's a closer look at the new custom made stand (minus the bull nose and shoe molding)
And here is the stand before it was painted and without the panels....on its way into my house:
As for the equipment, I decided to go with a Sfiligoi light fixture with 3 SE 400W bulbs and 8 39W T5s. The halides will be driven by HQI ballasts. Both the skimmer and Ca reactor are from MTC and the chiller is a 1/2 hp Tradewind. Two Blueline 70s will act as my return pumps from the custom sump. Another main source of flow within the tank will be two Tunze 6200s. I will also be adding a phosphate reactor. I will post some equipment pics soon.
Right now I am in the middle of putting everything together and plumping the sump. The tank is due to arrive in about a week. Here are some shots of the finished product:
I know this is going to be a great tank because it is off the same AO assembly line as JBNYs! Joe - I believe our tanks are sharing a ride on an 18 wheeler at this very moment!
Keith
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