Brian's 220g In-Wall Build
- Thread starter Brian Crook
- Start date
Brian Crook
New member
Drop ceiling is a good idea. Maybe I'll look into that this weekend and see how easy it is to do. It would certainly make the room like nicer too.
Brian Crook
New member
The Apex package arrived and I've been busy trying to neatly wire everything.
I started working on a pulley supported bar to mount my Kessil's and moonlights from, so I can easily lift it up when I need greater access to the tank.
My skimmer and Kessil's should be arriving this coming week.
I started working on a pulley supported bar to mount my Kessil's and moonlights from, so I can easily lift it up when I need greater access to the tank.
My skimmer and Kessil's should be arriving this coming week.
Brian Crook
New member
Last night I was lucky enough to get accepted into the Apex Fusion beta.
Already have it up and running on my Android phone and was successfully turning on and off my new moonlights! haha
Already have it up and running on my Android phone and was successfully turning on and off my new moonlights! haha
Brian Crook
New member
It arrived! Bigger and cooler than I was expecting. Very impressed.
Brian Crook
New member
Big update coming soon.
The tank is full of water, live sand, and a good chunk of live rock.
Most of the hardware is all setup now, and, our basement is being re-carpeted as I type this!
More photos to come soon.
The tank is full of water, live sand, and a good chunk of live rock.
Most of the hardware is all setup now, and, our basement is being re-carpeted as I type this!
More photos to come soon.
Brian Crook
New member
Alright, it's been a very busy past 3 months so here's a ton of pictures to get this thread up to speed. Hope you enjoy them.
The tank after putting in 200 lbs of live sand and the first big batch of live rock. Aqua-scape changes incoming...
The Kessil A360WE's and Apex LSM mounted on a DIY rail with adjustable height and failsafe (via pulleys).
Showing off the moonlights and another batch of live rock. The cycle has not yet begun.
One of many hitchhikers.
Lots of hydroids. This was smaller than a pin head in real life.
...
At this point the tank started cycling and I had a monstrous outbreak of hair algae. After a couple months everything stabilized and the algae went from enormous proportions to nothing in a matter of a few days. Unfortunately I was rather busy during this period (and disheartened by all the algae) so I do not have any photos from the cycling stage.
3 months later...
Sea Apple!
Front view after some more aqua-scaping.
Angled view..
Zoanthids
The tank after putting in 200 lbs of live sand and the first big batch of live rock. Aqua-scape changes incoming...
The Kessil A360WE's and Apex LSM mounted on a DIY rail with adjustable height and failsafe (via pulleys).
Showing off the moonlights and another batch of live rock. The cycle has not yet begun.
One of many hitchhikers.
Lots of hydroids. This was smaller than a pin head in real life.
...
At this point the tank started cycling and I had a monstrous outbreak of hair algae. After a couple months everything stabilized and the algae went from enormous proportions to nothing in a matter of a few days. Unfortunately I was rather busy during this period (and disheartened by all the algae) so I do not have any photos from the cycling stage.
3 months later...
Sea Apple!
Front view after some more aqua-scaping.
Angled view..
Zoanthids
laredo300c
New member
Great tank, are those 360we or 360N.....considering your 29" height
Brian Crook
New member
Here's a look at my aquarium room. This is also our laundry / utility room so I tried to design everything to conserve the space. Overall we are happy with how it turned out. The walls around this room also have the soundproofing insulation in them.
The first chamber of the sump, with protein skimmer. I am extremely happy I waited for my backorder on the AquaMaxx ConeS CO-3.
The return chamber. This also houses the heaters (dual Finnex titaniums), Apex probes, and Tunze ATO.
The "low-flow" zone, aka refugium. I've added chaeto and sea lettuce. I intend to add some kind of substrate or rock on the bottom too.
A more recent photo of the display tank.
Angled view..
One of my black ice clownfish. I decided to get an 'exotic' morph of clownfish this time around.
And lastly, a look at the tank with respect to its location in our basement recroom (which we've recently re-finished). Our furniture isn't staying where you see it here, but since we have nothing else in the recroom yet we figured we may as well move the couches nice and close to the tank.
That's it for now! Now that I've got a few fish to keep it interesting, I'm going to be focusing on corals over the next several months.
The first chamber of the sump, with protein skimmer. I am extremely happy I waited for my backorder on the AquaMaxx ConeS CO-3.
The return chamber. This also houses the heaters (dual Finnex titaniums), Apex probes, and Tunze ATO.
The "low-flow" zone, aka refugium. I've added chaeto and sea lettuce. I intend to add some kind of substrate or rock on the bottom too.
A more recent photo of the display tank.
Angled view..
One of my black ice clownfish. I decided to get an 'exotic' morph of clownfish this time around.
And lastly, a look at the tank with respect to its location in our basement recroom (which we've recently re-finished). Our furniture isn't staying where you see it here, but since we have nothing else in the recroom yet we figured we may as well move the couches nice and close to the tank.
That's it for now! Now that I've got a few fish to keep it interesting, I'm going to be focusing on corals over the next several months.
Brian Crook
New member
They are the 360WE's. They are currently approximately 8" from the surface of the water.
Brian Crook
New member
Thank you. I like my Kessils quite a lot. Here is the schedule that I have them on currently. Orange is the spectrum and Blue is the intensity.
With the right level of surface agitation which I adjusted by moving around the return heads, I achieved some really enjoyable shimmer that is obviously impossible to capture in photographs. The spectrum of the lights also makes my corals really glow (only zoanthids in the tank so far). They are light, appear to be well made, and are relatively energy efficient.
My satisfaction with the lights has been gradually increasing with time. At first I found that they just didn't appear as 'bright' as my previous MH and PC lighting from my last tanks, and although they looked great, I figured that I was going to have to supplement with another type of light to fill out the brightness a bit more.
Over time however, I am finding that either its less of a concern for me now, or I have come to appreciate the lights regardless of them appearing slightly dimmer than MH. I may still supplement in the future, but I am more than satisfied for the time being.
Overall I would definitely recommend the Kessil lights as either a standalone light or as part of a mixed scheme.
Brian Crook
New member
It's been quite a long time since I've posted in this thread. I have not fallen out of the hobby (quite the contrary, actually).
This tank is doing well, and the Kessil 360WE's really are fantastic, but this tank has remained at a fairly steady and low-populated state for a long time. This is because I had realized a long time ago that the location of this tank did not lend itself to an ideal layout of my basement rec-room, and simply wasn't how I envisioned my dream tank and rec-room. Shame on me perhaps for not thinking further ahead, although this was my first venture into large tanks and I certainly learned a lot.
So a while back I decided to break ground on a new arrangement for the rec-room and a new aquarium. Upon completion of this new tank and space, I will transfer over the contents of this tank and then shut this tank down and sell it off.
If anyone does have any questions about this tank, or the lights, by all means ask. I only have one SPS coral in this aquarium (a monti), and it has encrusted quite nicely onto the rock next to where I placed it, so I now have proof that LEDs really can grow SPS (and quite well at that).
I intend to start another thread to document my new build, so keep an eye out for that!
This tank is doing well, and the Kessil 360WE's really are fantastic, but this tank has remained at a fairly steady and low-populated state for a long time. This is because I had realized a long time ago that the location of this tank did not lend itself to an ideal layout of my basement rec-room, and simply wasn't how I envisioned my dream tank and rec-room. Shame on me perhaps for not thinking further ahead, although this was my first venture into large tanks and I certainly learned a lot.
So a while back I decided to break ground on a new arrangement for the rec-room and a new aquarium. Upon completion of this new tank and space, I will transfer over the contents of this tank and then shut this tank down and sell it off.
If anyone does have any questions about this tank, or the lights, by all means ask. I only have one SPS coral in this aquarium (a monti), and it has encrusted quite nicely onto the rock next to where I placed it, so I now have proof that LEDs really can grow SPS (and quite well at that).
I intend to start another thread to document my new build, so keep an eye out for that!
frankabagnale
New member
Sweet!
Brian Crook
New member
As promised, here is a link to my new 520 gallon build thread!
Total re-vamp of my basement layout, building a new fish room, and of course, a big 500+ gallon woody tank!
Brian's 520 gal. Plywood Build + Fish Room
Total re-vamp of my basement layout, building a new fish room, and of course, a big 500+ gallon woody tank!
Brian's 520 gal. Plywood Build + Fish Room
