Christer`s 190 gallon reef tank build in progress

[Christer]

First I have to say that I am from Norway and my english is not so good. But I hope you will understand my bad english. After looking and looking at some of the reef tanks out here on RC I am amazed! Many many great looking tanks here, and I only hope that I someday will get the knowledge and the skills to create such a nice reef tank my self.
I am in the cycling of a new 190g mixed reef tank. After my 130g started leaking, I had to take action. I wanted to upgrade my system a little bit, a bit larger tank, a closed loop system, sump-room in the basement etc..


Display tank
190 gallon 80"x24"x24"

Sump
158 gallon + 40 gallon water change chamber
Ro-water reservoir: 53 gallon
refugium 26 gallon not yet connected (I am waiting on some PVC parts and macroalgea)

Circulation
closed loop with oceans motions 4-way connected to a ATK TDA50 pump 3200 gallon
Tunze 6095 with a singlecontroller and a DIY oscillating motor.
Return from sump ATK TDA50 lifting almost 4 metres and delivering roughly 1840 gallon to the display tank.

Filtration
AM blue T3000 skimmer - I am waiting on a Deltec TC 2060 that I have ordered!!
LR: 100 kg. Ceramic Aquaroche: 60 kg.
activated carbon, rowaphos

Water parameters
Ca: 420-440 mg/l
Alkalinity: 8-9 dKH
Salinity: 35 ppt
pH: 8,3-8,4
NO3: 10 mg/l
Mg: 1350-1400

Lightning
4x250w MH Reeflux 12k SE
2x150w MH Aqualight Extreme 20k fc-2

I also run a IKS Aquastar that controls the top-off, heating etc.
D-D cooler
Deltec KM500S kalkwassermixer
Kent Marine Deluxe Hi-S Maxxima RO/DI system

Fish
1x yellow tang - zebrasoma flavescens
2x Ocellaris clownfish - Amphiprion Ocellaris
9x blue/green chromis - Chromis Viridis
1x Algea blenny - Salarias fasciatus
1x fire fish - Nemateleotris magnifica
1x Six line wrasse - Psedocheilinus hexataenia

Corals
Scolymia - green/orange
Muricea laxa - Silver gorgonian
Discosoma marmoratus
Sinularia
Zoanthus

I also have some hermits and some turbos and 2 Lysmata amboinensis - cleaner shrimps

I will try to post some pictures I already have taken of this build and progress, and I will take pictures forward in the progress aswell. I do not have a fancy camera, it`s crap actually.... but I hope I will get a better camera soon.

 

[Christer]

The first step. Here my "old" father is working on the stand to the aquarium and making hole in the floor for the piping etc.....

 

[Christer]

and he is still working...

 

[Christer]

And here I got the tank on place, and started on the plumbing for the closed loop and return

 

[Christer]

more plumbing and gluing some of the ceramic aquaroche

 

[Christer]

and some pictures of the plumbing etc. of the sump room in the basement. I am not nearly finished here so I am sorry for the messy room... changes will be done but it is a start

 

[Christer]

more of the sump room... so far

 

[Christer]

and even more of my messy basement

 

[Christer]

and finally, after days and days making RO water, there is water in the tank. And I am trying to build a light hood (hmmm not sure that is the right word).. the tank was filled 26. october 2011

 

[Christer]

well this is the progress so far. I have a pretty high nitrate, around 10 mg/l (ppm), and phosphate 0,12 ppm, so I am trying to be patience and wait before I put in more corals.... waiting on a new skimmer Deltec TC 2060 and maybe start with some bio-pellets as well.

 

[ptr13]

nice rockwork, very cool,did you use cement with plywood?

 

[Christer]

nice rockwork, very cool,did you use cement with plywood?

Thanks. The rock work is made of aquaroche stones and aquaroche background plates, glued with aquarium silicone and some epoxy. And ofcourse live rock and some of it glued with epoxy. Plywood, you mean the the short end of the aquarium? Its a plywood plate glued to the short end glass of the aquarium. Sorry my english is bad, hope I understood your question right