Eel Freak's 205g Build

[Eel Freak]

This first post is always huge... please bear with me! 205g custom acrylic tank: 96"L x 24"W x 20.5"T. Got this beauty about 18 months ago as an upgrade for my FOWLR since my Fimby was getting pretty large... A couple weeks back the eel perished after nearly 5 years under my care, was pretty bummed about it. So I was thinking, hey, my reef is 125 gallons... This gorgeous 205g tank has no purpose really any longer, let's upgrade!!

And so it has begun. Tore the FOWLR down Sunday night/Monday morning.

Here's what's been thought of so far: Minimalistic-style rockwork, a hundred or so pounds at most. SPS-dominant on the left and middle islands, with the right (or maybe left, who knows...) being mixed with softies and such and perhaps a Bali Green slimer for some vertical growth and color there!

Stats:
Sump -> two Brutes; yep, pix of this will be shown...
Super Reef Octopus XP5000 external skimmer
Iwaki MD-70RLT for return
2 VorTech MP40w ES for flow in the tank
50g fuge
possible rock tank to be included....
Temporarily lit with 3 Reef Optix Is with 250w 20K Elos SpectraChromes
200lbs Carib-Sea Hawaiian Black sand

The fish and most corals from my existing 125 will be added. These include:
Show-size Sailfin Tang (easily 10" long)
Big Moorish Idol I've had for several months, she's been doing well...
Pair of Ocellaris clowns
Sixline Wrasse
Pistol Shrimp + goby pair
Clingfish
Lawnmower Blenny

Various LPS, Euphyllias, Blastos; some SPS, Montis, Spongodes, Hyndophora, etc. and of course various softies, rics, shrooms, the gamut.

Waiting on my kit from Novus to come in early next week so I can buff out some scratches that I made when the tank was a FOWLR. Sand, salt (Reef Crystals), and lots of bulkheads are coming in Tuesday.

The tank will be in the dining room, which is adjacent to my room. Thus, the plumbing will go through the wall and into my room, transforming it into truly the fish room! This should make it almost silent out by the dining table and I'll get to observe as the 30" tall skimmer pulls out some hideous skimmate from my room...

Some pics to follow

 

[Eel Freak]

The current 125:

The 205 as a FOWLR:

And now, cleaned up mostly, and with the Iwaki and some random usable PVC/Loc-Line from the old setup inside...

 

[Eel Freak]

Update:

Got a Novus kit and have been working out the intolerable scratches... Will be done tonight!

Ordered a second VorTech, it'll be here Tuesday hopefully... Got all 200lbs of Hawaiian Black sand, got the salt.... Bulkheads, got the sump plumbed with the return last night. Currently making RO water like crazy to do the upgrade tomorrow morning!

I'll run a temporary line from the return since I still have no idea when my OM will get here. Ordered it Monday and haven't heard a thing about shipping yet...

 

[Eel Freak]

Here's the sump with temporarily .75" soft plumbing barb off the Iwaki...

 

[muttley000]

Sorry about the loss, but looking forward to watching this one. Is the double brute new or have you been using it for a while? Can you share pros and cons if it has?

 

[Eel Freak]

Thanks, but it's the circle of life I guess....

The two Brutes as a sump is a new thing I'm trying this time around. If it doesn't work, I have a spare 75 I'll throw in instead. It's been able to handle my Iwaki wide open with no head just fine so far. I've been testing that overnight. Due to it being new, I can't share any pros/cons so far other than it is a breeze to drill for bulkheads! haha

 

[Eel Freak]

Brief update: All RO water has been made and adjusted to the correct salinity for the upgrade tomorrow! I have 115g on hand and 140 in the current system. This should give me a good amount of extra in case I have some horrible error or need a new Brute or who knows what... I also have a 50g fuge, and another Brute full of LR and about 15g of water which I could also use in a pinch. Some pix tonight after I get the tanks in the living room for this...

 

[Eel Freak]

Everything is in place for tomorrow's upgrade. The 200 is in the fish room until the existing 125 is moved out of the way. (too cramped in there with all the water and Brutes to get a pic right now...) Got the spare 125 across from the other 125 tonight... that was the final preparation. It will hold all the fish/coral from the current 125 during the moving of the tanks...

In the morning it begins.

*please excuse the poor cell phone pix...*

The 125 as it stands literally right now:

The spare ready to hold the livestock:

And both taking up the whole of the dining area:

 

[Eel Freak]

Upgrade status: all livestock is in holding, 125 is out, 200 is almost in place, the holes have been drilled through the wall and filling should commence within the hour....

 

[Eel Freak]

And it is done. Everything is moved over, mostly plumbed (still no word from OceansMotions...), and everybody looks good!

From front to back: holding tank, 125, 200, just after it had been filled

And a few minutes ago, cleared up, and with the right half aquascaped:

 

[Eel Freak]

Finally got the room with all the equipment cleaned up today. It housed the 200 initially and has been a wreck for three weeks since I began the upgrade...

Both Brutes in full operation (note: the second lid is on only because I have guests with small children... They see a trashcan, and, well, they put trash in it...)

The water tower visible on the right:

The 50g Fuge/oddball things tank with my massive custom RO unit:

 

[Eel Freak]

Talked with the guys over at OceansMotions today. They couldn't get in touch with me for some reason... Anyways, Super Squirt Compacts are out, so they cut me a deal on the 4-way. Much bigger so if I ever end up with a Reeflo Dart or something I'll be all set to go. Hopefully that will be here by Friday...

If all goes well, my second VorTech should arrive tomorrow.

And if even more goes well, I'll have the skimmer by the end of the week! The Super Reef Octopus XP-5000 external full body cone! It's quite the beast at 30" tall....:smokin:

 

[Eel Freak]

Some updated shots of the equipment... Haven't decided on a place for the skimmer yet. Thinking maybe where the water tower was in that corner...

The capped off lines are from a glass-holes overflow in the back of the tank that I decided against using.

 

[Eel Freak]

I have not yet posted any pictures of the livestock so let's change that!

The Idol:

Blasto frag:

Wellsophyllia:

Gotta love my Lawnmower blenny and his Derasa:

Orange yuma that's been growing painfully slow:

 

[Eel Freak]

Whew.... Got caught up in the large tank cost thread and calculated how much money has been poured into this system. $4,906 is the current total! More to come, AI Blue Sol LEDs in the next month, a live food nursery, and a "swamp" tank are next.

 

[Eel Freak]

Woo! The second VorTech came today! And wow... What a difference. It kicked up a startling amount of detritus and the tank is only a few days old...

At any rate. Pumps are set up, running EcoSmart Nutrient Transport Mode at 100% on both.

Also ordered the skimmer, which should get in at the LFS by the end of the week (hopefully coinciding with the arrival of the OM!)

Here's a video showing the flow, as well as some corals and such. Excuse the huge dying Hammer, it's a rescue from the LFS that is getting no better...



And check out this bristleworm I pulled out of the rocks!!! Biggest one I've seen in my tank yet!

 

[Eel Freak]

Woo! Just got my tracking number, UPS says the OM will arrive Monday!

Tonight I'll plumb the return lines as far as I can such that the dining area's work will be done and I can connect the OM when it arrives with ease. All visible plumbing is black PVC to match the Loc-line

 

[Eel Freak]

A pleasant surprise today! Came home to grab a few things before going nightfishing and found this on my doorstep! Looks like I will need to head to Lowes tomorrow morning...

 

[Eel Freak]

Got the OM plumbed in today, moved the lights a bit so the tank is more evenly lit, and aquascaped the left side since the temporary line is now gone!

FTS:

 

[Eel Freak]

Well, skimmer didn't come Friday, LFS is open again on Tuesday so hopefully by then. The feed pump (I went with a Water Blaster HY-2000W) is on backorder until next week though....

So I was at work yesterday, typical day and all. Then my dad calls... Which is very unusual. He says "Garrett. Your entire end of the house is flooded, the refugium is empty, and the toadfish is flopping on the floor...." Yep. I get home, it appears that the toadfish caused a rockslide and a larger upper rock fell and went through the bottom glass of the 50g tank. A shop-vac and couple dozen towels later all 70g or so of water from the tank and now empty sump was taken care of... The inhabitants were moved to the sump after I refilled it as well as other tanks and another Brute for rock and such was established... No livestock was lost! Pics of the carnage to follow:

^ That's a 2.5" hole-saw for scale