Let's start off with a bit of a back story. I started in the reef keeping hobby with no prior experience in aquariums fresh or salt. My first tank was a 29 Bio cube that is still running to this day at my wife's parents house. We are now in the process of converting it over to a seahorse tank! After moving from a 29 gallon I jumped right into a 125 gallon deep tank (I will never own a deep tank again). After countless problems and never actually liking the depth or size of tank I decided to get out of the hobby..
Fast forward 8 months I started to get the itch again and decided to go Nano. I picked up 2 spec V tanks and completely convert them to suit a nano reef.
So after running the spec V for a whopping 3 weeks it was time to upgrade....
So here is where it truly starts.
After looking at hundreds of tanks online I decided to build a 60 gallon rimless shallow reef. The dimensions were 32"x32"x14". I used 3/4" acrylic and built a fully custom all in one system in that back that had interchangeable baffles at its core. This was developed so when new equipment came out I could move a baffle and fit it or I could add a refugium or whatever I wanted without tearing down the whole system.
After great success with this tank and a friend asking me if he could have the tank over 4 months it was running. I finally broke down and gave it to him..
So time to upgrade I enjoyed the baffling system so much and it work a hundred times better than I thought I decided to carry on with a large all in one system.
So after a week or so of planning I built my current tank 32"w 15"h 96"l out of 1/2" acrylic with euro braced top and 1/2" bracing on seams (I over build stuff).
This tank has ran since May 24th 2014 and here is the story.
In this post I plan on covering all the issues I had the setbacks the triumphs . Also the livestock choice coral choice and what I have experienced keeping a reef this size up and running.
I am going to try not to get into the cost or how much I have spent due to the fact that I don't care all that much for money in general.
Good Stuff:
Equipment list as of today
Skimmer: Reef Octopus sss-150 with cleaning neck
UV: Turbo Twist 3x (Under sized but I used to clear up a bloom in my water Column and never took out)
Return Pump: Aqueon 4300
Reactor: BRS Duel reactor
Filter Socks: Vertex 4" Filter socks x2
Live rock: 250 lbs + 1x 8" x 8" x 4" Plate MarinePure Ceramic Biomedia
Live Sand: 100 lbs of caribsea live sand
Power heads: 2x hydor 1500s
ATO: Hydor auto top off system powered by MJ 1200
Computer: Apex jr
Heaters: 2x jager 300w
Lights: 2x MaxSpec Razor 420r 16k
Power: APC 1500 with Gas generator on standby.
Livestock: ( this will have to be updated as at one point I had a good list but now after going to LFS every week for 10 months it is hard to keep up with.
Fish:
1x 3" Scopas Tang (This is my favorite fish I bought from Reef Boutique it is just an amazing fish).
1x 8" Naso tang brand new just added (wanted the tank running for 8 months before adding larger fish).
21x 1-1.5" Mono Argentus (yes they get big but I have a friend with a 800 gallon fowlr who will be taking them off me in the next 2 years.
6x Carrberryi Anthias 5x female 1x male.
2x Banggai Cardinal they are a mated pair and spawn every 4-5 weeks.
2x Snow Onyx clownfish these also are a mated pair and spawn every 3 weeks or so.
2x all black Midnight clownfish these have paired and I am just waiting for them to start spawning,
1x Black Cap jawfish (this is my 3rd one I just installed lids on my tank for this fish).
1x Green Mandarin (this guy eats frozen and is fat and lazy)
1x Diamond Watchman Goby
1x Orange Spotted Goby
Inverts:
2x green bubble tip anemone (split into too one day after placing in tank).
1x Sand sifting star (had 2 but even with my large sand area seemed like one was always struggling).
1x Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1x Blood Red Fire Shrimp
1x Banded Coral Shrimp
1x Tiger Pistol Shrimp
3x Camel Shrimp
8x Sexy Shrimp
2x Blue Velvet Nudibranch (these are on their way out they were fixing my flat worm issue before it got out of hand).
This list does not count my cleaning crew I think at last count 50+ Hermit Crabs 20+ Nassarius Snails.
Coral:
I will not list you will see in photos and at this point the list is to long....
Ok now the bad stuff..
Stuff that I have lost.
2x Black cap jaw fish (this is my fault no lids on my tank, both jumpers).
1x Kole Yellow Eye Tang (He was doing fine for 4-5 weeks and boom dead?).
1-2x Sexy Shrimp (I think when I added them my jaw fish ate one or two intently).
1x Mono Argentus (power head ate him).
This is it over the last 10 months which is surprising since I did rush this tank.
At this point I am in the process of upgrading one last time
. I will post pic's below... Its in the planing stage and will coincide my basement being finished.
Fast forward 8 months I started to get the itch again and decided to go Nano. I picked up 2 spec V tanks and completely convert them to suit a nano reef.
So after running the spec V for a whopping 3 weeks it was time to upgrade....
So here is where it truly starts.
After looking at hundreds of tanks online I decided to build a 60 gallon rimless shallow reef. The dimensions were 32"x32"x14". I used 3/4" acrylic and built a fully custom all in one system in that back that had interchangeable baffles at its core. This was developed so when new equipment came out I could move a baffle and fit it or I could add a refugium or whatever I wanted without tearing down the whole system.
After great success with this tank and a friend asking me if he could have the tank over 4 months it was running. I finally broke down and gave it to him..
So time to upgrade I enjoyed the baffling system so much and it work a hundred times better than I thought I decided to carry on with a large all in one system.
So after a week or so of planning I built my current tank 32"w 15"h 96"l out of 1/2" acrylic with euro braced top and 1/2" bracing on seams (I over build stuff).
This tank has ran since May 24th 2014 and here is the story.
In this post I plan on covering all the issues I had the setbacks the triumphs . Also the livestock choice coral choice and what I have experienced keeping a reef this size up and running.
I am going to try not to get into the cost or how much I have spent due to the fact that I don't care all that much for money in general.
Good Stuff:
Equipment list as of today
Skimmer: Reef Octopus sss-150 with cleaning neck
UV: Turbo Twist 3x (Under sized but I used to clear up a bloom in my water Column and never took out)
Return Pump: Aqueon 4300
Reactor: BRS Duel reactor
Filter Socks: Vertex 4" Filter socks x2
Live rock: 250 lbs + 1x 8" x 8" x 4" Plate MarinePure Ceramic Biomedia
Live Sand: 100 lbs of caribsea live sand
Power heads: 2x hydor 1500s
ATO: Hydor auto top off system powered by MJ 1200
Computer: Apex jr
Heaters: 2x jager 300w
Lights: 2x MaxSpec Razor 420r 16k
Power: APC 1500 with Gas generator on standby.
Livestock: ( this will have to be updated as at one point I had a good list but now after going to LFS every week for 10 months it is hard to keep up with.
Fish:
1x 3" Scopas Tang (This is my favorite fish I bought from Reef Boutique it is just an amazing fish).
1x 8" Naso tang brand new just added (wanted the tank running for 8 months before adding larger fish).
21x 1-1.5" Mono Argentus (yes they get big but I have a friend with a 800 gallon fowlr who will be taking them off me in the next 2 years.
6x Carrberryi Anthias 5x female 1x male.
2x Banggai Cardinal they are a mated pair and spawn every 4-5 weeks.
2x Snow Onyx clownfish these also are a mated pair and spawn every 3 weeks or so.
2x all black Midnight clownfish these have paired and I am just waiting for them to start spawning,
1x Black Cap jawfish (this is my 3rd one I just installed lids on my tank for this fish).
1x Green Mandarin (this guy eats frozen and is fat and lazy)
1x Diamond Watchman Goby
1x Orange Spotted Goby
Inverts:
2x green bubble tip anemone (split into too one day after placing in tank).
1x Sand sifting star (had 2 but even with my large sand area seemed like one was always struggling).
1x Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1x Blood Red Fire Shrimp
1x Banded Coral Shrimp
1x Tiger Pistol Shrimp
3x Camel Shrimp
8x Sexy Shrimp
2x Blue Velvet Nudibranch (these are on their way out they were fixing my flat worm issue before it got out of hand).
This list does not count my cleaning crew I think at last count 50+ Hermit Crabs 20+ Nassarius Snails.
Coral:
I will not list you will see in photos and at this point the list is to long....
Ok now the bad stuff..
Stuff that I have lost.
2x Black cap jaw fish (this is my fault no lids on my tank, both jumpers).
1x Kole Yellow Eye Tang (He was doing fine for 4-5 weeks and boom dead?).
1-2x Sexy Shrimp (I think when I added them my jaw fish ate one or two intently).
1x Mono Argentus (power head ate him).
This is it over the last 10 months which is surprising since I did rush this tank.
At this point I am in the process of upgrading one last time
. I will post pic's below... Its in the planing stage and will coincide my basement being finished.
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