LeeMar starfire 290 mixed reef build

[kmooresf]

Hello.

Been spying on many of your tank builds and dreaming of doing my own some day. Apparently that day is finally here. Currently have 3 aquariums....27 gallon bow (softies and LPS), 65 gallon mixed reef with some sps, 110 gallon FOWLR with a few Nems and mushrooms. All three tanks will be moved into the new 290 and taken down. The new tank will be my only tank (for now).

I am literally waiting for my new LeeMar tank to be delivered later today.
Tank:
84" x 31" x 26" 290 gallons
Starfire glass on front and sides
Black back wall with centered overflow with 2, 1.5" drains
2, 3/4" returns
Eurobracing
1" drain on bottom of the tank for easy water changes / draining

Sump:
60" x 24" x 24" 150 gallons
3/8" acrylic with Eurobracing
Giant Fuge 32" x 24" area (approx 64 gallons at 19" water depth)
All pumps / filters / skimmers, etc will be plumbed externally to the
room behind the tank.

The design changed a bit before the finished product. Built by "Krittertanks"

Stand:
Built from Poplar wood
84.5" x 31.5" x 40" tall.
Added a side door for convenience
Dark espresso stain

Equipment:
Reef Octopus SRO 6000 external skimmer
Reef Octopus Waterblaster 3000 skimmer pump
Two Reef Octopus Waterblaster 5000 for dual return pumps (approx 2000 gph turnover combined)
Tunze Turbelle Stream 6105 power heads x 4 with a 7095 controller
Nextreef MR1 Monster dual GFO / Carbon reactor
Ranco ETC temp controller with 3 500w titanium heaters
Calcium reactor TBD.......will add once the tank is cycled (approx 3-4months)
Lighting will be LED eventually.......budget will determin if / when / what. Hoping for a good tax return as I would like to put 6 radions over this baby.

Been reefing for about 15 years. I am just as interested in the fish as I am the coral. I am fairly new to SPS and a bit nervous about that challenge, however I have been reading and doing my best to learn how to do it right from the start.
I hope to have the tank plumbed and cycling in the next two weeks. LOL! Might be a stretch, but that is the plan. I have a bunch of pics of the process to date that I will add later, just wanted to get this thread off the ground. Thanks,

Kris.

 

[kmooresf]

Sump....

Sump....

Sump built by Krittertanks is a work of art. It is HUGE!

Sump is a monster, and didn't quite fit with the center back brace taken out

Had to remove an additional back panel to get it in.

Finally in place...........I don't plan on putting much inside the stand, thus the giant sump. Very pleased.

I had planned on using some maxspect LED's I currently have on my Fowlr for the Fuge, however I decided the 210watts was way overkill. Have added two PAR 38, 18w, 4900K LED's instead. Very clean and simple.

 

[kmooresf]

Tank is HERE!!!

Tank is HERE!!!

:bounce1::bounce1::bounce1:

Tank looks great. Crating was Top Notch from LeeMar.

Pretty darn pleased with the tank. Seams are clean and bracing is beautiful! Have a crew coming over Friday afternoon to help get it on the stand. Using a 1000 lb rated lift to get it off the ground 40" and will hopefully just slide accross to the stand. Easy right? LOL!

Toys are coming in also, will get some pics of those later. Plumbing came in today, so will start bright and early in the morning. :bounce3:

 

[kmooresf]

Silence!!!

Silence!!!

My tank room is also my TV room. I currently have 3 aquariums in there with 3 skimmers, pumps, etc. It is very noisy and makes it very difficult to watch TV without cranking up the volume.

Sooooooo, the new tank needs to be quiet. I am plumbing ALL the pumps / skimmer, Calcium reactor and GFO / Carbon reactors into the room behind the tank. I have a limited amount of space to work with along the wall, however I believe it will work nicely.

I have also decided on Tunze circulation pumps as the Vortechs can be a bit noisy. NOT horrible by any means, but I am going for as little noise as possible. I happen to LOVE the Vortechs, but just not for this project.

This was the tank room before.

Had to move the 110 accross the room..........to move the entertainment center down where the 110 used to be........as well as the couch, etc.

Home for the new tank.

removed some old wood paneling and replacing it with fire rated sheet rock. Had a 20amp dedicated breaker ran to the back wall and dedicated to the tank. Had to move a heater vent that was above the tank down the wall so it's over the TV. New shelving to hold the pumps and skimmer.

Stand in place with the Vent now over the TV.

Almost ready to put the tank on the stand.

 

[kmooresf]

Toys!!!

Toys!!!

Equipment is arriving.

This might seem like a quick build, however I have been planning and researching for about 4 months now. I am working with Neptune Aquatics in San Jose, CA. They have been kick *** and I have been inspired by Roberts display tank at Neptune. Pretty sweet.

Robert also helped me design the sump and has given me a lot of advice on the tank.

Skimmer arrived.......SRO 6000 external.

Abby as a size reference.

More toys.......

Built a stand for the skimmer....raised it so the water level in the skimmer water level at it's lowest will be the same as the sump water level.

Rough idea of where the primary pumps will sit.

Tank is going up on the stand tomorrow afternoon!!! Super excited. :bounce2:

 

[TheFishTeen]

Very nice! That skimmer is VERY big!

 

[pgaudreau]

Great looking build

 

[kmooresf]

Thanks pgaudreau!

Kovy, that skimmer really is a MONSTER! LOL! Can't wait to see it in action.

 

[TonyV]

Tagging along. Nice to see another local go big.

 

[thienlong88]

Wow, amazing looking equipments. Great setup. Can't wait to see more updates of tank.

 

[ryancw01]

Good set up so far. Those Hanna Checkers work really well. I have the Alk and they seem dead on. Much easier to use than traditional test also...

 

[kevdogg]

Cant wait to see more!

 

[kmooresf]

Tank is on the stand!

Tank is on the stand!

Thanks everyone.

Got the tank on the stand today, and it went SO smooth. It was kind eary......waiting for something to go wrong! LOL! It was a piece of cake.

Rented a 1000 lb rated Genie lift and we were able to get it 40" up and level with the stand. Then just slid it right accross. Made is seem light.

Love the height!! Don't have to bend over to check it out.

Aquascape HEAVEN!!! 31" wide.

View from the couch.

Oh, and the Tunze stuff is IN!

Was a really great day, and rewarded by getting to sit on the couch and STARE at this beauty! Plumbing starts tomorrow!

 

[mchristian]

my god that is massive. nice work...can't wait to see the aquascape :beer:

 

[mathusala]

Love the tank, very clean. I like how they did the bottom and back in black.

 

[kmooresf]

Can't wait to see the aquascape either!!!

These are some dry rock I got from BRS.

100lbs of Fiji dry rock.....

50 lbs of Pukani dry rock.......this stuff is AMAZING!

This piece is 17" x 11" x 13"........LOVE IT!

Had the rock curing for a couple weeks now. Haven't started aquascaping yet. I also have about 300 lbs of rock already in my other three tanks. Some will go right in.......others have aptasia and will be getting bleached, and then cooked before going in. Will be a long process to get this tank really going.

@ Mathusala.........LeeMar literally paints the back panel black, and they use some kind of vinyl on the bottom to act as a pad for the tank. Really slick.

 

[DevilishDukie]

Great build. Good luck with it.

 

[Beefy_Reefy]

Tunze 7095 controller over 7096? Is it better or just like not having to use computer?

 

[Garage1217]

Awesome build! I have a smaller 225G lee-mar. Outstanding tank / build quality! Wish I had a lift to get mine on the stand, my bud and I picked it up and it about killed is both. It was very heavy! With that large of a tank, did they not have a eurobrace only option?

 

[chefzif]

Great job! Love the tank! nice work on your stand! having the stand higher does give you better view ability. Chef