Matt888's 210g SPS build

[matt888]

The time has come to kickoff my 210 gallon build thread. The recipe for this build will be for the most part, based off a proven setup nearby. A search on Reef Central for 'Emster' and his 180 gallon SPS tank will reveal an amazing reef. I've seen his setup many times over the last 2 yrs in-person and it continues to amaze me. My hope is to achieve a reef in 3-5 yrs that will be half as nice...

Now to the build. Where I could, I bought quality used equipment. The tank had been used only to house reef fish while a fellow reefer built their 300g display, so it was essentially brand new... Only saltwater was in it (no sand, rocks, coral, etc.). The Geisemann was 75% off retail and anyone that has priced a new 3x400w Spectra knows that's a win. Hoping to have the entire setup for about 1/3rd the cost of all new equipment by being patient and looking for deals. So far, that has worked well on the tank and light.

Overview of equipment:

210 gallon reef ready (72" x 24" x 29")
75 gallon sump
Geisemann Spectra 72" (3x400w 20K Radiums + 4x80w ATI T5's)
4 - 3/4" Sea Swirls
Iwaki 70 pump for Seaswirls
Skimmer (undecided brand - want a QUIET one)
Calcium Reactor (undecided brand- will be added last)
Controller - currently using an AquaController Jr on my 40g (may transfer this over to new tank)

Homemade stand based off of the DIY plans on Reef Central - tank will be a centerpiece in living room and stand will need to match existing furniture in house. Stand will permit access along entire front through 4 doors and also allow access on sides through an additional 2 doors. Standing close to 40" tall, it will allow plenty of room underneath for equipment and set the viewing height of the display tank at the level we desire.

Tank will be positioned on a wall that is shared with the garage and permit the use of a water change station in the garage. Water changes will be done with the turn of a few valves. The plan is to have minimal maintenance done on the viewing side of the tank.

Pics and more info to follow!

 

[matt888]

Bare tank when I picked it up...

Stand frame coated in KILZ sealer prior to trimming...

Hardware on the white stand will be nickel to match the Spectra. Most of the house has white furniture due to a beach theme and the waterfront living down here in Florida. I should have pics of the doors soon as I made some progress on them today.

The Geisemann...

 

[matt888]

I managed a bit more progress on the stand. Completed the 4 front doors, began working on the 2 side doors, and picked up about half of the dry rock I need. The stand should be complete within the next 2 weeks and then I will begin electrical and plumbing work on the wall this tank will be against (wall will be shared with garage/water changing station).

 

[matt888]

Bought some more dry rock these past few weeks and began laying it out for aqua scaping prior to curing. I have about 180 lbs of dry rock boulders and an additional 30 lbs of marco shelf rock. All in all, it's about 210 lbs of dry rock. I ended up doing about 3 islands that each have a piece or two of shelf rock incorporated in them. I should have taken a few more pics of the rockwork before placing in a 44 gallon brute today. Brute has all the rock (pain in the butt getting all of the rock to fit, but I managed to after alot of puzzle work). There's a large maxi at the bottom of the brute and a heater going now. Here goes 6-8 wks... :uhoh3:

 

[Dmorty217]

What return pump are you using? Will that return to all 4 sea swirls? Rock work looks sweet! I think less is more with rock work personally

 

[matt888]

What return pump are you using? Will that return to all 4 sea swirls? Rock work looks sweet! I think less is more with rock work personally

Hi,
I'm utilizing an Iwaki MD_70RLT_Pump. It's in the neighborhood of 1500gph and will be feeding all 4 seaswirls. Search for "Emster" to checkout this exact proven setup... awesome! This setup keeps a single pump running all swirls for simplicity and does not require any powerheads in the display! The return plumbing will leave the sump, go through the garage wall to the Iwaki in the garage, and back through the wall to a 4-way split. I will be leaving space next to the Iwaki in the garage for a chiller (which I will determine if needed later). Iwaki's are known for dependability, but I will be getting a spare as soon as the system is up and running for piece of mind.

Thanks for your comments on the rock work! It's amazing how much space there is in a 210 gallon tank when buying dry rock! I mean at $2 a lb for Marco rock at the local reef shop, I'm in for about $400 and that's actually about as cheap as it gets for quality dry rock. I'm going with about 3" of sand, so my rockwork will come within about 8-10" of the surface at the "pillars" but the rest of the rock will be about 50% water depth. With 1200watts of halides and another 320watts in T5's, I should be able to keep SPS even near the bottom.

 

[matt888]

Well, I've made some significant progress on the 210 build over the past few weeks and will upload some pics shortly. This past week I received my skimmer... decided to get a Reef Octopus 5000INT after reading good reviews of the SSS lineup. What a beast this skimmer is! It's massive and the build quality, materials, details exceded my expectations for the $500 price point. The acrylic is of very nice quality, seams and unions are clean and edges are rolled off or chamfered. The acrylic is black and clear, giving it a sinister appearance. With a bubble blaster pump and a valve gate, it's clear this beast is meant to do work! I'm looking forward to running it soon. Pic below has my daughter in it for scale so that you can see just how massive the 5000 is. I'm glad I opted to build a 38" tall stand! :eek2:

 

[matt888]

Back of the tank plumbing pic for the 4 seaswirls. The tank will need to be off the wall about 6-8" to leave room for plumbing. Plumbing will be out of view from the sides also because I will be making "end covers" that match the cabinet color and trim.

 

[maddmaxx]

looking damn good so far....

 

[matt888]

A couple more progress pics here. You can see the plumbing that permits adjustability in the amount of water in the overflows with the 2" PVC valves exiting the rear glass of the tank. The second pic shows the 75 gallon sump being test fitted below. I still need to run temporary plumbing between the sump, Iwaki pump, and seaswirl input and then do a pressure/leak test. I hope to do a freshwater test within the next 2 weeks. Pending success with that, empty and move the tank setup in the house for the final touches before cycling! :bounce2:

 

[matt888]

UPDATE!

Significant progress made recently. Tank is in the house with saltwater, sand, and rock. I also hung the Geisemann, which was fairly easy to do except for getting up in my crawl space (Here in FL full-size attics are not common). I was on my belly, elbows deep in insulation with a head lamp on, securing the cable fasteners/crimps through 2x4's. I'm only running the T5 bulbs for a few hrs each evening for my viewing and haven't purchased the ballasts as of yet for the 3 400w radiums. I figure there's no rush on those during this initial cycle the next month or so. The rock had been curing in a container since Novemeber. It was a pleasure to fill the tank up from the garage utilizing my water change station and valve system. I will post more pictures of my setup such as the sump layout, water change system, etc. in the coming days. It feels so good to come this far with my dream tank! More to come! :bdaysmile:

 

[TripsterAK]

Looking good Matt, I like the shelf rock you have.

 

[Andyf30]

Someone from my neck of the woods! I live in Seminole haha nice tank. Those giesseman fixtures are sweet. Wish they made a 36" fixture I could use on my 40 breeder.

 

[matt888]

Yeah, the Geisemann's are really nice, but at $3K new, not THAT nice! I found mine used in excellent condition for $700. Not cheap, but I can at least sleep well at night! The Reef Octopus 5000 is amazing. I haven't ran it much because I'm cycling, but it's really quiet. VERY pleased with this skimmer already. Hope it continues to impress.

 

[cdrewferd]

Nice pics. Need to know a little more about the Mustang that's in the tank reflection in post #10.

 

[matt888]

What mustang?

1967 Fastback with a 4 barrel 289. I bought it about 12 yrs ago out west when stationed at Nellis AFB and before prices went through the roof. It's not a genuine Shelby, but Carrol signed the dash of it for me. Always loved the lines of a 67/68 Fastback, and had to have one!

 

[matt888]

What mustang?

1967 Fastback with a 4 barrel 289. I bought it about 12 yrs ago out west when stationed at Nellis AFB and before prices went through the roof. It's not a genuine Shelby, but Carrol signed the dash of it for me. Always loved the lines of a 67/68 Fastback, and had to have one!

A few pics of my 75g sump. Sorry for the blue lighting. It seems as though the T5's are on when I find time to take pics lately!

 

[rpjaws74]

Impressive build so far ....I like

 

[matt888]

Well, this didn't turn out to document my build in much detail due to lack of time but I do plan on updating every few months with growth shots. The tank is now just about 3 months old. At around the 2 month point, I had a massive brown algae explosion. With 10% water changes each week, manual removal of algae on the back wall, trochus snails, and a Flamefin Tang, it has almost disappeared completely.

All of my coral came from my 30g tank that was about 2 yrs old. The Deresa clam was about 2" when I bought it and has grown to around 6" in this time. It has really started to takeoff under the 400w halide...

I had to jump the gun a bit around the 8 week mark and transfer all of my coral over into the 210g due to not being able to keep up with all the different aquariums, work, and life in general. Many of the little colonies have shown improvement in color with more water volume, flow, and light spectrum (Halides and T5's). A lot more coral to add in the coming months and hopefully crazy growth as everything settles in!

My fish list is pretty much complete except I'd like to add a nice pair of true percs down the road when the reef matures.

Fish:

Yellow Belly Regal
Flamefin Tang
3 Anthias
Melanurus Wrasse
Yellow Wrasse
Red Hawkfish
Banghai Cardinal
Black/White Clown

 

[matt888]

Few more pics...