My 180 first large reef tank. High end sps setup!

1

1000rrstunna

Member
Soooo it's been about a year to date since I started my 93 cube build and I love reeding over freshwater so much I must go bigger and try to build a better setup to satisfy my coral addiction.. I will be dismantling the 93 and putting the 180 in its place since I refuse to have more than two tanks up at once. I'm always open to suggestions I am new but have gained a ton of knowledge on this board and others.. I'm so thankful for all the info thus far... Transferring over 40 types of coral to the new setup and 8 fish plus many inverts is going to be very tricky and I am looking for advice on how to do so while preserving their health so please chime in since I need to completely remove the 93 setup before the 180 can even come upstairs ;( I have access to a large Rubbermaid horse trough and I'm thinking of draining all the tank water into it and putting a pump with a heater in there until the new tank is up... Or should I use a 55 gallon empty tank from my fathers fish room? Run it bare bottom with hang on back filter with floss and some carbon? Will this support the livestock for 2 days? It would be a easy transfer and I can set it on the floor right next to the 180 install area.. Anyhow enough babble jabbel here's what I've got so far

Equip list
Tank~~~ 180 gal aqueon pre drilled
Lighting ~~~. 2-AI hydras 1- AI hydra 52 and the wireless controller with a coral compulsion led par bulb for fuge area
Sump ~~ 48" x 15x 16 custom acrylic with dual filter socks and 9" baffle height scored new for 200$ :) ( thinking about modifying baffles and moving filter socks to center with skimmer and using far left side for fuge with chaeto and a big live rock chunk ADVICE ON THIS MOD PLEASE)
Return pump ~~~ jeabo 1200 DC 1" output to 2 pcs 3/4" drilled returns with generic locline Y's that has bigger internal diameter which will be screwed into bulkheads. Also thinking of a manifold to power 2 to 3 reactors down the line...
Skimmer ~~~ OVERSPENT LOL Reef octopus XP 3000 true cone bad *** mofo skimmer
Reactor setup ~~~ un decided suggestions please
Heater ~~~ running 2 the 300 watt jäger from the 93 paired with another 350 watt new jäger controlled via apex
Overflow setup ~~ thinking Herbie with one drain and emergency per overflow box and then drilling in 2 x 1" bulkheads for return flow ... I think my durso is to loud and sump has a lot of overflow volume for powerless so it should be ok...

The new glass ghetto style unloaded :sour:


New sump ( thinking of converting current filter sock area to fuge any suggestions or just put chaeto in middle compartment with a few rock pieces and skimmer in filter sock section with pump after the bubble traps gimme ideas clever reef friends :-)

 
I have a apex already on 93 so I will transfer that over

Soo mostly done framing the stand I have a complete supply's list I will post at the end if someone would like to copy this build and know exactly what you need...

Upper and lower frames and kreg drilled legs

Joining frames with kreg drilled legs ( minus center front braces figuring out how to do doors so I can remove sump and brace the stand somewhat centrally... Used a 2x6 up front just in case I have to go off center with the 3rd or 4th legs... Will prolly kreg them and put screws out front so they are removable if I need to get sump out with tank together... SIDE ACCES NOT AN OPTION!


Seeing how I want to locate sump so I can install a 2x3 somewhere to hang reactors.. Suggestions please also going to make a custom light holder for the led par fuge bulb that mounts to. 1x1 up top... No more gooseneck :) suggestions please. And also suggestions on how to mod sump for fuge ...


Updated first post with some new plans and equipment on the list :)
I overspent on the skimmer but it's a bad *** piece and only needs 6-1/2" of water which will be easy in my 8.5" deep sump skimmer section.... Going to run 2. 3/4 inch returns off the pump with a manifold that has 3 outlets for reactors and such
Please post manifold suggestions or critique my purchases hoping I made good calls. I hear that skimmer is supposed to be great and was only discontinued due to manufacturing costs and a high price point.. I got a sweet deal on it locally and couldn't pass it up.



And a teaser of the 93 :) and a sweet acro colony I scored from a member
 

Painting inside of stand white



Drilled the two 3/4" returns and setup some return plumbing... Went flex so I could cut and remove tank easily while main components stay with the stand... 2 gate valves are on the way to adjust flow to each side independently



Random plumbing shot... Still working out manifold and drains.. I'm running Herbie style overflow so I'm probably going to use 1" flex for the emergency drains and hard pipe with unions and gate valves to regulate drains... Pump is equipped with flex to hard pipe to a spears check valve to a ball valve to a reducing t for the manifold then to the returns...
I have 3 - 3/4 " gate valves and 3/4 to 1/2" reducers for flex tube off the manifold... Do you think I'll want more than 3 ports? Also any suggestions on things you guys don't like.... Please chime in

Also debating on a dosing setup not controlled via apex or a calcium reactor... Please give suggestions on pro's and cons... Also ordered 90 lbs more of Marco rocks to add to the 90-100 lbs of live rock coming out of the 93... Bought a mp40 as well... That hurt the wallet!

Also painted the back black and started staining and pre painting some trim tonight
 
And I got a lot done today... Not sure how much I like it though...

All un finished wood stained to match the sides and I will be doing black doors as well I hate finishing wood to :(



Also nervous on how I'm going to safely transfer all my livestock from the 93 and not crash my tank and kill everything. I have a 55 gallon to house corals and fish along side it with a hang on back filter and powerheads for 48 hours max... The new tank must go where the 93 is currently. Any advice or is anyone willing to babysit a few nice pieces my tank is 100% parasite free coral wise. Never one disease all items always dipped ect... I'm not concerned about the small fish I have and I'd like to sell one or two of my larger guys before the transfer.anyone have advice or is this a horrid idea





Did some plumbing... There's a hell of a lot going on on the pump side lol what do you guys think? I plan on locating it in a corner so I should be able to squeeze behind the tank to access everything once installed as well which will be cool... I'm pretty much designing the system to stay with the stand so I can cut the flex hoses on returns to remove the tank and un do the unions for the two main hard pipe drains and then just remove the flex tube from the emergency drain stubs... The manifold and all return plumbing separate at the spears true union check valve making pump removal a breeze... Reactors will be located one on right side and one in the center hung over the sump ( easy access and if it ever leaks it's dripping back into the sump ) there will be one extra feed line for later additions all feed lines reduce to 1/2 " flex tube and use gate valves... I currently don't have any flow control in the return lines should I add some I built it uniformly figuring that will yield the most even flow from both returns... Also the 1" gate valves to control the Herbie are in the mail and will be cut in... I also but strainers on the full Herbie siphon drains so chances of ever clogging are minimized even though I have a 1" emergency in each overflow box. Critique me please guys noting is glued... Also I have a 12000 jebao return pump and am wondering if I should downsize to a 9000 any opinions.

Thanks in advance
 
Well I lost it today and bought 2 radion g3pro and another mp40 :/ I'm un sure of where all this equipment is going to fit lol... The transformers on the radions are huge! And I still need a 3 rd and a reef link which I'll pickup tomorrow at aquatica when I return my un opened hydra. Also sanded filled nail holes and painted /stained more today... Gotta urethane the un painted wood tomorrow and boom the stand is done minus plumbing also added a little shelf Inside I made from scraps and extra brackets

 
Posted this thread over from a local area forum due to the fact that I'm looking for more imput any suggestions or experiences would be appreciated on any of the questions I have asked in the above posts

Thanks for looking
 
Great job on the the look of the stand.

Do you have room to take the skimmer cup off? Its not clear in the pic.

When I moved up to a 220g from a 150g in the same spot I did the following:
Used a 50g, 20g and 10g tanks to hold fish, corals and inverts with old tank water
Got rid of the sand
Put rock in large trashcan with old tank water and heater
Put rest of old water in 5g water bottles, rubbermaid containers and buckets
Made enough new saltwater to makeup difference for new tank

220g setup
Leveled stand again
Put in rocks and new rocks
Put in old water
Put in new sand
Add new water

I let the new tank run for a month before I put fish in it but I have seen people do the transfer a lot faster since it is like a large water change. But there is a lot of die-off on the rocks and the new sand causes ammonia. I had to put the corals in earlier because I didn't have the best lighting on the temp tanks.

Get the bigger return pump. A tank this size can easily handle it, especially with the additional things it will power.
 
it looks good as for your return its a dc pump if you think you should go smaller don't just dial the one you have down but i'm sure you'll find that with your manifold you will want more flow not less
 
Looks good! I was actually looking to replace my return pump and was strongly considering the DC 9000 and also thinking to T off the return line and use valves to feed some reactors, but I need to do some more research first...just have too many pumps consuming electricity right now!
 
RobH said:
Looks good! I was actually looking to replace my return pump and was strongly considering the DC 9000 and also thinking to T off the return line and use valves to feed some reactors, but I need to do some more research first...just have too many pumps consuming electricity right now!
Click to expand...

That's the main reason I'm doing it lol cord control

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!
 
1000rrstunna said:
Hey. It's high end to me there's a lot of $ tied up here I also spent a ton on Marco rocks and sand !
Click to expand...

To make you feel better, I've been maintaining fish tanks and reef systems for 45 years and I stopped keeping track of the money I have spent about 40 years ago.

For all the money I have spent in this wonderful hobby, I could have purchased a modest second home.

Would I ever leave this hobby due to the cost factor, only when I leave this beautiful planet.

By the way, your setup is looking amazing.

Have a great afternoon,
Randy
 
Last edited:
mypepper said:
To make you feel better, I've been maintaining fish tanks and reef systems for 45 years and I stopped keeping track of the money I have spent about 40 years ago.

For all the money I have spent in this wonderful hobby, I could have purchased a modest second home.

Would I ever leave this hobby due to the cost factor, only when I leave this beautiful planet.

By the way, your setup is looking amazing.

Have a great afternoon,
Randy
Click to expand...

Not worried about the $ I enjoy it a ton thanks for the kind words.
 
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