My 500G Osama Reef-2

Scythanith said:
Just my opinion but I think less is more when it comes to live rock. I like the centre structure but maybe contemplate doing a little more of a stacked rock island look on the side closest to the camera in the last picture you posted. That will leave a little floor space for corals etc.

Amazing tank!
Click to expand...
I agree and find it easier to access the tank for any reason when the rocks are more open. I vote pillars or islands or even the slow cascade of rocks like the end of a reef. Plus detritus builds easily in large stacked rocks as water flow through them is challenging.
 
Thanks Reeftanknewbie. More pictures coming your way soon. I like lots of rock and full tank with corals . Hope to duplicate my previous experience shown below/here with my 180 and my 320. Here is picture of my previous pride 180g. I need to do the right structure here with the main heavy pieces and be able to move around the less heavy one and shape the tank as I go along. Have to start considering all ideas for the base structure. Many thanks . This is the first run of many before corals are move in
 
It took 6+ years to get it there and daily after hours taking care of the tank..Very enjoyable hobby.. Hope I can do it again.. I have been away for 4 years and things have changed/improved ? LED's vs MH & GFO vs no carbon period etc......Thanks I am enjoying learning about the new stuff and keeping busy ..
 
Osama said:
It took 6+ years to get it there and daily after hours taking care of the tank..Very enjoyable hobby.. Hope I can do it again.. I have been away for 4 years and things have changed/improved ? LED's vs MH & GFO vs no carbon period etc......Thanks I am enjoying learning about the new stuff and keeping busy ..
Click to expand...
I can relate. The last time I stepped away from the hobby pleums were out and bio balls were bad. And t5 lighting was new. Took me awhile to get caught up on things. People on here where a huge help to me in sharing their experiences. I don't pretend to know a lot but am willing to share my experiences, both good and bad, with you in any way needed. Welcome back to this great hobby
 
Thanks.. I still do not know about using Bioballs That was also a NONO for reef tanks.. And I am 200% with you about RC site and the helpful hobbyist here. Tried other sites but no comparison. A wealth of info at our fingertips. Some of these tanks are awesome and people so friendly and willing to share and prompt response to newbies questions. Thanks again. It is a great hobby
 
Tank Update Pictures

Tank Update Pictures

Here are the latest pictures. My Installer only comes twice a week on Tu & Th..
Had to break into walls & ceiling for Electrical difficulty contractor encountered
Not the best thing for wife TO SEE!! My gut feeling says there must have been an easier way as we could see multiple conduits very close by the tank Oh well.
Here we see old tank piping that will be reused to supply salt water from basement. We have to get over HVAC ducts, Main structure beam and gas line.

Wall had to be opened up and U can see some old RO lines that will be reused.

Four Reef Octupus Diablo DC 10500 in place First & last ones run two headers to front & back of main tank Next is a pump for the skimmer and another one for the two 65g tanks

left side of tank filled with water and two MP 60s at each end

The amazing part it all ends up in the control center (closet) that houses. all the ballasts Apex GFO's (2) skimmer and UV as well as CR & Kalk Reactor.
 
Thanks Ojos. Looking forward to Thursday's Installation to share the latest. Hoping that electrical will be connected and the 65 g tanks to be operational . Using temporary extension chords for now . UV installed Th as well. More on Th or more likely on Fr.
 
I wish I could open walls to do all of what your are doing but I would have to send my wife on a week long expensive trip to pull it off. This is really coming along nicely. Do you have the sump layout planned already?
 
Thanks Newbie & Reeftank. First and foremost, this project would not be ON if the wife was not in love with this hobby as well. Would have been emotionally better on us if we both were away and come back to a completed job. Getting into the walls was not in the equation at all... but she/we are OK with it NOW!!. All the plumbing is in. Main tank is running. Today the refuge and frag tanks will be running. More likely today he will also connect skimmer UV and GFOs. Installer is missing a part on the skimmer hoping it will arrive next week. Anyway rocks are in for me to continue playing with aquascaping and cycling of tank began. Will be adding sand bed slowly over next two weeks.. All the rocks were in a basement sump for 6 weeks and are in the main tank now. All LR except for 200lbs bought as dry from FL.
 
Reeftank: regarding the sump layout it is all planned by and installed by my LFS whom I had known for over ten years. Plumbing is extremely neat and none will be visible to the viewer once he is done with the install and cabinet and rebuild of the walls...
Sump setup is something like this.
Four compartment: Left & Right compartments are returns from each of the 65g tanks that are on either side of the sump (frag tank & a refuge tank). Water flows over filter material sitting on a raised egg-crate. Back compartment has four returns from the main tank and a feed return from the skimmer into which drips my doser/chemical my Kalk my CR etc all located in the closet at the end of the tank. Front sump compartment houses the four pumps. Two for main tank one for the two 65g and forth for the skimmer.. Hope that with the pictures on previous pages helps...
 
Very nice looking tank and best of luck with the build....
May I ask ; looks like Marco dry rock. If so, did you treat it prior to placing in the DT?
I am in South Florida and I love the look of Marco, but I hear caution is advised.
 
Osama said:
Reeftank: regarding the sump layout it is all planned by and installed by my LFS whom I had known for over ten years. Plumbing is extremely neat and none will be visible to the viewer once he is done with the install and cabinet and rebuild of the walls...
Sump setup is something like this.
Four compartment: Left & Right compartments are returns from each of the 65g tanks that are on either side of the sump (frag tank & a refuge tank). Water flows over filter material sitting on a raised egg-crate. Back compartment has four returns from the main tank and a feed return from the skimmer into which drips my doser/chemical my Kalk my CR etc all located in the closet at the end of the tank. Front sump compartment houses the four pumps. Two for main tank one for the two 65g and forth for the skimmer.. Hope that with the pictures on previous pages helps...
Click to expand...

Thanks that does help a lot. I was having a hard time figuring the sump out from the pics you posted. What kind of filter media are you planning on using on top of the egg crate? I was guessing carbon.
 
Hi Albano. Bought the dry rock from Florida. I am not sure if it is OK to give you the site name and seller name here or in a private message. I will do whichever is OK by RC and you... I like the dry rock and I ordered very large pieces. they will almost custom cut pieces to size. Of the 1000 lbs of LR I have 250lbs dry rock. I placed the dry rock in the sump basement with corals and LR for about 2 months and noticed no negative effect on the corals. I have just moved the rock into the main tank and I have yet to check the chemistry... Have a couple of shrooms that are surviving without yet to be placed lights on the tank...
It seems that the rock is A OK.. here is a quote from the seller when I asked about seeding/curing the rock ".. This rock doesn't need curing. so your seeding process will be simple.." I trusted him and everything seems OK so far. Will be testing all water parameters once the built is done in 2-4 weeks. Meanwhile on with the construction.. Thanks for our interest.
 
Hello Reeftanknewubie... You are welcome. For now The returns from the two small tanks are on top of egg-crate with floss material to catch any construction debris from those two tanks. The main tank will have socks attached only when we are doing a major stirring of the surfaces of rocks and bottom sand layer as part of major maintenance. After a year I prefer to rely on natural filtration and only use the socks whenever I have energy to do a major surface turnover/cleanup . I Hope that helps. I will have installed on my system two GFO's for carbon & Phosphate removal (If I ever need them is a question mark for now) but for such a large system/expense I will have them available along with a UV lights... All three just installed yesterday
 
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