My first tank - 92g Corner Bowfront

[DreadCapn]

I'm not sure if it's ok to post directly in this forum or not - I don't have an option to start a blog. Mods, please move/message me as needed.

After a few years of casually reading about reef tanks, I finally decided to make the leap at the start of the month and get started. I've got a good start on stuff, but am still a few grand away from having everything I want (to be fair, a lot of that remaining figure is for an apex controller).

I spent $750 on a setup I found on Craigslist, which included:

• 92g Corner Bowfront with stand, no canopy(drilled with 2 holes in back bottom corner)
• Megaflow sump model 2 (on the small side)
• bank of the cheap import LEDs (the white lights in it don't work, not sure if I can repair it or not)
• t5 fixture
• some super gnarly rock
• 2 wimpy powerheads
• an external pump originally for a canister filter
• a hang on back skimmer

All in all the equipment was much worse than I was hoping for, but I had my heart set on the corner tank and wanted to get started, so I'm happy with the deal, even if it's not the steal I hoped it was from the ad.

I placed a BRS order for the following (call it another $700):
40lbs Pukani
Marinepure block
Aragonite Special Grade Dry Sand 40lb
Red Sea Reef Mature Pro Kit x2
Marinemix Reefer Salt Mix 160 Gallons
Red Sea Marine Care Test Kit
Refractomer
150 GPD RODI

I've acid-bathed, bleached, and pressure washed the rock. Pressure washing seemed super effective...I was shocked out how much brown water I was able to blow out even after both the acid and the bleach. If you have access to a pressure washer, I highly recommend using it <2000 psi - make sure to get the rock at all different angles!

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be working on getting my aquascaping figured out, a hood built, and the tank plumbed Herbie style so I can start cycling the tank.

I also need to decide if I want to change out the sump or not. I do have a 55g freshwater tank that I have been planning on getting rid of...I might be able to set it up behind the stand (rather than under it) and use it as a large sump, and then use the megaflow sump as a quarantine tank.

I'll update next for feedback when I get the aquascaping roughed in!

 

[spbk84]

Good luck on your build. i ran a 92 gallon for a few years.

 

[spbk84]

it sounds weird but what i did for a canopy was purchase a matching stand and flipped it upside and it worked out perfectly. i got the idea from another reefer i purchased frags from. It actually looks really good.

 

[DreadCapn]

I finally got the tank in place, aquascaped, alpha-plumbed, and full of water - it feels so good!

That feel good feeling was short lived though, as I found out that the pump and powerheads I got were in too rough of shape to actually use for the DT. They are noisy, missing pieces, etc - I will probably be able to use them in QT/sump room in the future, at least.

I'm now waiting on a new pump and a decent powerhead to arrive later today. (+$200) The powerhead will let me start cycling and finish mixing the salt in the tank. I have a big decision to make about the pump, though, as my original plan calls for a plumbing retrofit from an under-tank sump to an adjacent sump room in a few months.

Since I'm going to have to redo half the plumbing to accommodate the new pump, I'm considering making a push to just go ahead and do phase 2 of the plumbing now - the timing for that is very bad, but I could just run sumpless for the next month and probably have the sump room ready by mid-November.

 

[DreadCapn]

I got the new pump and powerhead in - I didn't have to redo the plumbing nearly as much as I thought I would, so it's remaining in its alpha configuration.

I got a Jebao DCT-12000 for my return pump, and I could not be happier. I was planning on replacing it with a more expensive pump later on, but I don't see a reason to as long as it keeps working. It's capable of huge amounts of flow and is almost dead silent as an external pump.

I also got a Jebao PP-15 900-3400 GPH Wavemaker to get some decent flow going in the tank. I'm less happy with it overall, but for with its features for the price, it's hard to complain too much about it. It would be nice if it were a little smaller, both in and out of the tank. I almost feel like I might as well have all the cords for the powerhead in their own box. It's also just on the wrong side of too noisy. When I feel like spending the money, I'll definitely be upgrading to a pair of vortechs or something similar.

I also got the sand rinsed and in the tank. I could hardly believe how long it took to rinse the BRS Special Grade sand. It got done though, and now I've got to disperse it fully and finalize the last bits of the rock work - exciting!

I've started the Mature Reef additive cycle.

I've got a possibly stupid plan involving snails and crabs...you can check it out here if you want: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=25243412#post25243412

 

[spbk84]

Looking good. Any updates?

 

[DreadCapn]

I've had a few hiccups but the tank is on its way, if incredibly unphotogenic right now due to a battle with GHA.

I have a pair of blacker ice clowns and a red/orange spotted blenny in the tank, 2 porcelain crabs, 5 hermits, snails, a fire shrimp, and a tuxedo urchin. Then I've got a handful of frags - an acan, hammer, torch, mushroom, trumpet and several zoas.

I did not have a good time with the Red Sea Mature Reef kits; I believe that the NoPox deoxygenated my water and killed my good bacteria (a thing I read could happen) - I couldn't get things back on track for weeks, until I used the biospira product.

The corner tank is awful trying to figure out flow, and the powerhead I got is just shy of too powerful, even on its lowest setting.

2 big scares so far: I had a heater stop working, and it was only by chance I noticed it before I went to bed when it had already dropped to 70 F.

Just the other day, my blenny swam right into my powerhead while it was cycled off, with only a few moments before it came back on...I got the powerhead off in time, but I am still surprised that I did. The powerhead is now on all the time.