I've been lurking around RC forums for the past year, watching many exciting build threads. I had been out of the hobby for many years and a lot has changed since I started keeping reefs in the early 90s. A year ago I cobbled together an old 50g acrylic tank with a new skimmer and lighting intending to slowly build it to be an SPS tank. In September we moved back into the city and I could not give up having a reef even if the amount of available space for it was drastically reduced. My wife said the 50g was too big so I started planning for a new tank. After looking at a few different tank sizes I settled on a 21" x 21" x 17" starfire tank with an external overflow/refugium and decided to start my own build thread.
Tank info:
21" x 21" x 17" rimless with three sides visible. Tank will be constructed of 3/8" starfire glass with a smoked gray back panel separating the tank from the external overflow/refugium. the external overflow will be 1/4" starfire.
The tank will sit in the stand so it is recessed 3" to hide the majority of the 3.5" sand bed and appear much shallower than it is..
<img src="http://www.pipeline.com/~tts/21x21x17_fuge.jpg">
<img src="http://www.pipeline.com/~tts/09-0213_tank-in-room.jpg">
Refugium
I wanted an external overflow for the tank to have as much interior space as possible. In discussing the tank design with the reef experts at my (non-local) LFS, it came up to put the refugium above the tank to have the feed from the refugium non-pumped and we came up with the combined overflow/refugium. Water will exit the tank through the overflow to the sump, and return to the tank with a certain percentage going back through the refugium.
<img src="http://www.pipeline.com/~tts/21x21x17_fuge.jpg">
<img src="http://www.pipeline.com/~tts/tank_with_fuge.jpg">
the last image shows the overflow with durso standpipe (the right hand section) and the refugium to the left of it.
Circulation
tanks circulation will be provided by an Iwaki 30. the return will be Tee'd to feed a substrated reactor and also feed the refugium. An Iwaki 20 will feed a closed loop through the bottom of the tank with and OM 2-way to provide alternating currents.
Skimmer
I am going with a Precision Marine RL125, their new needle wheel skimmer. I like the quality of PM stuff in general and have been happy with my current Bullet-1. There is not to much info out there on the performance of this skimmer, but I am looking orward to the savings in power consumed.
Lighting
Still tbd. but looking to be the most interesting part of the build. currently evaluating some of the new LED fixtures from Europe.
more to come.
Tank info:
21" x 21" x 17" rimless with three sides visible. Tank will be constructed of 3/8" starfire glass with a smoked gray back panel separating the tank from the external overflow/refugium. the external overflow will be 1/4" starfire.
The tank will sit in the stand so it is recessed 3" to hide the majority of the 3.5" sand bed and appear much shallower than it is..
<img src="http://www.pipeline.com/~tts/21x21x17_fuge.jpg">
<img src="http://www.pipeline.com/~tts/09-0213_tank-in-room.jpg">
Refugium
I wanted an external overflow for the tank to have as much interior space as possible. In discussing the tank design with the reef experts at my (non-local) LFS, it came up to put the refugium above the tank to have the feed from the refugium non-pumped and we came up with the combined overflow/refugium. Water will exit the tank through the overflow to the sump, and return to the tank with a certain percentage going back through the refugium.
<img src="http://www.pipeline.com/~tts/21x21x17_fuge.jpg">
<img src="http://www.pipeline.com/~tts/tank_with_fuge.jpg">
the last image shows the overflow with durso standpipe (the right hand section) and the refugium to the left of it.
Circulation
tanks circulation will be provided by an Iwaki 30. the return will be Tee'd to feed a substrated reactor and also feed the refugium. An Iwaki 20 will feed a closed loop through the bottom of the tank with and OM 2-way to provide alternating currents.
Skimmer
I am going with a Precision Marine RL125, their new needle wheel skimmer. I like the quality of PM stuff in general and have been happy with my current Bullet-1. There is not to much info out there on the performance of this skimmer, but I am looking orward to the savings in power consumed.
Lighting
Still tbd. but looking to be the most interesting part of the build. currently evaluating some of the new LED fixtures from Europe.
more to come.
