NEW 210 build!!

Been busy and slightly lazy the last 2 weeks, but the next in the build was a mixing station. Work has been killing me so time has been tight, but at this point in the build I needed to get my water making systems done so I can fill it with salty water. So today I turned a pile of wood, PVC, 44 gallon Brute cans, and a plan in my head into the posted picture. Not complete yet but after 10 hours at work, 3 hours shopping for parts, and 5 hours constructing, it is pretty good progress for the day. My goal is to get it complete by the end of the weekend. Then I will start placing my rocks and sand in preparation for SW :celeb2:
 

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Good. That looks pretty nice. I am going to do basically the same thing with 2x 200g containers in the next 2 weeks.
 
Saw the pics of your tanks for your mixing station and they look awesome. Probably closer to what I need versus what I have built but being in a rental is limiting my plan until I know where I will be living for a while and can buy and add another house to the two I already own.

Post pictures when you get that massive system up and running :)
 
Mixing station complete and making water. :dance:

I also changed out all the filters on my RO/DI and added the auto shut off valve. I am thinking because of the size of this system over my last one I may do the 75GPD upgrade on the RO/DI yet, and possibly add a dual stage DI to it. Not a priority but on the radar for the future, 150GPD would give me way more flexibility in an emergency.

Egg crate cut to fit the bottom of the tank and working on putting my rock together into something that looks appealing....the next stage begins.
 

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The build is still alive after almost a month of being busy with work and no free time to spend on it.

So to update:

The mag 9 pump on my mixing station build leaked so got that replaced with a new pan world pump this morning.

I ordered and received the Apex auto feeder yesterday.

I ordered and received another 100#'s of Pukani rock and 30#'s of shelf rock from BRS yesterday. So now just need to get it organized into a shape and into the tank.

I also ordered my lights this morning. I am going with 6 Rapid LED Onyx fixtures and got a great deal on them with all the cables to connect to the apex. The support and deal from Rapid LED was outstanding, I can't wait to get their product in my hands.

Last thing I need in the plan is a neptune DOS, but have time to get that before I get everything else I have in the tank and full of water. My GF told me to get the lead out already she is tired of looking at an empty glass box!
 
Since this thread has gotten boring without many updates or pictures lately, hopefully these get it back on track.

So here is a picture of 100#'s of pukani built into a tower placed into the tank with a 40# piece of shelf rock.

The next picture is 100# of pukani rock, about 40#'s of fiji rock, and 30#'s of shelf rock that need to be put together in a scape to be added to the tank yet.

I also have about 200# of premium live rock that I can add to it to fill in the spaces and to seed the new build.

Overwhelmed but need to get at it and make progress!
 

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Like the mixing station -- a bit jealous, all I have is a tiny closet. When/if we move to a house (( as opposed to a townhouse )) want to do something like that.

Things are getting close, and I am sure the GF is getting tired of the empty glass box, lord knows that mine was tired of it.
 
300#s of rock into the tank and my first attempt at the aquascape. Not final but wasn't looking for the minimalistic look either.

Opinions and be honest.
 

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It seems to me you are attempting to create the visual profile of an already grown reef by filling it with rock. Instead you should just build the basic foundation with rock and let your reef grow into the space over time. Otherwise you will end up like so many reefers with no room to grow your coral and no swimming space for your fish. Just my opinion, of course.

Dave.M
 
That was a very bad picture Dave in the context of what you saw. There is a lot of rock in the tank but still 50% of the tank is still open swim space. Again not seen in the pics but I created several different "flat" spots at several different levels to place corals. My grief is not enough swim space or places for coral, but more so I created a un-original rock pile.
 
I would remove half the rock. The highest point of your rockwork should be half the height of the tank. All the upper space should be for coral growth and fish space.

Dave.M
 
Christmas in April....the lights have arrived! Last "big" purchase of this build. My wallet can now get some relief!!
 

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She is full of water and a week into the cycle.

Many new additions in the last week other than water and pretty sure I got the hang of this Apex programing.

ATO and float switches programmed, check! Avast marine skimmer neck cleaner programmed, check! Float switch for skimmer cup overflow, check! Lights programmed, check! Power head programming check!

Apex DOS in the box yet and needs to be added. Float switches for RO/DI tank and SW tank with selonoid need to be added.
 
I got the canopy frame built today and all the lights up for a test, and am loving the look of it fully illuminated. Next weekend take it down paint it and skin it in oak to match the stand. The end is in sight :celeb2:

10 days now into the cycle and the ammonia is 0 and the nitrite has been slowly dropping each day after day 6. Nitrates are pushing 40PPM now.

I also raided petco this afternoon during a break in the construction and bought some of those $1.00 a gallon tanks for QT and hospital tanks before the sale was over.
 

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Sometimes you just need to skip out of work for a day and work on your reef, and today was one of those days!!

Spent today building a stand for my two QT tanks I have setup. One will always be up and running and the other will have all the equipment in it to be filled any running when needed. I also made the stand tall enough to add two additional tanks underneath one hospital or possibly two for TTM. Undecided yet and need to get additional lumber to put a bottom on it first anyway. I never intended on having a fish room with this build but as it progresses it seems the things behind the scenes is growing larger as the weeks progress.

First additions to QT include a Schooling Bannerfish, Yellow Tang, Royal Gramma Basslet, and a Firefish Goby. It's a start to many more fish and coral to come in the future.
 

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Tank is over a month into its cycle and has show perfect numbers for the past 3 weeks. 2 weeks ago I added the 5 fish I had from my move to the tank and last week I removed about 50#'s of rock I added to aid in the cycle. Scape is looking a bit less cluttered and plan on removing more to finalize the look in the next month.

To fill in some of that space I made my first coral purchase. Got 9 awesome corals for $200, couldn't be happier with my new contact.

-Pink/orange plate coral with a purple outside ring about 3" inches across.
-2 headed green and purple tipped frogspawn about 4" across.
-Green and gold striped Lobo's about 5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide
-Red favia with 23 heads.

Not pictured:

-10 polyp Zoa bright red with blue eyes looks like a cross of safecracker and and eagle eyes. I have never seen a zoa brighter red than these.
-Flowering pink Pavona a small 1" X 1" frag
-Orange and Green Blasto with 6 heads

After 10 hours in a shipping cooler and 2 hours in the tank everything is open with tentacles out.

Very happy with the purchase and starter additions!!
-2 5 head frags of gold miner paly's
 

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Been 2 weeks since last update and have added more corals and moved more fish out of QT into the DT.

Blonde naso, male and female Melanerus wrasses, and yellow tang moved from QT to DT in the last two weeks. Ten fish total to date.

Coral additions today:

Large three head hammer
8" Pink Stylophora
7" Chalice purple/blue with pink eyes
Pastel acan 12 heads
Neon green acan 5 heads
Duncan coral 2 heads
 
10:55PM Saturday night while watching a movie I hear the tank shut down completely. Apex is off line and not running anything. It will not reboot, one hour later I am saying over and over "da fuk".

Don't know why it happened but required a reset of the Apex and full re-programming 7 hours later the tank was up and running like it should. Fun Times!!
 
Power spike? Low-frequency electromagnetic field interference? Brown out? Subcutaneous transmigratory telepathic burst from the mothership of the Crystal People?

Dave.M
 
Power spike? Low-frequency electromagnetic field interference? Brown out? Subcutaneous transmigratory telepathic burst from the mothership of the Crystal People?

Dave.M

Dave I had considered all of those possibilities, since I am still unsure what happened any one could have been a culprit and very possible!
 
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