Nook's Reef 470 SPS Tank!

[Nanook]

My sump will hold 200 plus pounds of liverock which I already have as well once my phosphate goes away.

 

[abhishek@1985]

This is definitely a build I want to follow. Currently growing out all my acros in a small 90 gallon tank and by 2018 December plan to move to a 300 . So definitely gonna watch over your build.

Impressed with your choice of equipments especially the LR skimmer. If only I had place under my small stand, I would totally take one over even a Bubble King .

As far as lighting goes, halides are definitely the way to go . May I suggest reefbrite xho instead of VHOs. I had VHOs but the reefbrites now that I have, don't want to go back to VHOs.

What are you doing with flow in such a big tank ? If I had to spend maximum money and on fancy gear , I would totally go for panta rhei pumps in such huge tank . Saw a couple in action and amazing propeller pumps they are . On a recent video by Jason Fox , he too uses the same thing .

Berlin with 2-3 inches of sand and lots of real porous pacific live rock - this can keep NO3 at zero quite well. Two skimmers - two good to very-good skimmers will crush an elite skimmer, so get two good ones and bank the extra cash that you could have spent on a 3K skimmer. Ranco with heaters and chiller (just in case - it hardly ever comes on). CaRx with natural media. MH for 10 hours - have had VHO before, but I am all-pendant now and they don't fit (I wish that they did and I am never selling my stash of extra Super Actinics or IceCap 660s). Wavebox and a few flow pumps. Elbow grease for all of the coralline. Patience. Has worked for years and years.

I don't do any organic carbon or any of the purchased systems like zeo, AF, etc. Just water changes. I have had fuge in the past with cheato and dragons breath, but I don't have any now and don't have any extra nutrients. If my phospate gets over 5 on a hannah UL tester, then I might put a cup of GFO on the tank for a few months and that will get me by for a year or so. I will run some GAC when I want to take some photos or people are coming by to polish up the water - I don't run it all the time.

I do start to change out the sand at about 20-25% a year starting on year four. It gets filled with gunk and will stop effectively swapping out P after 6 or 8 years, so I get a head start on it.

@jda - You suggest running MH for 10 hours . Am currently running only for 5 hours and my reefbrites tech leds for 10 hours . You think increasing the MH hours will help in growth ?

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[aquavista99]

Looks like you are putting together yet another amazing reef, Dave! Can't wait to see all the updates. Glad to share some of my prized sticks with you as well. :thumbsup:

I have 40 colonies at present give or take, still want about 20-30 more from a couple friends that grow them as well. I'm also getting some frags from aquavista next week, first of a trio of orders from him.

 

[Nanook]

Looks like you are putting together yet another amazing reef, Dave! Can't wait to see all the updates. Glad to share some of my prized sticks with you as well. :thumbsup:

Thanks, Tim:thumbsup: Looking forward to seeing your amazing acropora growing in the new tank. The polyps were out within a half hour in my 120.