csantanavaz
New member
Calvin's Reefspace 900 Custom Build
Hi All - have decided to keep a log on my tank this time around - Follow along if you like, if not i'll talk to myself throughout! Any questions are welcome and advice is encouraged!! Pictures to Follow!
Long story short I recently got rid of my previous customized acrylic tank as I suffered a massive electric shock due to a faulty light.. Fortunately there were no deaths to any of the corals, fish and me!
So i have now been planning a new tank and as I am writing this i have just filled it up & programmed my new lights... so unfortunately you've all missed out on all the exciting/stressful/boring bits!! It's taken 2 weeks and i have been meaning to post here sooner, but the rushed need for filling it up took over! So here's the details...
Tank:
I went for the reefspace 900 - clearseal... i wanted a rimless glass this time as I want to be able to easily clean it, i wasn't a fan of acrylic as it was frustrating not to be able to rub at it hard without worrying i will damage it - i also like the idea of a magnet cleaner and just generally easier for me as i am clumsy as anything..!
Filtration & Sump equipment:
Filter Socks (from old setup)
Carbon (new)
Skimmer - Bubble Magus Curve 5 (from old setup)
Biopellets reactor (old set up)
H2Ocean 2000 - return pump
Standard heater
Tank:
Powerheads X 2 with Jebao Twin Controller (from old setup)
Now onto the exciting stuff...
Lighting:
In building my own stand and using my sump, it saved me a lot not having to buy the whole reefspace 900 kit, so with that extra money, i decided to splash out (A LOT of splashing) on 2 X Ecotech RX15W Pros, 2 mounts, and also reeflink.. My lights in my previous set up weren't adequate for decent corals, so i have decided to bear the up front cost now, and enable myself to get whatever coral i want in the future.. I have only had them set up for about 5 hours now, but i absolutely love them.. my internet is awful, but the software works absolutely perfectly, and i am able to change the lights from my phone within seconds.
Aquascape:
Another area which i didnt want to regret this time around. In order to avoid landslides and cracked glass, I decided to buy Eco Putty, and also NEOS REEF CEMENT. I put that in capitals, because i cannot recommend it more..
I drilled all rock and put acrylic rods in between them for stability (i order the rods from a plastics place, as the generic 'reef rods' are insanely overpriced.. mine cost me around £5..).. having done that I decided to use the reef cement. I watched a video, and sure enough it sets within 2 minutes... It is basically really quick setting cement, it handles large pieces of rock and you dont need much of it at all.. anyone doing aquascape - get some of this! it is phenomenal!
Rockwise - i decided to go with base rock, not just because of price, but also because i wanted to take my time with the scaping and make sure it was sturdy - In terms of setting up, i dont think i'll ever buy live rock again - the base rock is a 3rd of the price from my LFS, and is so easy to scape and glue not worrying about the bacteria dieing etc.. - in terms of curing, the LFS buy it ready cured, but i will be running biopellets from day one so i dont think any phosphate leaking will be an issue.
Sand:
In order to counter not having live rock, I bought high quality live sand - aimed for around 0.75 inches of sand bed.. i think it looks decent so far.!
Refugium:
When i designed the sump I included a decent sized space for a refugium, (9 X 15 X 15). I am going to attempt to have a a well organised fuge this time around.. Aiming for:
1 Chaeto - going to build a sort of square enclosure for this out of eggcrate so it can tumble around and not enter the return section
2 Mangroves - always loved the look of these, so am going to have a few plant pots with miracle mud in, and plant myself some mangroves (any tips?!)
3 **** Loads of pods - this is definitely an area I want to ensure i have enough of, as I want a mandarin down the line... (don't worry i'll get one which i've seen eating frozen food first haha..)
So there we go.. the longest essay i've written since my accountancy exams... Apologies for the boring detail! I promise that all posts from now will be mostly pictures!
Follow along if you like - advice is welcome! Photos to come..!
Hi All - have decided to keep a log on my tank this time around - Follow along if you like, if not i'll talk to myself throughout! Any questions are welcome and advice is encouraged!! Pictures to Follow!
Long story short I recently got rid of my previous customized acrylic tank as I suffered a massive electric shock due to a faulty light.. Fortunately there were no deaths to any of the corals, fish and me!
So i have now been planning a new tank and as I am writing this i have just filled it up & programmed my new lights... so unfortunately you've all missed out on all the exciting/stressful/boring bits!! It's taken 2 weeks and i have been meaning to post here sooner, but the rushed need for filling it up took over! So here's the details...
Tank:
I went for the reefspace 900 - clearseal... i wanted a rimless glass this time as I want to be able to easily clean it, i wasn't a fan of acrylic as it was frustrating not to be able to rub at it hard without worrying i will damage it - i also like the idea of a magnet cleaner and just generally easier for me as i am clumsy as anything..!
Filtration & Sump equipment:
Filter Socks (from old setup)
Carbon (new)
Skimmer - Bubble Magus Curve 5 (from old setup)
Biopellets reactor (old set up)
H2Ocean 2000 - return pump
Standard heater
Tank:
Powerheads X 2 with Jebao Twin Controller (from old setup)
Now onto the exciting stuff...
Lighting:
In building my own stand and using my sump, it saved me a lot not having to buy the whole reefspace 900 kit, so with that extra money, i decided to splash out (A LOT of splashing) on 2 X Ecotech RX15W Pros, 2 mounts, and also reeflink.. My lights in my previous set up weren't adequate for decent corals, so i have decided to bear the up front cost now, and enable myself to get whatever coral i want in the future.. I have only had them set up for about 5 hours now, but i absolutely love them.. my internet is awful, but the software works absolutely perfectly, and i am able to change the lights from my phone within seconds.
Aquascape:
Another area which i didnt want to regret this time around. In order to avoid landslides and cracked glass, I decided to buy Eco Putty, and also NEOS REEF CEMENT. I put that in capitals, because i cannot recommend it more..
I drilled all rock and put acrylic rods in between them for stability (i order the rods from a plastics place, as the generic 'reef rods' are insanely overpriced.. mine cost me around £5..).. having done that I decided to use the reef cement. I watched a video, and sure enough it sets within 2 minutes... It is basically really quick setting cement, it handles large pieces of rock and you dont need much of it at all.. anyone doing aquascape - get some of this! it is phenomenal!
Rockwise - i decided to go with base rock, not just because of price, but also because i wanted to take my time with the scaping and make sure it was sturdy - In terms of setting up, i dont think i'll ever buy live rock again - the base rock is a 3rd of the price from my LFS, and is so easy to scape and glue not worrying about the bacteria dieing etc.. - in terms of curing, the LFS buy it ready cured, but i will be running biopellets from day one so i dont think any phosphate leaking will be an issue.
Sand:
In order to counter not having live rock, I bought high quality live sand - aimed for around 0.75 inches of sand bed.. i think it looks decent so far.!
Refugium:
When i designed the sump I included a decent sized space for a refugium, (9 X 15 X 15). I am going to attempt to have a a well organised fuge this time around.. Aiming for:
1 Chaeto - going to build a sort of square enclosure for this out of eggcrate so it can tumble around and not enter the return section
2 Mangroves - always loved the look of these, so am going to have a few plant pots with miracle mud in, and plant myself some mangroves (any tips?!)
3 **** Loads of pods - this is definitely an area I want to ensure i have enough of, as I want a mandarin down the line... (don't worry i'll get one which i've seen eating frozen food first haha..)
So there we go.. the longest essay i've written since my accountancy exams... Apologies for the boring detail! I promise that all posts from now will be mostly pictures!
Follow along if you like - advice is welcome! Photos to come..!
