Tank Upgrade / Build / Advice / SPS Dominated / Whatever Other Thread!

[Duc1098]

Hello all! Been in the hobby four about 4 years now and have learned a great deal and have seen a lot of great build threads here on RC over the years, so I wanted to share mine. This is going to be my first upgrade ever, and I have been planning this upgrade pretty much since I started my first tank. In the past four years there were a lot of things I wished I would have done differently when I set up my first tank. Hopefully people can learn from some of my mistakes on my previous tank and maybe I can get some advice along the way with this build thread from some more experience reefers.

So, I came across an absolutely incredible deal on a 2 month old tank and stand from my LFS that I just couldn't pass up! They had been looking into a new tank for me for a while and were trying to find the best deal when a customer of theirs wanted to get rid of their tank. So I ended up with a pretty much brand new 72"L x 24"W x 30"T 220g peninsula style tank with an external overflow and a welded frame stand. The tank has starfire on two sides and like I said, it was a deal I couldn't pass up. I gotta give the guys at Reefwise props, they really took care of me on this one.

I'm going to be using some of the same equipment from my previous tank including my vortechs, skimmer, and sump along with a few upgrades/changes. One of the major changes to this setup will be the filtration which is going to include the 60g refugium from my old tank along with two 40B tank that I will incorporate as a WC setup and a 100g agrimaster stock tank where I will put all my left of LR I will not be using in my DT. The second major change with this new tank is I am switching from MHs to DIY LEDs. The LEDs were meant to go a on project tank, but after seeing the success other local reefers were having with DIY LEDs they will be going on the main tank and seeing as this new tank is going to take up a majority of my time the project tank has been put off indefinitely.

So my current equipment list looks like this:

220g Starfire DT
2x 40B sumps for WC
ADHI60 Refugium
100g stock tank
Skimz SM253 DC Skimmer
Vortech MP40s(x2) and MP10s(x2)
2x Full spectrum DIY LEDs on 24" MakerLED Heatsinks (total of 134 LEDs)
BRS Dual GFO/GAC Reactor
Bashsea Pellet Master 3 Biopellet Reactor
Vertex Libra Stepper Doser
Tunze Osmolator ATO
Various quantity and size of Cepex true union ball valves (as many as I need)

The rest of the equipment is yet undecided and some may be subject to change. I haven't decided if I was going to keep the Vortechs or switch to a wavebox. I may add a third DIY LED fixture depending on the spread I get with the two I have right now and I bought a Meanwell HLG-600h-48B to accommodate a third fixture if needed. The last thing I am still looking into is a return pump. I am definitely going with an external pump this time around and wanted something I can feed my DT with and also accommodate the reactors via a return manifold.

That's all for now, I will be posting plenty of pictures along the way and plan for this to be a SPS dominated tank with a couple softies and a few LPS. Thanks for checking in.

 

[Duc1098]

After playing around with Picasa and Flickr for a while I finally figured out how to post pictures again... Picasa had been changed and I was no longer able to post pictures for some reason.

Anyways, here is a shot of the new tank.:celeb1:
http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/pSrTmP]IMG_1479 by Duc 1098, on Flickr[/URL]

Shot of where the old tank use to be... gotta lot work to do to get it ready. Also, little thing I learned... never build a tank into the wall without giving yourself access from the front, not doing so will make maintenance a complete pain.:headwalls:
http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/pzXctP]IMG_1480 by Duc 1098, on Flickr[/URL]

I'm using all the rock from my 180g but wanted to start fresh and use Dr. Tim's One and Only to start my cycle instead of LR. For the last 4 years I thought there was some type of pest in my tank that was killing some of my fish that I was never able to find. For this reason I wanted to start with something that was pest free. I ended up following the instructions from a post here on RC and let me tell you, the results were fantastic.

Here is a link to that thread:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1914426&highlight=live+rock+muriatic+acid

And here is a shot of mine in progress.
http://[url=https://flic.kr/p/pzZJAo]IMG_1478 by Duc 1098, on Flickr[/URL]

This method has worked really well and has made the rock very porous. I will warn you though that the muriatic acid will do what it is supposed to do and will eat away at you rock until the acids are neutralized either by the reaction with the rock or by adding a base (i.e. baking soda). Some of my pieces have become quite fragile since doing this process.

 

[cugly]

Great start looks like a lot of work for sure..

 

[Duc1098]

Great start looks like a lot of work for sure..

Thanks, it's gonna be a lot of work but should be well worth it and something I plan on taking my time with. With my last build I rushed through everything to get it done so I could start putting stuff in it sooner. In the long run I realized I regretted not taking my time on things, doing more research and setting things up for ease of maintenance. I made my last tank so difficult to work on I would spend more time working on it then enjoying it which gradually led to less of both.

 

[johnike]

Hey! I've been in that room!
Good luck with the new rig, Adam.

 

[Duc1098]

Hey! I've been in that room!
Good luck with the new rig, Adam.

Yes you have, and if you remember correctly there is a beer fridge right around the corner. So if you're ever feeling thirsty you can stop out and tell me what I'm doing wrong.

 

[Chris Lakies]

Hello Duc1098!

I'm guessing you have a Ducati? This year I bought the Monster 1200! But not to get too far off subject lol.

I think this will be a great build! I also used the Muriatic acid for my Marco Rocks and no phosphate issues at all.

 

[tikireefer]

Looks great Adam! Let me know if you need a hand.

 

[Duc1098]

So, obviously it has been a while since my last post on this thread. Between work, classes and actually building the tank it didn't leave much time for me to upload photos and post to this thread. However, I have the tank mostly built now and I finished two of my classes and I am down to one now so I have a little more free time. So it's time to get this thread on track.

As I mentioned, since my last update back in October to now the tank is up and running. Here is a full tank shot (FTS) from this morning:

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16464595907" title="DSC_2310 by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8653/16464595907_55dc7f16ca_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="DSC_2310"></a>

Throughout this whole process I really took my time and laid out all the details on how I wanted this setup to work. Looking at some of the pictures from my layout and build of the fish room I think you will be able to appreciate the detail and see the work that went into the design and function:

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16485149889" title="Untitled by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8605/16485149889_296d217c6e_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Untitled"></a>

Refugium in place.
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16051157713" title="Untitled by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8633/16051157713_8d37a7fcaa_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Untitled"></a>

40B in place, the Bean Animal overflow from the display tank (DT) drains into here. This allows me to perform water changes and collect/dispose of any detritus that collects between water changes. The tank is drilled with two 1-1/2 bulkheads to drain to the 100g stock tank.
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16050711894" title="Untitled by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8647/16050711894_01f09da56b_b.jpg" width="852" height="640" alt="Untitled"></a>

Another picture of the refugium along with the manifold. The manifold is how I control flowrate into the refugium, biopellet reactor and my GFO/GAC reactor.
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16486895859" title="Untitled by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8640/16486895859_91f625972d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Untitled"></a>

And the ALMOST finished product. I still have to finish my dosing setup and the biopellet reactor.
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16486972879" title="Untitled by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8628/16486972879_e140293b5b_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Untitled"></a>

One thing I did learn while plumbing the tank is to not over-tighten fittings. If you look in the last photo you can see where I cracked the volute on the Reeflo Hammerhead/Barracuda Gold Hybrid pump and used epoxy to temporarily fix it. I'm trying to get a replacement volute now.

One other thing, the DIY LEDs turned out great and I ended up going with the Bluefish LED controller. The wireless interface and iPhone compatibility made it the clear choice over the Coralux LED controller. I am having an issue with my Hyoer Violet Channel not working and I need to troubleshoot that. I am getting great PAR out of the fixtures, but they don't have a very good spread. I may need to added more LEDs to get a full spread throughout the entire tank.

That's it for now, I will post more a little later with some of the tank inhabitants.

 

[Duc1098]

I started putting livestock in the tank about two weeks ago starting with a pair of Bali Aquarich Picasso clowns that I picked of from Reefwise

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16487007600" title="DSC_2342 by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8655/16487007600_d240d74476_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="DSC_2342"></a>

I got them along with a "Inferno" anemone hoping they would pair off, but to date they only spend about half of the time together and neither one has hosted in the anemone.

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16051771663" title="DSC_2317 by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8630/16051771663_629996e138_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="DSC_2317"></a>

I'm going to probably start putting some Acros next week. I wanted to see what kind of PAR these LEDs were putting out so I borrowed a PAR meter for the weekend. They are putting out more than enough light and as soon as I figure out what is going on with my one Hyper Violet channel they should be putting out quite a bit more.

I also got a few of my most cherished LPS and Chalices back from Reefwise that Brian was kind enough to let me hold in his massive trough tanks.

my Rainbow Wellsophyllia:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16671528362" title="DSC_2320 by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8637/16671528362_779e214c99_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="DSC_2320"></a>

and my Rainbow Acanthastrea:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16485185780" title="DSC_2318 by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8659/16485185780_1a28feb629_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="DSC_2318"></a>

picked up a few random Anthias:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16674457335" title="DSC_2350 by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8585/16674457335_6ca57b7bd4_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="DSC_2350"></a>

I was lucky enough to be at my LFS just after they had a guy trade in a mated pair of Dwarf Golden Moray Eels for a Super Male Lineatus Fairy Wrasse:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/123752080@N07/16486198459" title="DSC_2335 by Adam Vick, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8658/16486198459_c81a4dd15b_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="DSC_2335"></a>

 

[cFloor]

Looking really good! Its easy to see that you put a lot of thought into this build. Your fish room is top notch. I really like your aquascape as well. good job!

 

[tikireefer]

Looks great Adam! Let me know when you want to stop by Ted's place for your sps.

 

[Duc1098]

Looking really good! Its easy to see that you put a lot of thought into this build. Your fish room is top notch. I really like your aquascape as well. good job!

Thank you for the compliment! A lot of time went into that aquascape as well since the aquascape in my old tank was one of the things I was most dissatisfied with. I ended up using about 1/4 of my original rock from my 180g in the new DT. The pieces I used I laid out on some plywood with tape marking the tank dimensions and two-part epoxied every piece together. While I was putting the epoxy on the joints I was using small chips and broken pieces of rock to cover up the epoxy or to roll it over the epoxy to give it texture. All the extra rock I had left over ended up in the 100g stock tank for biological filtration. So now in the tank its hard to see the joints where I used the epoxy. As for the fish room, if my corals turn out to look half as good as the fish room turned out I would be pretty happy.

 

[Duc1098]

Looks great Adam! Let me know when you want to stop by Ted's place for your sps.

Thanks Steve, I definitely appreciated the help you gave me when tearing down my old tank. How are you tanks coming along? I would like to get a couple of frags of some of my old corals. Give me a call sometime or send me a text. I seemed to have lost your number somehow.

 

[GT350pwns]

Beautiful tank. I also love the fish room. Can't wait until I'm able to build a set up like that.

How does the gdm get along in a reef setting?

 

[Duc1098]

Beautiful tank. I also love the fish room. Can't wait until I'm able to build a set up like that.

How does the gdm get along in a reef setting?

Thanks!

The Dwarf Golden Moray eels are perfect reef inhabitants. I had a pair in my old tank that were very shy and I never saw. I had lost the male cause it would not eat and the female I would have to feed by hand by taking a piece of Octopus and holding it by the hole she would hang out at. These two new ones are definitely more active then my last two and I have actually seen them out swimming in the water column. This may have something to do with the fact that I have a lot less rock in my DT now. They are also very docile as well. Never had an issue with them attacking another tank mate.

 

[Oldude]

The manifold is how I control flowrate into the refugium, biopellet reactor and my GFO/GAC reactor.

In my experience you will likely not be able to keep a macroalgae refugium for long while running biopellets & GFO. Won't the plants need some phosphates to thrive.

 

[johnike]

Looking great Adam.

 

[Duc1098]

In my experience you will likely not be able to keep a macroalgae refugium for long while running biopellets & GFO. Won't the plants need some phosphates to thrive.

I agree. My plan is to use biopellets to supplement the chaeto in the refugium. In my experience, chaeto and biopellets are more effective at removing nitrates and GFO is more effective at removing phosphates. Nutrient control is something that I always struggled with in my last tank and by that I mean I think I kept my water too clean for thriving corals. With this setup I will be able to easily change the amount/flow of GFO/biopellets or to turn them off completely. Most importantly it will be easier for me to monitor with this setup vice my old one. I appreciate the feedback Oldude and I will definitely keep it in mind.

 

[Duc1098]

Looking great Adam.

Thanks John, come on out and see it sometime!