The RONCO 150 (In-Wall 150 Gallon Mixed Reef)

[jdsabin1]

::also known as - The Lazy Man's Reef Tank::

As you walk downstairs to our basement, this is the view walking into the 'Tank Room'. I only share these particular pics with you because I helped finish this side of our basement. If you knew how inept I am with any kind of DIY project, you'd nominate me for the 'Bob Villa Handyman' Award after this. Seriously, I struggle with a hammer and a nail so this was a huge step for me.

Looking into the 'Tank Room'. A futon fits nicely here. From the futon I can watch a movie on the television or normally spend more time staring at the tank.

The view from the futon. I tried to be cool and put on the 'Coral Reef Adventure' DVD when I took the pictures. My wife absolutely hates the speakers and swears she is painting them white or something. I keep telling her they are Polk's but she doesn't want to listen.

The view from the front (a spare bedroom is behind me actually, with a full bath attached to it. Guests really get a kick out of the tank being so close). The main door hides another bi-fold door that we installed to keep the tank wall symmetrical. We added the wanescote and then painted the tank wall a dark navy blue.

 

[jdsabin1]

The Ronco 150 (150 Gallon)

Here is my 150 gallon reef aquarium. ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Roncoââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ seemed to fit here as I took a non-reef ready tank and somehow made it work, and at a bargain basement price too! I do believe Ron Popeil was always able to make it easy and affordable (the spray on hair and the pocket fisherman to name a few ). His mantra with the rotisserie chicken infomercial ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“SET IT AND FORGET IT!ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ is a good slogan for my reef tank really.

The tank has been up and running now for about a year with zero incidents to this point. An ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“incidentââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ is defined as something that forces me to curse, throw things, or bawl hysterically. No macro, no aiptasia, no cyano. Joy!

Seriously, I got this tank dirt cheap from a guy that was getting out of the hobby. The tanks dimensions are: 72 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 28 1/2 and thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s the largest tank I could fit in-wall based on the area I had to work with. It is drilled with two holes in the back of the tank, and a hole dead center in the bottom of the tank. I have come up with overflows in the back and a spray bar running the entire length of the tank along the back (using PVC and the hole in the bottom of the tank). And yes I know the risks here. I depend on a check valve from my return pump in the fuge to help save me (and a valve that is located right before the water enters the tank so if there are large problems I can stop the backflow).

Underneath the tank I have a 40 long tank below the main tank being used as a sump with a drop-in fuge, a EuroReef skimmer, and an Eheim return pump. A simple topoff container (3 gallons) using a simple float switch takes care of the evap. I also use two phosban reactors hooked to a single maxijet pump, one filled with carbon, one with rowaphos. The drop in fuge is filled with chaeto. A small 50/50 smartlamp fixture stays on 24 hours a day over the drop in fuge/chaeto. I went ahead and used the stand that came with the tank. Heck it came with the tank when I bought it so why let it go to waste? It is ugly as all get-out but nobody sees it anyway.

Inside the tank I have a Seio 1120, a Seio 620, and a Tunze 6060 to provide flow (along with the spraybar with water being pumped to the tank from the sump). The Seios are a Godsend. They work very well and ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ you guessed it ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ cheap!

All told, this gives me somewhere around 4,300 GPH in turnover which seems to provide plenty of flow based on the corals I keep in the tank. For lighting I use a straightforward canopy that I painted white (itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a wood box basically ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ simple!) that has hinges on the backside of the front wall, drilled with vents and six 72ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ VHO lamps (2 AquaSuns, 2 50/50ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s, and 2 Actinic blues- all URI). All of them powered with IceCap ballasts, with ball bearing fans on either side of the canopy for additional flow. For those of you who like to know watts per gallon that comes out to about 6.4 wpg (960 watts total). Not that it means anything but there you go.

Seeing the theme? Cheap, simple, cheap. I have come to realize that the more difficult or expensive a hobby is that I take on, the more likely it is that I will either run out of money trying to keep it going, or it will be so difficult that I will either do something wrong and destroy it all or I will simply lose interest and quit because the hobby becomes more of a ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“jobââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ than something fun and/or relaxing to do (I already have a job, I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t need or want another one).

So far my plan to keep a reef tank long term (and when I say long term I mean years, not months) has worked out wonderfully. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s only been a year but itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s been a very successful year, limited die off, limited troubles, limited maintenance and a lot of rewarding ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“aquarium timeââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢.

Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll keep posting pics in this thread as I take any that may look halfway decent. I used to have a point and shoot camera but somehow decided I needed a digital SLR with macro lenses and the like. BIG mistake. I know nothing about aperture or shutter speed and I am trying desperately to learn as I go. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s getting better but I have a LONG way to go . Hopefully youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll see improvement as I post in this thread over time.

 

[jdsabin1]

livestock & junk

Believe it or not, there is about 200 pounds of live rock in the tank. I contemplated having more but I didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t want to have the ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“wall of rockââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ look so I left it at that. There is plenty of room for the fish to swim about above the rock and they most certainly do that. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a nice compromise I think. Corals on the bottom half of the tank, fish on the top half of the tank.

I got some of the rock from some local reefers, but most of it started as base rocks from reeferrocks.com. I would recommend those guys to anyone. I was in no hurry so in order to save money (thereââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s that theme again) I threw in base rock and watched it come alive over time (no bad guys came in on the rock either, always a plus).

I used fiji pink live sand (about enough to give me a few inches on the bottom of the tank is all ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ basically for aesthetics).

Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll list the fish and corals in the tank but first itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s important to understand why I keep and add the animals I do. Initially I was going to spend my retirement fund (all of it) and load the tank up with rare and expensive corals (you know, like the RARE ones you see on E*Bay all the time ). I decided not to do that for a myriad of reasons, but a few primary ones include:

1) 99% of our friends are not ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Reef Savvyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. What does this mean? It means that when they come over they ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“oooohââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ and ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“aaaahââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ at the $20 yellow tang, the $15 colt coral that waves around in the current, and the $20 toadstool that does the same. If theyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re happy, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m happy.

2) Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve spent $200 on a hot pink yuma that melted in a week, and the same on a neat red and green brain that died an agonizing death right before my very eyes. In the meantime, my mushrooms, zoanthids and ricordia thrive. If I want to throw money away, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢d head to Vegas. As it stands, my enjoyment of this hobby comes from watching things grow and thrive, not wither and die. On a related note, we like to go on vacations and trips. All a tank babysitter has to do is throw food in the tank and add water to the topoff reservoir and all is well. Easy.

3) Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. I actually do love my colt coral who has become a ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“treeââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ on the left side of my tank, or the bright yellow leather on the right side of the tank. Donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t get me wrong, I always enjoy seeing SPS tanks and the like on all the reef boards on the ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“net too, but I dearly love my tank full of softies, lps and leathers.

 

[jdsabin1]

Fish include:

Yellow goby ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Easily the family favorite. Got her free from another reefer who realized it wasnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t going to work in his tank when one of his clownfish had half the goby in his mouth. He called me, I picked her up, the rest is history. Daughter named her ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Marilynââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ for obvious reasons.

Bi-color blenny ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Named Fozzie after Fozzie The Bear (Muppet Show) mainly because of his eyelashes that ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“poinkââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ out above his head. I will never have a reef tank without a blenny in it. Very entertaining fish with loads of personality.

Flame angel ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m a sucker for the silhouette of the saltwater angelfish. I love the bright orange that these guys have too. Not sure why but not named to this point.

Coral beauty ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ ditto with the angelfish fascination. These two were introduced at the same time, still the coral beauty has a tendency to bully the flame angel if they are in close proximity. There is enough tank and rocks though that this doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t happen often. And yes, they nip at coral occasionally. A small price to pay for their beauty though IMHO.

Yellow tang ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ The DeFacto saltwater fish. And for all you yellow tang haters out there, I say this: ppppppbbbbbbbbbbbbtttt! Always a favorite for those that come over to see the tank.

Bluethroat trigger ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Named ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Jawsââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ since he is such an oinker at feeding time. He is our largest fish but is also the most timid. Basically heââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a big wimp, truth be told. His blue eye shadow and unique fins and swimming style are a crowd favorite.

Two blue chromis ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“The Twinsââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. These two rarely leave each others side. In the right light, they literally shine with their blue/green scales. Occasionally they will ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“kissââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. Whether they are fighting or doing something else, I have no idea. Super cheap, super easy to care for, always out in the water column swimming.

Maroon clown/RBTA ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Sheââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a sweetheart and when I feed the RBTA a silverside every four days or so, sheââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll come grab it and gently place it inside the RBTA. A real neat relationship to watch. Really cool at night and in the morning before the lights go on. Sheââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s inside the anemone like a ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“pig in a blanketââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢.

All the fish were added within a few weeks of each other and all have been in the tank now somewhere in the neighborhood of eight months I believe. My lfs kept them for several weeks to make sure they were healthy before I took them home. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve never had an ich problem but now that this lfs is gone, I may have to go to a hospital tank to make sure nothing bad goes in if and when one of my fish passes and I want to add another one.

A cleaner shrimp that I believe prefers to clean my hand over anything else in the tank. Very friendly little guy and seems to eat non-stop. Three peppermint shrimp that stay in the rock work and come out at night. Neat shrimp if they would ever come out during the day.

Tons of snails, blue leg crabs, scarlet crabs, and soon some more emerald crabs. I got my cleanup crew from Reeftopia.com. They are fantastic (and cheap too ). I canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t imagine a reef tank without crabs. Talk about entertainment. Their antics remind me of a young Jerry Lewis except with shells, and antennas and ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦ oh forget it. You know what I mean.

I have a starfish I added from Reefer Madness and after six months he is still doing well. Heââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a mottled pink color. I also have so many bristleworms, I should farm them and make some money on the side. One is the largest bristleworm Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve ever seen and is somewhere around 8ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ long stretched out near as I can tell. Pods galore also of course.

I feed 6 days on, with a day off. I feed a combination of frozen (green and red lifeline, mysis, cyclopeze) and flake ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ I swear by Omega One food. The fish love it. I feed veggie and regular marine flake.

 

[jdsabin1]

Corals:

Too numerous to list them all really and I will photograph all of them at one time or another and post shots as I go. I have read many people reference a lot of the softies I keep as ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“garbage coralsââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. I got them at a reasonable price, they grow like crazy, they come in all kinds of colors and textures, and they are super easy to care for. This means less time hassling *with* the tank, and more time looking *at the tank*. Thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s a win/win for me and my lifestyle.

Anyway, some of the list includes:

Colt (started as a 5ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ thing and grew to a mighty oak).

Anthelia ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ the prettiest mauve color ever and this stuff is hardy AND doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t bother other corals at all. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s almost like other corals feel sorry for it and just leave it alone I guess. It waves beautifully in the current.

Shrooms ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Yes I know how bad they are but the purple, blue and red tongas are great.

Ricordia
Frogspawn coral
Galaxea coral
Bubble coral
Candy Cane coral
Cynarina coral
Scolymia coral ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Easy to care for and one of my first corals ever when I put it into my nano a few years ago. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve never directly fed it.
Polyps/clove ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ several variants, including daisy polyps
Fuzzy sinularia coral
Blastos (wellsi and merleti) ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ You know, I miss the days when vendors didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t try to charge $200 for a nice colony of blastos. One day when they go down in price again, perhaps Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll pick some more up.

Fox ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Started out as a 4ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ coral. Now is a monster centerpiece.

Brains, brains, brains. I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t have any open brains but mazes, and others I do keep.

Toadstool ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ again, started out a small thing and now is the size of a dinner plate. I have a few others I need to cut out and get out of the tank. Still, heââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s unassuming, easy to care for, tentacles sway in the current. People love him.

Zoanthinds ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Still the best bang for your buck based on the sheer number of colors and variants in the wild.

Some larger feather dusters and a coco worm. The more texture and variety I can get in the tank the more fun it is to watch everything interact.

An orange sponge that was given to me. I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t expect it to live a long time but weââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll see. Right now itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s doing fine.

A yellow leather that is very healthy and happy. A cheery, bright yellow color.

I do have a few SPS corals. One is a hot pink stylo and the other is a pink birds nest. I got them both as frags and they are both growing and doing fine. I have no plans at the moment to add any others.

 

[jdsabin1]

Some people like to know more details like salt brand, temp, etc so Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll provide some of those details:

Oceanic Salt ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ It provides high calc out of the box, it dissolves instantly, it comes in Ronco sized containers (buy a few 5 gallon bags, do a quick water change!). I have never used anything else.

The tank is in the basement. This is a very *good* thing. I have zero heat problems. In fact, in the winter I have to throw a space heater in the ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“fish roomââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ (well the ââ"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“fish closetââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ really as there is not much room behind the tank). Temps vary from 78 to 79.5 if it is very hot outside. This has been the working temp(s) for nearly a year now so I think itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s going to stay this way. I lose a few gallons a day (and replace it with water that comes from a Air-Water-Ice RO/DI unit). I also have a humidistat that blows any humidity right outside the house via a vent. Works perfectly. I use a remote digital thermometer if that means anything to you . I am sure the VHOââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s have something to do with keeping the heat down as well. I was going to go with halides but in the end, since this was going to be a mixed reef tank with just a few SPS, I decided against it.

All the lights are on timers (Timers I bought from Home Depot. Originally I was using timers from WalMart but those were true crap for me). I run actinics for an hour, then the other four daytime bulbs come on. Lights donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t come on until 10:30 in the morning, and go off at approximately 10:30 at night. Whatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s the point of having lights go on too early when nobody is home but the dog to enjoy the tank? We watch movies in the tank room and itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s nice to have the tank lit most of the evening.

Salinity is 1.025, give or take. I quit testing for calcium, alk, etc months ago. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s easy to eyeball if everything is doing okay.

Water changes? Ummm, sure theyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re great. Normally I do a 15 gallon change every other month or so. So far, so good.

 

[jdsabin1]

Just a few more pics is all.

 

[Dan Thrash]

wow! thats all beautiful!! very nice pics and a nice room too. very well done. i hope my tank looks that good...whenever i get a chance to get one.

 

[nebraskareef]

Jeff, I loved your 20L on n-r.com.

It's awesome to see that you have a bigger tank. I for one am glad to see a tank thats got some movement in it! Sticks aren't all they are cracked up to be. Looking good, keep up the good work.

Daniel

 

[jun41]

Good stuff. Just the way a reef should be...

 

[Mercutio]

That is awesome, I love it!

Pics from behind the tank?

 

[atram]

Jeff,

Another beautiful tank, I love the simplicity! Your 20L
at nr inspired me to get into reefing. My tank has been (15L)
going strong for a year. I have been bitten the upgrade
bug and will be moving into a larger tank soon, I need
more room for coral's.

Once again beautiful tank :thumbsup:

Al

 

[Hop]

WOW, Great looking tank. Very impressive in color and health. Great job. And the room itself looks good. Oh and how about a few behind the scenes pics?

 

[atram]

Yes, excellent work on the room! I'm interested in few
behind the scene pics as well.

 

[deansreef]

nice reef

 

[jdsabin1]

Thanks a lot everyone . It's great when you get positive feedback from fellow hobbyists! I have several corals that came from my 20L and are doing wonderfully. Who knows, someday I may get the SPS call to duty, but right now this tank pretty much takes care of itself and with two kids always on the go and a wife who provides a list of 'honey-dos' a mile long, this works very well .

I'll snap some pics behind the tank tonight and post them. It's not much to see though I know that much.

 

[TippyToeX]

I'm drooling here Jeff. Outstanding, you know I love it. I do have a little something-something to add to it when you are ready/want it.

 

[zoocrazy]

man, that tank is awsome....i could sit and stare at that all day long.....room looks great!!!

 

[atram]

two kids always on the go and a wife who provides a list of 'honey-dos' a mile long, this works very well .

Isn't that the truth!

I have two daughters 17 & 18 heavily involved in
sports/school and a wife who is the master of honey do!

fortunately, even though I'm a computer geek who
previously had limited DIY skills. I have obtained
many tools (Table saw, air compressor, brad nailer,
nail gun, mitre saw) under the guise of home repair.
I have done some serious remodeling of our home.
However, I am planning an inwall reef and I'm in the
process of building a dual MH/VHO pendant.

I always knew all that math I took in college would come
in handy for something. It wasn't long ago that I was
unable to read tape measure or accurately determine
angles. Just fractions and basic geometry.

 

[Rivenjim]

can we have some pics of your behind the scenes equipment