Wayne's 'Rainforest of the Sea'

[wcmcinnes]

Welcome Canreef staff, members, and guests;
Reef newbies, enthusiasts and vets.
Welcome to my rebuild.
________________________________________________

Tropical Rainforests of the Sea

If you don't know me, my name is Wayne and I have been, more or less, infatuated with marine aquatic life since I laid my eyes upon my first ever reef aquarium. Dabbling in freshwater for a couple years I decided to try my hand at reefing about 10 months ago, after many weeks of research, and put together my first 90G reef tank.

In my short time reefing, I have lurked around every forum, read every article, and experienced success and disaster, yet I still believe I have only discovered the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this rewarding hobby. I still have much to learn but am looking forward to the challenge.

Objective: I am moving into my new penthouse apartment suite on November 1st and want to create a focal point/center piece of the main room. The reef will be the first thing you see when you walk in the door, so I want a clean, aesthetic and modern looking build. Fish and high quality SPS corals will dominate this reef, with some LPS corals filling in the aquascape.

I have looked into the Zeovit system by Korallen-Zucht but with my schedule, doing daily dosing is just not possible. For this reason, I will be dosing the ProdiBio big three: BioDigest, BioPtim, & ReefBooster, once every two weeks in order to attain a thriving ultra low-nutrient ecosystem.

Inspiration:

v1"¦rotate's "˜A Reef in the Sky'

Leonardo's "˜Apagon Reef'

d2Mini's "˜Reeftastic 200g'

 

[CUZ]

lol, this is reef central not Canreef Wayne.

 

[wcmcinnes]

The Display Tank:

Original plan was to have one built custom, but Steve's tank had very similar dimensions to what I was looking for, so I bought it, for quite a discounted price compared to building new, so that was a plus!

Since I am limited as to what weight I am allowed in a 4th Floor apartment, this isn't as much as a size upgrade as it is an equipment, functionality, and modernization upgrade.

103 gallon "˜Rimless' design
54"L x 22"W x 20"H
3 sides 12mm Starphire Glass (front & sides)
Clear silicone, black painted background
Internal overflow and return holes through the bottom glass are so the tank can be flush against the wall.

The Sump:

Regular 3/8" Float Glass
40"L x 18"W x 16"H

The Stand:

54"L x 22"W x 32"H
Welded Steel
Black Marine Enamel Paint

In time, I plan to do the skirting for the stand myself depending upon the color scheme I decide to go with in my new flat. This will be decided later on.

 

[wcmcinnes]

Here's a quick sketch mock-up of my proposed plumbing plan:

The manifold is not a for sure as I may be running my reactors from a separate pump (Maxijet), as with my last tank I noticed that a lot of debris/algae would pass into the manifold and clog up my TLF reactors.

Any ideas/comments are welcome.

 

[ed84g]

Looks good... In keen to see it in progress! Good luck

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

 

[wcmcinnes]

lol, this is reef central not Canreef Wayne.

lol i copied and pasted from there. Forgot to edit that.

 

[shaggss]

looking good so far. How do you plan to plumb the returns through the bottom?

Whats your equipment list? lights, return pump etc?

 

[jroovers]

Looks good to me. The tanks you are drawing inspiration from certainly sets the bar high!

 

[sahin]

Look forward to this build. Looks extremely promising. Proposed equipment list would be nice to know.

 

[wcmcinnes]

Tank Modification:

So I decided to do a few modifications to the tank before move-in day. I didn't want standpipes in the display area of my tank so I have decided I will put bulkheads in and close them up with a threaded plug.
I found a 1.75" diamond coated hole saw at KMS tools, pulled out the ol' drill press and (nervously) drilled two holes for returns in the top corners of the back pane. It actually went very smoothly and I believe this will allow for me to achieve the aesthetics I am aiming for.

The Move:

The move went well but lifting this tank up 4 floors with only my father's help was nothing to be desired.. Regardless the tank is on the stand and in it's final resting spot. :mrgreen:

The 90 is still up and running at the old place and I will be transferring over livestock and equipment slowly when the tank is ready.. No rush, which helps. I have a bunch of things ordered to progress the build in the upcoming weeks, including: the sump, plumbing, ATO reservoir, dosing chambers, etc. So stay tuned.

 

[wcmcinnes]

Sorry for the late replies guys.

looking good so far. How do you plan to plumb the returns through the bottom?

Whats your equipment list? lights, return pump etc?

I decided to drill returns in the back pane and plug the holes on the base with a bulkhead and cap. My only option would have been standpipes in the display area of the tank, and I didnt really want that.
I'll post an equipment list shortly.

Looks good to me. The tanks you are drawing inspiration from certainly sets the bar high!

Gotta dream big, to achieve big!

Look forward to this build. Looks extremely promising. Proposed equipment list would be nice to know.

Thank you! Equipment list up shortly.

 

[shaggss]

Glad the move went ok and good that you will plug those holes in the bottom.

Cheers

 

[SpinyReef]

Very nice project!

On an unrelated note, do you have the link to the original of this picture? This would make a great desktop background

 

[tmantaylor18]

ifl

 

[wcmcinnes]

Glad the move went ok and good that you will plug those holes in the bottom.

Cheers

Thank you

Very nice project!

On an unrelated note, do you have the link to the original of this picture? This would make a great desktop background

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-75-worlds-coral-reef-risk

ifl

??

 

[wcmcinnes]

 

[wcmcinnes]

Quick iPhone vid of my Nahackyi wrasse and juvie Desjardinii Sailfin in Quarantine. Sorry about having to turn your head sideways.

​

 

[SpinyReef]

Thank you
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-75-worlds-coral-reef-risk

Thanks! There are amazing pictures on that website

 

[wcmcinnes]

Thanks! There are amazing pictures on that website

There is isn't there! Id love to see them all in person.

 

[G4546]

I like the inspiration photos... Excited to see what you end up doing Keep us posted Wayne