New 90 Gallon Reef

[sharkie]

Hi Maast,

It has been a long time since I have posted, but I wanted to share the setup of my new 90 Gallon Reef.

I had setup a 45 gallon reef tank about 2 years ago, but it has gotten overcrowded with corals, so I decided to upgrade. It is an oceanic 90 gallon in a cherry trim with matching stand. I am going with ceramic rock which I will seed with live rock from my 45 gallon. I plan to do T5 lighting (aquactinics constellation) which should come this week.

Here are some early pics from my unboxing and placing of my ceramic rocks:

Enjoy!

chiu

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Box of Rocks:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=666

Unboxing the Rocks:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=667

Rocks Unboxed:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=668

Base rocks put into tank:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=669

Final configuration?:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=673

Right View:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=672

Left View:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=671

Top View:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=670

[chark]

Wow, I love the rocks. Where did you get them from? Looking forward to more pics.

[sharkie]

Hi Cecil,

I got them from AquariumSpecialty. Here is a link to their rock site: http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=146_237

I actually just happened into ceramic rock. I was originally going to AquariumSpecialty to order my aquactinic light fixture and saw a link on their site to ceramic rock and was really impressed with the pics.

chiu

[Mr Cob]

Very cool setup. You going bare bottom or sand?

[cpreefguy]

Looks great! Can't wait to see it all set up!

[sharkie]

Rob,

I plan to add sand to the bottom. I needed to unbox the rocks and put them somewhere in order to avoid the wrath of the wife. :)

[Mr Cob]

What did you use to hold them together or are they just stacked?

[g-ray]

Looks good!! Those ceramic rods hold the rock together good!!

[sharkie]

Rob,

The 3 large pieces have crevices built into them. So, with a little positioning the flat reef plates lock into them. I may choose to glue them in once I get the positioning more set...but for now they are held in by the crevices...

chiu

[Jarob]

Rob,
...but for now they are held in by the crevices...

scary! but i love it

[msmith619]

I love your rock work! I called Aquarium Specialty and Scott was nice enough to take the dimensions on my tank and foreward them to the ceramic rock manufacturer. They promptly sent me pictures of several designs to look at. I made a selection and was planning to buy until.... he told me the price and shipping info. It was going to cost more than $1000 for a 75 gallon tank and comes freight line for about $200 more and is delivered on a pallet. I was afraid it would be too heavy for my tank! My wife nixed the ceramic rock cost and I bought live rock instead.
Mike

[sharkie]

Thanks Mike. I really like the way the rocks turned out. I got some sand from a friend of mine, so I will be putting that in this weekend. Will post more pics after doing that.

As far as cost, yeah, the rocks cost me more than I expected. After doing the math, I figured I did not save any money compared to really top-shelf live rock, but I took the plunge and am happy with the results.

The rocks were actually really light. The reason the shipping was expensive is because Scott does a great job packing the rocks to ensure they don't break on transit. If Scott can find a good way to reduce the cost of shipping, I think he will have more takers. I think shipping ended up being about $120-$130 for me. I had it shipped to my work and Scott said it would be about $60 cheaper to do that.

chiu

[Gilbertg78228]

the rocks look greeat! nice job

[talofalava]

Ive also set up a tank with a different brand of ceramic rocks called vidarock. They are usa made. They have great texture and are very porous. I got them direct from cerameco because they had no store in my area carrying them yet. I went with bulk plates and rocks and stacked them. I got a lot of rock for the money. I seeded them with LV rock to get them started and then placed them.

[talofalava]

The USA made ceramic rock was very reasonable as far as price was concerned and I got the pieces I was looking for to.

[cpreefguy]

The reason the shipping was expensive is because Scott does a great job packing the rocks to ensure they don't break on transit. If Scott can find a good way to reduce the cost of shipping, I think he will have more takers.

I agree with you. Scott is awesome! I considered aquaroche at one point, but the shipping was a bit much. It's just one of those things though... It's definitely nice to be different and stand out a bit!

[sharkie]

Enjoy!

Full Tank Picture:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=687

Pictures of Aquactinics T5 with Bulbs:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=688

Top Left View of Tank:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=689

Top Right View of Tank:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=690

Close up of Rock formation with Lights:
http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=691

[Troutmasters02]

Nice...

[sharkie]

Do you have pics of your ceramic rocks?


The USA made ceramic rock was very reasonable as far as price was concerned and I got the pieces I was looking for to.

[talofalava]

Been super busy this week. I will get some pics posted. I will post rocks before placement in tank as well as after. I was real happy with them when I got them. I had seen them previously in a local fish store so I had no worries about them and they weren't any more money than typical live rock.

[sharkie]

I thought I would share an updated picture of the tank:

http://www.maast.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=97&pictureid=859

[vman181]

I like your rock work. It looks great.