Back at it again with a 125 shallow reef

[devildog1986]

Well guys,

After a long hiatus, I am starting a new tank build for a shallow combination reef tank, which I will eventually upgrade to a bigger tank (dream Tank Project). I am Currently waiting on My Spectrapure filter. It comes in on Friday. The water storage was bought from the Wal-Mart website. They are 55 gallon containers that will hold my water. I will eventually order 2 more for Ro/Di water( In case of an emergency 100% gallon change). I will be installing two Quadruple outlets with 12 gauge wire and 20 amp circuit breaker so there is no chance of setting off the breakers. I will be going with a bad *** sump that Louis at Elegant reef designed for me (at a great price). The rock I will be going with is Real Reef Rock. beautiful looking rock and Im getting a great deal on it. The substrate will be Tropic Eden Mini Flakes. For a skimmer I have a old School Reef Octopus OCT-2000 that
I will be using. Of course I will be getting an Apex controller. That is the main reason why I'm getting back in the hobby. For lights, I am thinking 3 Radions or 3 Hydras. I will also be adding two 5 ft T5's with built in timers, that I hope to build myself. Any info on how to add timers to retrofit T5's would be highly appreciated. I will start posting pictures next week. Looking forward to this build. Im debating if I should Build a new Stand for this aquarium or not. Mainly because I will be building this tank with the intention to Upgrade to a bigger tank. I might build the stand for the bigger tank. Any suggestions on aqua scaping would be appreciated. I have no idea what I am gonna do this time. but its about time I start looking. once the sump comes in, everything should come together smoothly. Pretty excited about my new build.

[FarmerTy]

My thoughts are to build the stand for your soon to be new tank now so upgrading will have one less step.

Glad you got your RO/DI system sorted out.

For your T5s, BRS sells a retrofit kit or you can just wait for one to show up in the classifieds. For timer, just use your Apex. You can program your Apex to turn the T5s on/off to whatever program you want.

I prefer minimal aquascaping if possible. I'm not a fan of the rock wall look. I think negative space is just as important as your occupied space. To have minimal scaping though, you'll need to supplement the filtration in your sump. I've added a lot of live rock in my sump as well as a couple Marine Pure blocks for additional nitrification and denitrification.

That has allowed me to scape my display very minimally. While not as minimal as some tanks I've seen, I still like the ample negative space I have in the scape.

https://youtu.be/zSLWq1DDKGo

I also appreciate tanks setup with towers. The aesthetics are pleasing. We have some people locally that have drilled their rocks and inserted acrylic rods or PVC for the frame to support the towers. The results are nice.

[FarmerTy]

http://youtu.be/nRjHGhs-aaY

I still tease Kim about the 20 outfit changes in the video. :p

[devildog1986]

i might do something with a tower on one side and probably an island or something by that nature. I eventually want to use this rock for my bigger tank. So thats what im spending most of my time researching. I also enjoy mixed reefs, so i want sufficient space for a beautiful top of acros. which im gonna use to shade bottom areas of the tank for Lps, zoas, mushrooms, and a lot of acans. Two favorite corals are sps and Acans. Mushrooms come third. Im really doing my research on this one. Anyone with past experience doing towers and aquascape frequently, where do you research? any suggestions, opinions and criticism is welcome Thanks Farmer TY

[devildog1986]

And so it starts! Will be installing it Monday. That's when the water cans get to my homehttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160730/bc93878e1e9bb59da00c2f0061226640.jpg


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[FarmerTy]

Nice!

[devildog1986]

Time to clean!http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160801/6bda880913a8af630d21b10875cc052e.jpg


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[devildog1986]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160803/0ef8176e1a79d8fbaa49ec517f06254e.jpg
Ro/DI installed! Unfortunately, I ordered the water tanks online, and got the wrong ones.


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[alton]

What water pressure are you getting?

[devildog1986]

What water pressure are you getting?

Hey Alton,

I'm getting right around 48 and 50 psi. I will more than likely install a booster pump, and 1 more RO cartridge. The goal is to get 1:1 waste on my system right now I have a 3:1 flow restrictor.


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[devildog1986]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160804/cd09eaefd611d7768fdb4249c380f83e.jpg

Time to remove a bunch of sand and clean the aquarium.

Trash cans coming in tomorrow.

The sump should be ready by late next week. Hope I can synchronize everything to put it all together the same day. It's coming together!




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[devildog1986]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160804/9a2f86da7e8766a0dcd5e8a0827e76df.jpg

It looks pwetty again! I really like how the background and wall blend in.

Added bonus. The two 55 gallon brute containers came in today. Kids come in tomorrow! Can't wait.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160804/d9dc2dd8b1a0d295384a693139b9d3e5.jpg


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[devildog1986]

Got to working all last night. I lasted till 3 in the morning, but I'd call it a pretty productive day. I also got my sump in yesterday, putting added pressure to the build. I work better under pressure. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160806/1771bf05b009b8300f82b9dcaf4336e0.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160806/9ab598c2bf214c562d274755135975eb.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160806/5cd359cfbb44681cec3cfda2e88c8f9a.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160806/6fcf253800a6f0b0798a3d5876111403.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160806/725fa9cdf3244bb1e1721adb508aa4b8.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160806/68c2b159a6a7ae213eb2576fafd4847d.jpg

I love my new sump!


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[SABOB]

Saw that sump at Elegant Reef,Louis is The Man........keep the updates coming,looking sweet😎


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[devildog1986]

Saw that sump at Elegant Reef,Louis is The Man........keep the updates coming,looking sweet😎


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Thanks man


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[12_Egg_Omelette]

Following. Thanks for telling me
About your build

[devildog1986]

Following. Thanks for telling me
About your build

Cool man, thanks.


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[devildog1986]

Well. Last night was another long night trying to finish the build. I got my electrical finished. I added a 1x6 to mount all my controllers and electrical. I also installed the new sump. However, I need to find something for cushion between the stand and sump. I don't like making contact with two solid surfaces. The only issue I ran into yesterday, was leveling the tank. I couldn't find my long level. So leveling with a small level was impossible. I simply gave up, lol. But that's all minor. Will finish the install today, and get the tank cycling with the 60 lbs of rock I have. Other 60 lbs should come in on Friday. Substrate comes in on Tuesday. I Well. Last night was another long night trying to finish the build. I got my electrical finished. I added a 1x6 to mount all my controllers and electrical. I also installed the new sump. However, I need to find something for cushion between the stand and sump. I don't like making contact with two solid surfaces. The only issue I ran into yesterday, was leveling the tank. I couldn't find my long level. So leveling with a small level was impossible. I simply gave up, lol. But that's all minor. Will finish the install today, and get the tank cycling with the 60 lbs of rock I have. Other 60 lbs should come in on Friday. Substrate comes in on Tuesday. I can see the finish line. see the finish line.

Heres how I ran my electrical. I installed a 20 amp breaker with 12 gauge wire. I also used GFCI's instead of regular plugs. And of course, the mounting board for my controllers and pumps.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/05a82e3ac9df27c354c5f815e356c562.jpg


Sump went into the stand with no problem. However, I might pull it out again to put something between the stand and sump for cushion. Last thing I need is for my sump to crack or leak.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/5a2915e4762336dcde90e102d664d672.jpg


Talk about a tight fit with my skimmer.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/8906cb023bd82364c24af6de07c933d4.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/dd7529910085db6d75a41cc36b96468e.jpg


Here is where I mounted the pump and heater. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/6197594b763846c685277e400b6a42ab.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/502c9e9b1dcfe051bd18e95e4cfcd864.jpg




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[devildog1986]

Perfectly leveled tank. Atleast, I hope it is! Lolhttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/93e5c365c121a2fba2069fb8c6bba42b.jpg

Found this nice water proof padding at lowes for my sumphttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160807/d8073056c8d6a2aa5bd074f65d36aac7.jpg

Now to check for level one more time with water in the tank.


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[devildog1986]

Finally I added the rock and water to my tank. I'm making more RODI water right now. I should be able to fill it all the way in the next day or two. Right now it's just RODI water. Once I fill it all the way I'll mix in the salt.

As far as the rock, it looks nice. But I got so much rubble, it's not even funny. There's white spots where the rock broke off during shipping. But it'll get full of coralline in no time. I guess on the plus side, I won't have to buy Frag plugs in a very long time lol. The rock looks beautiful. It's what we all try to achieve on a established tank. Best part is that its man made rock. I've bought live rock straight from the ocean, and it was a nightmare! Aiptasia everywhere. A lot of little predators that would eat at my coral. It just wasn't worth it. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160808/6a743704f5c141f7d075d9ed4ed4cf29.jpg


I start a new job at the end of August in Austin, so once I get in routine, I will be building a stand and canopy for my aquarium. I wasn't happy with the amount of shims I had to use. So I will be building a stand with an exposed bottom. It'll be a whole lot more stable and easier to level.


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[12_Egg_Omelette]

Awesome. Elos makes their stands like that. Also hear it adds to the quiet factor.

[devildog1986]

Been on hold, waiting for ups to deliver my sand. They lost the package, and ended up in California. Then they say I won't get it until Tuesday. I ordered the sand on the 4th of August! Stupid UPS. I really hope they didn't pop one of the bags!

On the plus side of things. I frkn love my new toy
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160812/a84f50e5a56b384873de471debcb6c6c.jpg


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[devildog1986]

Pump came in for saltwater mix station. Now I just need to find hosing. I'm trying to stay away from pond hosing or anything like that. It eventually becomes a tangled mess. Any suggestions would be great!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160812/462bf5c4af129331481184de870b9031.jpg


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[mkengr45]

I don't see the overflow for the tank...is it drilled?

[devildog1986]

I don't see the overflow for the tank...is it drilled?

No it's not, it's on the left corner.


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[mkengr45]

No it's not, it's on the left corner.


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Ok gotcha...I always like to stick my heaters in the overflow so they are out of the way. I control the heaters with my controller (GHL Profilix 3ex) but set the little cheapy knob on the heaters a few degrees higher than my controller setpoint for safety. I also like running two of them for redundancy. I've seen controller sockets malfunction and get stuck ON with several controllers...so program your safeties wisely.

[devildog1986]

Ok gotcha...I always like to stick my heaters in the overflow so they are out of the way. I control the heaters with my controller (GHL Profilix 3ex) but set the little cheapy knob on the heaters a few degrees higher than my controller setpoint for safety. I also like running two of them for redundancy.

That makes sense, but I don't think I have the space for a heater in the overflow. Right now I just have an old water heater, but from my research I will be doing the same and run 2 of them. I'll probably go with the cobalt heaters. They tend to break in the off position.


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[Eric_r]

Hey man I'm fairly certain I just saw you at elegant reef today. I was going to talk to you but I didn't want to intrude.

[devildog1986]

Hey man I'm fairly certain I just saw you at elegant reef today. I was going to talk to you but I didn't want to intrude.

Yeah? I was there trading some rubble that came in my shipment of live rock. You shoulda said hi. I'm hard to miss. Big ol' green wheelchair and all.


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[Eric_r]

I was the guy in the light blue shirt. I was 90 percent positive because I heard you retelling the tale of the ups/FedEx working you over. Then I saw your license plates and put 2 and 2 together. I just wanted to say in-person thank you for everything that you have done/been through and if you ever need anything you can count me in!

[devildog1986]

I was the guy in the light blue shirt. I was 90 percent positive because I heard you retelling the tale of the ups/FedEx working you over. Then I saw your license plates and put 2 and 2 together. I just wanted to say in-person thank you for everything that you have done/been through and if you ever need anything you can count me in!


Thanks man,

You are more than welcome. Yeah, I'm pretty irate about UPS. They were asking me about what substrate I was gonna use, so that's how it came up. I'm just hoping the bags didn't burst.


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[devildog1986]

The sand finally came in yesterday. After 14 days lol. The epoxy also came in. So it's time to aquascape the tank. This will be the first time I do it with a 4 yr old and 2 yr old around lol.


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[alton]

The sand finally came in yesterday. After 14 days lol. The epoxy also came in. So it's time to aquascape the tank. This will be the first time I do it with a 4 yr old and 2 yr old around lol.


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Enjoy that 4 and 2 year old, they will grow real fast in to a 26 and 28 year old I know. Glad you got your substrate

[devildog1986]

Enjoy that 4 and 2 year old, they will grow real fast in to a 26 and 28 year old I know. Glad you got your substrate

Yeah your not kidding.

My 4 yr old starts school on Monday. My 2 yr old is more and more active every day. Thank you!



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[devildog1986]

Aquascaping time! http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160817/46fc1a01a05bf2cc6258ba70f5a9ad6e.jpg


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[devildog1986]

Decisions, decisions!!🤔

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160817/b1f76fdebdbfb156080f4532df3353de.jpg


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[devildog1986]

Aquascape get 125 lbs of live rock is more challenging than I thought. Then again what brings it together will be the corals. Lots of caves, lots of little arches, two channels, and many levels for a mixed reef. My main goal was to make sure everything was stable, and for the rocks to look like 1 solid piece of rock.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160818/860b48912cfc5793f76b099e3fb466df.jpg


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[SABOB]

Love the picture of your Mermaid......my 4 yr old Granddaughter wears Princess dresses everyday,Lol


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[devildog1986]

Love the picture of your Mermaid......my 4 yr old Granddaughter wears Princess dresses everyday,Lol


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Thanks! Mine does too. She throws a fit every time my wife washes them lol. So we take them away from her at night.


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[devildog1986]

Sand is finally clearing up. It's still a little hazy. But you can see what I was trying to create. Gotta go buy a turkey Baster. lol!http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160819/557abce5ac1528107008413eb9a993a8.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160819/04f6a67b7971dd816abd18ff2ac601d8.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160819/3b388314e3b7ccc585e62889d34837f8.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160819/882e0413fd56a96e47ffac7beb81b35b.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160819/abd7f18c6922db7205f6bf0daef9424e.jpg


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[devildog1986]

Well, adjusting to a new schedule makes it hard to keep up with the build updates, but here is where I'm at so far the wife got me two gen 4's, there is a lot of Copepods, and a few reef cleaners. Next will be an auto top off system. Some fish and coral to start aging my aquarium after that I'll be looking into purchasing a reef link and two Mp40 pumps. Any suggestions with auto top off systems would be great thanks for lookinghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160916/27cb64c93de07470d2d836ecf23f7113.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160916/33be9f16bf46fe6bd4d0bb776889dff8.jpg


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