my reeftank project

[reefer]

hey all!
just thought i would share some pics of my reef tank project i have been putting together over the last few months.
the tank, stand, sump, skimmer, and refugium i got from austin aquariums.
the add-on stand i had my friend make for me. it provides the space required to fit the protien skimmer, 20lb. co2 tank, and a electrical outlet panel underneath, while topside, it provides a base for placement of the refugium to sit behind the tank.
the light posts i had custom ordered from central machine works, they are make from 2"x1" square steel tubing. these will be mounted to the top of the stand add-on, and support the light fixture over the tank.
a karollin kalk reaktor will sit in the sump, and be operated by a pinpoint ph controller. i still need to order my lightfixture, which hopefully next week, i'l be able to place.
it won't be much longer i hope before i can get water in it, and start it cycling. then transfer everything over into one tank.
8)

[MikeP]

Wow mike that looks awesome - I like the way you have the refugium sitting behind the tank like that on the shelf with all the other stuff hidden underneath.

[captexas]

Mike - Looks good. Very interesting how you did your return lines from the sump. Don't think I've seen it done like that. What size is the tank and what pumps are you using? I am setting up a 75 and having a hard time deciding on which pumps to buy for my sump return and closed loop.

Chris

[matt]

Looks great! What kind of skimmer is that?

Matt

[reefer]

matt, thx! its a dual downdraft skimmer, as fer the actual manufacturer, you need to ask charlie of austin aquariums. he knows, but not telling...

chris, thx! the tank is a 75gl. reef ready. pump return to the tank is 700gpm mag-drive, i plan on throttling the output back to somewhere around 500gpm. the skimmer operates off a mag-drive 950gpm, and a the refugium will be supplied with mag-drive 250.

mikep, thx! are the brackets looking better? you saw them fresh from the shop, they wuz nasty! the stand add-on was a last ditch effort to stuff everything into position with out having to modify the stand or skimmer. the openness behind the stand gave me the idea for the light post, this way i didn't have to mount anything to the wall. building a wooden canopy wouldn't have looked good sticking nearly a foot away from the wall. but this setup came together quite easily to my surpise, i had a great fear that i mess'd up somewhere in the design.
peace!

[Henry]

That looks awesome. Love the fuge stand and light brackets. With all those elbows and such you might not have to trottle back the mag pump. keep us posted.

Henry

[Charley]

The refugium and dd skimmer are both made for me by a gentleman in Dallas. I guess they are “Austin Aquariums” brand. (chuckle).

Mike, the thing looks great, please keep us all posted on how it is going. Thanks for the photos, I forwarded them on to Michael so he could see your system too.

Charley