Dave's 300 Gallon Reef
 

I guess I should start my own thread to build off. This is my new 300 gal Marineland deep dimension tank (72x36x27) We recently purchased a new home and I seized the opportunity to upgrade, my previous tank was a 180 which was an upgrade from my original 77 gal which I started over 18 years ago (boy have things changed). I allways wanted a tank built into a wall and the new house gave me the opportunity. The tank has now been up and running for four months and all went smooth with the move and there was only a few minor casualties, here are a few pics I will try to get some better ones later.
Tank built into wall, service room behind.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1468.jpg
One of the many patches of pocillipora (grows like a weed in my tank)
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1456.jpg
My frogspawn, started as a single polyp from Marie a few years back, now has 20+ heads
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1455.jpg
My clam (lost the other one in the move)
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1425.jpg

I will try to get better pics of some of the other inhabitants later.

FTS looks great... What's your lighting? Filtration? etc... Got any pics from the build up?

And to think you wanted to give it back to me because it wasn't doing very good :razz:
The purple tip montipora you gave me in trade has been spread all over the lower mainland and the island...pretty much to anyone who comes to visit me actually :lol:

wow man love the trim did you use 1/4" round around the edge of the trim

Lighting-72" Coralife aqualight elite 3x 250w 14k halide 2x98x pc actinic
Filtration- 55 gal sump, Precision Marine Bullet 2 skimmer
Precision Marine calcium reactor/pinpoint controller
Medusa temp controller
Tunze wavebox
Tunze ozmolator for top off
Korallia 4 for added circulation
Main return pump Iwaki 40wmd
Coralife 50gpd RO w/float valve to 20 gal resevoir
S.G. 1.025
Temp 77.9
Alk 8-10dkh
Calcium 420
Nitrate,Phoshate undetectable (medusa coloromiter used for testing)

I think there may be a couple pics as we worked on it but I basically went from nothing to done in 3 days because we had to be out of the old place so there was not time to document the whole process.

I don't remember where I got the original frag of that pocillipora from but it sure grows and spreads fast (allready have new ones growing on the glass) it has even morphed to at least three different color varieties.

Ok Dave we don't care about what you have in the back, Actually we do, We want pictures of the back side of your tank, Skimmer's lights sumps power bars RO units you name it.

STOP BE TIGHT WITH PICTURES.:razz:

The trim is actually three pieces, the outer most part is door casing to tie it into the rest of the room trim and then a piece if 1x4 and then a piece of 1/4x1 to trim it close to the tank glass.

LOL, I will try to get you all some more pics real soon, not much of a photographer so it takes me time to get decent pics.

I'm pretty sure Mike doesn't care if they're decent or not :razz:

equipment doesnt matter I'm bored as heck here ... Get Marie over there to take pictures too.

that is right Marie Im a Inwall tank guy and need a fix. Remember Im a Man I'm not fuzzy

That pocillopora grows pretty good in my tank too. When you gave it to me it was smaller than a penny. Now it's about 4" across. The pocci Marie gave me is doing real well also. Must be the P.R. air:mrgreen:

Very nice setup ... If you don't mind sharing, where did you purchase the tank from?
Dale

I dont know what it is but I'll take what I can get, it seems to be the only sps the bubble coral wont kill.

Tank was purchased at the local pet shop (Animal World) I think I got a pretty good deal on it, can't say for sure what I paid as my wife sometimes reads these posts:biggrin:

What wives don't know won't hurt them!

I try to look at the cost as an investment over time, I think if you break it down far enough over the 18 years I've been doing this it's only $0.16 an hour. Thats pretty cheap for a hobby these days right?:rolleyes:

Couple more pics

As you walk into the back room, you get to really see the depth (36")
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1469.jpg
Looking thru the back of the tank (I cover the back of the tank with black fabric)
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1474.jpg
Looking thru the front (starfire glass) with the back curtain off you can clearly see the skimmer and reactor that is three feet behind the tank
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1493.jpg
Horn coral that has grown from a 1" frag over the past 8 months
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1485.jpg
Coral Banded Shrimp "Claws"
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1489.jpg
Dime size Pocillipora (note the purple tips, new growth), these grow to the size of golf balls in about 6 months (anybody want some, I gots lots!)
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1490.jpg
Green plate corals, I had one and the toadstool shed its mucus that landed on it which killed it, I never removed the skeleton and about three months later noticed tiny little green spots, there is now approx 20 new discs ranging in size from 1/8" to about 1 1/2"
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1496.jpg
The center piece of the tank, my 15 year old bubble coral
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...ubblecoral.jpg

Very nice Dave. Did you have any heat issues with the warm autumn weather we had? Or are the fans in the light fixture enough to keep temp down.

I have the medusa temp controller, no chiller but I have a turbo fan hooked to that outlet, when the temp rises the fan comes on and blows accross the surface of the tank, the temp runs between 77.8 and 78.5 with very little fluctuation, I actually need to vent the room as it does get warm in there when the halides are on but nothing to be concerned with this time of year.

Pic of the bubble coral just after lights out, bubbles starting to shrink and those deadly tenticles comming out.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1497.jpg

Very nice setup!!

Wait til Doug see's the Bubble coral. he had a huge one too, I see that you have your tank in your furance room too. that is were I have mine. mine is only 24 wide your's is 36 that is crazy wide and nice for swimming room.

I don't know how the furnace is going to hold up to the humid salty conditions, when it packs it in I will move it to the other side of the wall to free up space for some propagation tanks, I am loving the 36" depth, I actually have all of the glass pieces to build a 60"x48"x36" but I didn't have time to assemble it as my old place sold right away and the new owner wanted immediate possession. Doug HAD a large bubble coral! I hope in another 15 years I can tell people I HAVE a giant bubble coral, I HAD a very large elegance coral that lived ten years and grew to about 16" before it unexplicably shriveled up and died one day:sad: It was a stunning piece, I will have to see if I can find pics of it.

ya I added a big bathroom fan to exhaust out the camp air, and it works great i dont have it hooked up to a humidstat thou. SInce I dont need it IMO but its very dry in Manitoba. something t ollok into. im going to get a even bigger one tha tis died silent next.

Nice tank, i like the dims of it.

I wanted to ask you about the elegance coral you kept for a long time. I heard that they can be found in murky low flow areas. I was wondering if you fed it weekly and what did it prefer to eat? I had one in the past that didn't last too long maybe a couple months after that I was discouraged to ever get one, a few people here have kept some for no longer than six months..... I spoke to a guy that owns 3 and he has them doing well the longest one for 3 years. When asked what kept them alive he said he fed them pellets I laughed at first then asked him if he was serious and yes he was. I decided to try my luck again this time buying a nice one to put in my new set up I have had it for 2 weeks now. I feed it small pieces of tiger prawns which he took gladly. I will continue to feed it every week but any opinions you have I am all ears thanks.

Chris

Yes I fed it, indirectly it got scraps daily when the fish were fed and directly every couple days I would give it a chunk of frozen brine ship or formula frozen cubes, it did very well and grew substantially in the time I had it but it died not long after my magnificant anenome died (another long time resident) I never did figure out what caused it's demise and no other inhabitants were affected, I have tried two since and lost both within 6 months, it must be where they collect them from now as I have not heard many success stories, when I bought my original (15 years ago) I am sure they came from different locations than the ones we are seeing today.

Get a duncan instead, they're hardy and if you carefully tilt your head to the side and squint a little bit, it almost looks like an elegance coral :razz:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ll/misc014.jpg

I will try and find some pics of my elegance (old stills) it was stunning, it was about 12" at the base when it died (8 years ago) if it was still around today it would have easily been double that.

Very nice setup! I'm a big fan of the new marineland deep dimension series and yours is the first one I've seen in action.

I also see that you are running a wavebox in your tank and was wondering how you overcame the constant flushing sound accompanied by the water level rising and falling into your tanks dual overflows. I'm assuming you are using a herbie style system but I'd like to know just how you would do that with 2 overflows at the ends of your aquarium.

I'm really considering one of these tanks for when I upgrade but was concerned about the noise my wavebox would generate with overflows at both ends of the tank. I have a hard enough time adjusting my herbie overflow in a AGA megaflow overflow which is located just off center of the tank, let alone 2 overflows that are located where the wave height/water level would fluctuate the most due to the wavebox.

It is a little on the noisy side but the wavebox is adjustable for duration and intensity, If I set it to do a double wave it is quieter but is not intense enough, I dont really notice the noise as it is built into the wall and I insulated the service room behind. I am using the stock overflows and returns that came with the tank and my only real complaint is the returns, they have a antisiphon hole drilled in them that sprays water everywhere (remedied by securing a piece of floss in front of the hole) I would reccomend the deep tank to anyone they are some impressive all set up, pics just dont do it justice.

A really nice tank...these Marineland are in my LFS and they are really impressive to look at. Do you feel that the Starfire makes a big difference?

I wouldn't have thought a piece of glass would be that big a deal but now that I see the difference I will never buy another large tank without the starfire glass. If you look at the edge you can see out the other end clear as day! and that is six feet. It almost looks like there is no glass at all, just some invisible force holding the water in, it was well worth the extra cash, glad I went that road.

First new addition to the tank since the big move
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1520.jpg
Just a tiny little fella, about 2", went straight to work picking at the live rock so it should be a nice addition.

Aaw...little cutie.

Very nice!! How are you Powell Riverites dealing with getting livestock, equip, and the like? Must be a lot of pre-planning if you're bringing livestock back from the LM. Don't know how many times I've gotten into Saltrey Bay just to see the last ferry pulling away for the night.

Maybe I can set up a tour when I'm out visiting the in-laws in the spring?

Colin

Most of the time I try to buy local (there is one shop in town that deals saltwater) otherwise I pick up livestock when I am in the city, on occasion I will fly stuff up (have an order right now with coralmaster, he is going to overnight it to Van and then my sister is going to put it on the plane for me) my door is allways open to fellow fish nuts! drop me a line next time you are in town.

Damn nice tank dave, really like the trim work, and you were'nt kidding when u said the starfire was clear lol!! ur skimmer in the back looks crystal clear.!!

Latest additions, in total I have added 60 new frags in the last two months, hopefully these grow into some nice specimens.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_1870.jpg