New reef in the works, 225g

[Dave C]

I'm in the process of putting a new reef together. It's all been ordered and is starting to arrive. With any luck I'll have the complete setup by the end of the month. Here's a list of what is coming.

225g tank, 72Lx30Wx24H, starphire front & sides, center internal overflow
97g sump/refugium, acrylic, 48Lx26Wx18H
Steel stand, 72Lx30Wx40T
Infinity XR4 HQI 3x250w MH, 8x39 T5 lights with ACLS controller
Deltec AP851 Protein Skimmer
Deltec PF600 Calcium Reactor
Deltec KM500 Kalk Mixer
Tunze TS48 - 4 x 6100 stream, 7095 controller
Tonga live rock - 320lbs
Aquatronica controller
Ozotech Poseidon
MTC Ozone reactor
Aqua UV 114w

The tank and much of the equipment is coming from Aquarium Obsessed. I'll start posting some pics of what I've got or have built so far.

[OCDP]

Sounds like one sweet setup .... looking forward to more.

[Dave C]

It will be bb, so I got some starboard to protect the glass and I think it will look nicer. I come from a Discus background so cleanliness is a requirement and bb tanks look fine to me. I got the starboard in two pieces for easier shipping. It came from the Cutting Board Company.

[Dave C]

A week and a half ago I got a batch 160lbs of Tonga LR from J&L. It's curing now and this week I should get another batch. Since the tank will be bb I decided not to go with any base rock. Here's a pic of some of the pieces. That carpet tile is 18"x18".

[Dave C]

The stand is made of 1.5" tubular steel. I was hoping to have it powdercoated but it looks like I'll be spraypainting it instead. In order to fit it through my office door I had to have it made in 3 sections, 24Lx30Wx40H. They will be bolted together and the entire stand will sit in an aluminum tray with a 4" apron on it. That should keep any leaks/spills from hitting the carpet.

All of the equipment for this tank must fit under the stand. Here's a preliminary plan of how that should fit.



Here's how the stand looks so far.

[Dave C]

Under the stand, and above the sump there will be a shelf, 48"x30". It will sit on rebar that will fit in holes drilled in the legs of the stand. I plan to put all of the electrical / power center up there. It will be isolated from water & salt and should be relatively safe there. I have built a power center for most of the equipment. This will be wired to a DJ power center so I can easily turn equipment off & on. Another DJ power center will be wired to my Aquatronica powerbars so I can override the controller. That will make more sense when that equipment arrives. Here's the power center that I built. It will sit on the shelf to the left facing the length of the tank...



Yesterday & today I have been priming this unit & painting it with black paint to make it more water resistant. The tank stand will also be painted black as will all of the electrical housings. I will build a skin for the stand and attach it with strong magnets to cover up all of this wonderful gadgetry.

[Dave C]

That's pretty much where I'm at as of today. This week I hope to be finishing the stand, getting the Tunze, Calcium reactor, ozone reactor, sump, aquatronica gear and the rest of the live rock. The rest of the equipment & tank should arrive by the end of the month.

[niloc16]

looks awesome so far buddy, i've definitely taggin along for the ride. those pieces of live rock look nice. i like the dimensions of the tank. i wish mine was 30 wide and 24 deep. mine is 30 deep and 24 wide it makes it a little difficult to reach the bottom of the tank. the power center looks really clean and tidy, i like that. definitely keep us posted

[Johnny Reefer]

Just curious....why are you going with black starboard?

Thanx much,

[zulu_principle]

Saw Aquarium Obsessed's work at MACNA, very impressive.

Your system is coming along nicely, keep us updated.

All the best.


Wendell