New Tank! ...and first post!

[BC_Grl]

Wow- what a nice tank! :D
Do you mind me asking the size of your tank?

[jlaronde]

Thanks for all the positive feedback.

I'm glad I have an ID on my creature now - perhaps I'll give him an early release and set him free in my main tank. I just hope he survives the tank cycling.

My tank specs:
- Custom Inter-American w/ starfire glass on the front 3 sides. Dimensions are 48"L x 20"W x 30"D.(approx. 120 Gallons).
- The stand and canopy are DIY, with a metal frame and covered in oak.
- Lighting is provided by 2 x 96W PC Actinics w PFO electronic ballast and 2 x 250 Watt MH 10K DE HQI on Icecap ballasts.
- Canopy also contains 2 Icecap fans
- Refugium is a 20"L x 14"W x 14"D by Lifereef
- Sump is also Lifereef with a VS3-24 Lifereef Skimmer
- Calcium Reactor is also a Lifreef LCR-1 controlled by a Pinpoint Ph Controller
- The main pump is a little Giant 4MDQX-SC
- 2 x AquaClear 5000 powerheads in the tank
- There is approximately 300 lbs of sand in the tank (approx. 6") and about 40lbs in the Refugium (7") (Thanks Tony)
- Almost everything is controlled by an Aquacontroller II
- RO/DI is a Kent Maxxima 60GPD unit

Most of the equipment is housed in the furnace room below the tank. (Very small, but easier to access than under the tank). The Refugium is currently lit by a worklight, until I decide on the lighting I want.

As for reefers in Brooks - I have heard that there is 1 or 2 others with reef tanks (this from my LFS who doesn't even carry saltwater fish) but I have yet to meet them.

Sorry for the long post... I tend to get carried away sometimes.

James

Another couple of tank shots....





Underneath...



Equipment room:

[Delphinus]

Wow, would you look at all that ... what a fantastic setup you have. Congratulations! That must have been a fair share of work. Hope to see more of this tank as it matures! ;)

[Mak]

Yes, very nice indeed ;) .

[billc]

Im impressed (big time) Nice looking set up, really clean and well thought out.. Be sure and post some pics when the tanks matures...
By the way where did you get your rock??

[jlaronde]

I think the set-up was the easy part. I just hope I can get my mature tank to like like some of the tanks I've seen here.

The rock was ordered from J&L Aquatics. - 140lbs of uncured Vavau Tonga Rock.

James

[Troy F]

Great looking set-up James and welcome to Canreef. I look forward to more pictures.

[BCReefer]

How is your main tank connected to the closet?

nice clean tank. The rock looks cool.

Cheers,
Patrick

[wayner]

Welcome to the Board!, I'd like to know if you were totally satisfied with your Inter-American tank?, do you feel the starfire is worth the extra expense?

Nice job on the stand, was this just a regular black iron aquarium stand that you framed in Oak?

also if you could, please explain your retuns, closed loop?

Thanks

[jlaronde]

Sorry for the delay in responses...I've been away for a couple of weeks.

The Inter-American tank is great. I purchased it with beveled and polished edges on all surfaces - including the overflow. There was excess silicone in some areas, mostly on the bottom edges and on the bottom of the tank, but nothing visible once the tank was filled. I'm not sure if the Starfire glass was worth the extra expense or not since I have nothing to compare it to. I'm told though there is definitely a difference when placed side to side with regular glass.

One word of warning.... be prepared to wait for delivery! I actually ordered the tank on April 17th, and did not take possession until August 27th. Part of the wait was because Mitch from Inter-American had promised free shipping as he had a truck headed out my way. The delivery date kept changing every week for almost 3 months. I wasn't too concerned though as I wasn't ready for the tank until August anyhow.

When the tank arrived, it was drilled with the wrong size drain hole and one of the bulkheads he supplied was the wrong size. I had ordered a 2" drain and he had drilled it for a 1 1/2" drain. (It was no major problem since my Lifereef sump was built with 2 - 1" drains, it was just a matter of a changing a few fittings).

I had originally planned on placing the sump and all equipment under the tank, however after gathering everything together, it was going to be a little tight so I relocated the equipment into the furnace room below the tank. The 1 1/2" drain from the tank is split into 3 - 1" pipes. 2 go through the floor into the sump, the 3rd goes into the refugium, then down into the sump, right beside the intake of the main pump (hopefully bypassing the skimmer).

The main pump (Little Giant 4MDQX-SC) returns water to the main tank via 2 - 3/4" returns. Additional circulation in the tank is provided by 2 - AquaClear 5000 powerheads (approx. 1000 gal/hr each) I'm still trying different nozzles / tubing to obtain the best circulation. Presently the powerheads are each run independently at 10 minute intervals (on the Aquacontroller 2), creating a left - right current, then reversing. I would have preferred drilling for a closed loop, but I wasn't really sure on how I was going to go about it, so I settled on the powerheads.

The stand was made from a 2" x 2" welded square tube frame, then covered with 1" x 6" oak. The top and bottom is 3/4" plywood. The whole stand weighs about 300lbs. (way overbuilt, but I can sleep soundly at night.)

James

Stand fabrication:


Another: