Budget doesn't exist in this hobby: Brian's 45g Build

[Myka]

Try to find a 15-gallon tank for your sump. Dims are 24 x 12 x 12". You just have to be smart about your baffle height and plumbing so there is room for the water to backflow and not overflow the sump. I used a 15 on my 50-gallon reef.

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[Etaloche]

Originally Posted by Myka

Try to find a 15-gallon tank for your sump. Dims are 24 x 12 x 12". You just have to be smart about your baffle height and plumbing so there is room for the water to backflow and not overflow the sump. I used a 15 on my 50-gallon reef.

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Alright I'll have a lookout for one.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Etaloche

Alright I'll have a lookout for one.

Maybe you can trade your 20-gallon for a 15? Or, Petsmart here carries the 15-gallon tanks for I think less than $20, but I can't remember for sure. A 10-gallon will be too small.

[Etaloche]

Got a fresh box of apples from user SSDiver from Kamloops!



Let's see what's inside!
Awwww it wasn't apples
SSDiver really put in some care packaging everything and even covered half the shipping.



So here are the things I bought from him:

Tunze DOC 9004 protein skimmer for $70 and 3162 comline filter for $50


SWC Xtreme LED lights $90
I couldn't pull up much info on these lights other than that they use 3W Cree LED which people seem to have mixed opinions about.
Do you guys think this will be adequate for a 29g? If not I was thinking of adding a T5 fixture to go along later down the road.
Fan is so damn loud on this thing... I don't know how someone could listen to it all day. Will have to replace it for sure.








I was a little hesitant about this purchase but went for it anyways.
Tunze 3155 ATO for $120
I'm trying to keep this a budget build and an ATO is a bit of a luxury item, but since I was buying multiple items SSDiver gave me a fair price for it so I thought why not.




Koralia Nano 425 PH for $10


Here are some things he threw in for free which was really nice of him.
Power bar, 300W heater, magfloat glass cleaner, and a mechanical timer


Quick mock up of how everything will go in the sump.
Heater, skimmer and filter in the first chamber. The 300W heater might be too big and I might need to purchase a smaller 200W heater instead.
ATO sensors and the pump in the return chamber.


Shoutout to SSDiver, he was so amazing with communication and just an awesome person to do business with.

Even while trying to keep this a budget build it's not proving to be cheap. For someone on a tighter budget the comline filter and the ATO were not necessary purchases and could save roughly $170 without those 2 parts.
At least all the expensive components have been purchased now. Only the plumbing left really.
Where is the best place to buy plumbing parts in Vancouver? I went to RONA today and they had scarce amounts of plumbing parts.

Total cost now: $480

[FishyFishy!]

Good choice on going with the ATO. I wouldnt consider that a luxury item at all. In a smaller water volume setup such as this, evaporation can cause salinity swings easily if you're not diligent with your water top ups. Id count that as a good, must have purchase.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

I wouldnt consider that a luxury item at all.

Agreed. I think this is mandatory equipment. If I'd had to top off manually, I would have quit years ago. My ATO is plumbed right into my RO. Haven't touched it in years.

[Etaloche]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

Good choice on going with the ATO. I wouldnt consider that a luxury item at all. In a smaller water volume setup such as this, evaporation can cause salinity swings easily if you're not diligent with your water top ups. Id count that as a good, must have purchase.

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Agreed. I think this is mandatory equipment. If I'd had to top off manually, I would have quit years ago. My ATO is plumbed right into my RO. Haven't touched it in years.

Thanks guys, making me feel much better about the buy.
Now only if I could convince my gf that spending $120 on a "thingy that squirts water into the tank every once in a while" was a sensible purchase hahaha

[Geo]

its all good practice for the day you have to justify the 100.00 - 1/2" frags.

I'm enjoying the build, thanks for sharing it.