iReef86's 120g Deep Blue

[iReef86]

Hey everyone! Been working on this build now for a few weeks and wanted to share with this community!

iReef86's 120g Deep Blue

 

[Desert Orchid]

Looks like a great start and excellent system. Following along.....

 

[iReef86]

Thanks! Got a few updates today! Sump works. Drains are plumbed!

More updates to come!!

 

[revhtree]

Looks great! Please post your updates here!

 

[iReef86]

Looks great! Please post your updates here!

Thanks bud! Better pic to share!

 

[iReef86]

We have been talking about a built in tank since before we bought our house. The not so good catch was we found a house horrible to accommodate such an awesome idea... Finally found a way to have the built in look with out actually having the availability in our home. What to do, what to do. It has been 15 years since my first saltwater tank. Now to do things on a new level...

So the journey begins...

We decided to build a tank stand that could be attached to the wall easily (as well as removed) and finished to look like it was part of the house. We picked the size and got right to work. We originally had an 80g Deep Blue for this stand, but after the tank was on the stand, it was lost in space. The tank was just too small. So I convinced the wife, rather she convinced me, we needed a bigger tank. Ended up picking up a brand new 120g Deep Blue with dual corner overflows. We have decided to name it "Del Mar," which means of the sea. Positive and Negative space working together. Corals intergrowing, fish swimming around. We want this tank to be inspirational. It will take time and dedication, with a hint of experience and patience. We expect this build to be our last for some time so we are taking it slow and editing our plans cautiously as we go. It will be an SPS dominated tank.

 

[iReef86]

 

[iReef86]

We are going to get another bag of live-sand either today or tomorrow. Some of the colored sticks are not where they are going to end up yet. It was a slight rush to get everything transferred from one tank to the other in the middle of the week. Once I finish putting the last few touches with the corals we have, I will be sure to upload my official first FTS! And yes, we know, the pillar on the left looks like an Alien from Independence Day, it happened unintentionally.

 

[iReef86]

- Display Tank: Deep Blue 120g Reef Ready
- Lighting: 8x54w T5HO
- Stand: Custom Stand and Canopy
- Skimmer: SuperReefOctopus SRO-2000-INT
- Return Pump: Waterblaster HY-5000
- Sump: Customized 40 Breeder with 3 Filter socks
- Circulation Pumps: Tunze 6105 w/controller, Tunze 6045, Tunze 6085
- Heater: Koralia 300w Titanium Heater
- Media Reactor: 2x Two Little Fishes PhosBan Reactor 150, ZeoReactor TBD
- Auto Top Off: Aquaticlife Floatswitch and Toms Aqualifter Pump
- RODI: SpectraPure 180gpd 6 stage Unit

 

[iReef86]

With my 6 bulb over my 90, we were front to back configured:

ATI Actinic
ATI Blue+
ATI AquaBlue Special
ATI Purple+
ATI Blue+
ATI Actinic

Wife and I discussed last night that we do like the way the tank looks with halides... When we do run halides (during the winter) it's only 4-6 hours per day, midday, and the T5s rotate on and off throughout the day.

If we go with Halides:

ATI Blue+
ATI Actinic
2x 250w German Radiums
ATI Purple+
ATI Blue+
ATI Actinic
ATI Blue+

If we do T5:

ATI Blue+
ATI Actinic
ATI Blue+
ATI AquaBlue Special
ATI Blue+
ATI Purple+
ATI Blue+
ATI Actinic

Seems like a lot of bulbs and a lot of work to get the timing down but it is awesome to see the color and growth we get. Hopefully this new salt works a little magic and we can dose a little less.

 

[iReef86]

So we did something pretty unexpected... Traded out the Halides we love so much for LEDs... Can't say I'm crying about it. Color customization is really handy. Keeping the shimmer and intensity of the blue has got me drooling!

My wife likes em too!!! Thumb up!

 

[iReef86]

Forgot to post which ones!!! Nothing too fancy but Nova R4s from our local fish store ChesterAquaria.com.

Going to keep two pairs of t5s as well. Ramping up LEDs slowly, 25% Blues, 0% whites for this week, increasing roughly 10-15% weekly.

 

[skinz78]

Great looking reef!

 

[iReef86]

Great looking reef!

Thank you! Let's see how long this open reef last!

 

[Desert Orchid]

WOW!! Really like the balance of open space and islands. Looking good!!

 

[iReef86]

WOW!! Really like the balance of open space and islands. Looking good!!

Thank you! It's been fun to put corals almost 360* on each island! Stags coming up between the left 2 islands and millis on the right.. I vision something a weebit different than most tanks right now!

 

[spspirate]

Hey Christian your set up looks amazing! Really like the stand. Someone has skills! I need to get over and check out the reef.

 

[powdermonkey]

Really like the open scape for a stick build. Are the baffles on your sump glass with the sock holders acrylic? Also interested why you decided to go with LEDs when you've been so successful with mh? I will be integrating mh/t12 back in with my radions.

 

[iReef86]

Hey Christian your set up looks amazing! Really like the stand. Someone has skills! I need to get over and check out the reef.

Thank you, Andy! Been in 2 hobbies long enough, reefing and woodworking. Time to show off a little bit. I like simplicity! You are more than welcome to come check it out anytime!

Really like the open scape for a stick build. Are the baffles on your sump glass with the sock holders acrylic? Also interested why you decided to go with LEDs when you've been so successful with mh? I will be integrating mh/t12 back in with my radions.

Hi Powdermonkey! Thank you! Baffles and sock holders are all made of acrylic. Been doing it this way for years! It works really well having all water filter through socks before pumps! Makes cleaning easier!

As for Halides to LEDs: a great opportunity presented itself getting theses fixtures. A trial run is definitely in progress, what I can tell you is that I LOVE the ability to control the color of the tank and intensity, as well as the more consistent temperature. I was only running halides 4 hours a day, with a 4-5 degree shift.. Imagine 8 hours.

So I feel that I will sacrifice maybe a little bit of growth but I expect color and stability to be amazing! I still have my shimmer and I can change the color almost at any given second!

 

[powdermonkey]

I too have been using acrylic baffles with a glass tank for years. I just always read people saying its a ticking time bomb...acrylic will expand and break the glass...silicone will not bond to the acrylic and the baffles will fail....lol. Yes all that is true but not quite that extreme. Hopefully I can keep up with your thread and see your thoughts on the led vs mh. I loved my radions for the reasons you stated. The blues and purples corals were insane but the reds, greens, orange, lacked...yellow never existed. I do see your issues dealing with the heat too. Good luck