thomasvision
Community Member
Happy Thanksgiving Guys,
A few weeks ago I started a new Tank Build. I have already started documenting my build via video but a month or two ago Dave said I should give a build thread a try. I told David I don't normally do the forums (other than my local one) but I would love to give it a try. If you guys don't mind I will add some video links to the build thread. I am so much better with video than with words lol. And hey if you guys want to check the videos out do so and if not I will be adding lots of pics so just ask if you guys would like to see pics of anything specific. What cool is that I am already pretty much done with the build so you guy won't have to wait around too long to see updates.
Ok let's start with my previous tank which was a $150 Gallon Tall Marineland (48" long X 24" wide X 30" tall).
Really good tank but it was too deep for my liking. I really wanted to try out a shallow tank.
My current build is being sponsored. So, I wanted to do something nice for someone else. The tank and equipment for the 150 gallon was worth a little over $3000.00. I decided to sell everything to a college kid via my local forum for $400.00. The cool thing is he is studying marine biology and was so excited about the deal.
Here is a video of me breaking down the tank and his buddying coming to pick it up.
[video=youtube;iPZk6ubR1rI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPZk6ubR1rI&list=UU20FNzjmKeKfZX79PXDokBw[/video]
I had always wanted my next tank to be a Reef Savvy so I picked up one that was being used as a Display at Living Reef Orlando. Here are a few pics of the tank while is was still in the store (I love that pic above the tank lol!). I just took the tank and not the stand.
Video of us picking up the Reef Savvy
[video=youtube;eGUvGIeRQtU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGUvGIeRQtU&list=UU20FNzjmKeKfZX79PXDokBw[/video]
In the beginning I had planned on keeping my stand. The area in my foyer where the 150 was is really the only place we have for a tank in our house so I was going to get a new tank that had the same foot print as the 150 Gallon Marineland. But since I decided to give away everything I had to get a new stand.
I really wanted a tall stand so I decided to go with one that was 47 inches tall from a custom stand builder out of Florida.
Checking out my new stand [video=youtube;9rWA3VWPiSQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rWA3VWPiSQ&list=UU20FNzjmKeKfZX79PXDokBw[/video]
The first challenge I faced with my build was the fact that the stand builder thought I had the Ghost Overflow when in fact I had a hybrid overflow. For those of you that don't know the ghost overflow sits in the middle back of the tank and the Hybrid Overflow sits on the back right side of the tank. The challenge was the fact that the inside of my stand did not allow room for the bulkhead to fit properly when I cut the hole into the top of the stand.
The Tank is 48" but the inside of the stand is 43". I show problem and give a detailed explanation in this video here. [video=youtube_share;_DjaQenG-fs]http://youtu.be/_DjaQenG-fs?t=34s[/video]
To solve the problem I had to take of the decorative molding on the side of the tank and then cut a hole into the side of the tank to make room for the 90 degree PVC elbow.
I was able to put the molding back on. I used silicon to reattach it just in case I ever need to get back to that bulkhead.
The next stop was my equipment room. Here is an old photo of how it was arranged for my last tank.
This is a closet that sit on the other side of the wall behind the tank. For my new equipment room I wanted it to be more organized. So the next problem I ran into was while my new Reef Station (Sump) did fit into the closet, I did not account for the shape of my new refugium (which is a tall refugium). While I love the design I was expecting a rectangular refugium.
Aqua Medic Refugium (Above)
Aqua Medic Reef Station Above
So I had a buddy over my house and was explaining the situation and he made a great suggestion. He suggested that I knock down the wall in my closet to make a bigger equipment room.
And that is exactly what I did.
I did make of video of me knocking down the wall. What was cool is I had no idea what was behind it so you get to see my real reaction. I was like a kid on Christmas!
[video=youtube;4_4Bk2XwaZY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_4Bk2XwaZY[/video]
[video=youtube;_DjaQenG-fs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DjaQenG-fs[/video]
Fast forward I finally got the tank up and put rock in it. Now you guys are about 2 weeks ahead of my current tank build videos.
I used 130 pounds of Real Reef Rock.
I so wanted to do a timelapse of me setting up the aquaspace. BUT, every tank before this it has taking us hours to get the rock the way we wanted it so I figured the camera would have just put more pressure on me. In the end it only took me 10 - 15 minutes to get the rock scape the way I wanted it lol. And yes I was kicking myself for not filming it. Oh well.
Back to the closet. I couldn't find a shelving unit that I liked for my Quarantine tank and other equipment to sit on. PLUS, they were expensive! so I decided to build one myself out of 2 by 4's and some Martha Stewart shelves that were on sale at Lowes.
The Quarantine Tank is a Aqua Medic Yasha Nano around 10 gallons.
A few of my facebook followers suggested that I spray paint the PVC so I choose Burgundy. I think Ron would approve.
I am still working on my cord management (and I know I should have put the before before the after haha).
I got water in the tank and started the cycle about 2 weeks ago.
I've been using Dr. Tims for the past 5 - 6 years to cycle my tanks. I swear by the stuff!
This is my first time using any product by Aqua Medic so I am trying out their AB Salt. It mixed very well.
So my theme for this tank is sustainability. I really want everything to be man made, captive bred, and tank raised. Basically I want to see how hard or easy it would be if I did use anything from the ocean. Which brings me to the Oolitic Aragonite sand (calcium carbonate) I used from Real Reef. It's not out as of yet and it does come from the ocean. However, according to real reef "Oolitic aragonite is created as part of a unique ocean phenomenon on the Bahaman Bank. As temperatures change in the shallow waters, microscopic bio-matter is churned around and around. As this happens, crystalline layers build to form an oolite. Countless millions of these oolites become heavy and drop rain-like to the seabed floor as ultra-pure minerals. The effect forms a mist known as the “whitingsâ€. The whitings ocean phenomenon happens over and over creating a vast supply of minerals. Lab tests show a large percentage of newly created carbon in the minerals, indicating that the Oolitic Aragonite mineral is constantly and continually renewing itself. Sensory testing also indicates that untold amounts fall off the Bahama Bank and are likely recycled up fueling the rich shallow sea waters. Harvesting the Oolitic Aragonite sediment beds helps restore sea grasses and marine life."
I really like the look of the sand. I received it in its raw form so it was not pre-rinsed. Real Reef did say when this product goes live the plan on having a pre-rinsed version. Anyway as for me this was my first time using a dry sand (I usually used the Carib Sea Live Sand). Rinsing this in its Raw form was next to impossible. So I decided to skip the rinsing put it in and as the tank cycles and beneficial bacteria's begin to grow it should clump it up together nicely over time.
On the main display I am currently running two Kessil A360we's, the Kessil Spectral Controller and 2 Aqua Medic Ecodrift 8.0 circulation pumps. This is my first time using all of the equipment on this setup so in a few weeks I should have some feed back to give.
I can say that the Spectral controller is simple to use. I had 2 AI SOL Blues on my last tank and the Kessil lights were just as easy to set up as those. I do love the shimmer of the Kessils but I think I liked the Blue's on the AI's better.
There are a few things I still need to do. I decided that I would like to add another check valves (To the tanks return). Which I will probably do this weekend. I plan to start adding Coral at the End of December so for right now I am just letting the tank do its thing.
A few weeks ago I started a new Tank Build. I have already started documenting my build via video but a month or two ago Dave said I should give a build thread a try. I told David I don't normally do the forums (other than my local one) but I would love to give it a try. If you guys don't mind I will add some video links to the build thread. I am so much better with video than with words lol. And hey if you guys want to check the videos out do so and if not I will be adding lots of pics so just ask if you guys would like to see pics of anything specific. What cool is that I am already pretty much done with the build so you guy won't have to wait around too long to see updates.
Ok let's start with my previous tank which was a $150 Gallon Tall Marineland (48" long X 24" wide X 30" tall).
Really good tank but it was too deep for my liking. I really wanted to try out a shallow tank.
My current build is being sponsored. So, I wanted to do something nice for someone else. The tank and equipment for the 150 gallon was worth a little over $3000.00. I decided to sell everything to a college kid via my local forum for $400.00. The cool thing is he is studying marine biology and was so excited about the deal.
Here is a video of me breaking down the tank and his buddying coming to pick it up.
[video=youtube;iPZk6ubR1rI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPZk6ubR1rI&list=UU20FNzjmKeKfZX79PXDokBw[/video]
I had always wanted my next tank to be a Reef Savvy so I picked up one that was being used as a Display at Living Reef Orlando. Here are a few pics of the tank while is was still in the store (I love that pic above the tank lol!). I just took the tank and not the stand.
Video of us picking up the Reef Savvy
[video=youtube;eGUvGIeRQtU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGUvGIeRQtU&list=UU20FNzjmKeKfZX79PXDokBw[/video]
In the beginning I had planned on keeping my stand. The area in my foyer where the 150 was is really the only place we have for a tank in our house so I was going to get a new tank that had the same foot print as the 150 Gallon Marineland. But since I decided to give away everything I had to get a new stand.
I really wanted a tall stand so I decided to go with one that was 47 inches tall from a custom stand builder out of Florida.
Checking out my new stand [video=youtube;9rWA3VWPiSQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rWA3VWPiSQ&list=UU20FNzjmKeKfZX79PXDokBw[/video]
The first challenge I faced with my build was the fact that the stand builder thought I had the Ghost Overflow when in fact I had a hybrid overflow. For those of you that don't know the ghost overflow sits in the middle back of the tank and the Hybrid Overflow sits on the back right side of the tank. The challenge was the fact that the inside of my stand did not allow room for the bulkhead to fit properly when I cut the hole into the top of the stand.
The Tank is 48" but the inside of the stand is 43". I show problem and give a detailed explanation in this video here. [video=youtube_share;_DjaQenG-fs]http://youtu.be/_DjaQenG-fs?t=34s[/video]
To solve the problem I had to take of the decorative molding on the side of the tank and then cut a hole into the side of the tank to make room for the 90 degree PVC elbow.
I was able to put the molding back on. I used silicon to reattach it just in case I ever need to get back to that bulkhead.
The next stop was my equipment room. Here is an old photo of how it was arranged for my last tank.
This is a closet that sit on the other side of the wall behind the tank. For my new equipment room I wanted it to be more organized. So the next problem I ran into was while my new Reef Station (Sump) did fit into the closet, I did not account for the shape of my new refugium (which is a tall refugium). While I love the design I was expecting a rectangular refugium.
Aqua Medic Refugium (Above)
Aqua Medic Reef Station Above
So I had a buddy over my house and was explaining the situation and he made a great suggestion. He suggested that I knock down the wall in my closet to make a bigger equipment room.
And that is exactly what I did.
I did make of video of me knocking down the wall. What was cool is I had no idea what was behind it so you get to see my real reaction. I was like a kid on Christmas!
[video=youtube;4_4Bk2XwaZY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_4Bk2XwaZY[/video]
[video=youtube;_DjaQenG-fs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DjaQenG-fs[/video]
Fast forward I finally got the tank up and put rock in it. Now you guys are about 2 weeks ahead of my current tank build videos.
I used 130 pounds of Real Reef Rock.
I so wanted to do a timelapse of me setting up the aquaspace. BUT, every tank before this it has taking us hours to get the rock the way we wanted it so I figured the camera would have just put more pressure on me. In the end it only took me 10 - 15 minutes to get the rock scape the way I wanted it lol. And yes I was kicking myself for not filming it. Oh well.
Back to the closet. I couldn't find a shelving unit that I liked for my Quarantine tank and other equipment to sit on. PLUS, they were expensive! so I decided to build one myself out of 2 by 4's and some Martha Stewart shelves that were on sale at Lowes.
The Quarantine Tank is a Aqua Medic Yasha Nano around 10 gallons.
A few of my facebook followers suggested that I spray paint the PVC so I choose Burgundy. I think Ron would approve.
I am still working on my cord management (and I know I should have put the before before the after haha).
I got water in the tank and started the cycle about 2 weeks ago.
I've been using Dr. Tims for the past 5 - 6 years to cycle my tanks. I swear by the stuff!
This is my first time using any product by Aqua Medic so I am trying out their AB Salt. It mixed very well.
So my theme for this tank is sustainability. I really want everything to be man made, captive bred, and tank raised. Basically I want to see how hard or easy it would be if I did use anything from the ocean. Which brings me to the Oolitic Aragonite sand (calcium carbonate) I used from Real Reef. It's not out as of yet and it does come from the ocean. However, according to real reef "Oolitic aragonite is created as part of a unique ocean phenomenon on the Bahaman Bank. As temperatures change in the shallow waters, microscopic bio-matter is churned around and around. As this happens, crystalline layers build to form an oolite. Countless millions of these oolites become heavy and drop rain-like to the seabed floor as ultra-pure minerals. The effect forms a mist known as the “whitingsâ€. The whitings ocean phenomenon happens over and over creating a vast supply of minerals. Lab tests show a large percentage of newly created carbon in the minerals, indicating that the Oolitic Aragonite mineral is constantly and continually renewing itself. Sensory testing also indicates that untold amounts fall off the Bahama Bank and are likely recycled up fueling the rich shallow sea waters. Harvesting the Oolitic Aragonite sediment beds helps restore sea grasses and marine life."
I really like the look of the sand. I received it in its raw form so it was not pre-rinsed. Real Reef did say when this product goes live the plan on having a pre-rinsed version. Anyway as for me this was my first time using a dry sand (I usually used the Carib Sea Live Sand). Rinsing this in its Raw form was next to impossible. So I decided to skip the rinsing put it in and as the tank cycles and beneficial bacteria's begin to grow it should clump it up together nicely over time.
On the main display I am currently running two Kessil A360we's, the Kessil Spectral Controller and 2 Aqua Medic Ecodrift 8.0 circulation pumps. This is my first time using all of the equipment on this setup so in a few weeks I should have some feed back to give.
I can say that the Spectral controller is simple to use. I had 2 AI SOL Blues on my last tank and the Kessil lights were just as easy to set up as those. I do love the shimmer of the Kessils but I think I liked the Blue's on the AI's better.
There are a few things I still need to do. I decided that I would like to add another check valves (To the tanks return). Which I will probably do this weekend. I plan to start adding Coral at the End of December so for right now I am just letting the tank do its thing.
