Sonny's Rimless Shallow Reef 2.0

**SunnyX** · 10-13-2010, 02:36 PM

Well, well, well....looks like I'm back on familiar grounds. It has been nearly two years since I last started the now infamous "Rimless Reef". I sold off the older rimless reef and have just ordered a much larger one.

I plan on doing some interesting things with this new setup, and I know that it will be even better than the last one.

The new Rimless will have the following specs:

Display Tank
72"x36"x22" Rimless
246 gallons from Quality Custom Aquarium Manufacturer - Toronto Canada
2 Sided Starphire glass(Front and left panel)
Right Side External coast to coast Overflow with 1" return and 1.5" drain
3/4" glass all around

Stand
The stand will be hand built and tiled. No equipment will be under the tank. The sump and all equipment will be located in the room directly to the right of the tank. It will look similar to my last tiled stand, but with a different color this time.

The stand will be lower to the ground this time, allowing for a perfect view when seated. The tank will have its own special area and everything will be designed around it.
Sump
I am undecided on the sump, but may go with a simple AGA 45 gallon sump. Nothing too fancy.

Water Movement
Ehiem 1260 for Return pump
Vortech Mp40w
Vortech Mp20W
A few Tunze's, here and there.

Lighting
3x250W MH XM 20K
4x54w T5 3xATI Blue+, 1xFiji Purple

Skimmer
Deltec AP851. I have had this skimmer for 5 years now and it does an amazing job.

Calcium and Alk Addition
Randy’s Two Part Solution
I ran both a CA reactor and Kalk Stirrer in the past and honestly have had better results will a simple DIY two part solution. I will be using a couple dosing pumps to feed the soutions to the aquarium.

Substrate
The bottom of the tank will be covered with a SSB consisting of .
CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand

Corals
The tank will be SPS dominated, no chalices or small freaky colored corals here.

With the SPS I will be adding my large acan colonies, some with 100+ heads, along with assorted Zoas. I will also have 6-8 Maxima clams in as well. The soft stuff will make for a nice filler towards the bottom. I will not have any corals on the sand, and will utilize negative space to the extreme. With my new found access to corals from all over the world, this tank should be spectacular.

Fish
My beloved Pacific Blue tang will be in the tank, along with the other fish from the previous rimless. The new tank will feature many Anthias, up to 20+.

Now, as many of you know, I am not a tech junkie or anything like that. I like to keep my tanks as simple as possible. One return line, one drain, etc. You will not see any fancy piping or wiring, but you will see amazing results in the aquarium itself.

Thank you all, and I promise that you will not be disappointed with the build to come.

Sonny

Here is a mock up of the new tank:

Here are examples of my past aquariums:

225gl In-Wall

100gl Rimless Reef

**Troylee** · 10-13-2010, 02:40 PM

Yeah mane!!!! Sounds great... You won't regret that external c2c best in the business IMHO.....

**firsttime** · 10-13-2010, 02:45 PM

Excited about the new setup!!!

**soccerbag** · 10-13-2010, 02:47 PM

NICE Sonny. Did you use Google Sketch for the mockup drawing?

**agent462** · 10-13-2010, 03:00 PM

Sweet,

60" ATI powermodule work great over a tank like that...

**SunnyX** · 10-13-2010, 03:10 PM

Thanks everyone! I am very excited!

Originally Posted by soccerbag

NICE Sonny. Did you use Google Sketch for the mockup drawing?

Yes, it is easy to use and took only about 30 minutes to mock up. If you would like I can email you my file and then work it from there.

Originally Posted by agent462

Sweet,

60" ATI powermodule work great over a tank like that...

Thanks buddy! This tank is designed just like yours, only a little smaller. I drew a tone of ideas and inspiration from your build, thanks! I will be looking into the 60" T5 ATI Powermodule along with some other options.

I was bugging you for full shot of the tank because I wanted to get an idea of what the tank will look like with similar dimensions. I like to draw up the reef design in my head prior to setting up the reef.

**SunnyX** · 10-13-2010, 03:33 PM

Corals
The tank will be SPS dominated, no chalices or small freaky colored corals here.

With the SPS I will be adding my large acan colonies, some with 100+ heads, along with assorted Zoas. I will also have 6-8 Maxima clams in as well. The soft stuff will make for a nice filler towards the bottom. I will not have any corals on the sand, and will utilize negative space to the extreme. With my new found access to corals from all over the world, this tank should be spectacular.

Fish
My beloved Pacific Blue tang will be in the tank, along with the other fish from the previous rimless. The new tank will feature many Anthias, up to 20+.