Hello All & welcome to my build thread
Following many hours of research over the past 6-12mths, watching many Youtube channels (BRS, fishofhex, Saltwater Aquarium etc) and following some great build threads here I am jumping in to share on my reef build journey.
You are all welcome to join the journey and please share your thoughts, ideas & experience as they will be much appreciated.
Having been away from the hobby for the best part of 20 years, a lot has changed however I have always kept an eye on the hobby, visiting the LFS’s with wife & kids knowing sometime I will have time (& cash) available to return. I am still time poor however its slowing coming available with kids becoming older.
My Plan is to create a little piece of the Great Barrier Reef (Mixed Reef) in my house for us to enjoy.
With the vast availability of knowledge now available & advanced improvements in equipment I am planning on surrounding myself with both technology & acknowledge to compensate my inexperience, that’s the ideal anyway.
I had considering starting with a small tank first however looking at where I wanted to end up and the cost of upgrading everything later, I thought I would go straight to 6ft.
I am the kind of person who tends to plan everything and am happier to take my time, buy right the first time and enjoy the ride along the way of learning.
I have my wife’s approval on the budget (which has growth a little ) however there is a budget I trying to stay around.
So – Lets start and PLEASE be patient with me has with all the changes over the years it feels like I am beginning the hobby of the start.
A few important notes regarding the build.
I have done a few weeks work already so I will catch you all up to speed over the coming week.
Shopping list as follows
Tank
- Custom made 6ft x 2.5ft(h) x 2ft(w) with centre weir, polish glass corners.
- Centre Weir with “Bean Animal style” with a single return split into 2 nozzles, (one tick for floors boards)
Flow
- Neptune COR-20 return pump or Ecotech Vectra M1 (most likely COR-20 due to Apex)
- Manifold with gate valves from COR-20 to supply the reactors and UV sterilizer
- MP40qd, 2 to start possibly 3
Filtration
- Customer sump, with, Mech filter, Skimmer, refugium and return sections
- Nyos Quantum 160 skimmer or Red Sea Reef Skimmer 600
- Allowance for GFO, Bio-pellet & Carbon media reactors
- UV Sterilizer – Aqua 25W classic or Twist, fed by return pump
Lighting
- DT, 3 x Radion’s at the moment – disappointed with the Apex incompatibility so may change.
- Refugium LED, AL Prime Fuge LED
Heating
Living in Sydney’s outskirts the temp in winter can drop to min -2 (29°F) winter frost to summer being low 40’s (104°f) so a Chiller will be required.
- Chiller Teco TK1000 or TK2000
- May still have a heater & fans for backup controlled by Apex
Controller
- Neptune Apex 2016
- Standard Apex probes in skimmer chamber
- Neptune FMM unit, return/Monitor flow on UV sterilizer
- Break out boxes x 2
- PM1/2 module for second BOB
- Leak detection probe under carpet below cabinet
- Neptune AFS
- Neptune WXM
- Apex EB6 Aus version ☹ ,not enough people here for Apex to make EB832 for Aus.
- Apex connected to home network via CAT-5
- Dose unit – TBC
- ATO setup - TBC
Water Management
- 5 stage 189LPD (50GPD) system
- Two x 100Ltr (26g) upright flat bottom tanks for RO/DI water
- Two x 100Ltr (26g) upright flat bottom tanks for saltwater
- ATO pumped via ATK to sump from RO/DI storage tank in garage
- Drains from sump to outside drain
- 1/4” tubing runs from garage through wall/roof to sump for future water changes
- All pipes and tubes color-coded:
Power Management
As the current power circuit in the wall supplies the pool equipment a new circuit/s will be added
- Dedicated circuit/s for aquarium equipment
- Backup power, power is very good here no plans for backup at the moment but may consider options during the build.
General floor Plan as follows
The following pictures are of the general design idea i used to sell the idea to the wife, at the moment colour's are not set, bulkhead to be added for build.
Taping of the general layout of tank, cabinets & bulkhead on wall and ceiling, excuse the mess.
Following many hours of research over the past 6-12mths, watching many Youtube channels (BRS, fishofhex, Saltwater Aquarium etc) and following some great build threads here I am jumping in to share on my reef build journey.
You are all welcome to join the journey and please share your thoughts, ideas & experience as they will be much appreciated.
Having been away from the hobby for the best part of 20 years, a lot has changed however I have always kept an eye on the hobby, visiting the LFS’s with wife & kids knowing sometime I will have time (& cash) available to return. I am still time poor however its slowing coming available with kids becoming older.
My Plan is to create a little piece of the Great Barrier Reef (Mixed Reef) in my house for us to enjoy.
With the vast availability of knowledge now available & advanced improvements in equipment I am planning on surrounding myself with both technology & acknowledge to compensate my inexperience, that’s the ideal anyway.
I had considering starting with a small tank first however looking at where I wanted to end up and the cost of upgrading everything later, I thought I would go straight to 6ft.
I am the kind of person who tends to plan everything and am happier to take my time, buy right the first time and enjoy the ride along the way of learning.
I have my wife’s approval on the budget (which has growth a little ) however there is a budget I trying to stay around.
So – Lets start and PLEASE be patient with me has with all the changes over the years it feels like I am beginning the hobby of the start.
A few important notes regarding the build.
- Tank is going in a main living area so noise/look is important.
- Tank Frame will be sitting on timber floors so I need to keep the wife very happy and “no” where possible water spills/problems, “touch wood”.
- Unfortunately, no option for a fish room is available, but I do have other space.
- Being in Australia and using the metric system I will try to convert where I remember.
I have done a few weeks work already so I will catch you all up to speed over the coming week.
Shopping list as follows
Tank
- Custom made 6ft x 2.5ft(h) x 2ft(w) with centre weir, polish glass corners.
- Centre Weir with “Bean Animal style” with a single return split into 2 nozzles, (one tick for floors boards)
Flow
- Neptune COR-20 return pump or Ecotech Vectra M1 (most likely COR-20 due to Apex)
- Manifold with gate valves from COR-20 to supply the reactors and UV sterilizer
- MP40qd, 2 to start possibly 3
Filtration
- Customer sump, with, Mech filter, Skimmer, refugium and return sections
- Nyos Quantum 160 skimmer or Red Sea Reef Skimmer 600
- Allowance for GFO, Bio-pellet & Carbon media reactors
- UV Sterilizer – Aqua 25W classic or Twist, fed by return pump
Lighting
- DT, 3 x Radion’s at the moment – disappointed with the Apex incompatibility so may change.
- Refugium LED, AL Prime Fuge LED
Heating
Living in Sydney’s outskirts the temp in winter can drop to min -2 (29°F) winter frost to summer being low 40’s (104°f) so a Chiller will be required.
- Chiller Teco TK1000 or TK2000
- May still have a heater & fans for backup controlled by Apex
Controller
- Neptune Apex 2016
- Standard Apex probes in skimmer chamber
- Neptune FMM unit, return/Monitor flow on UV sterilizer
- Break out boxes x 2
- PM1/2 module for second BOB
- Leak detection probe under carpet below cabinet
- Neptune AFS
- Neptune WXM
- Apex EB6 Aus version ☹ ,not enough people here for Apex to make EB832 for Aus.
- Apex connected to home network via CAT-5
- Dose unit – TBC
- ATO setup - TBC
Water Management
- 5 stage 189LPD (50GPD) system
- Two x 100Ltr (26g) upright flat bottom tanks for RO/DI water
- Two x 100Ltr (26g) upright flat bottom tanks for saltwater
- ATO pumped via ATK to sump from RO/DI storage tank in garage
- Drains from sump to outside drain
- 1/4” tubing runs from garage through wall/roof to sump for future water changes
- All pipes and tubes color-coded:
Power Management
As the current power circuit in the wall supplies the pool equipment a new circuit/s will be added
- Dedicated circuit/s for aquarium equipment
- Backup power, power is very good here no plans for backup at the moment but may consider options during the build.
General floor Plan as follows
The following pictures are of the general design idea i used to sell the idea to the wife, at the moment colour's are not set, bulkhead to be added for build.
Taping of the general layout of tank, cabinets & bulkhead on wall and ceiling, excuse the mess.