build thread

Hey all this is my tank build. I have been out of the reefing game for about 15 years. I started reefing 2001 and had a 32gal with a mixed reef. After 10 years of my reef tank (pretty much thriving). I broke it down (due to having to move for work) and parted out all the corals, inverts and...

This tank is my attempt to create a minimalist reef tank with the absolute minimum total kit possible. 11/11/25, major reaquascaping 😌: 02/11/25 😂 tank swap to a 5g : 05/10/25 2.5G:

Hello all, i know there are many threads with a Cade 1200 build already but I thought id share as well since this will be my first tank and maybe other newbies can follow along here. Any advice welcome if yall see something that is not right for a tank this size. I will post photos and build...

Hey all! Finally getting into the hobby after years of scrolling here and watching countless videos online. Delayed a few years due to moving around a lot and living in apartments. Now I’ve bought a house, and am setting up my first tank! Will be using this thread to update progress Picked up...

Well I better start capturing this adventurous journey. This started with the concept of a Waterbox tank, and fell victim to what if I added…. So as I am waiting for my Waterbox to arrive, I receive my Reefcasa mega frag tank, which I thought would be a perfect little frag tank for me. What...

Hey, what's up guys. This tank has been set up for about 7 months now, and I just wanted to start this thread to kinda hold me accountable and actually document some progress. I have about 5 years of reefing experience, with the last 2 years of what I like to call "accelerated reefing" lol more...

After 10 years of freshwater aquarium keeping, finally decided to dip my toes into reef tanks at the start of this year. 20g Waterbox AIO, stocked with two clowns, a firefish and cleaner shrimp + a medley of CUC.

In my intro, I mentioned that my wife finally aquiesced to my wish for a saltwater aquarium. For the months before, I somehow kept leaving out books on saltwater aquaria and dropping into a couple lfs to wander through their aisles. It started to come together, quickly, with rock, sand, and...

I’m still suffering from my back injury as I type this, but I need to QT a sick anemone so I figured this would be a good chance to get this up and running! After I’m done treating the anemone, I’ll keep it running and just start cycling it I suppose, even if it’ll be a while before it’s ready...

Hey everyone, I have just started a new build with the Red Sea Max Nano XXL. In the past I have had a couple water box 20 gallon cubes. My job required me to move around a lot at the time so I was always in apartments. Unfortunately making it hard for me to have an established aquarium. I have...

Been reefing for a couple years, always been space limited to small nano tanks. Super excited to be upgrading to a 65g reef ready (Aqueon). It's my first time having a sump or doing any plumbing and WOW it is kicking my butt... this may be the ugliest most Mr. Potato-head-looking build ever, but...

Hello all, as the title states I’m a new comer to the hobby (and reef2reef) and I figured I would document my progress with my first tank. It will be a bit before she really gets up and going as I’m a merchant mariner and can’t start for a few more weeks, but soon my boots will be on solid...

Hey Everyone! The title may be a little odd, but I have old, unused, equipment laying around and my better half (my wife) said I should do another tank! (Well, I asked her if that was okay, and she reluctantly agreed lol!) All jokes aside, this tank will be started with gear that I already...

Another year, another tank! This tank has to be my last upgrade for quite some time so I have designed and set it up as such. The Equipment: Tank: NYOS Opus G2 440 Stand: NYOS Slim Line in Basalt Grey with upgraded hinges Sump: NYOS sump included with package Lighting: Giesemann Spectra (250w...

Hi everyone this post is definitely playing some catch up but I wanted to start documenting my tank. A little bit about myself first I’ve been reefing since I was in 5th grade( 12 gallon nano cub) so I’ve been in the hobby 20 years. I’ve had 8 saltwater tanks over that time and I ended up taking...

Earlier this year I decided to upgrade from my Red Sea Peninsula 650 to the Red Sea S1000 G2

Hi everyone. So I have been planning a build for a couple of months now, I have been out of reefing for almost a decade (life and career had me busy). But now that I have the time, I am getting back in. I'm planning a 1600mm x 700mm x 700mm build.(63" x 27.5" x 27.5") 12mm (0 5") glass with...

Hi All, Super excited about my new build. Going through cycling. Coming back to the hobby. Trying to implement all the new information and have a long time with lights off to develop a bio culture and reduce the ugly phase. Looking for constructive feedback to improve my bare bottom tank...

I will get some pictures and do some writing, but this is a spot for me to track and show my build! It will (hopefully) be a 75g mixed reef. I posted my list so far in my welcome post, but i will here again. I cant really go much, if any bigger than a 75 with the space and house that i have, so...

What's up Reef2Reef!? I have been coming here for a few years now in search of answers watching from the shadows (I've posted almost nothing but a few replies) and decided it's about time I started a build thread! A little of my backstory...I got into the hobby a little over 3 years ago with a...

for the past 3-4 months i've had a 32g tank with my two clowns, some cuc, a cleaner shrimp and some mixed corals. after a while, i got tired of looking at all the external equipment and overall i didn't need that much space. the water changes became too much on their own. i finally got myself an...

This thread is for the general discussion of the Item Swarley's Reef Tank. Please add to the discussion here.

Hey guys, I made a post already about this 135 gallon acrylic that my mom found at goodwill for $180 that I went in and bought! Some replies on that post told me to start a build thread so here it is. It holds water and is in very good shape but I have never built a tank myself or owned an...

After more than a decade away from the hobby, I’m beyond excited to be diving back into the world of reef tanks! I’ve always loved the beauty and complexity of saltwater aquariums, and now, with my two-year-old daughter absolutely obsessed with fish and corals, I have the perfect excuse to start...

Hello everyone. I just created a R2R account today, but been reading and learning from this community for 9 years. I have an 8-9 year old Red Sea Reefer 1st gen that I started in 2017. LOTS of problem solving, lessons learned, trial & error, wrong decisions along the way. Fortunately, also...