build thread

This whole aquarium journey started for me about 4 years ago. I was in Petco with my wife getting things for the cats. She asked if we could get a fish and I immediately told her no because she would never take care of it. She left for work that night and I went back to Petco and bought a 2...

Hey everyone! I'm starting up my second tank and figured having a build thread going would be fun. I enjoy watching everyone else's progress, so why not give it a shot? Regarding my "style" I try to keep things as minimal as I can. My goal is to keep things as stable as possible with as few...

About eleven years ago I started a family and had to move around the country quite a bit for career reasons. I had to give my 75 gallon mixed reef, as well as my 20gallon Elos Mini. I've missed it a great deal and I've finally gotten to a place in which I can have a reef again. I'm starting...

I have an old 55 gallon tank that has lived in my garage, and dry for 10+ years. The tank was set up last Sunday, so cycling is going on now. (BORING) It has some good "dry" Live Rock and and sand in it still. The filter, heater and UV Light were all still attached and sitting there. Along...

1. So it begins I recently got the wonderful gift of an all in 1 aqua one reef 160 for Father’s Day which was approx 6 months ago During this time I have experimented and had some really amazing highs and some serious lows (all my fish dying) By using this all in one system it’s got me u To...

Starting a new build this tank is the waterbox 50.3 AIO looking to transfer my rock from my IM 15 to the right side. Ya'll like the new rock structure? My first attempt at NSA structure. Looking to have a lot of space for the fish to swim in this tank. The left side of the aqua structure will...

Hello everyone i recently set up a prostar 90v2 display (63G) sump (15G),I started with a mix of live and dry sand also had my rock scape custom done by chandlerrocks! Started my cycle with 2 clowns a bottle of dr tims and a bottle of microbacter7 i chose to use no lighting during this process...

Hey everyone, I wanted to start a post here for motivation to document the process of my build that I plan on starting in the coming weeks. Some info on the setup so far; Red Sea Reefer 425XL V3 2x EcoTech MP40s (on current tank) 1x EcoTech Vectra M2 (on current tank) IM heater (2x300watt)...

New to the life of aquarist and I purchased myself a used 180g 72x25x24. I picked up the tank and canopy but turns out that was all that would fit in my vehicle. I will go to pick up the rest from the seller this upcoming weekend. It has bottom drilled holes with two downspouts a 45-gallon sump...

So after a move and then a huge tank crash I've decided to start a new build. I'm building this yo showcase lifereef skimmers and sumps and really everything they can do. He is going to build my tank, Sump, fuge, skimmer, reactors(media,bio,and calcium may have him make me a custom trickle...

Today marks the first anniversary of my first ever saltwater tank: Typical parameters are: Nitrate: Between 2 and 7 Phosphate: Usually .1 ... Spiked to .35 after I started feeding reefroids as my zoas were dying (more on that below) DKH: 8.5 - 9 Calcium: 420-450 Salinity 33.5 Temperature: 77...

Sometime in the early morning of December 27th my cat Keplar jumped on the acrylic lid of my Fluval 13.5 aquarium and it got wedged in the glass, which exactly none of my kinsmen noticed as they got up the next morning. In a horrific instance they became aware of the problem however as the glass...

April 2026 FTS Aug 2025 FTS Hey reef2reef, Been lurking around the forums already for a few months while setting up my first reef tank after 10+ years of freshwater systems. Seems fitting to start a build thread in retrospect Here is my journey so far: Setup a Reefer 170 at the end of...

Office Tank Build Red Sea 170 deluxe Generic Protein Skimmer ReefLED 90 2 clownfish 1 Flame Hawkfish 1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp Hammer Coral

Hello all, this is my first post! A little about me I have been in the hobby for 5 or 6 years with various nanos and frag tanks. Recently i bought my dream tank and figured id finally start a thread. Feel free to follow along for this journey! I plan to take time doing everything correctly for...

Once again a very huge thank you to @Rubymoon286 for this amazing Secret Santa gift!! Obviously didnt take me long to rip the wrapping paper of and get started! Behold the beginning of The Winter Reef! My first venture into a nano tank :) - Deskmate Classic 5g - using the included pump for...

As the title states this is a thread of my tank from the beginning. I’ll be posting pics to get a better visual on how far it has come! First pics are the sump, back of tank plumbing, and first fill with water. Exciting!

Hello R2R. I am starting up a 55 gallon mixed reef tank and I wanted to share my experience. I know a lot of people in the reef community do not trust canister filters, but I want to give it a shot. These pictures of where I am right now. Here is a list of things that I have done so far not...

Hi guys, I finally decided to pull the trigger on setting up a saltwater tank (only had freshwater ones before) and decided to go big (5 foot tank). I plan on setting up a mixed reef with fish. This has always been a dream and I am really looking forward to developing a beautiful eco-system...

Hi all! This is my first tank since being out of the hobby for around 5 years and I couldn’t be more excited to dive back in! As the title states, I have an Innovative Marine AIO 15 and I have loved it so far. My tank is only a month and a half old and is stocked (so far) with a Gold Nugget...

This is my second saltwater tank and first build on reef2reef (also posting on another forum). I’ve been doing freshwater for 30 years or so (as long as I can remember), and started a 20 gallon nano about a year and a half ago. I used a Waterbox Clear Mini 6 to build a custom AIO using 1/8"...

I am slightly a little over a month into owning a tank, the first one ever by the way. I am going to document my journey threw this build thread. Here is the current setup.4 Equipment Red Sea Reefer XXL750 Display: (4) Ecotech Mp40s (2) Ecotech Mp60s (4) Radeon G5 XR30 Pros with diffusers...

3 weeks into cycling. Still registering high nitrites (red sea test kit) Waiting for it to drop to add some livestock.... patience is wearing thin!!

So, this is my first reef tank. I don't have a catchy name for it yet. This is something I've been thinking about doing for 20 years or so, having bought books about reef tanks, before the days of high speed internet. I came very close to pulling the trigger several times. I have been moving...

I've had fish tanks for as long as I can remember. Always freshwater with real plants, starting with 10 gallon to 20 gallon to 35 gallon that moved around with me from place to place. About a decade ago I got into diving and instantly loved it. Such a magical opportunity to see all of the...