150 gallon (soon to be) floating reef build.

[larsenlasse]

So my build is a bit chaotic the tank started out in Utah and during its build moved to AZ, I picked it up for 50 dollars SCORE!! I had limited funds to run a tank this big but always wanted one so this is an experiment in budget reefing and so far so good though I must say an issue with a bigger tank and limited resources makes for compounding issues as my battle with dinoflagulates taught me.

I first built the stand nothing super fancy just 2x4s and 2x6s I scavenged up from local work sites scrap piles (asked before taking STEALING IS BAD!!) and I think I may have over built but im OK with that next ibuilt my own sump/refugium from a 20 gallon tall I had stored away for my next unknown tank project it was my first so I had no clue what I was doing THANK YOU GOOGLE!!

Next came my plumbing I went super simple one return one overflow, I have a one way on the return so as to not create a syphon just incase and 1ball valve for each intake/return my return is a 6200GPH no name ebay special cost me 20 bucks and hopefully lasts a long time.

I then folded my 14 gallon into my 150 and added 150 lbs of oolite sand (didn't think I would be moving across the country at the time)

BOOM all of a sudden got a job with boarder patrol time to move! packed everything up in 2 hours moved 16hours unpacked and re set up in 45 minutes

TANK CRASH!! all my livestock perished except my chromis and my percula

added another 150lbs of oolite sand 50 lbs of aragonite and another 40 lbs of live rock Dinoflagulate outbreak (think it came from the rock) tank was dark for about a week while I killed off the nasty algae

next I rebuilt the sump/refugium to a 55gallon long added a protein skimmer and some mangrove pods tank is starting to look pretty finally!

Having issues with phyto so I got some extremely dark window tint and covered the back of the tank

next I will be building a platform to suspend my rockwork about 10 inches off the sand

 

[larsenlasse]

The rest of the progress

 

[fishroomlady]

I like that pot in there

 

[larsenlasse]

thank you!! it is an amphora by the end of the build I hope to have it looking like roman ship wreck!

 

[Reef Junky150]

Check out the melted and broken bottles people have used. Look pretty neat too.

 

[larsenlasse]

Ive seen that and its what gave me the idea everyone does LR and coral I wanted to do more than that and still wanted it to look "natural" and an ancient wreck is an awesome way to do that!

 

[Reef Junky150]

Following a long to see progress. I like these set-ups. They are different and neet

 

[larsenlasse]

Next step finished now to get it In the tank and the rocks how I like them