6 years after getting into this hobby I am putting together my dream tank. I have had several tanks over the years from a 20 tall, 29 gallon and a Nuvo 30L. The Nuvo 30L is still up and running and will be shut down once the new 151g is setup.
20 Gallon Build Thread - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mwbeachs-30-gallon.176842/#post-2041113
Nuvo 30L Build Thread - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/nuvo-30l-build-thread-started-build-december-2018.520661/
I have always been a fan of the panoramic tanks and therefore was drawn to the 5'x2'x2' size. I had been eyeballing this tank for quite some time at the LFS. I recently purchased the tank (October 2020) and began the build process. Sorry for just getting around to a build thread. This will be a long post to get up to where I am at today.
So the tank was delivered by the LFS and put into the room, this is where the fun begins. I knew that there were a few staples that I had to have when building this tank. I knew that I wanted to run a full blown Apex setup, Auto Fleece Roller, Dual Return pumps, and an auto water change system that runs from the garage.
Tank & Stand - 151 Gallon Planet Aquarium Premium Reef Crystaline. Stand is their Mocha Color.
Sump - Tideline Sump that comes with the package
Apex
I already had an Apex EL from my Nuvo 30L. I bought it knowing I would use it on this tank one day. I have since added a few components. I won a Trident in a raffle ($15) which was amazing! I also have purchased, mostly from people on here, 3- AFS (Probably will only use 2), Cor 20, Cor 15, ATK, 2 - DOS, Probe Holders, WXM, switch panel, and breakout box. I plan to add a flow meter for the UV and the LDK.
Auto Fleece Roller
The sump has 2 7" filter sock holders in the first section. I ended up cutting out the acrylic in order to accommodate the Clarisea SK-5000. Once I got it cut out, I put the SK-5000 in and it needed a platform due to the width of the opening, it would not sit down far enough. I do a lot of 3d printing, so I designed and printed a stand for this. Now it fits in their like a glove.
Return Pumps
I will be running a dual return pump setup. I have a Cor15 and a Cor20. Each will feed one of the return lines.
Skimmer
I met a local guy who was getting out of the hobby and was able to get a good deal on many items that I was still needing. I ended up getting a Octo Regal 150-s skimmer, Octo LR150 Light Reactor, 3 Hydra 26 HDs and 1 Hydra 32 from. I was not sure which skimmer to land on, but after the deal I got, it was decided due to that.
Light Reactor
This was part of the package of equipment that I got from the guy mentioned above. I was not planning on using a light reactor and just use the refugium section of the sump. I have never used one of these before, but will give it a try and see how it goes. Any advice?
Lighting
This is another area that I was not sure which direction I would head. I knew that I wanted to go with LED and wanted it to look clean and sleek. I was looking at going with either Radions or Hydras. I kept looking around for good deals and came across the guy mentioned above that had 3 Hydra 26 HDs and 1 Hydra 32. As of now, I plan to light the tank with these 4. I may end up selling the 32 to get another 26 HD just so they can all be programmed together. I was looking at a way to mount the lights. I looked at hanging, the single HMS Mounts, The multi light mount, but none of them really appealed to me for the look I was going with. I decided that I would just custom build my own. I decided to go with 10 series 1" square T-slotted Extruded Aluminum. I have 4' bars going vertically which are bolted to the back of the stand with 4 bolts on each side, then it 90s to a 13" bar to bring it to the center of the tank and then a 4' wide bar that connects it all. The lights will mount using the Hydra 26/32 Brackets. The brackets are on the way which is why the lights are not hanging yet.
ATO Reservoir
I knew that I wanted to hold between 15-20 gallons. I initially went with a local guy that makes them out of acrylic. He was designing it to match the sump so it looked consistent. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the build and it did not work out. This led me to the Innovative Marine 15 gallon Hyrdrofill Reservoir. Although not white to match the sump, this is a really nice and well built reservoir. I have a line running from the garage (Vertically 14 feet and 60 feet horizontally) which will fill this reservoir. I plan to program a button with the apex, as well as a high a low sensor that can automate this.
Powerheads
I have used a variety over the years from Jebao, Hydor and Gyres. I have never used the MP series that everyone raves about. I was also looking at the Neptune WAV. After looking around, asking for advice I decided to go with the MP40s. I am planning to run 2 of these, one on each side. I am not sure how I will program it yet, but that will come with time.
Plumbing
Went with the fairly common route of hard plumbing. I chose orange and Sch80 Gray for the color scheme. I am using 8-10" of silicone tubing from the return to the hard pipe, to help with any vibration/noise (which is very limited anyway) Excuse the wiring mess, Wire cleanup had not happened when the pictures were taken.
Rock/Sand
I have always started my tanks with Dry Rock and Dry Sand. I am one that doesn't like to deal with pests and do what I can to eliminate those. I know this takes longer to cycle but it is worth it to me. Obviously, I can still get them down the road through corals, etc. The sand I went with is the CaribSea Special Grade. I have been working on the aquascape and am pretty close to finalizing it. Once finalized, I will be using E-Marco 400 in gray to bond all the rock together to create a solid and sturdy structure.
UV
This is a piece of equipment that I have never used in the past on tanks. I purchased a Pentair Smart UV 40W second hand and am looking forward to see how this works.
Sump Lighting
I got some of the LED strip lighting off of Amazon and hooked it up to the underside of the stand. I plan to program this to the breakout box on the apex with magnetic door switches to auto turn on the sump lights when I open one of the doors. For now, its manual, but still really cool. I can choose any color I want and can even run a light show ;-)
Finally got the tank setup, light bar mounted, plumbing done and now time to add the water. I connected the RODI system to one of the lines in the garage and began filling the tank. 15+ hours later and the tank is full!
Been working on the Aquascape for the past few days. Let me know your thoughts! Please shoot me straight and give me honest constructive feedback!
20 Gallon Build Thread - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mwbeachs-30-gallon.176842/#post-2041113
Nuvo 30L Build Thread - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/nuvo-30l-build-thread-started-build-december-2018.520661/
I have always been a fan of the panoramic tanks and therefore was drawn to the 5'x2'x2' size. I had been eyeballing this tank for quite some time at the LFS. I recently purchased the tank (October 2020) and began the build process. Sorry for just getting around to a build thread. This will be a long post to get up to where I am at today.
So the tank was delivered by the LFS and put into the room, this is where the fun begins. I knew that there were a few staples that I had to have when building this tank. I knew that I wanted to run a full blown Apex setup, Auto Fleece Roller, Dual Return pumps, and an auto water change system that runs from the garage.
Tank & Stand - 151 Gallon Planet Aquarium Premium Reef Crystaline. Stand is their Mocha Color.
Sump - Tideline Sump that comes with the package
Apex
I already had an Apex EL from my Nuvo 30L. I bought it knowing I would use it on this tank one day. I have since added a few components. I won a Trident in a raffle ($15) which was amazing! I also have purchased, mostly from people on here, 3- AFS (Probably will only use 2), Cor 20, Cor 15, ATK, 2 - DOS, Probe Holders, WXM, switch panel, and breakout box. I plan to add a flow meter for the UV and the LDK.
Auto Fleece Roller
The sump has 2 7" filter sock holders in the first section. I ended up cutting out the acrylic in order to accommodate the Clarisea SK-5000. Once I got it cut out, I put the SK-5000 in and it needed a platform due to the width of the opening, it would not sit down far enough. I do a lot of 3d printing, so I designed and printed a stand for this. Now it fits in their like a glove.
Return Pumps
I will be running a dual return pump setup. I have a Cor15 and a Cor20. Each will feed one of the return lines.
Skimmer
I met a local guy who was getting out of the hobby and was able to get a good deal on many items that I was still needing. I ended up getting a Octo Regal 150-s skimmer, Octo LR150 Light Reactor, 3 Hydra 26 HDs and 1 Hydra 32 from. I was not sure which skimmer to land on, but after the deal I got, it was decided due to that.
Light Reactor
This was part of the package of equipment that I got from the guy mentioned above. I was not planning on using a light reactor and just use the refugium section of the sump. I have never used one of these before, but will give it a try and see how it goes. Any advice?
Lighting
This is another area that I was not sure which direction I would head. I knew that I wanted to go with LED and wanted it to look clean and sleek. I was looking at going with either Radions or Hydras. I kept looking around for good deals and came across the guy mentioned above that had 3 Hydra 26 HDs and 1 Hydra 32. As of now, I plan to light the tank with these 4. I may end up selling the 32 to get another 26 HD just so they can all be programmed together. I was looking at a way to mount the lights. I looked at hanging, the single HMS Mounts, The multi light mount, but none of them really appealed to me for the look I was going with. I decided that I would just custom build my own. I decided to go with 10 series 1" square T-slotted Extruded Aluminum. I have 4' bars going vertically which are bolted to the back of the stand with 4 bolts on each side, then it 90s to a 13" bar to bring it to the center of the tank and then a 4' wide bar that connects it all. The lights will mount using the Hydra 26/32 Brackets. The brackets are on the way which is why the lights are not hanging yet.
ATO Reservoir
I knew that I wanted to hold between 15-20 gallons. I initially went with a local guy that makes them out of acrylic. He was designing it to match the sump so it looked consistent. Unfortunately, there were some issues with the build and it did not work out. This led me to the Innovative Marine 15 gallon Hyrdrofill Reservoir. Although not white to match the sump, this is a really nice and well built reservoir. I have a line running from the garage (Vertically 14 feet and 60 feet horizontally) which will fill this reservoir. I plan to program a button with the apex, as well as a high a low sensor that can automate this.
Powerheads
I have used a variety over the years from Jebao, Hydor and Gyres. I have never used the MP series that everyone raves about. I was also looking at the Neptune WAV. After looking around, asking for advice I decided to go with the MP40s. I am planning to run 2 of these, one on each side. I am not sure how I will program it yet, but that will come with time.
Plumbing
Went with the fairly common route of hard plumbing. I chose orange and Sch80 Gray for the color scheme. I am using 8-10" of silicone tubing from the return to the hard pipe, to help with any vibration/noise (which is very limited anyway) Excuse the wiring mess, Wire cleanup had not happened when the pictures were taken.
Rock/Sand
I have always started my tanks with Dry Rock and Dry Sand. I am one that doesn't like to deal with pests and do what I can to eliminate those. I know this takes longer to cycle but it is worth it to me. Obviously, I can still get them down the road through corals, etc. The sand I went with is the CaribSea Special Grade. I have been working on the aquascape and am pretty close to finalizing it. Once finalized, I will be using E-Marco 400 in gray to bond all the rock together to create a solid and sturdy structure.
UV
This is a piece of equipment that I have never used in the past on tanks. I purchased a Pentair Smart UV 40W second hand and am looking forward to see how this works.
Sump Lighting
I got some of the LED strip lighting off of Amazon and hooked it up to the underside of the stand. I plan to program this to the breakout box on the apex with magnetic door switches to auto turn on the sump lights when I open one of the doors. For now, its manual, but still really cool. I can choose any color I want and can even run a light show ;-)
Finally got the tank setup, light bar mounted, plumbing done and now time to add the water. I connected the RODI system to one of the lines in the garage and began filling the tank. 15+ hours later and the tank is full!
Been working on the Aquascape for the past few days. Let me know your thoughts! Please shoot me straight and give me honest constructive feedback!
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. Also, like you, I start with dry rock and sand--adds about a year on a normal tank's maturity, but I accept that, and dose lots of bacteria strains, pods, and phytoplankton, regularly, to overcome the dry start. Beautiful tank--so jealous!
