155 gallon Bow-front build

[Nolan Shinn]

I started my first tank ever about 3 years ago in college. It was a 30 gallon tank I bought off Craigslist I stocked with some of the hardier corals and fish. Most notably a rather pugnacious little clownfish named Benny.After about a year I took a close look at my finances (yep, still in the black) saw where cutbacks could be made (groceries) and decided to use my newly liberated funds to upgrade my setup. I'd grown somewhat attached to Benny despite his deep hatred for anything resembling my hand, and upon finding a deal on a 55 gallon tank on Craigslist moved him and his anemone in. Here's that tank before most of the corals:

Cut to now. Benny's still with me (and still a dick), and I've since graduated with a degree in Industrial design. Now that I'm out of school I decided to upgrade to an even larger setup, and found a 155 with dual overflows on craigslist to be my newest project. I can only assume, if he had any idea whats going on, Benny would be as stoked as I am. Here goes nothin...

 

[Nolan Shinn]

So I must confess I started this thread about 2 months into work on the tank, so I'll try to catch up real quick.
I bought the original setup from a very nice man we'll call Tim from Craigslist (noticing a theme here?) and it came with:
-155 gallon bow front tank
-50 gallon Sump
-Iwaki MD55 RLT
-Metal Halide lights
-Lots of live rock
-a DIY stand
-and 1/4hp Chiller
I feel like I got the better side of that $500 deal (which is I'm sure how Tim from craigslist feels too). Either way, two trips and some heavy lifting later I was the proud owner of a tank which felt large enough to SCUBA in. However there was some work I wanted to do to it before unleashing Benny onto it. Namely the seals. And paint the back. And build a new stand. And find a house to live in. Shouldn't take long, not much more than a good weekend! Two months later, this is how the tank looked:

I wish I'd had the wherewithal to take more photos of this process, but alas no such thought crossed my brain. The stand is structurally finished with a mix of 2x4's and 2x6's plywood, MDF (for the back) and is 36" tall. I'm quite picky about the viewing angle of my aquarium. Too low like my last tank and you've got a rim in the center of your field of vision while standing close to the tank. Too high and you're looking at the underside of all your corals from a sitting position. I'm 5'10 and I found 36" to give me the best viewing angles from either sitting or standing and is still manageable to clean with a stepping stool.
The black rear glass is just painted with matte black spray paint on the outside. You don't need to prep the glass at all other than clean it, so long as you go really light and gradual with your paint layers, otherwise you'd get drips.
The sealing process was an anxiety train wreck. I was sure the seals should be redone, but I was also sure that I would do it wrong and turn render this enormous glass tank useless. In fact I'm still nervous I did it wrong to be honest. The best advice I can give is do it right... I got two tubes of RVT100 silicone from a local tank manufacturer. Then using a razor blade scraper and mineral spirits I carefully peeled away the silicone. For good measure I sanded along all the tank edges with 320 grit sandpaper to give a bit more surface area for the new silicone to stick to. I then framed the edges with tape and proceeded to caulk the edges as generously as possible. You have about 9 minutes before the silicone starts to skin, so you have to work fast but smooth. I was just removing the last of the tape as my silicone began to cure. As per the tank builder's instructions I let the silicone cure for about 3 weeks before even moving the tank. It turned out looking alright and so far there haven't been any problems, but man was that stressful.

 

[Nolan Shinn]

From there I strung lights to illuminate the sump. On amazon you can get strings of LEDs for about $10 bucks. They're super easy to solder into whatever pattern you want or just leave on the roll. I chose a mix of warm and cool. I don't know if they'll be able to grow anything but they are enough to light up the sump like the sun. I've used these for various different projects and they're dang near indestructible little lights. Just don't trust the sticky backing...

You can either wire up an adaptor yourself for not too much trouble or get one from amazon for about $7. I ended up making my own with an on/off switch.

 

[Nolan Shinn]

Happy thanksgiving y'all!
Before spending time with family I decided to work on my aquascape.

Quite a bit of live rock came with the tank, but I'm paranoid about pests and there was a fair amount of what looked like bubble algae on the rocks. I also really like building with dry rock because it gives me unlimited time to build and consider my aquascape without fear of killing off all the beneficial bacteria. So all rock (including the stuff coming out of my existing tank, due to a flatworm and Vermetid snail outbreak) was plunked in freshwater with bleach for a couple hours. them the rocks were soaked in 40/60 vinegar/water mixture for a day, thoroughly washed with freshwater, then soaked in a tub of distilled fresh water with a huge dose of dechloronator (prime) for another day. Finally the rocks were washed again with fresh water and sundried for 3-5 days.
BOOM! Dead.

After it was dry I attached a numbered label to each rock to help me play with different configurations and recreate my chosen design from process photos later on.

Before placing rock I took the tank off the stand (my daily weightlifting routine. dang that thing is heavy), cut out a sheet of cardboard to match the bottom of my tank and set it and the rocks up on the stand. Lastly I used some scrap plywood to mark waterline so I don't build too high. The reason for going into all this trouble is about veiwing angle. Mock up your aquascape up on the same level as it'll be in the tank, because an aquascape designed from above (I.e. On the floor) won't read the same once elevated. Or vice Versa if you've got a super shallow tank.
I used a few different pictures online for inspiration. Most notably:

I also made a few abstract paper for studies to cave and arch ideas. I like the balance of the first picture, but I like more caves and arches than they have. The second picture has excellent low level details but it's unbalanced. The third has awesome overhangs but it a bit more minimalist than I like.
Though for the first time I'll be glueing rocks together I still want to be the structures to be logically natural and stable. Lastly, the rocks need to be interesting by themselves since my current financial situation means I have to get frags small and let them grow out over time...


I'll post more pictures as the aquascape comes together...

 

[Nolan Shinn]

Ive wanted the centerpiece of my aquascape to be a crevasse that went from the front of the tank to the back since I first got into fishkeeping. Now that I finally have a tank wide enough to feasibly hdo it, I designed the rest of the aquascape around that main concept. I placed the crevasse in the center of the bow at a bit of an angle to give it as much depth as possible. The danger of doing this is that visually it can really break up the continuity of the aquascape (similar to having one massive pillar directly in the center of the tank). Generally the easiest way to make any design thing look good is to stick to the golden ratio. This obviously doesn't quite do that so I've got to play with the negative spaces and visual weight to make it flow just a bit better.

I am fond of the left stack so far. The nice thing about the cardboard base is that I can mark placements and rock numbers freely. I'm not crazy about the height or the rock I used as the capstone.

I've never really done overhangs, and I like the way these are shaping up. To hold the structure together after the rocks are in their final positions in the tank I'm using a combination of PVC supports and Good Stuff expanding foam (I got it from my local hardware store, where it's normally used for sealing holes in insulation or around windows). I'll let the foam off gas for 24 hours to ensure it doesn't leak any toxins into the water before filling the tank.

Right side needs work. Id like to get a bit more height and add a cave or two....

I'll keep updating the aquascape as it comes along. Let me know what you think! I'm pleased enough with the concepts for both sides to feel confident in moving forward for now, though critique is always welcome. Next up I'll disassemble the rock stacks, drill holes for the PVC supports, put the tank back on the stand and reassemble the rocks inside the tank (inevitably tweaking as I go).

 

[Nolan Shinn]

Tank is back on the stand and I'm starting to rebuild the aquascape inside. I'll be making some changes (major ones on the right stack) throughout the process, however the core concept is staying the same. I'd like to add a bit more height to the right stack and a more natural looking arch.

I got a little excited and decided to add a bit of water after I placed the base of the left stack... I was having trouble getting the expanding foam to hold the lower shelf in place without the support, so I'll be adding that later...

I think I'm all done and happy with the aquascape. I got plenty of height in the right stack (comes just above the water line, enough to hold a ground probe) and offers excellent spots for future shelving montis and acro's. As you can see water is cooking up and ready to go in the tank as soon as I get the sand bed laid down. Let me know what you think!

 

[Nolan Shinn]

While the tank is filling I decided to build the frame to hold my lights. Shameless plug: I decided to go with Crystal Reef Aquatic's reef LED. They get awesome colors out of the coral and good growth. I've used currant USA and Radion LEDs before and with both of them I was frustrated by a clunky user interface and iffy results. For less than 2/3 the price of the Radion I've got well designed lights with a user interface that's not the smoothest at first but is easy to navigate once you figure it out. The last benefit is Crystal Reef is a couple of minutes away from my house and it's where I get a majority of my livestock. Since they use the same lights I have all mine set the same as theirs, so any coral I get from them needs minimal to no light acclimation.

I need three for proper coverage but I bought two now and will buy the third with part of my next paycheck. Aluminum body doesn't corrode and doesn't show salt and spray like the gloss PVA/PVC bodied lights.
Also, a nice surprise, they come with a wire hanging kit for free. I hate having to spend another $60 bucks just to be able to hold up a $400 grow light...
However my ceilings are high and since this is a rental house I'd rather not drill holes in the ceiling, so I'm building a lights stand that attached to the tank stand.

I'm using parts from one of those shelving units that bolts to the wall. The large triangles slot onto two channels on vertical uprisers (identical to the white metals bars in the above picture) allowing me to raise and lower the the height of lights incrementally . The metal bars above act as a mounting rail for the lights.

Next I bolted extruded aluminum bars to the top panel on the lights. These aluminum bars hold up the lights and allow me to shift them left or right along the mounting rail as needed.

Here's the finished product! Though I'm still waiting on the third and final LED.

 

[Nolan Shinn]

Finally, the lights are coming on! Water is cloudy but settling and you can get and idea of the aquascaping

Over the weekend, I picked Benny up from where he's been staying at my parents house. Coming with him are the remaining livestock from the 55gal: Benny's anemone, a rather fat rainsford goby, blue damsel, cleaner shrimp, sandsifter star, and a few corals.
Here is the gang in a transfer bucket. They're an odd little family but they get along well.

I also picked up a young clown to be Benny's mate. They immediately took to each other and are sharing Benny's anemone. The little one is like a wriggly little puppy, and since hes the actual male, my girlfriend dubed him Hank....
They've been transferred into the big tank and the water is clearing, so: Lights, Camera, action!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Looking great!

 

[Nolan Shinn]

Finally measuring water parameters for the first time.

Sorry for the poor quality photo, I was using my phone at the time and it always blows out the blues...

I'm right in the ugly stages, with my first diatom bloom as the bacteria levels balance out. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrates are a bit high, but falling as the rock once more becomes colonized with bacteria. I've been adding doses of Dr. Tims one and only to help speed the process. Fish, anemone and corals are all looking healthy and aren't showing any signs of stress with full polyp extension, active swimming etc...

I just added some chaeto algae to my refugium and it seems to be growing nicely. I've got family in Florida at the moment who are bringing me back a couple mangrove seedlings this weekend.
Let me know if y'all have any suggestions for any other macro algaes! Also any suggestions on where to get pods?

 

[Nolan Shinn]

I'd like to get some finicky eaters at some point (mandarin, leopard wrasse, etc) and I've read one of the best ways to wean them off pods onto frozen foods is to use gut-loaded baby brine shrimp...
I'm in a bit of a holding pattern with the tank at the moment, so I decided to make a brine shrimp hatchery!

I found these little plastic containers at the dollar store to use as tanks. I'm using two so I can stagger the hatch cycle and thus have a constant supply of brine shrimp should I need it. I then cut two holes in a plastic tray (also from the dollar store) to hold the containers and conceal the air pump.

Then I drilled a hole in each lid and inserted a length of airline tubing.

I got glued it sealed. The airline tubes attach to a small air pump to keep the shrimp's water circulating and aerated.
Now I just need the brine shrimp eggs to arrive and I can start my first batch!

Let me know what y'all think!

 

[LJC6780]

Following

 

[Nolan Shinn]

Been a while, but I've finally got something worth sharing. The parameters have been settling down to normal. Though my calcium is already lower than I'd like. I used Salinity as my salt mix to fill up the tank, has anyone had experience with this salt containing low calcium content? For future water changes I'll be using Red Sea Coral Pro salt once I'm out of Salinity, since Coral Pro is supposedly the way to go for mixed reefs. I just couldnt justify or afford top of the line salt just for cycle water...
Eaither way, this week I put more livestock in the DT!

Got a Tomini tang (far right) from the store, and I was able to take the yellow and scopas tangs out of the sump where they've been temporarily staying and added all three together into the main tank! Peaceful so far, and really add some life and movement to the tank.

Also added a little orange spotted watchman goby and candy cane pistol shrimp duo.

As well as a couple very small banggai cardinals (you can see him behind the rainsford goby).
Also got a few acro's, zoas and a Duncan. I'll add pictures of those as soon as I get access to a DSLR again! Should be right around the 1st.

Post holiday season, I've been thinking about getting a doser. I've never dosed before, so any tips, tricks and equipment/supplement recommendations?
Also, I'd like the next fish I add to be a wrasse of some sort. Any suggestions? I really like the look of the potters wrasse. Anyone have any experience with those?

 

[Nolan Shinn]

Back after a super long hiatus. FINALLY got a DSLR, but I'm still figuring out the right settings under my lights. Here's a couple quick shots I took of the tank last night, and y'all can finally see my aquascape! Let me know what you all think!

 

[Nolan Shinn]

It's been a healthy minute since I posted on this thread, but in case anyone is still watching here's how the tank is looking as of about a week ago!

Gang is lookin pretty healthy to my eye and my mandarin has just about doubled in size from when I got him! Let me know what y'all think! (I think it's pretty obvious my current favorite is the semifasciatus angel haha). I'll post some coral pictures soon, I just wanna get some decent growth first. Current rock to coral ratio is pretty bad as you can see in the full tank shots.

 

[jason g]

Looking good. I like the bow front look. Awesome selection of fish.

 

[Nolan Shinn]

Looking good. I like the bow front look. Awesome selection of fish.

Thank you! My next mission is to get those corals growing faster!

 

[jason g]

Thank you! My next mission is to get those corals growing faster!

Same here I just purchased my first SPS frag today. It's time to have some fun.

 

[jason g]

Not to high jack your build but my cousin has the same tank as you and every time I see it I kick myself because I had a chance to buy it before he did. Here's a photo the day after we set it up.

 

[Nolan Shinn]

That looks awesome! is it still up and running? What sized sump?