DylanE
Active Member
So I've been working on this set up for about a month and a half, but finally feel like it's come along far enough to be worth posting.
I've kept small reef tanks (25g and under) since I was in high school, and always struggled with cost and my schedule. I never got ATOs or autofeeders, and eventually they all kinda fell into disrepair. This is the first tank that I've finally got the resources to get the right gear ahead of time. I just finished medical school, and am starting my EM residency, so time is still going to be a big issue. Because of this I am going with a controller so I can automate as much stuff as I can.
I decided on the SCA 50g because I heard great things about the company and their customer service. Leading up to the purchase I emailed and called multiple times with questions, and Steve from SCA always got back to me ASAP. The delivery went smoothly, and I couldn't be happier with the tank or stand. I went with the grey full wood stand because I liked the look a lot better, and I've never been a fan of MDF. I've never been a big DIY person, and definitely never did any plumbing or programming before, so this has been a big project for me.
After doing some research, I decided to do appliance epoxy on the inside of the stand, as well as silicone along the edges. I honestly meant to do it white, but turns out the black epoxy has a white fridge on it and the white epoxy had a black one. Go figure.
I actually ended up really liking the black epoxy with the grey stand. I'm really happy with how it has turned out, since I've already had to clean up a fair amount of spills and it's really easy.
The next step was the plumbing, and honestly I was really worried about screwing it up. Thankfully there are some great guides and members on here, which made it manageable. I went for the Sch40/Sch80 split because, well, I think it looks cooler.
The wood stands from SCA are shaped in such a way that I was able to have both my primary and emergency drains go straight down to the sump, which made things easy.
I also went with 2x1 cable raceways for cable management. I'm not usually a very tidy person, but I figured it would be better to just do it now and keep the sump from becoming a nightmare.
Starting to fill it up!
Having never filled a system this large (or had my own RO/DI) I had no idea that this was going to take all day.
After looking through a couple of aquascaping threads I decided to go with two large spires for my aquascape. I figure this will allow for some easier SPS up top with high light/flow, but still have room for some LPS and zoas down low. Plus I've always liked more minimal scapes, since they allow for more fish movement and don't look crowded.
For the sump I've decided to use the middle column for a fuge, and it currently has some rubble and chaeto in it. There's still a touch of ammonia so I haven't added my CUC or anything else yet.
And here's a shot of the sump with a little more organization
My next project is going to be getting a cabinet or something for the electronics. Currently looks terrible, but I've promised the wife it's a temporary situation.
That's it for now!
I've kept small reef tanks (25g and under) since I was in high school, and always struggled with cost and my schedule. I never got ATOs or autofeeders, and eventually they all kinda fell into disrepair. This is the first tank that I've finally got the resources to get the right gear ahead of time. I just finished medical school, and am starting my EM residency, so time is still going to be a big issue. Because of this I am going with a controller so I can automate as much stuff as I can.
I decided on the SCA 50g because I heard great things about the company and their customer service. Leading up to the purchase I emailed and called multiple times with questions, and Steve from SCA always got back to me ASAP. The delivery went smoothly, and I couldn't be happier with the tank or stand. I went with the grey full wood stand because I liked the look a lot better, and I've never been a fan of MDF. I've never been a big DIY person, and definitely never did any plumbing or programming before, so this has been a big project for me.
After doing some research, I decided to do appliance epoxy on the inside of the stand, as well as silicone along the edges. I honestly meant to do it white, but turns out the black epoxy has a white fridge on it and the white epoxy had a black one. Go figure.
I actually ended up really liking the black epoxy with the grey stand. I'm really happy with how it has turned out, since I've already had to clean up a fair amount of spills and it's really easy.
The next step was the plumbing, and honestly I was really worried about screwing it up. Thankfully there are some great guides and members on here, which made it manageable. I went for the Sch40/Sch80 split because, well, I think it looks cooler.
The wood stands from SCA are shaped in such a way that I was able to have both my primary and emergency drains go straight down to the sump, which made things easy.
I also went with 2x1 cable raceways for cable management. I'm not usually a very tidy person, but I figured it would be better to just do it now and keep the sump from becoming a nightmare.
Starting to fill it up!
Having never filled a system this large (or had my own RO/DI) I had no idea that this was going to take all day.
After looking through a couple of aquascaping threads I decided to go with two large spires for my aquascape. I figure this will allow for some easier SPS up top with high light/flow, but still have room for some LPS and zoas down low. Plus I've always liked more minimal scapes, since they allow for more fish movement and don't look crowded.
For the sump I've decided to use the middle column for a fuge, and it currently has some rubble and chaeto in it. There's still a touch of ammonia so I haven't added my CUC or anything else yet.
And here's a shot of the sump with a little more organization
My next project is going to be getting a cabinet or something for the electronics. Currently looks terrible, but I've promised the wife it's a temporary situation.
That's it for now!
