Dr. Dendrostein
Marine fish monthly
I still use one pump from early 90's, German made. Still strong
75g SPS build on the cheap
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NickC
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That’s awesome. I think I bought this octopus skimmer in 2005 or 2006 I think. Unless the pump fails and I can’t find a new one that fits, I see no reason to replace the skimmer.
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NickC
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Thanks!
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NickC
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Got back home a couple days ago from vacation. The quarantine tank did great, tons of copepods all over the glass and hardly any algae at all. There was just a slight film that formed over the week and a half that we were gone. I inspected the rock and killed a couple more aiptasia, I really think that the rock is clear of them now.
The dry rock that’s curing processed all of the ammonia that was still registering before we left, and nitrate was off the charts high on the salifert test. I performed a big water change on both the rock and the quarantine tank, and things are looking great.
While we were gone my overflow from modular marine showed up, as did an order from BRS that had one return plumbing parts that I couldn’t get at the hardware store. Also, my tank showed up at my LFS so I went and picked it up yesterday.
Very happy with the overflow, build quality is excellent. I finished the stand before I left town, so we put the tank on top for a test fit.
Looks great, gonna take some shims to get it level on the tile however. Next step is drilling the tank, and start plumbing.
The dry rock that’s curing processed all of the ammonia that was still registering before we left, and nitrate was off the charts high on the salifert test. I performed a big water change on both the rock and the quarantine tank, and things are looking great.
While we were gone my overflow from modular marine showed up, as did an order from BRS that had one return plumbing parts that I couldn’t get at the hardware store. Also, my tank showed up at my LFS so I went and picked it up yesterday.
Very happy with the overflow, build quality is excellent. I finished the stand before I left town, so we put the tank on top for a test fit.
Looks great, gonna take some shims to get it level on the tile however. Next step is drilling the tank, and start plumbing.
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NickC
Active Member
Once the tank is plumbed and leak tested, I’ll be filling with saltwater and putting the dry rock in the display and live rock in the sump. Things will stay that way for 4-6 weeks to continue to cure/cycle while the first fish are in quarantine.
Having trouble deciding on what type of fish to start stocking with first, leaning toward a pair of clowns and a lawnmower blenny but not too sure yet. Have to decide soon though so I can start the quarantine. All in all the rock will have cycled/cured for 2-3 months before any fish have been introduced, I’ll probably continue to run with zero or minimal light for another month or so afterward.
Having trouble deciding on what type of fish to start stocking with first, leaning toward a pair of clowns and a lawnmower blenny but not too sure yet. Have to decide soon though so I can start the quarantine. All in all the rock will have cycled/cured for 2-3 months before any fish have been introduced, I’ll probably continue to run with zero or minimal light for another month or so afterward.
Retro Reefer
Slow and steady wins the race!
Everything looks great! Love the stand, nice job.
Alexreefer
Coral, Coral, Coral!!!
Following along. Cant wait to see the final product.
How thick is your tank glass?
How thick is your tank glass?
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NickC
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Thanks!
Thank you! I’m not sure exactly how thick, but when I put a tape on it it’s in between 1/4 and 5/16”. I’m sure it’s a mm measurement.
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NickC
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Tank is now drilled, overflow and return dry-fit perfectly. I drilled the overflow on the right side so the center brace doesn’t interfere with the weir, and the plumbing will go through the wall in between studs. Also, I liked the idea of having it on the opposite side of the tank in regards to the return.I used 3/4” locline and an RFG on the return plumbing.
mmw64
Valuable Member
following.Hi Guys! I’m new to the forum, but not necessarily new to reefing. That being said, it has been a very long time (6 or 8yrs?!) since I broke my last tank down. My last tank was a 40 breeder display with the same size sump and was filled with mostly SPS and a couple of fish. I’ll try and post a pic.
Cool! That was easy from the phone. Long story short, the tank ended up being neglected for a while and was overrun by caluerpa. I did a major overhaul and got it back in shape, but a year or so later I broke it down to install tile flooring in half of the house. That was the end of that.
Here’s a closer fts
I gave a friend of mine the tank and everything else, pumps, skimmer, etc. and it has all sat in his garage since then. He had a reef at the time, and was interested in my equipment but never ended up doing anything with it.
He ended up breaking his tank down a few years after mine, and all of his equipment has been stored as well.
So the wife and I were out to dinner a few weeks ago and while checking out the tank they had in the restaurant we got to talking about how much we missed our reef, and how our son (2yr old) loves looking at aquariums. That got my brain spinning and I called my buddy up to see if he still had all of the stuff. He said he should so here we are.
My plan is to build an SPS dominated reef with as much re-used equipment as possible, keeping the cost as low as I can.
I’m hoping to dig through his garage this week or next, and when I do I’ll update this thread with what I find. I thought it would be fun to post a build thread, and have you guys help me decide on what stuff to use and what to keep in storage! We both had some good equipment back then so it’ll be interesting to see it all again.
A lot of this build will be DIY, and I’m hoping to keep costs at a minimum like I said. One big expenditure will be a new light I’m sure, as his went belly up and I don’t remember what I did with my mh/t5 combo (do they even make those anymore?).
The new reef will be his old 75g, put against the same wall that the old 40 sat at. This time, however, I’ll be plumbing through the wall and the sump will be in my shop.
Here
Don’t mind the mess. So far I’ve got,
my old filter guys ro/di installed in the laundry room, with new filters from BRS
I also ordered 100lbs of reef cleaners rock a couple of days ago, and will be curing it in the stock tank pictured in my shop above. I’ve aleays started tanks with live rock, so the reef cleaners stuff will be a first for me. Anyone use that stuff before and have some tips on curing it? I was gonna spray it off, then start a cure with a dead shrimp and a product such as Dr. Tim’s.
Anyways that’s what I got for now, and like I said before I’ve been out of the hobby for quite a while so it’ll be fun to ask questions and re-learn all this stuff. I’ll be updating this thread as often as possible!
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NickC
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Took all day, but the plumbing is done. It was kind of a pain actually.
I really like how you can’t see a sump or any plumbing looking at the display.
Big day with the leak test tomorrow!
I really like how you can’t see a sump or any plumbing looking at the display.
Big day with the leak test tomorrow!
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NickC
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Everything ran smooth, no leaks! I’ve made about 60g of ro/di so far, rank will be getting salt water very soon.
Here’s the water level with the tank running
And here’s one with the pump off
Here’s the water level with the tank running
And here’s one with the pump off
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NickC
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One of the gate valves for the manifold was broken, luckily I caught it in time as there was pvc cement on it when I noticed. That being said, the water has been shut off to the manifold for the test. I’ll get a new couple valves and finish that thing up while I’m making water.
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NickC
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Well the tank is officially up and running! Drained and cleaned out tap water; started filling with ro/di on Thursday. I worked on the manifold and tidied some things up while I waited, and added salt Thursday evening. I let the tank run for a couple days and squared away a few more loose ends and started messing with rock work this afternoon.
I’m not done with the scape yet, but it really does look a heck of a lot better in person vs. the camera.
Here’s the sump with the plumbing finished and a start on electrical.
I put an ocellaris in quarantine yesterday, and ordered another from live aquaria. Also ordered a tailspot blenny from divers den; both should be here Tuesday. I figure the tank will have plenty of time to settle in while the first fish are in their quarantine period.
My phone takes terrible pictures under the t5’s but here’s the clown I got yesterday.
I think he looks pretty neat. So far I’ve spent about $1,200. Surprisingly the plumbing was one of the biggest checks I had to write at around $250. Luckily I had a lot of equipment already, and a ton of the odds and ends that nickel and dime a guy to death were dug out of the garage.
I’m not done with the scape yet, but it really does look a heck of a lot better in person vs. the camera.
Here’s the sump with the plumbing finished and a start on electrical.
I put an ocellaris in quarantine yesterday, and ordered another from live aquaria. Also ordered a tailspot blenny from divers den; both should be here Tuesday. I figure the tank will have plenty of time to settle in while the first fish are in their quarantine period.
My phone takes terrible pictures under the t5’s but here’s the clown I got yesterday.
I think he looks pretty neat. So far I’ve spent about $1,200. Surprisingly the plumbing was one of the biggest checks I had to write at around $250. Luckily I had a lot of equipment already, and a ton of the odds and ends that nickel and dime a guy to death were dug out of the garage.
OP
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NickC
Active Member
Plumbing is always a surprise but a lot of the valves and specialty connections add up quick. I cheaped out on a freshwater tank and spent over $100. This is a great looking build and I'll be following!
Thanks! Yea I know what you mean, just the 1” gate valve for the overflow was almost 40 bucks!
Worked on a frame for the lights today, they’ll be hung either tomorrow or the next day. Still need new bulbs but I’ve got time, I don’t plan on turning the lights on until there are fish in the display. I think I have a couple of old mis-matched bulbs laying around somewhere so I can test them out at least.
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