90 Gallon Build

[ReefnFG]

Hi everyone!

So I am finally getting around and excited to share this build with you.

A little about me. I have been in the hobby for 12+ years after I started working at my local fish store in high school. That's where the addiction started, seeing all the amazing fish and corals. I spent about 7 years through my high school and college career working at the store where I learned so much about the hobby. The aspect I really enjoyed the most was trouble shooting customers issues that had been puzzling them for a while and seeing their reactions when they returned telling me how much their tank has improved! Over time I began learning to plumb the tanks and more advanced stuff like programing the apex, maintaining difficult corals, fragging of different types of corals, to finally learning in-home maintenance and setup.

I have had numerous tanks varying in size from 25 to 55 gallons, with my most recent tank being a 40 breeder. I have had my 40 breeder running for about 3 years before an apex malfunction left the heaters stuck in the ON position (basically, I drew the conclusion the apex froze and the heaters which were solely run by the apex stayed on. In the process the apex brain was fried). Here is a picture of the tank before I lost almost everything except the clowns and Kole tang and some misc zoas. The tank was plumbed to a sump/fuge combo with a S1 return, I was running 2 MP10's, and I was using the Aquatic Life Hybrid fixture with 4-T5s and 2 XR15's (a tad overkill but the goal was to transition the tank to SPS).

So after the tank crash, the tank went into limbo and became infested with aiptasia. I tried nudibranches with no avil, that is where I decided it was time to start new. I always wanted a larger tank (ideally 125 or 180) but space in my new house didn't allow for that. I settled on this 90 gallon setup. To save some cost with this build I decided to use the equipment from the 40 breeder (again everything was over what was needed for the 40). So I plugged the overflow on the 40 and used a hang on the back skimmer and filter while the 90 is setup and cycled, so it can house my 3 remaining fish also.

The goal with tank will be a mushroom & LPS (torches & frogspawns) mixed reef and a mostly wrasse based fish stock list.

Here is the equipment list for the build
90 gallon main display with 20 gallon sump. With rock and sanded added total water value was 100 gallons.
60lb of Fiji pink sand
70lbs 50/50 Real reef live rock & Base rock
Main tank dimensions: 48" W x 18" D x 25" H
Sump dimensions: 34" W x 15" D x 15" H has built in refugium
Return pump: Ecotech Vectra S1
Heaters: 2x Finnex 500w analog heaters
Circulation: 2x Ecotech Vortech MP10QD
Lighting: Aquatic Life T5 hybrid w 2 Ecotech Radion XR15's (3 blue plus, 1 coral plus, modified AB schedule on the Radions w/ added cloud cover)
Skimmer: Reef Octopus 110SSS (probably will need to be upgraded in the future)
Control: Apex (pH, ORP, & Conductivity probes)
Dosing: 2 Neptune Dos's
ATO: Tunze Osmolator
Test kits: Hanna Alkalinity, Salifert Calcium & Magnesium, Hanna Phosphate


Here you can see the Aquatic Life hybrid fixture mounted without the XR15's and the return plumbing with the random flow generators.

Here is some of the basic plumbing, the line with the ball valve is the main drain and the other line is the emergency drain. So far this setup is quiet which is a must being the tank is on the main level of house.

As of 2 weeks ago I purchased and stacked 70 pounds of a 50/50 blend of real reef live rock and dry base rock.

I will be working on setting the dosers back up in the cabinet that sits next to the tank as well as cable mangement.

I look forward to sharing more of this build with you guys!
Happy reefing
Steve (ReefnFG)

 

[glb]

This looks like a great setup! Bummer about your 40g but glad it gave you a chance to upgrade. Sounds like you’ve done your homework. Keep us posted!

 

[blaxsun]

Best of luck with your new build!

 

[Bph]

Sounds like you are on the right track good luck with your new tank.

 

[ReefnFG]

Thank you everyone!
Quick update had the water tested at my LFS, ammonia was 0.4ppm, nitrite was 3 ppm, nitrate was ~10 ppm (can't remember that one exactly). But those results crushed the hopes of getting a fish in there yet. So instead I walked out with a bottle of Dr. Tims One and Only to wrap up the cycle. I'm stuck at work this weekend, so hopefully next weekend I can take advantage of Memorial day sales for the first addition to the tank! Stay posted.

 

[Billabong]

Best wishes on this great looking build!

 

[Oldsman]

Looking forward to your progress

 

[ReefnFG]

The tank has movement!!!!

I'm a bit behind in the updates but here you go. Over the Memorial Day holiday I added 2 firefish and a social fairy wrasse from my LFS. All seemed to have settled in. I also grabbed a green polyp toadstool and a zoa frag (behind the toadstool).

 

[ReefnFG]

As of last week the tank started its ugly phase with diatoms and spotty algae forming. So I grabbed a few trochus snails and some scarlet reef hermit crabs. I also got the refugium setup and got some chaeto growing in there. Having the productive weekend I did with the tank, I got my 2 DOS units hung, calibrated, and started dosing magnesium and calcium (both Red Sea products). As well as getting some cable management done. It is definitely not up with some of the cable management I've seen but it works for me.

I still need to add in my XR15s and MP10 (which are currently running on my 40B, for the interm). I was planning to move my clown pair but they just laid eggs and I couldn't convince myself to do it right then (plus not being in a hurry to get them in there because I didn't want to risk anything happening to them). So maybe later this week I'll get them into the 90. Stick around for more!