EspressoPatronum
Community Member
After 6-8 months of research, saving up, and waiting.. everything moved at warp speed! I'd been planning to set up a 60g cube but knew I would want to upsize in a year or two.. aaand then a beautiful Reef Savvy tank was up for sale, with a Giesemann Matrixx 48" 8 bulb light and an MP40 included, that had only been running for 3 months at a deal I couldn't pass up... And so it begins - the reef tank I've been dreaming of!
Here it is the day after I got it moved in - old rock here and a mess of cords that will be remedied when I replace the sump, re-plumb, and organize everything. Lots to do!
It has a bit of an aiptasia issue, so I've decided to start with new rock and cycle the tank while a buddy of mine keeps the small coral frags it came with (1 each acan, scoly, acro, staghorn) in his frag tank. Also came with 1 hammer and 1 torch euphyllia that I may or may not keep.
I debated a lot about what route to take with the sump - I know I want a refugium but I really need the under-tank space for a bit of storage (apartment life), so I decided to sacrifice a little on size for getting a cube, and picked the Trigger Systems Sapphire 20c which will fit perfectly. However, I'm planning for a bigger sump in the future when I have more living space so I'm trying to minimize those eventual upgrades by getting compatible equipment. I chose the Skimz Monzter SM 161, a Kessil H380 for fuge light, and am currently trying to decide on a new return pump (came with a blue line 55hd, but is very loud and external takes up too much space). Leaning towards the Reef Octopus VarioS 6 or the Synchra Silent 5.0 at this point.
The tank came with only a 1.5" drain and a 1" return, and I'm not going to get any more holes drilled.. So I will be starting with a Durso style, and if that's not enough to keep up with the flow I want/quiet enough then I'm thinking I will switch to Herbie with the smaller drain as siphon and 1.5 as emergency, and run the return over the back of the tank.
Please feel free to add constructive criticism, suggestions, or any other input - as someone new to the hobby I am very open to ideas! More pictures will be coming very soon!
Here it is the day after I got it moved in - old rock here and a mess of cords that will be remedied when I replace the sump, re-plumb, and organize everything. Lots to do!
It has a bit of an aiptasia issue, so I've decided to start with new rock and cycle the tank while a buddy of mine keeps the small coral frags it came with (1 each acan, scoly, acro, staghorn) in his frag tank. Also came with 1 hammer and 1 torch euphyllia that I may or may not keep.
I debated a lot about what route to take with the sump - I know I want a refugium but I really need the under-tank space for a bit of storage (apartment life), so I decided to sacrifice a little on size for getting a cube, and picked the Trigger Systems Sapphire 20c which will fit perfectly. However, I'm planning for a bigger sump in the future when I have more living space so I'm trying to minimize those eventual upgrades by getting compatible equipment. I chose the Skimz Monzter SM 161, a Kessil H380 for fuge light, and am currently trying to decide on a new return pump (came with a blue line 55hd, but is very loud and external takes up too much space). Leaning towards the Reef Octopus VarioS 6 or the Synchra Silent 5.0 at this point.
The tank came with only a 1.5" drain and a 1" return, and I'm not going to get any more holes drilled.. So I will be starting with a Durso style, and if that's not enough to keep up with the flow I want/quiet enough then I'm thinking I will switch to Herbie with the smaller drain as siphon and 1.5 as emergency, and run the return over the back of the tank.
Please feel free to add constructive criticism, suggestions, or any other input - as someone new to the hobby I am very open to ideas! More pictures will be coming very soon!
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