Al's 500G 8x4x2 lagoon build

mr.salty

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Hi guys and thanks for taking the time to look at the new build.

Ever since I saw a reef builders video of a wide lagoon style tank from Taiwan I have always wanted a shallow, wider tank and like before even though I never had chance to properly stock it this will be SPS dominant with a few LPS.



As you might so seen from my previous tank I had a 8x2x2 which was in the dining room. As this was my first real attempt at Reefing after a 9 year gap in the hobby I rushed everything as I was too excited and ended up with a less than ideal setup.

After harassing tank builders for quotes I settled on a 8x4 tank but height was not decided. I would of loved 30 inch as WWC comment that flow becomes easier to manage at that depth but that obviously increases the price etc.

Fast forward to a few months ago I was randomly searching Facebook to see if anyone had something like this for sale and noticed someone 6 months previous had a 8x4x2 tank for sale, brand new but it needed building. I thought it would of been long gone as he was after 350 quid for the glass so I messaged him and luckily he still had the glass.

A hire van and 200 quid later I had the glass back home sat in my garage. So I have my dream tank but nowhere for it to go.......

My wife is very understanding. I'm not just kiss arsing her but for her to put up with me and then this hobby she's doing well so basically long story short is that like always, I get my dream tank, she gets the house remodelled and her dream kitchen. (tank first though)

We live in an 80s bungalow so luckily although every wall is breeze block only one interior wall is supporting and that's not the wall I needed to knock down so out came the hammer.

Again long story short we now have an open plan living space and I have got the tank stand in the house, the tank will be built peninsula style because it will act as a partial room divider that can be seen from the new dining room, kitchen and hallway.

I have a secondhand sump from an LFS that was shutting down plus my other equipment from the other tank.

Spec list will be:

6 evergrow it5080 lights
4 MP40s
2 MP60s
2 xf350 gyres
2 jecod Dct12000 return pumps
Vertex alpha cone 300 skimmer
Refugium with kessil h380
2 600w schego heaters
Schuran jetstream 2
Alkatronic
ATI essentials Pro as a top up/balancing mechanism for supplements using my kamoer x1 doser.

I will keep this updated as best as I can but I'm also on Instagram at @mr.Saltys_reef


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stevewright1

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house reconstruction and tank building just for starters , I do not envy you the amount of work your undertaking, but I do envy you on the fact it will result in a 8ft reef aquarium and awesome room divider

looking forward to seeing this project updates
 

ca1ore

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Nice. I always forget that English houses have real walls. Are you going to silicone the glass together yourself.
 
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mr.salty

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Nice. I always forget that English houses have real walls. Are you going to silicone the glass together yourself.
Most of them do it all depends on how new the building is. Plus there are very few with. Basements so you guys have all the fun!

I have a company coming to do the on site build with the glass etc as I don't feel comfortable knowing I had built it [emoji23]
 

ca1ore

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That seems very wise. I've built plenty of stuff for my tank but I would not mess with assembling a tank.
 
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mr.salty

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That seems very wise. I've built plenty of stuff for my tank but I would not mess with assembling a tank.
Yeh when your stood looking at 2 tons of water in your house I would prefer it in the glass and not on the floor haha
 
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mr.salty

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So it feels like forever since I updated this build and quite a bit has happened.

I finished off the stands main frame and gave it a lick of paper with cuprinol ducks back outdoor paint in black. This paint is water repellent so should help with the usual little mishaps down in the engine room.

I still need to fit the bottom layer of plyboard for the sump and then finish the stand off to the same design as the kitchen (which we haven't bought yet)

The rest of the lights have come as I ended up buying three more it5012 fixtures.

I've also bought a bubble magus A5 skimmer so I can redesign the temporary tanks I have and use a smaller sump for the frag tank now all my fish are in other tanks been quarantined (sucks)

Yesterday the company came and built the tank to the point where they need to leave the side panels to cure and will be back next week to complete with the braces and weir box.

So I guess I'll let the pictures do the talking now.

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mr.salty

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Got a sour taste in my mouth after loosing my green/blue chromis and lyretail anthias to what I suspect to be uronema due to the red sores on the body etc.

Hardest disease I've had to treat and pretty much a death sentence for the fish it's been awful.

Now I could sterilise then QT tanks I have and batch QT some anthias (would love some blotchi anthias) but if the success rate is going to be low for survival I don't want to keep killing fish just to get healthy ones.

So anyways on a lighter note I'm trying to get stocking ideas for my new tank and was wondering what people had stocked their tanks with without chromis and anthias?

I was thinking more wrasses and gobies instead?
 
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mr.salty

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Yesterday I decided to split down my 700 litre tank setup which is currently in the hallway down to a 300 litre frag setup using an old sump from the aquaone cube I have butchered.

Worked out nicely and will be fine for a temporary coral holding tank which I now need to get stocked up.

I currently have both my mp40s on here which is total overkill so going to swap out one for a smaller tunze just to clear the bare bottom of debris.

I am then going to swap the kamoer x4 doser, mp40 and tunze out for similar jebao/jecod items for an experiment.

I have since hooked up a bubble magus A5 DC skimmer which seems to be bedding in well.

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mr.salty

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Nice work so far, sucks about the fish though, following. :)
Yeh definitley sucks.

The shame is that there aren't many nice schooling fish that are not anthias or chromis/damsels.

Been thinking of lots of clowns or pyramid butterflies or even fire fish but just can't think or a smallest fish that likes to school.
 
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mr.salty

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So fit Filtration have come to finish the tank. The work is great I am very happy with the job they have done both Mick and Paul make it look stupidly easy.

Now to plan the sump, plumbing, electrics and scape.

I am wanting an electrical panel at the far end of the tank disconnected from the main sump area with an ipad on it etc

The stand maybe wood but this doesn't mean I can't make the sump area a work of art so that's what I'm trying to achieve

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mr.salty

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So just been plodding along with the tank.

I have now got the background vinyl on, the lip on the stand that surrounds the tank has been waterproofed and siliconed to stop water getting down the gaps, I've also wood filled the screws and gaps in the joints ready for matt black veneer or vinyl.

I have also cut and screwed down the sump base which is also waterproofed (only first coat)

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mr.salty

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So started to run into a issue with my frag system.

It was around 700 litre system that I had setup in the hallway.

I have added a bag of maxspect bio balls to get seeded with bacteria and after a month started to remove the live rock out of the system. I have now reduced the system to around 270 litres with literally just the frag tank and a sump.

I had a small alk swing not so long ago as I forgot to adjust my doser but this is now been corrected over the course of a few weeks nice and slow but since the change and that spike all my SPS have stripped.

Some over night and others over a week maybe.

Tank is currently

25 no3
0.1 po4
9 dkh
480 calc
1350 mag

Before this issue I ran the exact same numbers and was having great results.

I know the alk swing isn't great but I doubt that's caused this much damage?

The frag system is now fish less also so as its now a 76 day coral QT tank to keep out ich but I'm having my doubts whether the fish less and rock less tank is actually beneficial for the Sps



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mr.salty

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In other news though I have a ordered 15 bags of ATI fiji sand and 13 boxes of ATI absolute ocean to fill the tank.

I love my essentials Pro so thought I will use the other ATI products.

I have pretty much everything to finish the tank I just need another it5080 light and mp60 wetside.

I am in the market for a alk monitor/controller and can't make my mind up over the kh guardian pro or alkatronic

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mr.salty

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I enjoy that a 2' deep tank would never be considered a lagoon -- Unless the rest of the tank was 8x4 lol.
I am definitley pushing the boundaries of what a lagoon tank is haha

The actual water height will be 22 inch so will further enthasize this.
 

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