Back in the hobby....my 7ft 183 gallon journey

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I left the hobby a couple years ago, sold nearly everything after selling my 400 gallon acrylic tank (except for the tanks in my quarantine room) thinking I would never come back to the hobby. I began thinking a few months ago I would like to have a pair of clownfish, an anemone, and a 70 gallon tank. Of course after research and much thought I got carried away...yesterday I ordered a tank from Custom Aquariums in Wisconsin. New tank will be 84" l x 24" w x 21" high on a black painted stand with a 12" canopy, approximately 183 gallons (barely qualifying for 'large build' tag). I spec'd drilled for a synergy overflow box, tempered bottom, and 2 siphon stopper returns.

Equipment plans:

Plank auto feeder
2 small Iwaki return pumps
Lifereef sump
Lifereef 30" skimmer
Lifereef refugium
120W Lifegard ProMax UV
Tradewinds chiller backup for house AC
Helios 1000w heater (2x500w+controller)
Ozone Poseidon 200, iQ40 dryer, Alita vacuum pump
ghl profilux 4
6 GHL 7204 Mitras (overkill but easy to turn down and should help eliminate shadows)

Livestock plans
pair of banggai cardinals
hammers & frogspawns
goniopora/alveopora
cyphastrea
azure damsels
Springeri damsels
yellow tang
purple tang
powder blue tang (dream fish, never kept one and primary reason I ordered a 7ft tank)
regal angel
potters angel
mystery wrasse

Goal is a rather low maintenance tank

Let the waiting commence!
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
39F09CBE-F624-4707-8C4B-97CFC3FBADDC.jpeg

Soaked some Marco rocks to check for phosphate, now waiting on some Tampa Bay Saltwater base rock to help seed it. This is one of my holding tanks in my quarantine room
 
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Spoke with Jeff at LifeReef this evening, he is starting my sump, refugium, and skimmer next week. Iwakis are sitting here in my office. Also ordered an Exotic Marine overflow after the synergy one showed up, let's just say the shadow overflow is unimpressive
 
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Relocated eye bolts in the ceiling so I can lift canopy off for service if needed, they were still there from last tank's light rack but in the wrong spot for the new tank. Since we were messing around in the attic I ran a 1" pvc pipe from the equipment closet to the attic near the soffit vent so I can draw fresh air with the skimmer if needed.

I have 80lbs of jakarta liverock that is supposed to be here at the end of the week so I mounted a kessil 360 on the rock tank just so I could inspect the new rock when it gets here
 
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
80lbs Jakarta liverock showed up today from Carolina Aquatics....looks just like the videos on their website. Curious to see if this cycles well. (note pics only show 40 lbs at a time, I forgot to take pics of all 80 lbs)
C6045851-BD72-4966-9151-367F064D86F5_1_102_o.jpeg
IMG_1249.jpeg IMG_1248.jpeg IMG_1247.jpeg IMG_1246.jpeg IMG_1245.jpeg
 

Gumbies R Us

Another Fish in the Sea
View Badges
Joined
Nov 10, 2022
Messages
9,590
Reaction score
18,389
Location
North Georgia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
80lbs Jakarta liverock showed up today from Carolina Aquatics....looks just like the videos on their website. Curious to see if this cycles well. (note pics only show 40 lbs at a time, I forgot to take pics of all 80 lbs)
C6045851-BD72-4966-9151-367F064D86F5_1_102_o.jpeg
IMG_1249.jpeg IMG_1248.jpeg IMG_1247.jpeg IMG_1246.jpeg IMG_1245.jpeg
Looks good!!! can't wait to see where your tank goes from here and what you are going to add to it!
 
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
More filtration system pics, it will be here Tuesday
 

Attachments

  • 325660937_1206155800109986_6873916943668889238_n.jpeg
    325660937_1206155800109986_6873916943668889238_n.jpeg
    110.8 KB · Views: 66
  • 325590893_509000161113343_3031718258078883744_n.jpeg
    325590893_509000161113343_3031718258078883744_n.jpeg
    170 KB · Views: 64
  • 325608750_1445065469356677_2779830669558561202_n.jpeg
    325608750_1445065469356677_2779830669558561202_n.jpeg
    163 KB · Views: 62
  • 325696119_912350423539946_7702804291973822108_n.jpeg
    325696119_912350423539946_7702804291973822108_n.jpeg
    133.5 KB · Views: 62
  • 325618125_1359677774829192_8638898407172098398_n.jpeg
    325618125_1359677774829192_8638898407172098398_n.jpeg
    110.8 KB · Views: 61
  • 325793675_840975970539259_3979706421379836908_n.jpeg
    325793675_840975970539259_3979706421379836908_n.jpeg
    161.1 KB · Views: 60
  • 325599162_1102319347101130_9152235227568244398_n.jpeg
    325599162_1102319347101130_9152235227568244398_n.jpeg
    188.9 KB · Views: 55
  • 325596612_491780359775149_3761271170239496879_n.jpeg
    325596612_491780359775149_3761271170239496879_n.jpeg
    143.4 KB · Views: 62
  • 325665751_6425658297450268_4855838564419008652_n.jpeg
    325665751_6425658297450268_4855838564419008652_n.jpeg
    152.3 KB · Views: 59
  • 325426558_477099664624790_2823298051028857972_n.jpeg
    325426558_477099664624790_2823298051028857972_n.jpeg
    126.4 KB · Views: 60
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I think the Jakarta rock has cycled, test results today:
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 22.8
Phosphate .30
Source water with fresh salt mix phosphate .02
I'll keep doing 30 gallon water changes as time allows
 
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
My Exotic Marine overflow came in today, I took a few pics next to the synergy shadow overflow for comparison. No doubt I'll be running the Exotic Marine unit. Even the packaging is superior, except for the glitzy printing on the exterior of the shadow box. One thing that really turned me off with the synergy box, they solicited a review from me for the shadow box. It wasn't a 5 star review, so they just didnt post it to the website. That's fine if synergy contacted me and offered to improve my experience, but they didnt do that either. Makes synergy look like a mass produced product with no customer care. I really dislike that in a company

IMG_1271.jpeg IMG_1270.jpeg IMG_1269.jpeg IMG_1268.jpeg
 
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Stand, canopy, and tank arrived. It is now uncrated and in my home office. I’m happy with the tank. Rock in QT room showed nitrate at 5.8, phosphate at .01 so once I do plumbing and water test I should be ready to move the rock to the display
 
Last edited:

1000rrstunna

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 19, 2013
Messages
225
Reaction score
176
Location
chicago il
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
How was the quality of the tank I have been wanting to order from them but they will only drill for the synergy overflow or drill spec’d holes and I’m not sure who I can have build me boxes. Interested tho hear what you did for hole placement or did the other company make them to the synergy specs. It’s a shame custom doesn’t make a good overflow or do internal overflows. Their h20 one sucks.
 
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
How was the quality of the tank I have been wanting to order from them but they will only drill for the synergy overflow or drill spec’d holes and I’m not sure who I can have build me boxes. Interested tho hear what you did for hole placement or did the other company make them to the synergy specs. It’s a shame custom doesn’t make a good overflow or do internal overflows. Their h20 one sucks.
I’m completely pleased with the appearance of the tank. I haven’t put water in it yet but I dont expect any issues. I had exotic marine build me an overflow to fit synergy holes, it fit nicely. I also have a synergy overflow but I’m not going to use it, the synergy box feels like a cheap Chinese piece of garbage. Just have them drill the tank for a synergy overflow and get one from exotic marine or modular marine. Exotic marine now offers 3 different weirs, horizontal slot, short vertical, and long vertical. I ordered the short & long vertical, I expect to use the short vertical with my intended flow but will try them out and decide when i have water flowing
 
OP
OP
ThaBeast

ThaBeast

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
795
Reaction score
411
Location
Henderson KY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Only one box ? I’m thinking I’ll need two for my 7x40x25
Yes. It caused quite an issue for delivery. 33” wide x 96” long by 86.5” tall. We ended up having it delivered to my business. Couldn’t get the crate on the lift gate so we had to take the crate apart in the truck. Took the Canopy & stand out by hand and then slide the pallet with aquarium still attached onto the lift gate

Thank goodness for great team members. I had my best two guys there with three impact drivers. We had that crate apart and everything unloaded in 15 minutes
 

1000rrstunna

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 19, 2013
Messages
225
Reaction score
176
Location
chicago il
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I meant overflow box but yeah I’m going to have mine shipped to my business also with a dock and fork truck then trailer it home
 
Back
Top