Holy buckets! A little over a month ago, I inherited a 40g salty from some friends who were moving. It rekindled an interest, and now we're off to the races!
My goal is a 75g reef tank. I'm hitched to a carpenter, so I have an advantage when it comes to the custom work - I've sketched out a plan for a stand that will support the 75g tank, while allowing space underneath for the 40g to become the sump. It'll also accommodate a 10g QT tank and some storage space for all the fishy gear.
I scored about 120 lbs of reef rock (Craigslist) and have everything to do a "rock reincarnation" before I cure it. The previous owner said there were some minor questionable wormy parasites, so I'm going to try to harvest some of the coralline and then basically "reset" the rest. I'm looking forward to the aquascaping bit of this project. Also thanks to Craigslist, I have an immaculately maintained 75g tank on hand!
After my first trial run with the reef chemical test kit, it became clear that my local water wasn't going to work for a reef setup. My carpenter is presently at work building a basement "wet lab" - we had an old, yet-to-be-installed utility sink and a lower cabinet unit salvaged from a bathroom remodel. With the addition of a Brute garbage can and a BRS RODI, it's on track to be a pretty sweet little setup. After tank maintenance today, I'm super stoked about the new space and all of the extra storage for chemicals and equipment.
I've got some drywall/paint to do before we build the stand, but I have most of the components for my sump, as well as my reef rock, live sand, and a few clowns to get things going.
Will share photos and updates of the journey. Can't wait to see where the next six months takes me!
My goal is a 75g reef tank. I'm hitched to a carpenter, so I have an advantage when it comes to the custom work - I've sketched out a plan for a stand that will support the 75g tank, while allowing space underneath for the 40g to become the sump. It'll also accommodate a 10g QT tank and some storage space for all the fishy gear.
I scored about 120 lbs of reef rock (Craigslist) and have everything to do a "rock reincarnation" before I cure it. The previous owner said there were some minor questionable wormy parasites, so I'm going to try to harvest some of the coralline and then basically "reset" the rest. I'm looking forward to the aquascaping bit of this project. Also thanks to Craigslist, I have an immaculately maintained 75g tank on hand!
After my first trial run with the reef chemical test kit, it became clear that my local water wasn't going to work for a reef setup. My carpenter is presently at work building a basement "wet lab" - we had an old, yet-to-be-installed utility sink and a lower cabinet unit salvaged from a bathroom remodel. With the addition of a Brute garbage can and a BRS RODI, it's on track to be a pretty sweet little setup. After tank maintenance today, I'm super stoked about the new space and all of the extra storage for chemicals and equipment.
I've got some drywall/paint to do before we build the stand, but I have most of the components for my sump, as well as my reef rock, live sand, and a few clowns to get things going.
Will share photos and updates of the journey. Can't wait to see where the next six months takes me!