BTLDREEF 180g mixed reef

[btldreef]

This is my tank thread. My wife and I have been in the hobby for aprox 6 years. She is the fish person and I am the everything else that goes into the tank person. This tank has been up and running for a little over 1 year. Thanks to all those who I have purchased or traded corals from/with, as you can see they are doing great. I tried to keep all the photos in order to show
its progression. I will try to organize this thread as best as I can.

BUILD
Equipment
Fish List
Coral List
DIYs

The beginning: I had picked a specific room for the tank to go in so that the wife will not be constantly yelling at me for spilling saltwater everywhere.

Plumbing: 2 x 1" overflows w/ shut off and disconnect valves
2 x 3/4" returns w/ shut off and disconnect valves
manifold w/ 3/4" barbs for CO2 reactor and phosban reactor
From refugium: 1" front durso standpipe leads directly to sump.

Lighting : Cree leds 120 leds total in main tank
24 leds total in refugium/fragtank
80 x xpg cool whites
80 x xpe royal blues
2 x meanwell hlg 240-48b drivers
1 x typhoon controller inverted input

Up to a bout a month ago I was running XRE cree leds. I just recently updated them all. Pics Later on of the upgrade.

First time running: June 2011
After finishing the plumbing in the main tank I had began to add water. I had put egg crate down before the sand to make the rock work sturdy.
I had kept all corals from old tank in the refugium for a week until the main tank was settled.

 

[btldreef]

Equipment : Cree led DIY fixture (info in post #1)
refugeium/fragtank 24 cree leds w/ 2 x meanwell eln 48-60p drivers controlled by apex
mag 18 return pump for display tank
triton 4 return pump for refugium/frag tank
2 x mp40wes added 3 months ago
2 x mp40w
mp10wes
tlf 150 phosban reactor
asm g3 skimmer
life reef co2 reactor 20lbs co2 tank marine depot regulator w/ bubble counter
co2 reactor pump eheim 1250
diy ato w/ dosing pump from brs
2 x jager 300w heaters
Apex base tank controller w/ wxm added 5 months ago
diy battery backup for ecotech vortech
diy auto water change system
55g storage tank for RO
Air water ice rodi Typhon 100gpd


First few months of running:

 

[btldreef]

Fish list : Blonde naso Tang
Purple Tang
Hippo Tang
3 x Pajama Cardinals
Candy Hogfish
Yellow Coris wrasse
Coral Beauty
Tail spot Blenny
Black Comb Tooth Blenny
Osc. Female Clownfish
Little Red Gobbies never found out their name
Yasha goby w/ randali pistol shrimp (refuge)
Leopard Wrasse (refuge)
Ora Black Ice Snowflake clown Male (refuge)
Inverts :
6" Maxima Clam
SKunk cleaner shrimp
Fire shrimp
Nassarius snails
Nerite snails
Astrea snails
Randali pistol shrimp
Green Bubble tip anemone

 

[btldreef]

SHOW OFF : I need a better camera w/ macro lens. Thank you for your understanding lol.

 

[btldreef]

 

[btldreef]

 

[btldreef]

 

[btldreef]

 

[btldreef]

 

[btldreef]

Led Fixture UPGRADE: FROM this point on all these pics will be with the new cree leds. ALL XPG AND XPE.

 

[cryptics]

BTLDReef's tank is amazing. Built my DIY lED's for me after I mucked it up

 

[bige]

Wow. Your tank is amazing!!

 

[btldreef]

@cryptics thanks man! it's about time I started participating on this forum. mr is becoming bleh lol.

@bige thank you very much.

 

[Pappy]

Very nice tank! Love to see another successful DIY led'er.!!!

 

[jdpiii3]

looking good BTLDREEF! Where on the Island are you? I'm from Northport originaly, moved to FL in 93.

 

[Phyber]

What kind of coral is this?

Good looking tank!

 

[btldreef]

Very nice tank! Love to see another successful DIY led'er.!!!

THANK YOU. 2.5 years of leds and never going back. I have tried t5 and halides. I did like the results of each but, leds I can get the colors I like because I do not use optics and dim them through a typhoon
controller.

looking good BTLDREEF! Where on the Island are you? I'm from Northport originaly, moved to FL in 93.

THANKS, I live in Medford in Suffolk county. Former NY'er ? Now a FLORIDIAN..... good for you. It is getting a little congested up here but I love it.

What kind of coral is this?

Good looking tank!

That is a War Paint Scoly. Thank you.

 

[wysiwyg]

wow love the tank

 

[btldreef]

The last few pics were several months ago. Unfortunately the tank had been infected with red bugs from local trading. I know now and forever will BE DIPPING MY CORALS! (I use bayer extra strength insect repellant) I had removed all sps from the tank for 2 weeks dipped them during removal and the quarantined them in a 10g and added high amounts of Interceptor. Then after I dipped again before adding them back in to main tank. I had also treated Main Tank with Some Interceptor, afraid of nuking all of my Inverts, did not want to use full strength. All of that had worked with great success. 3 months later my sps are back on track. I had lost some whole colonies due to the stress. Leason Learned.

 

[btldreef]

wow love the tank

thank you very much.