BubbleMyTip's 90 gallon sps dominant tank build

bubblemytip · May 2, 2018

Hello!

I currently run a 25-gallon sps dominant nano reef, but as my acros start growing into the glass and the foxface starts to naturally frags things when he gets excited at feeding time, I am upgrading!!

Details/equipment list:

Tank: Custom 48l x 24w x 20h rimless with 12mm glass, bottom bracing.
Overflow: Eshopps Eclipse Large, running a bean-animal style.
Sump: Synergy Reef T26 (storm cloud colour) - not running triton algae refugium, instead using the space for a cryptic zone to keep the display scape minimal.
Flow: x3 Tunze Stream 3 with flow rectifiers, a 6095 and a 6055 - controlled by Tunze 7096 - Random Pulse 50-100%.
Return: Eheim 1260
Skimmer: UltraReef UKS-160
Lighting: x2 GNC AM366 LEDs, with a sexy PMMA mounting bracket, and x2 GNC Silvermoon Actinic 1047 supplementary LED bars, so a total of approximately 700 diodes. Each Silvermoon uses 90 458nm blue and 36 405nm violet LEDS. The AM366 uses 445nm blues and 14,000K whites. So it should look nice and crisp but not too blue.
Dosing: AquaCare Turbo-Kalkreaktor size 1 with aquacare turbo calcium granulate and zeomag, plus all top-off being done with saturated kalkwasser. GHL Doser 2.1 for iron and iodine.
ATO: IKS Vario Blue 2 peristaltic pump connected to Tunze 3155 Osmolator switch (GHL float as failsafe).
Initial salt mix: Red Sea Blue Bucket. Thereafter Dupla Marin amino active (similar to tropic Marin bioactiv).
Controller: GHL Profilux 4e with three powerbar 6.1e-PAB.
Cooling/Heating: Teco TK-500 (GHL as backup/monitor).

I am still undecided on whether to go bare bottom or not. I think I will go with a shallow sand bed to at least hide the glass bracing...

The method I'll be following for this tank is a modified DSR (Dutch Synthetic Reefing), with a calcium reactor instead of two-part.

More to come! [emoji4]

dbl · May 2, 2018

Congrats on the upgrade...sounds like it's going to be a great system.

bubblemytip · May 5, 2018

dbl said:
Congrats on the upgrade...sounds like it's going to be a great system.

Thanks!

Here are some pics of the tank so far. Been busy cleaning it in preparation for the arrival of the overflow and sump. It is low-iron glass on the front and side panels. The previous owner used an Eshopps Eclipse L overflow, but used a lot of putty/sealant and no unions, making it very difficult to work with, so I have ordered a new one.

Here's a concept pic of what the GNC light mount will look like:

And the sump has been ordered this week too. Shipping it all the way to New Zealand costs almost as much as the sump itself:

Genomecop · May 5, 2018

So excited to follow a DSR build from the beginning.

Marou · May 5, 2018

Following

Genomecop · May 6, 2018

Are you going to be using a refugium with this setup?

bubblemytip · May 6, 2018

Genomecop said:
Are you going to be using a refugium with this setup?

Just a cryptic zone filled with live rock and maybe a frag rack.

no algae refugium.

Dogtown · May 16, 2018

How is it coming along?

bubblemytip · May 16, 2018

It’s coming together slowly but surely. I have now painted the back of the tank black.

The sump is still about 3 weeks away.

Received the following so far:

- light mount
- sand
- rock
- overflow
- plumbing parts

Waiting on:

- supplementary LEDs (GNC Silvermoon actinic 1047 (180 458nm blue with 72 405nm violet LEDs)
- tunze 7096 multicontroller with moonlight
- second tunze stream 3
- Schego 300w titanium heater
- sump

I’ll post some more pics next week once some more of the above has arrived.

bubblemytip · May 21, 2018

Some goodies have arrived!

Tank has been painted and overflow installed:

Now just waiting on the sump.

Need some more pipe and will be working on the external stand panels and electrical cabinet.

Seriously considering going bare bottom for this tank so I can crank the Stream 3 pumps.

buddy. · May 21, 2018

Looks like everything is coming along nicely. That overflow is really nice!

bubblemytip · May 21, 2018

buddy. said:
Looks like everything is coming along nicely. That overflow is really nice!

Thanks. I like how it blends in with the background and takes up so little space. I’m hoping it passes the leak test in due course.

Also forgot to mention, I’m also waiting on an Artfully Acrylic screen top with custom cutouts for the lights and return line.

bubblemytip · May 25, 2018

Sump is shipping to me next Tuesday! Will see how quickly it arrives via international shipping...

Meanwhile, I have done a few little pieces of DIY while I wait for the sump.

First is making some anemone guards for my TUNZE stream 3s.

Next was putting a union on my TUNZE 9410 skimmer pump so I can more easily service it. Without the union, I would have to either spin the pump or spin the skimmer body itself to attach the pump. Now it’s nice and easy and no wires getting tangled.

It only increases the footprint slightly and doesn’t increase its width. So it should fit nicely in the T-26 sump.

bubblemytip · Jun 5, 2018

Sump arrived!

Acrylic lid is still about 10 days from being crafted. Then will be about 2-3 weeks to ship because I’m using a freight-forwarder to save on shipping costs.

But now that I have the sump, I can finish plumbing and work on getting the tank cycling a little.