Cause the addiction never stops. My new 400+ gallon tank

SPR1968

No, it wasn’t expensive dear....
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You guys ever consider using TBS rocks? Have some cooking in another room and am really happy w the quality. No unwanted hitchhikers that ive found and tons of coralline. More than my 18month old 40 Gallon cube.
No but they look good definitely

Only problem is the air freight cost to England and Australia might be an issue! Lol
 
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widarecu

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It’s personal preference how you do it really.

I'm using brand new rock, and in my case Real Reef Rock which I’ve used before and like the look of, and how it works. If I wasn’t keeping the current tank going I still would use new rock so none of the pests get in the new system mainly asterina starfish. And I will be quarantining all the coral additions to the new tank as well.

My intention is to design the aquascape when the tank is dry. It’s going to be a ‘modern‘ design and I’ve got in my mind exactly how it will look, because I’m very ‘artistic’ you see! Lol

So, artificial rock in, followed by Red Sea Pink (it’s not pink before you ask) LIVE sand, followed by around 530 gallons of water.

Then in goes 5 large bottles of ATM Colony followed immediately or shortly after (a day maybe) by a shoal of probably green Chromis to get the biological filtration up and running. Thats it, well the start of it.

Doing exactly the same, we are in the same wavelength man:cool:
 
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widarecu

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You guys ever consider using TBS rocks? Have some cooking in another room and am really happy w the quality. No unwanted hitchhikers that ive found and tons of coralline. More than my 18month old 40 Gallon cube.
As what Shaun said, the problem in Australia we have to go with whatever is available and unfortunately we don’t get the same variety of options as in the US :(
 
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widarecu

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Just got the 4 boxes but I’ll definitely need way more than that, each box comes with about 6 pieces only :/

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And because I was already there I also end up buying 8 new frags for the current tank :rolleyes:

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widarecu

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And the sump is ready :) now I’m thinking on setting it up in a closed loop and start cycling the rock, I’m still at least 4 months away while the house is ready but I think that can be a good way of using the time while waiting ...

End result looks pretty good, excellent finishes, couldn’t be happier:

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widarecu

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Looks good. Curious where you got Orphek lighting in Australia. Would consider them for my system too.
Thanks mate. I got the Orphek by contacting Justin Grey via the Orphek Australia Facebook page, you can send an email to [email protected] and they’ll get your order through pretty quick.
 

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Thanks mate. I got the Orphek by contacting Justin Grey via the Orphek Australia Facebook page, you can send an email to [email protected] and they’ll get your order through pretty quick.

Thanks. I’m not on Facebook, so the email address is really helpful for me. Looking forward to seeing your system progress.
 
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widarecu

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So a quick update on where I am with my project. Construction designs got delayed because of the christmas holiday but finally they are ready, a lot of thinking from the architect trying to play with the available space but this is how it is looking, still a couple of changes as I want it a bit wider and the sump lower than where it is now, but the overall idea is there:

View from the top:
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View from the dinning area:
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View from the study/TV area:
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View from the side:
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vetteguy53081

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And here an overall view of where it is located in the floor plan .... can't wait to start the build :)

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Beautiful drawings !!
 
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widarecu

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So things took a bit of a delay because of construction planning and permits but finally things are moving, still a couple of months to go but some progress photos.

This is how the room looked like 2 months ago:
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widarecu

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And last week slab is finally in.

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I really wanted to use that whole room as a fish room but I lost the argument with the wife so I have to work around the space while making it as functional and aesthetic as possible.

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Hard to see here but the space with water is where the tank will sit, a bit lower in level and with a drain to avoid accidents flooding the future TV room. There will be a little sink on the right side hidden behind joinery, and those two orange pipes are conduits connecting the water change station located under the stairs.

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above the space where the small water station will sit, I should be able to have about 400-500 liters anytime I need.
 

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What is the cost of running the tank? Not the equipment and livestock but once everything is set up, what is the average cost per month for running giant setups like these?
 
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widarecu

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What is the cost of running the tank? Not the equipment and livestock but once everything is set up, what is the average cost per month for running giant setups like these?
In my case is the electricity bill so it depends a lot on where you are located, I’m in Australia so my electricity bill should be around $400 per month (Australian dollars), then I have the triton additives which I think will be around $160 every other month, and then I’m looking to minimize water changes so that one shouldn’t be too much.

I’m sure there are a couple of things more here and there like food and stuff but I just ignore all those extra numbers otherwise I’ll start having second thoughts lol
 

Fallenreef

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In my case is the electricity bill so it depends a lot on where you are located, I’m in Australia so my electricity bill should be around $400 per month (Australian dollars), then I have the triton additives which I think will be around $160 every other month, and then I’m looking to minimize water changes so that one shouldn’t be too much.

I’m sure there are a couple of things more here and there like food and stuff but I just ignore all those extra numbers otherwise I’ll start having second thoughts lol
Thanks for the info, I want to upgrade but worried about the upkeep
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

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  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

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  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

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