"Embarking the Journey" Reef Build by Clayton

[Clayton Jessup]

Little bit more about me and who I am:

I am currently trying to finish up schooling to get a LPN or LVN Nursing License. A LPN or LVN is a Licensed Practical Nurse or Licensed Vocation Nurse which is right below a RN or Registered Nurse. So pretty much RN’s are my bosses once I start working. Due to this little fact of still trying to finish my schooling, this build is progressing at a very slow rate, sorry about that! Just please bear with me on this build, I promise this build will get good I have a lot in store for this build. As well I am married to a beautiful wife who has had her own fair shares of the ups and downs of being married to a fish keeper. I am a father of a toddler/Pre-schooler son, and as well to a soon to be born son in August, can’t wait for the new addition to be born.



Introduction:

Well the time to start this Reef Tank Journey is finally here!!! After much consideration and much contemplation, I finally have gotten up enough nerve to start my very own and FRIST Reef Build of my own! I am very much still in the building phase of this one of a kind Journey that I am hoping to have success in the Reef keeping world. Like I stated earlier is that this is going to be my first Reef Tank ever. I just finished owning my very first Nature Aquarium, of a Iwagumi Planted tank layout, that I truly enjoyed up keeping and owning, (my ADA 75P). I am extremely nervous on "Embarking the Journey" of owning a Reef tank. I personally knew awhile back ago that there was no other place that I would rather Embark this Journey then on Reef 2 Reef. As I have been a member for a little longer then over a year I have seen this community connect as one in helping newbies like myself to gain enough courage to get started in this amazing hobby. I personally can say this since I have contacted so many fellow Reef keepers on Reef 2 Reef that I have followed and carried great and friendly conversations with throughout this time of being a member of this amazing community. So, thank you to all the people I have messaged and contacted especially a shout out to d2mini. I am looking forward to " Embarking the Journey " with you all on Reef 2 Reef, and can't wait to share all this with you in this amazing journey of mine in the reef keeping world.





The Title “Embarking the Journey” is the name of my build due to the fact that I am starting something completely new, to any of my past fish keeping ways! I have mostly always kept FW fish my whole life from simple fish, to the beautiful Discus fish. I always knew that fish where going to be a large part of my life from a very young age, due to the introduction of fish keeping by my older brother Sheldon Jessup. I know with this new Journey of mine I am truly starting something completely different and Embarking in something completely new in my life. I am very nervous and excited for this Reef Build of mine, I am truly looking forward to this new journey!



The tank and stand;

I have had an internal battle on debating on what size tank to start with, from a 40g rimless ADA 75p, to 60g cube, a 93g cube, and now finally found a deal on a lightly used aquarium and stand in my local area of El Paso, Texas. Due to some extremely tight budget restraints the tank is nothing to special but a standard off the shelf tank, I just had to make it my own by doing some touch ups and changes to the tank and stand to make them my own and hoping maybe one of a kind, with a standard tank. I am doing my best to make this build of a standard tank a unique. I will be posting pictures of everything I have done from when I have first originally bought the tank used, to now the Redesigned version of tank and stand. A lot of time went into it but I can honestly say that I am happy with the results!



The Goal:

My GOAL on this very tank is to create my very first successful mixed reef tank, that can maybe go into a SPS themed tank latter down the line. Coming from a Natural Aquarium back round I have lost of ideas in my head, on how I am wanting to go about this tank. I am truly one who finds a level of Zen and Piece in the fish themed hobby I enjoy very much. So, with I am truly trying to get the best that I can afford, or by exercising a lot of patience with wanting to get the items and equipment that I truly want from the start. So that way it’s a plug and play setup route to success, verse changing a lot of my equipment, latter down the line, once the tank is established. I can’t state enough how excited I am about this journey of mine, in taking my hobbyist level to a level higher, by introducing reef keeping into my family’s life and my own life.





The List:

(Items of which I have)

Display Tank: 75g standard tank (48in x 18in x 21in tall)

Stand: Standard stand redesigned (50in x 20in x 28in tall)

Overflow: Synergy Reef 16in 1500 GPH Ghost Overflow

Sump: 20L DIY sump done by me, based on the “Reef in the Sky “sump design

Return Pump: Sicce Syncra Silent 5.0 (1321GPH)

Circulation Pumps: EcoTech Vortech MP10W’s upgraded to QD x 2

Skimmers: Tunze 9410

Heaters: Ehiem Jager 150w x2

In-stand LED Lighting: Marineland 36in LED

Plumbing: All 1 in Sch.80 pipes with White Sch.40 fittings, to ½ in manifold.



Frag tank: Built by myself rimless 10g (29in x 14in x 7in tall)

Sump: DIY Standard 20H aquarium with Modular Marine Baffle kit.

Overflow: Herbie design, Sch.80 stand pipes.

Return Pump: Mag Drive 7

Circulation Pumps: Hydor Korilia 425 gph with Hydor Smart Wave.

Lighting: 150w HQI Metal Halide pendent style fixture 15in above frag tank.



Items needed:

Display Tank

Lighting: Still to be determined

Controller: Apex or GHL Profilux P4

Pump controller: Either ReefLink or depending on controller choice.



Frag Tank:

Possible controller upgrade.

Possible light change depending on light source for DT.


Let the pictures come:

Tank coming home

Sump DIY 20L

Skimmer :

Circulation pumps :

They have now been upgraded to the QD drivers.



Return Pump

More to come Super Soon :

[emoji12]

 

[Txdragonslayer]

Starting off solid! And finally your build thread has started! I know you have more pics than that!

 

[Clayton Jessup]

They are coming soon!

 

[Flippers4pups]

Ah, the building phase! Fun stuff for sure.

Looks like you have done your homework on the tank and equipment, bravo.

Looking forward to seeing it "wet".

Keep up the good work.

 

[Clayton Jessup]

Thank you very much .

 

[jsker]

Looks like you are going to have a great build. Great picture of the ship. The are running a lot of sail

 

[Clayton Jessup]

So as promised more pictures to come , last was some simple pictures of the equipment, let's get to the good stuff

Tank and Stand :

I decided to silicon the Stand in the inside , maybe not the best idea , because I would have wished to do this later on actually but it is what it is.

With the tank came a MarineLand LED Strip light I decided to make this my internal stand light for sump area.

From there I decided to paint my 20L Reef in the Sky designed sump with a white color for sides and back . I also decided to make a matching 5.5g ATO in white to follow the theme of the sump

From there I decided I need a specific section of my stand just for my future controller so I had some burch wood that I used to make a perfect piece to fit into my stand. So I went with it , then followed by busting out my jigsaw and cut a section on the right side of the stand for a new door to gain access to the controller section.
Hope you all like let me know what you all think ..

Trust me still more pictures to come [emoji12]

 

[Clayton Jessup]

Thank you very much jsker I how trying to find the right picture for the build and to set the theme

 

[Clayton Jessup]

If anyone comes across my build please feel free to share it, thank you!

 

[najer]

Great start, good luck with the build.

 

[Clayton Jessup]

Great start, good luck with the build.

Thank you very much nadir . If can remember to share my build please.

 

[Clayton Jessup]

If you can remember I mean. Sorry about that.

 

[justingraham]

If you can remember I mean. Sorry about that.

Don't tell me what to do

Just kidding

How did u make ur own frag tank? I want to do the same thing but am scared the thing will fall apart

Congrats on the nice start

Justin

 

[Txdragonslayer]

Don't tell me what to do

Just kidding

How did u make ur own frag tank? I want to do the same thing but am scared the thing will fall apart

Congrats on the nice start

Justin

I'll answer for him, he had some glass already laying around that he took to a local glass shop in town to cut and bevel the edges. It's small but looks solid and will serve as a good frag tank for sure.

 

[justingraham]

I'll answer for him, he had some glass already laying around that he took to a local glass shop in town to cut and bevel the edges. It's small but looks solid and will serve as a good frag tank for sure.

Hum and just silicone? Any type of braceing?

 

[Clayton Jessup]

I'll answer for him, he had some glass already laying around that he took to a local glass shop in town to cut and bevel the edges. It's small but looks solid and will serve as a good frag tank for sure.

That's is the idea of it lol , I will be posting pictures of it as well soon... lots of pictures to post in proper order . So they will come . The frag tank is made out of 3/8 in glass or 10mm thick glass.

The frag tank , made by me

I had about a total of about 8 of theses exact same pieces of glass. They measure 28x7in tall , so for the the base I siliconed two of them together , to crest a little large foot print.

As well I added a 3rd strip of this same glass on the bottom new panel , to create a better base and seal where the two original panels of glass came together, I siliconed it in place with the silicone dots like Elos , as well as around the perimeter of the 3rd panel of glass to create a solid seal to the bottom 2 original panels.
From there I let the tank cure for about 4 days to a week to allow a proper cure time for the silicone. After that it of time I decided to water test , with some Hydor Nano pumps and a heater.

Water testing lasted about 3-4 days as well. Now time for filtration method .

Drilled to holes for 2 x 1 in bulkheads in the center for the overflow method. Then drilled 1 hole for a 1/2in bulkhead to fit on the left side of the tank for the return line.

Then I was time for plumbing and adding the sump . And water testing , the sump on this is now the sump for my 75g , I have sense then changed my sumps situations.

I will post some most recent pictures soon . I now have a 150w Mh lighting up the tank and the back of the the frag tank is painted black.

Hope it answers your question.

 

[justingraham]

That is awesome

 

[Clayton Jessup]

Thank you very much justingraham this build is very much DIY influenced from a lot of other builds on r2r , but with my own twist to it to make it my own and unique to me.

 

[scottedontknow]

Wow man you just gave me so many ideas!! I'm loving this build!

 

[Clayton Jessup]

Wow man you just gave me so many ideas!! I'm loving this build!

Your very welcome and thank you scottedontknow . I have taken men a lot of time to start the preparation and time I spent into to this build , thank you again.