Fluval Siena 88 Gallon/340 liter

[Swoff11]

44x22x22
I’m upgrading from a generic 45 gallon bow front that I’ve had off and on for years. It started as a tank for my red ear slider turtle then we had a beta fish in it at one point. When I first got into reefing I had a 45 gallon hex aquarium that my grandma had then passed to my dad then me. Well unfortunately the hex sprung a leak so we moved everything into the bow front and I loved it for a few years despite sometimes neglecting it due to work.

This year while I was cleaning the bow front I noticed it was leaking from the trim on the top and I figured it’s time to get a new tank because I don’t want to come home to fish on the floor and water damage not to mention the stand itself is so old and looks worse for wear.

I went to my local lfs that was taken over by a chain and they were selling a whole set up by Fluval which is a brand I’m familiar with. The tank came with a stand that’s split so I’m not able to put a sump in it unless it’s a 10 gallon or custom cube so I’m sticking with the FX4 filter and that’s not much of an issue for me because the 45 was using a canister.

Side note I think canisters get a bad wrap. I have always had trouble keeping my nitrates up and have even had to fight off Dino’s because of it.

Anyway this tank will be a stepping stone up until I get moved into a new house one day and don’t want to move again. Probably gonna get a 400 and get all the tangs.

I will try to keep a list of all the equipment I have on the tank on this thread. For all the hang on back gang.

I started by adding argonite sand I got off of amazon. I don’t do a deep sand bed so I only got 40 lbs of this on Amazon Amazon product ASIN B07X1V7ZXW
I went with 88 lbs of Marcos reef saver Amazon product ASIN B0BM4X3WN8That was difficult for me because it was our first rock scape and for some reason no matter what we did the two part epoxy putty, super glue gel, and the liquid super glue mixed with sand or baking soda didn’t stick. The only thing that worked was when I got frustrated and stuck it in the tank and used the super glue gel in the salt water .
I tried to add as much area for fish to hide and coral to place as I could. If I could do it again I would most likely use half of the reef saver and get another 40 lbs of pre made shapes and such but I think it turned out pretty ok.

After that I added the beneficial bacteria and set an auto feeder to go every day until it finished cycling I gave it probably about 3 months give or take a few weeks. When I finally got back home I ordered a pack of clean up crew from reef cleaners and let them go to town for another week along with pods from algae barn before adding a coral beauty to the tank.

Next up was a classic heater controller. https://a.co/d/cMglH0M
Along with two of these heaters. https://a.co/d/bAfYSWH I had this type in my other tank just a bit smaller and it was solid.

For flow on one side as you can see I have the canister filter that came pre drilled to the bottom of the tank https://a.co/d/2IJhJ3X and a hygger wave maker. https://a.co/d/7aCPjh8 I would suggest getting the larger 25 watt and just turning down the power on it.
I forgot to mention before I started the cycle I put seachem matrix in the filter for biological media and will swap filter floss every cleaning. I also added this uv clarifier. https://fluvalaquatics.com/us/shop/product/fx-uvc-in-line-clarifier I don’t think that would be strong enough to stop Dino’s or prevent disease but from the reviews on it it’ll help with algae blooms. Plus I have a separate in tank uv that I used to help kill off my last outbreak of Dino’s it works pretty well. https://a.co/d/gS0aeq7

Soon I plan to make my own mesh lid using a kit from lows or possibly the Red Sea one so that I can use my hyper reef lights and controller. https://a.co/d/iAn49s3
https://a.co/d/ckl5hIuI know these work well just because I had one on my 45.

Now because I work very far away and will be gone months at a time every now and again I have these blink cameras they’re pretty cheap on Amazon and I use the system already. https://a.co/d/0CelMV6
https://a.co/d/4Zh6axy
I’m a little bit of a cheaper reefer as you can probably guess but I always research before I buy new gear. Fish on the other hand I’m a little bit dumb because I get excited when I see them in the store.

I just received my new HOB skimmer in the mail and will install it when I get home but I don’t really have a bio load at all yet so it’s not high on my to do list. https://a.co/d/iJ4Xwfl

 

[Swoff11]

Apologies some of the pictures didn’t upload earlier.

 

[Swoff11]

Also much love and appreciation for my devoted beautiful wife who takes care of things while I’m away. She has definitely had some hard days coming home from work and needing to do filter cleaning and coral/fish care. I’d never be successful with reefing if she wasn’t there.

 

[Swoff11]

https://aquacave.com/cpr-aquatic-aquafuge-2-hang-on-refugium-large.htmlhttps://aquacave.com/cpr-aquatic-aquafuge-2-hang-on-refugium-medium.html
I’ve decided for a cleaner look I’ll be getting 2 of these hang on back refugiums. I can a heater in each one along with the temp probes. One of them will be home to my uv pump and skimmer as long as the flow doesn’t cause too many issues. I’m going to use one as my refugium so I don’t have to keep buying pods that alone will eventually pay for itself. I’ll also be using the lights that came with the tank for the macro light. They can be programmed so shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[xxpuhaxx]

Hello! i just finished building my fluval 88 gallon tank. so far it has been doing great! i upgraded from a 40 gallon cube. definitely did some custom things with this tank, but it turned out amazing so far

 

[Swoff11]

Hello! i just finished building my fluval 88 gallon tank. so far it has been doing great! i upgraded from a 40 gallon cube. definitely did some custom things with this tank, but it turned out amazing so far

That’s basically where I ended up too but instead of drilling I used an overflow style. Yours definitely looks cleaner for sure though lol.

 

[MoshJosh]

Hello! i just finished building my fluval 88 gallon tank. so far it has been doing great! i upgraded from a 40 gallon cube. definitely did some custom things with this tank, but it turned out amazing so far

Do you guys still have these tanks???

I just got one second hand and was hoping I could ask a few question!!!

 

[MoshJosh]

44x22x22
I’m upgrading from a generic 45 gallon bow front that I’ve had off and on for years. It started as a tank for my red ear slider turtle then we had a beta fish in it at one point. When I first got into reefing I had a 45 gallon hex aquarium that my grandma had then passed to my dad then me. Well unfortunately the hex sprung a leak so we moved everything into the bow front and I loved it for a few years despite sometimes neglecting it due to work.

This year while I was cleaning the bow front I noticed it was leaking from the trim on the top and I figured it’s time to get a new tank because I don’t want to come home to fish on the floor and water damage not to mention the stand itself is so old and looks worse for wear.

I went to my local lfs that was taken over by a chain and they were selling a whole set up by Fluval which is a brand I’m familiar with. The tank came with a stand that’s split so I’m not able to put a sump in it unless it’s a 10 gallon or custom cube so I’m sticking with the FX4 filter and that’s not much of an issue for me because the 45 was using a canister.

Side note I think canisters get a bad wrap. I have always had trouble keeping my nitrates up and have even had to fight off Dino’s because of it.

Anyway this tank will be a stepping stone up until I get moved into a new house one day and don’t want to move again. Probably gonna get a 400 and get all the tangs.

I will try to keep a list of all the equipment I have on the tank on this thread. For all the hang on back gang.

I started by adding argonite sand I got off of amazon. I don’t do a deep sand bed so I only got 40 lbs of this on Amazon Amazon product ASIN B07X1V7ZXW
I went with 88 lbs of Marcos reef saver Amazon product ASIN B0BM4X3WN8That was difficult for me because it was our first rock scape and for some reason no matter what we did the two part epoxy putty, super glue gel, and the liquid super glue mixed with sand or baking soda didn’t stick. The only thing that worked was when I got frustrated and stuck it in the tank and used the super glue gel in the salt water .
I tried to add as much area for fish to hide and coral to place as I could. If I could do it again I would most likely use half of the reef saver and get another 40 lbs of pre made shapes and such but I think it turned out pretty ok.

After that I added the beneficial bacteria and set an auto feeder to go every day until it finished cycling I gave it probably about 3 months give or take a few weeks. When I finally got back home I ordered a pack of clean up crew from reef cleaners and let them go to town for another week along with pods from algae barn before adding a coral beauty to the tank.

Next up was a classic heater controller. https://a.co/d/cMglH0M
Along with two of these heaters. https://a.co/d/bAfYSWH I had this type in my other tank just a bit smaller and it was solid.

For flow on one side as you can see I have the canister filter that came pre drilled to the bottom of the tank https://a.co/d/2IJhJ3X and a hygger wave maker. https://a.co/d/7aCPjh8 I would suggest getting the larger 25 watt and just turning down the power on it.
I forgot to mention before I started the cycle I put seachem matrix in the filter for biological media and will swap filter floss every cleaning. I also added this uv clarifier. https://fluvalaquatics.com/us/shop/product/fx-uvc-in-line-clarifier I don’t think that would be strong enough to stop Dino’s or prevent disease but from the reviews on it it’ll help with algae blooms. Plus I have a separate in tank uv that I used to help kill off my last outbreak of Dino’s it works pretty well. https://a.co/d/gS0aeq7

Soon I plan to make my own mesh lid using a kit from lows or possibly the Red Sea one so that I can use my hyper reef lights and controller. https://a.co/d/iAn49s3
https://a.co/d/ckl5hIuI know these work well just because I had one on my 45.

Now because I work very far away and will be gone months at a time every now and again I have these blink cameras they’re pretty cheap on Amazon and I use the system already. https://a.co/d/0CelMV6
https://a.co/d/4Zh6axy
I’m a little bit of a cheaper reefer as you can probably guess but I always research before I buy new gear. Fish on the other hand I’m a little bit dumb because I get excited when I see them in the store.

I just received my new HOB skimmer in the mail and will install it when I get home but I don’t really have a bio load at all yet so it’s not high on my to do list. https://a.co/d/iJ4Xwfl

Do you guys still have these tanks???

I just got one second hand and was hoping I could ask a few question!!!

 

[xxpuhaxx]

Hello! i just finished building my fluval 88 gallon tank. so far it has been doing great! i upgraded from a 40 gallon cube. definitely did some custom things with this tank, but it turned out amazing so far

Do you guys still have these tanks???

I just got one second hand and was hoping I could ask a few question!!!

i sure do! it’s running amazing still!

what are ur questions? hopefully i have answers for them!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[MoshJosh]

i sure do! it’s running amazing still!

what are ur questions? hopefully i have answers for them!

So I got mine used and the previous owner removed the top "rim" and what fluval calls "strengthening bars". I am trying to figure out exactly what got removed and how important that was to the strength? Also how did you plumb yours and what return pump speed???

Thanks for the reply!

 

[xxpuhaxx]

i sure do! it’s running amazing still!

what are ur questions? hopefully i have answers for them!

So I got mine used and the previous owner removed the top "rim" and what fluval calls "strengthening bars". I am trying to figure out exactly what got removed and how important that was to the strength? Also how did you plumb yours and what return pump speed???

Thanks for the reply!

i’ll do my best to reply. i’m currently working and don’t have the best service. i’ll try to send some photos, but they might have to wait till tonight when i get home.

so my best guess on the “strengthening bar” is that glued on 3 inch band around the top of the tank. one photo i have is it had lips on the inside to hold the stock lid the tank came with. then there are two glass shelf things in the tank, that i cut one out, use the other as a shelf for a few tools. so i don’t think anything in the inside was very important helped the structure. (i’m not a pro, but they weren’t all connected into one piece, so only makes sense to me that the lips on the inside aren’t structural).

how i plumbed it was a hang on the back return line. i didn’t do any drilling in the tank, i used same tubing it came with.

i have the 20 gallon cube trigger system sump (nothing special it’s in the photos above). i pretty much ran 1 inch pond hose (flexible tubing) with a shut off valve from one of the drains on the bottom of the tank. then the other line that is the over flow is running to the same spot to the filter sock section. (i can get better pics later).

for the pump i’m running is the red sea g2 4000. i only run it in 40%. it can be ran 100% no problem. everything drain nice and flows good. so personal preference on that one. but i love the pump. the. i have a red sea 45 and 25 wave maker in the tank.

i ordered an overflow box off ebay. i can send the link of the exact one later. pretty much just cut it to fit and siliconed it into place.

let me know if i’m missing anything or anything else and i’ll do my best!

 

[xxpuhaxx]

i sure do! it’s running amazing still!

what are ur questions? hopefully i have answers for them!

So I got mine used and the previous owner removed the top "rim" and what fluval calls "strengthening bars". I am trying to figure out exactly what got removed and how important that was to the strength? Also how did you plumb yours and what return pump speed???

Thanks for the reply!

i did read ur other thread. seeing the glass as the strengthening bar. i took the back one out but kept the front one. don’t seems to have any problems or (bowing) in the back

 

[MoshJosh]

i did read ur other thread. seeing the glass as the strengthening bar. i took the back one out but kept the front one. don’t seems to have any problems or (bowing) in the back

Yeah, from what you said, and from looking at pictures, the bar not going all the way to the side panels in the back makes me think it can't be structural. . . and considering the front and back panels are the same thickness it makes me think the front one is not super structural either. That said, I may add some glass bracing just to be safe.

You have the 88 gallon version so your bulkheads may be bigger than mine (think the 72 gallon is 3/4" bulk heads), but your flow rate gives me hope, cause I am only looking for 700 gallons per hour. So you are running one bulkhead to siphon with a gate valve and the other is just emergency?

Thanks again for replying, this info is super helpful!!!

 

[xxpuhaxx]

i did read ur other thread. seeing the glass as the strengthening bar. i took the back one out but kept the front one. don’t seems to have any problems or (bowing) in the back

Yeah, from what you said, and from looking at pictures, the bar not going all the way to the side panels in the back makes me think it can't be structural. . . and considering the front and back panels are the same thickness it makes me think the front one is not super structural either. That said, I may add some glass bracing just to be safe.

You have the 88 gallon version so your bulkheads may be bigger than mine (think the 72 gallon is 3/4" bulk heads), but your flow rate gives me hope, cause I am only looking for 700 gallons per hour. So you are running one bulkhead to siphon with a gate valve and the other is just emergency?

Thanks again for replying, this info is super helpful!!!

i believe the inner diameter of the stock bulkheads that i’m using are 3/4 inch. i just slid one inch pipe over the bulk head in the tank with an oring that makes it full siphone for one, then the other bulkhead lines the emergency over flow.

the. in the bottom it’s barbed fitting so i slipped 1 inch flex tube over it with a gate valve to adjust the flow so i don’t get the gurgling noise.

i know they say stay away from 3/4 inch because of the flow, but i feel like i’m definitely getting enough with making up with the wave makers in the tank. but again im still fairly new to this. i’ve also had a lot of help from my LFS with getting all set up. and they are very knowledgeable with this stuff.

 

[Swoff11]

Yeah, from what you said, and from looking at pictures, the bar not going all the way to the side panels in the back makes me think it can't be structural. . . and considering the front and back panels are the same thickness it makes me think the front one is not super structural either. That said, I may add some glass bracing just to be safe.

You have the 88 gallon version so your bulkheads may be bigger than mine (think the 72 gallon is 3/4" bulk heads), but your flow rate gives me hope, cause I am only looking for 700 gallons per hour. So you are running one bulkhead to siphon with a gate valve and the other is just emergency?

Thanks again for replying, this info is super helpful!!!

Sorry I’m a lazy scum bag that wakes up late lol.

Let me know if I get everything.

The glass bars inside I also cut out. I am not sure if they were supposed to be structural or not but they don’t go from edge to edge and were only on the top above the water line so I was just guessing it’s for the lid that came with it. I haven’t noticed any issues with bowing since I did and it’s been pretty much since after I made this thread.

I left the bands that go around the outside of the top and bottom.

I plumbed it with a hang on eshopps power flow 1200. I used soft tubing for most of the drain till I got to the front of the sump where you see I made the ball valves. The return pump is soft tubing till it gets behind the tank and I used a y and attached loc line and made two return outputs.

The original drains I like his idea better but I just put two part epoxy in the tube that went through the bulkhead as well as capped the top and bottom with even more epoxy to just be safe. You can order the kit that comes with them from Fluval themselves.

I’m using this hygger 24 watt dc as my return I have used it on 100% without issues but I’ve backed off to about 85% to see if it does anything. With blowing some of my frags around.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/fiji-20-advanced-reef-sump-2nd-gen-fiji-cube.htmlThis sump doesn’t fit how I want it to being left to right. I think you can get it to fit like that if you could take apart the cabinet and put it in before filling the tank with water.

Sorry the sump and everything is a mess I didn’t expect visitors lol

 

[Swoff11]

this hygger 24 watt dc as my return

hygger 24V DC Water Pump... Amazon product ASIN B07YV41479

 

[xxpuhaxx]

Yeah, from what you said, and from looking at pictures, the bar not going all the way to the side panels in the back makes me think it can't be structural. . . and considering the front and back panels are the same thickness it makes me think the front one is not super structural either. That said, I may add some glass bracing just to be safe.

You have the 88 gallon version so your bulkheads may be bigger than mine (think the 72 gallon is 3/4" bulk heads), but your flow rate gives me hope, cause I am only looking for 700 gallons per hour. So you are running one bulkhead to siphon with a gate valve and the other is just emergency?

Thanks again for replying, this info is super helpful!!!

Sorry I’m a lazy scum bag that wakes up late lol.

Let me know if I get everything.

The glass bars inside I also cut out. I am not sure if they were supposed to be structural or not but they don’t go from edge to edge and were only on the top above the water line so I was just guessing it’s for the lid that came with it. I haven’t noticed any issues with bowing since I did and it’s been pretty much since after I made this thread.

I left the bands that go around the outside of the top and bottom.

I plumbed it with a hang on eshopps power flow 1200. I used soft tubing for most of the drain till I got to the front of the sump where you see I made the ball valves. The return pump is soft tubing till it gets behind the tank and I used a y and attached loc line and made two return outputs.

The original drains I like his idea better but I just put two part epoxy in the tube that went through the bulkhead as well as capped the top and bottom with even more epoxy to just be safe. You can order the kit that comes with them from Fluval themselves.

I’m using this hygger 24 watt dc as my return I have used it on 100% without issues but I’ve backed off to about 85% to see if it does anything. With blowing some of my frags around.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/fiji-20-advanced-reef-sump-2nd-gen-fiji-cube.htmlThis sump doesn’t fit how I want it to being left to right. I think you can get it to fit like that if you could take apart the cabinet and put it in before filling the tank with water.

Sorry the sump and everything is a mess I didn’t expect visitors lol

i took that middle face off, but used magnets and screws to make it be able to go back in. i made it so just in case i can take out the sump if anything ever happens

 

[Swoff11]

i took that middle face off, but used magnets and screws to make it be able to go back in. i made it so just in case i can take out the sump if anything ever happens

I was worried that was structural. How did you get it off?

 

[xxpuhaxx]

i took that middle face off, but used magnets and screws to make it be able to go back in. i made it so just in case i can take out the sump if anything ever happens

I was worried that was structural. How did you get it off?

i don’t believe it is structural because you still have the wall going through the middle of the cabinet that supports the weight of the center of the tank.

if i remember right i pretty much took the cabinet apart, got to the middle piece face (that i have off) and took out the long screws that hold it so it can come off freely. i believe it was 4 of them. two on top and two on bottom.

then i just put everything back together as normal!