TheReefAddict
More Than An Obsession
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2018
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 200
Every build should, IMO start off with the obligatory photo of ones kid in an empty tank!
Now that I've got that out of the way, I should probably introduce myself. I've been fooling around with this hobby/addiction since about 2006. I started off with a 40Gal bio wheel eclipse. Though the years I've gone up and down in tank sizes, and after a 2 year hiatus I put together I put together a 60 Gal cube LPS/nem tank. It wasn't long before I started wanting another large tank. After slowly and methodically warming the wife up to the idea, I got the green light. So the hunt was one trying to find what I thought would make a nice tank setup. I didn't want to get to greedy so I settled on a 120Gal 48X24X24 that is drill for the Synergy Shadow overflow.
The Foundation:
I knew I wanted something sturdy so I started looking for a welded steel table. I found the little giant table.
https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/work-benches/tables-stands/machine-tables/heavy-duty-machine-table-30-x-48-x-36
I know its a bit overkill with the 10,000 lbs. rating. At least I know its sturdy.
Filtration:
I didn't want to bust the budget on a sump, after all they are pretty utilitarian, and I felt my money would be better served down the road. I chose the Icecap 36XL. I felt it was really reasonably priced and would serve its purpose. My only grip with the sump is the location of the ATO. Its in the back right corner which will make filling it a pain.
You can see to the left, there is space for an 11" deep cabinet. I'll be build the cabinet to house all my Neptune goodies. Why yes that is a new COR 20.
My next item I began searching for was a skimmer. After many, many, many hours of searching on craigslist, forums, and eBay, I was able to get my hands on a brand new, still in the box Bubble King 180.
I was a steal. I cant wait to get this beast running.
Next I wanted to try something different for a media reactor. After searching around I decided to give the AVAST Marine Spyglass a try. I had reached out to AVAST and asked a few questions, telling them what I was planning on doing (I was planning on running 3 small Spyglass reactors). To my surprise they responded with a suggestion to go in a little different direction, which in turn saved me a few bucks. They suggested I go with to mediums instead. I went ahead and bought 1 medium to test the waters. If all goes well I'll definitely be buying another one. They seem really well built.
Lights:
I had a lot debating with myself on which route to go with the lighting. I currently use the AI Hydra HD on my 60Gal cube. I'm pretty happy with it so far, but wanted to try something new. So it was down to Kessil vs. Radion. Kessil, the set it and forget it, it seems dummy proof. The radion with all the controllability...im bound to screw it up. In the end I decide when you have a chance to own and drive a Ferrari, well you just cant pass it up! The plan is to get a total of 3 XR15 Gen4 Pros.
Well that's my start. I'll continue to update the progress as I go.
