I Promise, It’s the Last Tank!!! dustinc’s 200 SPS Reef

[dustinc]

Let’s Go!

Current FTS

Hey reefing family!

Tank: 200 Gallon Innovative Marine EXT (71" x 30" x 22")
Lighting: Aquatic Life Hybrid Deluxe Fixture w/ (3) Kessil A360x & 4 ATI Blue+ bulbs
Sump: Trigger Platinum 39 Sump w/ Filter Roller
Protein Skimmer: Bubble King Mini 180 w/ CO2 Scrubber
Return Pump: Neptune COR 20
Heater: BRS Titanium 600watt
Circulation: 4 x MP40wQD
Controllers & Dosing: Neptune Apex EL & Ecotech Versa Dosing Pump w/ Avast Kalk Reactor
UV Sterilizer: Pentair 40 watt Smart UV


I wanted to start a thread to document my new build. The title is what I told my wife after having 387,643 tanks over the years, at least that's how many she sees it as. I’ve ordered the majority of the equipment, but still have some things to decide on and purchase. I’m also waiting on the tank, with an estimated delivery of late January. I’ll begin updating the progress as I unbox equipment and get it prepared. For now, we will start with a PVC layout w/ my boxes of marco rock and all the glue and epoxy needed to create a beautiful scape. Let’s go!

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

Without even reading the totality of thid post yet, I got money on the thread title being false.

Good luck with the new build! I just built a frag tank in the garage to “get some of my money back”…. Wife either believes me or is just playing along

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

Alright so I finished it, we have almost the same set up as far as hardware. Mines a 120 with an aquatic life hybrid running 3 hydra 26, aquaUV 40w, trigger 39 sump fuge also. It’s going to be a great setup! Following along

I’ve got both the apex and the el, and I will say I do like the full version better to follow trends if that’s your thing

 

[dustinc]

Without even reading the totality of thid post yet, I got money on the thread title being false.

Good luck with the new build! I just built a frag tank in the garage to “get some of my money back”…. Wife either believes me or is just playing along

Ha ha ha! Well, it’s partly a play on my previous build thread in which the same thing was claimed.… I am definitely being very methodical with my selections and setup to ensure it’s something I’m happy with long term. Definitely plan for it to be a long-term build. Thanks for following.

 

[dustinc]

Rock Preview

Today, I had a little bit of time to start working on the rock layout. I’m following the advice of BRS and their #HNSA aquascape. I have a long ways to go, but so far pleased with the start. I’ll be building 3 individual scapes to make the overall scape. Below is a picture of the far left scape and where it is today. The idea behind this one is to create a very large cove for which a nice size tang has a great place to sleep and feel secure. The cove will be covered with some rock coming off the creation, but you’re able to see the large cove/hole here.

 

[dustinc]

Adaptive Reef Controller Cabinet

Alright, so the next piece of equipment I’m going to highlight for my new build is the Adaptive Reef Controller Cabinet. I picked it up during Black Friday sales, and really like it overall. The build quality seems pretty nice and it’s extremely lightweight. One thing I definitely wish they did was a different group of front panels for the controller panel. It comes with what you see listed below, however, I think the setup would be much better served with the panel that is 2nd from the bottom (smaller panel with 3 spaces for cables) simply because it fits most aquarium controller parts and pump controllers very neatly without wasted space. The larger version (on top) and the 2 blank panels to me feel like a waste in my situation. Hopefully the pictures below will help to showcase what you get with the controller cabinet and what to expect. I haven’t started adding equipment to the controller panel yet due to needing different front face plates. Thanks for following along.

 

[dustinc]

Bubble King Mini 180

For the skimmer, I chose the Bubble King Mini 180 for my setup. I wanted to undersize the skimmers. bit, due to having the Trigger Filter Roll sump since it pulls so much directly from the water column on it’s own. I’ve also always heard amazing things about their skimmers, so why not give it a try? I purchased from BRS as an “open-box” item, but when I received nothing had ever been out of the box. Believe it was marked this way because Bubble King has discontinued the Mini 180 moving forward and staying with the 160 and 200. I was incredibly impressed when I opened the box and saw the quality. Absolutely the nicest acrylic tube I’ve owned, so we will see how it performs. Here are a few pictures I snapped when opening the skimmer.

 

[OutColdCRNA]

Following, this is the tank I will be setting up as my grad school graduation present. Can’t wait to see yours take shape!

 

[dustinc]

Following, this is the tank I will be setting up as my grad school graduation present. Can’t wait to see yours take shape!

Thanks for following along and good luck with finishing up school. Finished up my MBA last year and so glad it’s over.…

 

[dustinc]

Rockwork Update

Today I had a little time to work a bit on my aquascape. My goal is to build a great habitat for fish to live and be comfortable with plenty of open space for swimming as well as for rest/retreat. I watched all the BRS #HNSA videos and working through that currently. Below is a quick video I took tonight after working on the same section pictured above. This helps to showcase a better 3D image of how it’s coming together. Lot‘s of work, but pretty fun overall.

 

[bayarea_reef]

Following!

 

[Sean Clark]

"I promise, it's the last tank" Following along.

I don't know if you already have the Trigger 39 sump or not, but I have the Trigger Triton 44v2 on my IM 200 and can tell you that it is very tight water wise with the stock IM drain pipe heights. I only have about 2.5 gallons of space to spare when the tank drains down into the sump. A larger sump is on my 'should have done' list. Either way I am excited to see your progress.

 

[bayarea_reef]

"I promise, it's the last tank" Following along.

I don't know if you already have the Trigger 39 sump or not, but I have the Trigger Triton 44v2 on my IM 200 and can tell you that it is very tight water wise with the stock IM drain pipe heights. I only have about 2.5 gallons of space to spare when the tank drains down into the sump. A larger sump is one of my 'should have done' list. Either way I am excited to see your progress.

So I went with the 39 Sump and I had to post it up for sell and opted for Synergy Reef SK60 as it gave me alot more room too work with. With a 60" sump in the stand you don't get much room for anything else. So I think a 44 would definitely give you space for ATO and equipment. Luckily it shares a wall with my garage so the large equipment is on the other side.

 

[Sean Clark]

So I went with the 39 Sump and I had to post it up for sell and opted for Synergy Reef SK60 as it gave me alot more room too work with. With a 60" sump in the stand you don't get much room for anything else. So I think a 44 would definitely give you space for ATO and equipment. Luckily it shares a wall with my garage so the large equipment is on the other side.

That is a nice looking sump. You will definitely enjoy the extra space that it takes up even if it takes away from the stand space. Smart upgrade.

 

[dustinc]

"I promise, it's the last tank" Following along.

I don't know if you already have the Trigger 39 sump or not, but I have the Trigger Triton 44v2 on my IM 200 and can tell you that it is very tight water wise with the stock IM drain pipe heights. I only have about 2.5 gallons of space to spare when the tank drains down into the sump. A larger sump is one of my 'should have done' list. Either way I am excited to see your progress.

I do already have the 39” Platinum sump. That really surprises me on how much drains that it’s that tight on volume. I really hope it works out as I absolutely love the Trigger sumps w/ filter roller built in. I had one on my last tank and it worked out amazingly. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on that part of it. I may have to modify the drain height in the overflow to ensure it works.

So I went with the 39 Sump and I had to post it up for sell and opted for Synergy Reef SK60 as it gave me alot more room too work with. With a 60" sump in the stand you don't get much room for anything else. So I think a 44 would definitely give you space for ATO and equipment. Luckily it shares a wall with my garage so the large equipment is on the other side.

Did you post for sale for the same reason? Unable to use it because not enough space for the water to drain? I haven’t posted this far yet, but have the sump in place inside the stand with my controller cabinet and ATO container ordered, and loved the space I have under the setup to keep everything together and not have to utilize outside the stand for equipment and controllers. You guys are making me nervous! ha ha

 

[Sean Clark]

I do already have the 39” Platinum sump. That really surprises me on how much drains that it’s that tight on volume. I really hope it works out as I absolutely love the Trigger sumps w/ filter roller built in. I had one on my last tank and it worked out amazingly. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on that part of it. I may have to modify the drain height in the overflow to ensure it works.



Did you post for sale for the same reason? Unable to use it because not enough space for the water to drain? I haven’t posted this far yet, but have the sump in place inside the stand with my controller cabinet and ATO container ordered, and loved the space I have under the setup to keep everything together and not have to utilize outside the stand for equipment and controllers. You guys are making me nervous! ha ha

Obviously equipment in the sump plays a displacement roll to consider as well. Check out my build thread to see what I have going on. I'll even send you a powered down pic if you would like. I don't want to make you nervous... but the Platinum 39 sump has me nervous. The stock drain pipes put the water pretty much right in the middle of the overflow weir so you do have some wiggle room to adjust down. Given the option though, I would go bigger.

 

[dustinc]

Obviously equipment in the sump plays a displacement roll to consider as well. Check out my build thread to see what I have going on. I'll even send you a powered down pic if you would like. I don't want to make you nervous... but the Platinum 39 sump has me nervous. The stock drain pipes put the water pretty much right in the middle of the overflow weir so you do have some wiggle room to adjust down. Given the option though, I would go bigger.

Yeah, I would definitely love to see what you’ve got. I did read through your thread again and saw the picture of your sump, and it looks like your running water level is probably higher than mine will be, so that should account for some of the difference. Definitely want to keep as much water as possible in the tank. Doing more research now

 

[Sean Clark]

Yeah, I would definitely love to see what you’ve got. I did read through your thread again and saw the picture of your sump, and it looks like your running water level is probably higher than mine will be, so that should account for some of the difference. Definitely want to keep as much water as possible in the tank. Doing more research now

Good call on the water level in my sump. I do have all of the water level adjustment slide panels as high as they will go. So there is some room to be had there if needed. I had never really considered that until just now. I will play with this over the next week (lower the sump level as far as I can) and share my results with you. I can really only lower the first chamber due to my AC return pump, but it is the largest section.

This pic is where it is at now. I might be able to drop the left side about 2 inches.

 

[dustinc]

Good call on the water level in my sump. I do have all of the water level adjustment slide panels as high as they will go. So there is some room to be had there if needed. I had never really considered that until just now. I will play with this over the next week (lower the sump level as far as I can) and share my results with you. I can really only lower the first chamber due to my AC return pump, but it is the largest section.

This pic is where it is at now. I might be able to drop the left side about 2 inches.

Yes, I definitely think that will make a difference. For reference, here is a shot when I was building out my old system and utilizing the 34” version on a 120 reef. You can see how much lower the running water level was here as well. That should definitely make a big difference. I’m getting less worried now, but still digging. Ha ha.

 

[Sean Clark]

Yes, I definitely think that will make a difference. For reference, here is a shot when I was building out my old system and utilizing the 34” version on a 120 reef. You can see how much lower the running water level was here as well. That should definitely make a big difference. I’m getting less worried now, but still digging. Ha ha.

Yeah that is definitely running lower. That may work out just fine with the 39". Looks like your skimmer is running in 5 or 6 inches.