James404’s 280g SPS Tank

[Ultra Aquatics]

Losing a closet would be war in my house

LOL that’s one advantage of being single

Your ups guy must dred your stop

I tip him good at the holidays to make up for it

Where did you get it...on wait list

Yea I’ve been on the waitlist too, I almost had got them when BRS sent me a notification, but they sold 7 in about 60 seconds. Ended up getting the last one SaltwaterAquarium.com had left.

 

[Vinman]

Tipping the ups guy...I greatly appreciated that even though it's not me. Its one of my brothers. Love the build , did some demo on my new tank and I know where your at

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

One of the things I want to do with this build is revamp my fish basement. I really don’t like how my sump is setup currently. I’ve decided to move it and lower it more to the ground.

I built a platform for it, framed with 2x4:

I then skinned it with all PVC trim, secured by stainless steel trim screws.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Picked up a nice OneSpot Foxface, currently in QT with TTM/Prazi. I plan on having many herbivores in this tank to combat any nuisance algae.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Plumbing

It’s amazing how quickly plumbing costs add up! I received some of the supplies today to build out the new manifold and re-plumb my sump with the new return pump. These fittings are high quality and in the long run the cost is worth it.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Sump

Lately I’ve been going back and forth on what to do with my sump. Currently I am running a Trigger systems Tideline 48. My initial plan was to move it down to the platform I just built, but I kept having second thoughts about sticking with it. For one, I always wished it held more water volume. I actually have it overfilled at the moment which renders all the baffles useless. I also am not entirely happy with the overall design of it.
So being my over analyzing, OCD self, I researched for hours on alternatives... and I’m happy to say I have ordered a Synergy CL60 in “Storm Cloud” like below:

It will take approximately 4 weeks to be built and shipped via freight. Hopefully the display will be ready at that point as well. I asked some initial questions about the sump before ordering and the staff at Synergy were very responsive which is always a plus.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

You know it’s a good day when you get one of these on your doorstep

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Current FTS of the 80g:

Few shots I was able to sneak in last night:

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Was not a good @LiveAquaria delivery today. Laura’s purple polyp from ORA. Delivered on time and heat packs still warm, temp was 76 deg in bag...

 

[drawman]

Sucks. Some acros just don't like airplanes I guess.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Sucks. Some acros just don't like airplanes I guess.

Yes it’s weird, most ORA corals are very hardy in my experience. I’ve even had this particular acro before and I wouldn’t expect it to RTN in shipment.

 

[LiveAquaria]

Was not a good @LiveAquaria delivery today. Laura’s purple polyp from ORA. Delivered on time and heat packs still warm, temp was 76 deg in bag...

We are very sorry the coral did not make it in transit. If you haven't already done so, please contact one of our agents at 1-800-334-3699 to report this matter for resolution. Thank you.

 

[PirateMonkeyReefer]

What the ETA on the Tank Arriving? To bad that coral was DOA. Everythings starting to shape up!

 

[olaggie01]

So what did you get from BattleCorals and what is that first colony?

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

What the ETA on the Tank Arriving? To bad that coral was DOA. Everythings starting to shape up!

Original ETA was in the next week or two, I haven’t heard anything from Miracles though. I’m assuming it’s going to be pushed back a bit due to Covid19. Going to reach out to them today for a status update.

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

So what did you get from BattleCorals and what is that first colony?

The first colony is Upscales Microclados, I’ve grown that out from a tiny frag. On this most recent BC order I received:

BC Poison Envy
BC Hyperberry
BC Rocket Sauce
BC Aquatic Man Table
BC Backdraft the Table
BC Hawaii
BC Lemonpeel
Upscales Microclados (double).

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Little update today, contacted Derek at Miracles and the eurobrace has been added to the tank. It should ship out next week or the following week!

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

The area where the tank will go has FINALLY been spackled and painted. Now it’s time to get working on the stand!

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

Stand Build

Work has begun on the stand! After much deliberation I have decided to make it on the taller side at 40”. This will give it a great view whether standing or sitting. As with all my stands I build I follow @RocketEngineer template. Since the estimated weight of the tank will be close to ~2200 lbs. I have decided to construct it out of all 2x6’s, glued and screwed with 2.5” Deckmates. Keep in mind it is not completed yet, there are still quite a few more pieces that have to be installed. I blew through 11 x 8 footers already Will pick up more lumber hopefully tomorrow.

 

[seldon]

Made some progress on the drywall. I’m a single father with 2 kids so during the week I’m lucky if I have 45mins to work on the project. Just doing a little bit every day.

I feel you there, I've been trying to finish my basement with two young kids and it's painfully slow...