MarineMalecki
Community Member
Like the saying goes, "The best laid plans......". About 18 months ago, I started planning for my upgraded tank. My initial thought was to "crowd source" the build, leveraging input from my local reef society (Wisconsin Reef Society) on design, equipment selection, etc.
Turns out that having a new baby, while building a house, and traveling 4 days a week for 75 weeks severely limited my time to follow the crowd source approach. Though I wasn't able to follow this approach to building my tank, I was able to get everything I wanted and more in my new tank.
The credit goes to the guys at Absolute Ocean, an aquarium design, servicing, equipment, and live stock company, owned and operated by a WRS member. They delivered on exactly what I was looking for - not only the tank, but also the supporting equipment and finishing woodwork around the tank. The quality of craftsmanship and attention to detail are second to none - I'd highly recommend them!
The lower level of the house was designed around an in-wall tank as well as a mechanical room directly behind the tank to support all of the filtration equipment, pumps, additional tanks, and a water change station. Due to the size of the tank, I wanted it to be accessible from the front for maintenance as well. With 9' finished ceilings in the basement, there would be enough room for accessibility panels above the tank.
The mechanical room supports both the aquarium and the furnace. To minimize impact from the salt water, the walls and ceiling were covered with thin sheets of PVC. All of the stand framing as well as the trim, paneling, ledge, and molding outside the tank are also made from PVC - no concerns about salt damage. The PVC is painted to match the house trim, so it blends in very nicely.
Because of my travel schedule, the system needed to be as automated as possible, with any manual work requiring minimal effort - either by me or by whomever is home to take care of the tank (typically my wife). I'm using an Apex Classic with 3 EB8, a WXM module, 2 PM2 modules, and auto feeder.
I'm absolutely ecstatic at how everything turned out. The pictures below are from a few weeks after the tank was setup. It's been running for a year at this point and things are filling in nicely.
I've included a bunch of pictures below - it's not a step-by-step build thread, but the pictures give a good indication of the general build progression.
Here's the rundown of the setup:
Tanks
Display tank: 300 gallons (72" x 30" x 30")
Sump: 110 gallons (48" x 18"' x 30")
Cryptic Zone Sump: 100 gallons (48" x 36" x 30")
Fuge: 65 gallon (tall)
Frag: 40 gallon breeder
Freshwater storage: 165 gallon (vertical)
Saltwater storage: 150 gallon (vertical)
Total system water volume is ~950 gallons.
Equipment
Skimmer: Reef Octopus 250SSS (with upgraded VarioS pump)
Return: Reeflo Gold Hybrid (with Hammerhead)
Calcium Reactor: Reef Octopus SRO CR5000D
Lighting (Display Tank): 3 x AI Hydra 52 HD
Lighting (Frag): AI Hydra 52 HD
Lighting (Fuge): Radion XR30w G3 Pro
Frag/Fuge Circulation: 2 MP40wES QD
Main Tank Circulation: 2 Gyre 250
ATO: Hydor
ATO pump: Mag 5
The system has been running well for the past year. I'm finally getting around to creating this build thread, so i'll add more current pictures shortly.
I wasn't able to document the build process in a lot of detail, but here are some pictures along the way.
Not much to see yet, but I can picture it in my mind
The wall is starting to come together
Fast forward a bit - here are the completed stands with a bunch of network cables for the Apex and camera(s).
Trim work is almost complete
Not much to see, but it's running and it has rock in it!
Added some corals and the 2 clowns. My youngest daughter is getting her first experience with the fish
Few more shots of the final setup and initial corals and live stock:
Turns out that having a new baby, while building a house, and traveling 4 days a week for 75 weeks severely limited my time to follow the crowd source approach. Though I wasn't able to follow this approach to building my tank, I was able to get everything I wanted and more in my new tank.
The credit goes to the guys at Absolute Ocean, an aquarium design, servicing, equipment, and live stock company, owned and operated by a WRS member. They delivered on exactly what I was looking for - not only the tank, but also the supporting equipment and finishing woodwork around the tank. The quality of craftsmanship and attention to detail are second to none - I'd highly recommend them!
The lower level of the house was designed around an in-wall tank as well as a mechanical room directly behind the tank to support all of the filtration equipment, pumps, additional tanks, and a water change station. Due to the size of the tank, I wanted it to be accessible from the front for maintenance as well. With 9' finished ceilings in the basement, there would be enough room for accessibility panels above the tank.
The mechanical room supports both the aquarium and the furnace. To minimize impact from the salt water, the walls and ceiling were covered with thin sheets of PVC. All of the stand framing as well as the trim, paneling, ledge, and molding outside the tank are also made from PVC - no concerns about salt damage. The PVC is painted to match the house trim, so it blends in very nicely.
Because of my travel schedule, the system needed to be as automated as possible, with any manual work requiring minimal effort - either by me or by whomever is home to take care of the tank (typically my wife). I'm using an Apex Classic with 3 EB8, a WXM module, 2 PM2 modules, and auto feeder.
I'm absolutely ecstatic at how everything turned out. The pictures below are from a few weeks after the tank was setup. It's been running for a year at this point and things are filling in nicely.
I've included a bunch of pictures below - it's not a step-by-step build thread, but the pictures give a good indication of the general build progression.
Here's the rundown of the setup:
Tanks
Display tank: 300 gallons (72" x 30" x 30")
Sump: 110 gallons (48" x 18"' x 30")
Cryptic Zone Sump: 100 gallons (48" x 36" x 30")
Fuge: 65 gallon (tall)
Frag: 40 gallon breeder
Freshwater storage: 165 gallon (vertical)
Saltwater storage: 150 gallon (vertical)
Total system water volume is ~950 gallons.
Equipment
Skimmer: Reef Octopus 250SSS (with upgraded VarioS pump)
Return: Reeflo Gold Hybrid (with Hammerhead)
Calcium Reactor: Reef Octopus SRO CR5000D
Lighting (Display Tank): 3 x AI Hydra 52 HD
Lighting (Frag): AI Hydra 52 HD
Lighting (Fuge): Radion XR30w G3 Pro
Frag/Fuge Circulation: 2 MP40wES QD
Main Tank Circulation: 2 Gyre 250
ATO: Hydor
ATO pump: Mag 5
The system has been running well for the past year. I'm finally getting around to creating this build thread, so i'll add more current pictures shortly.
I wasn't able to document the build process in a lot of detail, but here are some pictures along the way.
Not much to see yet, but I can picture it in my mind
The wall is starting to come together
Fast forward a bit - here are the completed stands with a bunch of network cables for the Apex and camera(s).
Trim work is almost complete
Not much to see, but it's running and it has rock in it!
Added some corals and the 2 clowns. My youngest daughter is getting her first experience with the fish
Few more shots of the final setup and initial corals and live stock:
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