Marquise O's Shallow 36"x24"x16" Reef Tank

Marquiseo · Feb 5, 2016

Spiderguardnano said:
Where did you get he plumbing parts?

I ordered from my LFS but you can get it from BulkReefSupply and AquariumSpecialty.

Spiderguardnano · Feb 9, 2016

Hey marquise quick question how much did it cost in total to make your light rack?

Marquiseo · Feb 9, 2016

Spiderguardnano said:
Hey marquise quick question how much did it cost in total to make your light rack?

$69.23

Marquiseo · Feb 10, 2016

Nothing significant to report with the tank. The tank is starting to stabilize. SPS are starting to regain color.

My tank is now filled with millions(not an exaggeration) of pods all over the glass and rocks.

Marquiseo · Feb 15, 2016

Some pics to bump the thread:

revhtree · Feb 15, 2016

PURDY!

Marquiseo · Feb 15, 2016

revhtree said:
PURDY!

Thanks!

All pics were taken under (2) AI Hydra 52 HD with 100% UV, 100% Violet, 202% RB, 71% Blue, and 0% for everything else.

Some more pics:

Marquiseo · Feb 21, 2016

Update:

-Lighting: Right now I have (2) Hydra 52 HD. I can truly say these lights are worth every penny and rival many of the other popular fixtures out there. The reason I chose these were due to cost, user friendliness, builtin wifi, appeal, and my first choice was on backorder for months in the US. I have had several fresh cut corals to encrust nicely while under these lights.

I recently received an email that my first choice of lighting, Giesemann Matrixx II 6x39W was back in stock so I purchased it. I may add two "36" Reefbrite XHO units on the outer areas as seen in the images below but I am not sure how effective they will be on the outsides:

Image from BeanMachine on ReefCentral.

Spiderguardnano · Feb 22, 2016

I thought you were done with t5?

Marquiseo · Feb 22, 2016

Spiderguardnano said:
I thought you were done with t5?

I was done with T5 for two reasons: bulb cost and I was informed that the Giesemann Matrixx II was going to be on backorder for a months in the US. With this tank build, my main focus is aesthetics and that fixture fits the profile for the lighting choice. For the bulbs cost issue, I eliminated that issue by reducing the bulb count by two which saves almost $40 and because of my aquascape on a shallow reef system, I could actually make due with just 4 bulbs if I wanted to save further but I will just do 6.

The hydra 52 HD is hands down the best LED fixture I have had. The Radion Gen 3/ Pro is nice but Hydra beats it due to the 4 puck design instead of two, built in Wifi (no need to spend an extra $99 for wireless controls), and cost. This is my opinion based on my experience with the fixtures.

Drew Shark · Feb 22, 2016

Marquiseo said:
I was done with T5 for two reasons: bulb cost and I was informed that the Giesemann Matrixx II was going to be on backorder for a months in the US. With this tank build, my main focus is aesthetics and that fixture fits the profile for the lighting choice. For the bulbs cost issue, I eliminated that issue by reducing the bulb count by two which saves almost $40 and because of my aquascape on a shallow reef system, I could actually make due with just 4 bulbs if I wanted to save further but I will just do 6.

The hydra 52 HD is hands down the best LED fixture I have had. The Radion Gen 3/ Pro is nice but Hydra beats it due to the 4 puck design instead of two, built in Wifi (no need to spend an extra $99 for wireless controls), and cost. This is my opinion based on my experience with the fixtures.

Based on your experience with this tank what fixture would you recommend for a 48x24x16 rimless. ATI 36" or 48"? And 4, 6 or 8 bulb for a mixed reef?

Marquiseo · Feb 22, 2016

Drew Shark said:
Based on your experience with this tank what fixture would you recommend for a 48x24x16 rimless. ATI 36" or 48"? And 4, 6 or 8 bulb for a mixed reef?

48" 8 Bulb, if your funds allow. This will give you more bulb choices and allow you to place corals pretty much anywhere in the tank. I am not sure what your scape is like or what it will be so this will be your best bet.

benpoole28 · Feb 22, 2016

Very nice and clean look!

tomxreef · Feb 22, 2016

Awesome build! I mentioned this build to Shac and he told me how much planning went into this.

Marquiseo · Feb 25, 2016

benpoole28 said:
Very nice and clean look!

Thanks!

Tmr8188 said:
Awesome build! I mentioned this build to Shac and he told me how much planning went into this.

It was actually a spur of the moment type thing. I just up and determined that I needed more room and knew that I liked the IM SR60 went from there.

This piece gets better every day:

choss · Feb 27, 2016

Marquiseo said:
All drilled and cleaned. Next step is to paint the bottom (outer) and back of the tank black. Then install the 16" Synergy Reef Overflow. My bulkhead for the return should arrive tomorrow along with my plumbing material.

Did you remove the old black background for a reason? Seems like you could have avoided the painting? Also what kind of paint do you use? Thinking about doing this to my IM 40

Marquiseo · Feb 29, 2016

choss said:
Did you remove the old black background for a reason? Seems like you could have avoided the painting? Also what kind of paint do you use? Thinking about doing this to my IM 40

Because it was torn in places. I just used regular flat black spray paint in multiple coats.

Update:

-I have installed my Giesemann Matrixx II fixture to my reef tank; selling off my AI Hydra 52 HDs. I will be integrating (2) 36" Reefbrite XHO fixtures into the fixture as shown above.
- I purchased 9 Royal Grammas for the tank

. They should ship out today for tomorrow. Pics soon to follow.
-Sorry for the lack of pics, nothing significant has happened to the tank to up till now.