Miracles Do Happen! Bill's (Sawcjack00/Epic Aquaculture) 460 Gallon Custom Miracles Aquarium Build!

Epic Aquaculture

The artist formerly known as SawCJack00
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If you've followed my RS Reefer 750 XXL build thread here - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/sawcjacks-red-sea-reefer-750-xxl-build.369431/ - then you know that I have been planning this build for a while, and you may have also guessed that I'm pretty much out of room in the Red Sea tank. After a false start with ordering through a company that went out of business right after I paid (Crystal Reef Aquatics - fortunately I was able to get my money back), I decided to go with Miracles Aquariums in Toronto Canada as the builder. Derek at Miracles was a pleasure to work with. Miracles built the tank and stand for me, and Bashsea built the custom sump for me. The tank is 84"L x 42"w x 30"h which is 460 gallons. It is made out of 3/4" Starfire glass with armored seams, and armored bottom, and Eurobracing. It has an external overflow on one of the short sides as it is set up as a peninsula. Even the over flow box has armored seems! it weighs 830 lbs empty. So without further ado, I give you the current FTS which I will try to update regularly.

FTS-5.jpg


1/18/2023
FTS-04875.jpg



End Resize.jpg




Here's the equipment I'll be using on this build:

Tank - Miracles Aquarium custom built 460 gallon peninsula with starfire glass on 3 visible sides. 84"L x 42"W x 30"T

Stand - Welded steel with rubberized coating built by Miracles Aquariums

Sump - custom built Bashsea SS-60 modified to be 24" wide in order to accommodate my skimmer.

Controller - Neptune Apex connected to Alkatronic for Alk control

Lighting - 8 Radion XR30 G4 Pros + 4 Radion XR15 G4 Pros in 4 Aquatic Life T5 Hybrid fixtures mounted in an 80/20 aluminum frame which will be suspended above the tank on an automated bicycle lift that I can raise and lower using my phone. 16 - 36" ATI B+ T-5 bulbs.

Return Pumps - Abyzz A200 and Abyzz A100 attached to 1" Sea Swirls. The A100 feeds my Aqua UV 114 W UV Sterilizer

Skimmer - Bubble King Super Marin 300

Flow - 4 Ecotech MP60's Returns are through 1" Sea Swirls

Filtration - 3 - 7" filter 200 micron filter socks. Turbos Aquatics L8 Algae Turf Scrubber. Actual ocean live rock in the sump. Lot's of Siporax in the sump.

Alk supplementation - Kalk through a Custom Kalk stirrer which has a controller and keeps Ph at 8.34

Substrate - 2" of Caribsea Special Grade reef sand seeded with products from Indo Pacific Sea Farms.

ATO - 100 gallon reservoir with Auto Topoff System
 
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Epic Aquaculture

Epic Aquaculture

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Sent you a PM. Very nice start.

Miracle Mud I see? People are going back to the old school methods. Would be interested in seeing how you're incorporating that into the sump/fuge.
Yeah I've never used it before, but several people that I consider to be excellent reefers do, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The third compartment on the sump is perfect for it, and I'm running an ATS so I don't need a refugium in that compartment. I'll post pics soon.
 
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Epic Aquaculture

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So it's time to start getting this thread rolling. Here are some pictures from the move in process. It was quite a challenge as the moving company only sent 3 guys, and with Covid-19 going on, I didn't want to have a bunch of friends come over and take the chance of compromising anyone's health, so instead I called my buddies Ken and Jimmy (@AZMSGT and @Sisterlimonpot ) because I don't like them and if they get sick, who cares :) (Just to be clear, I am totally joking here). Thank God they are great friends, and were available, because we could not possibly have done this without them!

Getting ready
KRBIMAGING-2328.jpg

Utilizing my supervisory skills
KRBIMAGING-2336.jpg

Inspecting the monster
KRBIMAGING-2348.jpg

Where the heck are we putting this?
KRBIMAGING-2353.jpg

It was just a bit cramped...
KRBIMAGING-2356.jpg

The tank in it's temporary position, away from the wall so I could do the overflow plumbing
Miracles Aquarium-3.jpg

A job well done
KRBIMAGING-2360.jpg


That was easy...
20200402_1102181 (2).jpg

More to come...
 
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Katrina71

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Yeah I've never used it before, but several people that I consider to be excellent reefers do, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The third compartment on the sump is perfect for it, and I'm running an ATS so I don't need a refugium in that compartment. I'll post pics soon.
I wanna try it too!
 
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On with the story. So I have the absolute perfect location for a large tank. It's a spare bedroom that has one wall in common with the living room. The plan is to put the tank in that wall and it would be right behind our couch. The perfect place for all visitors to view it, and I would have a nice large fish/propagation room. Absolute win/win. My friends all agreed that this was ideal. Then with endless optimism, and a sense of euphoria, I went to tell my wife about my glorious plan to share our love of the underwater world with our friends and family by displaying it right in our beautiful living room, and in a sultry voice she replied...








































NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT! (It really wasn't sultry...)
 
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Redfoxtang

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Out with the old in with the new!! Excited to see this monster up and running. Looks like you pushed another monster in the hallway for replacement!
 

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Wait didn’t you have another thread in this tank? Lol
 

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Happy wife, happy life, Bill. At least you asked for permission first.

On with the story. So I have the absolute perfect location for a large tank. It's a spare bedroom that has one wall in common with the living room. The plan is to put the tank in that wall and it would be right behind our couch. The perfect place for all visitors to view it, and I would have a nice large fish/propagation room. My friends all agreed that this was ideal. Then with endless optimism, and a sense of euphoria, I told my wife about it, and she said...








































NO!
 
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Epic Aquaculture

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Out with the old in with the new!! Excited to see this monster up and running. Looks like you pushed another monster in the hallway for replacement!
Wait didn’t you have another thread in this tank? Lol

Actually the RS Reefer 750 is still in place. There's about a foot between the two tanks so I can slide through. In the long run the Reefer 750 will move to the new tank, and it will be removed. I'll explain it in bit. Yes I had a thread from the day it got delivered, but I didn't consider that the build thread, just the "I'm so excited that I have to post something" thread :)
 
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A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 78 38.0%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 69 33.7%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 26 12.7%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 30 14.6%
  • Other.

    Votes: 2 1.0%
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