My 150 Build

[ETORRES477]

Well I am not new to saltwater, Ill be hitting 5 years at the end of this year, but I am new to cultivating a reef build. I started with a 46 gallon bowfront FOWLR that I always intended to turn into a reef, but when I finally got the time to start a reef I figured I wanted a tank size that I could spend the rest of my life happy with (who knows if i'll upgrade again, but man those 300 gallons are sexy!), so I upgraded to a Marineland 150. I plan on eventually having a mixed reef. I started the build in January, and by the time it was cycled it was February. So here we are about 4 months time from when it was cycled and I decided to share my progress with you guys. Right now its basically still a FOWLR with a couple of Polys my cousin gave me that seem to be doing well, but ill start adding some more coral in a couple of months. I spent a lot of time on this site researching and asking a million annoying noob questions, but as some say "the only foolish question is the one not asked". Thanks to everyone who answered questions or who posted knowledge that I devoured hungrily. So here it is from the beginning to its present state. Much appreciated friends!

In the beginning there was an empty tank.......

I ran the plumbing myself with some help from my cousin, its plumbed through the wall to my sumproom

Here is one half of my greatest creations ever modeling my skimmer that I got a killer deal on, the other half is my son, probably playing video games in his room lol

Early days of my DIY sump

Now we're starting to cook with gas!

 

[ETORRES477]

Sump room as it looks today

 

[ETORRES477]

My little slice of the ocean, this is what I spend hours staring in to at night. Thanks for helping me get here!

 

[Tahoe61]

Wow that is really an impressive system. Do you mind providing a fish list when you get a chance please.

 

[revhtree]

Wow very nice tank! Cute little girl too! :D

 

[Palting]

NICE!

We have the same tank, stand, canopy. Mine's been running for over 4 years now: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/128412-paltings-150-sps-dominated-mixed-reef.html . Looking forward to see how yours progresses. Keep up with updates, and LOT's of photos!

 

[Dalmatia]

Such good progress. Looks like a million bucks :)
Do your tests weekly, preferably at the same time of the day every week. I do mine every Saturday around 8am, pH can have swings through out the day so I like to do mine in the mornings with my coffee

 

[ETORRES477]

Thanks guys, means a lot coming from you guys!
@Tahoe61
1 Flame Angel
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
2 Organge firefish, mated
1 False Percula Clown
2 Green/Blue Chromis
1 Bi-Color Anthias
1 Yellow Tang-Juv
1Blue Hippo Tang-Juv
1 Powder Blue Tang
1 Royal Gramma
1 Purple Tang
1 Japanese Swallow Tail Angel
1 Coris Wrasse
1 Equisite Wrasse
2 Scooter Blennies, mated
1 Psychedelic Mandarin
3 Fire Shrimp
2 Red Pistol shrimp
20 Red legged hermits
30 Blue legged hermits
50 Bumble Bee Snails
8 Mexican Turbos
10 Trochias snails
10 Astraea snails

I am trying to catch the Juvenile Yellow Tang, The Purple keeps bullying him and wont let him stay out in the open without going after him. I introduced them together hoping to eliminate this problem, in hindsight I probably should have gotten a larger yellow. I know the compatibility either works out or it doesnt, this one didnt so I am trying to save the poor little thing and give him a proper home.

@rev, Thanks, she loves her fish tank!

@ Palting, appreaciate the kind words and i'll continue to post my progress. Question, how has the stand and canopy held up for you over 4 years? I gave the inside of the canopy and extra coat of spar varnish to try and add another layer of protection.

@ Dalmatia, wish I had a million bucks lying around so I could do an even bigger build lol. I do my tank maintenance every Sunday morning including testing. My PH has been a steady 8.2

Thanks again for the compliments!

 

[ETORRES477]

Hey Palting, I actually used your pic to show friends and family the kind of tank I ordered before it arrived lol. It came up on the images when I googled Marineland 150 Monteray. LOVE that last pic , your tank is beautiful, gives me something to strive for! What kind of substrate is that, the Hawaiian black?

 

[Palting]

Hi ETORRES477. The finish is holding up well. I bought a small can of red oak stain just in case it needed touching up, but have not needed it so far.The hinges are beginning to show their age, though. The hinge on the most used door, the middle of the canopy, can no longer hold the adjustment. I even tried gluing the adjusting screw and slider in place. Works for a while, then then even the glue gives way and have to do it again. May have to replace the hinge.

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, that's Arag Alive Hawaiian Black. Since I was planning on SPS dominance, I needed something that can stay put even in high flow. Even with a total flow of 7,00 GPH within the tank, the medium grain granules only wiggle a little.

 

[twotangs]

Nice setup, I know it is unrelated to the tank but what is the grass covered pole in the first pic?

 

[ETORRES477]

Nice setup, I know it is unrelated to the tank but what is the grass covered pole in the first pic?

Lol! Thanks for the compliment. My setup is in the theater room in my mancave in my basement so The grass covered pole is actually a basement support pole that I wrapped fake grass around (the fake grass is Christmas garland or something like that) to make it look nicer than a basement pole. I was going to wrap rope around it, but I like the grass better than the rope or one of those prefabricated pole covers.

 

[heathd.hd]

What are you going to do for dosing?

 

[SantaMonicaHelp]

Amazing rockscaping there...very, very nice tank :]
Your kids are lucky to have something like that to look at.

 

[ETORRES477]

What are you going to do for dosing?

right now I am not dosing as I only have a few Poly's and a Colt coral frag. My levels are adequate, so I guess its coming from the RC mix I am using. I am going to install a Kamoer dosing unit in a couple of weeks in preparation for the corals I plan on adding in a couple of months. Looks like a sweet unit, and the price is even sweeter when you compare it to the Bubble Magus.

Amazing rockscaping there...very, very nice tank :]
Your kids are lucky to have something like that to look at.

Much appreciated friend! And when it comes to my aquascaping I must warn you I am susceptible to flattery lol. My kids love it, and whats more they appreciate it. We make the tank and all aspects of it a family thing, them and my wife help with feeding schedules, basic maintenence such as water changes and stuff like that. We love to go the LFS together.

 

[SantaMonicaHelp]

The flattery is well-deserved :]
That's great that the reef is a family hobby for you guys, that's very sweet