My 180g Classroom Build

[Mr.Asbury]

Hello!

I have a 180g reef tank in my classroom for use in my Environmental Science classes (Grades 11&12). This thread will follow the building, filling, and growth of the tank. I have permission from the parents of my students to post pictures on a school Twitter account which is dedicated to the reef tank, and you are more than welcome to follow it to see updates on students work alongside any experiments or labs we do using the tank (www.twitter.com/monarchs_reef). I will not be posting students' pictures nor their work here, as I did not include this site on the permission slip.

Here's a breakdown of what's in my tank:

Tank & Stand
Tank: 180g Aqueon w/ 2x corner overflows (6" x 2" x 2")
Stand: Custom 180g Stand w/ canopy & glass top from LFS

In DT:
Sand: 180lbs Fiji pink live sand
Rock: ~160lbs of what started as dry rock (ordered 180, have some left over in storage)
Circulation Pumps: 2x WAV adjustable pumps
Lights: 2x Kessil AP700


Sump Stuff:
40g Breeder Custom sump (created myself)
Skimmer: Reef Octopus 202-s Protein Skimmer (placed on a 2" Tupperware container to raise it up)
Refugium Lighting: Kessil H80 Tuna Flora LED + gooseneck mount
Return Pump: Reef Octopus Varios Controllable DC Pump
Reactor: BRS GFO & Carbon dual reactor (not yet hooked up)
Heaters: 2x 300w Heaters (controlled w/ apex)
ATO: Tunze Osmolator ATO (using a 10g tank as RODI water holder)
Macro: Chaeto in a hampster ball to keep it from clogging return (was having strays slow down pump)

Water:
RODI: BRS 5 stage 75g per day RODI
Salt: Instant Ocean reef salt (changing salts once I run out of current supply)
Test Kits: API Master Reef Kit & API Saltwater Test Kit (getting better test kits when I run out)
32g Brute Trashcan - mixing saltwater (have cheap thermometer & pump)
32g Brute Tashcan - RODI water storage (use for freshwater tank & transfer to other can to make saltwater)

Other:
Apex Controller
35 Gal tank for Quarantine

Fish (in the order they were added):
2x Ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1x Diamond Watchman Goby
2x Banggai Cardnialfish (Captive Bred)
2x Orchid Dottyback (Captive Bred)

Progression Pictures:​

Empty tank in the classroom:

​

Aquascape in Empty Tank:

Tank full, lights added!

First Fish!

Thanks for taking the time to look!

 

[SPR1968]

Well firstly welcome to R2R @Mr.Asbury !

Looks good so far from the list.

Oh and we like, sorry LOVE pictures on here!

 

[Nate77]

Welcome , and I'll follow along

 

[NY_Caveman]

Looks good! Great idea for a high school. Welcome to you and your classes to R2R!

 

[Dukeap]

Hey, welcome.

looks good but i would change the refugium light. I have the light and it does work but not that strong. For that size tank i dont think you will get the growth needed to use as nutrition export if thats what ur going for. I could never get it to keep chato alive just the hair algea that grew on rocks. I ended changing to an algae scrubber. I have a 90 gallon mixed reef.

 

[Mr.Asbury]

Thanks for the feedback on the refugium light. Is there a different one you would recommend?

 

[Xavierwally]

Hi, welcome to R2R. The refugium light you have listed (Kessil H80 has 15 watts) is for a nano tank, for you size tank I would say the Kessil H380 that has 90 watts of power.

 

[Dukeap]

Yes the h380 would work for your size tank or maybe the new h180 i think it is, dont know much about it supposed to be the mid between the h80 and h380. Brs has some videos about lights for refugium.

 

[Mikedawg]

Hello!

I'm making a tank for my Biology & Environmental Science classes (grades 10-12). We'll be using it mainly for biotic interactions & conservation, as well as comparing it to the 75g planted tank I'm currently upgrading from a 35g. I've been looking at equipment for a while now, and just got word that both grants were approved meaning I can actually afford to make this a possibility. I wanted to post my build list here to see if anyone notices any red flags or missing items. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Tank & Stand
Tank: 180g Aqueon w/ 2x corner overflows (6" x 2" x 2")
Stand: Custom 180g Stand w/ canopy & glass top from LFS

In DT:
Sand: 120lbs Fiji pink live sand (is this enough? Looking for ~1' bed)
Rock: 20lbs of Live rock from LFS & 160lbs of dry rock
Circulation Pumps: 2x WAV adjustable pumps (up to 4,000 gph each, comes w/ apex)
Lights: 2x Kessil AP700


Sump Stuff:
40g Breeder Custom sump (creating myself, basing it off of one we found online)
Skimmer: Reef Octopus 202-s Protein Skimmer (Rated up to 265g)
Refugium Lighting: Kessil H80 Tuna Flora LED
Return Pump: Reef Octopus Varios Controllable DC Pump (up to 2700gph)
Reactor: BRS GFO & Carbon dual reactor
Heaters: 2x 300w Heaters (controlled w/ apex)
ATO: Tunze Osmolator ATO (will use a small 15-20g tank sitting in storage as holding tank)

Water:
RODI: BRS 5 stage 75g per day RODI (debating keeping in unplugged or on timer when not needed)
Salt: Instant Ocean reef salt
Test Kits: API Master Reef Kit & API Saltwater Test Kit
57g Food-safe plastic Drum (holds RODI Water)
55g Brute Trashcan - mixing saltwater (have cheap thermometer & pump)
BRS Refractometer


Other:
Apex Controller


For corals, I plan to stick to LPS, softies, mushrooms, & Polyps. Going to avoid SPS until I have a year or two experience under my belt.

Fish list is on my wife's laptop, so I will have to add it later. We spent 2 weekends traveling to all the fish stores in our area for ideas on both fish & coral to make sure pictures online actually resemble the product we'll get. We plan to buy all of the animals at LFS to support them rather than online. I want to make sure we didn't miss anything on compatibility. I was very surprised in the difference in cleanliness, quality, & friendliness at the different stores .

Thanks for taking the time to look!

You're doing it right. Another thought - buy aquacultured fish and coral (ORA,etc. ) to help teach another lesson about conservation.

 

[JaimeAdams]

Do you have a QT tank? I see no mention of it.

 

[Crimsontopper]

My wife is a teacher as well and wanted me to ask where you applied for the grant.

 

[Neo Jeo]

Welcome!

I would skip the glass top and get a DYI screen top from BRS. Also the sand is a bit fine and can blow around. I would get Aragonite Special Grade Dry Sand 40lbs. Dont buy the live stuff and save your money. Just add bacteria to the tank. To be honest I would go ALL dry rock, dont take the chance to add a pest. My tank is all dry and has been doing great. You can add coralin algae from a bottle now. I also read some negative reviews on the RO skimmers "to touchy". I went with a bubble mag and love it. The RO pumps are really nice tho.

Everything else seems amazing!

 

[Mr.Asbury]

My wife is a teacher as well and wanted me to ask where you applied for the grant.

One is a local grant for STEAM education in PA and WV, and the other was through Chevron. The oil & gas industry is huge in my area currently, and they have been very generous to our schools. I can PM you some links if you guys are from a nearby area, but, unfortunately the ones I applied for are only offered locally.

 

[Mr.Asbury]

Do you have a QT tank? I see no mention of it.

I have a 35g tank that I will be using for QT. I'm ordering a few sponge filters to use in it, and will throw those in the sump until needed. I also have a cheap heater, circ. pump, and light to put on it.

 

[Crimsontopper]

One is a local grant for STEAM education in PA and WV, and the other was through Chevron. The oil & gas industry is huge in my area currently, and they have been very generous to our schools. I can PM you some links if you guys are from a nearby area, but, unfortunately the ones I applied for are only offered locally.

Ah, we are not local. But we will look in our area. Thanks for getting back to me

 

[Mr.Asbury]

Ah, we are not local. But we will look in our area. Thanks for getting back to me

Sorry I couldn't be more help. She could ask her administrators and a local college if they have a good science department. A lot of times, companies offering grants mass e-mail all of the administrators in the area (this is how I was made aware of one of the grants), and most colleges require professors in a science field to do outside research alongside teaching. They generally have to apply for grants for the funding, rather than have it provided from the school. They may be able to point you in a good direction in your area!

 

[JaimeAdams]

@Pola0502ds is in Youngstown and helps maintain a school tank, might want to talk to him as well.

 

[Oldreefer44]

Agree with Mikedawg, very important as to where your LFS sources their fish. As the latest issue of Coral magazine explains, there is still a lot of cyanide used in the collection of fish. Your LFS should be able to tell you where, and from who, they get their fish. You can research from there.

 

[Mr.Asbury]

The first of my supplies arrived today!

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

So cool being close, my mom is a art teacher maybe I can convince her to get a frag tank in her room and the kids paint some corals lol