My 72 bowfront build!

[HPballer76]

well i have been learking here for a while but never posted much so while i have some free time i thought i would post a little about my tank. not sure exactly where to put it since its not a large system but not really a nano either?


anyways it is a 72 bow front that i bought used and built a 20h sump for. i've had it up and running for just shy of a year now but still consider myself pretty new to salt water. let me know what you guys think here are some pics.




the tank at the sellers house before i brought it home.

reef octopus skimmer nwb-150 i picked up for it.

test fitting it into the 20g high i am using for a sump.

getting all the panels in for my sump/refugium.

leak testing the refugium section.

got the tank setup at my house.

the sump in and running.

 

[HPballer76]

then noticed the skimmer was in to much water so i made a stand for it.

also didn't like the way the plumbing was done so i redid it.


old

the old plumbing cut off.

skimmer stand in the sump.

skimmer on the stand.

new inlet pipe with ball valve and quick connect.

and the return line with ball valve and quick connect. also put a t in for my refugium.

 

[HPballer76]

the 72 with the 15 qt setup beside it.

the new emerald when i first put him in the tank.

and another shot of the emerald this morning with the lights off.

this starry blenny was my second fish. not sure why i don't have any pics of the first but that is an eight line wrasse

also went to lowes and got a light for my refugium.

 

[HPballer76]

got my refugium setup. it has about 14lbs of sand making it just over 3 inches deep. also was given a pretty decent piece a cheato from a local guy to get me started.

i then ordered some cheap led light panels. since i was originally planning for this to be fish only i didn't care about spending a ton on good lights.

the hangers that came with them were to long to hang in the hood. the lights would have been in the water lol. a trip to lowes solved that.

 

[HPballer76]

blues and whites.

blues on the left. blues and whites on the right


also can see that i had been growing a hair algae farm..

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at this point i was considering nuking the whole tank and starting over or getting out all together because the algae was so bad.

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before i did that i decided i would give a brs reactor with carbon and gfo a try.

also started leaving my fuge light on 24/7


this is what my fuge looked like when i first set it up.

and this is it as of about 5 mins ago.

 

[HPballer76]

also picked up 50lbs of base rock from reef rocks which i of course didn't rinse or cook before adding to my tank. noob mistake :/

here it is before.

and here it is after.

 

[HPballer76]

i then got tired of hearing the skimmer splashing all the time and having salt creep everywhere so i made a silencer for it.

moved my power strips to the wall behind the tank. this makes it much easier to get to and is up away from water.

also got rid of the ugly clamp i was using for the fuge light and added some egg crate to keep the cheato from getting over the baffle into the return section.

 

[HPballer76]

eight line wrasse and the starry blenny in the background

long spine sea urchin

rbta when i first got it.

full tank shot.

clown hosting the rbta

eggcrate back panel i made to keep jumpers in the tank.

 

[HPballer76]

semi full tank shot. (the 2 barred rabbit fish and tomini tang are no longer in the tank)

condy anemone i saved from someone.

the rbta opening all the way up. (has since split into two about to be three. might be split in the pic?)

small snowflake the first day i got him.

 

[HPballer76]

wasn't going to post this but i can't resist lol. first day i got the eel she saw it, screamed, and ran to the bed. she sat like this for a good 30 mins just staring at the tank afraid to go near it because the eel reminded her of a snake.

she eventually got over it and will even feed him now

 

[james30ct]

Looks good. I also have a 72. I really want to upgrade to a 180 but its gonna be a while before that happens. How many watts of led do you have on the tank?

 

[Lionheart513]

Man that's a beautiful Tank for sure

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Great pics!!! I loved seeing the progression of the tank. And I had a similar reaction when I saw a snowflake eel in a LFS. It was in a bucket and was starting to slither out as I walked by and touched me a teeny bit. I screamed (quite loudly) and ran out of the store. I have yet to go back to that LFS.

 

[revsgirl]

Looks great!! Love the fish!!