My Budget Build

[bucksfan1976]

Well before september I was all about SPS. Water quality, lighting , flow you name it I wanted it all. Then September 2nd I was out of town for work , came home on the third to find 19/21 fish dead from a marine velvet outbreak. Now dont freak on the fish 10 of them were blennies and gobies so no bioload. So for 7 weeks I sat fishless and it sucked. It was so boring looking at corals and shrimp. So after talking to the wife she said maybe its time to scale back and enjoy a tank for what it is. Lets enjoy our fish and the tank and not worry so much about everything else. Of course we will still do water changes and stuff like that but no more dosing and no more SPS and lets make it budget friendly so that if something breaks we dont have to worry about breaking the bank to replace something. I was impressed and said lets go with it why not.

Previous Equipment
Reef Breeders Photon 48
2 x Ecotech MP40s
Apex
2 x TLF reactors
BRS Dosing pump

New Equipment
4 x Jebao WP25
4 x 80 watt t5 Lighting fixture
All new ATI bulps

So we sold all the big equipment, all the sps and now we are going to have a softie tank or LPS tank. We want to enjoy zoas, brains, chalices stuff like that. The ATI bulbs just arrived today so I have yet to put them in the fixture

 

[roadrashpaul]

Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[Mike J.]

Different strokes for different folks. I have a tank that is primarily for fish. A few corals and clams, but I don't stress out over it. It's not always about having a SPS show tank, which seems to prevail in the hobby. There are many other ways to have a beautiful aquarium.

 

[MattL22]

Sps is alot of work if I can't get it right this time I will do same exact thing throw some fast growing softies in tank and enjoy the fish not worry about my alk every morning when I wake up at 445 am lol

Good luck enjoy

 

[eliramos]

dont get me wrong i think sps tanks are beautiful but the movement of softies and lps in the current just really grabs me! but to each his own! your tank will be just as good maybe even better now that you dont have to be so meticulous with everything!

 

[bucksfan1976]

Thats what im hoping for more enjoyment less stress. Ill put a pic up later once my ati bulbs get installed, should help with the color ALOT

 

[glb]

Enjoyment is the name of the game. Good luck!

 

[revhtree]

Looking good bro!

 

[bucksfan1976]

Thanks rev

Ok before new bulbs and after

I was only able to change 3 of the 4 bulbs one of my pure atinics was not working so it's factory atinic, geisman pure atinic, ati purple plus, ati coral blue

320 watts total

 

[bucksfan1976]

 

[joejoe1055]

looking good, that is more of the direction im going to be going, less headache for me plus when people come over they love the fish and the movement of the softies/lps
keep us updated with the your tank

 

[bucksfan1976]

 

[Mike J.]

Looking very good!

 

[bucksfan1976]

Thanks mike

 

[bucksfan1976]

 

[bucksfan1976]

 

[bucksfan1976]

Ok a couple of changes , I removed the WP-25s and replaced them with a single WP-60!!! Monster of a wavemaker. Also since i noticed my corals not doing great and I contributed it to lack of light basic corals needed a min of 3 watts a gallon and with my 4 bulb fixture I was barely on the cusp of it. So thanks to good old craigslist. I found a Marineland 72 inch 3 x 150 halide and 8 x 39 watt t5 fixture. This was the pro fixture that retails still for $1500 and I scored it for $500 with legs and a brand new hanging kit. Now granted its a foot to long i dont mind im only loosing a little light from the t5s. greatest thing is this fixture has a single power cord with timers built in.



my 16 inch ritteri anemone