My in wall build

[Armt350]

After moving across the pond and getting my long term home, I finally decided to build my dream aquarium build. The tank size is 1.5m x 60cm x 60cm. The tank itself was an existing tank I had from my previous reef tank. I always wanted to build a tank into a wall and have a completely separated sump so that you cannot hear any of the aquarium tech. The noise from the tank was the biggest complaint from my wife.

This time around I made the stand out of 316 stainless steel. I welded it up and built it to dimensions so that the cover panels will use standard Ikea kitchen door panels. The idea was that when my wife decides to redecorate and change the house color scheme she can go grab new readily available front panels.

So first things first, I had to make the hole. The wall was potentially load bearing so in went a reinforced cement beam to carry any potential load. Then the removal of the bricks. You can see the stand I'm using as a work platform. After that I sealed the wall openings with 2mm plastic to ensure it was splash proof. This was done on all 4 sides.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Love it !

 

[Armt350]

Also for those that may not know(I didn't), coralline algae will etch and eat into your glass. On the side that was previously the unviewable backside of the tank, I kinda let coralline algae do its thing and didn't remove it until I broke the tank down.

Come to find out, this is what it looks like after the fact.

At first, I tried cleaning it thinking it was just calcium. I used vinegar at first then moved to citric acid. No dice and no change. So I moved to something a little more... mechanical? Glass sanding and polish! I started with 800 grit, then moved to 1200 then 1600 grit. After that it was buffed with rubbing and then polishing compound. Here is the end result, I'm quite happy with it.

The above work and some of the following work has been ongoing for the past 3 weeks. The current status of the tank is up and running and going through its rapid cycle phase. But I'll catch you guys and gals up.

 

[Armt350]

The first 40kg of dry reef rock arrived, and much to the dismay of my wife, the dinner table became my aquascape test area. Although to be fair she was secretly hoping I scratched the kitchen table so she could rationalize her desire to get a new one or force me to finally make one.

Since the tank will be viewable from two sides, I tried to come up with an aquascape that would be nice to look at from both sides while simultaneously hiding the drain baffle when viewing it from the living room. This is the base idea.

I still wasn't so thrilled with it and ended up getting some reef-safe cement and put it together. At some point, I got around to coring the floor and running the return, drain and emergency drain down to the sump in the basement.

After rinsing it all, I filled the tank and got the system up and running. I added 10 kg of liverock and a bag of live sand to the tank which brings me up to present

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along! I always love seeing these kinds of wall builds!

 

[Armt350]

Querying the crowd, I don't yet have a good solution to measure dKH. The tech has changed over the years I've been out of the hobby so all the gear I was familiar with is gone.

My thought was to dose dissolved kalkwasser in my ATO like I am used to, but I'm lacking an automated way to measure and my chemical test kits are far from accurate.

What are you all using?

 

[Armt350]

So last night was mostly spent on the sump. I got the filter roller all set up, the return pump is running fine. Then I ran into a problem. When I unpacked the skimmer, a reef octopus SRO 2000int, I found that the motor no longer runs smoothly.

I hoped that they were built with repair in mind, but it looks like that's a no. They are fully sealed and the housing seems bonded together. I may take a crack at it again tonight but it looks doubtful.

So then I looked into getting a replacement pump. Thats also a dead end, as reef octopus and coralvue have largely left the EU market. Add to it, that the bubble blaster series pumps appear to be no longer manufactured. So in looking for a replacement, it seems a VarioS 2S pump would be a direct replacement, even if it is a DC pump as opposed to the original AC pump.

So until I get that figured out I'm at a pause there. So I finished up cable routing, added drip loops and cleaned up the hose lengths.

For anyone that cares, the sump has a the following:
Genesis Evo roller filter
Deltec DC return pump
Tunze ATO
Eheim 300w heater
And at some point a skimmer when I figure out a replacement pump.

Also I got delivery confirmation on the lights. I had planned to have radion xr30's and an AI bar, but after seeing the reef factory flare pro's in person, I switch and bought a pair. I still may add a bar later depending on how the tank measures out and looks.

 

[Armt350]

Busy weekend, I made the frame for the hood and worked out the mounting for the lights. Although sadly due to the ReeF Factory back-end servers(presumably), I was not able to get the lights up and running.

Now I need to run to Ikea and grab the kitchen door panels I plan to use from the front and sides so that it matches the surrounding closets.

Also the ammonia and Nitrite levels have zeroed out and trace nitrate is measurable, so what limited cycling I was waiting on is complete. It was more of a proof of the bacteria existing on the Live rock/ sand functioning as needed. Time for some fish.

 

[djstud]

Also for those that may not know(I didn't), coralline algae will etch and eat into your glass. On the side that was previously the unviewable backside of the tank, I kinda let coralline algae do its thing and didn't remove it until I broke the tank down.

Come to find out, this is what it looks like after the fact.

At first, I tried cleaning it thinking it was just calcium. I used vinegar at first then moved to citric acid. No dice and no change. So I moved to something a little more... mechanical? Glass sanding and polish! I started with 800 grit, then moved to 1200 then 1600 grit. After that it was buffed with rubbing and then polishing compound. Here is the end result, I'm quite happy with it.

The above work and some of the following work has been ongoing for the past 3 weeks. The current status of the tank is up and running and going through its rapid cycle phase. But I'll catch you guys and gals up.

Great Job. I have removed scratches from acrylic but not glass.

 

[Armt350]

Great Job. I have removed scratches from acrylic but not glass.

I actually feel safer working on glass than acrylic. I find it nerve-wracking to even clean an acrylic aquarium.

 

[Armt350]

I finished the hood over the weekend and got the second light hooked up. Its missing a small trim piece left and right to blend it with the closets left and right.

 

[Armt350]

The past few days has been spent hunting pests out of the tank that I've seen. I spotted what I think is a mithrax crab and have been trying to catch it and get him in the sump. I was rewarded this morning when my crab trap caught something... too bad it was a different crab.

A nice little gorilla crab. Into the sump he goes.

 

[Armt350]

The first fish have made it through quarantine nd are happily settled into the tank!

So far we have 2 royal gramma's, 2 Yellow tail damsels, and a Yasha white ray shrimp goby with his own pistol shrimp.

I also bought a Klienii butterflyfish and a Coral beauty. Sadly the butterfly fish died within 24 hours of arrival with suspected velvet or brooklynella. The Coral beauty however survived with medication despite showing symptoms on day two. It has finished its first round of meds and is eating and doing quite well. But it will still get treated for flukes over the next week and then remain in QT for another 7 to 14 days after that.

 

[Armt350]

I've been a bit busy, but a lot of good things have been happening with the tank.

First, the front panels have been fitted and have received the seal of approval of Household 6(The wife).

Also, I traded a spare AC pump I had lying around for a bunch of frags from a local guy who frags coral as a hobby. Nothing super crazy, but a solid start.

There are a couple more Stylophora and Seriotapora as well. This reminds me, I need to get a camera filter at some point.

 

[Armt350]

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention, don't forget to dip your corals. The things that fell off these corals blew my mind.

I had everything from flatworms, copepods, limpets, bristleworms to even a possible juvenile Mantis shrimp. All were dipped in Red Sea DipX and polyplabs Reef Primer.

 

[monfilsi]

Looking great

 

[williamCreery]

HEY!! That tank looks top down wicked! Are you going to throw in some torches?

(Tagging along)

 

[Katrina71]

The front panels you added look great. Very clean looking.

 

[Armt350]

HEY!! That tank looks top down wicked! Are you going to throw in some torches?

(Tagging along)

Now that my SPS needs have been satiated, there is definitely room for LPS corals. Hammer's are on the list and I'm not sure I could say no if I found myself looking at a 24k Torch coral.

Something that shows movement with a fabulous color would be top.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I've been a bit busy, but a lot of good things have been happening with the tank.

First, the front panels have been fitted and have received the seal of approval of Household 6(The wife).

Also, I traded a spare AC pump I had lying around for a bunch of frags from a local guy who frags coral as a hobby. Nothing super crazy, but a solid start.

There are a couple more Stylophora and Seriotapora as well. This reminds me, I need to get a camera filter at some point.

Love the new frags!