ParadoX's Custom 200 Gallon Cube/Bar SPS Dominant Reef Build

[ParadoX]

Hello, I wanted to introduce myself and share my current build. My name is Daniel, and full disclosure, I am a proffessional Aquarium designer and have a company in San Francisco where we do this all day for the last 15 years. However, Im not necessarily here to promote it rather than share my excitment. So for the past 15 years of playing with other people's aquariums, I have not had to chance to build my own. I was fortunate enough to purchase a house in 2019, which finnally gave me the opportunity to start planning this aquarium. That was 5 years ago, so why this long? I needed to build the room and the space the tank will be in. Under my house was a HUGE unfinished space with 14 feet of height. However, there was no floor, electrical, real access or anything. I spent the last couple years building the space out. I did 90% of the work myself. The space is pretty much done. It is 500 sqft with 10 ft ceilings, a bathroom, movie theater, and DJ Booth. The space is Hidden and accessible through a Shelf that is a secret door. The Tank is 4ft x 44" x 24" tall. All of the equipment will be under the floor of this room, accessible via a trap door. I plan to have a Bar around the perimeter of the tank and a floating canopy. The stand's frame is Aluminum T-Slot extrusion. .

This brings us to the present. The picture above is the tank/stand. I spent the last week making 3 platforms under the floor. One is so you can stand on to service the tank. The second one is to hold a 80 Gallon water container which I will use for a salt mixing station that will supply the autowater changes I plan to setup. The third is for all the equipment, sump, etc.

Here is a quick video showing the trap door and the space below that Im prepping for all the gear.

Im Planning to do SPS dominant, but Id love to have a zoa garden, goni garden, a couple choice torches, and some high end shrooms.

My to do list is long, but Im always pretty motivated. For the past couple weeks, Ive been working all day building tanks for clients to come home and spend another few hours working on this tank. When I first started my company, I wondered if it would kill my passion for the hobby. I guess the answer is No!

Well, hope you guys are interested in the build. Im pretty excited about it!

 

[Tuna Melt]

Love that last pic!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

That is going to be an awesome tank!

 

[ParadoX]

Finnally have some time to update. Slow going as juggling all my tools between home and client builds has been challenging. I was able to get some plumbing started. I am funnelling all of the plumbing into and down the wall to under the subfloor where I have all the gear.

It is accessed through a trap door

The sump is to the right of the wood slat platform.

A 80 Gallon water container is to the left of the platform. This is where I will be mixing saltwater that will feed the auto water change system.

On the other side is the wall is where all the plumbing will come down.

It took me a few days to get the guts to cut into my main wall, but once I did, things started to come into place. I have 7 pipes routed through. 3 drain lines for the main tank, 1 return line for the tank, 1 line for the closed loops input, and 2 lines for the closed loops output.

Now I have to do some paint touch up and make a nice wood cover for the rectangle cutout.

 

[ParadoX]

I also got a shipment of gear.

4x Radion Pros
2x Vortech Mp40s
3x Nautalus 3200gph DC pumps (my first time trying these)
1x 3 container LED dosing containers

It will be a while until I get to installing these!

 

[ParadoX]

I also finished designing a cutom frag tank that will also be a baby cuttlefish station. This should be in production soon! This will be in the stand.

 

[ParadoX]

Update:
-Finished plumbing the Drains, returns, equipment manifold, and closed loop. Currently have water running through the system.

-Installed an Apex Pro with 2 power banks and started working ok cable management.

-About halfway through building a control panel. I still have to make the front faceplate for it. I will be displaying and mounting a Redsea Doser, 3 dosing containers, a wine bottle for carbon dosing, the pump controllers and a Physical Apex controller.

With everything under the floor, my goal is to hopefully have a pretty tricked out view when the trapdoor opens. Still a lot of work to do, but this is the view through the trapdoor now.

 

[ParadoX]

My to do list is still pretty long.

-Complete control panel
-Try making my own custom rockwork
-Make skin for the stand
-install custom frag tank in the stand
-fabricate floating canopy
-source marble for the bar around the tank.
-Put all the above together!

 

[Tuna Melt]

Love it!

 

[ParadoX]

Love it!

Thank you!

 

[revhtree]

Wow looking awesome!!! #killersetup

 

[fishybizzness]

Nice looking setup!

 

[fishybizzness]

Where did you purchase the jacks? I'm looking for some like those. Do you have a link? Thanks

 

[ParadoX]

Where did you purchase the jacks? I'm looking for some like those. Do you have a link? Thanks

They are from amazon. Im now questioning if it was a good idea to use steel ones if it may get humid under there from the filtration and Im afrain it will rust. However, I plan to add a fan on the wall that has a humidity sensor.

Amazon product

 

[alxjrz]

Interesting build, I like it! The aqua-scape is gonna be funtastic!

 

[ParadoX]

Interesting build, I like it! The aqua-scape is gonna be funtastic!

Thank you! for the aquascape, I was going to attempt my first Negative Space Aquascape. If that doesn't work out, I will probably just use a bunch of caribsea like I usually do.

 

[ParadoX]

More Progress. I gave myself a crash course in using a router to complete my control panel. I learned a lot, mostly what I shouldn't do hah! The project took me longer than expected (approx 15 hours) because I had to fix a lot of my mistakes. If I were to make a v2, it would have some changes, but I am happy with v1 for now. I decided to only display actual controllers and things I would often touch like pump controllers, dosing containers, and a Physical Apex controller. I had one laying around the shop and thought it may be useful if my wifi goes out. I mounted all the neptune stuff cleanly on the wall to the side of the sump. I didn't think a power strip needed to be show cased. Plus it would bring a ton of wires over.

For fun, I added color changing leds throughput the area to highlight the setup. Also to be on the excessive side, I have mini magnetic stirrers for the dosing containers.

I went with DIY wood slats to match the aesthetics of the room. I have the same style with doors, and a DJ booth. When I skin the tank's stand, it will also be done to match.

I have an external Bashsea skimmer, but I wasn't fully confident with it to handle the system, so I added a Reef Octopus internal skimmer into the sump.

Here is a instagram video showing the whole setup at its current state.


The tank itself is full of water, but nothing else at the moment. Up next, I'll try making a custom scape.

 

[ParadoX]

Progress has been moving along and my updates have been few.

Inspired by the scapes coming out of Korea, I wanted to try a floating Negative Space Aquascape (NSA). I ordered $150 in super glue, mask, and rubber gloves and pulled out a very old and dusty box of Tongan Premium Branch Rock that Ive been hording for years, and started to make a big mess.

This piece is almost 30" Long and 24" wide. I ran out of the TOngan Branch in the end and started using Real Reef Rock's branches, which I had multiple boxes of. I figure all of it will color to the same after a while in the tank.

Ironically, the view I was the most unsure of was the front view. The 2 sides pictured above look great.

I think once I start growing Acros on it, I may like the front view better. We will see.

I also wanted to make a couple pieces to cover the closed loop returns in the front corners. Then a couple pieces in the back corners. Im also not fully sure how I feel about them. I could always change them out in the future. For now, Im done with rockwork. For anyone trying to do this, make sure you have a good mask and gloves, ideally, work outside. The fumes are no joke!

Also, I editted, the title and 1st post of this thread as I mentioned to not do fish for first couple years and have a cuttlefish reef instead. I removed all that as with a minimal scape, its not ideal for cuttelfish, so I am going with fish. However, if you want to read my old cuttlefish article, check it out here. Cuttlefarm Army

 

[ParadoX]

After the Rocks were finished, I started working on the Floating Canopy. I envisioned the cabinetry to replicate what the Black wood slats with blonde wood trims as I have through the room as well as the control panel below. I made the frame out of 2020 T-Slot Aluminum and planned to skin it with wood. I wanted it to be suspended with rusty chain, but checking all the local hardware stores, most chains are made with material designed to not rust easy. Due to my dedication to my vision, I went on ebay, found some rusty chain and paid almost $100 to have it shipped to me!

It was a little beefier then I thought and had to borrow a corded angle grinder from a neighbor to cut it as my cheap amazon dewalt knockoff wasnt cutting it...


Here is a picture of the frame suspended temporarily with wire. You can see all the scratches I did to my wall to get this up by myself!

Then like with every wood slat in this room, I cut each one manually, and painted them.

I have Radion Pros G6 installed and all the wiring and Ballasts are up on top out of view.

All the panels are easily removeable, in case I need more access to service the tank.

Still some tweaking and finishing touches, but its starting to look like an aquarium now!

Next on the list

-Our trademark Rain Feature
-Skinning the Stand
-Adding a frag tank in stand
-Getting marble perimeter for the bar

 

[buruskeee]

Any more progress? This is a very unique aesthetic. Loving it so far!