Hello everyone! I am finally starting my new build with much excitement. I am building this thread/build with inspirations from several other threads such as @Elder1945 and his reef build. This new tank build has been in planning progress for quite some time with many changes.
Equipment has changed a bit due to better price options or adjusting budget for more corals purchases down the road. Biggest change would be tank manufacturer. As I was leaning towards SCA Aquariums for a custom build which changed due to a LFS being able to build the same size tank rimmed and euro-braced for almost 80% less than SCA. I do not mind rimmed tanks and it made the choice a no brainer for me. Next change would be the wave makers, which I changed from MP40s to Jebao SOW due to my previous Jebao SOW being reliable for me and the price point is great.
As for lighting, I will be sticking with my Reefbreeders Photon v2 with ATI T5 hybrid which has worked great for me!
The sump of my choice is the Red Flex 300 sump which provides everything I need from a sump.
I went with Deltec for my skimmer this build as it a great simple design that is a workhorse. With great reviews from several reefers and Adam from Battlecorals I chose to spend a bit more for a skimmer for it's performance. After speaking with Adam, we decided that the Deltec 1000ix would be plenty for me. Unfortunately, he was out of stock and was able to shoot me the Deltec 1000i with a neck cleaner as an inconvenience.
For the return pump, I stuck once again with the Jebao as my previous Jebao return pumps have been reliable since I started the hobby
Moving onwards, I followed the true and tried design of RocketEngineer as it sound proof. I used 1/2" plywood to skin and 3/4" plywood for top and bottom base. I have several design ideas for the right side for my equipment that is still in progress.
As the title states, this will be a garage tank. I am renting a house for 2-4 years and decided to place the tank in the garage to avoid any water damage to the floor. The tank will take one wall space to allow for the display and a frag/work station. I reside in Southern California and it get's pretty warm in the summer which brings it's own challenges. I will be using a JBJ chiller to help with that during the summer months. Not really worried as it only get crazy hot like several days out of the summer.
I will be documenting my journey into this build and will be updating this thread periodically with my ups and downs. Any comments or inputs are appreciated!
Leaving it at that, hope you guys enjoy the journey and learn a thing or two with my as I progress this build.