So this is the build thread of my frag system. It has been up and running for quite awhile and I really do not expect it will have a lot of interest for most people so never really considered a build thread. However I like prizes and this build thread is a requirement for entering some contests so here goes 
You wont see any beautiful display quality setup here. I do have a display tank, but my passion is really in growing out coral... fragging it... trading/selling it. My system is more about function. As much as I love to look at a beautiful display tank it is not really my passion in the hobby.
This system is approximately 280 gallons (not including rock displacement and extra room in the sump). I would guess maybe 240 gallons of water. Most of the equipment is several years old and most was bought(or traded for) used at the time. I know it is a common mantra in the hobby to "not go cheap", but personally it has worked very well for me. I call it my mismatched unwanted equipment build because the majority of this equipment was fairly old when I got it and mostly I just traded coral for it. A few of the lights are newer and were wins at fragswap raffles (I love raffles!)
I also have a lot of other reef related activity in this room I wont go into details about in this build for now., but if anyone wants to know more about them let me know. One quarantine tank. One berghia nudibranch tank. One aiptasia growout tank. Multiple pod culturing and phyto growing vessels of various shapes and sizes.
Tanks - I got these over 10 years ago and they were pretty old at the time. Pretty beat up, but definitely serve their purpose well.
Lighting
Other equipment/Notes
Thats all for today. If you read all that you deserve a medal
I will make some updates with some pictures of some of my coral and maybe get into my feeding and dosing.
You wont see any beautiful display quality setup here. I do have a display tank, but my passion is really in growing out coral... fragging it... trading/selling it. My system is more about function. As much as I love to look at a beautiful display tank it is not really my passion in the hobby.
This system is approximately 280 gallons (not including rock displacement and extra room in the sump). I would guess maybe 240 gallons of water. Most of the equipment is several years old and most was bought(or traded for) used at the time. I know it is a common mantra in the hobby to "not go cheap", but personally it has worked very well for me. I call it my mismatched unwanted equipment build because the majority of this equipment was fairly old when I got it and mostly I just traded coral for it. A few of the lights are newer and were wins at fragswap raffles (I love raffles!)
I also have a lot of other reef related activity in this room I wont go into details about in this build for now., but if anyone wants to know more about them let me know. One quarantine tank. One berghia nudibranch tank. One aiptasia growout tank. Multiple pod culturing and phyto growing vessels of various shapes and sizes.
Tanks - I got these over 10 years ago and they were pretty old at the time. Pretty beat up, but definitely serve their purpose well.
- Tank 1: 96w x 12h x 12d. This is an acrylic tank with fish dividers every 2 feet. This is where 90% of my live rock is. The bottom 8" is live rock in with frags on top in three of the sections. One section is currently empty and at times used as a second refugium.
- Tank 2: 96w x 8h x 18d. This is an acrylic frag tank with a divider and overflow right in the middle.
- Tank 3: 96w x 12h x 24d Again another acrylic frag tank. This is the bottom most tank and has a 2ft section for skimmer/equipment. Technically my sump, but most of it is used as a frag tank.
- Tank 4: Standard 40g breeder. Used as refugium.
Lighting
- 3 xr30w gen 3
- 1 Maxspect Jump 65w
- 1 Viparspectra 300w
- 4 LED light bars (2 blue, 1 white, 1 uv). These are unbranded lights straight from manufacturer in china and by far my favorite lights.
- 1 UV LED light bar (cant remember brand I won it at a fragswap raffle)
- 1 A360x Tuna blue
- 2 12x12 cheap led panel lights used for refugium(s)
Other equipment/Notes
- NextReef Media Reactor. Two chambers and each is 21"h x 4"w. This has served multiple purposes over the years. Currently I use it for running carbon at times (which is not very often at all so it is mostly just on standby.
- Calcium reactor. No idea the brand.
- UV Sterlizer. Again rarely used and is mostly just there on standby.
- SRO3000 Reef Octopus Skimmer.
- Jebao SCP-120 crossflow wavemaker.
- 2 x Jebao SCP-70 Wavemaker
- Several other offbrand small wavemakers
- 3 heaters and an inkbird controller
- Gravity ATO setup with float valve
- Jebao doser
- Several Kasa wifi controllable powerstrips. At times I have had various controllers, but always end up selling/trading them. Still not found one I actually find worthwhile.
- PH monitor.
- Filter socks (again rarely ever used)
- Skimmer hooked up to outside airline most of the year (when the weather is really nice and windows are open like this time of year I remove it)
- All tanks are barebottom. The only sand in the tanks is confined to tupperware containers and is only there for some wrasses.
- PH: 8.1-8.4
- ALK: 9.0
- Calcium: 450-480
- MG: 1350-1450
- Phosphate: .05+ (struggling with this right now I feed a ridiculous amount, but for the past few months I cant really get it to consistently stay above 0.0 on hanna LR)
- Nitrate: 5-15 (same as above this is always 0 lately)
Thats all for today. If you read all that you deserve a medal
I will make some updates with some pictures of some of my coral and maybe get into my feeding and dosing.
