Ray's 110G Reef Build

[raylinds]

As I mentioned in the Meet and Greet forum, I am just getting back to reefing after a 20 year absence. I have spent the last two weeks researching and ordering equipment.

So far, I have acquired:
110G 48 x 18 x 30 Corner Flow Marineland Tank
Marineland Majesty Stand
Trigger Systems Emerald 34 Sump
Reef Octopus 150 Protein Skimmer
Kessil AP700 LED with mounts
Seneye Reef Monitor
Finnex Digital 800 Watt Heater
Aqua FX Barracuda 100 GPD RO/DI
Current USA 1900 GPH eFlex Return Pump
Used Neptune Systems Apex Lite Controller with VDM module
2 Jeboa WP-25P Powerheads
Jeboa Apex Controller Adapter
Instant Ocean Salt
Test kits and Refractor

After careful consideration I found a place in my living room over my garage that is next to a load bearing wall and is perpendicular to joists that are 16" apart and two of the ones under the tank are double joists:

The location is behind my large L shaped sofa (people on one side of the Lshape can view the aquarium, those on the other side have to turn around). It is also behind a small bar and those sitting at the bar look directly at the tanks:

View from the bar:

Here is the sump:

The tank:

The LED:

A couple of things to note:
I haven't put the tank on the stand as I need to wait for my neighbor to get home to help me. Being next to the window is not ideal but that particular shade is always down and the light is much more diffused than it looks in the picture. Yes, that's a mirror behind where the tank is going, but I plan to cover the back of the tank so fish don't try to attack their reflection (I guess I will never clean that with ammonia again).

Also, I know the AP700 may be marginal for a 48" tank that is 30" deep, but I only plan on having, at most one or two SPS and I can place those higher up and toward the center. I can also supplement with Kessil pendants if needed. Having used MH lighting years ago, I really like the Kessil shimmer.

I plan to get a Neptune DOS to set up AWC and get an Avast ATO.

I was going to plumb everything down to the garage but it gets very cold in there in the winter and I am afraid the electric bill would go through the roof keeping heat in the sump and mixing tanks.

Any thoughts or comments are welcome.

 

[Peace River]

Ray - it looks like you are off to a really strong start! One small observation - it looks like you have baseboard heaters and with the placement of the stand in the corner, I encourage you to think about how you are going to deal with any random splashing or salt creep on to the heaters. It may be hard to be able to wipe down the heaters with the stand placed that tight against the wall. Good luck with the new setup - I look forward to seeing pictures of your progress!

 

[Bleigh]

Oh man. This gets me wishing I could go ahead and order mine!

 

[raylinds]

Ray - it looks like you are off to a really strong start! One small observation - it looks like you have baseboard heaters and with the placement of the stand in the corner, I encourage you to think about how you are going to deal with any random splashing or salt creep on to the heaters. It may be hard to be able to wipe down the heaters with the stand placed that tight against the wall. Good luck with the new setup - I look forward to seeing pictures of your progress!

Good observation. I moved it a coupe of inches for access. I am installing new ones in the whole living room that are supposed to be corrosion proof, but we all know what salt water can do.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Nice start!

 

[raylinds]

Oh man. This gets me wishing I could go ahead and order mine!

I clicked on your links to check out your current tank and build plans. You did an absolutely amazing job with your small tank in a short period of time. Your plan sounds exciting. When do you plan to get started?

 

[revhtree]

Looking good!

 

[Bleigh]

I clicked on your links to check out your current tank and build plans. You did an absolutely amazing job with your small tank in a short period of time. Your plan sounds exciting. When do you plan to get started?

Thank you! R2R has been amazing and Jdowns has helped me a ton. So I can't take full credit for the tank.

First step is getting rid of the guest room bed. And moving my office into that room. I'm contemplating going away for a longer vacation over summer break than I was originally intending. So, may be plenty of time to let it sit and cycle? I don't know that I'll be able to get everything set up that quickly for a cycle though. A lot of other things need to be done and built first.

 

[raylinds]

Thank you! R2R has been amazing and Jdowns has helped me a ton. So I can't take full credit for the tank.

First step is getting rid of the guest room bed. And moving my office into that room. I'm contemplating going away for a longer vacation over summer break than I was originally intending. So, may be plenty of time to let it sit and cycle? I don't know that I'll be able to get everything set up that quickly for a cycle though. A lot of other things need to be done and built first.

Pizza + Beer + Friends= Everything Moved

 

[Bleigh]

Pizza + Beer + Friends= Everything Moved

Lol... not a bad idea!

 

[raylinds]

I am starting to plan what I plan to keep in my tank and would love to get feedback here.

I will start with the clean up crew:
12 Nassarius Snails
20 Trochus Snails
20 Cerith Snails
20 Nerite Snails
15 Red Leg Hermits
10 Blue Leg Hermits
5 Scarlet Hermits
2 Fighting Conches
1 Tuxedo Urchin
1 Fire Shrimp
1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Cleaner Shrimp (when I add fish)
1 Serpent Starfish
1 Emerald Crab

I know Emerald Crabs can be a problem, so I am particularly interested to hear about your opinions and experiences with them.

I am still researching fish and corals and will do separate posts for them but I know I want at least one of not two common Clownfish and probably a Flame Angel. I know FAs can nip at coral, but I had one in my previous tank that was not a problem. Also a Tang or two (perhaps a blue and a Yellow) and after my tank has been up for about a year, a Mandarin (I plan on having a refugium).

For corals, I tend to prefer LPS and softies.

 

[raylinds]

After three months of delays (don't ask), I am finally back on track with the tank build. I am awaiting a few more parts for the plumbing but started to mock up the aquascaping. Nothings been glued yet so feel free to make suggestions. I wanted plenty of overhangs and caves.

 

[raylinds]

After another two months of delays I was able to finish plumbing the tank:

 

[Jon Fishman]

Love the funky-contemporary look of your house too! Good choices being made with the tank too!

 

[raylinds]

I decided to go with a Herbie overflow because of the safety of the emergency drain and the silence. Since my corner flow only had two holes drilled and I did not want to deal with drilling I made an over the top return:

I think I may paint the PVC black to make it less conspicuous. Tomorrow I will test for leaks, finish installing the RO/DI system and make some salt water!

I'm really getting excited now and with all of my home projects done, should start making serious progress.

 

[raylinds]

Love the funky-contemporary look of your house too! Good choices being made with the tank too!

Thanks- pretty much all of the décor is Mid-Century Modern.

 

[raylinds]

So the leak test went fine and I drained the tank and put in about 2 1/2 inches of Tropic Eden Tonga Reeflakes and I love the way it looks. I put in the dry live rock that I got. I ordered 20 pounds of coraline live rock from Tampa Bay Live Rock hoping it will help spread coraline to the dry rock.

My tank is 30" tall so I am able to put the Kessil AP700 about 4" above the waterline and it seems to give good coverage. A little hard to tell from the photo, but there are plenty of caves and hiding places for the livestock.

 

[Samina]

Love the tank so far! Great job!! I have the exact same tank and stand. Just got it up last month. I was in the process of the build since last year so I definitely know what you mean!! But yours looks great and will be following along to see how it progresses.

 

[raylinds]

Love the tank so far! Great job!! I have the exact same tank and stand. Just got it up last month. I was in the process of the build since last year so I definitely know what you mean!! But yours looks great and will be following along to see how it progresses.

Thanks- I need to go check out your build thread.

 

[raylinds]

I finally got it up and running and starting the cycle! I am so excited to finally get this moving forward. More updates coming soon.