Hey all this is my tank build.
I have been out of the reefing game for about 15 years. I started reefing 2001 and had a 32gal with a mixed reef. After 10 years of my reef tank (pretty much thriving). I broke it down (due to having to move for work) and parted out all the corals, inverts and fish. I kept all my live rock in my front yard at my house. Well, two months ago I got the itch to start up and got the approval from my wife. I tried to tell her everything it encompasses but she has no idea what she agreed to
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I decided on a Innovative Marine 50g EXT after a couple weeks of researching and price points. My plan is to make this a mixed reef system. I love zoas and torch corals but plan on adding sps later on down the line.
(FTS 3/15/26)
(Tank mostly assembled in its final resting place)
For equipment I decided on:
Light: Reefi 2.1 w/HOB light mount
Skimmer: Simplicity 240DC
Powerheads: 2x OctoPulse 2
Heater: IM Helios 200w
Controllers: Hydros Start, Launch and Wave Engine LE
Sensors: 2x hydros slim temp probes, Helios temp prob. Hydros rope leak detector. Hydros triple level optical sensor
ATO: Hydros ATO w/ Icecap 5gal reservoir.
Now to work on aquascape. This was a far cry from what we used to do back in the early 2000’s. So I made a box to my tanks dimensions and started messing around using my “live” rock from back in the day.
(First iteration)
(Second try)
(Final form)
I decided on this to be my scape, both left and right side structures are separate pieces. I used thick super glue and tons of clay epoxy to hold everything thing together. I made sure I had enough room on all sides for my hand/scrubber/siphons.
I bought a cabinet from ikea to hold all my controllers and power supplies.
Next is the fun part of wiring the entire setup. I tried to hide as much of the wiring as possible. I forgot to take a picture of the back side before I moved everything so you’ll have to trust me it looks great. Below is my DIY controller panel.
Lastly, I got some aragonite special grade dry sand. After a ton of rinsing I was able to put it in the tank. I wanted 1.25 inches of sand.
This has been over the course of the last two months. I’m very excited and will fill it with water in November after I get back from my hunt. Here’s a couple more pics of the setup
Updates to come!! Thanks for following along!
I have been out of the reefing game for about 15 years. I started reefing 2001 and had a 32gal with a mixed reef. After 10 years of my reef tank (pretty much thriving). I broke it down (due to having to move for work) and parted out all the corals, inverts and fish. I kept all my live rock in my front yard at my house. Well, two months ago I got the itch to start up and got the approval from my wife. I tried to tell her everything it encompasses but she has no idea what she agreed to
.I decided on a Innovative Marine 50g EXT after a couple weeks of researching and price points. My plan is to make this a mixed reef system. I love zoas and torch corals but plan on adding sps later on down the line.
(FTS 3/15/26)
(Tank mostly assembled in its final resting place)
For equipment I decided on:
Light: Reefi 2.1 w/HOB light mount
Skimmer: Simplicity 240DC
Powerheads: 2x OctoPulse 2
Heater: IM Helios 200w
Controllers: Hydros Start, Launch and Wave Engine LE
Sensors: 2x hydros slim temp probes, Helios temp prob. Hydros rope leak detector. Hydros triple level optical sensor
ATO: Hydros ATO w/ Icecap 5gal reservoir.
Now to work on aquascape. This was a far cry from what we used to do back in the early 2000’s. So I made a box to my tanks dimensions and started messing around using my “live” rock from back in the day.
(First iteration)
(Second try)
(Final form)
I decided on this to be my scape, both left and right side structures are separate pieces. I used thick super glue and tons of clay epoxy to hold everything thing together. I made sure I had enough room on all sides for my hand/scrubber/siphons.
I bought a cabinet from ikea to hold all my controllers and power supplies.
Next is the fun part of wiring the entire setup. I tried to hide as much of the wiring as possible. I forgot to take a picture of the back side before I moved everything so you’ll have to trust me it looks great. Below is my DIY controller panel.
Lastly, I got some aragonite special grade dry sand. After a ton of rinsing I was able to put it in the tank. I wanted 1.25 inches of sand.
This has been over the course of the last two months. I’m very excited and will fill it with water in November after I get back from my hunt. Here’s a couple more pics of the setup
Updates to come!! Thanks for following along!

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