Rodney's First Ever Build and its Going to be a Reef !!

[Rodney Butcher]

Stayed tuned !!

 

[Rodney Butcher]

Tank is full and no leaks !! I think I will give it a couple days then drain it, give the stand a well needed makeover and then inside the house we shall go.

 

[Rodney Butcher]

Correction Tank has a very small leak somewhere so I am putting this tank on the back burner. I am so obsessed right now might as well use this as a good time to upgrade before I even get started. !!

 

[Rodney Butcher]

I just could not bring myself to trust the 55 gallon tank and my re-reseal so I found this 75 Gallon at a good price and purchased it. I love the extra volume and tank seems to be of higher qualitybuild glass is much thicker anyway and no leaks !! So even though I have switched tanks before I got started this is still the same build with the same goals in mind and that is to document my journey from zero knowledge to hopefully a long-term successful reef tank while on a budget. I look forward to whatever success and or failures head my way and I will share them with everyone good or bad.

So here is the new 75 gallon tank that I'm going to use. It is still being tested but almost a day now and no signs of any issues !!

 

[Rodney Butcher]

Got my supporter badge !! Nice and well worth it great bunch of people here !!

 

[dantimdad]

Sorry about the leak. Good deal about the upgrade though.

Welcome to R2R!

I have the same engine hoist. LOL.

 

[count krunk]

The 75g has a much better footprint anyway.

Now the fun really begins! What sort of overflow do you have in mind?

 

[Rodney Butcher]

Not a clue on overflow yet just figuring this out one step at a time Right now I am getting RODI setup and water storage worked out. With the risk of getting burnt at the stake I will probably start with a canister instead of a sump but that is still out for discussion. I am trying to go slow but I really want to get this thing indoors get some substrate and Dry Rock, Saltwater and get the cycle started.... I have a long way to go but I always enjoy the journey more than the end result.

 

[Rodney Butcher]

Sorry about the leak. Good deal about the upgrade though.

Welcome to R2R!

I have the same engine hoist. LOL.

Thanks !! That hoist comes in handy from time to time. I don't use it a lot but when you need one you really need one !!

 

[count krunk]

If anything, I would drill it now for the overflow while it is still empty. You could temporarily plug the holes and unplug them once you are ready for a sump.

 

[Rodney Butcher]

That is definitely worth checking into I have never drilled a tank but it would be good for future use as it seems most feel a sump is almost essential

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

That is definitely worth checking into I have never drilled a tank but it would be good for future use as it seems most feel a sump is almost essential

I run my 125 g without a sump. I use a fluval fx6 canister. Never any issues as long as you stay on top of maintenance. Tank has been running for a little over 3 years.

 

[Rodney Butcher]

I run my 125 g without a sump. I use a fluval fx6 canister. Never any issues as long as you stay on top of maintenance. Tank has been running for a little over 3 years.

Good to know !! I am sure a sump has many benefits but I sure like the simplicity of a canister setup even though it may require a little more maintenance.

 

[Rodney Butcher]

OK Guys and Gals I am bringing this thread Back to Life. As I started Gathering stuff for my first ever build, we actually bought a new house and that combined with the move and the Holidays put everything aquarium related on hold for some time now. So just to refresh everyone on what I am trying to do. I am trying to get a reef up and going with the help and advice from the community here. I am doing this on a tight budget and buying stuff as I go along and see just how well or not I can do by not having the best of the best of the best. So in general I am trying to build a working man's, poor boy tank

I will update thread later this evening with pics and get back up to speed on where I am at now with the build.


RB

 

[dantimdad]

Welcome back!

 

[count krunk]

my build is moving slow as well. Hoping to get it wet by end of Jan/early Feb.

also a poor man's build. YOu can check it out in my sig. I have also attached a detailed google sheet with all sorts of info related to starting a reef tank in it

 

[Rodney Butcher]

OK back in the saddle again. First things first !! Unless you have a really small tank or a large wallet then a RODI system is almost a must in my feeble mind, I was fortunate enough to find a fellow reefer who sold me this system with a ton of extra stuff including a a five gallon bucket of Red Sea coral pro salt. He was kind enough to sell it all to me for abot the cost of the salt. I did order a kit from BRS to replace all filter, DI and membrane. Anywho we are making 0 TDS water now !!

 

[Rodney Butcher]

Sand and Rock in and as you can see I have decided to start off with Dry rock. Also Kudos to the wife who much to my suprise is taking a interest in the hobby as well. She did the refresh of the stand (sanded it and fresh coat of paint)and helped with the aquascape as well !!

 

[Rodney Butcher]

For the guys and gals that run soley on numbers this is probably not enough rock, however for us we just felt this looked good. Around 90 pounds of dry rock in 75 Gallon tank. Not optimum but we will see,,,, many other factors will come into play im sure

 

[Rodney Butcher]

Hopefully I will be mixing saltwater soon. I have aprox 50 gallon of RODI produced so looking to mix it up and get this tank wet !!