SCA 150g ULNS SPS Dominant Build Thread

[KonaCoral]

I am moving in the next six months and purchased an SCA 150 (60"x24"x24") when it was on sale last month. I am planning to do an SPS dominant tank with almost zero nutrients inspired by Roberto Denadai's latest SPS tank. I doubt I will have nearly as much success as he did but I am going to try anyway.

First some background on my current system; I have an 80g shallow, 60g cube, and 40g frag tank all hooked up to a 75g rimless that I am using as a sump so about 240g of total water volume. Alk: 9.5 dKH, Calc: 430 ppm, Mag: 1440 ppm, NO3: ~2 ppm, PO4: <0.03 ppm as measured by Salifert kits/Trident. The 80g shallow is primarily an SPS tank that has been battling AEFW for a year while the 60g cube is mostly LPS. As for fish, the 80 has a yellow tang, tomini tang, three-stripe damsel, orange spot rabbitfish, melanurus wrasse, and a marble wrasse. The 60 has a juv. orange shoulder and blue eye tang. The frag tank has a scopas tang and then a small half-black mimic tang in a small section of the frag tank. I can provide more details if people are interested and pictures are posted on instagram under KonaCorals.

At the new house I am planning two systems: the 150g SPS tank and then a higher nutrient system with the 60 as the display and 80g as a frag tank. The sumps will go in the basement. I have two 55g tanks that I am using as RO reservoirs that I plan to use for sumps. One of them will be swapped to the 75g sump once I make the full move.

150

• 3X Radion XR30 gen 5 Blue
• 3X Nero 5 (maybe an MP40?)
• Iwaki 70RLT
• Bubble Magus NAC 7 skimmer
• 40-80 lbs of special grade aragonite
• 55 lbs of Marco rock
• Livestock
  • Fish - ???
  • Clams - 10" derasa, 8" gigas, 6" teardrop, 3" derasa
  • Coral - SPS
    • Dipped with new frag plugs to prevent transferring AEFW

60

• 1X Radion XR30 gen 5 Blue
• 2X Vortech MP10
• Iwaki 40RLXT
• Bubble Magus Curve 5
• Thin sand bed
• Some dry rock
• Livestock
  • Fish - ???
  • Coral - LPS with maybe some sticks up top
• 80 Shallow frag tank
  • 3X Radion XR15 gen 4 Pro

I have somewhat planned how I am going to move everything over but due to work, vacation, and renovations, it will be a while before the new tank has water. The 150 will closely match Roberto Denadai's setup, timeline, parameters, dosing, etc. as best as I can. The thing I am happiest about is (fingers crossed) finally not having to worry about AEFW. Four months of Fauna Marin's AEFW X and they are still there. The LPS have their own problems and I'm pretty sure some shrimp or fish have been picking at them and hopefully they will also be happier in their new home.

Feel free to leave comments/suggestions on anything, especially for which fish should go where.

 

[Dcal]

Sounds awesome. If i was in your positions Id use one of the 50s as a display refugium tied into the big tank.

however just what id do! your plans rn are amazing and cant wait for updates and pictures!

 

[hhaase]

Look forward to seeing this one, and curious if you have a plan for the light mounting yet. Eventually thinking about Radions for my own SCA150, but can't figure out a mount that I like.

0Hans

 

[KonaCoral]

Sounds awesome. If i was in your positions Id use one of the 50s as a display refugium tied into the big tank.

however just what id do! your plans rn are amazing and cant wait for updates and pictures!

I didn't even think about that! I will plumb the return pump so that I can add more tanks and then mess around with some macros

 

[KonaCoral]

Look forward to seeing this one, and curious if you have a plan for the light mounting yet. Eventually thinking about Radions for my own SCA150, but can't figure out a mount that I like.

0Hans

I currently have three RMS's for the current set up so I plan to sell those to fund a hanging rail for the 150 and a hanging kit for the 60. I was having the same issue myself with the glass eurobrace on the 150 and I did not like the option of just setting the rail on two RMS across the tank and worrying about it slipping/falling over.

 

[Dcal]

I didn't even think about that! I will plumb the return pump so that I can add more tanks and then mess around with some macros

makes your life super easy if you give yourself the option to add more tanks to the same system down the road

 

[KonaCoral]

Got a good deal on a small powder blue tang so he will also be going in the 150.
All my equipment has arrived and is taking up space in the garage. Now just have to wait for the house to be ready!

Since the price of wood is so high I've been looking for dressers/cabinets for sale that can be used as tank stands. Picked one up for $50 that needs some slight modification but will work for the 150g. Definitely cheaper than the couple hundred dollars in 2x4s I was going to use.