SliceGolfer's Aquaforest OceanGuard Six Zero Five

[SliceGolfer]

Aquaforest OceanGuard 605 - 47.2"L x 24.6"W x 22.6"H - Display Tank - 114 US Gallons/605 liters - System - 160 US Gallons

SUPER EXCITED for a new build coming soon! I've been wanting a large tank for some time, a show piece for home. Really looking forward to this journey with a large scale system.

The tank has been delivered and assembled. Shipping time was roughly 10 calendar days and the delivery company did a great job communicating throughout the delivery. The driver was kind enough to drop the pallet in front of my garage door which was very helpful. The system is packaged in a wooden crate and very well thought out use of space. Kudos to Aquaforest for utilizing every bit of the shipping container while protecting the cargo! I spent about an hour getting placement and floor leveling spot on. The build quality of the tank and stand is incredible. The ability to change cabinet skin color is such a great concept. The sump is solid, heavy too! Ample room for gear and I appreciate the built in ATO reservior.

I'll be spending the next couple weeks gathering gear and supplies, plus repurposing many items from my last large build:

Skimmer: Deltec 1000ix
Return pump: Neptune COR 20
Flow: Jebao DMP-40 x2
Controller: Neptune Apex A2
ATO: Neptune ATK
Dosing: Neptune Apex DOS x2
Heater controller: Inkbird
Heater: Eheim Jager 200w x2
Lighting: Reefbreeders 50” Photon V2 Pro x2
Rock: Marco Reef Saver Rock

Thanks for following along!

 

[AlyciaMarie]

The tank has been delivered and assembled.

This is exciting! Do you have a picture of the assembled tank?

 

[SliceGolfer]

This is exciting! Do you have a picture of the assembled tank?

I do! Here’s some more pics! Excuse the plastic wrap over the top. I am doing my best to prevent unwanted dust and pet hair from landing in the tank before setup!

The panels for the stand come protected with a film covering. Once the film is removed, instructions state do not wipe or clean for 72 hours.

Here’s the setup with the protective film removed. Bright white!

I’ll be putting my Deltec 1000ix protein skimmer in service for this system

Along with my Neptune Apex COR 20 return pump

Here’s the rest of the system, along with the skimmer sitting in the sump

A new delivery arrived today! 75 pounds of Marco Reef Saver rock from Saltwater Aquarium. I have to say, really fast shipping! Super impressed! I have some CaribSea life rock sitting the garage that I’ll add to this mix. Might start mocking up the aquascape this weekend. We’ll see!

 

[oneilwiz]

Awesome any updates

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I am curious about updates as well!

 

[SliceGolfer]

There are updates! Super spectacular omg amazeballs updates? Not really. Here's what I've been busy with:

• Cleaned my Neptune COR20 pump. Found three Trochus snail shells in the impeller. Nice.
• Finished plumbing the tank, running the overflow, emergency overflow, return line and connected the COR20.
• Convinced my wife the lights would look great hanging from the ceiling.
• Purchased t-slot and hardware to make a hanging mount for the lights.
• Confirmed with my wife I am still good to drill holes in the ceiling.
• Located the studs in the ceiling.
• Measured the position of the lights and drilled mount holes, then installed eye hooks.
• Assembled most of the light mount and realized I need more hardware from the jungle website.
• Installed and tested the white led tape lights I added to the inside of the cabinet.

I went on a used good shopping spree and pieced together a new to me Apex A2 with EB832, probes, two DOS pumps, Trident, and ATK. Got a few extras in there as well, so I'm happy. Connected all hardware, tested, and fully updated. Added the Apex to my Fusion account.

I converted all three of my existing tanks to Aquaforest Component 123+ and will be using the same on this tank. I bought the pre-mixed solutions only because I like the refillable containers. I have been following the "mix your own" recipe and bought the materials the last time AF was 20% off. I can make all three 5000ml refill containers for $18.50. Much cheaper than the $64 at my LFS.

Next up is to focus on the aquascape. I have all the rock, super glue, and baking soda. Also need to finish the mounts and hang the lights when the extra goods arrive. Following that will be positioning the tank for the final time, checking level, then filling the tank to test for leaks and flow. Once that is complete, drain the tank and then start the fill with RODI. I have new prefilter, carbon blocks, and DI resins waiting to go for my RODI.

Thanks for following along!

 

[rishma]

I think this is my current dream tank and would like an update so I can live vicariously through you.

 

[draj]

looking great, very curious about the floating edges on the left/right/front…

 

[SliceGolfer]

Well it what seems like the slowest build thread ever, I have made progress! Sure, I could tell you about how work and life got in the way of this build, but I don’t want this to be a place for that stuff. We come here to look at tanks, relax, and have a good time.

I checked, checked again, purchased a 6ft level and checked a third time, to make sure I had the tank exactly level. It’s one of those things that pays off in the end. The Oceanguard stand has leveling feet at floor level that thread in place, adjustable by a tiny wrench. I really like the new leveling platform offered by IM and wish this tank had that feature.

I modeled the scape similar to Reef Calvetti’s design. Check his SPS tank out on Insta if you haven’t seen it before. I like how there is so much space available to mount coral, and I have never done a scape like this in any of my other tanks. I’m using Caribsea South Seas Base Rock for the bottom most layer, as it was cut flat on one side and makes for a sturdy base. All rock was glued together using baking soda and thin CA glue. The rest of the structure is Marco Rock, and it is not glued in place. I realized that if I had built this entire structure as one piece, I don’t feel I could safely lift and lower into the aquarium. This gives me opportunity to redesign the scape in the future if I so desire, or it’s going to grow into a solid mass with coralline and SPS anyway.

The undercabinet and sump is the back office to this build. I decided to go with Eheim Jager heaters vs Finnex, and Neptune Apex control as I had almost all the gear from other builds. I spent a week fine tuning the flow, adjusting the gate valve and COR20 flow rate. I need to spend a bit more time tidying up wires and such, but for the most part everything is in place. My Deltec Skimmer will join the fun once the tank is done cycling. Speaking of cycling, today is day one. Added AF Life Bio Fil, Bio S, and 100mls of ammonium bicarbonate. That should put me somewhere around 1ppm ammonia.

Browsing through other builds, I came across a pro tip for mounting electronics in the stand. I did not want to drill any mounts in the stand and found these 15lb capacity Command Strips. They attach like double faced tape, have the texture of plastic Velcro, and are removable. I given them two thumbs up and you should give them a try in your next build.

Thanks for following along and I’ll have some more updates once the tank gets through this initial cycle.

 

[SliceGolfer]

Two updates in one day? Can it be true?

I bombed the tank tonight with AF Life Source mud for added biome goodness.

 

[SliceGolfer]

Quick update - The initial ammonia cycle is complete and now I’m letting the tank settle for a bit. Added another dose of Life Source mud today and then will run a full battery of water testing to see where all the levels are at. Ordered wire rope, swage tool, and other items to hang the Reefbreeders Photons from the ceiling. Hoping to add two Black Storm clownfish from my 40g tank if I can catch them. Also placed the Deltec skimmer in the sump and need to make a riser plate so the skimmer isn’t in 10” of water. Thinking next about flow and which wavemakers to purchase. Thanks for stopping by.

 

[SliceGolfer]

Spent time getting the lights mounted and hung. I’m really happy with how this turned out. I’ve been gathering different hardware and it all came together this week when I got the wire rope kit and swage tool delivered.

I had located the studs in the ceiling before setting up the tank and installed the eye screws. The hardware used for hanging the lights is a mix of TSlot extruded aluminum, longer M6 square headed screws, double threaded barrel nuts, M6 nuts, and steel M6 eyelets. Steel carabiner clips and steel wire rope round out the hanging kit.

There is a lot of adjustability with this setup. My 6ft level came in handy again making sure everything is dialed in.

The Reefbreeders app was easy to setup, it’s quick to create a group containing both lights, and get a basic low par spectrum configured.

The Deltec Skimmer is running great in 10 inches of water so I think I’ll continue this way until something tells me otherwise. I’ve been monitoring pH and the skimmer is making a small contribution. It was noisy at first but really quieted down today. I think something had blocked the air inlet because after I plugged and released the air input, the volume of bubbles increased and now I only hear the hum of the motor. Still love the built in neck cleaner.

 

[JoJosReef]

Looks amazing now that it's up and running! I love the dual panel LEDs, such a clean look.

 

[SliceGolfer]

First fish are in! I moved my pair of Storm Clowns, Royal Gramma, and Banggai Cardinal. I had two Cardinals in the tank, but after 3 days one was bullying the other non stop. Separating them to avoid death was necessary, so the bully now lives in my frag tank.

I ramped up lighting to 10% on blue channels and 5% on white. Red and green will remain off for now. Looking to get some algae growth started and then will introduce a CUC. I found a deal on Aliexpress and grabbed two DMP 40s for $123 each with free shipping. They are positioned to drive flow on each side of the structure which is working nicely. I have them at 35% output so not to blast the new inhabitants with a fire hose.

I’m thinking a Tomini Tang, a Blue Throat Trigger, and a pair of something else will round out the fish I want to have. Not sure what pair of what I might add. My wife suggested another pair of Clowns, but I’m looking for something with a bit more flair.

 

[JoJosReef]

First fish are in! I moved my pair of Storm Clowns, Royal Gramma, and Banggai Cardinal. I had two Cardinals in the tank, but after 3 days one was bullying the other non stop. Separating them to avoid death was necessary, so the bully now lives in my frag tank.

I ramped up lighting to 10% on blue channels and 5% on white. Red and green will remain off for now. Looking to get some algae growth started and then will introduce a CUC. I found a deal on Aliexpress and grabbed two DMP 40s for $123 each with free shipping. They are positioned to drive flow on each side of the structure which is working nicely. I have them at 35% output so not to blast the new inhabitants with a fire hose.

I’m thinking a Tomini Tang, a Blue Throat Trigger, and a pair of something else will round out the fish I want to have. Not sure what pair of what I might add. My wife suggested another pair of Clowns, but I’m looking for something with a bit more flair.

Looking sleek!!

 

[TheWB]

First fish are in! I moved my pair of Storm Clowns, Royal Gramma, and Banggai Cardinal. I had two Cardinals in the tank, but after 3 days one was bullying the other non stop. Separating them to avoid death was necessary, so the bully now lives in my frag tank.

I ramped up lighting to 10% on blue channels and 5% on white. Red and green will remain off for now. Looking to get some algae growth started and then will introduce a CUC. I found a deal on Aliexpress and grabbed two DMP 40s for $123 each with free shipping. They are positioned to drive flow on each side of the structure which is working nicely. I have them at 35% output so not to blast the new inhabitants with a fire hose.

I’m thinking a Tomini Tang, a Blue Throat Trigger, and a pair of something else will round out the fish I want to have. Not sure what pair of what I might add. My wife suggested another pair of Clowns, but I’m looking for something with a bit more flair.

Tank is looking great. I just received a DMP-45 that I have not had time to set up yet. How did you find the set up to be, hopefully fairly easy?

 

[JoJosReef]

I'm dosing 95mL/day in an 83gal w sump. Just get it up to where you want it and figure out how much to keep it stable. If your alk is dropping 0.5dKh/wk (your corals are growing--congrats!), figure out how much to increasing your dosing each week. Don't expect it to stay the same forever, or even for very long unless your aim is zero growth. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[SliceGolfer]

Tank is looking great. I just received a DMP-45 that I have not had time to set up yet. How did you find the set up to be, hopefully fairly easy?

I use the controller for programming. No need for Bluetooth or WiFi to complicate things. Very easy to setup and dial in. Place the wet and dry side, connect it up, power it on. Change to constant mode (M3 I think?) and set it to 100% output. Adjust the dry side until the wet side is quiet, then select your preferred mode and output level. Easy peasy!

 

[TheWB]

I use the controller for programming. No need for Bluetooth or WiFi to complicate things. Very easy to setup and dial in. Place the wet and dry side, connect it up, power it on. Change to constant mode (M3 I think?) and set it to 100% output. Adjust the dry side until the wet side is quiet, then select your preferred mode and output level. Easy peasy!

I like it when it’s easy peasy.
Thanks for the tips, I’m going to try it just like that.

 

[SliceGolfer]

So I did a thing today! Visited my two LFSs (2 hours away) and was very happy to come home with these guys. Both are getting along with the rest of the crew and are staying out more. I’ll take some additional photos once they settle in a bit.