mtbaldyrider
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2019
- Messages
- 7
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- 49
Hello reefers. I have been coming on here for information for a while now and the site has been extremely helpful so thanks.
I wanted to post a few pictures of my tank I built and some of the problems I had to deal with due to the oddness of my build.
I wanted to build a coffee table for my living room and I wanted it to be unique. I thought a fishtanks in the table would be a pretty interesting and a different idea than normal.
I saw a saltwater tank that my brother in law setup so I went at that without any research (very dumb of me). After one year of tanking and fidgeting and changing plumbing and different ideas, I have finally found a balance that works pretty efficiently.
Due to the nature of having a tank as a table, a sump is doable, but it seemed to me like way to much work to setup. In hindsight now, no it was not. The tank is 65 gallons. I went with a API xl canister filter. I changed up the types of media and filters in it quite a few times and what I eventually found is sufficient is a couple course pads, then bio pellets, the 2 packs of purigen, and lastly a medium floss pad. Occasionally I put in some carbon to help the smell. Maybe once a month. I clean the filter once a week and do a five gallon water change every 2 weeks. I have a Tunze 9004 comline skimmer that is in the display tank on the back wall. I know that may sound ugly, and to some it is, but none of the quests I have even notice it. They are to entertained by the corals and fish. I put a auto top off on a 4 gallon glass cube in the back as well as a Aqua Maxx xs media reactor that runs GFO. The pump is in the display and it returns right back into the display. I set that up because about 6 months in I had a bad outbreak of brown wafer algae. After about 2 months of the GFO running it was gone. There is also a Jebao dosing pump in the back that is running Ca Mg Alk from a small storage tank that holds the 3 solutions. Also in the display tank is a Jebao cp 40 power head.
I have a Purple Tang, 2 Clowns, Lawnmower Blenny, Mandarin Goby and of course the assorted cleanup crew and a Fire shrimp. Because its practically on the ground, when I go to clean it I can't hardly siphon out the sand. For a while that sucked with the detritus build up, but then I got the Fluval Aqua Pro Vac and it works perfect for me. I am able to keep my nitrates at about 10 ppm and my corals that I have recently begun to grow all seem very happy. The lights I am running now are Orphek 48' bar lights. Due to how close everything is to the water, I feel as though I am kind of limited on what I can grow. I don't have a PAR meter, but I imagine I'm pretty high in a lot of places. However the corals that I am currently growing are doing quite well. Especially the Hamer and Leather. The zoas don't seem to mind the lighting either.
Sorry if the Photos are kind of dim. I have a app on my phone, but it doesn't really do it justice.
Anyway, just wanted to post it and I'm open to suggestions. I know without a doubt, its not as well equipped as a sump, but at the moment, just past one year in and everything is pretty consistently stable.
Thanks
I wanted to post a few pictures of my tank I built and some of the problems I had to deal with due to the oddness of my build.
I wanted to build a coffee table for my living room and I wanted it to be unique. I thought a fishtanks in the table would be a pretty interesting and a different idea than normal.
I saw a saltwater tank that my brother in law setup so I went at that without any research (very dumb of me). After one year of tanking and fidgeting and changing plumbing and different ideas, I have finally found a balance that works pretty efficiently.
Due to the nature of having a tank as a table, a sump is doable, but it seemed to me like way to much work to setup. In hindsight now, no it was not. The tank is 65 gallons. I went with a API xl canister filter. I changed up the types of media and filters in it quite a few times and what I eventually found is sufficient is a couple course pads, then bio pellets, the 2 packs of purigen, and lastly a medium floss pad. Occasionally I put in some carbon to help the smell. Maybe once a month. I clean the filter once a week and do a five gallon water change every 2 weeks. I have a Tunze 9004 comline skimmer that is in the display tank on the back wall. I know that may sound ugly, and to some it is, but none of the quests I have even notice it. They are to entertained by the corals and fish. I put a auto top off on a 4 gallon glass cube in the back as well as a Aqua Maxx xs media reactor that runs GFO. The pump is in the display and it returns right back into the display. I set that up because about 6 months in I had a bad outbreak of brown wafer algae. After about 2 months of the GFO running it was gone. There is also a Jebao dosing pump in the back that is running Ca Mg Alk from a small storage tank that holds the 3 solutions. Also in the display tank is a Jebao cp 40 power head.
I have a Purple Tang, 2 Clowns, Lawnmower Blenny, Mandarin Goby and of course the assorted cleanup crew and a Fire shrimp. Because its practically on the ground, when I go to clean it I can't hardly siphon out the sand. For a while that sucked with the detritus build up, but then I got the Fluval Aqua Pro Vac and it works perfect for me. I am able to keep my nitrates at about 10 ppm and my corals that I have recently begun to grow all seem very happy. The lights I am running now are Orphek 48' bar lights. Due to how close everything is to the water, I feel as though I am kind of limited on what I can grow. I don't have a PAR meter, but I imagine I'm pretty high in a lot of places. However the corals that I am currently growing are doing quite well. Especially the Hamer and Leather. The zoas don't seem to mind the lighting either.
Sorry if the Photos are kind of dim. I have a app on my phone, but it doesn't really do it justice.
Anyway, just wanted to post it and I'm open to suggestions. I know without a doubt, its not as well equipped as a sump, but at the moment, just past one year in and everything is pretty consistently stable.
Thanks
