ArizonaAquatics
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2019
- Messages
- 165
- Reaction score
- 220
I started keeping reef aquariums in 2013 when I met my girlfriend, whose father mentioned that he had previously kept reef aquariums. I had kept freshwater tanks in the past, and always wanted my own saltwater aquarium. Being that I thought it would be a good way to bond, I said "wanna get a tank?" Being the awesome soon-to-be father in law he is, he agreed to the idea. We started with a small Fluval Spec V reef on one of our desks which ran for a few months before he said, "that tank is too small, we need something bigger".
We went and bought a used 90 gallon from our LFS. We haphazardly assembled this aquarium and bought probably close to 100 pounds of live rock off Craigslist. That tank was a stable part of our living room for about 5 years.
Now the fun begins. In November 2017, I found a Craigslist ad for a 250 gallon (84×24×28) aquarium with a steel stand and misc. equipment. It was listed for around $600 or so. I was already looking to upgrade the 90 gallon, and why not go big right? Through some lengthy negotiation, we reached a price of $300. Yes, you read that right, $300 for a 250 GALLON GLASS TANK AND STEEL STAND. Of course, I snatched that up as quickly as I possibly could. It took a total of 10 people to move it from the seller's house to my girlfriend's house. We moved everything inside, shimmied it into place, and marveled at our accomplishment.
The tank ended up being in pretty bad shape. The silicone was peeling off, the glass has some scratches, and it was drilled straight through the bottom for "old school" plumbing. Being that it was such a large project to complete, it took over a year just to get the tank into the condition which I felt comfortable putting water into it. I stripped all the old silicone out and resealed it, tried (unsuccessfully) to buff the scratches, and sealed the holes that were drilled through the bottom.
Once the tank "restoration" was complete around September 2018, it was time to figure out plumbing/filtration. At that time, I was working at an LFS here in Arizona. Because of this, I was able to buy most (if not all) of my equipment at a discounted price (which really helped since I'm only 23). I went with a Simplicity 225SS sump, Reef Octopus Varios 8 return pump, Reef Octopus Classic 202S skimmer, and a Phosban 550 reactor (used to house bio media). Sticking with the red and black color tone of the ReefOcto equipment, I used black and red PVC pipes for the plumbing.
For the lights, I decided to go with the AI Hydra 26HDs. I wanted them mounted higher above my tank than their mounts allow for, so I mounted them to some cheap shelf hangers from Home Depot. I really like the programmability from the app without having to buy additional hardware. Plus, they are slightly cheaper than other programmable lights in the same category and offer very similar performance.
I'm running a jebao DP-4 doser that doses RedSea Alk, Ca, Mg, and Nopox. I honestly really like this doser for the price (got it for about $80 on amazon).
Finally, around Thanksgiving 2018, I got water into the tank and started transferring my livestock over from the 90 gallon. Luckily I got everything transferred in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
Since then, I have been mostly just adding more livestock and tweaking my dosing. I still need to finish the facade and canopy, which I really hope to finish this week. Joining this forum has sparked a fire under me to finally button this thing up.
After nearly 2 years of the most rewarding yet frustrating work I've ever done, I'm finally almost finished with this build. Just for kicks, I added a frag tank next to the sump as well because why not you know?[emoji23]
If you made it this far, I appreciate you reading my story! I hope to share as many of my experiences as possible. Consider checking out my Instagram (@ArizonaAquatics) for more pictures of my tank and livestock!
Happy Reefing[emoji225]
We went and bought a used 90 gallon from our LFS. We haphazardly assembled this aquarium and bought probably close to 100 pounds of live rock off Craigslist. That tank was a stable part of our living room for about 5 years.
Now the fun begins. In November 2017, I found a Craigslist ad for a 250 gallon (84×24×28) aquarium with a steel stand and misc. equipment. It was listed for around $600 or so. I was already looking to upgrade the 90 gallon, and why not go big right? Through some lengthy negotiation, we reached a price of $300. Yes, you read that right, $300 for a 250 GALLON GLASS TANK AND STEEL STAND. Of course, I snatched that up as quickly as I possibly could. It took a total of 10 people to move it from the seller's house to my girlfriend's house. We moved everything inside, shimmied it into place, and marveled at our accomplishment.
The tank ended up being in pretty bad shape. The silicone was peeling off, the glass has some scratches, and it was drilled straight through the bottom for "old school" plumbing. Being that it was such a large project to complete, it took over a year just to get the tank into the condition which I felt comfortable putting water into it. I stripped all the old silicone out and resealed it, tried (unsuccessfully) to buff the scratches, and sealed the holes that were drilled through the bottom.
Once the tank "restoration" was complete around September 2018, it was time to figure out plumbing/filtration. At that time, I was working at an LFS here in Arizona. Because of this, I was able to buy most (if not all) of my equipment at a discounted price (which really helped since I'm only 23). I went with a Simplicity 225SS sump, Reef Octopus Varios 8 return pump, Reef Octopus Classic 202S skimmer, and a Phosban 550 reactor (used to house bio media). Sticking with the red and black color tone of the ReefOcto equipment, I used black and red PVC pipes for the plumbing.
For the lights, I decided to go with the AI Hydra 26HDs. I wanted them mounted higher above my tank than their mounts allow for, so I mounted them to some cheap shelf hangers from Home Depot. I really like the programmability from the app without having to buy additional hardware. Plus, they are slightly cheaper than other programmable lights in the same category and offer very similar performance.
I'm running a jebao DP-4 doser that doses RedSea Alk, Ca, Mg, and Nopox. I honestly really like this doser for the price (got it for about $80 on amazon).
Finally, around Thanksgiving 2018, I got water into the tank and started transferring my livestock over from the 90 gallon. Luckily I got everything transferred in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
Since then, I have been mostly just adding more livestock and tweaking my dosing. I still need to finish the facade and canopy, which I really hope to finish this week. Joining this forum has sparked a fire under me to finally button this thing up.
After nearly 2 years of the most rewarding yet frustrating work I've ever done, I'm finally almost finished with this build. Just for kicks, I added a frag tank next to the sump as well because why not you know?[emoji23]
If you made it this far, I appreciate you reading my story! I hope to share as many of my experiences as possible. Consider checking out my Instagram (@ArizonaAquatics) for more pictures of my tank and livestock!
Happy Reefing[emoji225]
