- Joined
- May 19, 2016
- Messages
- 2,434
- Reaction score
- 2,543
Tank Stats:
Tank: Deep Blue Edge Series Reef Ready Rimless 80g 48" long x 24" wide x 16" tall
Stand: DIY (not myself but hired someone local), 36" tall
Lighting: Kessil ap700 with major optical diffusers, on mounting arms, 18" off the water line
Sump: 40breeder with DIY (leaking...) baffles, middle section is full of liverock and lit by a Kessil a80
Return Pump: Sicce 5.0 turned down to the lowest setting using the adjustment knob, with a 3/4" VCR Random Flow Generator
Rock: ~20lbs of dry tonga branch, 30lbs of TBS live rock (mostly in sump), and a West Mariculture bonsai reef structure
Sand: None currently
Flow: Tunze Comline Wavebox 6208 (and a RFG from my return)
Skimmer: Reef Octopus 152-s
Heater: Cobalt Neotherm 200w
Plumbing: Didn't use the plumbing kit and instead modified the corner overflow into a herbie style drain and ran the return line over the top of the tank
Lid: ClearView Tsunami lid
Background:
In July/August I had to move and shut down my barely 5 month old, brand new, custom-drilled, 120g.
I sold the tank and all of my corals and packed up most of my equipment down to Tampa, and now I have a new tank. I loved the 120 but working in it was a pain sometimes because it's so deep, and I live in a 2nd story apartment so I don't think getting a tank that large would be a smart idea. I wanted a tank that would have enough room for some nice wrasses (my favorites), and that was shallow enough that I could reach the bottom. But not too shallow because those tanks don't really make great displays and this is in my living room. So I narrowed it down to a 75g or 80g, and decided on the 80g for a bigger footprint.
Setup:
I originally had a spot planned out for it and taped off but after getting the tank and stand, it just wasn't level at all and I had to shim it over 1/2" and even then it wasn't quite enough. It made me a little bit nervous, so I changed the location.
While I was searching for a stand, I made the sump. I chose to DIY it because I was already overbudget and didn't want to spend another 300+ on a sump that didn't need to do anything special. I'm going to a very simple setup here. Skimmer, biofiltration, and that's it. No filter socks, although I left room to include them in the future if needed. I wanted a quiet setup so I aimed for about 500gph going through the sump. I also knew I wanted minimal rock in the display, so I left most of the sump available for supplemental rock and biofiltration. I'm using the same skimmer and return pump that I was previously using on my 120.
I got the glass cut locally (googled glass cutters and called a few, picked the cheapest option, $35 for the 2 pieces if I remember correctly) and the 40b from petsmart. Got silicone, tape, and used some zip ties for spacers. I found this site invaluable in setting everything up and feeling prepared for this: http://gmacreef.com/
I'm not very DIY savvy but I really wanted to try it. And after all said and done, even though it didn't turn out perfectly I'm still glad I did it.
Aquascaping:
After making the sump, I was still impatiently searching for sand. I found a good deal on tonga branch rock locally so I went and picked it up - about 30lbs.
I quickly taped off a section of my porch and started testing out different scapes. I wasn't really planning on going with branch rock when I imagined this tank, but after working with it a little bit I thought it was pretty versatile and I liked how it looked.
The rock spent a LOT of time on my porch, and I had a lot of free time during this period as well so pretty much every day I would go out and change something. I was still looking for a stand.
Here's some of the different aquascapes I tried.
I knew I wanted a lot of negative space, and places for lots of chalices and torch corals. I also really like arches and overhangs.
Then, I got a pair of West Mariculture Bonsai Reef structures. I had been eyeing these for a while and they had a sale so I figured it was time!
So obviously I had to redo the branch rock again...
Still waiting on the stand.
Tried different combinations of mixing and matching the branch and WM structure to make it look less silly.
Peanut sometimes kept me company on the porch while I was working on the aquascape (don't worry it's all screened in)
Eventually my tank arrived and I could start planning things in the tank.
Tank: Deep Blue Edge Series Reef Ready Rimless 80g 48" long x 24" wide x 16" tall
Stand: DIY (not myself but hired someone local), 36" tall
Lighting: Kessil ap700 with major optical diffusers, on mounting arms, 18" off the water line
Sump: 40breeder with DIY (leaking...) baffles, middle section is full of liverock and lit by a Kessil a80
Return Pump: Sicce 5.0 turned down to the lowest setting using the adjustment knob, with a 3/4" VCR Random Flow Generator
Rock: ~20lbs of dry tonga branch, 30lbs of TBS live rock (mostly in sump), and a West Mariculture bonsai reef structure
Sand: None currently
Flow: Tunze Comline Wavebox 6208 (and a RFG from my return)
Skimmer: Reef Octopus 152-s
Heater: Cobalt Neotherm 200w
Plumbing: Didn't use the plumbing kit and instead modified the corner overflow into a herbie style drain and ran the return line over the top of the tank
Lid: ClearView Tsunami lid
Background:
In July/August I had to move and shut down my barely 5 month old, brand new, custom-drilled, 120g.
I sold the tank and all of my corals and packed up most of my equipment down to Tampa, and now I have a new tank. I loved the 120 but working in it was a pain sometimes because it's so deep, and I live in a 2nd story apartment so I don't think getting a tank that large would be a smart idea. I wanted a tank that would have enough room for some nice wrasses (my favorites), and that was shallow enough that I could reach the bottom. But not too shallow because those tanks don't really make great displays and this is in my living room. So I narrowed it down to a 75g or 80g, and decided on the 80g for a bigger footprint.Setup:
I originally had a spot planned out for it and taped off but after getting the tank and stand, it just wasn't level at all and I had to shim it over 1/2" and even then it wasn't quite enough. It made me a little bit nervous, so I changed the location.
While I was searching for a stand, I made the sump. I chose to DIY it because I was already overbudget and didn't want to spend another 300+ on a sump that didn't need to do anything special. I'm going to a very simple setup here. Skimmer, biofiltration, and that's it. No filter socks, although I left room to include them in the future if needed. I wanted a quiet setup so I aimed for about 500gph going through the sump. I also knew I wanted minimal rock in the display, so I left most of the sump available for supplemental rock and biofiltration. I'm using the same skimmer and return pump that I was previously using on my 120.
I got the glass cut locally (googled glass cutters and called a few, picked the cheapest option, $35 for the 2 pieces if I remember correctly) and the 40b from petsmart. Got silicone, tape, and used some zip ties for spacers. I found this site invaluable in setting everything up and feeling prepared for this: http://gmacreef.com/
I'm not very DIY savvy but I really wanted to try it. And after all said and done, even though it didn't turn out perfectly I'm still glad I did it.
Aquascaping:
After making the sump, I was still impatiently searching for sand. I found a good deal on tonga branch rock locally so I went and picked it up - about 30lbs.
I quickly taped off a section of my porch and started testing out different scapes. I wasn't really planning on going with branch rock when I imagined this tank, but after working with it a little bit I thought it was pretty versatile and I liked how it looked.
The rock spent a LOT of time on my porch, and I had a lot of free time during this period as well so pretty much every day I would go out and change something. I was still looking for a stand.
Here's some of the different aquascapes I tried.
I knew I wanted a lot of negative space, and places for lots of chalices and torch corals. I also really like arches and overhangs.
Then, I got a pair of West Mariculture Bonsai Reef structures. I had been eyeing these for a while and they had a sale so I figured it was time!
So obviously I had to redo the branch rock again...
Still waiting on the stand.
Tried different combinations of mixing and matching the branch and WM structure to make it look less silly.
Peanut sometimes kept me company on the porch while I was working on the aquascape (don't worry it's all screened in)
Eventually my tank arrived and I could start planning things in the tank.
