Hey y’all!! This has been a long time coming... soooo let’s get wet lol!
I'm beyond excited about this reef! This is pretty much my dream tank. My last tank was broken down 7 years ago, but it was a FOWLER and not nearly as big as I had dreamed. Part of the reason it was never as big was due to my previous living space being too small and on the second floor so it just wasn't made for anything like what I’m planning now.
I’m still in the planning phase for a lot of this, so for now, I'll share with you what is already done and tell you what the plans for this tank will be.
Display Tank: 265g 84" length x 24” width x 30" height built by my boss from my very first job Shoutout to Fish Collection (I used to work for a LFS in highschool and he since has sold the storefront and now exclusively does custom builds and tank maintenance)
Stocking (Fish):
I'm still debating a final stocking list, and I've got a few crazy ideas that will almost certainly not be happening. Here's a few of my current thoughts:
This will be a SPS dominant reef with maybeeee a few LPS or maybe even softies (granted they’ll be far down the tank and shielded by the rockwork from too much flow).
Stocking (Other Inverts): a couple skunk cleaner shrimp, your run of the mill CUC (TBS seems to have a decent package of varied species), maaaybeeee a gorgonian or 2 like a yellow finger gorgonian (Diodogorgia nodulifera)
So... these are my current plans... What do you guys think?
Btw I’ll be receiving the tank and stand this coming Tuesday February 27th.
I'm beyond excited about this reef! This is pretty much my dream tank. My last tank was broken down 7 years ago, but it was a FOWLER and not nearly as big as I had dreamed. Part of the reason it was never as big was due to my previous living space being too small and on the second floor so it just wasn't made for anything like what I’m planning now.
I’m still in the planning phase for a lot of this, so for now, I'll share with you what is already done and tell you what the plans for this tank will be.
Display Tank: 265g 84" length x 24” width x 30" height built by my boss from my very first job Shoutout to Fish Collection (I used to work for a LFS in highschool and he since has sold the storefront and now exclusively does custom builds and tank maintenance)
- Stand: Metal frame with shiny white acrylic (think waterbox)
- Rock: CaribSea LifeRock
- Sand: TBS ( I’ll probably only put some in the refugium part of the sump since I really like the look of barebottom SPS dominant tanks, but I’ve not 100% decided on what to do)
- Sump: Custom sump made from a standard 75 gal tank by my old boss. Shoutout to Fish Collection again lol!
- Protein Skimmer: ReefOctopus 250SSS
- Additional Mechanical Filtration: ReefMat 1200 by Red Sea.
- Return Pump: 2 L2 Vectras, one feeding a direct return and another feeding UV sterilizer and 3 manifolds for reactors.
- Chemical Filtration: GFO / GAC / as needed. Also I’ll be running ozone with the Poseidon 200 by Ozotech and the Milwaukee Instruments ORP controller.
- Refugium: The middle section of the sump will have a ball of chaeto and a Kessil A360X fuge light
- Water Circulation: 2 of the Gyre XF350 pumps from Maxspect and 2 Nero 7 by AI
- Lighting: 5 Reefi Uno Pro 2.0 with the arm mount
- Calcium/Alkalinity/Magnesium: I plan on adding a kalkwasser reactor along with dosing 2-part once I have nice sps colonies established.
- ATO: RO/DI will be directly dripped into the sump by a floating valve.
- Heating: 2 Helios 500w titanium heaters with the inkbird controller
- System Control: Still debating whether the Neptune Apex system is for me, I love the potential but I’m afraid I will waste its features by not properly using/programming it. (I’ve seen a bajillion vids on youtube and I’m still so confused about it all :’c )
- Testing and Monitoring: Good old Salifert testing kits, maybe I’ll splurge on some Hannah Checkers (Highly open to suggestions)
Stocking (Fish):
I'm still debating a final stocking list, and I've got a few crazy ideas that will almost certainly not be happening. Here's a few of my current thoughts:
- Clownfish pair (I used to have a mated Gold stripe maroon clownfish pair so I definitely think I want them again)
- Maybe 2 or 3 tangs like a gem or black, along with a bristletooth and/or a Desjardini tang
- Wrasses (I want plenty of wrasses… fairy wrasses, flasher wrasses all kinds of wrasses lol! I used to be part of the tang gang but now I think I want something… flashier lol)
- Mandarin dragonet (maybe a pair)
- Lawnmower blennie
- A Koran angelfish (yes yes I know not exactly coral safe but my thought is to get a juvenile once I have plenty of strong established sps colonies so even if it nips them they’ll still be fine)
- Pinktail Triggerfish ( Again maybe not thoroughly reef safe but I feel like there’ll be plenty of snails and hermit crabs to supplement his diet of frozen and pellet foods)
- Anthias, maybe sunburst, pink square and lyretail?
- any other suggestions for reef safe fish with weird personalities or striking coloration?
This will be a SPS dominant reef with maybeeee a few LPS or maybe even softies (granted they’ll be far down the tank and shielded by the rockwork from too much flow).
Stocking (Other Inverts): a couple skunk cleaner shrimp, your run of the mill CUC (TBS seems to have a decent package of varied species), maaaybeeee a gorgonian or 2 like a yellow finger gorgonian (Diodogorgia nodulifera)
So... these are my current plans... What do you guys think?
Btw I’ll be receiving the tank and stand this coming Tuesday February 27th.
