My wife and I have had reef tanks for a number of years, but they've all been nano tanks save for one. In the past, we had a 40br mixed reef, 30g frag tank, Fluval Edge 6g macroalgae reef, a 70g reef that met an untimely end (power company shut off the power prematurely prior to a move...), and our current tank, an IM 25 Lagoon.
The Lagoon has been fun, but it's been weird dealing with our first long term AIO, and I've just missed having a larger reef. I spotted this ad on a local reefer forum for a Cadlights 100g, stand, sump, and return pump for $200. Having literally nowhere to put this thing, no plan whatsoever, and getting the green light from Nicole, I pulled the trigger on this setup:
It took me, the seller, and two of his friends to lug this thing up two flights of stairs at his apartment complex to put the tank in my minivan. That's when I found out that the stand would have to be a separate trip, and it would totally be ok sitting outside right? Well kind of...it started raining when my wife and I unloaded the tank and sat it down in our family room, so I sped off to get the stand, and Nic cleaned up the glass while it sat on our rug.
I get back to the apartment complex to throw a very wet stand into the car, drying it off as best I can, get home, and unload it to an area Nic has cleared for the new tank. It's going to go in our dining nook with prime viewing from the family room, so we'll get to see it constantly. In that spot, it's sat for four months while we ordered incorrect plumbing from BRS, I've traveled for work, and we've been lazy about moving forward.
After a few weeks WFH, we desperately needed a home project, and threw ourselves headfirst into setting up the new tank, so that we can enjoy it and migrate over the livestock over from the lagoon. We figured out that the incorrect plumbing, if reworked a bit, would be able to be completed. When you turn an old bulkhead into a pvc couple using a hacksaw, dremel, and sandpaper, you know you're COVID-19 reefing.
From there we lined up the foam pad properly while lifting the tank straight up, and placed it gently back down into its final resting place. We started making RODI from our system by the bucket, and slowly began filling the tank, and added the eggcrate and dry rock we got with the tank.
Eventually we filled the tank with RODI, added black vinyl to the wall with the window, rinsed and added dry sand, and mixed in the salt with the help of a new Gyre 350.
Right now I'm waiting on a new propeller assembly, filter, and suction cup feet from Sicce for the Synca Silent 4.0 that came with the tank. We've also ordered a new pump from BRS if that doesn't work, so something will end up getting returned, and our tank will at least be turning over fully. I'm still looking for a few used Hydra 26HD's in white to match the existing unit over the Lagoon, so if anyone is holding, I'll gladly take them off your hands.
The Lagoon has been fun, but it's been weird dealing with our first long term AIO, and I've just missed having a larger reef. I spotted this ad on a local reefer forum for a Cadlights 100g, stand, sump, and return pump for $200. Having literally nowhere to put this thing, no plan whatsoever, and getting the green light from Nicole, I pulled the trigger on this setup:
It took me, the seller, and two of his friends to lug this thing up two flights of stairs at his apartment complex to put the tank in my minivan. That's when I found out that the stand would have to be a separate trip, and it would totally be ok sitting outside right? Well kind of...it started raining when my wife and I unloaded the tank and sat it down in our family room, so I sped off to get the stand, and Nic cleaned up the glass while it sat on our rug.
I get back to the apartment complex to throw a very wet stand into the car, drying it off as best I can, get home, and unload it to an area Nic has cleared for the new tank. It's going to go in our dining nook with prime viewing from the family room, so we'll get to see it constantly. In that spot, it's sat for four months while we ordered incorrect plumbing from BRS, I've traveled for work, and we've been lazy about moving forward.
After a few weeks WFH, we desperately needed a home project, and threw ourselves headfirst into setting up the new tank, so that we can enjoy it and migrate over the livestock over from the lagoon. We figured out that the incorrect plumbing, if reworked a bit, would be able to be completed. When you turn an old bulkhead into a pvc couple using a hacksaw, dremel, and sandpaper, you know you're COVID-19 reefing.
From there we lined up the foam pad properly while lifting the tank straight up, and placed it gently back down into its final resting place. We started making RODI from our system by the bucket, and slowly began filling the tank, and added the eggcrate and dry rock we got with the tank.
Eventually we filled the tank with RODI, added black vinyl to the wall with the window, rinsed and added dry sand, and mixed in the salt with the help of a new Gyre 350.
Right now I'm waiting on a new propeller assembly, filter, and suction cup feet from Sicce for the Synca Silent 4.0 that came with the tank. We've also ordered a new pump from BRS if that doesn't work, so something will end up getting returned, and our tank will at least be turning over fully. I'm still looking for a few used Hydra 26HD's in white to match the existing unit over the Lagoon, so if anyone is holding, I'll gladly take them off your hands.
