Hey everyone,
This is my first build thread and hope it's going to be a fun one!
I have been in freshwater aquascaping for quite some years before, but went all-in on reefing for over a year now and I'm quite passionate about it. Currently I own a Reefer 170 including a sump and Apex controller.
However, aesthetics plays a big roll in pretty much everything I do. Personally, I'm not that fond of black silicon edges, black overflows or visible plumbing. On the other hand, I absolutely love long lagoon tanks, clear glass and minimalist approaches. I also like it to be relatively easy movable since there are plans of moving somewhere down the line. So basically, this build is going to focus on a clean looking small reef tank avoiding visual distractions as much as possible. I also like to follow the philosophy of keeping things technically simple this time, but still keeping some redundancy in mind.
The tank will feature a spectrum of LPS and in the long run hopefully some SPS as well on three little islands. I won't be doing much softies.
Considering the sump, I've been putting a lot of thoughts on this for a long time, even before I had the Reefer 170. I do see the advantages (and disadvantages) of having a sump, had one for over a year now. However, I also believe that with a tight maintenance routine I could make a canister filter work as well, so I can make use of glass lily pipes with skimmer for a cleaner appearance. For this I'm using a Oase Biomaster filter that has a pre-filter (which I tend to clean 1-2 times a week) and a build-in heater. I had this filter before and it worked pretty well. I kind of see this like a glorified HOB filter, just with more options and out of sight. For example, there are some interesting devices to hook up on a canister filter, like an algae reactor or UV filter.
To start of my build, here is the most important component. I choose the UNS 90L which holds about 21 gallon. Always loved this ratio from UNS and finally got one.
This is the current plan of DIY cabinet inspired by ADA cabinets. I've build stands before and so far had great succes with 18mm plywood.
Some of the equipment I already have, some I still need to buy, some I will buy when needed (like the algae reactor).
List of planned Equipment
Lights: AI Blade 30 inch coral grow. Will test the PAR to see if one is enough. It's a shallow and slim tank so who knows.
Flow: AI Nero 5, already have this one.
Filter: Oase Biomaster Thermo 250 with build-in heater. I might add a Reef Factory temp control for redundancy later.
Algae Reactor: Tunze 3181. Will buy this only when needed.
Doser: Reef Factory dosing pump x4, already have this one.
ATO: Currently planning to do this through the dosing pump on a minimal amount and topping off the last part manually. If this doesn't work in the long run I will look for the smallest out of sight-ish ATO I can find.
UV filter: Aqua Medic Helix Max 2.0 11W, already have this one and will only hook this up when needed. It's nice to already have it installed just in case.
I might add more things from Reef Factory later if needed. Particularly interested in some power switchers or maybe a KH keeper plus or the new smart tester in the long run. Too bad they didn't make a KH, NO3, PO4 one yet, where I would mainly be interested in. But we'll see, just want to start with the basics first and go from there.
Not sure when the next update will be with having two small daughters running around, but the next post will probably be about the AI blade or some progress on the cabinet.
Hope you'll follow along the ride with me!
This is my first build thread and hope it's going to be a fun one!
I have been in freshwater aquascaping for quite some years before, but went all-in on reefing for over a year now and I'm quite passionate about it. Currently I own a Reefer 170 including a sump and Apex controller.
However, aesthetics plays a big roll in pretty much everything I do. Personally, I'm not that fond of black silicon edges, black overflows or visible plumbing. On the other hand, I absolutely love long lagoon tanks, clear glass and minimalist approaches. I also like it to be relatively easy movable since there are plans of moving somewhere down the line. So basically, this build is going to focus on a clean looking small reef tank avoiding visual distractions as much as possible. I also like to follow the philosophy of keeping things technically simple this time, but still keeping some redundancy in mind.
The tank will feature a spectrum of LPS and in the long run hopefully some SPS as well on three little islands. I won't be doing much softies.
Considering the sump, I've been putting a lot of thoughts on this for a long time, even before I had the Reefer 170. I do see the advantages (and disadvantages) of having a sump, had one for over a year now. However, I also believe that with a tight maintenance routine I could make a canister filter work as well, so I can make use of glass lily pipes with skimmer for a cleaner appearance. For this I'm using a Oase Biomaster filter that has a pre-filter (which I tend to clean 1-2 times a week) and a build-in heater. I had this filter before and it worked pretty well. I kind of see this like a glorified HOB filter, just with more options and out of sight. For example, there are some interesting devices to hook up on a canister filter, like an algae reactor or UV filter.
To start of my build, here is the most important component. I choose the UNS 90L which holds about 21 gallon. Always loved this ratio from UNS and finally got one.
This is the current plan of DIY cabinet inspired by ADA cabinets. I've build stands before and so far had great succes with 18mm plywood.
Some of the equipment I already have, some I still need to buy, some I will buy when needed (like the algae reactor).
List of planned Equipment
Lights: AI Blade 30 inch coral grow. Will test the PAR to see if one is enough. It's a shallow and slim tank so who knows.
Flow: AI Nero 5, already have this one.
Filter: Oase Biomaster Thermo 250 with build-in heater. I might add a Reef Factory temp control for redundancy later.
Algae Reactor: Tunze 3181. Will buy this only when needed.
Doser: Reef Factory dosing pump x4, already have this one.
ATO: Currently planning to do this through the dosing pump on a minimal amount and topping off the last part manually. If this doesn't work in the long run I will look for the smallest out of sight-ish ATO I can find.
UV filter: Aqua Medic Helix Max 2.0 11W, already have this one and will only hook this up when needed. It's nice to already have it installed just in case.
I might add more things from Reef Factory later if needed. Particularly interested in some power switchers or maybe a KH keeper plus or the new smart tester in the long run. Too bad they didn't make a KH, NO3, PO4 one yet, where I would mainly be interested in. But we'll see, just want to start with the basics first and go from there.
Not sure when the next update will be with having two small daughters running around, but the next post will probably be about the AI blade or some progress on the cabinet.
Hope you'll follow along the ride with me!
