My new to me 300 gallon marineland DD

[MorReefs]

So I collected my LFS’s 300g display tank for free when a corner seam blew. Over the course of a year I planned out how to tear it apart and reseal it. I had a 120 gallon that went through a crash due to some hard alk swings and the fish and a bubble coral moved into their new bigger home.

My plan is to make this a sps dominated mixed reef tank with the hope to one day start up a small coral farm off of the grow out. It is currently still going through the cycle process and my hopes is to get coral in the tank come February 2024.

 

[Peace River]

Congratulations on the new adventure! It looks like you are off to a good start!

 

[MorReefs]

Present day tank, as you can see we are still cycling through the uglies.

I have a picture of underneath in the sump as well. It has two 7” filter socks into a small chamber housing live rock and a healthy pod population. Then to skimmer and gfo/carbon reactor. Then return and my calRx reactor dose point. Lights are a t5 hybrid fixture with two Radion g6 xr15s and one AI hydra 32. Powerheads are two MP40s and one AI gyre. I use an apex controller as well with a trident.

 

[MorReefs]

My stock at the moment are as follows:
snowflake eel
blue tang
Yellow tang
Two chocolate clowns
Royal gramma
5 BG chromis
1 banggai Cardinalfish
Majestic angelfish
Pygmy angel
2 different species of sea cucumber
1 bubble coral
Handful of snails and hermits

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along! Looks like it is going to be one cool build!

 

[MorReefs]

Little update: cycle is near complete(just some minor algae on glass and rocks). I grabbed a few crash and burn coral from LFS (sick or ill kept coral) and added them in. We got a candy cane that promptly was knocked into the sand by a snail and died overnight, a sick orange monti cap that is coming back with healthy tissue, a duncan, a rasta zoa, and a forrest fire digi that might make it.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Little update: cycle is near complete(just some minor algae on glass and rocks). I grabbed a few crash and burn coral from LFS (sick or ill kept coral) and added them in. We got a candy cane that promptly was knocked into the sand by a snail and died overnight, a sick orange monti cap that is coming back with healthy tissue, a duncan, a rasta zoa, and a forrest fire digi that might make it.

Some nice looking fish!

 

[MorReefs]

Update time! The tank is nearly 7 months old now and there has been a few new additions as well as some trials and tribulations.

Let’s start with the bad and end with the good. Had a sudden brownout occur in the tank at the 5 month mark. Sent in a ICP test and found a extremely elevated phosphate reading. It turned out the gfo in my [B.]reactor had hardened at the bottom AND the intake was plugged with snail. Also we found out there was a elevated phosphate reading in my RO bucket. So with no to little phosphate export and a dose of phosphates each top off plus waste/food yea it got crazy. Soooo reactor cleaned and media swapped, we good (.03 -.04ppm). In the coming photos you will see the effects of the brownout, but you will also see where the corals are recovering nicely.

I added a [D.]biomedia reactor(carbon reactor) to help with nitrate and phosphate control down the road. [A.]ozone gen/skimmer have been added as well as a [C.]algae scrubber. Lights have been swapped from radion g6 x15s to 3x Orpheks iCons.

-Livestock-
Durasa clam -at petco and they didnt know what it was
Elegance coral
5x chalice varying species pack
Alvepora
Rainbow gonipora
Mystery scholy
Mystery acro
Fruity pebbles Acro
Avocado Torch
[Deceased from stress] dragon soul torch
[Deceased from stress] JF beachbum monti
Branching hammer - I got it sick from the LFS and it is still not fully extended but also not dead so idk

 

[MorReefs]

::Coral Photo Dump::

 

[MorReefs]

Excuse the dino outbreak, its from adding two pieces of dry rock

 

[MorReefs]

The 300 is a year old now and is doing good. I am starting to see a ramp up in coral growth and some pests are starting to become in check. Much fewer vermetid snails and fewer planaria since I introduced six line wrasse, bumblebee snails and 5 springeri damsels. However aptasia has started to increase in numbers so a copperband butterfly will be introduced next month. I am still collecting corals to fill out the tank as it grows in.

 

[MorReefs]

just some extra pictures of the tank