Ozarksreef Rimless Mixed Reef Build Thread

[OzarksReef]

Hello R2R Community,

I've been a member on the site for a long time, spending hours on the site to learn more about this hobby we all love. Thought it was time for me to contribute as well, so I thought I'd start with a build thread on my new reef aquarium.

I set this system up in October, 2016. For the most part, everything in it is brand new - the only thing I brought over from my previous system is the live rock and skimmer. There's about 120 pounds of rock from the island of Vanuatu. There's about four large pieces of rock that make up the 'scape - along with another 4 or 5 small pieces to finish it off. I really love this rock and expect that if I have upgrade to a larger aquarium, the rock will make the move into it.

I've had a lot of aquariums over the past decade. Everything from nano systems to a 200-gallon from Deep Sea Aquatics. I really wanted this system to combine everything I liked from my previous setups and this time, I wanted to start with a pristine system - everything totally new. With that, my shopping spree began:

• Aquarium | Planet Aquariums | 130-gallon rimless with ghost overflow
• Stand | Coastal Aquarium Design | Crystaline design in Mocha finish
• Sump | Trigger Systems | Tideline 36-inch
• Skimmer | Reef Octopus | SRO XP-2000 Cone Skimmer
• Return Pump | Ecotech Marine | Vectra M1 DC Pump
• Flow | Ecotech Marine | 2x MP-40 Quiet Drive
• Lighting | MaxSpect | 3x Ethereal LEDs with ICV6 Controller
• Dosing | Neptune Systems | Dosing and Fluid Metering System (DOS)

Full-Tank Shot as of February, 2017

 

[OzarksReef]

Some photos from the day the equipment arrived - was like Christmas in October!

 

[OzarksReef]

I really love this sump - Trigger Systems does great work!

The ghost overflow box has some really nice features, but also some serious design flaws. It really caused some serious aggravation during the initial setup.

My problem stemmed from the bulkheads they include. They're full size and don't allow room for plumbing inside the box. I thought I could install the box and then cut the bulkheads using a cutting wire after completion. Unfortunately, the wire heated the plastic so much that it fused back together as quickly as I could cut it. I Ended up completely removing these bulkheads (BIG pain because the internal box is built around them) and replacing them with shorter ones for the plumbing. It all worked out, but was no fun during the build!

 

[OzarksReef]

A few more pics from the day the gear arrived...

My grandson wasn't really sure about it, but finally agree to pose for a shot inside the tank

I spent a couple of days modifying the overflow box and getting it ready for all of the plumbing. Once complete, I was ready to get started on plumbing!

 

[Marlon2024]

Very nice tank looking forward to seeing it wet

 

[OzarksReef]

Plumbing called for one drain at full siphon and the other two as backups. My goal was to get this thing as silent as possible, since the system is in our dining room. First, I stocked up on fittings...

Plumbing exiting the overflow box:

And a couple of shots of the overall project completed:

 

[OzarksReef]

Filled with fresh water for a leak test and it passed!

 

[OzarksReef]

With everything ready to go, I moved the tank to it's permanent location, routed all the wiring for gear, and installed the lighting system. I really like these Ethereal LED fixutures - more on them later in the thread. You'll notice that I've got four of the Neptune WAV pumps on the system. Once I had the system set up, I really missed using the Vortech MP40's that I'd used on countless aquariums in the past. May have just been a case of old habits, but I ended up selling the WAV's and replacing them with two MP-40 Quiet Drives.

 

[OzarksReef]

Water and sand going in...

And then the rock. This rock had several places where coral had encrusted from my previous system. I was hoping that the cycle would be minimal so that the coral would survive.

 

[OzarksReef]

Some more shots of the system in it's very early stages...

Left Side of the aquascape...

Right Side of the 'scape...

 

[OzarksReef]

Very nice tank looking forward to seeing it wet

Thanks Marlon2024 - sure appreciate the feedback. I'll keep this thread updated with tank progress. Up to this point, I'm about one week into the build with photos - much more to come! Hope you'll subscribe for updates.

I'm looking forward to feedback and suggestions R2R!

 

[Jimbo662]

I'm really liking the look of that tank! I've had a PA 75g previously and was going to put them on my list when I'm ready to go bigger again...after I move out of my current apartment. What are the dimensions?

I've got 3 WAVs that I used on my last big tank and was planning to keep them to use on the next one. I'd always used vortechs too...big fan of no wires in the tank. Any pro's / con's between the two on your tank?

 

[OzarksReef]

I'm really liking the look of that tank! I've had a PA 75g previously and was going to put them on my list when I'm ready to go bigger again...after I move out of my current apartment. What are the dimensions?

I've got 3 WAVs that I used on my last big tank and was planning to keep them to use on the next one. I'd always used vortechs too...big fan of no wires in the tank. Any pro's / con's between the two on your tank?

Thanks @Jimbo662 - this is in their Crystaline series. It's 60" x 24" x 21" and has Starphire glass on he front. I really like the extra space in the tank with the slim ghost overflow.

I really like the WAV pump features, but the ease of disassembling for maintenance and wider flow patterns of the Vortechs was something I really appreciate. The flow pattern of the WAVs just seemed to focused and I couldn't get them arranged in a way that provided the flow I wanted in the tank. Big fan of the integration into the Neptune ecosystem though!

 

[Jimbo662]

Thanks @Jimbo662 - this is in their Crystaline series. It's 60" x 24" x 21" and has Starphire glass on he front. I really like the extra space in the tank with the slim ghost overflow.

I really like the WAV pump features, but the ease of disassembling for maintenance and wider flow patterns of the Vortechs was something I really appreciate. The flow pattern of the WAVs just seemed to focused and I couldn't get them arranged in a way that provided the flow I wanted in the tank. Big fan of the integration into the Neptune ecosystem though!

Thanks...yeah one thing I really liked about my 75g was the external overflow that freed up all that extra space in the tank.

 

[Chrisfish]

Very nice, like your rock scape and the look of your tank

 

[OzarksReef]

Very nice, like your rock scape and the look of your tank

Thanks Chrisfish - I've always been a big fan of rimless aquariums and really like the low profile of this tank. It's fairly deep from front to back and the 21" height is about perfect.

The scape has lots of openings and swim-throughs. I really love this Vanuatu rock. It's fairly smooth surfaced, but has lots of interesting character. There's one piece in there that ways around 50 pounds - all pieces are pretty large. Makes aquascaping much easier!

 

[revhtree]

Great tank and nice set up!

 

[OzarksReef]

Even at three months since setup, there's still a long list of things to complete on the installation and equipment side. My DOS system is installed, but I'm still dosing by hand. The tank is using around 45 ml of Alkalinity and Calcium daily. When things are still in such a fluid state, I like to keep it simple. Once the coral is stocked up, I'll turn things over to the DOS.

As part of the upgrade, I installed the new Neptune Apex controller system. Really liking it so far...

Auto top off is managed using the Apex system, Neptune DC pump, and two float valves. An Eshopps 10-gallon ATO reservoir is stationed next to the sump.

The Ecotech Marine Vectra pump is nearly silent - can't hear it at all when the full system is running.

 

[shiftline]

Fancy setup!

 

[Nicolas_Brown]

Beautiful set up! Following along