The House of Orange

[Fish Styx]

Let's talk flow! Again, this system was built to house, primarily, SPS. So, enough flow is critical. The heavy lifting is handled by dual ecotech MP60's, mounted on either side of the tank. To get behind the rockwork and avoid deadspots on either side of the overflow, I mounted dual Icecap Gyre 4K's. I installed them verticaly to give laminar flow around the back of the tank that would push into the draw path of the MP60's. To achieve this, I mounted the magnets inside the overflow. They are sealed and have not caused me or the tank any issues. An Ecotech MP10 provides flow to the display fuge, and an Innovative Marine wavelink powerhead provides movement and agitation in the return chamber of the sump.

 

[Fish Styx]

I'm gonna take a break from this thread for the night. I'll be back tomorrow to talk aquascaping. Peace for now.

Namaste

 

[907_Reefer]

...I'll be back tomorrow to talk aquascaping...

It's almost tomorrow here...... ahem.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

To the left of the DT is the controller cabinet. For this, I used some pieces from Ikea and naturally painted and modified them. Clearly. I mean, are you even paying attention here? tsk. tsk. tsk. Anyways, I installed a recessed panel with some passthrough bushings. Electronic components get mounted to the front while APEX EB8's, backup batteries, and wires go behind, out of sight. Here are some pics of the process and the finished product:

Controller cabinet looks really good!!! love the color of it too

 

[Fish Styx]

Good morning and Happy Friday, fellow reefers! Before I get to the aquascape, I wanted to interject a little more DIY here. Admittedly, my budget for this build was substantial. I saved for years in order to do it, and I recognize that I am extremely fortunate to have been able to do so. That is not something that is lost on me, especially after having to struggle for so long. That being said, and largely a result of my last point, I cannot justify lighting money on fire. I know, I know... I'm in the wrong hobby then. Anyways, when planning this build and my equipment list(s) I was perusing over the myraid of dosing container offerings and couldn't help but feel like it was simply shameless robbery. I know, I know... again, that can be said about much of the overinflated prices for equipment in this hobby, especially now with the consolidation of many of the key players. But I digress- that, however, is a conversation best left to it's own on another thread.

So, yeah. Dosing containers. Outrageously priced, amirite?! An average of about $40, with some being priced higher and some lower. Yeah, no. I was going to make my own, and did so for a price of about $4.00 each. A fair price for a big step above the old plastic soda bottles I used in the past. Not only do they meet my needs, but I think they look pretty snazzy, too! Plus, they are glass and not acrylic, which given the application, I feel is superior. Just my take, anyways. Take a look:

 

[Fish Styx]

Controller cabinet looks really good!!! love the color of it too

Thanks! I am actually getting ready to build another one to replace it, as I have outgrown it. Not only that, since it was built into some cheap Ikea particle board, I ran into some issues with the hinges on the inset panel. I'll be adding that DIY to this thread, so stay tuned!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Thanks! I am actually getting ready to build another one to replace it, as I have outgrown it. Not only that, since it was built into some cheap Ikea particle board, I ran into some issues with the hinges on the inset panel. I'll be adding that DIY to this thread, so stay tuned!

Best of luck with the new cabinet then!!!

 

[revhtree]

Stellar build so far!! WOW!

 

[Fish Styx]

Stellar build so far!! WOW!

Thank you!!!

 

[Fish Styx]

Now that everything was more or less coming together, it was time to do the aquascape. I went back and forth over this in my head for quite some time. Do I start with all dry rock (i.e Marco Rocks), or do I, as I've done in the past, go all live rock? Do I meet in the middle somewhere? Two years ago, when I was setting up this system, the availability of quality live rock was scarce, at best. Gone were the days of high quality Fiji and Marshall island rock. The availability of Jakarta and Bali rock had dried up due to restrictions and supply chain issues thanks to COVID, and Aussie rock was not yet an option. I had heard about Gulf rock and read some reviews, but wasn't completely sold on it (yet). So, I decided to start with all dry rock and seed it with life from various sources such as GARF, IPSF, etc. I ordered a mix of shelf, regular reef saver, and flat bottom base rock from Marco rocks and also got some mortar, epoxy, CA glue, clear acrylic dowels, and a few other supplies. Here's the layout before I did the scape:

 

[Fish Styx]

Now, I know that there are hardliners in the BB camp, especially with regard to SPS systems. Admittedly, the benefits of running BB are clear and plentiful. I am not, however, a fan of the look. I love the allure of a sandy substrate in my little slice of the ocean. I also planned on stocking this system with critters that need a sand bed to not only thrive, but to survive. Wrasses for example, and while a Tupperware container filled with sand will work short term in QT, the thought of that long-term doesn't sit well with me. I also want a pair of engineer gobies in this system. Those fish, along with other critters such as sand sifting stars, conchs, cucumbers, Nassarius snails, etc. all add interesting biodiversity to a system, but also help to turn the sandbed and keep it clean. Naturally, there would be more maintenance work involved on my part, but I figure that's the cost of doing business. So, that was my thought process behind the substrate. For it, I decided on Aragalive Reef Flake by Tropic Eden and I believe I went with 160 lbs. of it. Anyways, here's what I came up with for the aquascape. The entire structure is built on top of flat bottom foundation rock to allow for the burrowing of critters without fear of collapse.

 

[nuxx]

Almost time to get wet

 

[Fish Styx]

Almost time to get wet

That was January of 2021 and it was an amazing feeling!

 

[907_Reefer]

I love the scape!

 

[Fish Styx]

I love the scape!

Thanks! I appreciate that. When I first built it, I was really proud of it. That being said, I completely changed everything, but will get to that as I progress through the thread.

 

[Fish Styx]

The Dainty Dictator hath been appeased with an offering of tacos, so I figured I'd see if I can squeeze in another post or three in an attempt to get this caught up to present day. So, let's see....

Okay, now this beast was going to have to be filled. So let's talk RO/DI! I ordered two 55 gallon containers from someplace. I think it was Tractor Supply, but can't remember offhand. Either way, they arrived and it was time to assemble my mixing station. Until I was able to build a fish room (coming later this year), it would have to go in my laundry room in the basement. I drew up some crude "Schematics", again in Powerpoint, and got to work on building the stand that it would sit on. When building the stand, I wanted to make sure that it 1) was sturdy enough to support the weight of both tanks being full; and B) Yes, I know this should be "2", but I wanted to see if you were paying attention; RUDE. So, like I was saying, B) I wanted to leave room underneath to store salt and bins for filter cartridges, membranes, resin, etc. I also wanted a solid surface to mount everything to, so I measured and prepped some scrap plywood that would be affixed to the exposed studs in the laundry room. Here's what I came up with:

 

[Fish Styx]

Here is what can only loosely be referred to as a "Schematic" of my proposed design for the mixing station. This design, I felt, would allow me to store 55 gallons each of fresh and premixed SW, while allowing me to pull buckets from "faucets" at the bottom of each. With the turn of a couple of valves, I could pump fresh water into the salt tank, flip a few valves again and then mix. I also added another draw point that attaches to some braided hose, for filling containers with smaller mouths such as a large jug.

 

[Fish Styx]

Some pics of the finished product. I decided on the Panworld 100PX for my mixing pump. Having used them in the past, I feel that they are reliable workhorses for the price point. My sticker collection has grown considerably since then. We've already discussed previously that I'm a flair wh@#re...

 

[afrokobe]

I am amazed at the attention to detail at all the parts and the color coordination! Orange is not my jam, but if BRS doesn't sponsor this build, I am shopping exclusively at saltwateraquariums.

 

[Fish Styx]

I am amazed at the attention to detail at all the parts and the color coordination! Orange is not my jam, but if BRS doesn't sponsor this build, I am shopping exclusively at saltwateraquariums.

hahahaha. I'll take what I can get. In all seriousness though, it had nothing to do with BRS or Neptune (though I suppose they are one in the same now). Orange is my favorite color, and my whole home is orange and blue. Tastefully done, I promise. I'll post some pics in a few minutes as a reply to prove it.