- Joined
- Dec 28, 2017
- Messages
- 219
- Reaction score
- 160
Hi all here's my little journey in reefing. I'm located here in Houston Tx and with a lot of great local reef groups and stores. My main place to go is ocean life aquariums. Store owner Nick and all the employees are great people, very negligible, and super helpful. always has awesome coral and huge SPS display tank when you walk in (must check out in your in town) Fjw is also a nice store with a lot of goodies and everything apex you'll ever need. I started few years back with innovative marine 14 peninsula upgrade return pump, spin stream nozzle, aqua illumination prime HD. Great little tank but like you know out grew thank really quick. from there found a great ideal on a jbj 45 gallon. then started to upgrade that with hydra 26dh, upgraded return pump, who spin stream nozzles, hob skimmer, two little fish baskets. and that tank was nice for overboot two years till i wanted to go bigger that bought me to my current build. took little over a year to build and set up but its finally up.
here are some details on my build. I'm also on instagram were i try and post daily on the tank progress @Thebiglex
RedSea 450
Apex wifi
L2 return pump (original L1 got warranted)
2 Mp 40 QD
3 Hydra 26HD
Aquatic life t4 hybrid 48'
2 Rndom flow generator nozzles
Nyos 160 skimmer
avast marine neck cleaner
Nyos torque 2.0
Geo 510 and 410 for second chamber
Carbon doser
Kamore pump
Clarasea sk5000
This is when i picked up my red sea tank
getting it home and them placed in garage. reinspected everything and took out the stand
once stand and tank was built and set up next came setting up the equipment i didn't want the inside just white so thought some black carbon fiber vinyl wrap would look cool
heres the before and after
next up was sump i used the original on and just wrapped that in white and started making up my hard pluming
i was happy how it was coming out but wanted little twist on the pipes so tore it all apart painted them white and hydro dipped them in the sink since they weren't so big and clear coated them and they came out awesome
From there i was very happy on how it was coming apart and decided to take my ATO to make a refugium. and yea i ended up cracking the tank on the second hole. so couldn't find another original one so ended up getting 2.5 gallon tank and blacking it out to avoid light everywhere. Which worked out because I now had little more space and try and figure out were to put the geo Carx system
i was good with this set up then thought about the filter socks every week and decided no filter socks for me. and i didn't want to do filter pads with cups so ended up getting the SK5000 so everything cam back out i cut out sump area were cups were and modified the bracket
while equipment was still coming in i started work on the dry side i used the box the red sea tank came in to make a box to hold the equipment first cardboard box to get rough idea then from there cut and make it and then wrapped that also
once i was good with the way the cabinet came out next was to start mocking up were i wanted all of the controls. The front doors have magnets so just pull to take them on and off.
i then started on my canopy just to help with so much light but started thinking the issues with canopy is space when you work on tank from top so decided t step it up with canopy that lifts. i used the specs of the tank and some light lumber and made a canopy that will hold the aquatic life hybrid. i couldn't post video on here but check out my instagram to see the canopy go up and down
as far as the refugium area i made a lid to hold the amazon grow light and help with light spread theres also a pod hotel in there
my neck cleaner finally came in also
excuse all the wires and mess i was mocking everything up and how it would be ran. i also added a reactor for a co2 scrubber. I also added a Usterilizer behind the refugiume box and that’s also plumbed to the hard line.
Eveything put together on the lower have
two hydra 26HD. The third was still on my current tank (jbj45
Originally was going to use all my rock from my jbj but decided all new equipment might as well do a custome rock scape so Finally came some rocks used the shapes
While I had one side coming out how I liked ATI bulbs finally came in and popped them in. And wow had no idea how much light they give off.
Then final scape
All the rock came out and then into a 50 gallon tank to start the cycling. Geo also filled with warm there and plumped for leal test. had it like that for about a month
My Jbj 45 town down and all rock and coral in a 50 gallon black tub from home depot ready for the move
Everything transferred over old rock was in sump to help keep all the bacteria and next day cleared up really nice. everything took few days to settle in and then start to open back up.
here are some details on my build. I'm also on instagram were i try and post daily on the tank progress @Thebiglex
RedSea 450
Apex wifi
L2 return pump (original L1 got warranted)
2 Mp 40 QD
3 Hydra 26HD
Aquatic life t4 hybrid 48'
2 Rndom flow generator nozzles
Nyos 160 skimmer
avast marine neck cleaner
Nyos torque 2.0
Geo 510 and 410 for second chamber
Carbon doser
Kamore pump
Clarasea sk5000
This is when i picked up my red sea tank
getting it home and them placed in garage. reinspected everything and took out the stand
once stand and tank was built and set up next came setting up the equipment i didn't want the inside just white so thought some black carbon fiber vinyl wrap would look cool
heres the before and after
next up was sump i used the original on and just wrapped that in white and started making up my hard pluming
i was happy how it was coming out but wanted little twist on the pipes so tore it all apart painted them white and hydro dipped them in the sink since they weren't so big and clear coated them and they came out awesome
From there i was very happy on how it was coming apart and decided to take my ATO to make a refugium. and yea i ended up cracking the tank on the second hole. so couldn't find another original one so ended up getting 2.5 gallon tank and blacking it out to avoid light everywhere. Which worked out because I now had little more space and try and figure out were to put the geo Carx system
i was good with this set up then thought about the filter socks every week and decided no filter socks for me. and i didn't want to do filter pads with cups so ended up getting the SK5000 so everything cam back out i cut out sump area were cups were and modified the bracket
while equipment was still coming in i started work on the dry side i used the box the red sea tank came in to make a box to hold the equipment first cardboard box to get rough idea then from there cut and make it and then wrapped that also
once i was good with the way the cabinet came out next was to start mocking up were i wanted all of the controls. The front doors have magnets so just pull to take them on and off.
i then started on my canopy just to help with so much light but started thinking the issues with canopy is space when you work on tank from top so decided t step it up with canopy that lifts. i used the specs of the tank and some light lumber and made a canopy that will hold the aquatic life hybrid. i couldn't post video on here but check out my instagram to see the canopy go up and down
as far as the refugium area i made a lid to hold the amazon grow light and help with light spread theres also a pod hotel in there
my neck cleaner finally came in also
excuse all the wires and mess i was mocking everything up and how it would be ran. i also added a reactor for a co2 scrubber. I also added a Usterilizer behind the refugiume box and that’s also plumbed to the hard line.
Eveything put together on the lower have
two hydra 26HD. The third was still on my current tank (jbj45
Originally was going to use all my rock from my jbj but decided all new equipment might as well do a custome rock scape so Finally came some rocks used the shapes
While I had one side coming out how I liked ATI bulbs finally came in and popped them in. And wow had no idea how much light they give off.
All the rock came out and then into a 50 gallon tank to start the cycling. Geo also filled with warm there and plumped for leal test. had it like that for about a month
My Jbj 45 town down and all rock and coral in a 50 gallon black tub from home depot ready for the move
Everything transferred over old rock was in sump to help keep all the bacteria and next day cleared up really nice. everything took few days to settle in and then start to open back up.
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