alexanders 112g DIY Build

Wow! It's been a vey busy summer.
I've been a member of 3reef for 3 months and am barely starting to put togeather my reef tank.

The reason it has taken so long is all the other projects I have been working on. First my house needed sidewalks. Then the heat of July in the california's central valley inspired me to build a cement pad for an above ground pool (circular cement pad pictured below). Then a Red Eared Slider turtle was found in my front yard so of course I had to provide him a pond (pictured below). So as you can see I've been pretty busy.

But I did make time for some fun stuff, I finished building the stand for my tank. It took a while but I think it turned out pretty nice and only cost me my labor.

Right now I have a 10g tank underneath that I'm going to use a a QT tank but since I havent found a nice 30-40 gallon tank yet to use as my sump I was wondering what you guys thought about using the 10g as a temporary sump to house my protein skimmer? Or do you think I should skip the sump and try to do everything in the main tank? As you can see I'm a DIY'er so I'll probably design my own overflows which is kinda scary because I don't want to flood my house!

Which leads me to my next question: Which protein skimmer do you guys think I should get? I'm new to this hobby but have done pretty much research but am still unsure. I think I'll probably go with the Octo NW100 or NW150. Or maybe the Turbo Floater 1000 multi. What do you guys recommend? I want to be around $200 and under but am willing to pay 250-300 if it is worth it. Basically I'm looking for best bang for my buck.

Im limited to 20 inches tall if the skimmer is going to go under the main tank and a mere 12 inches deep.

 

Octopus are nice, also check out vertex skimmers.. like the in-100 or the in 180...comes with bubble plate.. etc etc..

 

Awsome looking set up! Im a huge fan of the octo skimmers, i have an octo nw250 and love it!

 

What size tank do you use the NW250 on? I'm trying to figure out if I should use the NW100, or 150 or larger.
Thanks!

 

CLean looking tank..
Is it just me or are the words "turbo floater" halarious? I always chuckle when I see that.

 

Yeah now that you mention it that is pretty funny. I guess the turbo floater is out of the question. I think it is 21 inches tall and if I want it under the main tank that leaves me no room to empty the collection cup. Are there any external skimmers you guys can recommend?

 

Heres some more picks of the projects I've been working on, and the DIY live rock I've been cooking up. 4 parts oyster shell to 1 part portland cement. They are in the curing process and have a few weeks left. Once finished I'll seed them in the main tank.

In the mail I have my Ebo Jager 250 watt heater, my instant ocean hydrometer, my API salt water master test kit, and a maxi jet 1200 powerhead.

So far here are my equipment costs.
112g tank $150
Test kit $27
Maxi Jet Powerhead $26
Ebo Jager Heater $30
Hydrometer $12
Oyster shell 2x50lbs $16
Cement $4
pvc (various) $10
10g QT tank free
Stand free (about 20 hours labor)
RO/DI Filter $160
Total $445

Budgeted future equipment.
Used 30-40 gallon tank $30
Protein Skimmer $200
live rock $30
DIY overlow $30
Return pump $60
Lighting $300
Inhabitants $200
Overhead $150
Total $1000


Not bad $1,455 total for a 112g reef tank. Everyone was telling me I would spend $10,000 or more for a tank this size.

As you can see I studied accounting in college