Bulldogniner's 215 gallon build

Well, most probably don't know(cause I normally read and don't post) but I was in the process of building a new office addition to my house which included an in-wall tank that separated the two rooms. After thinking it over we decided to postpone the office build....but I ordered the tank in anticipation because I needed it to frame the walls around. Now....what to do with it since it won't be in the wall? I guess I'll have to find a new spot ;D

The process has taken several months of gathering things and planning and about 2 weeks of actual build time so the photos are a little skewed in timeline but you can see how it came together.

Anyway check it out. I am pretty happy with it and it is only the beginning. I'll take some more pics and updates as they happen.


Here's the original stand. It is a support stand and pretty basic because it was originally meant to be dry walled over. The coolest part is I had it coated with PVC on the bottom to contain any kind of spillage.



I decided to keep the stand and finish it out. I added a thin sheet of oak and trimmed the edges.


Next step was to build a canopy. I'll take a picture of the piano hinge that was added so i can lift the front section of the canopy for easy access.
No doors in this one but you can see the entire setup. Also, the tank bottom is PVC too. The manufacturer offered that option and I decided to do it because I think it will be much easier to drill if i ever need to. Under the PVC is another solid 1" plywood for additional load support.


Here is another picture with it all together and doors added. I still might got back and add some oil rubbed bronze bar handles to the doors and canopy....haven't decided yet.


The tank with canopy sits a little over 6 ft tall. Hard to tell but it looks pretty good in this location and offers a street view too


I decided to do T5's. Aquatic Life 72" 12 bulb fixture. I am hoping it will run relatively cool and I provided ventilation through the top of the canopy. I want to do heavy SPS in this tank so I might add additonal LED if necessary later. I do like the single plug and programmable 3 zones(White, Blue, and Moonlight LEDs.) Oh hey, you can see the piano hinge on the canopy here. There are slits not shown in this pic that will allow the ventilation out.


Sump/Fuge Trigger Systems


Sand.....friggin awesome!!!!!! I love pictures of bags of sand. j/k


Base Rock


Initial aquascape brainstorming


Bam! Everything is plumbed! Manifold in the center is for future additions. GFO, Calcium, etc . You can't see in this pic but there are shut off valves on both returns and overflows if needed. Oh. and I mounted the powerstrips on the top. Against best interest I mounted the chiller under the tank(back right). It faces outwards and I have a fan venting it out the side of the aquarium. I will keep an eye on it but as of late it hardly runs even in the summer cause my house stays relatively cool. I don't have a skimmer yet...still looking...suggestions welcome.


Water is in, aquascape 98% finalized....let the cycle begin. I have a 60 gallon reef that I will be moving to this tank...at least the nice pieces of coral and fish. I also need to find some powerheads I like. Not sure if I am going to go the Eurotech MP route yet. We will see.....just seems like 1k to drop on a few powerheads is a little ridiculous. Plus I am not sure if I want a standing wave in my tank either. Anyways...that is another discussion. Water is a little cloudy still but it is settling down.


Enjoy!

 

Off to a great start.Tagging along and trust me they(mp) are worth every penny.

 

Looking nice! Defo subscribing

 

Great setup! The vortech's are a little pricey but worth it IMO.

 

Very nice, will enjoy watching this one.

 

Thanks for the compliments

So like I was saying above....I am not in the market for a skimmer and power heads.

Any suggestions are welcome

Skimmer:

1) I like the Reef Octopus so far
2) the chamber in my sump will probably allow a 12 x 12 footprint with some extra wiggle room
3) This guy seems to fit well, but I am concerned because it is only rated to 150 gallons. Reef Octopus 6

Power Heads:
1) I could use some help here because I only have used standard Koralias before.
2) I intended to do quite a few SPS so I want to make sure I have enough flow.
3) Is a wave maker of some sort worth doing?
4) MP40s seems a bit much and on my tank do I need to do 2? I don't really want to mount anything on the side glass of the tank.

 

Nice setup tagging along for this one

 

I have the same size tank more or less and run a sro xp3000 , great skimmer
As far as flow if you want a lot of sps I would reccomend no less than 2 mp40's,
I actually switched out a 40 for a 60 and am very pleased with the results.

 

Yeah, I looked at your setup...I like it a lot. I like the skimmer you are referring to I just don't know if it will fit in the sump. I also figure that with rock and sand that my tank might only be holding 200 gallons anyway...but I know the biggest skimmer that will fit in the sump and the budget is the way to go.

 

Looking good!