My first tank build. 58 gallon reef - day 1

...brief break from the tank.

I am using a Sea Systems "Sea Storm" skimmer, and a "100" acrylic refugium from the same company. So far it look good. I'll post pics when I get back to the shop and have my camera handy.

Still waiting for the water to clear up before I arrange my rock, but it's going good so far.

The 100gpd is going great, the tanks full, and I have 10 gallons set aside pre-mixed for when I need it. I'm thinking about getting a 50 gallon water tank to hold water in... would be handy, I have friends who need RODI water as well.

Thanks for the encouragement all.

-Doug

 

nice tank. what type of return pump are you using. i'd second the advice on removing the crushed coral from your substrate and decreasing the depth to only 1 inch. the "medium depth" substrate ends up being a nitrate/phosphate --> ALGAE! farm. The choice is either go minimal or go DSB (be wary of the DSB)

happy hunting!

 

Return pump is an Eheim 1260. I've used their pumps before and they last well, don't get too hot, and run silent. It seems they're popular with the reef crew as well.

As for sand, I removed most of it, put a 4" bed in the refugium. The CC is pretty well mixed in now, and the water is finally starting to clarify. I have areas that will probably be 2" deep, is that going to be a problem?

 

should be fine. you'll notice that the cc will work its way to the top over the next few months.

 

Day 2

Ok, so i have the tank filled, been away for about 7 hours (I have to sleep at home...was tempted to sleep at the shop tho) so we'll see if any leaks here in a few minutes when I head in. Rocks are in, but not in their final position, the water was too cloudy to see what I was doing. That's todays project.

I broke down and purchased a refugium/sump combo rather than build one. I was about 4 hours into the DIY and was realizing that my tank was already wet, I couldn't wait 24 hours for the silicone to cure. So anyways, I now have a 20g long I'm gonna set up at home as a nano tank when this is done.

here are some pics of day 2:

 

Looking good bro!!! Looks like your up so I might cruz down there in a bit.. I need to get some zip ties to get the frag rack assembled... Lucky you with healthy frags waiting on your cycle... I love the mini fuge tank...
Andrew

 

heeeey! Good seeing ya here Andrew! (wait...you're here at the shop right now... er... why not just talk to you in person....duh)

Anyways, no camera today, so I'll post pics tomorrow. I just ran some water tests, all looks ok....could use some tweaking...

This is my baseline from last night, less than 3 hours after adding the live rock and live sand.

78 degrees
pH 8.2
Alkalinity 3.5 (looking for about 4.5, right?)
Spec Gravity 1.022 @ 78F (shooting for .024-.025)
Ammonia <0.1
Nitrites <0.2
Nitrates <10

I'll mix up a strong brew of salt and see if I can tease my salinity up a bit today.

 

So I got some recent pics of the tank, this is like day... 18.



Lights get in tomorrow, ballast is ready to fire up.

Tank is now at 80 degrees, and SG is around 1.024.

The Vortech rearranged my rocks a bit, but i moved a few as well. I have two really nice caves, one at each end, plus a "display" area in the middle.

-Doug

 

lookin good! 8)

 

New pic of the tank