creativeballance
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- Feb 23, 2020
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Greetings everyone!
I haven't seen very many threads for Aqua Japan tanks anywhere, so maybe there will be some interest....?
This will be my second reef tank, and much of the parts and components will be pulled from my existing 125 tank.
So here's a bit of a back story. I would love to buy all of the nice fancy equipment, but I'm very much on a budget. My wife wants me to buy the cheapest possible anything, and I can count myself lucky I am getting a tank at all! My first reef tank I purchased on Offerup for $80, and included a smallish acrylic sump, a stand, a cheapy light, and that's about it. I had the tank for approximately 8 months - just long enough to get out of the ugly phase - before I ended up moving from Southern California to Louisville Kentucky. I ended up giving away my stock and live rock (cheap stuff - $1.25/lb, I had 150lbs!) to a friend. Onto tank setup #2...I built my own stand this time, and in my impatience to save up the extra money to paint it right, I did not spend the time to waterproof or paint the wood. Five months later, my acrylic sump begins to leak, and the wood on the base of my stand (I think) warped enough to throw the tank out of being level. Now it has bubbles on the front right seam, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed everything lasts long enough for the new tank to arrive! (I've photographed the seam, and I'm comparing it daily to see if there's any changes. If I see any change from day to day, I have a couple of 20 gallon tanks and a couple of big trash cans I can move the fish to for a bit!)
So here's the tank I've picked: https://www.aquacave.com/aqua-japan-pro-150-reef-aquarium-combo-black.html
Pros: The company is not SUPER far away from me, being in Illinois. Shipping time is about 2-3 days. It's a bit larger than what I have already. I like the central overflow. Sump seems big enough, and I'm positive I can customize it enough to work the way I'd like it to.
Cons: I haven't seen many people with experience with this manufacturer, so I can only keep my fingers crossed it is a "good enough quality" system.
Equipment so far:
Lighting: 1 CBB, running on a timer. 1 programmable 24" light fixture made by LEDZeal...I don't think they make reef lights anymore, but rather focus on grow lights instead.
Pump: 1600 GPH Simplicity submersible pump: https://www.aquacave.com/simplicity-dc-1600-water-pump-1-600gph-42w.html -
I've ordered a 1.5" bulkhead, and 4qty 3/4" bulkheads. I've ordered a 3/4" Union Check Valve for the return.
With that said, any advice is welcomed!
I'll update when the tank arrives!
I haven't seen very many threads for Aqua Japan tanks anywhere, so maybe there will be some interest....?
This will be my second reef tank, and much of the parts and components will be pulled from my existing 125 tank.
So here's a bit of a back story. I would love to buy all of the nice fancy equipment, but I'm very much on a budget. My wife wants me to buy the cheapest possible anything, and I can count myself lucky I am getting a tank at all! My first reef tank I purchased on Offerup for $80, and included a smallish acrylic sump, a stand, a cheapy light, and that's about it. I had the tank for approximately 8 months - just long enough to get out of the ugly phase - before I ended up moving from Southern California to Louisville Kentucky. I ended up giving away my stock and live rock (cheap stuff - $1.25/lb, I had 150lbs!) to a friend. Onto tank setup #2...I built my own stand this time, and in my impatience to save up the extra money to paint it right, I did not spend the time to waterproof or paint the wood. Five months later, my acrylic sump begins to leak, and the wood on the base of my stand (I think) warped enough to throw the tank out of being level. Now it has bubbles on the front right seam, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed everything lasts long enough for the new tank to arrive! (I've photographed the seam, and I'm comparing it daily to see if there's any changes. If I see any change from day to day, I have a couple of 20 gallon tanks and a couple of big trash cans I can move the fish to for a bit!)
So here's the tank I've picked: https://www.aquacave.com/aqua-japan-pro-150-reef-aquarium-combo-black.html
Pros: The company is not SUPER far away from me, being in Illinois. Shipping time is about 2-3 days. It's a bit larger than what I have already. I like the central overflow. Sump seems big enough, and I'm positive I can customize it enough to work the way I'd like it to.
Cons: I haven't seen many people with experience with this manufacturer, so I can only keep my fingers crossed it is a "good enough quality" system.
Equipment so far:
Lighting: 1 CBB, running on a timer. 1 programmable 24" light fixture made by LEDZeal...I don't think they make reef lights anymore, but rather focus on grow lights instead.
Pump: 1600 GPH Simplicity submersible pump: https://www.aquacave.com/simplicity-dc-1600-water-pump-1-600gph-42w.html -
I've ordered a 1.5" bulkhead, and 4qty 3/4" bulkheads. I've ordered a 3/4" Union Check Valve for the return.
With that said, any advice is welcomed!
I'll update when the tank arrives!
