djd3mon's 100 gallon reef build.

[djd3mon]

Hello and welcome to djd3mon's 100 Gallon Reef Tank Build.

I am in the very slow process of creating my 100 gallon Deep Sea Aquatics 60"x20"x20" reef tank. I purchased the tank back in March of this year and it was a African Cichlid tank for roughly 6 months.

As of May 2016 I wanted to get rid of my freshwater tank and convert it to a reef tank. In August I finally sold all my freshwater fish and the tank has been sitting in the same spot empty ever since.

It has been a slow process but I have literally been doing research, watching videos, reading magazines and reading R2R everyday learning as much information and taking notes as I could.

The tank emptying after the cichlids were sold.

Tank is finally empty, time to clean out with vinegar

The custom build sump I came up with.

29 gallon nano reef tank

40 gallon frag tank full of goodies!

Current setup right now.

I currently have a 29 gallon Nano reef tank and a 40 gallon frag tank up and running.
I had the itch to build the 100 gallon ever since May, so I created the 29 tank to cure my itch. I plan to transfer everything from my 29 gallon to my 100 gallon when the time is right and everything is up and running. I thought it was going to be by the end of this year but I'm not going to make that deadline.

My new goal to have it up and running is February 1st 2017 (My Birthday). Lets hope I can make it.



Equipment
1. 2 Vortech Mp40's WES
2. Reef octopus 150 INT (plan to upgrade to Reef Octopus 150 EXT later on)
3. 100 lbs dry rock from Billy's Reef Connection
4. Neptune Apex JR controller
5. Neptune EB8
6. PM1 module with Lab Grade pH Probe
7. Smart ATO w/ 5 gallon top off container
8. Custom Made sump (38"x16"x16')
9. 2 48" Dual T5HO fixtures
10. 3 48" ATI Blue Plus T5's
11. 1 48" ATI Coral Plus T5
12. 1 250 Watt dimmable metal halide hanger w/14k bulb (need 1 more to match)
13. 2 Two Little fishies media reactors. (1 for GFO and the other for Bio Pellets)
14. 20 gallon QT/Hospital tank
15. RODI system with Brand New (as of 11/12/16) 1 micron Carbon and Sediment filter, 75 gpd Reverse Osmosis membrane and dual color changing Demonizing filters
16. 2 55 gallon food grade blue plastic barrels

I still need to:
1. Buy and install 2 Glass-Holes DIY over flow kits
2. Paint the back of the aquarium black
3. Buy a return pump
4. Build a taller stand so I can have more room so everything is not cramped
5. Build a Electrical cabinet for Neptune Apex, Vortech Controllers, ATO, Samsung Tablet, etc.
6. Build RODI/Saltwater mixing station
7. Buy strong pumps and enough hose to run RODI/saltwater to tank.
8. Buy PM2 and Lab grade salinity probe
9. Buy 100 more lbs dry rock
10. Cure dry rock
11. Install a GFCI outlet
12. Add a second breaker near the tank or install a sub panel but its not my house so it probably wont happen.
13. Buy Kessil H380 for refugium
14. Buy small power head to install in 1st chamber of sump to keep the detritus stired up.
15. Buy some some blocks of Marine Pure
16. Buy all the plumbing for the sump
17. Buy a couple new Cobalt heaters.
18. Install Ip cameras to keep an eye on my tank while at work.
19. Possible 302 aquatics Turf Algae Scrubber
20. Gather up Copper test kit, Ammonia Alert badge, Prazipro, Metronidazole, Kanaplex, Garlic Guard, Cupramine, Mardel Copper Safe and Ruby Reef Water Treatment for QT/Hospital tank
21. Buy The Reef Aquarium, Vol. 3 by Julian Sprung
22. Update MP40's to QD
23. Jebao Dosing pumps
24. Dosing Containers
25. Calibrated Thermometer
26. Auto shut off kit for RODI system
27. Float valve for RODI containers
28. Tubing and fittings to hook up RODI system in permanent place
29. Long razor blade scraper
30. 2 Ecotech Battery Backups

Fish "Wish" List - (Don't worry not all of these will go into the tank)
My current fish, etc
1. Male Ocellaris Clownfish
2. Female Ocellaris Clownfish
3. Six Line Wrasse
4. Springeri Damsel (Blue Damsel)
5. Peppermint Shrimp

The Algae Cleaners
1. Yellow Tang
2. One Spot Foxface
3. Desjardini Sailfin Tang
4. Lawnmower Blenny

Other Fish
1. Flame Angel
2. Diamond Watchman Goby
3. Shrimp for Goby
4. 3+ Cardinal Fish
5. Purple Tang
6. Anthias
7. Leopard Wrasse
8. Engineer Goby (1 maybe 2)

Fish/Other I want to add but not a good idea
1. Dwarf Lionfish
2. Rhinopias
3. Snowflake Eel

Possible Clean Up Crew
1. Hermit crabs Blue & Red leg
2. Trochus Snails
3. Mexican Turbo Snails
4. Cerith Snails
5. Emerald Crab (Maybe, Have had bad luck with them dying)
6. Peppermint Shrimp

Undecided on:
not sure if I want to do a bare bottom tank or not. I have a wrasse and he needs somewhere to sleep so i might thrown in a sandbox for him. At the same time I want to put egg crate on the bottom, so I don't know yet. I just hate the detritus that stirs up in my 29 gallon nano tank.

That is it for now. I will have more updates soon.

 

[djd3mon]

The Reef Octopus 150 INT on here for a good deal. Nice, Clean and original box.

 

[djd3mon]

The 2 MP40's..again purchased on here for a great price.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Nice! Following this!

 

[jsker]

This is going to be a nice build. When do you think online with the 100 DT?

 

[djd3mon]

This is going to be a nice build. When do you think online with the 100 DT?

I still need to cure the dry rock for a couple months or so
Waiting on the custome sump to be finished. (was told it would only take 3 weeks, Its week 10 as of tomorrow)
Need to drill the tank and buy all plumbing stuff.

As soon as I get the sump I will be ready to start putting pieces together. I'm hoping I can have it all setup and cycling by February.
Im in no rush really but would LOVE to get it up and going ASAP.

 

[djd3mon]

Purchased a Jebao DP4 dosing pump this weekend and some B-Ionic 2 part dosing system.
I'm thinking about buying another Jebao dosing pump for strictly doing water changes. Not sure yet.

Also purchased some Hanna calcium, alkalinity and phosphate checkers.
My other tanks are a little too high....working on that now.
I got 1 down to 0.06 by adding GFO. Time to working on the 0.27 tank.

 

[djd3mon]

I still need to cure the dry rock for a couple months or so
Waiting on the custome sump to be finished. (was told it would only take 3 weeks, Its week 10 as of tomorrow)
Need to drill the tank and buy all plumbing stuff.

As soon as I get the sump I will be ready to start putting pieces together. I'm hoping I can have it all setup and cycling by February.
Im in no rush really but would LOVE to get it up and going ASAP.

Dry rocks waiting to be cured and cycled since around September....DOH!

 

[jsker]

I still need to cure the dry rock for a couple months or so
Waiting on the custome sump to be finished. (was told it would only take 3 weeks, Its week 10 as of tomorrow)
Need to drill the tank and buy all plumbing stuff.

As soon as I get the sump I will be ready to start putting pieces together. I'm hoping I can have it all setup and cycling by February.
Im in no rush really but would LOVE to get it up and going ASAP.

LOL
The waiting always drive me too, but you will have what you would like in the end

 

[djd3mon]

On a side not I ordered 16 oz or tisbe pods and 8 oz of phytoplankton for a different tank of mine from Todd's Pod's and they send me this: SCORE!
(they shipped out 3 orders that had the same first name as mine and they got mixed up)

 

[jsker]

Purchased a Jebao DP4 dosing pump this weekend and some B-Ionic 2 part dosing system.
I'm thinking about buying another Jebao dosing pump for strictly doing water changes. Not sure yet.

Also purchased some Hanna calcium, alkalinity and phosphate checkers.
My other tanks are a little too high....working on that now.
I got 1 down to 0.06 by adding GFO. Time to working on the 0.27 tank.

I had a high phosphate spike two months ago and brought it down with a lanthanum chloride based product that worked well. My Po4 are the lowest they have been in two years. I am running about a cup of GFO in a small reactor to maintain the Po4's now.

 

[djd3mon]

I had a high phosphate spike two months ago and brought it down with a lanthanum chloride based product that worked well. My Po4 are the lowest they have been in two years. I am running about a cup of GFO in a small reactor to maintain the Po4's now.

You know I'm shocked its really that high.

I dosed Phosphate RX for a few days to help with some of the algae I had just scraped of some plugs I put in the tank. (They were in a 10 gallon "Algae Battle Tank" that I setup just to contain the Algae to 1 separate system. Cleaned the plugs and put them in my frag tank , which now has high phosphates) Then made about 55 gallons of fresh RODI water, mixed in my salt and did a 55 gallon water change on a 40 gallon system. ALl in about 1 hour. Ph spike up but nothing died. I did this huge water change to get my parameters right so I could start seeing what i need to start dosing. I found out I will be dosing roughly 75ppm of calcium and 29ppm of alkalinity a week.

Hopefully my test was just off, need to retest it again tonight.

 

[jsker]

You know I'm shocked its really that high.

I dosed Phosphate RX for a few days to help with some of the algae I had just scraped of some plugs I put in the tank. (They were in a 10 gallon "Algae Battle Tank" that I setup just to contain the Algae to 1 separate system. Cleaned the plugs and put them in my frag tank , which now has high phosphates) Then made about 55 gallons of fresh RODI water, mixed in my salt and did a 55 gallon water change on a 40 gallon system. ALl in about 1 hour. Ph spike up but nothing died. I did this huge water change to get my parameters right so I could start seeing what i need to start dosing. I found out I will be dosing roughly 75ppm of calcium and 29ppm of alkalinity a week.

Hopefully my test was just off, need to retest it again tonight.

The phosphate RX worked really well it took me also, 4 doses to keep the phosphates down.

 

[djd3mon]

The phosphate RX worked really well it took me also, 4 doses to keep the phosphates down.

It worked well on my 10 gallon Algae battle tank. I probably dosed for 10 days. When I finally decided to stop torturing the frags I took the mout 1 by 1 and scrubbed them with a toot brush and manually pulled off and large algae I could. I would say 90%-95% of the algae was gone when I put them back into their original home, the 40 gallon frag tank.

This is a great product for fighting hair algae.

 

[djd3mon]

Adding 2 Ecotech Battery Backups ....for thise time while im at work and cant get home.
Once I'm home I have a generator I can power up if I need to.

 

[djd3mon]

Did a little modifying to my sump design. My guy who was supposed to build my sump has still not attempted to start building it wasting 10 weeks. complete BS.

I decided to go with Lone Star Reef. Ive seen a lot of their work at local frag shows.

Sump will be done within 30 days.

Im also thinking about adding an external return pump instead of a Vortech M1 pump.

 

[djd3mon]

Went ahead and picled up the overflow kit today from Glass-Holes.

VERY High quality stuff for the $$

Bought some extra seals...just in case.

Now its time to drill the tank this weekend.

 

[djd3mon]

Sump is so close to being ready. Im hoping I will be able to pick it up this weekend.

 

[djd3mon]

Waiting on the first inhabitants to arrive mid-January.
2 Lightning Maroon clown fish from The Coral Dudes
(Hopefully they look like this)

 

[djd3mon]

Skimmer should be done today!!

Sneak Peak.

Still needs to mount adjustable filter socks and put a European brace on top and I believe it is done.
Very high quality at LoneStarReef.com