First time reefer, trying to it the right way

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

So I have a thread where I am asking a ton of questions and tryig to pick as many brains as I possibly can. I have gotten a lot of help from this community and I am very thankful for that. With that being said I wanted to start a thread so that the guys that are helping me could actually see some of the work that I am putting into this reef tank. Please keep in mind that this is my first reef tank so if I am doing something wrong it is probably because I don't know any better and I will tank all critiques in a positive manner. So now on with some pictures.

The first picture is from my original set up before I was enlightened and how far off I was with the crushed coral and a plain jane aqueon75 water filter on the back.

After being told I was wrong I tore everything out of the tank and moved it into the garage until I could start the proper way.

The next three pictures are if me preparing to drill two home into the side of my soon to be new reef tank.. (my wife was freaking out)

And finally are the pictures of my newly installed Eshopps eclipse overflow box. I know that I haven't done a ton yet but for a rookie reefer I feel like this was a pretty big step in the right direction. Next up is building a custom sump tabl to house my Reef Octo 110 protein skimmer, heaters and return pump. More pictures will be posted as soon as I have then ready. Thanks again g for the time to look at my little tank and all help or critiques are welcome.

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

Holy cow, as I was reading over this I realized that I have a ton of typo' s in there. Lol, don't hold that against me to bad... hahahah

 

[nervousmonkey]

Man, nice job for first time!!! You'll love the bean animal overflow. Once you dial it in it is perfectly quiet. Sounds like the guys you are working with are really giving you some awesome advice. My $0.02: don't crank the return pump up too high, keep the flow slow through your sump. That gives your overflow room in case of a problem, and gives that awesome Reef Octo skimmer time to work. You are going to love that skimmer; like clockwork you'll know when it's time to clean the skimmer cup and neck, and it'll pull some nasty stuff out. Also, good that you were patient to start and didn't rush things and are not rushing. Just be patient and have a ton of fun! Learn the reason why some people say that xenia is a nuisance coral and why some people love it, or why nephthea can be one of the most beautiful corals you'll ever see, so why don't you see it more often?
Have a great time reefing and keep listening to those friends of yours, they are giving you great advice!
Last, welcome to R2R! I don't think you were properly welcomed into this little group. #reefsquad will provide a nice welcome as well as the best reefers in the country giving you advice much better than mine.

 

[Maritimer]

That's looking great so far ... I've never drilled a tank, so that looks like a pretty big step along the way to me too!

~Bruce

 

[drawman]

Nice start! Also look into quarantining fish this forum has a great section for fish diseases and some wonderful stickies.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Welcome to R2R!!! The tank is looking great. I've installed 2 of those overflows on friend's tanks and they are dead silent. Let me know if you need any help plumbing or tuning it. We're all here to help

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

Man, nice job for first time!!! You'll love the bean animal overflow. Once you dial it in it is perfectly quiet. Sounds like the guys you are working with are really giving you some awesome advice. My $0.02: don't crank the return pump up too high, keep the flow slow through your sump. That gives your overflow room in case of a problem, and gives that awesome Reef Octo skimmer time to work. You are going to love that skimmer; like clockwork you'll know when it's time to clean the skimmer cup and neck, and it'll pull some nasty stuff out. Also, good that you were patient to start and didn't rush things and are not rushing. Just be patient and have a ton of fun! Learn the reason why some people say that xenia is a nuisance coral and why some people love it, or why nephthea can be one of the most beautiful corals you'll ever see, so why don't you see it more often?
Have a great time reefing and keep listening to those friends of yours, they are giving you great advice!
Last, welcome to R2R! I don't think you were properly welcomed into this little group. #reefsquad will provide a nice welcome as well as the best reefers in the country giving you advice much better than mine.

Thanks my man, and thanks for the advice on the return pump. The return I got is an Ehiem 3000 and it has a flow rate of upwards 825 gph. I went with that one because it is adjustable and with it being rated that high I wouldn't have to run it at max around the clock and burn it up. I was told that as a rule of thumb I should try to move 10× the water I have in the take so the would be 540 gph. I'm hoping that the extra 200+ got will be enough to keep it running low. Also I am definitely looking forward to starting the Bean Animal set-up.. I am definitely a hands on guy so I really like doing everything myself if possible.. lol. Plus this is a tank that I am doing for my living room so my family can enjoy it and I want it to be as close to perfect as I can make it. I have no problem at all taking my time and being patient. [emoji106]

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

Welcome to R2R!!! The tank is looking great. I've installed 2 of those overflows on friend's tanks and they are dead silent. Let me know if you need any help plumbing or tuning it. We're all here to help

Thanks, John I appreciate it my man..

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

That's looking great so far ... I've never drilled a tank, so that looks like a pretty big step along the way to me too!

~Bruce

Honestly, when I first decided to drill it I was nervous for a minute but after watching numerous videos on YouTube and researching it on the interwebs I just went for it. It really wasn't that bad at all, I am sure I will be doing more of them in the future. Hahaha

 

[dbl]

Restart is looking good...nice job.

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

I have also played out a general idea for and aquascape with the rocks I got from BRS. I know you can't see a whole lot from this picture but I was trying to create a wall type feel on the right side with some tunnels and have running through it and then have a single island on the left side the is separate from the bigger layout. It also has I rather large area in the front for the fish to have room to move about in an open area. Hopefully I can recreate something close to this when they are done curing. That was actually the purpose of the original picture.

Here is the current state of the rocks, lol. 50 lbs of dry live rock sitting inside of a 30 gallon brute. Small powerhead to circle water and a heater keeping the water at 80+ degrees. A lot of people said you don't need to cure dry live rocks but I figured it wouldn't hurt to do it. They have been in there for a week now and there still hasn't been an ammonia spike so I guess they will just hang out till I start to cycle the tank over.

 

[dowsetts101]

I reckon that I'll be following your thread here quite closely...I've got almost the same setup as what you're starting with, but about 5 steps behind...so you can be my trailblazer...

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

I reckon that I'll be following your thread here quite closely...I've got almost the same setup as what you're starting with, but about 5 steps behind...so you can be my trailblazer...

I think I started 5 steps behind also, lol. It seems like I take 2 steps forward and 1 step back most days. I am finally getting to where I feel more comfortable with my decisions now after doing tons of research and asking a bunch of random questions on here. One thing I have learned for sure is that if I dont know then I need to ask someone. When I first bought my tank I thought a reef tank and a saltwater tank were the same thing... boy was I mistaken. I probably bout 150 or 200 bucks worth of crap I couldn't even use. But again now that I am heading in the right direction I feel a lot better about the process. Hopefully by watching my little tank develop you can see what you do and dont want.. Also if you ideas then feel free to throw them out. I am always willing to try things outside the box.. [emoji106] I hope you enjoy watching it come together

 

[Seyoz]

Thanks my man, and thanks for the advice on the return pump. The return I got is an Ehiem 3000 and it has a flow rate of upwards 825 gph. I went with that one because it is adjustable and with it being rated that high I wouldn't have to run it at max around the clock and burn it up. I was told that as a rule of thumb I should try to move 10× the water I have in the take so the would be 540 gph. I'm hoping that the extra 200+ got will be enough to keep it running low. Also I am definitely looking forward to starting the Bean Animal set-up.. I am definitely a hands on guy so I really like doing everything myself if possible.. lol. Plus this is a tank that I am doing for my living room so my family can enjoy it and I want it to be as close to perfect as I can make it. I have no problem at all taking my time and being patient. [emoji106]

Some People T-Off, just above Return Pump with a Ball Valve.
Keeping it turned down by 2/3 just so extra flow can be diverted to sump.

Helps to adjust Flow Ratio's, Keep Sump filled and keep from Running Dry.

*Later add a Chiller, Uv Sterilizer or Add two Ball Valves and Can valve Return Line to Tank While Pump Out Quick Water Changes.*

Best way to control headpressure to tank. Best way for Re-circulating Skimmer Feed.

 

[Seyoz]

Looks great. Love the Tank Shape, can't wait til filled.

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

Well guys I have gotten to the point where I am having to wait on stuff to come in through mail before I can do much updating. However, I haven't let that completely stop me. I have started the process of plumbing my tank (dry plumb of course) and I have painted the back of the tank as well. So now I will pop up a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. Keep in mind guys that if you see anything wrong or just plain bad please let me know so I can get it fixed. Thanks for looking fam and hopefully their will be more to come soon.

First picture is before and second is after three layers of beautiful flat black paint. I also repainted the stand because it was a shiny black and the back of the tank was flat black. My OCD was driving me nuts so I redid it

And here we have the start of me plumbing my Eshopps eclipse overflow box using the Bean Animal set-up. If you see anything wrong or have input please share

Alright guys that's all I got for now, hope to get a shipment is and be able to start doing more in the next few days.

 

[Robink]

Great job!!

 

[Evan dick]

I'm also planning a reef tank! It's tough finding solid info at first I'll be watching to see how the dry rock comes out I'm trying the same method ... what light setups have you thought about?

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

Well guys, I know it had been a bit since my last update but I have had a bit of adversity in my home life. My baby decided he wanted to try and come 2 months early. So I spent a week at the hospital with the wife trying to keep her from going into full on labor. Thankfully he didn't come and I was able to return home without worrying about him. However, I have been able to do a little bit of work to the tank. Finally got my gate valve in and I got my sump tank put together and siliconed together. No pictures of it because it looks like crap (my first time building a sump). But it is together so in 48 hours I will start hard plumbing everything in and try to get some pictures up for you guys. Thanks for the few of you that are following and watching my thread. On a side note any and all prayers for my wife and baby are greatly appreciated.

 

[Maritimer]

Those prayers?

They're on the way.

Take care of who's important.

~Bruce