From a 29 to a 100.....Here we go.

guitarvp · Oct 9, 2015

Hey everyone,

I recently returned to the states from a 3 year stint in Okinawa, Japan where I started and got hooked on reefing. I had a 29 gallon mixed reef setup but unfortunately had to tear it down to move back to the USA. Before moving I already had it in my head that I would be in the search for a larger tank upon arriving to the states. After doing some searching through craigslist and Ebay, I managed to stumble upon what I think was a pretty awesome deal.

So the setup I picked up consists of a 100g (48x30x18) Leemar Starphire tank with center rear overflow. A DIY solid wood stand with removable front and side panels, and a 60g (48x20x16) 1/2 inch acrylic sump, and a Bubble Magus NAC8 Skimmer.

We are getting ready to close on a house, but of course I have started to planning stages of the setup. I am hoping to get water in the tank shortly after New Years as it'll take me some time to prep and paint the stand a wife approved color, acquire and setup the plumbing, and acquire other equipment I still need. Below is a picture of my tank in Okinawa and a few pictures of the new setup. I look forward to posting more pictures as things progress.

FluffyxTxRex · Oct 9, 2015

Get this thing WET!. good luck bud.... going through i 120 build right now

guitarvp · Oct 9, 2015

Thanks Fluffy...Trust me, I'm itching to get things rolling. Waiting to move into our house and get the setup going....

guitarvp · Oct 12, 2015

I went to Reef-A-Palooza today with no intention of buying anything especially since I had everything I needed. After getting offered this sump for what I think is a killer deal, I just couldn't say no. Thanks Advanced Acrylics for a great deal and a great looking sump.

SantaMonicaHelp · Oct 12, 2015

Nice tank you had, can't wait to see how this new project turns out! Best of luck!

~SF

steelheader.262 · Oct 12, 2015

Wow, looks like a great deal!!!!

renato120 · Oct 15, 2015

Nice upgrade!

reefhobby · Oct 15, 2015

What are the dimensions of the 100

guitarvp · Oct 15, 2015

reefhobby said:
What are the dimensions of the 100

reefhobby, they are 48x30x18.

guitarvp · Oct 16, 2015

I have some time to burn until we move into our new house and I can start doing some of the bigger setup tasks. So I decided to start doing some of the smaller stuff like putting together my Durso standpipe. I was pretty happy that I only spent $25 for all the materials (10' length of 1.5inch PVC and all the necessary pieces) and a PVC cutter. Below are a couple of pictures of the finished product.

Also a picture of our kiddo hanging out in what she thinks is her private pool.

guitarvp · Dec 25, 2015

I was finally able to make some more progress on the tank. We stripped and repainted the stand, got the tank and stand in place, started playing around with an aquascape, and also started piecing together the plumbing. Hoping to get water in the tank in early January.

guitarvp · Dec 25, 2015

guitarvp · Dec 27, 2015

Just about finished getting the return plumbing set. Also put together the reactor manifold. Now I just need to try and figure out placement.

guitarvp · Dec 27, 2015

rayn · Dec 27, 2015

Good looking build! Careful or you will have it full of corals before the move!

guitarvp · Dec 27, 2015

rayn said:
Good looking build! Careful or you will have it full of corals before the move!

That's the plan....

guitarvp · Jan 10, 2016

Making progress...today was a good day. Still have to finalize the plumbing but things are progressing nicely.

guitarvp · Jan 29, 2016

Finally got around to tying up loose ends on the tank and I got it filled! Ended up with about 75lbs of rock, 120lbs of sand, and ended up using a bit over 100g of water.

Started the cycle using the Reef Mature Pro Kit. We'll see how it goes...