As most of you know, builds are very slow…and for good reason. Nothing successful happens overnight in this hobby, and if there’s one thing this hobby has taught me, it’s patience. I can credit most of my knowledge from this hobby to reading the 100s of build threads on multiple forums, so I figured it was time I created a build thread of my own.
This will technically be my third saltwater aquarium, although, like many others, I have been keeping freshwater tanks since elementary. My first tank was a CadLights 39G Pro “cube” which included everything but a stand (39g cube aquarium, 12g sump, Bubble Magus Nac3+ skimmer, etc.). I decided to build my own stand out of steel tubing and plywood.
I had the CadLights setup for about 3 years, and the only thing I really had to show for it was a rescued tomato clown named Frank and a hitchhiker mushroom cluster. No matter what I tried, I could never really keep the algae at bay. Most of the equipment stayed the same sans two lighting upgrades and the purchase of a RKL. The lighting for the tank went from the included HQI/T5HO/LED to a 24” ATI 6x24 T5HO and finally an Ocean Revive T247.
My wife landed a residency job in Amarillo Texas (which meant we had to move), so the entire setup was sold July 2015. After moving to Amarillo, I transferred the largest rock, Frank, and the mushroom cluster into an empty Marineland Eclipse 3 I had from my last freshwater setup. This technically is my second (and current) saltwater aquarium, but it’s really just a holding tank until I can move everything into my “next” tank (aka 3rd). Since July, I've added a GSP frag, another piece of LR from my LFS (which included a hitchhiker anemone mushroom), and a Watchman Goby/Pistol shrimp combo.
Our house small….1100sqft to be exact. So, I didn’t get to buy the tank I REALLY wanted, which would have been upwards of 300+ gallons. The only real space in the house is a wall next to the kitchen measuring in at a whopping 42.” Therefore, I had to settle on a 36” tank. A 40 breeder was too small, so we ended up buying a 65 Gallon Marineland RR off Craigslist for 100 bucks, stand included.
AND SO THE BUILD BEGINS!!!!!
The only thing I have done so far is painted the stand white and built a canopy. I am still deciding on equipment, which is harder than you would think. With so many options (and success stories), it's hard to decide what's best for my setup.
I really want a mixed reef with mostly softies, polyps, and LPS. Eventually I would like to get an anemone for Frank, but right now she seems happy with her fake silicone anemone. I am still debating on fish.
Current livestock:
Tomato Clown (Frank)
Watchman Goby
Pistol Shrimp
Corals:
GSP Frag
Purple Mushrooms
Green anemone mushroom
Xenia frag
This will technically be my third saltwater aquarium, although, like many others, I have been keeping freshwater tanks since elementary. My first tank was a CadLights 39G Pro “cube” which included everything but a stand (39g cube aquarium, 12g sump, Bubble Magus Nac3+ skimmer, etc.). I decided to build my own stand out of steel tubing and plywood.
I had the CadLights setup for about 3 years, and the only thing I really had to show for it was a rescued tomato clown named Frank and a hitchhiker mushroom cluster. No matter what I tried, I could never really keep the algae at bay. Most of the equipment stayed the same sans two lighting upgrades and the purchase of a RKL. The lighting for the tank went from the included HQI/T5HO/LED to a 24” ATI 6x24 T5HO and finally an Ocean Revive T247.
My wife landed a residency job in Amarillo Texas (which meant we had to move), so the entire setup was sold July 2015. After moving to Amarillo, I transferred the largest rock, Frank, and the mushroom cluster into an empty Marineland Eclipse 3 I had from my last freshwater setup. This technically is my second (and current) saltwater aquarium, but it’s really just a holding tank until I can move everything into my “next” tank (aka 3rd). Since July, I've added a GSP frag, another piece of LR from my LFS (which included a hitchhiker anemone mushroom), and a Watchman Goby/Pistol shrimp combo.
Our house small….1100sqft to be exact. So, I didn’t get to buy the tank I REALLY wanted, which would have been upwards of 300+ gallons. The only real space in the house is a wall next to the kitchen measuring in at a whopping 42.” Therefore, I had to settle on a 36” tank. A 40 breeder was too small, so we ended up buying a 65 Gallon Marineland RR off Craigslist for 100 bucks, stand included.
AND SO THE BUILD BEGINS!!!!!
The only thing I have done so far is painted the stand white and built a canopy. I am still deciding on equipment, which is harder than you would think. With so many options (and success stories), it's hard to decide what's best for my setup.
I really want a mixed reef with mostly softies, polyps, and LPS. Eventually I would like to get an anemone for Frank, but right now she seems happy with her fake silicone anemone. I am still debating on fish.
Current livestock:
Tomato Clown (Frank)
Watchman Goby
Pistol Shrimp
Corals:
GSP Frag
Purple Mushrooms
Green anemone mushroom
Xenia frag
