SlukBunWalla's "Let's do it right this time" 65 gallon build...

SlukBunWalla · 04/30/2009, 10:53 PM

I began my reefing adventure with a 40 breeder. I ran it with a hangon skimmer, and two fluval canisters. This was my learning tank. My training wheels, if you will. I made a lot of mistakes along the way and sought to learn as much as humanely possible about how those mistakes happened. It was a decent reef tank...and I did pretty well with what I could scrape together. After a while things started going downhill as Nitrates and phosphates started accumulating. I had more hair algae than you could shake a stick at...and my corals were slowly declining.

It was time to upgrade, and this time...do it right. I had outgrown the 40 gallon. So I spend 6 months designing the new tank. Built my own stand and canopy. (And woodworking I had VERY limited experience with.) Sketched out every aspect. of the stand, the plumbing. Meanwhile I cooked my rock...for about 5 months. And finally after long last and many sleepless nights it's done. Which, for me, was like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one. I work at a fish store fulltime, and maintain 3 marine tanks at home...I spend more time thinking about this hobby than I think about just about anything else. So this is a pretty big deal to me.

I hope you enjoy it.

Any comments or insight would be greatly appreciated!

Here's the tank once all the building was done. I still need to paint the canopy...

I wanted to make the stand TALL. I don't like having to stoop down to see things. I build the stand at about 38". Here's a goofy, blurred picture of me next to it for a size reference. (I'm much more dashing in person. haha)

I ran an external durso out the back. Inside the tank is a small overflow box I pilfered from an old siphon overflow. I have a 90 elbow pointing downward inside the overflow box. I drilled a hole in the endcap and stuck a piece of airline tubing in the hole. It's still gurgling a bit more than I'd like. And the line "flushes" into the sump every 3 minutes or so. Is this because the drain exits under the water level in the sump? Or something to do with how much/little air is entering the durso?

Here she is all set up...

Right, middle, left. Does anyone know how to digitally stitch those together?

SlukBunWalla · 04/30/2009, 10:54 PM

Some of the corals...(I'm still working out the camera, so pics don't do the colors justice.)

fonzer · 04/30/2009, 11:17 PM

tagging along since i just started my 65g build.

what skimmer are you planning to get?

what is the size of your sump?

how long did the water take to cycle?? assuming most of it is from the 40.

what made you go bare bottom? you didnt want to put a cutting board underneath just in case rocks fall and crack the glass?

tank looks great btw. and if you have some shots of your canopy in its building stages i would highly appreciate it.

SlukBunWalla · 04/30/2009, 11:33 PM

I'm currently using a Corallife Super Skimmer 65, and desperately want an upgrade. Hopefully to an Octopus.

It's a 20 long for a sump, but I kind of wish I had used a 29 so I could have a larger refugium. I moved everything into the new tank in a two day process. I added all the live rock that had been cooking for several months. And used all the old water. I've been checking all the levels, and don't appear to be having a cycle. Which doesn't surprise me. It was just like a big water change, basically.

I went barebottom mostly because I'm moving in August, and I wanted to make easy to move. I may add a very shallow sandbed after the move...but I have always liked barebottom tanks, so the meantime will be an experiment. We'll see if I keep it.

jmadison · 04/30/2009, 11:41 PM

Looking might nice, seems to be quite full of coral already makes me wonder what the 40 looked like!

Btw, I recognize a few of those corals

SlukBunWalla · 04/30/2009, 11:45 PM

Thanks, man!

haha Yeah some of those zoos should look familiar...

hobbzz · 04/30/2009, 11:51 PM

SlukBunWalla · 04/30/2009, 11:57 PM

Hey, thanks, hobbzz!

SlukBunWalla · 05/01/2009, 12:05 AM

I forgot to mention...I found this pretty entertaining.

The green star polyps you see in this picture were in COMPLETE DARKNESS for FIVE MONTHS during the rock cooking process. The polyps started opening up withing an hour or so of putting it back in the tank and turning the lights on for the first time!

buy_baff · 05/01/2009, 12:57 AM

Looks good Adam! Will be real sweet when it grows in. Looks like you have been doing a little fragging at work LOL. I guss thems the perks of working at a pet store. I think I see one of my staghorn frags in there here is what it looks like when it gets bigger it actually gets some color to it.

Oh yea Adam looks twice as goofy in person. LOL
-Bill

SlukBunWalla · 05/01/2009, 08:50 AM

haha Thanks, Bill!

hobbzz · 05/01/2009, 10:41 AM

No problem .

SDReefer44 · 05/01/2009, 10:57 AM

great looking start and setup...

trippkid · 05/01/2009, 12:12 PM

Looks great so far, keep up the good work. Have a good weekend.
Matt

cowdust9 · 05/01/2009, 04:58 PM

what lights do you have over that?

SlukBunWalla · 05/02/2009, 08:51 AM

The lights are a little jerryrigged. I have a 150w HQI (It's a viper clamp on) on the right side, and two 2x24w HOT5 fixtures on the left. I will hopefully be upgrading soon to either 2x175w halides or 6x39w T5s...

SlukBunWalla · 05/02/2009, 10:06 PM

I took the airline tubing out of the durso, and throttled the pump back a bit and I think I've eliminated the FLUSHING! Which also mean now I can run my skimmer without it overflowing with every flush!

Tang Salad · 05/02/2009, 10:38 PM

Dashing!

aaron1987 · 05/02/2009, 10:54 PM

Great looking tank! It looks like the aquascaping would have quite a bit of depth in person. I'm loving that small favia frag.

How does the coral beauty fare with the corals? I've always fantasized about adding a centropyge of some flavor to my tank but always chicken out. I figure between my zoas, LPS, SPS and clam it would find something to nip at...

robot2222 · 05/03/2009, 01:10 AM

really nice.........................

SlukBunWalla · 05/03/2009, 11:25 AM

Thanks guys for the kind words!

Yeah the photos don't do things much justice. I still have to work the kinks out on the camera. Depth, and use of negative space was a goal with the scape, which those picture don't do a whole lot to show off. But that's true of every tank. This site makes it hard to really show off, doesn't it? Pictures never do justice to our creations!

aaron, that favia is one of my new favorite pieces, I can't wait to see it grow out. My coral beauty I LOVE. When I bought her the owner of the store (Sea of Marvels in North Liberty, IA) said the only thing she EVER picked at was an open brain, which I don't have. In my tank she has NEVER picked at a single coral, or a single fish...she's been a model citizen. (knock on wood) Maybe it's the corals I have that she's not interested in picking at, or I've just gotten lucky so far. She eats well on mysis, brine and marine algae.

We also have a flame angel in our large 180 gallon square display tank at work. We once saw him picking at our large millepora colony when we first put it in, but since then hasn't pecked. This tank is mostly SPS, a few clams, and a couple brains. So far so good. With those angels it really is hit and miss.

SkinnY T120 · 05/04/2009, 09:38 AM

Looking great adam! hey whatever happened to that 40 breeder you had, is that still around?

SlukBunWalla · 05/05/2009, 10:39 PM

It suffered a deadly injury in a car accident. Everyone else is ok though, so no worries.

aaron1987 · 05/06/2009, 08:47 AM

I keep trying to get Hung to sell me the flame angel that he keeps in his display tank up front, no dice

SlukBunWalla · 05/07/2009, 10:02 PM

Yeah but I know what it's like when people ask to buy fish out of our displays...hehe

Try bringing him a plant. He likes plants, maybe you can bribe him.

04/30/2009, 10:53 PM	#1
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	SlukBunWalla's "Let's do it right this time" 65 gallon build... I began my reefing adventure with a 40 breeder. I ran it with a hangon skimmer, and two fluval canisters. This was my learning tank. My training wheels, if you will. I made a lot of mistakes along the way and sought to learn as much as humanely possible about how those mistakes happened. It was a decent reef tank...and I did pretty well with what I could scrape together. After a while things started going downhill as Nitrates and phosphates started accumulating. I had more hair algae than you could shake a stick at...and my corals were slowly declining. It was time to upgrade, and this time...do it right. I had outgrown the 40 gallon. So I spend 6 months designing the new tank. Built my own stand and canopy. (And woodworking I had VERY limited experience with.) Sketched out every aspect. of the stand, the plumbing. Meanwhile I cooked my rock...for about 5 months. And finally after long last and many sleepless nights it's done. Which, for me, was like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one. I work at a fish store fulltime, and maintain 3 marine tanks at home...I spend more time thinking about this hobby than I think about just about anything else. So this is a pretty big deal to me. I hope you enjoy it. Any comments or insight would be greatly appreciated! Here's the tank once all the building was done. I still need to paint the canopy... I wanted to make the stand TALL. I don't like having to stoop down to see things. I build the stand at about 38". Here's a goofy, blurred picture of me next to it for a size reference. (I'm much more dashing in person. haha) I ran an external durso out the back. Inside the tank is a small overflow box I pilfered from an old siphon overflow. I have a 90 elbow pointing downward inside the overflow box. I drilled a hole in the endcap and stuck a piece of airline tubing in the hole. It's still gurgling a bit more than I'd like. And the line "flushes" into the sump every 3 minutes or so. Is this because the drain exits under the water level in the sump? Or something to do with how much/little air is entering the durso? Here she is all set up... Right, middle, left. Does anyone know how to digitally stitch those together? __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

04/30/2009, 10:54 PM	#2
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	Some of the corals...(I'm still working out the camera, so pics don't do the colors justice.) __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

04/30/2009, 11:33 PM	#4
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	I'm currently using a Corallife Super Skimmer 65, and desperately want an upgrade. Hopefully to an Octopus. It's a 20 long for a sump, but I kind of wish I had used a 29 so I could have a larger refugium. I moved everything into the new tank in a two day process. I added all the live rock that had been cooking for several months. And used all the old water. I've been checking all the levels, and don't appear to be having a cycle. Which doesn't surprise me. It was just like a big water change, basically. I went barebottom mostly because I'm moving in August, and I wanted to make easy to move. I may add a very shallow sandbed after the move...but I have always liked barebottom tanks, so the meantime will be an experiment. We'll see if I keep it. __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

04/30/2009, 11:41 PM	#5
jmadison rebmeM deretsigeR Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: PHX, AZ Posts: 1,426	Looking might nice, seems to be quite full of coral already makes me wonder what the 40 looked like! Btw, I recognize a few of those corals __________________ -Keyser Söze- By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. -Confucius Current Tank Info: Construction Zone

04/30/2009, 11:45 PM	#6
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	Thanks, man! haha Yeah some of those zoos should look familiar... __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

04/30/2009, 11:17 PM	#3
fonzer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 128	tagging along since i just started my 65g build. what skimmer are you planning to get? what is the size of your sump? how long did the water take to cycle?? assuming most of it is from the 40. what made you go bare bottom? you didnt want to put a cutting board underneath just in case rocks fall and crack the glass? tank looks great btw. and if you have some shots of your canopy in its building stages i would highly appreciate it.

04/30/2009, 11:51 PM	#7
hobbzz How do I change this? Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 3,037	__________________ 150g system. 120g reef, sro3000, Apex, Tunze 6255/6105/6095, T5 w/led supplement, 29g reef, MP10, led only.

04/30/2009, 11:57 PM	#8
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	Hey, thanks, hobbzz! __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

05/01/2009, 12:05 AM	#9
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	I forgot to mention...I found this pretty entertaining. The green star polyps you see in this picture were in COMPLETE DARKNESS for FIVE MONTHS during the rock cooking process. The polyps started opening up withing an hour or so of putting it back in the tank and turning the lights on for the first time! __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

05/01/2009, 12:57 AM	#10
buy_baff Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,180	Looks good Adam! Will be real sweet when it grows in. Looks like you have been doing a little fragging at work LOL. I guss thems the perks of working at a pet store. I think I see one of my staghorn frags in there here is what it looks like when it gets bigger it actually gets some color to it. Oh yea Adam looks twice as goofy in person. LOL -Bill

05/01/2009, 08:50 AM	#11
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	haha Thanks, Bill! __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

05/01/2009, 10:41 AM	#12
hobbzz How do I change this? Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 3,037	No problem . __________________ 150g system. 120g reef, sro3000, Apex, Tunze 6255/6105/6095, T5 w/led supplement, 29g reef, MP10, led only.

05/01/2009, 10:57 AM	#13
SDReefer44 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: phx - Camelback/20th St Posts: 193	great looking start and setup... __________________ will/can trade tax advice & svs for frags :) Current Tank Info: 36x24x23 rimless leemar, Maxspect LEDs, SSA CS1 skimmer, vortech + k4s, TLC, mixed reef (mostly sps)

05/01/2009, 12:12 PM	#14
trippkid Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Lewisberry, PA Posts: 913	Looks great so far, keep up the good work. Have a good weekend. Matt

05/01/2009, 04:58 PM	#15
cowdust9 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: des moines Posts: 414	what lights do you have over that? __________________ Johnny G. Current Tank Info: 12 gal bio cube, 29 gal bio cube, 210 rr with octo skimmer

05/02/2009, 08:51 AM	#16
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	The lights are a little jerryrigged. I have a 150w HQI (It's a viper clamp on) on the right side, and two 2x24w HOT5 fixtures on the left. I will hopefully be upgrading soon to either 2x175w halides or 6x39w T5s... __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

05/02/2009, 10:06 PM	#17
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	I took the airline tubing out of the durso, and throttled the pump back a bit and I think I've eliminated the FLUSHING! Which also mean now I can run my skimmer without it overflowing with every flush! __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

05/02/2009, 10:38 PM	#18
Tang Salad Algae skeptic Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: 78702 Posts: 3,098	Dashing! __________________ Your algae is not special. Current Tank Info: TBD ADA 120-P SPS NLPS

05/02/2009, 10:54 PM	#19
aaron1987 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ames, IA Posts: 283	Great looking tank! It looks like the aquascaping would have quite a bit of depth in person. I'm loving that small favia frag. How does the coral beauty fare with the corals? I've always fantasized about adding a centropyge of some flavor to my tank but always chicken out. I figure between my zoas, LPS, SPS and clam it would find something to nip at...

05/03/2009, 01:10 AM	#20
robot2222 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: phoenix, arizonia Posts: 1,283	really nice......................... __________________ 14 gallon biocube Current Tank Info: 72 gallon bowfront

05/03/2009, 11:25 AM	#21
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	Thanks guys for the kind words! Yeah the photos don't do things much justice. I still have to work the kinks out on the camera. Depth, and use of negative space was a goal with the scape, which those picture don't do a whole lot to show off. But that's true of every tank. This site makes it hard to really show off, doesn't it? Pictures never do justice to our creations! aaron, that favia is one of my new favorite pieces, I can't wait to see it grow out. My coral beauty I LOVE. When I bought her the owner of the store (Sea of Marvels in North Liberty, IA) said the only thing she EVER picked at was an open brain, which I don't have. In my tank she has NEVER picked at a single coral, or a single fish...she's been a model citizen. (knock on wood) Maybe it's the corals I have that she's not interested in picking at, or I've just gotten lucky so far. She eats well on mysis, brine and marine algae. We also have a flame angel in our large 180 gallon square display tank at work. We once saw him picking at our large millepora colony when we first put it in, but since then hasn't pecked. This tank is mostly SPS, a few clams, and a couple brains. So far so good. With those angels it really is hit and miss. __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

05/04/2009, 09:38 AM	#22
SkinnY T120 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kalona, IA Posts: 160	Looking great adam! hey whatever happened to that 40 breeder you had, is that still around?

05/05/2009, 10:39 PM	#23
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	It suffered a deadly injury in a car accident. Everyone else is ok though, so no worries. __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.

05/06/2009, 08:47 AM	#24
aaron1987 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ames, IA Posts: 283	I keep trying to get Hung to sell me the flame angel that he keeps in his display tank up front, no dice

05/07/2009, 10:02 PM	#25
SlukBunWalla Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa City, IA Posts: 249	Yeah but I know what it's like when people ask to buy fish out of our displays...hehe Try bringing him a plant. He likes plants, maybe you can bribe him. __________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Click the red house for my 65 Gallon Build Thread Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef with 20 gallon sump/refugium, 2x250 halides, and a craaaaapy skimmer...and a 20H BTA/black occelaris tank with 4x24 T5HO...and a 15 gallon FOWLR with green spotted puffer.