90g Build with Pics!

cgray07 · 12/02/2016, 12:02 PM

Hey all! A little background on me first I guess. My name is Connor. My wife and I just moved to Orlando FL and are both originally from upstate NY. I got into the hobby about 6 years ago when I won a goldfish at the fair in my home town. I quickly fell in love with keeping fish and moved to SW within a month. I started with a 30g FOWLR and again, quickly upgraded, this time to a 55g mixed reef. Of course I did everything wrong with the 55. I used tap water for mixing salt and top off, reused my sand from the 30 without rinsing it off first, added new uncured rock to the system and started adding livestock right away. As I'm sure you can assume, I had a very difficult time keeping anything alive. I joined the Air Force and moved to Hawaii where the reef keeping was put on hold. I found out you cannot keep very many things legally due to their agricultural laws so I took a break and started building my 90g. I did a ton of research and built my stand slowly, all the while collecting equipment anytime I could find a good deal. Fast forward to now, I have finally (5 long years later) set up the tank and started the cycle as of last Saturday. I'm running a 90g DT with a Herbie into a 40b sump/fuge, about 75lbs mostly dry rock and a small piece of live, Cobalt neotherm 300W, Reef Octopus Diablo XS 160 (not on yet), a Jebao 9000, JBJ ATO, 2 AI Vegas and a Maxspect gyre 250. In the right cabinet is my outlet box with some switches and a GFI. I wanted to do this because I didn't want more than one plug coming out of the tank. I have the ammonia reader (can't tell if its at alert or toxic though) and have been dosing roughly 4mL every few days after the initial 2oz on the first day. I have also been dosing microbacter 7 along with that. I plan on keeping a high bioload (due to the size of my skimmer) of mostly softies, LPS and fish. If you guys wanted any pictures of anything specific just let me know, I could talk about this all day and my wife is sick of hearing about it lol. Any advice or critiques are more than welcome! Thanks guys!

GimpyFin · 12/02/2016, 12:12 PM

Looks good. Nice work on the stand and hood.

Justin330 · 12/02/2016, 01:35 PM

Wow I really like that stand and hood nice job!

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dmarkham · 12/02/2016, 01:50 PM

Very nice and love the wood work.

Betaktical · 12/02/2016, 02:00 PM

Holy sugar honey ice tea that stand is awesome!!!

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cgray07 · 12/02/2016, 02:16 PM

Thanks you guys! I can't take all the credit on the stand I found plans for it online. I did build it by myself though =D

scooter31707 · 12/02/2016, 02:18 PM

Nice!! Almost looks like a entertainment system with a TV..LOL

lespaul339 · 12/02/2016, 02:19 PM

Looks great!

billdogg · 12/02/2016, 03:09 PM

Very nice job. I'm not usually a big fan of painted wood but you chose well.

Cliving1 · 12/02/2016, 03:43 PM

Agree with the above. Clean and modern look. Keep us posted on what fish and coral you choose. If she is sick of it, we are here to listen!

saltreef creep · 12/02/2016, 10:00 PM

Very clean setup! keep it going and keep updating

cgray07 · 12/03/2016, 11:58 AM

So just over 1 week in and this is what it looks like...Everything looking as it should?

mcgyvr · 12/03/2016, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgray07

So just over 1 week in and this is what it looks like...Everything looking as it should?

Its starting cycling for sure..
You dosing ammonia? or what?

cgray07 · 12/03/2016, 06:22 PM

I was dosing ammonia but I haven't in a few days I figured I've dosed enough at this point. I didn't want to add too much ammonia. Just wanted to make sure it's all going the way it should.

jayball · 12/03/2016, 10:03 PM

It looks like it is coming along but stop dosing the ammonia until it is under 1-2 ppm. You want to keep it present but low because when it is very high you can slow down parts of the cycle.

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nate16 · 12/04/2016, 08:55 AM

Looks good, keep on the ammonia! exactly what jayball said

Chopper65 · 12/04/2016, 09:22 AM

Stand and tank looks great, I like your helpers in the first pic lol

cgray07 · 12/04/2016, 10:58 AM

Ok cool thanks for the advice you guys. Yeah they immediately got in there like it was theirs or something lol. I had to pick up a small fan to go under the stand. An oversight while building, I didn't cut any vent holes other than for plumbing. I eventually plan on cutting 2 holes and mounting 2 computer fans, one push and one pull. If this small fan does the trick I may not need anything else but time will tell.

12/02/2016, 12:12 PM	#2
GimpyFin Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,032	Looks good. Nice work on the stand and hood. __________________ Brian Current Tank Info: 110 gallon

12/02/2016, 02:19 PM	#8
lespaul339 Reefer Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Iowa Posts: 903	Looks great! __________________ Reefer Madness! Current Tank Info: 60x24x24 150 gallon reef, 55 gallon sump.

12/02/2016, 03:09 PM	#9
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	Very nice job. I'm not usually a big fan of painted wood but you chose well. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

12/02/2016, 01:35 PM	#3
Justin330 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Posts: 51	Wow I really like that stand and hood nice job! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

12/02/2016, 01:50 PM	#4
dmarkham Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Joshua, TX Posts: 153	Very nice and love the wood work.

12/02/2016, 02:00 PM	#5
Betaktical Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 363	Holy sugar honey ice tea that stand is awesome!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/02/2016, 02:16 PM	#6
cgray07 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Orlando FL Posts: 82	Thanks you guys! I can't take all the credit on the stand I found plans for it online. I did build it by myself though =D

12/02/2016, 02:18 PM	#7
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	Nice!! Almost looks like a entertainment system with a TV..LOL

12/02/2016, 03:43 PM	#10
Cliving1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 1,923	Agree with the above. Clean and modern look. Keep us posted on what fish and coral you choose. If she is sick of it, we are here to listen!

12/02/2016, 10:00 PM	#11
saltreef creep Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: jacksonville, fl Posts: 10	Very clean setup! keep it going and keep updating

12/03/2016, 06:22 PM	#14
cgray07 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Orlando FL Posts: 82	I was dosing ammonia but I haven't in a few days I figured I've dosed enough at this point. I didn't want to add too much ammonia. Just wanted to make sure it's all going the way it should.

12/03/2016, 10:03 PM	#15
jayball Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,671	It looks like it is coming along but stop dosing the ammonia until it is under 1-2 ppm. You want to keep it present but low because when it is very high you can slow down parts of the cycle. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/04/2016, 08:55 AM	#16
nate16 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Peabody, MA Posts: 80	Looks good, keep on the ammonia! exactly what jayball said

12/04/2016, 09:22 AM	#17
Chopper65 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 60	Stand and tank looks great, I like your helpers in the first pic lol

12/04/2016, 10:58 AM	#18
cgray07 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Orlando FL Posts: 82	Ok cool thanks for the advice you guys. Yeah they immediately got in there like it was theirs or something lol. I had to pick up a small fan to go under the stand. An oversight while building, I didn't cut any vent holes other than for plumbing. I eventually plan on cutting 2 holes and mounting 2 computer fans, one push and one pull. If this small fan does the trick I may not need anything else but time will tell.