90 Gallon Reef Tank build (pics)

Abraxos · 02/12/2008, 09:08 PM

I was starting a thread before about my little 90 gallon build. It doesn't quite compete with the astoundingly huge builds on this site that I read about while at work but for me, it is quite a source of pride even at it's early stages. I've had a 55 gallon for about 10 years and have tried salt water twice during my college days but I was too impatient and I also was too social. A tank requires staying at home more than two nights a week.

Around the weekend of the Martin Luther King holiday I decided I was going to get rid of the old 55 Cichlid and go bigger and saltwater. A local publication had several used tanks for sale but by time I contacted them they had already sold them. Luckily I found a LFS devoted just to salt water and decided a 90 gallon would fit the space and by that Saturday, I had a Marineland 90 Gallon with a Sump. By that Monday I had water from the LFS as well as sand and some live rock.

Originally I was going to go FOWLR but the idea of live food moved me into the reef route and I began to stock up on live rock. Here are some first pics.

Abraxos · 02/12/2008, 09:15 PM

After the initial setup several common problems arose that held me back.

1. Aiptasia on several of the rocks. At first I was like, "Ah cool, my rock is growing stuff" and then I found out what it was.
2. Bioballs - My sump had bioballs which isn't great for a reeftank.
3. Skimmer- I jumped the gun and bought a cheap skimmer at Petsmart because my Salt Water guy was closed on Sundays.

I eventually built up my liverock collection and replaced the bioballs with LR rubble. I also ordered a Turbofloter skimmer due to it's ease of placement. Under the hood was a little tight.

Abraxos · 02/12/2008, 09:23 PM

I waited out the cycle and ran into a heat problem. I only had a cheap florecent hood (40 watts) on the tank but it was getting to around 81 on some rather humid Alabama days. It wasn't even summer and I hadn't even bought big lights so I was a little worried.

I took out my Maxi-jet 1200s and ordered 2 Hydro Korallia 2's for my powerheads and it seemed to lower the temp down a little. I also finished up my cycle around the first week of February and added a massively cool 54lb live rock to complete the live rock for the tank. Things were looking up!

Abraxos · 02/12/2008, 09:31 PM

2-12-08
* Aiptasia is all gone thanks to Joe's Juice.
* I added my first fish, a Blackspot Foxface who is rather skittish but eatting like a pig on the seaweed clip.
* I sold my 55 and will use the cash to buy a nice pair of false percula's at the LFS (The saltwater one, not Petsmart

)
* I am saving up after the initial costs to add a nice lighting system (not originally part of the plan with a predatory fish only system) and hope to have some nice flowing polyps and mushrooms as well as more fish here real soon!

Hopefully this helps any new aquarist and brings back memories for any of the more experienced. So far it's been very exciting for me! Feel free to ask questions or offer advice.

Abraxos · 02/12/2008, 09:35 PM

My fish list for my project are: (in no particular order)
1. Blackspot Foxface
2. Hippo Tang
3. Some type of reef-safe wrasse
4. Pair of false Perculas
5. Pair of Firefish
6. Smaller Anthias or two
7. Some type of Jawfish
8. Some type of Gobie

Again, I am in the early stages so any recomendations are welcome!

Abraxos · 02/12/2008, 09:46 PM

BTW, I apparently am as new to photography as I am to saltwater. If anyone has any links to better picture taking, I would be grateful and it would help out the post. I currently am using a Canon Powershot A560.

carb850 · 02/12/2008, 09:51 PM

Looking good so far! Tag for progress pics.

jackfrost · 02/12/2008, 10:12 PM

Looking great so far !

You have a long ways to go my friend.

Some equipment upgrades are needed.

Keep the faith and more important....keep the wallet open and spend the money.

In the reef hobby $$=better equipment= Great Results

The Saltman · 02/12/2008, 11:21 PM

Looks good!

Abraxos · 02/12/2008, 11:23 PM

Lighting is the next big expense. I already bought a RO/DI unit and hope things will stabilize on expense here soon. LFS has some good deals and I hope with baby steps to get to a reef tank soon. If that doesn't work, a raise is always nice.

rhinochaser · 02/13/2008, 12:51 AM

Good start young jedi

Reeftanks6 · 02/13/2008, 05:42 AM

Great start cant wait to see some more fish and some corals.

Abraxos · 02/13/2008, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Reeftanks6
Great start cant wait to see some more fish and some corals.

Thanks, I also am in the progress of reading your thread, Reeftank6. I tried my first tank when I was 19 working part-time and paying for college. It was tough but your coming along. I went the cheap route and didn't have good advice like from this forum back then. It's awesome you are getting day by day advice from Melev who actually writes for a popular fish magazine.

I am in a bit of a light quandry also. I am selling my 55 gallon this Saturday which means I will lose my light fixture on my 90. I am a little tight with Valentine's day coming so I might have to get a strip light and wait on the T5 setup.

Reeftanks6 · 02/13/2008, 03:06 PM

Yes i now its hard to get money. But i wanted to do my tank the right way so i dont waist my money.

Abraxos · 02/14/2008, 08:17 PM

2-14-08
Well it was a great day in fish land. The LFS guy sold me a retrofit light system for $200. It's Power Compacts which I know isn't the best but it beats my 40 watt bulb and I have plenty of space to either add a T5 strip later if needed or remove it and go metal halides when I get ready to go beyond basic soft corals. What a difference an extra 180 watts of light did to my tank.
I also added two new perculas that are quite fiesty and entertaining. Before I could get back from the store, my wife said the shy foxface had come out to take a look at his new tank mates and to show his fins off.
My 4 year old is gone to spend the night with his grandparents. I can't wait to see his face when he gets home. Here are some new shots. Hopefully the lights help my awful picture taking abilities.

Reeftanks6 · 02/14/2008, 08:25 PM

Looks great

Abraxos · 02/14/2008, 11:20 PM

Appeciate it!
More to come! I am thinking about adding a Melanorois(?) Wrasse and a Mushrooom next weekend on payday. I know it's a little slow compared to other builds but it is quite awesome to me.

Reeftanks6 · 02/15/2008, 05:57 AM

Not slow compared to my build though. I have no fish in mine yet but getting there.

Abraxos · 02/15/2008, 01:05 PM

I need to get my tank ready for corals. My Salinity is a little low at 1.21 and I also assume I need to start dosing for calcium, trace elements and such. What do most people use? It seems like there is a 1000 things for saltwater reef additions. I'd like to use the "Keep it Simple, Stupid" method if one exists?

AzMandella · 02/15/2008, 03:05 PM

I use ESV Bionic two part system. Very easy to use.

Abraxos · 02/15/2008, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AzMandella
I use ESV Bionic two part system. Very easy to use.

Is this the only addition you add to the tank? I've heard of Kalk(?) and Iodine and stuff also but like a nice two part system better if it does the trick?

Abraxos · 02/25/2008, 08:50 AM

2-25-08
It's been a busy few weeks but I've made some progress. Last weekend I added some firefish to the tank and a small cleanup crew including a dragon goby, some peppermint shrimp and four snails. Will add more later as my algae grows.
Saturday morning, my Dad came over and helped me install a GFI outlet and I bought a grounding probe. I should've done this first and it was a royal pain to try and install over the sump. (Note to self: this is the first step for future tanks!). I also got our laundry room converted into a semi-fish room complete with buckets and a RO/DI unit I plan to mount on the wall.
This weekend I was going to the LFS just to add some star polyps but my wife and kid wanted to go with me. It turns out I lucked up because both of them got excitied and I ended up with a Flame angel to go with my Green Star polyps and I had two colt corals attached to my GSP as well.
Here are some pics of the tank with it's new fish. I will try to get coral shots soon. My plan now is to hold off about a month on fish additions and then add a Melanarus wrasse and maybe a Tang as the last two fish. In the meantime I want to get some bright zoas and some more mushrooms for the rock work.

Peppermint:

Firefish:

Foxface and Flameangel:

Full Tank shot:

bluegrizzlies1 · 02/25/2008, 09:08 AM

nice start

sniggir · 02/25/2008, 09:29 AM

I love your Rock.. nice looking tank

reefman13 · 02/25/2008, 09:31 AM

Looking good. I would think your next step is getting rid of that regular T8 or T12 bulb in the hood, and replacing it with maybe 4 or 5 retro HOT5 bulbs???

02/12/2008, 09:08 PM	#1
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	90 Gallon Reef Tank build (pics) I was starting a thread before about my little 90 gallon build. It doesn't quite compete with the astoundingly huge builds on this site that I read about while at work but for me, it is quite a source of pride even at it's early stages. I've had a 55 gallon for about 10 years and have tried salt water twice during my college days but I was too impatient and I also was too social. A tank requires staying at home more than two nights a week. Around the weekend of the Martin Luther King holiday I decided I was going to get rid of the old 55 Cichlid and go bigger and saltwater. A local publication had several used tanks for sale but by time I contacted them they had already sold them. Luckily I found a LFS devoted just to salt water and decided a 90 gallon would fit the space and by that Saturday, I had a Marineland 90 Gallon with a Sump. By that Monday I had water from the LFS as well as sand and some live rock. Originally I was going to go FOWLR but the idea of live food moved me into the reef route and I began to stock up on live rock. Here are some first pics.

02/13/2008, 05:42 AM	#12
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Great start cant wait to see some more fish and some corals. __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

02/13/2008, 03:06 PM	#14
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Yes i now its hard to get money. But i wanted to do my tank the right way so i dont waist my money. __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

02/14/2008, 08:25 PM	#16
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Looks great __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

02/15/2008, 05:57 AM	#18
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	Not slow compared to my build though. I have no fish in mine yet but getting there. __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

02/12/2008, 09:15 PM	#2
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	After the initial setup several common problems arose that held me back. 1. Aiptasia on several of the rocks. At first I was like, "Ah cool, my rock is growing stuff" and then I found out what it was. 2. Bioballs - My sump had bioballs which isn't great for a reeftank. 3. Skimmer- I jumped the gun and bought a cheap skimmer at Petsmart because my Salt Water guy was closed on Sundays. I eventually built up my liverock collection and replaced the bioballs with LR rubble. I also ordered a Turbofloter skimmer due to it's ease of placement. Under the hood was a little tight.

02/12/2008, 09:23 PM	#3
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	I waited out the cycle and ran into a heat problem. I only had a cheap florecent hood (40 watts) on the tank but it was getting to around 81 on some rather humid Alabama days. It wasn't even summer and I hadn't even bought big lights so I was a little worried. I took out my Maxi-jet 1200s and ordered 2 Hydro Korallia 2's for my powerheads and it seemed to lower the temp down a little. I also finished up my cycle around the first week of February and added a massively cool 54lb live rock to complete the live rock for the tank. Things were looking up!

02/12/2008, 09:31 PM	#4
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	2-12-08 * Aiptasia is all gone thanks to Joe's Juice. * I added my first fish, a Blackspot Foxface who is rather skittish but eatting like a pig on the seaweed clip. * I sold my 55 and will use the cash to buy a nice pair of false percula's at the LFS (The saltwater one, not Petsmart ) * I am saving up after the initial costs to add a nice lighting system (not originally part of the plan with a predatory fish only system) and hope to have some nice flowing polyps and mushrooms as well as more fish here real soon! Hopefully this helps any new aquarist and brings back memories for any of the more experienced. So far it's been very exciting for me! Feel free to ask questions or offer advice.

02/12/2008, 09:35 PM	#5
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	My fish list for my project are: (in no particular order) 1. Blackspot Foxface 2. Hippo Tang 3. Some type of reef-safe wrasse 4. Pair of false Perculas 5. Pair of Firefish 6. Smaller Anthias or two 7. Some type of Jawfish 8. Some type of Gobie Again, I am in the early stages so any recomendations are welcome!

02/12/2008, 09:46 PM	#6
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	BTW, I apparently am as new to photography as I am to saltwater. If anyone has any links to better picture taking, I would be grateful and it would help out the post. I currently am using a Canon Powershot A560.

02/12/2008, 09:51 PM	#7
carb850 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Charleston, WV Posts: 2,042	Looking good so far! Tag for progress pics.

02/12/2008, 10:12 PM	#8
jackfrost Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: CT Posts: 122	Looking great so far ! You have a long ways to go my friend. Some equipment upgrades are needed. Keep the faith and more important....keep the wallet open and spend the money. In the reef hobby $$=better equipment= Great Results

02/12/2008, 11:21 PM	#9
The Saltman Moved On Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Northwest Ohio Posts: 1,642	Looks good!

02/12/2008, 11:23 PM	#10
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	Lighting is the next big expense. I already bought a RO/DI unit and hope things will stabilize on expense here soon. LFS has some good deals and I hope with baby steps to get to a reef tank soon. If that doesn't work, a raise is always nice.

02/13/2008, 12:51 AM	#11
rhinochaser Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: so cal Posts: 116	Good start young jedi

02/14/2008, 08:17 PM	#15
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	2-14-08 Well it was a great day in fish land. The LFS guy sold me a retrofit light system for $200. It's Power Compacts which I know isn't the best but it beats my 40 watt bulb and I have plenty of space to either add a T5 strip later if needed or remove it and go metal halides when I get ready to go beyond basic soft corals. What a difference an extra 180 watts of light did to my tank. I also added two new perculas that are quite fiesty and entertaining. Before I could get back from the store, my wife said the shy foxface had come out to take a look at his new tank mates and to show his fins off. My 4 year old is gone to spend the night with his grandparents. I can't wait to see his face when he gets home. Here are some new shots. Hopefully the lights help my awful picture taking abilities.

02/14/2008, 11:20 PM	#17
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	Appeciate it! More to come! I am thinking about adding a Melanorois(?) Wrasse and a Mushrooom next weekend on payday. I know it's a little slow compared to other builds but it is quite awesome to me.

02/15/2008, 01:05 PM	#19
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	I need to get my tank ready for corals. My Salinity is a little low at 1.21 and I also assume I need to start dosing for calcium, trace elements and such. What do most people use? It seems like there is a 1000 things for saltwater reef additions. I'd like to use the "Keep it Simple, Stupid" method if one exists?

02/15/2008, 03:05 PM	#20
AzMandella Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Tucson,Az Posts: 185	I use ESV Bionic two part system. Very easy to use.

02/25/2008, 08:50 AM	#22
Abraxos Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montgomery,Alabama Posts: 177	2-25-08 It's been a busy few weeks but I've made some progress. Last weekend I added some firefish to the tank and a small cleanup crew including a dragon goby, some peppermint shrimp and four snails. Will add more later as my algae grows. Saturday morning, my Dad came over and helped me install a GFI outlet and I bought a grounding probe. I should've done this first and it was a royal pain to try and install over the sump. (Note to self: this is the first step for future tanks!). I also got our laundry room converted into a semi-fish room complete with buckets and a RO/DI unit I plan to mount on the wall. This weekend I was going to the LFS just to add some star polyps but my wife and kid wanted to go with me. It turns out I lucked up because both of them got excitied and I ended up with a Flame angel to go with my Green Star polyps and I had two colt corals attached to my GSP as well. Here are some pics of the tank with it's new fish. I will try to get coral shots soon. My plan now is to hold off about a month on fish additions and then add a Melanarus wrasse and maybe a Tang as the last two fish. In the meantime I want to get some bright zoas and some more mushrooms for the rock work. Peppermint: Firefish: Foxface and Flameangel: Full Tank shot:

02/25/2008, 09:08 AM	#23
bluegrizzlies1 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: utah Posts: 338	nice start

02/25/2008, 09:29 AM	#24
sniggir Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: ottawa Posts: 66	I love your Rock.. nice looking tank __________________ addicted Current Tank Info: 65 gal bow front... 90 lbs LR 100lbs LS 20 gal sump 400w 12k reeflux, 3 49w T5 UV true attinic.. Mostly SPS with some Rarer LPS and thxs to my wife alot of Zoa

02/25/2008, 09:31 AM	#25
reefman13 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: CT Posts: 4,323	Looking good. I would think your next step is getting rid of that regular T8 or T12 bulb in the hood, and replacing it with maybe 4 or 5 retro HOT5 bulbs??? __________________ Regards, Dave ______________________________________________________________________ "One day I will be back in this hobby..." spoken like a true High School student... Current Tank Info: None for now...for now...