220g Reef Tank Build

bpnages25 · 01/27/2013, 04:48 PM

Hi guys,

This will be my first large reef tank build and am going to need all the advise and help I can get. I will be posting many pictures to document my progress feel free to comment or make suggestions.

The Tank dimensions are 72" x 24" x 30" (Acrylic)

I have a 75g tank that I will be using as the sump. This will go in the room behind the tank.

Equipment list as of now:

Protein Skimmer: Reef Octopus XP 3000 External
Pump: Iwaki MD70RLT
Controller: Neptunes Apex
UV Sterilizer: Aqua Ultraviolet 25 Watt 3/4 inch W/ Wiper UV Sterilizer

First step was building the stand. Pics to come!

bpnages25 · 01/27/2013, 05:00 PM

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bpnages25 · 01/27/2013, 05:18 PM

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bpnages25 · 01/27/2013, 05:41 PM

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cugly · 01/27/2013, 05:51 PM

Nice start great looking frame..

bluegreg1997 · 01/27/2013, 05:53 PM

Good luck with it all

bpnages25 · 01/27/2013, 06:11 PM

Reef Octopus XP 3000
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Ccarroll57 · 01/28/2013, 07:09 AM

Love it. My goal is to upgrade my 75g someday to exactly what you are doing.

makokak · 01/28/2013, 07:29 AM

woow. very nice start! tagged.

biecacka · 01/28/2013, 10:49 AM

What pump are you feeding your skimmer with? Or directly from tank?
Corey

sbazain · 01/28/2013, 12:04 PM

great looking system, wish we could all start that way but we will keep on striving for that
very nice enjoy keep on sending pictures

bpnages25 · 01/28/2013, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biecacka

What pump are you feeding your skimmer with? Or directly from tank?
Corey

The Skimmer will be fed by an Eheim Compact 2000 pump that will sit in the first section the sump (where the live rock will go)

bpnages25 · 01/28/2013, 03:21 PM

Anyone have any suggestions on where to get rock? I've been reading a lot about "real reef rock" the man made stuff but can't decide what I want to do. If i get dry or live rock should i cure it in the display or in separate containers?

Dmorty217 · 01/28/2013, 03:28 PM

Bulk Reef Supply has the pukani dry rock that is super porous and light weight. You should on have to rinse something like that and then buy 30-40lbs of live rock to seed the dry rock and you will be good to go

bpnages25 · 01/30/2013, 04:02 PM

I am looking to find water storage tanks to setup my RO/DI system. 2 65 gallon tanks would be ideal. Does anyone know a good place to get these from? I was looking at some online retailers and the freight is more than the tank itself. Im located in NY so any help i could get would be great.

bpnages25 · 02/09/2013, 04:59 PM

Over 200 lbs of dry rock. I ordered from BRS and Marco Rocks.

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Updated Sump
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d-man · 02/09/2013, 05:30 PM

Beautiful sump

rjallen · 02/09/2013, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpnages25

I am looking to find water storage tanks to setup my RO/DI system. 2 65 gallon tanks would be ideal. Does anyone know a good place to get these from? I was looking at some online retailers and the freight is more than the tank itself. Im located in NY so any help i could get would be great.

Tractor Supply and similar ag/country/western retailers have horizontal tanks built out of white plastic & designed to go in pickups. They have formed in legs. Many folks in the Dakotas haul potable water in them. I have one as a mixing tank and am very pleased.

RJ

rjallen · 02/09/2013, 08:58 PM

Dupe post

RJ

DM1975 · 02/09/2013, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpnages25

I am looking to find water storage tanks to setup my RO/DI system. 2 65 gallon tanks would be ideal. Does anyone know a good place to get these from? I was looking at some online retailers and the freight is more than the tank itself. Im located in NY so any help i could get would be great.

I'm using two 50 gallon plastic barrels I bought for maybe $15-$20 a piece. They are the big blue food grade barrels that companies will ship something in once and have to discard. Their is usually a single person that services a location that buys them and resells them.

I found them on Craigslist and am very happy with them, but the ones you find at Tractor Supply do look more professional, but my water room is out of sight and mind so I didn't much care what it all looked like.

bpnages25 · 02/11/2013, 09:59 AM

I appreciate the responses. I ended up ordering 2 65g plastic container from tank-depot.com. They have a 1" bulkhead at the bottom and I plan on plumbing in an external pump to circulate water.

I started to fill up the tank with RO water to do first water test and make sure there are no leaks in the plumbing. What is the best process of aquascaping? this is what i'm thinking about doing:

1) Keep tank filled with RO/DI water
2) Add Salt / let mix for over 24 hours
3) Add half the sand
4) Add dry rock/aquascape
5) Add rest of sand

Please let me know if this is the best process. Opinions are welcomed

bpnages25 · 02/14/2013, 03:36 PM

Does anyone know any vendors on the site that sell Orphek products? I decided on going with 3 Orphek Atlantik fixtures

twf0369 · 02/14/2013, 07:51 PM

Looks great. I'd add rock then sand. Pre mix your saltwater and then add to your tank. Good luck and keep the pics coming.

bpnages25 · 03/04/2013, 10:21 PM

Start of the aquascaping process

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Adding rock to tank:

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FILLING UP:

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What do you think??:

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bpnages25 · 03/04/2013, 10:23 PM

2 MP40's

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01/27/2013, 04:48 PM	#1
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	220g Reef Tank Build Hi guys, This will be my first large reef tank build and am going to need all the advise and help I can get. I will be posting many pictures to document my progress feel free to comment or make suggestions. The Tank dimensions are 72" x 24" x 30" (Acrylic) I have a 75g tank that I will be using as the sump. This will go in the room behind the tank. Equipment list as of now: Protein Skimmer: Reef Octopus XP 3000 External Pump: Iwaki MD70RLT Controller: Neptunes Apex UV Sterilizer: Aqua Ultraviolet 25 Watt 3/4 inch W/ Wiper UV Sterilizer First step was building the stand. Pics to come!

01/27/2013, 05:00 PM	#2
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	DIY Stand Pics [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]

01/27/2013, 05:18 PM	#3
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	Finished Stand [IMG][/IMG]

01/27/2013, 05:41 PM	#4
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	Plumbing/Sump [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]

01/27/2013, 06:11 PM	#7
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	Protein Skimmer and some more plumbing Reef Octopus XP 3000 [IMG][/IMG]

01/27/2013, 05:51 PM	#5
cugly Dansreeftank Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: chula vista Ca Posts: 1,388	Nice start great looking frame..

01/27/2013, 05:53 PM	#6
bluegreg1997 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Huntley IL Posts: 188	Good luck with it all

01/28/2013, 07:09 AM	#8
Ccarroll57 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Hershey, PA Posts: 48	Love it. My goal is to upgrade my 75g someday to exactly what you are doing.

01/28/2013, 07:29 AM	#9
makokak Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Cerritos, CA Posts: 85	woow. very nice start! tagged.

01/28/2013, 10:49 AM	#10
biecacka Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Columbus Ohio Posts: 6,361	What pump are you feeding your skimmer with? Or directly from tank? Corey

01/28/2013, 12:04 PM	#11
sbazain Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: miami,florida Posts: 322	great looking system, wish we could all start that way but we will keep on striving for that very nice enjoy keep on sending pictures

01/28/2013, 03:21 PM	#13
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	Anyone have any suggestions on where to get rock? I've been reading a lot about "real reef rock" the man made stuff but can't decide what I want to do. If i get dry or live rock should i cure it in the display or in separate containers?

01/28/2013, 03:28 PM	#14
Dmorty217 Saltwater Addict Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Vandalia OHIO Posts: 11,624	Bulk Reef Supply has the pukani dry rock that is super porous and light weight. You should on have to rinse something like that and then buy 30-40lbs of live rock to seed the dry rock and you will be good to go

01/30/2013, 04:02 PM	#15
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	I am looking to find water storage tanks to setup my RO/DI system. 2 65 gallon tanks would be ideal. Does anyone know a good place to get these from? I was looking at some online retailers and the freight is more than the tank itself. Im located in NY so any help i could get would be great.

02/09/2013, 04:59 PM	#16
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	Sand/dry rock Over 200 lbs of dry rock. I ordered from BRS and Marco Rocks. [IMG][/IMG] Updated Sump [IMG][/IMG]

02/09/2013, 05:30 PM	#17
d-man Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: San Diego, ca Posts: 2,732	Beautiful sump

02/09/2013, 08:58 PM	#19
rjallen Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Troy,Montana Posts: 440	Dupe post RJ __________________ RJ 120 Reef, 40 Sump, Vectra M1 Return Pump, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 WP-40 controllable circulation pumps, BRS GFO Reactor, Avast Biopellet Reactor, Apex Controller, 2 part dosing, Dual Carbon/ Purige Current Tank Info: 120 Gal. Mixed Reef

02/11/2013, 09:59 AM	#21
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	I appreciate the responses. I ended up ordering 2 65g plastic container from tank-depot.com. They have a 1" bulkhead at the bottom and I plan on plumbing in an external pump to circulate water. I started to fill up the tank with RO water to do first water test and make sure there are no leaks in the plumbing. What is the best process of aquascaping? this is what i'm thinking about doing: 1) Keep tank filled with RO/DI water 2) Add Salt / let mix for over 24 hours 3) Add half the sand 4) Add dry rock/aquascape 5) Add rest of sand Please let me know if this is the best process. Opinions are welcomed

02/14/2013, 03:36 PM	#22
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	Does anyone know any vendors on the site that sell Orphek products? I decided on going with 3 Orphek Atlantik fixtures

02/14/2013, 07:51 PM	#23
twf0369 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Annapolis, Maryland Posts: 106	Looks great. I'd add rock then sand. Pre mix your saltwater and then add to your tank. Good luck and keep the pics coming. __________________ 165 Custom Miracles Rimless Reef Tank and Sump; ATI 8x80w Powermodule w/ Reefbrite LED Blue light; Vertex 180i Skimmer

03/04/2013, 10:21 PM	#24
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	Aquascape Start of the aquascaping process [IMG][/IMG] Adding rock to tank: [IMG][/IMG] FILLING UP: [IMG][/IMG] What do you think??: [IMG][/IMG]

03/04/2013, 10:23 PM	#25
bpnages25 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 177	2 MP40's [IMG][/IMG]