Asmita's 7ft Starfire In-Wall Tank

DentAspects · 05/26/2013, 09:34 PM

Introduction

Been lurking on this site looking for a while now, and decided to create an account just for this journal! It's always helpful for people to provide their opinions and suggestions (have this journal in one other place).

I have always wanted to keep pets but never got the opportunity to do it properly. Although I did have a small tank as a child, it was only a temporary freshwater tank with goldfish. When I was starting my own business (and knew I would practically be living there!), I thought that it would be a great opportunity to finally get around to it and start up a marine tank like I’ve always wanted. The tank is built into the wall.

A lot of planning definitely went into it (8 months), and although I wanted to create this journal earlier to share the process with everyone, I never got the time. I’m relatively new to this and have dived into the deep end – would love your thoughts, opinions and tips!

System Objectives

Have a nice centrepiece in the business while satisfying my own hobby needs. Something calm and relaxing to sit near in the evenings and provide hours of enjoyment for myself and visitors.

System Type: Being a girl – pretty colourful things! Basically looking to have a mixed reef tank with bits of everything.

Display System

Strike up Date: 10 May 2013

Display Tank: 15mm Starfire front - 2100 x 480 x 900mm

Display Lighting: GHL Mitras 6100LV

Stand: Custom-made 50mm thick steel stand (people tell me I over-engineered this)

Hood: Open top (in wall)

Sump: 1810x 450 x 400mm (approx). 4 compartments. 300 x 300 x 500mm separate auto top-up container.

Refugium: 2 compartments – Miracle Mud (Compartment 1) and Coral Rubble (Compartment 2)

Refugium Lighting: Dalua BW30 LEDs

Support systems

System Water: Natural salt water (Reef Coral Pro salt as back-up if required)

Display Water circulation: 2 x Jebo WP 40 with adjustable voltage adapters (these are surprisingly good!)

Return Pumps: 1 x Eheim 5000 + 1 x Eheim 3000

Skimmer: Bubble King Double Cone 200 with Red Dragon Speedy 3 Pump

Chiller: Hailea 500A

Heater: 2 x Jager 300W heaters

Monitoring System: Weipro PH-ORP controller

Ozone: ET-200 ozonizer feeding into Bubble King and monitored by the ORP controller

Evaporation Top-Up: Tunze Ozmolator 3155

RO/DI: Aquaclave RO P5

Chemical Support

Dosing Pump: Kamoer KSP-F03 Dosing Pump

Phosphate removal: Phosban 550 with RowaPhos/Phosban with Eheim 1000

Carbon: JNS alpha 2 with Matrix Carbon

Various test kits and miscellaneous items: Hanna Checker, Julians Thing, Salifert Kits, Refractometer

Still to get/Wish-List:
GHL Profilux
UV
Temperature controller
Vertex Vectra lid for Bubble King
Gravel Cleaner
MP40s x 2

DentAspects · 05/26/2013, 09:34 PM

Pictures

Initial tank planning by builder.

Me measuring up the fishtank.

Drains at the base of the fishtank area. As it was planned for reduced maintenance, we wanted any possible water spillages and RO/DI and skimmer waste to flow directly into the drain.

Tank planning on wall. The left two switches are on one circuit, and the right two are on a separate circuit for redundancy and to keep things going if any equipment fails. For example, I have each powerhead, heater, return pump on a different circuit. Further, I have a third circuit through the wall in the adjoining room with a UPS in a cupboard.

Background wall was painted blue. There are two exhaust outlets – the one on the ceiling is for overall heat reduction, and the duct coming down will have a custom chiller surround made so that the chiller heat will go directly into the exhaust. On the right, there is a temperature controlled AC Vent, with the temperature controller in the adjoining room.

Tank surround completed. The cupboards down below have child locks, and the cupboards above are opened with magnets. This allowed a flush finish.

DentAspects · 05/26/2013, 09:35 PM

More pictures

Left hand side of sump. The middle leg of the stand, as well as the cupboard, are removable to allow the entire sump to be taken out if necessary. The water proofing around the sump is visible, with the drain hole and the drains down below. The water outlet can be seen next to the filter socks. The round hole in the wall behind the sump is the third circuit through the wall with the back-up power.

Right hand side of sump.

Still waiting on the third Mitra, so currently while the tank cycles have rocks on either end. Will add more rock and complete aquascape once third Mitra arrives.

Tank getting its first good clean.

How it looks currently.

jhill · 05/27/2013, 10:48 AM

Wow!! That is a clean look. Is it in an office?

Pastey · 05/27/2013, 10:54 AM

That whole office setting looks great! Kudos to the designer. Very sleek design and carried out well.

worm5406 · 05/27/2013, 02:41 PM

What was in the vials??

jdarr · 05/27/2013, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DentAspects

More pictures

Tank getting its first good clean.

How it looks currently.

The finishing looks amazing. What material is the finish and where did you get it? Very nice job!

agv180 · 05/27/2013, 08:03 PM

congratulations, very nice aquarium.

very good design

DentAspects · 05/28/2013, 05:26 AM

Thanks for all the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhill

Wow!! That is a clean look. Is it in an office?

Yes - It's in the waiting area of my business. I spend so much time here that I pretty much live here, so effectively, its at home!

www.facebook.com/dentalaspects and www.dentalaspects.com.au if you're interested (new website up soon!).

Quote:

Originally Posted by worm5406

What was in the vials??

Prodibo products. Bacteria boost - cycled the tank in less than a week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdarr

The finishing looks amazing. What material is the finish and where did you get it? Very nice job!

The finish is a laminex gloss finish - link here.

DentAspects · 05/28/2013, 05:42 AM

Picture Update:

Added more rock, bringing it to almost a 100kg in the tank. Plenty of filtration I hope. Also added 6 chromis to start off with.

Meet Patrick!

Also found this cheeky guy in the tank. Sat there all day staring at you. Of course, it had to be on the bit of the rock right at the bottom, requiring everything to be moved around. He's out now, but I still hear clicking noises. Going to try a trap.

Pastey · 05/28/2013, 06:20 AM

Worm...that looks like Prodibio vials. Which kit....I have no idea.

DentAspects · 05/29/2013, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pastey

Worm...that looks like Prodibio vials. Which kit....I have no idea.

Correct, it was a microbial addition as per my post above. Cycled the tank in under a week. Was great!

More Pics:

Full sump shot. Nearly there with the things we need to add. Dosing pump remaining - just waiting for shelves first.

Left side.

Right side.

New fish additions. Just taking it slow at the moment. The little one is not eating and has been in there 3 days now - any suggestions? Just keep waiting?

Robb in Austin · 05/29/2013, 07:34 AM

Awesome!

But...dentist office, Australia....I think we all know where this is going.

DentAspects · 05/29/2013, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robb in Austin

Awesome!

But...dentist office, Australia....I think we all know where this is going.

Indeed. Moorish idol coming up soon.

guc32 · 05/29/2013, 10:52 AM

Looking great!!! Must tag along.

Mark... · 05/29/2013, 02:46 PM

That is a great clean look...

05/26/2013, 09:34 PM	#1
DentAspects Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 10	Asmita's 7ft Starfire In-Wall Tank Introduction Been lurking on this site looking for a while now, and decided to create an account just for this journal! It's always helpful for people to provide their opinions and suggestions (have this journal in one other place). I have always wanted to keep pets but never got the opportunity to do it properly. Although I did have a small tank as a child, it was only a temporary freshwater tank with goldfish. When I was starting my own business (and knew I would practically be living there!), I thought that it would be a great opportunity to finally get around to it and start up a marine tank like I’ve always wanted. The tank is built into the wall. A lot of planning definitely went into it (8 months), and although I wanted to create this journal earlier to share the process with everyone, I never got the time. I’m relatively new to this and have dived into the deep end – would love your thoughts, opinions and tips! System Objectives Have a nice centrepiece in the business while satisfying my own hobby needs. Something calm and relaxing to sit near in the evenings and provide hours of enjoyment for myself and visitors. System Type: Being a girl – pretty colourful things! Basically looking to have a mixed reef tank with bits of everything. Display System Strike up Date: 10 May 2013 Display Tank: 15mm Starfire front - 2100 x 480 x 900mm Display Lighting: GHL Mitras 6100LV Stand: Custom-made 50mm thick steel stand (people tell me I over-engineered this) Hood: Open top (in wall) Sump: 1810x 450 x 400mm (approx). 4 compartments. 300 x 300 x 500mm separate auto top-up container. Refugium: 2 compartments – Miracle Mud (Compartment 1) and Coral Rubble (Compartment 2) Refugium Lighting: Dalua BW30 LEDs Support systems System Water: Natural salt water (Reef Coral Pro salt as back-up if required) Display Water circulation: 2 x Jebo WP 40 with adjustable voltage adapters (these are surprisingly good!) Return Pumps: 1 x Eheim 5000 + 1 x Eheim 3000 Skimmer: Bubble King Double Cone 200 with Red Dragon Speedy 3 Pump Chiller: Hailea 500A Heater: 2 x Jager 300W heaters Monitoring System: Weipro PH-ORP controller Ozone: ET-200 ozonizer feeding into Bubble King and monitored by the ORP controller Evaporation Top-Up: Tunze Ozmolator 3155 RO/DI: Aquaclave RO P5 Chemical Support Dosing Pump: Kamoer KSP-F03 Dosing Pump Phosphate removal: Phosban 550 with RowaPhos/Phosban with Eheim 1000 Carbon: JNS alpha 2 with Matrix Carbon Various test kits and miscellaneous items: Hanna Checker, Julians Thing, Salifert Kits, Refractometer Still to get/Wish-List: GHL Profilux UV Temperature controller Vertex Vectra lid for Bubble King Gravel Cleaner MP40s x 2 __________________ New around here - welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions!

05/26/2013, 09:34 PM	#2
DentAspects Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 10	Pictures Initial tank planning by builder. Me measuring up the fishtank. Drains at the base of the fishtank area. As it was planned for reduced maintenance, we wanted any possible water spillages and RO/DI and skimmer waste to flow directly into the drain. Tank planning on wall. The left two switches are on one circuit, and the right two are on a separate circuit for redundancy and to keep things going if any equipment fails. For example, I have each powerhead, heater, return pump on a different circuit. Further, I have a third circuit through the wall in the adjoining room with a UPS in a cupboard. Background wall was painted blue. There are two exhaust outlets – the one on the ceiling is for overall heat reduction, and the duct coming down will have a custom chiller surround made so that the chiller heat will go directly into the exhaust. On the right, there is a temperature controlled AC Vent, with the temperature controller in the adjoining room. Tank surround completed. The cupboards down below have child locks, and the cupboards above are opened with magnets. This allowed a flush finish. __________________ New around here - welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions!

05/26/2013, 09:35 PM	#3
DentAspects Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 10	More pictures Left hand side of sump. The middle leg of the stand, as well as the cupboard, are removable to allow the entire sump to be taken out if necessary. The water proofing around the sump is visible, with the drain hole and the drains down below. The water outlet can be seen next to the filter socks. The round hole in the wall behind the sump is the third circuit through the wall with the back-up power. Right hand side of sump. Still waiting on the third Mitra, so currently while the tank cycles have rocks on either end. Will add more rock and complete aquascape once third Mitra arrives. Tank getting its first good clean. How it looks currently. __________________ New around here - welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions!

05/27/2013, 10:54 AM	#5
Pastey Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Baton Rouge, LA Posts: 835	That whole office setting looks great! Kudos to the designer. Very sleek design and carried out well. __________________ I got a fever, and the only prescription is more pictures.

05/27/2013, 02:41 PM	#6
worm5406 Not afriad to admit wrong Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: South of WashDC in Maryland Posts: 7,774	What was in the vials?? __________________ Stock:LPS/SPS\|1 hippo\|4 OC Clown\|4 Pepp shrimp\|2 Brittle Star\|3000+ Copepods\|10+ MiniBrittle\|8+ Bristle Worm\|2 Anemone\|100+ mini-feather\|4 boys 14,21,22,22 Current Tank Info: Tank:300g Mixed Reef 300+lb LR\|4" LS\|5x MP40W\|75g fuge\|5x RadionPRO\|RO DB250 skimmer\|Apex

05/27/2013, 10:48 AM	#4
jhill Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 107	Wow!! That is a clean look. Is it in an office?

05/27/2013, 08:03 PM	#8
agv180 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 84	congratulations, very nice aquarium. very good design

05/28/2013, 05:42 AM	#10
DentAspects Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 10	Picture Update Picture Update: Added more rock, bringing it to almost a 100kg in the tank. Plenty of filtration I hope. Also added 6 chromis to start off with. Meet Patrick! Also found this cheeky guy in the tank. Sat there all day staring at you. Of course, it had to be on the bit of the rock right at the bottom, requiring everything to be moved around. He's out now, but I still hear clicking noises. Going to try a trap. __________________ New around here - welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions!

05/28/2013, 06:20 AM	#11
Pastey Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Baton Rouge, LA Posts: 835	Worm...that looks like Prodibio vials. Which kit....I have no idea. __________________ I got a fever, and the only prescription is more pictures.

05/29/2013, 07:34 AM	#13
Robb in Austin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Georgetown, Tx Posts: 1,016	Awesome! But...dentist office, Australia....I think we all know where this is going.

05/29/2013, 10:52 AM	#15
guc32 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 174	Looking great!!! Must tag along.

05/29/2013, 02:46 PM	#16
Mark... Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Jersey Shore Posts: 617	That is a great clean look... __________________ The solution, to pollution, is dilution... Current Tank Info: 180