90 Gallon Build - Rookie

Uncle Dmerr · 11/13/2013, 05:36 PM

After about a year of research (which included the book “Saltwater Tanks for Dummies.” Don’t read it) I decided to finally pull the trigger on my very first saltwater tank. Since I didn’t know anyone else with a saltwater aquarium I had to rely on Reef Central to answer my many noob-ish questions. So thanks for that! Here is my tank build. Now that the build process is done, there are a LOT of things that I wish I had done differently.. But hey, I can switch things up during my next 180 gallon build. Just kidding, but not really.

I wanted to go with a 90 gallon mixed reef, using the following:

* 90 Gallon Display 2.5” Shallow Sand Bed / 80Lb Dead rock / 15Lb Live Rock
*6-Bulb Aquatic Life T-5 HO with Lunar LEDs
*Octopus NWB 150 Skimmer
* 30 Gallon Sump / Refugium 4” DSB
* Eheim Compact Plus Pump 5000 – Return Pump
* (2) Koralia Evolution Water Pumps - 1400Gph with Wave Maker
* (2) 250W Jager Aquarium Heaters W/ Ranco ETC Controller

And, a custom built stand. Here are some pictures of my build.

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I used mostly 2 X 4’s and even some 2 X 6’s. I realize that this could be considered an over-kill. Whatever, I didn’t want it falling apart. Also, When I opened the 2 doors I didn’t want a center post mounted in front of my sump, so I did a “little” overcompensating..

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Primed interior & Exterior with Killz
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After a few coats of black, I was finally ready to bring the stand into my house!

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the1poolman · 11/13/2013, 07:42 PM

I like it! A little over compensation is always good! You could probably park a car on it though! We have overkill in common! Nice job!

dppitone · 11/14/2013, 01:40 AM

Nice. Look in Craigslist and find live rock for sale from a tank breakdown. If you have to drive a few hours to get it, it's IMO worth it compared to adding dead rock. Dead rock is an eye sore for a long time and a missed opportunity to import interest diverse life that attaches to rock.

Uncle Dmerr · 11/14/2013, 08:13 AM

Hey thanks! I’m nervous about using live rock from Craigslist, mostly because I don’t want to introduce anything “bad” to my tank right off the bat. However, I guess it would be better than dead rock. My plan is to use about 80Lbs dead, then seed with 15Lbs uncured live rock.

Uncle Dmerr · 11/14/2013, 08:31 AM

Got it inside!

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dppitone · 11/14/2013, 08:48 AM

90 is a great tank.
Folks in the know and with cash get there stuff from Craigslist or the like.

Uncle Dmerr · 11/14/2013, 10:57 AM

Slip/Slip Cpex ball-valve on the drain with a simple slip/slip union on my return. Having the ability to disconnect these lines has already came in very handy while trying to arrange my sump.

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mpeaden2 · 11/14/2013, 11:38 AM

Nice Job. I had a blast with my 90 gal build. Reading this makes me want to start another build for no good reason!

JiveWalker · 11/14/2013, 11:50 AM

looking good! I love my 90!

Uncle Dmerr · 11/14/2013, 05:03 PM

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tdo · 11/14/2013, 10:00 PM

What's going on! Fellow Nebraskan here! Where u located? Tank is looking good so far!

jmoney 402 · 11/14/2013, 10:13 PM

Looks good so far!

Big game this weekend, GBR!

Uncle Dmerr · 11/15/2013, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdo

What's going on! Fellow Nebraskan here! Where u located? Tank is looking good so far!

Hey GBR! I'm here in Lincoln. You?

Uncle Dmerr · 11/15/2013, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmoney 402

Looks good so far!

Big game this weekend, GBR!

Thanks! Spartans... Going to be a tough game.

Uncle Dmerr · 11/15/2013, 11:45 AM

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tdo · 11/16/2013, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Dmerr

Hey GBR! I'm here in Lincoln. You?

I'm from Lincoln too! U should check out new age reefs if u haven't yet. Loca Nebraska forum.

Uncle Dmerr · 11/21/2013, 10:12 AM

I filled the aquarium with RODI water and introduced my live sand. (Mostly because I was busy) I let the tank sit for a few weeks with only live sand & water. Hopefully this allowed all my equipment to break in. Last month I was finally able to add my 80Lbs of dead rock and begin my cycle with 15lbs of uncured live rock and a dead shrimp. Do you have any suggestions on my aquascaping? The only area where the rock touches the tank is one spot on the overflow. Everywhere else has at least 2” of clearance.

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[/IMG]

Before I added my un-cured live rock, I allowed the rock to soak in a bath of saltwater that had a SG of 1.027. I was trying to draw out any “bad” hitch hikers (advice that I found on this forum). This was a success; I managed to prevent a few different hairy crabs from going into my display tank. One of the more interesting ones was this guy. Any idea as to what species this is?

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Mark9 · 11/21/2013, 10:37 AM

I think the tank looks great!.
Only thing I'd do is paint the back black.

Uncle Dmerr · 11/21/2013, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark9

I think the tank looks great!.
Only thing I'd do is paint the back black.

Thanks! It's hard to tell from the last picture, but I did.

JAnwyl · 11/21/2013, 05:17 PM

I'd say Craigslist for live rock. You can always use reefcentral to identify hitchhikers and solutions for removal. Your gonna love the size of that sump, I wish that mine was bigger. (mines around 10 and houses heater, protein skimmer, sock with carbon bag in it, UV filter, return pump and seems busy) P.S. UV filter is a waste IMO but came with tank.

JAnwyl · 11/21/2013, 05:22 PM

On your aquascaping I seem to change mine every 6 months or so. I seem to think it would look better if I moved this item over there, I bet most follow a similar schedule.

11/13/2013, 05:36 PM	#1
Uncle Dmerr Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 36	90 Gallon Build - Rookie After about a year of research (which included the book “Saltwater Tanks for Dummies.” Don’t read it) I decided to finally pull the trigger on my very first saltwater tank. Since I didn’t know anyone else with a saltwater aquarium I had to rely on Reef Central to answer my many noob-ish questions. So thanks for that! Here is my tank build. Now that the build process is done, there are a LOT of things that I wish I had done differently.. But hey, I can switch things up during my next 180 gallon build. Just kidding, but not really. I wanted to go with a 90 gallon mixed reef, using the following: * 90 Gallon Display 2.5” Shallow Sand Bed / 80Lb Dead rock / 15Lb Live Rock 6-Bulb Aquatic Life T-5 HO with Lunar LEDs Octopus NWB 150 Skimmer * 30 Gallon Sump / Refugium 4” DSB * Eheim Compact Plus Pump 5000 – Return Pump * (2) Koralia Evolution Water Pumps - 1400Gph with Wave Maker * (2) 250W Jager Aquarium Heaters W/ Ranco ETC Controller And, a custom built stand. Here are some pictures of my build. [IMG][/IMG] I used mostly 2 X 4’s and even some 2 X 6’s. I realize that this could be considered an over-kill. Whatever, I didn’t want it falling apart. Also, When I opened the 2 doors I didn’t want a center post mounted in front of my sump, so I did a “little” overcompensating.. [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] Primed interior & Exterior with Killz [IMG][/IMG] After a few coats of black, I was finally ready to bring the stand into my house! [IMG][/IMG]

11/14/2013, 08:31 AM	#5
Uncle Dmerr Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 36	Got it inside! [IMG][/IMG]

11/14/2013, 10:57 AM	#7
Uncle Dmerr Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 36	Slip/Slip Cpex ball-valve on the drain with a simple slip/slip union on my return. Having the ability to disconnect these lines has already came in very handy while trying to arrange my sump. [IMG][/IMG]

11/14/2013, 11:38 AM	#8
mpeaden2 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Florida Posts: 70	Nice Job. I had a blast with my 90 gal build. Reading this makes me want to start another build for no good reason! __________________ 90 gal. \|29 gal sump\|2 x AI SOL Blue\|Apex Neptune\|2 x Sicce Power Heads\|Reef Octopus 150\|MagDrive 12

11/14/2013, 05:03 PM	#10
Uncle Dmerr Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 36	[IMG][/IMG]

11/13/2013, 07:42 PM	#2
the1poolman Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 9	I like it! A little over compensation is always good! You could probably park a car on it though! We have overkill in common! Nice job!

11/14/2013, 01:40 AM	#3
dppitone Registered Member. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Queen Village, Phila. Posts: 1,697	Nice. Look in Craigslist and find live rock for sale from a tank breakdown. If you have to drive a few hours to get it, it's IMO worth it compared to adding dead rock. Dead rock is an eye sore for a long time and a missed opportunity to import interest diverse life that attaches to rock.

11/14/2013, 08:13 AM	#4
Uncle Dmerr Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 36	Hey thanks! I’m nervous about using live rock from Craigslist, mostly because I don’t want to introduce anything “bad” to my tank right off the bat. However, I guess it would be better than dead rock. My plan is to use about 80Lbs dead, then seed with 15Lbs uncured live rock.

11/14/2013, 08:48 AM	#6
dppitone Registered Member. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Queen Village, Phila. Posts: 1,697	90 is a great tank. Folks in the know and with cash get there stuff from Craigslist or the like.

11/14/2013, 11:50 AM	#9
JiveWalker Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Chucktown Posts: 184	looking good! I love my 90!

11/14/2013, 10:00 PM	#11
tdo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nebraska Posts: 124	What's going on! Fellow Nebraskan here! Where u located? Tank is looking good so far!

11/14/2013, 10:13 PM	#12
jmoney 402 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 45	Looks good so far! Big game this weekend, GBR!

11/15/2013, 11:45 AM	#15
Uncle Dmerr Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 36	[IMG][/IMG]

11/21/2013, 10:12 AM	#17
Uncle Dmerr Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Nebraska Posts: 36	I filled the aquarium with RODI water and introduced my live sand. (Mostly because I was busy) I let the tank sit for a few weeks with only live sand & water. Hopefully this allowed all my equipment to break in. Last month I was finally able to add my 80Lbs of dead rock and begin my cycle with 15lbs of uncured live rock and a dead shrimp. Do you have any suggestions on my aquascaping? The only area where the rock touches the tank is one spot on the overflow. Everywhere else has at least 2” of clearance. [IMG][/IMG] Before I added my un-cured live rock, I allowed the rock to soak in a bath of saltwater that had a SG of 1.027. I was trying to draw out any “bad” hitch hikers (advice that I found on this forum). This was a success; I managed to prevent a few different hairy crabs from going into my display tank. One of the more interesting ones was this guy. Any idea as to what species this is? [IMG][/IMG]

11/21/2013, 10:37 AM	#18
Mark9 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Atlanta Posts: 2,497	I think the tank looks great!. Only thing I'd do is paint the back black.

11/21/2013, 05:17 PM	#20
JAnwyl Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: El Dorado Hills, CA Posts: 239	I'd say Craigslist for live rock. You can always use reefcentral to identify hitchhikers and solutions for removal. Your gonna love the size of that sump, I wish that mine was bigger. (mines around 10 and houses heater, protein skimmer, sock with carbon bag in it, UV filter, return pump and seems busy) P.S. UV filter is a waste IMO but came with tank.

11/21/2013, 05:22 PM	#21
JAnwyl Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: El Dorado Hills, CA Posts: 239	On your aquascaping I seem to change mine every 6 months or so. I seem to think it would look better if I moved this item over there, I bet most follow a similar schedule.