kphilly2017
Aquarium Advice Activist
Hey all,
Before I begin speaking about my tank, I would like to explain briefly my current situation. That way, no one will have to waste their time on trying to explain or elaborate on topics that may already be well understood. I have kept a reef aquarium before, but I have been out of the hobby for roughly 3 to 4 years due to my move to a new town to pursue my college studies. Through time I have learned to balance and manage time much better. I picked up a 98G shallow display tank for a great price, due to the owners had it custom built and the company got their bracing wrong. They do not like euro-bracing, but I do. After moving the tank home, I did discover that it had a very tiny leak, which is easily fixed. I can do it myself, because it is what I believe to be just a silicon leak. The tank was practically brand new. I saw no apparent scratches or abrasion on any of the panes. All silicon looked very good, just missed the tiny pin hole on the bottom. Myself and another friend looked it over together, he kept aquariums as well. I bought a brand new 55G sump on sale from PETCO, and we put our own custom made panes to silicon in it. So my sump is custom designed to fit my particular needs. The stand was also built by my step-father and I. It is over engineered to be honest.
Now to the details of the tank. I have a ghost overflow, it is plumbed to the middle. I can get brand names and details if requested, but it is rated for multiple times the entire tank's water volume and adjustable. I plumbed the bean system into my overflow (The returns, the drainage, and the emergency overflow pipe that leads directly to the sump). I have the Tunze Comline Wavebox 6214 for an even dispersion of water across the tank. I do not like the look of multiple wavemakers, personally. My returns are 1" and my drains are 1 1/2". My drain has an overflow sock on the inside of the sump. I use the ESV 2 part dosing system for salt. I have enough for base rock, and I have cleaned and washed fine grade sand that I retrieved from home depot. I keep about a 2-3" sand bed. To be honest, I need to research my return pump again, I believe it is a tunze.
I need to clean everything up. The tank, equipment, sump, and sand. It has been a while since I have been involved with the tank. I feel bad for letting it sit and I found myself coming in more and more thinking about the tank. I am moving to a new apartment mid summer to early fall (I will be on the bottom floor which is complete concrete slab underneath, so no need to worry about weight). It has great potential to be a reef tank full of life. I am biology person, which is why I am pursuing the occupation of Vet School. I want to be a large animal veterinarian, but I do love my marine creatures as well.
My goal for this tank is to be a reef tank. I am a college student, and I already know how expensive this hobby is. Which is why my build consists mainly of DIY. I have bought brand name only where i found a piece of equipment did something I particularly wanted.
The reason I am posting is because I want this build to be efficient and successful. So before I move I want to get my ducks back in a row, get a plan together, and source some of the equipment out. That way when I move to my new apartment I can get it all setup and start my fishless cycle immediately. I also forget to mention I have a 5 stage 75G per day RO/DI unit.
I am looking for lights, and if it is possible I would like for them to be dimmable and controllable. I am thinking about investing in a aquarium controller. I want to be able to grow everything all the way up to SPS and Anemones. I will need a a skimmer as well.
At the current moment, that is all I can think of and I am hoping the community will reach out and be able to assist me. I know a lot has probably changed in the last 3 to 4 years and I have an open mind. If you would like pictures I can provide but please keep in my mind the aquarium still needs cleaning (Nothing living has been kept in it). I am also looking for function over brand name, unless I need to just save and go for a better option to achieve what it is that I desire. Thank you for taking time to read my post and being willing to assist me! I am excited to get this thing up and running!
Before I begin speaking about my tank, I would like to explain briefly my current situation. That way, no one will have to waste their time on trying to explain or elaborate on topics that may already be well understood. I have kept a reef aquarium before, but I have been out of the hobby for roughly 3 to 4 years due to my move to a new town to pursue my college studies. Through time I have learned to balance and manage time much better. I picked up a 98G shallow display tank for a great price, due to the owners had it custom built and the company got their bracing wrong. They do not like euro-bracing, but I do. After moving the tank home, I did discover that it had a very tiny leak, which is easily fixed. I can do it myself, because it is what I believe to be just a silicon leak. The tank was practically brand new. I saw no apparent scratches or abrasion on any of the panes. All silicon looked very good, just missed the tiny pin hole on the bottom. Myself and another friend looked it over together, he kept aquariums as well. I bought a brand new 55G sump on sale from PETCO, and we put our own custom made panes to silicon in it. So my sump is custom designed to fit my particular needs. The stand was also built by my step-father and I. It is over engineered to be honest.
Now to the details of the tank. I have a ghost overflow, it is plumbed to the middle. I can get brand names and details if requested, but it is rated for multiple times the entire tank's water volume and adjustable. I plumbed the bean system into my overflow (The returns, the drainage, and the emergency overflow pipe that leads directly to the sump). I have the Tunze Comline Wavebox 6214 for an even dispersion of water across the tank. I do not like the look of multiple wavemakers, personally. My returns are 1" and my drains are 1 1/2". My drain has an overflow sock on the inside of the sump. I use the ESV 2 part dosing system for salt. I have enough for base rock, and I have cleaned and washed fine grade sand that I retrieved from home depot. I keep about a 2-3" sand bed. To be honest, I need to research my return pump again, I believe it is a tunze.
I need to clean everything up. The tank, equipment, sump, and sand. It has been a while since I have been involved with the tank. I feel bad for letting it sit and I found myself coming in more and more thinking about the tank. I am moving to a new apartment mid summer to early fall (I will be on the bottom floor which is complete concrete slab underneath, so no need to worry about weight). It has great potential to be a reef tank full of life. I am biology person, which is why I am pursuing the occupation of Vet School. I want to be a large animal veterinarian, but I do love my marine creatures as well.
My goal for this tank is to be a reef tank. I am a college student, and I already know how expensive this hobby is. Which is why my build consists mainly of DIY. I have bought brand name only where i found a piece of equipment did something I particularly wanted.
The reason I am posting is because I want this build to be efficient and successful. So before I move I want to get my ducks back in a row, get a plan together, and source some of the equipment out. That way when I move to my new apartment I can get it all setup and start my fishless cycle immediately. I also forget to mention I have a 5 stage 75G per day RO/DI unit.
I am looking for lights, and if it is possible I would like for them to be dimmable and controllable. I am thinking about investing in a aquarium controller. I want to be able to grow everything all the way up to SPS and Anemones. I will need a a skimmer as well.
At the current moment, that is all I can think of and I am hoping the community will reach out and be able to assist me. I know a lot has probably changed in the last 3 to 4 years and I have an open mind. If you would like pictures I can provide but please keep in my mind the aquarium still needs cleaning (Nothing living has been kept in it). I am also looking for function over brand name, unless I need to just save and go for a better option to achieve what it is that I desire. Thank you for taking time to read my post and being willing to assist me! I am excited to get this thing up and running!
