Rick's 225g Build

[erichm20]

That sucks what happened with the tank crash, kdpuffer had a crash w his upgrade too but his was from the sand. You guys have me worrying going to a 75 from 55! I built the stand too and I was the same way I wanted a lot more space I think I can fit another 75 underneath lol.

One things for sure with a sump that big w no baffles you def won't have to top off as frequently but u got the ato anyway so no issue there.

Looking good!

 

[Chrayis]

To be honest, I think I went this way simply for ease of use. I really didn't care to have sand in my sump/fuge this go around. I felt that with the added water volume, rock, and other equipment I could get by without a DSB. Since I didn't want sand and my skimmer is already broken in and wasn't creating microbubbles, I realized i really didn't need extra baffles for a bubble trap. I'm happy with the low flow going through the sump so I just went with it. So far so good and I'm happy with how it turned out. Not having to silicone was nice also

However, one thing to note, if my sump was smaller I think I would have definitely done a fuge with a DSB and baffles in the more traditional sense.

The cons are that I can't have sand in the sump. Also if my skimmer was newer or still producing a lot of microbubbles, then the microbubbles would have gone into my DT as I have no bubble trap. Other than that I don't know if there are too many cons for this style.

It's really up to you and how you want to set it up to fit your needs and tank makeup. What kind of system do you plan to run?

I bought a 40 gallon breed along with a 29 for the sump. This will be the first attempt at saltwater so it will start out as fowlr and see how it goes from there. I'm going to try and get the tank drilled by the weekend. I have everything I need to do the job, just trying to figure out the placement of everything ( overflow box & bulk heads )

 

[AquaRick]

That sucks what happened with the tank crash, kdpuffer had a crash w his upgrade too but his was from the sand. You guys have me worrying going to a 75 from 55! I built the stand too and I was the same way I wanted a lot more space I think I can fit another 75 underneath lol.

One things for sure with a sump that big w no baffles you def won't have to top off as frequently but u got the ato anyway so no issue there.

Looking good!

Heater Controller ended up failing on me. It was during the winter and tank temperature was in the high 50s. Not a happy day for me.

 

[AquaRick]

I bought a 40 gallon breed along with a 29 for the sump. This will be the first attempt at saltwater so it will start out as fowlr and see how it goes from there. I'm going to try and get the tank drilled by the weekend. I have everything I need to do the job, just trying to figure out the placement of everything ( overflow box & bulk heads )

Yup, drilled is definitely the way to go. Good luck with the build!

 

[AquaRick]

Thought I would share some pics of the livestock and a few more full tank shots. Really liking how things are coming along. I love finding new things in the tank. Sponge is spreading, purple seafan is growing etc. That's what I love about this hobby\obsession. Everything changes and matures.

On a side note, my PWCs are no longer keeping up with my corals. My Alk is reading at 6.5 dKH. I bought some Sodium Carbonate from Seachem to get my Alk up. I'll be buying the dosing kit from BRS in a few days to keep things up with long term dosing.

 

[redsea]

I love the fish Rick, especially those infamous Black Ices!

I'm jealous! Is this tank in your basement?

 

[AquaRick]

Nope it's sitting in my living room. I made the mistake of putting my old 125 in the dinning room. Never really sat there so I never really looked at it. Having it in the living room allows me to look at it all the time since we spend all our time here.

 

[redsea]

Nope it's sitting in my living room. I made the mistake of putting my old 125 in the dinning room. Never really sat there so I never really looked at it. Having it in the living room allows me to look at it all the time since we spend all our time here.

That's cool! So your floor wasn't enforced or anything? I would love to have a huge tank on my first floor, as I am there much more than my basement.

I had my old 125g in the basement, so I really never got to enjoy it. I always just assumed my floor couldn't hold a large tank, but I never knew for sure (there is hope for me and a large tank on my first floor )

Sorry for my ramble!

Thanks!

 

[AquaRick]

That's cool! So your floor wasn't enforced or anything? I would love to have a huge tank on my first floor, as I am there much more than my basement.

I had my old 125g in the basement, so I really never got to enjoy it. I always just assumed my floor couldn't hold a large tank, but I never knew for sure (there is hope for me and a large tank on my first floor )

Sorry for my ramble!

Thanks!

Nah no ramble!...at least to me. Love hearing about how other folks have their set up. I live in Northern California so no basement. Out floor is concrete slab so no issues there.

Have you thought of hiring a structural engineer to take a look and see what you would need if anything to get things going on your 1st floor? The house surveys they do weren't too pricey if I remember what my buddy paid.

 

[redsea]

That is a really great idea, I will definitely look into it!

I can't wait to get another saltwater fish tank again, I definitely miss the SW aspect of the hobby. I am going to start smaller, and then possibly get a larger tank in the future.

 

[AquaRick]

Added a fan to the canopy. Starting to get warm here. Not sure it will cut it in the hot days that reach 105°F...

 

[AquaRick]

Forgot to add picture.....

 

[SaltwaterNuB]

AquaRick- where you located? I'm in rocklin... Your tank is badass!

 

[AquaRick]

Thanks bud. Tank is slowly getting there.....I'm out in El Dorado Hills. Pretty close to where you are. I bet we go to the same LFS's. Let me know if you're ever in the area!

 

[SaltwaterNuB]

Thanks bud. Tank is slowly getting there.....I'm out in El Dorado Hills. Pretty close to where you are. I bet we go to the same LFS's. Let me know if you're ever in the area!

For sure. I spend a lot of my time at aqualife in rocklin. What's your lfs of choice?

 

[SaltwaterNuB]

How many lbs of rock do you have in your tank?

 

[AquaRick]

For sure. I spend a lot of my time at aqualife in rocklin. What's your lfs of choice?

The Sac region has quite a good number of LFS'. I go to different stores for different things etc. My favorite are Aquarium Depot and Your Reef. AQL as you mentioned also has good selection.

 

[AquaRick]

How many lbs of rock do you have in your tank?

I have no idea to be honest. I'd guess around 300 lbs with 75ish of those pounds in the sump? I have the nasty habit of rearranging my rock a lot. Just can't get that "perfect" aquascape.

 

[SaltwaterNuB]

Nice. Jeffrey at aqua depot is very knowledgeable and helpful. Their prices are pretty good too.

 

[AquaRick]

Been a bit since I last updated. Thought I'd share a few pictures.

Pic #1: I found a gorilla crab harassing the base of one of my acros last week. I put an old dead skeleton next to it and luckily the crab jumped ship. I tossed the old acro skeleton and crab into the sump. Base of the live acro is looking better this morning.

Pic #2 & 3) One of my rose BTAs split again. This is the 2nd split of this BTA. You can see the tear healing itself at the top end of pic #3. Interestingly enough the other 1st generation BTA split a few days after it's "sibling". There are now 4 anemones from the original one I purchased a few years ago. I didn't expect the split of both 1st gen anemones to occur so close to each other as they moved to separate sides of the tank etc.

Pic #4) Finally got around to installing the Apex controller. I've had it sitting around for a couple months. Almost forgot about it. It's been really nice having it regulate the temperature. Connected it to the fan and it's been running all day. We've got a heat wave coming through. 6 days of 105+ temperatures starting today.