Finally, Damped 45 shallow reef build

[Massimo]

I think I'll be keeping it like this! What do you guys think? Ill also be adding a boarder! Stay tuned!

[Massimo]

Almost done the stand! I added the mouldings, all what's left to do is stain! Hope you guys are following along!

[Grizz]

Nice rich color almost cherry

[Massimo]

Yeah its a beautiful colour, my mother picked it out!

[Grizz]

Good eye maybe let her pick the livestock too lol

[Massimo]

Ahaha, no that'll be up to me! Okay she gets to pick 1 fish.. Maybe...

[Massimo]

Hopefully gonna get the tank this week!

[Grizz]

Cool b waiting for updates

[Massimo]

Done the stand!!! Well not really because I need to add a handle to the door. But I'm practically done! What do you guys think?

[Bax71]

Look good

[obscurereef]

Beautiful you're a pro. Good job!

[Massimo]

My father helped me a lot during the entire build! He's a master furniture finisher. Literally. Glad you guys like it!

Hopefully by this week I'll have the tank, next week I'll be either getting the live rock at $2 a pound from the guy on kijiji or I'll be getting base rock from a local reef store!

I ordered dr tims One and only nitrifying bacteria off of amazon to help with the cycle!

I will also be buying white cutting board to put at the bottom so I don't scratch the glass!

[Massimo]

Alright guys! So I just got Tim's one and only nitrifying bacteria in the mail!

[obscurereef]

Originally Posted by Damped

My father helped me a lot during the entire build! He's a master furniture finisher. Literally. Glad you guys like it!

Hopefully by this week I'll have the tank, next week I'll be either getting the live rock at $2 a pound from the guy on kijiji or I'll be getting base rock from a local reef store!

I ordered dr tims One and only nitrifying bacteria off of amazon to help with the cycle!

I will also be buying white cutting board to put at the bottom so I don't scratch the glass!

He is a master. Guys did a good job. I used dr Tim's one an only when I had some ammonia after a week cycle and the ammonia disappeared within 12 hours. Very impressive and worked! You're in your way.

[Massimo]

Thank you! Now that I think of it, should I use something to protect the bottom glass? I was going to buy HDPE (cutting board material). I was going to go with white, would the bottom of my tank be okay without HDPE?

I plan on having a lot of flow, in the middle of the tank I'll be having sps, around the sps I'll be having frogspawn and hammer coral and some other lps, and then I'll have soft corals wherever the light isn't too strong.

I'm gonna have to play with the aquascape and my Wp-25 wavemaker pump to get the perfect flow.

Does sps prefer a wave or a constant flow? Or just random bursts of low and high flow?

[Grizz]

My SPS are in a high random flow and love it the growth is unreal It started as a 3/4 in. frag now 7 months later it's the size of a softball

[Massimo]

How high is high flow? Like directly infront of a powerhead that pushes 750gph?

[Grizz]

They wont like being in front of the ph mine sit on the sand bed and about mid way up. my tank is mostly SPS so i run about 10k gph the flows are aimed front center of the glass.

This causes a nice random flow MY ph's are 3250 gph two of those, with a closed loop powered by a reef dart that feeds two sea swirls The surface of my tank looks like it's boiling Most SPS do very well with a wave you'l just need to move it around until you find it's happy place.

[Massimo]

My aquarium is only 12 inches tall, I have a 120w led unit (like the taotronics), how high should I hang it from the tank? Will it be enough for sps?

[Grizz]

Id hang it at least 12in. above the water level and yes it's enough for SPS be sure to dim it because it will burn your coral my tank is 24 in. deep and im keeping SPS on the sandbed