Figured I’d start a build thread, although my tank is a little over 1 year since it’s been running. Tank is intended to become a SPS dominated reef, but we’ll see how that goes. This is my fourth system, so not exactly a new reefer
System: Red Sea Peninsula 500 (105g display volume)
Sump: stock sump (~20g water volume)
Refugium: 40g breeder tied into system
Lights: 2x G4 Radion XR30 (SPS AB+ @ 50%)
Flow: 2x MP-40 QDs
Return: RE RD3 100
Skimmer: RE Bubble King Mini 180
Top off: 2x 30g barell
Doser: GHL 4 channel standalone
Controller: GHL Profilux 3eX
Tank was purchased Thanksgiving 2018, but took a while to get going as I wanted to have the sump in the utility room in the basement. Fishing the plumbing through the ceiling was required since the basements already finished.
All the rock in the tank is Marco rock that was seeded with a small piece of LR from petco, and cooked for about 4 months in a barrel to get it seeded.
Tank was Finally filled in March of 2019, and sat as rock and substrate (seafloor special grade aragonite), for about three more months to get further stabilized before adding anything new. Picture is with temporary lighting - there’s two XR30s over the tank now.
Started adding fish in June of 2019, starting with 3 small yellow tangs, and a diamond watchman goby, followed by a pair of clownfish and a potters angelfish. it’s had it’s normal blooms and ugly phases in the first few months.
In September of 2019, I picked up a few tester corals to see if the system was stable enough to start stocking corals - picked up a frogspawn, setosa, montipora cap and green slimer to test the waters. They seemed to do just fine, so in October I picked up a few corals from Dong, as well as a nice Sherman BTA. Also picked up a melanurus wrasse too.
In November, I got 8 Lyretail anthias, of which 7 made it out of quarantine into the main tank. Since then no new fish additions to the tank. I have an autofeeder feed pellets four times a day, plus supplemental feedings of pellets/flake/frozen whenever.
here’s a pic from January:
System: Red Sea Peninsula 500 (105g display volume)
Sump: stock sump (~20g water volume)
Refugium: 40g breeder tied into system
Lights: 2x G4 Radion XR30 (SPS AB+ @ 50%)
Flow: 2x MP-40 QDs
Return: RE RD3 100
Skimmer: RE Bubble King Mini 180
Top off: 2x 30g barell
Doser: GHL 4 channel standalone
Controller: GHL Profilux 3eX
Tank was purchased Thanksgiving 2018, but took a while to get going as I wanted to have the sump in the utility room in the basement. Fishing the plumbing through the ceiling was required since the basements already finished.
All the rock in the tank is Marco rock that was seeded with a small piece of LR from petco, and cooked for about 4 months in a barrel to get it seeded.
Tank was Finally filled in March of 2019, and sat as rock and substrate (seafloor special grade aragonite), for about three more months to get further stabilized before adding anything new. Picture is with temporary lighting - there’s two XR30s over the tank now.
Started adding fish in June of 2019, starting with 3 small yellow tangs, and a diamond watchman goby, followed by a pair of clownfish and a potters angelfish. it’s had it’s normal blooms and ugly phases in the first few months.
In September of 2019, I picked up a few tester corals to see if the system was stable enough to start stocking corals - picked up a frogspawn, setosa, montipora cap and green slimer to test the waters. They seemed to do just fine, so in October I picked up a few corals from Dong, as well as a nice Sherman BTA. Also picked up a melanurus wrasse too.
In November, I got 8 Lyretail anthias, of which 7 made it out of quarantine into the main tank. Since then no new fish additions to the tank. I have an autofeeder feed pellets four times a day, plus supplemental feedings of pellets/flake/frozen whenever.
here’s a pic from January: