ScubaTC's 180 Reef

[ScubaTC]

ScubaTC's 180 Reef
This thread is a work in progress and will be edited occasionally to provide updates on changes and new additions to my 180 gallon reef.


History
The tank was custom made in 1996 by a family friend who owns a wholesale fabrication pet supply business in Jacksonville, Florida. While our house was under new construction, during the later half of 1996, the contractor framed the in-wall area for the tank and built the stand, which is integrated into the wall. During September / October of '96 the tank was set up as fish-only with dead-decorative corals and a shallow crushed coral bed. Lighting included 6-T12 4' bulbs of various spectrums. The sump included a custom made wet/dry filter with bio-balls, air-stone skimmer and UV filter. Some of the fish included a Princes Parrot (L), Blue Tang (L), Naso Tang (XL), Purple Tang (M), Powder Blue Tang (L), Queen Angel (S), French Angel (M), Blue Face Angel (L), Dog Face Puffer (XL), Dragon Wrasse (M), Rainbow Wrasse (M), Huma Trigger (M), and a small assortment of beautiful butterfly fish.

In 1998 the tank was drained and minor configuration changes were performed to prepare for a reef tank configuration. The single 1 1/2" drain hole was drilled to a 2" drain with another 2" drain added along with new PVC plumbing to handle the higher volume of water flow. The dead-decorative corals were added back into the tank and placed in the new layered deep sand bed. The wet/dry was replaced with a 55gal sump (no filter pads or bio-balls) with custom divider configurations, which includes a refugium. Two Mag-Drive 24 pumps were placed in the sump and plumbed on dual returns. The T12 lights were placed with metal halides. The skimmer was replaced with a beefier make/model. The UV filter was removed. A RO/DI was purchased and an auto top-off system installed. In 1999 the tank was filled with new salt water and damsel fish. A small amount of live rock was added during the cycling phase with new pieces added over time.


Equipment

• 180gal Acrylic Reef in-wall. 6' long x 2' high x 2' deep
• 5 inch Aragonite DSB
• (2) 400W MH, 10,000K XM
• (2) 48" T12 Actinic 03
• (2) 12" Circulating Hood Fans
• (2) IceCap Hood Fans
• Mag-Drive 36 return & skimmer pump
• (2) Tunze Turbelle Stream 6100 pumps w/multi-controller
• Korillin C-3002 Calcium Reactor
• LifeReef VS3-36 Skimmer w/Collection Cup Cleaning Mod
• 55gal sump-refugium w/4 1/2 inch DSB
• (3) 24" T12 Refugium Lights
• (1) 23watt PAR38 Refugium Flood Lamp
• (1) 9" sump fan
• 5 Stage RO/DI System w/2 DI Filters and Dual In-line TDS Meter
• 13gal Auto Top-off System plumbed into RO/DI

Configurations

• coming soon

Additives & Maintenance

• 10% water change performed weekly. IO/Oceanic 50/50 blend.
• Activated Carbon in sump 24/7. Rinsed weekly. Changed monthly.
• Lugol's Iodine 6 drops dosed once per week.
• Calcium Carbonate. CO2: 10 bubbles/min, Effluent: 40 drops/min

Feeding

• coming soon

Fish

• Blue Hippo Tang
• Percula Clowns - Mated Pair
• Copperband Butterfly
• Klein Butterfly
• Sunburst Anthias
• Disbar Anthias
• Bicolor Anthias
• ??? Anthias
• ??? Anthias
• Yellow Watchman Goby
• Pink Lipstick Goby
• Goldhead Sleeper Goby
• Six Line Wrasse
• Yellow Coris Wrasse
• Banded Possum Wrasse
• McCosker's Fairy Wrasse
• Bicolor Blenny
• Green Chromis
• Purple Pseudochromis
• Royal Gramma
• Blue Damsel
• Stripe Damsel

Invertebrates

• 2 - Blue Linkia Stars
• Orange Linkia Star
• Yellow Sponge
• Red Sponge
• Orange Sponge
• Purple Sponge
• Green Sponge
• 2 - Cleaner Shrimp
• 2 - Fire Shrimp
• 7 - Peppermint Shrimp
• Pink Cucumber
• Queen Conch
• 2 - unidentified snails
• Astraea Snails
• Turbo Snails
• Blue Leg Hermits
• 2 - Emerald Crabs
• Anemone Crab
• 2 - Black Urchins

Clams

• coming soon

Soft Corals

• coming soon

LPS Corals

• coming soon

SPS Corals

• coming soon

Points of Interest

• coming soon

Near Disasters

• coming soon

Problem Areas

• coming soon

Want to Trade or Buy

• coming soon

April 2006 Pictures

Full Tank - Front View




Full Tank - Left View




Full Tank - Right View




Close up - Left 1




Close up - Left 2




Close up - Middle 1




Close up - Middle 2




Close up - Middle 3




Close up - Right 1




Close up - Right 2

[PelagicMagic]

Nice job. I enjoyed the history of the tank. That was a great Idea. Tank looks great.

[Ocnreef]

Amazing looking tank! Great job. Is the back painted black or a darker blue? I like the look. ANy behing the scenes pictures would be great. (equipment, sump...)

[SSweet1]

Really nice, colorfull tank! Does your Kleins pick? They are cute fish but I would kill mine if I could catch him Also I noticed you dont have a chiller listed. Doesnt your 2-mag 24's and 2-400watt halides heat the tank alot? That yellow coris is really pretty!
Carrie

[ReelFreak]

Wow...beautiful ScubaTC.

[Casey]

Nice tank congrats.

[nikonosis]

nice tank! Love the inwall!

[ScubaTC]

Originally Posted by Ocnreef

Amazing looking tank! Great job. Is the back painted black or a darker blue? I like the look. ANy behing the scenes pictures would be great. (equipment, sump...)

The back is a thin board that can be removed at any time. It's actually left off quite often because the tank is accessed from the back and I like being able to see what is going on - on the other side. There is no access from the front of the tank.

I plan to take some more pictures and post them over time.

[ScubaTC]

Originally Posted by SSweet1

Really nice, colorfull tank! Does your Kleins pick? They are cute fish but I would kill mine if I could catch him Also I noticed you dont have a chiller listed. Doesnt your 2-mag 24's and 2-400watt halides heat the tank alot? That yellow coris is really pretty!
Carrie

I have not seen the Kleins pick and try to watch him closely without letting him know my eye is on him. I bought him to try and rid an aiptasia problem and he didn't even pick at those. He loves the various types of dry and frozen food that I feed the tank.

What type of "picking" problem do you have with you Kleins?

You're correct, I don't have a chiller and yes a lot of heat is cranked out from my pumps and MHs. After going through 4 Mag-24 pumps within 3 years, I switched to a single Mag-36 when that model was released. I have since replaced it once and the shaft twice (not on the one I have now...fingers crossed). I agree, these pumps do put off a good deal of heat. The two 24s totaled 530watts and a single 36 is 380watts. I have two 12" fans in the hood on each side that run while the MHs are on. One of the fans remains on after lights-out to help with the heat generated from the pumps. If that one is turned off at night, then the tank will get too hot. With all the fans I also have a high evaporation rate, which is somewhere around 7-8 gals a day.

The way I have it configured the tank temp has stayed right on 77deg and rarely moves from this. Your going to laugh, but the "config" also includes keeping the 6' hood door open during the day. I don't like this, but it works! If the hood door is closed while MHs are on, whew ...way too hot. It can easily climb another 5 - 9 degrees.

[teach]

I had to go waaay back to find this thread. Last post... April 2006.

I'd say it's time for some updates.

[DarthOcellaris]

I remember this thread. Nice pics

[ScubaTC]

I agree teach, way overdue! I'll try to get some pics posted very soon.

I replaced my MH lighting and have had the lighting period on a shorter duration to acclimate the SPS. The lights cut on while I am at work and off before I get home. I've come home from work during lunch a few times just to be able to SEE my tank. LOL. It's been this way for the past 2 weeks, but just this weekend I've added an additional 2 hours on the lighting period.

[chrischris]

thats an amazing tank good job

[ScubaTC]

Ok, as promised here are some pics I took this past Saturday.

These are with the new lighting (still to be enhanced). I switched from two 400 watt XM 10Ks to three 250 watt Reeflux 10Ks.

Full Tank 10-27-07



Full Tank Pic #2

[ScubaTC]

Pictures of the left side. Some are a little out of focus.

Left Side #1




Left Side #2



Left Side #3