hello! new here - thought i'd share my new build. this is an upgrade/rebuild of my last system. my last display was the same size, but was an old acrylic tank. i had the new glass tank built to the same dimensions so i could simply swap out the display, but decided to take the opportunity to upgrade nearly every other component of the system. the improvements should yield healthier/happier livestock and many maintenance convenience features (mobile light rack, automated water changes, etc).
display info:
dimensions: 80x24x25
volume: ~205g
overflow: centered and 5" off the back wall, sized 12x6
glass: 1/2" euro-braced w/ front starphire glass
sump: 100g stock tank + 50g stock tank remote dsb + 50g stock tank for additional water volume and water change tank
equipment:
4 x 250w phoenix de bulbs in lumenarc mini reflectors
2 x dual 250w pfo hqi ballasts
light rack on aluminum rails to allow full access over the tank
2 x ecotech vortech mp40w wireless controllable pumps
tunze wavebox
mrc mr-3 dual beckett skimmer w/ 6" custom neck / pcx-55
octopus dual chamber calcium reactor w/ reef fanatics ph controller
panworld 100px-x return pump
nextreef "monster" fluidized reactors for gfo and carbon
two little fishes phosban reactor to treat calcium reactor effluent
reefkeeper 2
2 x 300w heaters
spears schedule 80 true union/ball valves
a notable point to make about the rock. all the rock i am using is recycled liverock from my previous system. in an aquarium setting, liverock will absorb nitrates and phosphates over time. this doesn't happen in the ocean because there is so much water volume, but in a confined system it does happen. eventually the rock will leach the bound nutrients back into the water. i wanted to be sure to cleanse the rock of all impurities and bound nutrients. following instructions from randy holmes-farley, i followed the following process to break down the surface of the rock, thereby releasing the bound organics:
remove and place all rock in container just large enough for the rock. (stock tank, etc)
cover rock in ro/di. add 2-3 cups of bleech and a powerhead large enough to circulate the water effectively.
drain 24 hours later, cover again in ro/di, then drain. this is important (rinsing the bleech) because you don't want to combine an acid with a base which could happen if you skip this step and go onto the next...
cover the rock again w/ ro/di. add approximately 1/2 gallon of muriatic acid and circulate w/ the powerhead (powerhead will be nice and clean at the end! ). the rocks will bubble and you'll get a nasty frothy foam from the junk at the surface. once the rock stops bubbling, add the other 1/2 of the muriatic acid. this will make it bubble again. it only bubbles for an hour or two, then stops.
drain, then rinse in ro/di at least one more time.
it's important to use ro/di and not tap water because tap water contains so many phosphates/nitrates/etc and it defeats part of the cleansing purpose to soak your rock in it.
i will note that as of the first test fill and final rinse of my rock and sand, po4 results with a hanna meter yielded
0.02 - i'm very happy with this and feel based on this that the cleansing process was effective.
here is the initial idea for the display. three towers, one surrounding a center overflow 5" off the back wall. this allows the wavebox to fire down the back of the tank completely hidden from view, and provide the possibility for circular flow.
this is the basic sump idea... 100g stock tank at the very bottom (actual sump) with two 50g stock tanks stacked above it. top 50g tank to be used for water changes...it is a part of the system which has a drain to my sink. i simply take it offline (ball valve), drain it, refill w/ ro/di and then mix new salt. after a day of mixing, add it back to the system. it drains into the 50g stock tank below it when added to the system, which is a remote deep sand bed and frag tank.
here is the tank after delivery:
first rock tower built:
all rock towers built:
Vince aka VINNIE 
