70 gal Tech Tank

[aquawolf]

Looks like a nice start and sounds like it is going to be a great build.

If you want to see how the Coralife Aqualight Pro fixture lights up a tank, you can check out either of the threads in my signature line. I have the 48" Dual 150 sitting over my 75 gallon.

I'll be tagging along to see how things progress for you. Good luck!

[crvz]

Wow, looks great! Look forward to seeing this come together.

[sasquatch]

Nice! great place to keep it too.

[tbittner]

I love the enthusiasm! Just imagine how exciting it will be once you get water in it!

You're definitely going about this hobby the right way though. Ask lots of questions, do your research now, all before buying anything. I agree with Scott (Dentoid) about the 150 vs the 250 lights. I had a 250 over my 120g tank and it just about cooked things. For a 24" deep tank, I really believe that a 150 is more than enough and it gives you good options for coral placements. With the 250 light, even the bottom was almost too bright for soft corals. It took a long time to acclimate them to that light.

And the HEAT! Oh man, the whole floor in the house would warm up 5 degrees after the light had been on for 8 hours.

[Paramecium]

Haha I definitely think the 150 will be the right lights for the tank. I'm going to be working on the sump this next week or so and working on a final decision for the lights, return pump and skimmer. Thanks for all the encouragement as well everyone!! I am trying to make sure I do things right. I don't want to waste money or accidentally kill anything in my tank when I get it up. I'd like to do things right the first time even if it means waiting a bit to get it rolling.

Oh the RO/DI unit came in today from the filter guys so I'll snap some pics and throw em up tomorrow if anyone is interested!

~Danny

[Dentoid]

That's a real hard core hobbyist! Getting started on the tank before you are all moved-in! I love it! Great looking tank and I'm looking forward to it's development!

[Paramecium]

So here are some quick pics of the RO/DI unit, I am in the process of mounting it in the wash closet so I will post some more tomorrow when I get that done. Also I convinced the girly that we absolutely NEEDED a nano for quarantine purposes =) And that it would be a great birthday present for her =) She actually surprised me when we went to Jeff's Exotic fish over in Orange today. We went because I had never been and wanted to look around and she asked me which of the nano's I was gonna take home. So here's some pics of our new Oceanic 14 Gal as well.=P


~Danny

[aquawolf]

Great excuse for needing a nano tank!

I am amazed that you got away with it, but hey as long as it works for you keep it going.

[Dentoid]

SCORE!

[Paramecium]

Haha ya, she's very cool about stuff like that. Tomorrow I'm gonna throw some water in the nano and get some LR and sand from my LFS. Anybody have any advice on test kits? Ones you hate or love? I'll start a build thread for the nano tomorrow and keep everyone updated.

~Danny

[aquawolf]

A lot of people use Salifert although they are kind of pricey. Another very popular brand is API. For testing during the cycle you should be able to get away with cheaper, basic test kits that will check for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Once the cycle is done then you can get better test kits for everything.

[Paramecium]

OK so to get this thread back on track I started another thread for the nano here....

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f9...ld-118378.html

As for the big tank I have it on the stand and will be working on the sump design this week. I am taking my time on this because I want it to be done right. The nano was easy as it is all set up already so like I said this one requires quite a bit more thought as well as cash so I am taking my sweet ass time and am tiding myself over with the nano for now haha.

~Danny

[ChuckP]

Paramecium you are a lucky man, my fiance enjoys the hobby as well and from what I see we are few and far between.

I just picked up a 70 tech in cherry for my office I will make a thread in a week or so, but here is everything I went with and why, hope this helps. Also.. this is good for someone who wants to do it right and money is not the biggest issue.

Skimmer: Octopus Extreme Model 160 Skimmer (Mesh wheel and low power consumption means less heat, noise, and great efficiency. Bubble King and Bubble Master Model 160 are almost the same thing however one is a very premium price)

Calcium Reactor: I went with Octopus, I can't really comment here this is my first CA reactor, in the past I have dosed A/B and it has worked well. I am going for fully automated here though. Dual chamber are best, but I went single for space)

Filtration: 2x Phosban reactors with Chemi-Pure Elite and Purigen and Emperor Aquatics 18W SmartUV. Again this is new to me but I have heard great results, and I want crystal clear water. I will be using the UV sparingly and not on 100% of the time

Lighting: CurrentUSA Outer Orbit 2x250W w/4x T5 36" (I hope 250w isn't overkill but this is a great unit I have a 150w on my 30g cube. If you can afford it, T5+MH lighting can't be beat. With the added night leds this is the whole package.

Chiller: CurrentUSA 1/10hp Prime (This is coming off my 30g and has worked great, no complaints. In FL its necessary)

Heater: Jager 150w (just in case)

Return Pump: Eheim 1262 Return (Will return water to main tank on a T valve so I can direct some flow into the chiller and filtration, back into the sump)

Flow: 2x Vortech pumps (These are amazing worth every penny)

Sump: I went with http://www.sealife-systems.com/reefmasterpro.html but I recommend any local acrylic sump mfg your LFS can probably get you a good deal. Or build it yourself but I am lazy.

Controller: Aquacontroller Jr (Does everything I need and I am able to monitor my parameters from anywhere and see historical information, I am a nerd what can I say)

Hope this helps on your build. I keep mostly SPS so my flow and lighting is abnormally strong for most, so base your decisions on what you want to keep.

-Chuck

[aquawolf]

Welcome to TRT Chuck!!!

We will definitely be interested in seeing you start your own tank build thread. Be sure to take pictures as you set things up, as the members of this forum love pictures.


Danny, do you happen to have any updates on your progress for us?

[Paramecium]

I have the nano cycling and am working on a parts list, I'll be jumping on this in the next couple of weeks!!

~Danny