First time build, and Im in the deep end!

[dealinfoam]

Hey guys, first post here, but have been browsing the thread for some time. Growing up as a kid my parents always had SW tanks, and I remember them vividly. I have wanted one for some time now, but never acted on it. Well....that time has come.

About 2 months ago my condo was flooded by my neighbor above which led to a huge remodel in my condo. Due to this, a new tank has been born.

It started off as a linen closet in my office (approx 30 x 30 x 80") that was never used, and is now becoming my first reef tank.

The main tank (glass due to cost of acrylic) will be built into the wall, 30" x 24" x 30" sitting 38" off the floor. Below it will be a 25 x 24 x 20 sump with a ASM G3 skimmer. A Rio 1700 will feed water to a 1/4hp Arctica chiller with a Rio 2500 return. Two 150w Ebo Jager for heaters, and 2 Hydor Koralia 2 powerheads. For lighting I have a REEF GEEK T5 Retro kit 6x24w in a DIY canopy on a pulley system.

The tank and sump are being custom made by Charlie and the Fish Tank Factory and is currently going through a water test now. System will be put together by myself and Golan from Oceans Aquarium. I would love to do it all myself, but like I said, this is my FIRST build and I am as green as they come.

My only concern for the tank is the lighting with it being such a deep tank, however Greg @ Reef Geek (whom I know pretty well) recommended the lighting for my plans. My intentions are to have liverock (atleast a # per gal), 5-10 fish, and softies.

I know I have to wait for my 20th post to submit pics, but when I reach it, I will post up progress. Electrical has been ran to the tank wall on a dedicated 20amp line, the tank stand has been built and lag bolted to the frame of my house, and drywall will go back up tomorrow.

What do you all think? Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated!

[jenglish]

First of all, Welcome to TRT!!!

SOunds like you have done some research before starting to make your plans. I don't know with the ventillation of a linen closet and Encino weather will affect evaporative cooling but a chiller is a pricey item and many tanks even running metal halides can be cooled without them.

[dealinfoam]

Thanks for the welcome. I was concerned about the ventilation issue so I will be cutting a whole (in the back of the linen closet through my exterior wall) and putting a dryer vent in. Plan on buying a couple fans if need be to help with the ventilation. I figured the chiller would make my life a bit easier. Yeah, its a bit pricey, but it wasbought at a good price. It was only 4 months old (so the seller says) and was had at half the price as new. I have done some research but I have to admit that a lot of what I know came from Golan at Oceans aquarium. He has helped out a bunch.

If anyone knows of any good informative posts on reef tanks, please post a link!

[crony333]

I'm about as green as you and I'm setting up my 80g newbie tank as well. I don't know how it was before the internet but with this site + google ..you can find just about any answer for any question you might have with a search query. And if you still can't find your answer just toss the question out in the forums. I've noticed their are alot of people with tried and true experience that are willing to help out on this site. As long as your open to ideas, their seems to be a difference on opinions on many topics between the lfs and experienced hobbiest. The hobby is expensive, lfs know this and they seem to always want to sell you the "new and best" thing out there.

[dealinfoam]

I completely agree with you Crony, this website + internet is a huge resource to have at our fingertips! How is your build coming along?

I finished the tank stand over the weekend and got a bit of the drywalling completed. The tank is a bit of an overkill, but I figured if I had the extra height in my area and the resources, better to go overkill than regret it later. As soon as I get to my 20 posts, I will post some pics. I am quite happy with the way things are turning out, and come this saturday, the tank and sump will be installed and getting wet!!

Cant wait!

[dealinfoam]

Well the tank came on Saturday and I spent all day setting it up./ Thankfully it cam in the correct dimension because if it were an 1/8" larger in width, it would not have fit in the hole in the wall. I put 103#'s on Fiji LR in it and it is looking great. Cant wait for the cycle to be over.

[dealinfoam]

Here is a pic of the tank installed into the wall. I need to finish some drywalling and add woodwork to give it that tru "built in" feel, but its an ok start.

[aquawolf]

That looks good. Congratulations on having it be such a good fit. Remember, patience is now your friend for the cycle process.

[garry]

looks great keep the pic coming.