This is my seventh tank, but it's my first marine tank. When done it will be a reef tank with some fish. It is a 450 gal. 1" thick acrylic tank that is 96" long x 36" wide x 30" tall. The stand (which I made with the help of some friends) is the same dimensions but 40" tall. I still have to paint and install the stand's 4 doors. The canope isn't made yet, but it will be 24" tall, making the entire system 8.5 feet tall... thank god for cathedral ceilings.
Before I brought the tank in, I had to do some spelunking under the house to install two beams and six cement pilons. That was a messy, smelly, hot >90deg, spidery job, but it had to be done when adding 6000lbs to a raised floor.
The tank has dual center overflows with a center return... no wires or pipes on the outside of the tank. I originally wanted to use it as a room divider, but had no more money for an expansion on the house. So up against a wall it went.
I have a 50gal sump (need to get a much bigger one) that has a Mag 24 pump driving an Aqua-C EV400 Protein Skimmer and another Mag 24 pump for the return. The return water goes through 2 sqids. But I think I still need more flow in my main tank.
The sump has 50/50 power compact lighting. The main tank has 4 x 96w Super Actinic VHOs and 2 x 400w 6500K metal halides.
There is 5 to 6 inches of oolitic aragonite plus 40lbs of puca shells in the back. There is 88lbs of uncured Tonga Branch, 165lbs of uncured Kalini Rock and 10lbs of cured Fiji. I added 5lbs of GARF's Grunge to my sump and I also added IPSF's Coralline Booster and Surf Zone (copepods, spaghetti worms, bristle worms, micro-hermits and snails.
After a 2 weeks I added 12 cerrith snails and 2 emerald crabs.
Water is from a 7 stage 200gal/day RO/DI unit and I use IO for salt. I still have to run a new circuit to the tank, I have tripped the breaker once already when all the lights are on.
I have been doing this real slow so far... got the reef bug last summer, researched on Internet and bought the tank used in February. Joined SCMAS (Southern California Marine Aquarium Society) in March. I tried to sand and polish the tank myself... but after spending a lot of time getting nowhere, Candelario from Tropical Illusions do the polishing (they did an excellent job). Finished the stand and setup the tank in July. 10 guys from around the neighbourhood carried the tank from the garage all the way around to the backyard, in through the patio doors and in to the living room.
Before I brought the tank in, I had to do some spelunking under the house to install two beams and six cement pilons. That was a messy, smelly, hot >90deg, spidery job, but it had to be done when adding 6000lbs to a raised floor.
The tank has dual center overflows with a center return... no wires or pipes on the outside of the tank. I originally wanted to use it as a room divider, but had no more money for an expansion on the house. So up against a wall it went.
I have a 50gal sump (need to get a much bigger one) that has a Mag 24 pump driving an Aqua-C EV400 Protein Skimmer and another Mag 24 pump for the return. The return water goes through 2 sqids. But I think I still need more flow in my main tank.
The sump has 50/50 power compact lighting. The main tank has 4 x 96w Super Actinic VHOs and 2 x 400w 6500K metal halides.
There is 5 to 6 inches of oolitic aragonite plus 40lbs of puca shells in the back. There is 88lbs of uncured Tonga Branch, 165lbs of uncured Kalini Rock and 10lbs of cured Fiji. I added 5lbs of GARF's Grunge to my sump and I also added IPSF's Coralline Booster and Surf Zone (copepods, spaghetti worms, bristle worms, micro-hermits and snails.
After a 2 weeks I added 12 cerrith snails and 2 emerald crabs.
Water is from a 7 stage 200gal/day RO/DI unit and I use IO for salt. I still have to run a new circuit to the tank, I have tripped the breaker once already when all the lights are on.
I have been doing this real slow so far... got the reef bug last summer, researched on Internet and bought the tank used in February. Joined SCMAS (Southern California Marine Aquarium Society) in March. I tried to sand and polish the tank myself... but after spending a lot of time getting nowhere, Candelario from Tropical Illusions do the polishing (they did an excellent job). Finished the stand and setup the tank in July. 10 guys from around the neighbourhood carried the tank from the garage all the way around to the backyard, in through the patio doors and in to the living room.
