Aaron's Australian Reef Project

[aaron]

Well, I am really back this time - not back in New York, but after a year off I am back in the hobby!
A friend of mine here in Sydney runs an aquarium maintenance business and had a spare 3 foot tank laying around and asked if I wanted it. I figured 3 foot is a good small size that wont freak out the missus too much, so I went around to collect it. What he failed to mention was that it was 3foot long, two foot from front to back and 3 foot deep! its actually one of the largest tanks I have ever owned. So after saying to my wife "Im getting a small tank" I turn up with a massive beast that requires three people minimum to lift as it is constructed of 3/4" glass.
So like most of these projects that seem easy at first, it quickly escalated to a much larger project.
Problem 1. The stand that came with it was just a mess, it had been made of MDF that had not been painted so with continued exposure to moisture had puffed up to triple its normal size.
I stripped all that off and decided to keep the frame which I added additional braces to and clad in 3/4" ply. Unfortunately I didnt take any photos of any of these processes. Its always afterwards that I think I should have documented it but I tend to just dive in and do it and think about that stuff afterwards.

 

[aaron]

So the first part of this build is going to lack any photos I am sorry.
Problem 2, when we were carrying in the sump one of the suckers gave way and it smashed into a million pieces in the lobby of my building.
So then I had to order a new sump - this project was getting expensive already.
So anyway, I ordered a new sump and got them to partition a section off at one end that will be my top off reservoir. i had initially intended to put baffles in the sum once I had all my equipment organised, but decided to keep it all open in the end.
I finished the stand and set it up on the back porch of my apartment.

 

[ecvernon]

nice tank..what lighting will you use for that tall of a tank?
also are you going bare bottom?

 

[aaron]

As you can see it has some man made live rock glued to the overflow and a stubborn bit on the bottom that I couldnt get off. I decided to go bare bottom as that was what my last tank was in New York, which was my most successful so far. I had to cut around the little island of rock in the middle and silicone the bottom down. I did all that work before the tank was on the stand and it quickly became apparent that this tank was going to be difficult to work on as it was so deep.
While deciding what type of lights to run over it I decided to remove the centre brace which was badly etched. so I cut it out and installed a 1/2" euro brace front and back. I allowed a week for the special tank builders silicone to cure then filled it with fresh water. Once it was half filled I left it to settle over night then checked it with a straight edge to see if it was bowing. I couldnt be sure but it seemed like it may be slightly. I filled it to 3/4 full again let it settle and rechecked - yes it is bowing a couple of milimeters #$%*!!!!!!
So I drained the water, went and bought two more 1/2 braces and siliconed them to the top edges. allowed it to cure and refilled. There was still some bowing but not as much as before, bearing in mind that the tank glass is 3/4 " I figured it was fine as it was. The new eurobracing was far stronger than the old center brace anyway.
So the following weekend my frined with the aquarium business turned up with his truck and 1000 litres of sea water we had collected from the beach that morning. We were able to pump it straight up three floors and into the tank so there were no worries running buckets up and down in the lift. It was full in about 20 minutes, not bad when you think there was about 40' of head pressure.

 

[Aquatic Life Direct]

nice cube tank... I'm looking to possibly set one up to replace the 46bow....

 

[aaron]

Well Lighting is the next big thing - Originally when this tank was running at its previous location it had a single 150W MH over it. I knew this wouldnt be sufficient so I started looking into other options. I decided I would stick with MH lights as I couldnt afford the initial cost of LEDs, even though electricity is expensive here in Sydney. Because of the cost I decided to go with T5 and MH combo, that way I could run the T5s for 12 hours and the MH for a shorter time save on electricity but still be able to see in the tank most of the time, even when the MH weren't on. I had pretty much made up my mind to go for one 400W MH but then discovered that they don't come in double ended bulbs. I had made up my mind to go with a pendant light fixture and no hood to allow maximum ventilation and to look nice and neat and these fixtures all use DE lights. Luckily I found a guy on reef central selling two 240V icecap 250W fixtures. As no one in America needs 240V he was having trouble selling them and I got them really cheap. Had them sent to a friend in New York and my wife will be bringing them home next week.

So my lighting setup is going to be 2x 250W MH's and 2-4 39W T5's depending on the fixture I get

 

[Awibrandy]

Tagging along for this ride! Gotta be awesome....

 

[aaron]

So I fairly recently lost my job because of this global financial thing - even though the politician keep telling me that Australia is the only developed country that hasnt been effected. So I have had fair bit of time on my hands and not a lot of ready cash.
So I have been working at my friends coral farm and he has paid me in equipment. I now have a reef octopus skimmer and a couple of boxes of live rock. If you think about how much that would cost to buy I am making more money than my old job.
Here's a shot of the tank with the new bracing, sea water and rocks.
the next shot is from a slightly different angle showing the rest of the porch - it is mostly glassed in so while it is technically outside, the temperature is quite stable.

 

[stoneriff]

Awesome set-up! Can't you go out somewhere and collect your own stuff? Australia has the most beautiful coral, and fish. Good luck with it. Please post more shots as your tank progresses.

 

[aaron]

the sump - pretty much just a big open tank, no baffles and so far no micro bubbles in the tank. I am running a low flow sump so there is time for any bubbles from the skimmer to reach the surface before they are drawn into the pump. You can see the fresh water reservoir on the left hand side.
There is plenty of extra space which I think will eventually be taken up with a refugium for macros and pods.
the cables are still a bit of a mess, but I will be getting them more organised soon

 

[Awibrandy]

Keep those pics coming Aaron!!! Can barely contain myself with anticipation.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Looks Sweet Aaron! How many gallons is that tank? What are you going to be using for flow?

 

[prattreef]

Very nicely done. I love the rock work.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

Nice Build---Very Clean

 

[aznt1217]

Is that a Denitrator? Nice tank btw

 

[aaron]

The tank is about 110 gallons
So my equipment so far
Skimmer is a reef octopus classic venturi skimmer - a bit noisy in my opinion, but plenty big enough for the job.
Return Pump is an ehiem 1250 - only just enough flow with the head height, I am still thinking of upgrading to a a 1260 somewhere down the track.
Flow is from two Koralia 3's but I think I will need some supplimental flow at the bottom of the tank in the back.

Let me just say that aquascaping this tank is the most difficult thing I have ever done. I cannot reach the bottom of the tank without putting my head under water. I spent all of the weekend with my shirt off, standing on a ladder and trying to place the rocks without actually being able to see what I was doing. I redid everything three times until I got to this current layout in the pictures above. I am about 75% happy but I think there are some things that still look very artificial. At this point there are other things to worry about so I am just letting it sit for a while.

 

[aaron]

As far as collecting my own livestock goes - YES!!!
well there is actually no corals to speak of in Sydney - it is more of a temperate climate, but in summer time a warm tropical current often brings juvenile coral fish fry down to sydney harbour (the east australian current for those who have seen finding nemo) so by January there are usually quite a few butterfly fish, some pygmy angles and other visitors. They dont usually survive the winter so at the moment with the sea temp around 64 there isnt too much around. You have to drive a fair way north before you get corals - maybe 6-8 hours drive or an hour on the plane. I do plan on collecting some stuff for the tank, once the season gets going. I also have a trip up to brisbane planned for January, and that is full corals and fish so I should get something there.

 

[aaron]

I bought all the stuff and wired up my ATO over the weekend. Its a bit of a stretch for someone as electrically challenged as me but its up and running nicely today.
I am quite happy with the result. It has a manual off switch and an LED to show when the power is going to the pump.

 

[NDY]

Sweet Set Up Nice Rock Work

 

[BIG L A]

I was laughing at the very beginning when you spoke about your wife and telling her you were getting a small tank... It reminded me of when I told my wife I was getting into the hobby and came home with a 4x2x2 LOL... But the tank looks great, cant wait to see the end result...