We're moving in April/May (2025 for those reading this later) and wife approved a 40th birthday build for the new house. (Fainted from shock, came to, thought it was a dream, fainted again when she said it wasn't, kids concerned about dad's mental health - there may have been tears...there weren't... ... ...ok maybe there were).
After being out of the hobby for ~10 years we're jumping back in with a wife approved tank build at our new house - with a few modifications and hidden receipts in an old cigar box that she won't find. By reading this you're now obligated through the reef tank code of conduct to not tell her how much it actually cost when you see the build, equipment, and livestock.
Onward.
The next day a friend in the hobby tells me he's selling his entire setup and was willing to part with it for pennies on the dollar, already boxed, washed with vinegar water, needs it moved ASAP to save his marriage (hey, we've all been there and I felt bad for the guy). I was all too happy to help this dear dear friend of mine to save his marriage AND take advantage of the situation to get a sweet setup in the process (coincidentally I had helped him initially get this setup and running 4 years ago when he bought it new and designed a lot of this from the beginning, more on that later).
I've got all the equipment sitting in boxes and ready to move into the new house. Once moved I'll start working on getting the tank setup and posting more. For now:
Wife Approved Build
Tank: RedSea 250 (65 gallon) XL 300 with Stand and Sump (see pic). The plumbing has already been changed from the European style (no thank-you Red Sea) with updated Imperial fittings, gate valve, etc. Pulled out the bulkheads for the move so we wouldn't crack the tank and found they glued a plate that everything threads into at the bottom of the tank. Had to keep the original threaded fittings for that and may replace that eventually while we wait for the move too. Everything after the bulkheads was changed out for easier plumbing.
Lighting: I've got two fixtures for this, will depend on what corals we venture into.
1) T5+LED Combo - Aquatic Life 36" 4xT5 (2x ATI Coral Plus + 2x ATI Blue Plus) + 2x Kessil A360X
2) MH + LED Combo - 2x250w MH (I've got a number of new 14k bulbs I've stockpiled from over the years) + 2x Kessil A360X
Flow: 2xMP40 + Gyre
Controller: Apex controller with all the things that you'd expect from a high end system all built into a cabinet that matches the stand (see pic).
Rock: ~50 lbs of rock pulled out of the tank before it was tore down and put in to a brute trash can with ~30+lbs of additional dry rock to cure for the next couple months. Made a small amount of salt water to get this started while we're waiting on the move. Brute+Heater+Powerhead.
Doodads and Humdingers: Hannah test kit system, BRS dosing system + dosing equipment, various filters, a quarantine setup, RODI setup (see pic), I've got 3 skimmers (from other builds), and a number of things I haven't unboxed yet but will once we move.
Pics of the tank, RODI setup for now, and the controller cabinet while we wait for the move:
After being out of the hobby for ~10 years we're jumping back in with a wife approved tank build at our new house - with a few modifications and hidden receipts in an old cigar box that she won't find. By reading this you're now obligated through the reef tank code of conduct to not tell her how much it actually cost when you see the build, equipment, and livestock.
Onward.
The next day a friend in the hobby tells me he's selling his entire setup and was willing to part with it for pennies on the dollar, already boxed, washed with vinegar water, needs it moved ASAP to save his marriage (hey, we've all been there and I felt bad for the guy). I was all too happy to help this dear dear friend of mine to save his marriage AND take advantage of the situation to get a sweet setup in the process (coincidentally I had helped him initially get this setup and running 4 years ago when he bought it new and designed a lot of this from the beginning, more on that later).
I've got all the equipment sitting in boxes and ready to move into the new house. Once moved I'll start working on getting the tank setup and posting more. For now:
Wife Approved Build
Tank: RedSea 250 (65 gallon) XL 300 with Stand and Sump (see pic). The plumbing has already been changed from the European style (no thank-you Red Sea) with updated Imperial fittings, gate valve, etc. Pulled out the bulkheads for the move so we wouldn't crack the tank and found they glued a plate that everything threads into at the bottom of the tank. Had to keep the original threaded fittings for that and may replace that eventually while we wait for the move too. Everything after the bulkheads was changed out for easier plumbing.
Lighting: I've got two fixtures for this, will depend on what corals we venture into.
1) T5+LED Combo - Aquatic Life 36" 4xT5 (2x ATI Coral Plus + 2x ATI Blue Plus) + 2x Kessil A360X
2) MH + LED Combo - 2x250w MH (I've got a number of new 14k bulbs I've stockpiled from over the years) + 2x Kessil A360X
Flow: 2xMP40 + Gyre
Controller: Apex controller with all the things that you'd expect from a high end system all built into a cabinet that matches the stand (see pic).
Rock: ~50 lbs of rock pulled out of the tank before it was tore down and put in to a brute trash can with ~30+lbs of additional dry rock to cure for the next couple months. Made a small amount of salt water to get this started while we're waiting on the move. Brute+Heater+Powerhead.
Doodads and Humdingers: Hannah test kit system, BRS dosing system + dosing equipment, various filters, a quarantine setup, RODI setup (see pic), I've got 3 skimmers (from other builds), and a number of things I haven't unboxed yet but will once we move.
Pics of the tank, RODI setup for now, and the controller cabinet while we wait for the move:
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