My 200 Gal Delight

deaclauderdale

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#1
So where do I begin. Been in reefing for a little over 10 years and has my last tank (50 gal CadLights) about 3 maybe 4 years ago. It pained me to get rid of that tank but as we all no this hobby can have some ebbs and flows to it.

So here we are today and I’m back in with a beauty from Crystal Dynamics. A 60x32x24 peninsula, 3 sided starfire glass, reinforced PVC bottom, reinforced black silicon seems, and a 18” modular marine ghost overflow. Coupled with a 36” sump along with a standalone fuge and auto top-off

This will be a SLOW build as I have competing agendas -a 1966 Mustang Coupe- that take both time and money from me

Anyway here’s a pic or two.


Didn’t get a pic of the initial delivery but got a few of the crew that came to help once we got the tank into the backyard.


Here she is being unwrapped.

I had totally remove my sliding glass doors to have enough space to get her and the stand in.


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deaclauderdale

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#2


The stand has 9 doors and the opening for the plumbing. She’s displayed on a standard format now but if in the future the wife and I decided to knock down a wall or two she will be moved and displayed as a true peninsula.

Also shoutout @gofor100 ; for the tip on the suction cups. Made the move of a 500lb tank easier than expected.


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deaclauderdale

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Very nice tank. Why peninsula if you gonna put the long panel against the wall ?
Originally this tank was designed for a different location within the home as my wife and I had decided to open up the space between the living and family rooms. That plan changed after my contractor said the wall might be load bearing. If/when we decide to get back to making that space then the tank will be moved and setup as a true peninsula.


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deaclauderdale

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I’m my opinion the heartbeat of any successful reef tank is the sump area. I spared no expense here and had John at AA build my a custom acrylic/pvc hybrid sump|ATO|fuge.

The tank will drown form the right of the picture down to the sump and pump back up in the same location. The fuge is the container pictured directly next to the sump and will drain into the return section via a bulk head.

The sump has heater holders, dosing location, and probe holders built-in. I especially like the probe holder design as it’s built onto the adjustable baffle so that the probes are always at the right height and submerged in water.

There are (3) 1” drains and (5) 3/4” holes. One for the return, one for the fuge, one as a pass through for electric cords, and another for when I add my second return/manifold pump.


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deaclauderdale

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#8


You’ll see a calcium reaction on the pic here. A GEOSREEF I think 612 purchased lightly used. This is my first run at a calc reactor but I’m expecting high uptake for this tank. The dosing containers are for whatever other trace elements the tank might need in the future.


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#11


The stand has 9 doors and the opening for the plumbing. She’s displayed on a standard format now but if in the future the wife and I decided to knock down a wall or two she will be moved and displayed as a true peninsula.

Also shoutout @gofor100 ; for the tip on the suction cups. Made the move of a 500lb tank easier than expected.


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I thought those suction cups looked familiar!!!

Looking really nice so far!
 

deaclauderdale

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#13
I thought those suction cups looked familiar!!!

Looking really nice so far!
Yeah they were a life savior. I mean there’s a lot of trust your placing in them, but once beyond that you realize just how valuable they are.


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#16
The tank looks gorgeous I really like the finish on the stand. Definitely looking forward to watching this build.

Sweet Stang looks like a great restomod candidate. I’ve got the ugly step sister a 65 Comet Caliente
 

deaclauderdale

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The tank looks gorgeous I really like the finish on the stand. Definitely looking forward to watching this build.

Sweet Stang looks like a great restomod candidate. I’ve got the ugly step sister a 65 Comet Caliente
Comets are nice. You have hard or rag top?


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deaclauderdale

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#18
Filtration:

I’ll be using the AquaMaxx Af1 fleece roller to remove those dissolved solids from the tank. I’ve been primarily a filter sock guy my entire reefing career but based on what I’ve heard the rollers are the way to go.

My skimmer will be a Octopus INT (just not sure the size yet). Some recommend that when you run a fleece roller you should undersize your skimmer based on the rollers efficiency at removing dissolved solids.

My additional filtration/bio-load using siporax based on how I do the aquascape.


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deaclauderdale

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Lighting:

I’ll be running 3 Ectoech Radion G5’s (XR30) with the Reefbrite retrofit.

I’ve run halides, TF’s, and DIY lights in the past and on the last tank I had G3 Pro’s that I loved. The ease of programming and the ascetic appeal much to me. Plus I’ll have other Ecotech equipment on my setup and like having the continuity in equipment.




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#20
Filtration:

I’ll be using the AquaMaxx Af1 fleece roller to remove those dissolved solids from the tank. I’ve been primarily a filter sock guy my entire reefing career but based on what I’ve heard the rollers are the way to go.

My skimmer will be a Octopus INT (just not sure the size yet). Some recommend that when you run a fleece roller you should undersize your skimmer based on the rollers efficiency at removing dissolved solids.

My additional filtration/bio-load using siporax based on how I do the aquascape.


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Being that our tanks are very similar in size and set-up, I would recommend the Regal Octopus 250-INT. It has been rock solid in my tank and pulls out some nasty gunk even with the relatively light bio-load I have right now. You might be able to go the next step down, but I wouldn't go much further than that.
 

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