1,000 Gallon SPS Reef Build

[StickMaster18]

My dream reef tank build is underway! After months of planning, blowing out ceilings and cuttings holes in the side of my house, I’m finally installing the massive 1,000-gallon SPS-dominated reef tank. It will include a large dedicated fish room with top-tier filtration systems, automated moonshiners dosing, and advanced lighting systems. Follow along as I bring this dream tank to life—one wave at a time!

Tank has been cycling now for 6 weeks and I have the initial batch of fish in QT day 14. We just started the shed extension that’ll be a fully dedicated QT and frag system. Here are some of the initial photos of the build process. Excited to share everything with you guys!

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[Dipan00]

Damn this thing is gonna be dope! Cant wait to see it evolve.

 

[Dutch_Roots]

Geez, I’m feeling really inadequate off all these crazy build threads! This is going to be awesome and will be following along!

 

[Discotu]

One thing you might consider if you haven't already are dedicated circuits for you tank. I remember back in the day with 1000w of MH and 1/3 hp chiller...if someone fired up the microwave the circuit would trip. Pita. One of the 1st things I did with the new build was to run new lines just for the tank.

 

[StickMaster18]

One thing you might consider if you haven't already are dedicated circuits for you tank. I remember back in the day with 1000w of MH and 1/3 hp chiller...if someone fired up the microwave the circuit would trip. Pita. One of the 1st things I did with the new build was to run new lines just for the tank.

I definitely took that into consideration on the front end when we removed the existing ceiling and vaulted everything to fit the tank. I installed a separate sub panel for the tank and ran almost a dozen dedicated lines for all of the systems. We are in the process of setting up a generator backup system for all of the vital equipment. There’s 40 solar panels on the roof and 2 10kw battery backups as well.


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[bakbay]

Crazy build man! Excited to see the final transformation with all the massive colonies. Your fish will love you with more space to swim!

 

[Jimbo327]

Holy smokes, awesome dream build!!! Congrats!

The photo where are you in the tank, really shows how huge the tank is. How are you going to reach the bottom and back when it is filled? Snorkeling?

 

[REPOWER]

Epic! Excited to see the progression. Thanks for sharing your journey.

 

[drexel]

Nice! If you haven't done so already, I would buy some real ocean live rock or some reef rubble/sand from AquaBiomics to seed the tank, especially since this will be sps dominant. There's no bacteria in a bottle that will help here. Starting off with the right bacteria will save you in the long run. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

 

[thresher]

Sick! Another jaw dropped. Can't wait to see this thing move along.

 

[StickMaster18]

Nice! If you haven't done so already, I would buy some real ocean live rock or some reef rubble/sand from AquaBiomics to seed the tank, especially since this will be sps dominant. There's no bacteria in a bottle that will help here. Starting off with the right bacteria will save you in the long run. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

I had 100lbs of live rock cycled from another system that’s in my sump so we’re all set for getting the tank started. Going to be quite the project moving all my coral/fish from my 300 gallon.

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[StickMaster18]

Holy smokes, awesome dream build!!! Congrats!

The photo where are you in the tank, really shows how huge the tank is. How are you going to reach the bottom and back when it is filled? Snorkeling?

I have some long tongs but I’ll probably be swimming in the tank every couple of months


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[OGFrenchHorn]

Nice! Can’t wait to see this set up


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[dansyr]

I had 100lbs of live rock cycled from another system that’s in my sump so we’re all set for getting the tank started. Going to be quite the project moving all my coral/fish from my 300 gallon.

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Did you just glue every piece of monti cap that broke during maintenance onto your back wall? amazing look

 

[StickMaster18]

1,000-Gallon System Update


Exciting milestone—all of the fish have officially been transferred into the new 1,000-gallon system! The transition went smoothly, and it's been incredible to see the fish settle into their new, much larger home. Watching them school and explore the expanded aquascape has made all the planning and prep worth it.

On the coral side, I've slowly started to introduce some SPS frags into the system. I'm taking a conservative approach to give everything time to stabilize and to closely monitor how the corals respond to the new environment.

The good news? Water parameters have been extremely stable, and I'm seeing early signs of polyp extension and good coloration. The Moonshiners Method is already being integrated into the routine, and I’m excited to see how it helps fuel growth and health at this scale.

Big shoutout and huge thank you to my good friend Larry for holding all of my corals during the transition—your help made this move possible and stress-free. Couldn't have done it without you!

More updates (and photos) coming soon—especially once the coral side starts to fill in. As always, happy to answer questions and share insights from this next phase of the journey!

 

[mchain275]

Looking forward to updates on this system! I love the shed - very envious!

 

[bakbay]

Amazing! Those big tangs look like damsels from far away - it’s surreal! lol

Hey Scott — if you inspect your expensive SPS collection, almost all of them had a little “boo boo” and somehow missing a little frag here and there? I believe that’s normal?

 

[Sold4JC]

Wow!!!
Congratulations on getting all the fish in the system. Your patience and attention to detail are paying off. I look forward to seeing the tank with coral, but I can wait.

 

[tygerjace]

 

[jrrob98]

Wow!!!!!