Lighting

For lighting, I chose to use a combination of Metal Halide bulbs and VHO bulbs, as I plan to keep SPS, which require intense lighting.  The equipment is as follows:

Metal Halide
I'm running 3 Metal Halide bulbs, each 250 watts.  For a bulb, I chose to use the XM 10000K.  The MH bulbs are being powered by 3 Vertex Ballasts.

VHO
I'm running two strips of URI VHO Actinic bulbs along each side of the light cage, adding up to 4 in total.  These VHO bulbs are powered by a single Icecap Ballast.

Light Cage and Reflectors
I made the light cage myself using strips of angled aluminum, riveted together.  I chose to use aluminum because it resists corrosion and its extremely light, which is better for suspending as it keeps the weight to a minimum.  There are a total of 3 Spider Reflectors riveted to the light cage.  The cage is suspended by chain, which makes it easy to adjust the distance of my lights from the surface of the water.  With new bulbs, I'll raise the height for a week or two, to allow burn in and to prevent shocking the corals.

In the future, I plan on re-implementing a more efficient way of suspending the lights (ie., mechanical pulley system).

Sand Wall

Like most people, I chose to make the middle of my sump a refugium. I also wanted to use finer sand as a deep sand bed. So in went the sand, probably equivalent in size to fine sugar and after awhile it looked like this:

The sand kept blowing up as the water came down from the baffles. The issue was that I swapped the location for my baffles with that of the return pump... which was great because it expanded my evaporation space, meaning less frequent top off. However, I didn't foresee the water trickling down the baffles and kicking up the sand. Not a big issue... I just needed to create a "sand barrier".

Once installed, the result is the following:

Now, the sand is no longer where the water comes down.

Phosban Reactor

I added a Phosban Reactor 150 (by Two Little Fishies).  I have its pump, an AquaClear 30, located by my return pump, however, I decided to run its return back to the section before the baffles to prevent any bubbles from getting to my main tank.

The Overflow

It was time to build the overflow.  Ideally, it should have been built before the tank was filled with water and live rock.  However, time wasn't permitting as I was going to Ottawa for a few weeks and I wanted the tank to cycle while I was away.

Nonetheless, I started building the overflow... with the tank filled!!!  

DISCLAIMER: I don't advise doing this as the drilling, along with the added pressure of the water, could be disasterous.

Holes were drilled into the tank.  I chose to have two holes, should one of the bulkheads get clogged up from any wandering snails.

Then the bulkheads were installed.  I chose 1" bulkheads.

I wanted a tank without an overflow already built in, as I find the pre-built overflows take up too much space.  Therefore, it was time to build an overflow out of black acrylic.

 And after 24 hours of glue time, here it is put together.

I dropped the water level so that I could install it, glued the overflow in place and waited another 24 hours.  This gave me time to start the plumbing.  Here it is installed at the bulkheads.  The PVC glue also took 24 hours to dry, which is fine, as I had to wait for the overflow's silicone to dry anyways.

The next day, I filled the tank up to the teeth of the overflow to test for leaks.  Awesome, no leaks!

The Sump Build

Its time to build the sump underneath the stand.  First let's add the flooring for the 55 gallon sump tank to rest on.

Baffles were added to the tank and was placed under the stand... its a perfect fit!

My skimmer has the option to sit outside of the tank.  However, the tank is a bit too high for the skimmer out take, so I had to build a stand.  My skimmer is an Octopus Recirc DNWB-200 Skimmer.

135 Gallon In-Wall Tank Build

Well, after taking almost a 2 year hiatus from the hobby, I've finally succumb to my saltwater affliction, once again. This has got to be one of the most addictive hobbies, and I'm not a habitual person. My previous tank was a 40 gallon reef, and unfortunately, it did not survive the move from my old apartment to my new home. It was a frustrating time, hence, the 1 year hiatus. However, I knew that I would eventually come back to the hobby.

Anyways, on with the build.

I always wanted to have a 6-foot tank but the apartment I lived in could not support the weight. Now that I'm in a house, I'm able to do so. I went with the following:

135 Gallon Main Tank
55 Gallon Sump
3 * 250w MH
4 * 96w Actinic VHO

It will be in the basement and sit in my Home Office, built into the wall, and will give me a clear view into my Den. As of now, my plans are for an SPS reef tank, along with many variations of zoanthids and acans littering the bottom of the tank.

Also, I owe a big thanks to Pat Bitonti, Kat Purdy, and TJ Regala for helping me during the build... thanks, guys.


This is the wall, from the Den, where the tank will be framed.

Here is the hole in the wall from my Office.  Man, the wife is gonna' kill me, hahaha.

Now, let's build the stand.  Thanks for the help, Pat!  Hey, is that Susan folding laundry?!

Here's a view from the Den.  Ethan is intrigued!

Here is the tank, now in place, with the frame partially built.

The tank, upon entering the office. With a third of it sitting in the wall, it doesn't take up that much space.

Let's add some aragonite.  

Ethan is helping to smooth it out.

Now for some live rock and water.  Off to Ottawa for a few weeks, and when I get back, the tank should be cycled.

Back from Ottawa, I realized I need more room to fit the lights so I opened up the frame a bit more.

Da Wife was starting to get annoyed with the hole in the wall on the Family Room side, so I had to pretty it up a little with some crown moulding. The dog seems to approve.