Rhodes19's 180 build

[Rhodes19]

Hi All,

I thought I would share my 180 build that I have been working on for almost 2 years. I've been into fw since I was 7 back in 1967 and have been doing sw off and on since 1983. About 3 years ago, a friend who had been doing reef tanks got me into it and I started off with a 29g and BC14. I started with softies and some lps in the 29 and when I got the 180 up and running, I transfered everything from the 29 to the 180. My friend got out of reefing but he is living vicariously through me and has no problem helping me spend my money. With my wife's permission, I picked up a used 180 rr tank and started to build the stand. With being on a tight budget, I was trying to do as many diy projects as I could. This has been a great leaning experience for me and it is looking like my wife is starting to become an enabler.

Ok, picture time.

Here is the 180 in the garage.

Some of the 200 lbs of diy rock I made. I use type III portland cement and crushed oyster shell. It turned out ok.

Here is the second attempt at my diy stand. Its upside down in this picture. My first attempt is now a nice sturdy work bench.

I painted the back of the tank.

 

[Rhodes19]

The finished stand with out doors (I'll get to them eventually).

I turned my old 55g tank into a sump/fuge.

Making bubble traps.

 

[Rhodes19]

This was one of my earlier rockscape.

I didn't like the durso stand pipes and I couldn't do anything about the noise (I was pushing more water than the stand pipes could quietly handle) so I used the Herbie method.

I changed the ball valve with a gate valve later on.

I got some cheato in the fuge and it has doubled in size but I am not happy with its performance. It doesn't seem to put much of a dent in the nitrates. I'll need a skimmer soon.

Here is my OCEAN REEF + 1 FIVE STAGE 75 GPD RO/DI I got from the Filter Guys. I really like it. I eventually got a float valve so I would stop flooding the garage.

Here is a FTS after Frankie helped me rerockscape my tank. I like this much better than my rock wall. It is definitely more eye appealing.

I have a 250 20K MH over the right side and some T5s over the middle and left side. I have 2 more MH (175) but I want to make a canopy so I can mount the MH and remove the T5s.

 

[Krish]

Looks like Frankie's peer pressure on that other thread got you to start your thread here Looks great!!

 

[DolphinLVR]

Glad to see you over here Chris! As you know I followed your build on the other site as I was starting mine.

 

[Rhodes19]

I still have a lot more that I want to do. I want to make a nice canopy for the tank and mount the MHs up there, make the doors for the stand, get a good skimmer, eventually get a controller, and maybe switch to a ultra low nutrient system like zeovite (still need to do more research).

I turned my 29g into a quarantine tank and all my fish have been quarantined for 6 weeks or longer if they need to be treated. My live stock consists of 2 occellaris', 2 green chromis', a 6 line wrasse, a yellow tail damsel, and a blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus). I have a diamond sifter gobie in the QT and should be released into the 180 in about 2 weeks. I want to add a yellow tang, a pair of manderin gobies, add some other wrasses like a McCluskey and leopard wrasse and maybe a carpenter wrasse. My CUC consists of dwarf ceriths, some nassarius, nerites, and a turbo snail if they are still alive. I have 4 peppermint shrimp that I haven't seen since they went in, a coral banded shrimp that I haven't seen since he went in and 2 cleaner shrimp that hid for the first 3 days and are now out and in front all the time. I think I would like to add some starfish, scarlet shrimp, reef lobsters, and an urchin but I need to check for compatibility.

Eventually I want a sps dominated tank with some lps and some clams. This has been a slow build but its been fun and I've leaned quite a bit along the way. Even my wife enjoys the tank. She won't come out and say it but I catch her staring at it quite a bit.

 

[DolphinLVR]

Even my wife enjoys the tank. She won't come out and say it but I catch her staring at it quite a bit.

Hahahahaha My wife is the same way and has even named a few fishes!

 

[Rhodes19]

Looks like Frankie's peer pressure on that other thread got you to start your thread here Looks great!!

LOL!!!! Hi krish, thanks. Yeah it did. Frankie is a great guy and he has helped me out immensely. I'm fortunate to have some one like him around. I guess I could call him my mentor. There is a club here but I don't think they do much. I've gone to 3 of their meetings but either they never showed or only a handful met and I couldn't id them. Frank and I just might have to start our own club!!

 

[Krish]

LOL!!!! Hi krish, thanks. Yeah it did. Frankie is a great guy and he has helped me out immensely. I'm fortunate to have some one like him around. I guess I could call him my mentor. There is a club here but I don't think they do much. I've gone to 3 of their meetings but either they never showed or only a handful met and I couldn't id them. Frank and I just might have to start our own club!!

Haha! Sounds good! Wish I had more people in my area interested in the hobby, but I guess they rather put on a mask than to keep an aquarium LOL!

 

[Rhodes19]

Glad to see you over here Chris! As you know I followed your build on the other site as I was starting mine.

Hi Jeff,

Thanks. Its nice to be here. It looks like your build is coming along nicely. I'm finding half of the fun of this hobby is the building process.

 

[DolphinLVR]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks. Its nice to be here. It looks like your build is coming along nicely. I'm finding half of the fun of this hobby is the building process.

Most definately Chris! Like you I still need to put doors on my stand, but other than that it is all done as far as the building aspect. Its been a slow go as far as the stocking, but Rome wasnt built in a day!

 

[Rhodes19]

Hahahahaha My wife is the same way and has even named a few fishes!

LOL. Yeah, mine has done that in the past too. I got a call at work a a few months ago from my wife and she told me that my "blue fish" had a white bubble over its right eye. When I got home that night, I looked at my blue tang who was in the QT and I couldn't see a thing. When I asked her where she say the white bubble she said, oh, no, the other blue fish. She meant the yellow tail damsel in the 180!!! When I looked at him, I noticed he had a small bubble eye but it was kind of hard to see. She really must have been looking hard.

 

[Rhodes19]

Haha! Sounds good! Wish I had more people in my area interested in the hobby, but I guess they rather put on a mask than to keep an aquarium LOL!

We might have to come to your place to hold a club meeting!!!

 

[Rhodes19]

Most definately Chris! Like you I still need to put doors on my stand, but other than that it is all done as far as the building aspect. Its been a slow go as far as the stocking, but Rome wasnt built in a day!

So true.

 

[Krish]

Haha!!! That'll work!

 

[Frankie]

We might have to come to your place to hold a club meeting!!!

YEah man! We could do it on a glass bottom boat and talk about the reefs there! that would be cool
Good to see you making a journal here Chris! There are some very good minds on this site. It has been a major part of my reef keeping education.

 

[Guerry]

A ha found where you been hiding, how things been going

 

[flatteringchild]

Your stand is beautiful. I love the detail. Great job!

 

[Rhodes19]

A ha found where you been hiding, how things been going

Hi Guerry,

Actually, things are still hectic at home an work but the tank is still moving forward (at a snail's pace unfortunately). I moved the diamond sand sifter goby from the QT into the DT yesterday. He seems to be a lot happier there. I had to flush my 6 line wrasse from the overflow AGAIN! After I got him back into the tank I got some plastic gutter/leaf guard, cut out some small pieces and blocked the holes I think he was getting into. Hopefully that will stop him next time. Hey, I saw where you are going zovite. I'm following along and see how it goes. I want to go in that direction myself.

 

[Rhodes19]

Your stand is beautiful. I love the detail. Great job!

Hi flatteringchild,

Thanks. Hopefully I'll get the canopy and the doors done. Maybe over the holidays.