I recently picked up a new aquarium to replace an existing tank I have. I just got the new tank set up and have that "new reef" excitement going on, so I figured I start a thread with some details about my tank.
I purchased the aquarium, stand & canopy from Barrier Reef. The stand & canopy were custom ordered through Natural Woodcrafters.
Aquarium: Marineland 93g 30"x30"x24" glass cube w/built in corner overflow
Stand: oak with access doors on 3 sides (this is very convenient!)
It took several weeks for the stand/canopy to be completed, which was certainly understandable. During that time, I ordered 100lbs of dry rock from BRS and used about 1/2 of what I received to build a foam/rock wall to cover the back and overflow.
Other details include:
Vortech mp40w pump - currently only have 1, but I made a 2nd hole in the rock wall so I can add another one later if needed (2nd hole conveniently covered by rockscaping)
Starboard bottom - this will be my first try going bare bottom. So far I'm liking it, but my wife already said she likes the sand look better...
Sump - will be using my existing acrylic sump after this tank has cycled
Skimmer - ATI Bubblemaster 200
Lighting - will use 1 of my 250w DE fixtures from my existing tank (I have 2, but I think that will be too much for this). Thinking about doing a VHO retrofit, either 2 or 3 bulbs to run actinic blues as a supplement to the MH.
Rocks - BRS dry rock, approx 100lbs. also a few pieces I already had, which I completely cooked in vinegar & scrubbed with a wire brush to get rid of algae, etc.
I also have an ATO, Litermeter, and Phosban reactor I'll transfer over from my existing tank once this one has fully cycled.
Now I'm just going to sit back & wait for the cycle to complete. I just added a raw shrimp to kind of kick start the process. I'm not sure how much different the cycle will be using dry rock instead of live rock, but I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Thanks for looking
I purchased the aquarium, stand & canopy from Barrier Reef. The stand & canopy were custom ordered through Natural Woodcrafters.
Aquarium: Marineland 93g 30"x30"x24" glass cube w/built in corner overflow
Stand: oak with access doors on 3 sides (this is very convenient!)
It took several weeks for the stand/canopy to be completed, which was certainly understandable. During that time, I ordered 100lbs of dry rock from BRS and used about 1/2 of what I received to build a foam/rock wall to cover the back and overflow.
Other details include:
Vortech mp40w pump - currently only have 1, but I made a 2nd hole in the rock wall so I can add another one later if needed (2nd hole conveniently covered by rockscaping)
Starboard bottom - this will be my first try going bare bottom. So far I'm liking it, but my wife already said she likes the sand look better...
Sump - will be using my existing acrylic sump after this tank has cycled
Skimmer - ATI Bubblemaster 200
Lighting - will use 1 of my 250w DE fixtures from my existing tank (I have 2, but I think that will be too much for this). Thinking about doing a VHO retrofit, either 2 or 3 bulbs to run actinic blues as a supplement to the MH.
Rocks - BRS dry rock, approx 100lbs. also a few pieces I already had, which I completely cooked in vinegar & scrubbed with a wire brush to get rid of algae, etc.
I also have an ATO, Litermeter, and Phosban reactor I'll transfer over from my existing tank once this one has fully cycled.
Now I'm just going to sit back & wait for the cycle to complete. I just added a raw shrimp to kind of kick start the process. I'm not sure how much different the cycle will be using dry rock instead of live rock, but I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Thanks for looking
