# Tank Journal - From empty to full 210g reef



## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Tank Journal

Empty (December 2006):










Took down fishroom & set up barebottom tank (210g)



















Finally finished off stand with plywood & doors:


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Hated barebottom look so added some sand:










Last week:



















Again, thanks for looking.

Anthony


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## jay_leask (Apr 22, 2010)

that is awesome!!


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Beautiful....


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## ninez (Apr 21, 2010)

Awsome!!

Could you share what your setup is like? sump & equipment wise, heater, pump, UV, skimmer etc??

THANKS


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## kbuntu (Apr 21, 2010)

Thats just beautiful. Don't even wanna think about the cost of this baby. Very very nice!!


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

ninez said:


> Awsome!!
> 
> Could you share what your setup is like? sump & equipment wise, heater, pump, UV, skimmer etc??
> 
> THANKS


Bought a used 210g full setup from DeepRed's contact when I decided to shut down fishroom to turn back into spare bedroom.

Sold off stand, sump, skimmer, return pump & AqualightPro 150s that came with the tank. Basically kept tank only.

Built heavy duty solid wood stand (74" long x 36" tall by 25" wide) out of 2x4s & 2x6s, screwed & glued together with metal L-brackets in the corners. Tank is 6' x 29" tall x 2' wide).

Dual Megaflow overflows go down into a 75g sump holding a EuroReef RS250 w/ Sedra 9000 pump. Water then flows over first baffle into mid-chamber with remote deep sand bed container & extra live rock & LR rubble & chaeto macroalgae for nutrient export, then under 2nd baffle to a Sedra 9000 return pump.

2 x 200w EboJager heaters (use 2 smaller ones instead of 1 big one in case of malfunction). Unplugged heaters till the autumn. Temp stays around 78F. Max 82F because by then I have my 12000btu portable air conditioner on in the summer to lower temp. Without AC, tank may go to 86F or higher by mid-summer.

Return flows through 80w (dual 40w) Aqua UV sterilizer before returning to the display.

Lit by 6' 3x250w Double ended Metal Halides (14000k Aquaconnect bulbs or Phoenix bulbs) with 4x96w PC actinics & 4x1w blue LED moonlights built-in.

I supplement lighting with 3 clipon lights with 42w 6500k Phillips Daylight Compact flourescents.

Have probably 200lbs of LR in the tank, 20+ fish, 50+ species of corals, 5 green bubbletip anemones & 1 Orange Rose bubblletip anemone.

Corals are split about 50:50 between SPS (hard corals) and LPS (Large polyp Stoney corals). Only a few softies (mushroom & zoanthids) as well as a few photosynthetic gorgonias.

Full retail, it would probably cost over $10,000 to replicate this complete setup with livestock & corals. Most of the corals are worth at least $50 each and some are probably worth over $100 each.

I dose with Kalkwasser, Calcium & Magnesium. Occasionally, add Iodine (Lugol's solution) and Alkalinity buffer.

The fish are fed probably 5+ times daily, including usually 2 full stheets of Nori for all the tangs. Mostly fed pellets & fozen mysis/bloodworm mix.


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## ninez (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh my~~ sounds REALLY complicated!!

Thanks for the valuable info.


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## Richard (Apr 23, 2010)

WOW, my dream SW tank. Very very nice.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow great set up. Good job. I was wondering about your sump do you have any pictures of it thanks David


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Feeding 5 times a day? Is that just for increased growth, or do they require this for everyone to get enough food. Sounds like a reef tank isn't for anyone who isn't home a lot (like me).


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Feeding 5 times a day? Is that just for increased growth, or do they require this for everyone to get enough food. Sounds like a reef tank isn't for anyone who isn't home a lot (like me).


I feed my fish alot. They don't need it. When I'm on vacation, I have a friend feed once a day.

I have a dozen or so Tangs & they eat a lot so I like to feed frequently. Keeps everyone fat & sassy.

Anthony


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I see...whew...I guess I still have a chance at a reef some day then.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Any recent photos of the reef? Love how it looks.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Sorry, tore down and sold off that tank a couple of months ago as part of my downsizing. With 2 little girls, I need a bit more space for humans now. Also, with my work schedule, it was difficult keeping up with two big tanks. I kept the 165g mixed reef so I at least have a big reef to play with. 

Now I'm "down" to:

165g reef
60g 2' clownfish/anemone reef
12g Fluval Flora Red Frogfish species tank
25g pentagon fw community planted tank

and soon to be upgraded to:

33g long shrimp condo with two sections for CRS and Taiwanese Fire Red Shrimp and one section for Hawaiian Volcano shrimp (although very tempted to switch this to a seahorse refugium instead).

Plus 110g koi "pond" outside - may be upgraded to a bigger Tuff Tote in the spring and semi-buried into the ground inside the new greenhouse when I build it as this spring's reno project.


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## pisces (Apr 22, 2010)

Awsome!!
i really like the colourful setup!


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

Was that the replacement for the tank that blew?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

No this was my original big 210g. The 220g that blew was to hold my friend's livestock and it is now replaced by a 165g starphire tank that I got from my buddy Chin last year.


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

Ok, I remember reading about that tragedy! Shakes head... Thats the worst part of the hobby, know it could happen to any of us!


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