The Fringe - Coastal Reef Flats
 

Hey, I'm Andrew, and it's moving time!
Moving time means a new tank and a new build, so it couldn't be more exciting. Out of my crummy apartment into a much larger place with room to store everything required for my tank, and enough closet space for my winter jackets to boot. ;)
My new tank is a custom dimension starphire (or equivalent low iron glass) built by Concept Aquatics. It is an open spaced theme with a lot of swimming space, modeled after the shoreward side of the reef flats. I picture sitting on the beach, under some palm trees, looking out to the reef and ocean ahead, all from the comfort of my living room.

So feel free to tag along. All criticism, input, and encouragement is welcome!

For pics of tank yet

Equipment list as intended so far (subject to change) is as follows:

Display tank: 40x30x18 (roughly 90 gallons) 3 sided starphire with starphire eurobrace, external overflow (3x1") and dual 3/4" returns
Sump: 36x18x16
Return pump: Mag 9.5
Skimmer: SWC 120 (needs to be upgraded, thinking Vertex Omega maybe)
Controller: Apex
Powerheads: Vortech MP 40W-ES (x2)
Lights: AI Vega (x2)

Stand is built from wood, with maple ply and oak trim. Unfortunately I didn't document the building of the stand very well, but here it is most of the way done with the sump in for a test fit.
http://i45.tinypic.com/sym8fl.jpg

Looks good.

Have you bought your Vegas yet

I have one so far.
I have mixed feelings about it, but I have mixed feelings about all the LED's I have seen.

I'm pretty torn between getting the second one for the tank, and going in a different direction, but I'm not persuaded by other fixtures yet to change my mind one way or the other. Although I hear the Mitras is full of persuasion!

:pop2:

I don't know from personal experience but a member on here has tried all the major brand in the last year. When I talked to him about the vega he had told me the colors did not blend making the display look like multi color spotlight.

So far I've heard great reviews of the ghl mitra. Though cost is higher

Nice to see another reefer in Airdrie. Look forward to seeing your build.

The Mitras definitely are full of persuasion. :mrgreen:

http://i47.tinypic.com/2hgqxq0.jpg

Yes, actually now that I remember, I picked up a coral from Sean (Xtreme) after he had bought the Mitras on boxing day. Just two of them over his large reef was pretty impressive. They are certainly worth considering.

Thanks, I've been following yours also and look forward to seeing it finished. We could have a meet and frag swap in about ten years when my tank grows out!

One of my primary concerns with this new system is cleanliness and accessibility. To accommodate this, I ensured that the sump did not take up the entire cabinet space, allowing me to completely separate the bulk of the electronics from the water.

I was getting fairly exhausted from the stand build at this point, and sick of making drive after drive to home depot, so I went a slightly different route for my electronics cabinet.
Those familiar with Ikea products have undoubtedly heard of the Billy bookcase system. These bookcases actually go back to at least the early 80's, including this fine specimen that has been delegated to garage storage duty:

http://i48.tinypic.com/iz4w92.jpg

And... a little off the top!

http://i49.tinypic.com/34643th.jpg

The bookcase is now perfect height, depth, and a convenient half inch narrower than the opening on the sides of the stand.

On to some of the plumbing details:
The over flow has a siphon, a trickle drain and an emergency drain. A gate valve allows for fine adjustments and then passes into a filter sock. From there the sump has a skimmer chamber and a return chamber.

This is the manifold on the return line. The middle ball valve goes directly to the display tank, the two ball valves on either side go to media reactors. The far right line is plugged for future use, and the far left line will have a ball valve added to it to allow for water changes to and from the basement.

http://i50.tinypic.com/161j9sn.jpg