Duckhams' 75G Reef Build - Eurobraced/BeanAnimal
 

I actually started this build over a year ago, and will be doing lots of modifications and updates to it in the next few months. Including new plumbing!
But here is a quick overview of the journey so far:

Display: 75 gallon 48"x20"x20", Eurobraced Low-iron glass, External Beananimal overflow. (all by Miracles Aquariums).
Sump: 30x14x18 Rimless, 3 compartments. Drain (media-reactor), skimmer, return.
Stand: 48x20x40 for optimal viewing and inside tank reach. (I can touch all areas inside the tank without a step-stool).
Rockscape: 2 main structures based on high arches and off-centred caves for a 3-dimensional feel.

Current Equipment:
Lighting: 2 x Kessil A360WE LED pendants, 4 x T5 LET-MIRO retrofits with ATI Actinics and Blue Plus bulbs.
Return Pump: Eheim 1262
Skimmer: Originally a Reef Octopus NWB-150. Just upgraded to a Vertex Omega 130.

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Can you tell me how much just the tank and stand cost?

Next I had to cut a space out of the back panel of the stand for the drain lines. The first 2 lines on the BeanAnimal overflow are hard-plumbed with ball valves, the third line, the emergency drain, is an open line run with flex-pvc (honestly just because I had it, there was no specific reason to use the flex line). Once the plumbing was all set, I sprayed it matte black. Its not a great finish, and a lot of it has worn off now, but it looked good to start with!

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Got the new rock soaking. As this was a brand new setup, I let the rock cure in the tank (for 2 months or so) before adding any livestock.
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Then finally, sprayed the inside of the tank white and sealed the bottom panel with caulk, just in case there were any spills in the future. This has been a life saver!
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Once that all dried, we moved it into the office and levelled the complete unit, front to back and side to side with plastic (composite) flooring shims from Lowes. Each one was labelled and cut to length before being tapped into place.
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PM'd.

We did a full test run of the whole system before setting up in the office. All worked well, silent overflow, quiet pump, it worked like a charm!
With tank level and in place, it was time for water, rocks & sand! The rockscape changed quiet a bit before I was happy with it. This is my favourite part of the setup, playing with the rockscape! So much potential! The 'high-hat' rockscape was a bit weird, but led to something better later on.

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Sweet build thread. Following along, love the removable overflow area and the rounded arch rock scape.

I'd cut holes into the sump and run that pump external.

As the system is running in my office, I ran the return pump in-sump to reduce the chances of water reaching my floor. It's an extremely quiet pump, so it's perfect as an in-sump return.
That being said, I've run several external pumps on other systems and never had an issue, but better safe than sorry.

Very nice!

Thanks! Your 300DD is beautiful, well deserving of TOTM.