Myka's 100-gallon SPS Reef

[Myka]

This is one heck of a slow build...

In March 2011 I made a comment in a thread about a tank that Concept Aquatics was building - something along the lines of "That tank is almost exactly what I want to build". So Dave sends me a PM, I send him my ideal dimensions and build, and next thing I know I ordered a freakin tank! How the heck did that just happen?!

So I picked up the tank in Calgary in April of 2011. I was still working out of province at that time and knew I wouldn't get around to setting up the tank until late summer when I was back to Saskatoon permanently. Well, summer came and went and I had too many projects on the go. Winter was a write off because I garage was not heated last year (it is now though woohoo). So spring 2012 came along and I got all gung ho and framed a stand while I was making the stand for the 50-gallon LPS tank. I even skinned the stand, but I didn't cut the doors and the project faltered there.

Today I finally got my butt into the shop, cut the doors, re-installed one of the panels that I didn't like the corner of, filled and sanded the whole thing, and got a first coat of paint on the inside! Gasp!

The stand is constructed of 2x4s with 1/4" sanded plywood skinning it. I ran the plywood up higher than the top of the stand to cover the 1/2" rigid foam and the bottom pane of glass of the tank. The stand will be painted the same color as the wall it will be sitting in front of which in this case is chocolate brown. My 50-gallon is across the room against a sage green wall and that stand is painted sage green. I really like the look, since little attention is drawn to the stand. The stand itself is finished very simply so as to draw as little attention as possible.

So, the tank won't be anything too fancy. I will just be doing a tank transfer from my 90-gallon into the 100-gallon. My biggest complaints about my 90 are that the 18" width is cramped to fit halides with T5s running beside them, and the internal overflow is an eyesore that takes up too much real estate.

I didn't actually want a tank much bigger, just a tad wider. So the new 100-gallon is 48x20x24" with polished edges, black silicone, and the front pane is Starphire. There is black acrylic installed on the inside of the tank for a background to cover up the external overflow. There is a centered rear external overflow that has two holes for 1" Herbie drains. There are two return holes drilled near the surface on either side as well. I have an Oceans Motions Squirt collecting dust so I will stick it on there so my return will switch from the left line to the right line for slightly better circulation through the tank.

I won't be using my Wavebox in the new tank since SPS don't move in the current I would rather use powerheads and not have that bulky box in the tank. I would like to have a couple large Koralia powerheads and then a large Eheim controllable pump to create diversity in the flow. The tank will be bare bottom.

The 90 has a canopy, and the new 100 has polished edges so I do not want to cover them up. I would like to swap out my MH pendants for a MH+T5 fixture that I will hang on arms attached to the back of the tank. I want an SE fixture which is tough to find. I've been looking at the Hamilton Cebu fixture...



Equipment:

48x20x24" tank
30-gallon sump 30x16x14"
Poseidon PS3 return pump
SWC Extreme Cone 180
2x250 watt halides in PFO pendants on Vertex ballasts with Phoenix 14K SE bulbs
2x54 watt Tek T5 retrofit kit with KZ Super Blue bulbs
Drew's Dosers dosing pumps
TLF PhosBan Reactor with BRS pelleted GFO
Tunze Osmolator
2x75 watt Eheim heaters
Jebo triple fan (cheap and indestructible!)



Livestock:

About 40 different SPS corals (10 fairly large pieces)
Rose BTA
Square Spot Anthias (male)
Tomato Clownfish (unbonded pair)
Grey Head Wrasse (male)
Flame Angelfish
2x Yellow Tail Blue Damsels
Tailspot Blenny

Black Brittle Starfish (5 years old)
Tuxedo Urchin
Astraea snails
Ring Cowries

Various sand-dwelling critters that will need to be removed (Conch, Nassarius snails, Cerith Snails, etc)