# Stnbrgn's 300G Branching Reef -- Build Thread



## MStnbrgn

Hello, I'm fairly new to this forum and I've never posted a build thread before but now after buying our first house, my girlfriend and I decided it was time to upgrade from our current 80g to a larger more permanent aquarium where we can get a great new reef started. We take possession of our house April 20th, so in the mean time I'll be gathering all the necessary equipment to get the build started the week of April 25th. We decide to go with a 300g custom made tank with deep dimensions by Miracle Aquariums. The new tank will have dimensions of 72"×36"×27" with Starphire front and sides as well as external overflow drilled for a Bean animal overflow. They are also making us a custom sump with dimensions of 60"x36"×24" for maximum water volume. Our goal here is to maximize the amount of water the system has but also contain all the necessary equipment needed to run this reef. All while being under the tank in the stand, at the same time looking clean and organized. Under the tank in the sump area everything will be very compact but also very organized to maximize space, functionality and looks. I'd like our sump to look almost as nice as the display tank itself. Here are a couple teaser pictures of the tank still being built at the Miracles warhouse...



After ordering the tank I started to think about our rockscape. I looked at many different options and after alot of thought I decided to use Tonga branching reef rock. I knew for the large amount of rock and design we wanted I'd have to go with dry rock so I contacted Eli at Fijireefrock. After going back 4 or 5 times by phone and countless texts we had finally manged to get 270 lbs of nice quality tonga branch rock that would help us create the perfect aquascape. I would definately recommend Eli for all your dry rock needs, he was patient and made sure I was completely happy with every piece of rock before shipping it off to me. He even sweetened the deal with 7lbs of carbon and 5lbs of Fijicrete with my order for free, great service from start to finish. Now knowing that we'd be using dry rock I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to just put the rock in the tank and go through a huge cycle and algae phase. Instead we bought a 450g plastic pond (rock tub) that was roughly the same size (68"×46"×24") as the aquarium to both cure and cook all the rock.








Alot of water changes ahead...








After roughly a week the rock arrives at our door tightly wrapped and ready to get into the rock tub for curing...









After a bit of time I pieced together a rough rockscape design to get an idea how it'll look in the tank. Here are a couple teaser pictures without giving away too much of the design before it's in the tank...











Picked up 9 bags of "Select" reef sand for an approximately 2" deep sandbed from Bill at Incredible Aquariums...








After getting together two eheim heaters, a eheim compact 5000 and eheim 1262 that I had lying around, I filled the rock tub with Rodi water, heated and salted the water to nsw. I followed the curing instructions from Eli's website and fed the rock with skimmate. After 3 weeks the rock was fully cured. I've also been soaking the sand in buckets of Rodi water, changing the water every two days, to remove all organics and phosphates till it goes into the new tank. I will be doing a 100% waterchange to the rock tub early next week. I will then be adding some live rock from our established tank to help seed the new rock for the next 5 weeks before it goes into the new tank.








I will be updating this thread over the next 5 weeks as I gather all the equipment needed for our reef. The build will take place the week of April 25th. Feel free to comment or suggest anything you think may help to make this a better reef system.


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## Rookie2013

MStnbrgn said:


> Hello, I'm fairly new to this forum and I've never posted a build thread before but now after buying our first house, my girlfriend and I decided it was time to upgrade from our current 80g to a larger more permanent aquarium where we can get a great new reef started. We take possession of our house April 20th, so in the mean time I'll be gathering all the necessary equipment to get the build started the week of April 25th. We decide to go with a 300g custom made tank with deep dimensions by Miracle Aquariums. The new tank will have dimensions of 72"×36"×27" with Starphire front and sides as well as external overflow drilled for a Bean animal overflow. They are also making us a custom sump with dimensions of 60"x36"×24" for maximum water volume. Our goal here is to maximize the amount of water the system has but also contain all the necessary equipment needed to run this reef. All while being under the tank in the stand, at the same time looking clean and organized. Under the tank in the sump area everything will be very compact but also very organized to maximize space, functionality and looks. I'd like our sump to look almost as nice as the display tank itself. Here are a couple teaser pictures of the tank still being built at the Miracles warhouse...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After ordering the tank I started to think about our rockscape. I looked at many different options and after alot of thought I decided to use Tonga branching reef rock. I knew for the large amount of rock and design we wanted I'd have to go with dry rock so I contacted Eli at Fijireefrock. After going back 4 or 5 times by phone and countless texts we had finally manged to get 270 lbs of nice quality tonga branch rock that would help us create the perfect aquascape. I would definately recommend Eli for all your dry rock needs, he was patient and made sure I was completely happy with every piece of rock before shipping it off to me. He even sweetened the deal with 7lbs of carbon and 5lbs of Fijicrete with my order for free, great service from start to finish. Now knowing that we'd be using dry rock I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to just put the rock in the tank and go through a huge cycle and algae phase. Instead we bought a 450g plastic pond (rock tub) that was roughly the same size (68"×46"×24") as the aquarium to both cure and cook all the rock.
> 
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> Alot of water changes ahead...
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> After roughly a week the rock arrives at our door tightly wrapped and ready to get into the rock tub for curing...
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> After a bit of time I pieced together a rough rockscape design to get an idea how it'll look in the tank. Here are a couple teaser pictures without giving away too much of the design before it's in the tank...
> 
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> Picked up 9 bags of "Select" reef sand for an approximately 2" deep sandbed from Bill at Incredible Aquariums...
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> 
> After getting together two eheim heaters, a eheim compact 5000 and eheim 1262 that I had lying around, I filled the rock tub with Rodi water, heated and salted the water to nsw. I followed the curing instructions from Eli's website and fed the rock with skimmate. After 3 weeks the rock was fully cured. I've also been soaking the sand in buckets of Rodi water, changing the water every two days, to remove all organics and phosphates till it goes into the new tank. I will be doing a 100% waterchange to the rock tub early next week. I will then be adding some live rock from our established tank to help seed the new rock for the next 5 weeks before it goes into the new tank.
> 
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> I will be updating this thread over the next 5 weeks as I gather all the equipment needed for our reef. The build will take place the week of April 25th. Feel free to comment or suggest anything you think may help to make this a better reef system.


Congratulations on your house and your new tank. Following up to see how this monster turn out. Good luck and keep the pics coming. What kind of setup r u planning Sps dominant, Softies/Lps, Mixed reef? What kind of lights and filtration u r planning?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## MStnbrgn

Rookie2013 said:


> Congratulations on your house and your new tank. Following up to see how this monster turn out. Good luck and keep the pics coming. What kind of setup r u planning Sps dominant, Softies/Lps, Mixed reef? What kind of lights and filtration u r planning?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks! I'll be updating this thread with many pictures as the build progress'. I plan to do an Sps dominated reef with some LPS and zoa's for filler around the sps. As for lighting and other equipment I'm going to have to leave you hanging as I want to post pictures when I post my equipment list but let's just say I plan to use high end equipment for this build. So stay tuned for more pictures and build info!


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## Rookie2013

Ummmmmm 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## deeznutz

Very nice, looking forward to the build thread. 
My only advice would be a basement sump. I honestly think you're going be hunched over working under a tank that deep.

A basement sump will make husbandry much much easier and it will also contain the mess of routine maintenance.

Water changes are going to be a pain lugging 20-30 gallons for water changes. Both to and from the tank.

Just something to think about.


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## silent1mezzo

Sub'd to see the progression.


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## Rookie2013

deeznutz said:


> Very nice, looking forward to the build thread.
> My only advice would be a basement sump. I honestly think you're going be hunched over working under a tank that deep.
> 
> A basement sump will make husbandry much much easier and it will also contain the mess of routine maintenance.
> 
> Water changes are going to be a pain lugging 20-30 gallons for water changes. Both to and from the tank.
> 
> Just something to think about.


completely agreed. Too bad my fish room in the basement is way across the floor where my tank sits I definitely would use this as an option if available.


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## explor3r

Welcome and congratulations on the house and the tank upgrade Ill be following your build so keep the pictures


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## picoreef

Following this one for sure. Congrats and good luck. i love the branching rock and i cant wait to see it all come together. 

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk


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## MStnbrgn

deeznutz said:


> Very nice, looking forward to the build thread.
> My only advice would be a basement sump. I honestly think you're going be hunched over working under a tank that deep.
> 
> A basement sump will make husbandry much much easier and it will also contain the mess of routine maintenance.
> 
> Water changes are going to be a pain lugging 20-30 gallons for water changes. Both to and from the tank.
> 
> Just something to think about.


The house we bought is a raised bungalow so it has walk out basement, it's the only way we'd get the stand inside the house, the stand is 72"x36"x42"H. I'll be spending most of my time in the basement and want to have an awesome reef to occupy my time. Thus the tank will already be in the basement and unfortunately I don't have access to sump room or anything like that. However I did design the sump in a way that most of the necessary equipment is accessible without having to reach to far into the sump for easier maintenance. Most of the sump is just extra water volume with all the equipment being organized for easy access. As for doing water changes I plan to run two 1/2" PVC pipes (Saltwater input, Tank water output) as well as a RO line up the wall, through the ceiling and down into our furnace room where I'll be making a water mixing room as well as laundry sink for doing all my regular fish maintenance. I have to try to keep everything under the stand as there is no room for equipment beside the tank. So basically I'm trying to make the best of having the sump under the stand. I hope it works out as I planned, but I'll keep this thread posted.


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## MStnbrgn

picoreef said:


> Following this one for sure. Congrats and good luck. i love the branching rock and i cant wait to see it all come together.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk


Thank you, I wasn't a big fan of the tonga branch rock but then it grew on me and now i wouldn't want any other type of rock for this tank.



explor3r said:


> Welcome and congratulations on the house and the tank upgrade Ill be following your build so keep the pictures


Thank you, many more pictures to come, who doesn't love pictures!


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## fesso clown

Suscribed. 

Looking great so far. I can't wait to see how you're going to scape with all the branches. Did you consider adding some flat pieces for some nice platform action along with the branch?

You're mixing station will be in the other room eh? Sounds like a job for a Litermeter3 with an auto water exchange module. I just pick up a new/used LM3 and am about to order the water exchange module for Spectrapure. Thought I'd mention it to you as the Litermeter3 and add-ons are all on salle right now for a nice discount!


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## Sunstar

I can't wait to see what you do!


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## MStnbrgn

**Small Update**

So I decided to go out to HD tonight and buy two 44G Rubbermaid Brute Containers. These two containers, along with my 32G Brute Container will hold my saltwater for the 100% waterchange on the rock tub, which will happen this weekend. I will be using the two 44G containers in my water mixing station at the new house... 








Started filling these containers with Rodi water and I'll be mixing an approximate total of 110g with IO salt for the most cost effective way to cure the rock.
Came home from work today to a couple packages waiting for me, nothing exciting yet but still a much needed item to keep all our cords organized.
















American DJ Powerbars which will help keep everything looking clean, neat and also hide the sight of nasty cords. These are very sturdy and made to last.
Last but not least I thought I'd share the.planning stage of the sump, these are just teaser pictures as I don't want to give too much away. 
















More to come, another small order arriving this week.


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## MStnbrgn

fesso clown said:


> Suscribed.
> 
> Looking great so far. I can't wait to see how you're going to scape with all the branches. Did you consider adding some flat pieces for some nice platform action along with the branch?
> 
> You're mixing station will be in the other room eh? Sounds like a job for a Litermeter3 with an auto water exchange module. I just pick up a new/used LM3 and am about to order the water exchange module for Spectrapure. Thought I'd mention it to you as the Litermeter3 and add-ons are all on salle right now for a nice discount!


Thanks! I'm going for intertwining branch rock on the left side to create lots of caves but still allow lots of room for fish to swim, this left side will be the base that hold the right side, a shelf of intertwined branch rock that will extend 2' out. This shelf will be held 12" from the bottom with the help off fijicrete. I'll take lots of pictures to show how it turns out. I debated using other rock for certain aspects of my aquascape but then decided against it as I didn't think the different rocks would flow well together and for an aquascape like this it would be best to use only branch rock. 
Hmm, I wasn't thinking of doing auto water changes as I wasn't sure I'd be able to pump the water from the tank and back in from my water source in the furnace room which is 50' of tubing away. However now that you pointed this out I've looked into it and this may be a good suggestion, thanks for pointing this out as it's on sale! I have already planned to run plumbing so I'll be already be to do large waterchange by only switching a few levers so that won't be an issue but changing small amounts of water each day automatically is very intriguing.


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## Sunstar

What is the cost of those power bars? And where did oyu get them. I might consider one of those for myself.


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## fesso clown

Here's the "go to" thread for the AWC with a LM3.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2113252

The great thing is that RO tubing is very easy to run and hide throughout the house and the LM3 is capable of pushing/pulling water really F-ing far!


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## Sunstar

fesso clown said:


> Here's the "go to" thread for the AWC with a LM3.
> 
> http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2113252
> 
> The great thing is that RO tubing is very easy to run and hide throughout the house and the LM3 is capable of pushing/pulling water really F-ing far!


That is a really nice read.


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## MStnbrgn

Sunstar said:


> What is the cost of those power bars? And where did you get them. I might consider one of those for myself.


I bought the two with shipping all in they were approximately $60ea. I bought them here http://m.ebay.ca/itm/American-DJ-PC-100A-8-Switch-ON-OFF-Power-Center-/361512862495?nav=SEARCH
They are a great way to keep all your cords organized and easily accessible.


fesso clown said:


> Here's the "go to" thread for the AWC with a LM3.
> 
> http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2113252
> 
> The great thing is that RO tubing is very easy to run and hide throughout the house and the LM3 is capable of pushing/pulling water really F-ing far!


That's a great thread, I actually read through it all last night and emailed Spectrapure regarding what setup i would need and if it would be possible. They promptly emailed me back this afternoon and I was about to order the LM3, Remote Module and High Level Protection Sensor but when I got to the checkout phase shipping charges are $65 that's a little steep, so I'm going to call tomorrow and inquire about a cheaper shipping option. Very glad this was pointed out to me as I can plumb everything together. Thanks again!


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## fesso clown

*Litre meter shipping*

PM'd you on a possible shipping solution. There may be 2 of us that want stuff from SpectraPure.

Jeff


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## MStnbrgn

***Mini Update** Plumbing and Avast Marine*

So after doing the run around with UPS I finally managed to pick up one of my packages (reminds me why I dont like to use ups). Another package waits at my doorstep.. 















So I open the small box to see it contains our valves, as you're going to soon see we plan to use red plumbing with white fittings. These valves cost me an arm and leg however they are amazing quality and they turn very easily, two finger easily. I wanted the good cpex valves however they only come in grey and we wanted white valves to match our whole colour scheme. Also my Wye check valve with unions ..








I also picked up several pieces of red pvc pipe from Dave at Bigshowfrags..








Now waiting on the rest of my plumbing. 
Last but not least the last package that arrived, I could clearly see this was my Avast Marine order as they use their own brand of tape on the box. I couldn't wait to check out our new gear, i ordered a Swabbie (skimmer head cleaner), and a Large Davie Jones Skimmate Locker. The Swabbie will help me get the most of my skimmer by keeping the neck clean it'll also reduce the amount of maintenence I have to do on the skimmer. The large skimmate locker should be able to hold a weeks plus worth of skimmate. Sorry about everything being all wrapped up, as I want to keep it protected and safe till it's made the trip safely to the new house..
























That's it for now, more to come.... 
Build Start Date: April 27 (possibly sooner)


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## Windowlicka

Nice progress so far. If I was to offer any constructive criticism, it would be to consider returning the ball valves (if possible), and instead replace them with marginally more expensive Gate Valves - at this early stage of your build, it might be advice to be grateful for later…

Gate valves are considerably easier to balance and 'fine tune' your water flow, once your system is finally in operation. I wish I'd have heeded this advice on my last build - it was one of my regrets.


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## fesso clown

+1
Agreed, you actually only need 1 gate valve for your main siphon line. IT will be hard and frustrating to keep your overflow "tuned" without a gate valve. 

Nice Avast score! I ran their CS1 with their swabbie kit for a long time. I miss the Swabbie! I might just order another....


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## Sunstar

I have been thinking of getting an avast pump for my ATO. So far looking good. I hope we get to see pics of your finished plumbing.


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## MStnbrgn

Windowlicka said:


> Nice progress so far. If I was to offer any constructive criticism, it would be to consider returning the ball valves (if possible), and instead replace them with marginally more expensive Gate Valves - at this early stage of your build, it might be advice to be grateful for later&#8230;
> 
> Gate valves are considerably easier to balance and 'fine tune' your water flow, once your system is finally in operation. I wish I'd have heeded this advice on my last build - it was one of my regrets.


Thank you for the suggestions and advice, some have already helped make this project easier. That being said unfortunately due to the fact I got these from the states and paid a hefty COD on them, I'd lose my shirt trying to return them. However all these ball valves will work as an on/off purpose only and will not be used to fine tune water movement but more to divert water to different parts of the plumbing system. I do have a 1.5" Spears gate valve on order for my main siphon line so I'll be able to fine tune everything while using the other valves to isolate the main system for maintenance.


fesso clown said:


> +1
> Agreed, you actually only need 1 gate valve for your main siphon line. IT will be hard and frustrating to keep your overflow "tuned" without a gate valve.
> 
> Nice Avast score! I ran their CS1 with their swabbie kit for a long time. I miss the Swabbie! I might just order another....


How did you like your swabbie? I was debating on getting the Vertex Vectra but bad reviews on build quality kept coming up so I opted to go with the Swabbie as it's alot more durable and the reviews are great! 


Sunstar said:


> I have been thinking of getting an avast pump for my ATO. So far looking good. I hope we get to see pics of your finished plumbing.


I'll be posting full pictures of all my plumbing as I'm going to do that on day one before we move the tank into place.


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## MStnbrgn

***Mini Update** Reef Supplies Order & Spectrapure Order*

It's been a busy week and I've been on night shift so I haven't really had time to update this thread. I got three packages this week, one from Spectrapure and two orders from Reef Supplies. The first order from Spectrapure came within two days of ordering, although i did save costs on shipping, i still had to pay taxes so it worked out too be a $500 order. That included the Litermeter3, Remote Pump Module, and Overflow Sensor, these will be used to install the auto water change system.








The next two boxes came from Reef Supplies, I ordered some RO supplies as well as tubing for the auto water change system. I also ordered a bunch of unions, Bulkheads and s Spears gate valve for my overflow siphon line. 
















Two 500W Finnex Heaters, Magfloat 400 Plus+, coral dip and bacteria








Last but not least I order a Evergrow Refugium Led light fixture which we will use over our refugium which will be used for pod production.


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## MStnbrgn

***Mini Update** Bulk Reef Supplies & Incredible Aquariums*

So I haven't update this thread in a while so I've aquired quite a few more things needed for my build. The first of which is large bulk reef supply order which was broken up into 5 packages. I won't go into much detail on the pictures as they aren't the best quality and I'll take better ones as I build the entire setup. BRS order 
















































































Picked up 4 buckets of Red Sea Salt from Amazon for $250 all in, great pricing! I'm planning to use red sea salt as it has good parameters for a reef but also has low dkh which will be required for sps.








The next order was from Incredible Aquariums in London. I ordered the majority of my equipment from Bill as he has great prices but most importantly he has exceptional customer service. He had alot of patience dealing with me calling and emailing back and forth, as he went out of his way to get me all the equipment I need even if he doesn't regularily stock it. I'd recommend Bill at Incredible Aquariums for any of your aquarium livestock and supplies! Now to some pictures more, better ones to come!








I'll be using the Zeovit System for my biological filtration. 4L KZ Magnetic Reactor








Neptune Apex Gold Package 
























Skimmer, I've always wanted a Bubble King!!
















My girlfriend modeling 50 filter socks , both 200 & 300 micron socks. 








I'll be seeing Bill again next week to pick up the final pieces to the puzzle before I can start the build. Miracles will be delivering the tank and misc stuff April 27th, I'll be plumbing it that night and starting the build the following day. 
More to follow!


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## kamal

Great updates.....Cannot wait to see this thing come to life.


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## cb1021

nice gear, especially the tank. How much does it cost from Miracles?


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## MStnbrgn

kamal said:


> Great updates.....Cannot wait to see this thing come to life.


Thanks, everything starts on the 27th but for now still waiting on some more awesome equipment.



cb1021 said:


> nice gear, especially the tank. How much does it cost from Miracles?


Thanks, I'm not sure on the exact pricing of the tank as I got a better deal due to me buying several things, all in i spent $7754 at Miracles for this build.


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## MStnbrgn

So I decided to take a "sick day" from work today and go check on the progress of the tank and to go over some last minute changes that I wanted made. Here is a sneak peak of the sump, didn't want to give too much away just yet.








Also got 5l of Sera Siporax in the mail today all the way from Germany.


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## Dis

Love the spared no expense builds that I will never be able to afford. Nice work


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## cb1021

MStnbrgn said:


> Thanks, everything starts on the 27th but for now still waiting on some more awesome equipment.
> 
> Thanks, I'm not sure on the exact pricing of the tank as I got a better deal due to me buying several things, all in i spent $7754 at Miracles for this build.


Ah okay thanks!


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## Cichlidrookie

Dis said:


> Love the spared no expense builds that I will never be able to afford. Nice work


I wish I had that budget as well.


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## kouma

Congrats on your tank, I saw it when I was at Miracles. Looked very nice. Mine was the one opposite to yours


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## MStnbrgn

***Mini Update** Tank Arrives!*



kouma said:


> Congrats on your tank, I saw it when I was at Miracles. Looked very nice. Mine was the one opposite to yours


I heard you had an issue with moving the tank in and now you've decided to go with a black glass back, good choice you'll be alot happier with it.

Sorry for the delay, however the tank delivery was delayed till the 28th and then I go to start plumbing the tank and the holes for my Bulkheads are too small. So I call Miracles and the following Monday and they send someone to make the holes larger, however within 30 minutes of the new holes being drilled the tempered back shattered. Now I'm waiting for an entirely new back which will be put on Friday and then I'll have to wait an additional 3 weeks for everything to cure. 
In the mean time I'll post the pictures and what I have so far, i spent the week prior to the tank coming to run two 20 amp gcfi outlets to the breaker box on there own 40amp breaker. I also ran water lines through the roof for:
Top off water
Auto water change input
Auto water change output
As well as 2× 1/2" PVC lines for larger manual water changes.
I hooked the drains to plumbing in the roof all with one way valves to prevent back sepage. The fresh salt water lines went to my furnace room where I'll be setting up my water change room. I also ran an ethernet wire from my router to the tank so I can connect my Apex. Enjoy the pictures hopefully they explain themselves. 







Now some pictures of us moving the tank in with the old back. I ordered a tray made of pvc large enough to cover the entire food print of the tank so that way if water leaks it'll go into the tray before onto my floors. The tray holds approximately 40 gallons. I got the top of the stand made with 2x4 metal instead of the 2x2 pieces as then then i could avoid a middle brace and wanted all the room under the stand for the sump. I also ordered a black water box for my ATO. I'll take more detailed pictures in the following week. The pictures of the tank were taken by my girlfriend on her iPhone so I'm not sure why they come up smaller than the rest. Enjoy for now!


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## kamal

Wow

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


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## Cichlidrookie

kamal said:


> Wow
> 
> Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


Double wow.


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## kouma

Oh my, its general knowledge that tempered glass shouldn't be drilled or tempered further with. Were the holes that small that you couldn't make your plumbing work? I am sorry that this happened. When my back chipped during transportation I felt like I lost 10 years of my life, I was so heart broken. Nathen (awesome, funny, and super nice guy) replaced it for me with black glass, and it looks much nicer than the black vinyl.

I guess we are in the same boat, I am now counting down the days until the tank is fully cured.

Beautiful tank and stand.

I love Miracles and their awesome support.


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## kouma

FYI, if you want to maintain your red/white plumbing, you can consider this gate. That is what I am using. Its less than $20 and made in USA

https://www.zorocanada.com/i/G1739202/


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## Marz

Very nice. I like the choice of black back glass btw.


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## MStnbrgn

kouma said:


> Oh my, its general knowledge that tempered glass shouldn't be drilled or tempered further with. Were the holes that small that you couldn't make your plumbing work? I am sorry that this happened. When my back chipped during transportation I felt like I lost 10 years of my life, I was so heart broken. Nathen (awesome, funny, and super nice guy) replaced it for me with black glass, and it looks much nicer than the black vinyl.
> 
> I guess we are in the same boat, I am now counting down the days until the tank is fully cured.
> 
> Beautiful tank and stand.
> 
> I love Miracles and their awesome support.


That is correct, tempered glass can't be drilled however Derek told me that they don't always temper right to the holes and since they were only going to take off 1/4" it shouldn't be a problem, they even test a peice of tempered glass at there shop and had no issues. I had asked for 1" return holes but instead got 3/4", yes I could have worked with this and bought a reducer, bulkhead and new Eductor however I had planned and paid for 1" holes. For $8000 i want the perfect tank just the way I designed it. Nathan is and great guy though he's been helping me every step of the way, I've even been texting him to make sure things go smoothly. Definately a great guy to deal with! Glad you have a new back now knly 3 weeks till water can even go into it.



kouma said:


> FYI, if you want to maintain your red/white plumbing, you can consider this gate. That is what I am using. Its less than $20 and made in USA
> 
> https://www.zorocanada.com/i/G1739202/


I saw that gate valve and refrained from ordering it as it looked cheap and wasn't sure on the quality compared to the spears gate valve. Knowing you like them is good to know, if only I knew sooner. I already have the grey spears gate valve and will have to deal with that as my only non white and red plumbing piece.


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## bluface

Heads up on the tempered back. It is soft due to tempering. Hence, easy to scratch. I have been using the Tunze glass cleaner with the plastic blades and they still scratched! I hear Starphire is also soft. I started using the really cheap mag float and they seem to work on 3/4" glass. Just have to clean regularly.
Nice build BTW.


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## MStnbrgn

bluface said:


> Heads up on the tempered back. It is soft due to tempering. Hence, easy to scratch. I have been using the Tunze glass cleaner with the plastic blades and they still scratched! I hear Starphire is also soft. I started using the really cheap mag float and they seem to work on 3/4" glass. Just have to clean regularly.
> Nice build BTW.


Thanks for the heads up I've dealt with Starphire glass before and haven't had any issues with it, however I do only ever clean my glass with a softer scrubbing sponge to prevent such issues. However this time around I also bight a Magfloat 400+ which is made for 3/4" glass so I'll see if that causes any issues and report back.


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## MStnbrgn

***Update**Plumbing*

Hey everyone so I know it's been a while since I last posted so I decided it's time for an update. Due to the fact I had to be out of my old house by May 25th i made arrangements with miracles to fill the tank before the 3 week curing mark but to do so I'd have to use 4 heavy duty clamps on the tank for an extra three weeks while the tank cures. This isn't the end of the world but prevents me from placing my Powerheads where I want them and not to mention it looks ugly as well. However I've made the best of the situation. I won't go into much detail on etheach picture as there are alot and I don't want to be up all night long . If you have any questions feel free to let me know, but for now enjoy the reef porn.


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## MStnbrgn

Pictured continued...



















All my equipment is mostly Ecotech, which includes 6 Radion pros, 2 MP60S, 2 MP40S, Vectra L1, Battery Backup and Reeflink.
That's it for now, more to come later! Enjoy.


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## reefjunkie86

Awesome progress. Who built your sump?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Cichlidrookie

reefjunkie86 said:


> Awesome progress. Who built your sump?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I am pretty sure it was Miracles as well.

Amazing build and pictures. Man that is a very well planned out tank.

Can wait to see coral in fish in there.


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## ReefABCs

WoW awesome build.


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## Flexin5

wow great build! 

question, where did you get your red pvc from?


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## MStnbrgn

reefjunkie86 said:


> Awesome progress. Who built your sump?
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you! I designed the sump but Miracles built it. I practically built it with the guys at Miracles so we could get it as close to perfect as possible



Cichlidrookie said:


> I am pretty sure it was Miracles as well.
> 
> Amazing build and pictures. Man that is a very well planned out tank.
> 
> Can wait to see coral in fish in there.


Thank you, many more pictures to come once I get the time. I planned this entire tank over 5 months and bought everything before hand so i could slowly peice it all together. I actually already have several really cool fish already in the tank but I'll post pictures in a future update.


ReefABCs said:


> WoW awesome build.


Thank you!


Flexin5 said:


> wow great build!
> 
> question, where did you get your red pvc from?


I got the Red Pvc from Dave at Big Show Frags in Hamilton, he has all different sizes but be advised it's not cheap.


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## kouma

What type of media reactor did you use to house your Siporax? I have 10L and currently have them in my sump in a mesh bag


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## MStnbrgn

kouma said:


> What type of media reactor did you use to house your Siporax? I have 10L and currently have them in my sump in a mesh bag


I run about 4L in 2x 1.5L Vertex Reactor, the water is prefiltered with filter floss so the pores don't clog. Pictures included to show what I mean.


As you can see I started to stack them as this works best but my stack collapsed and I gave up, so I just placed them in loosely.


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## MStnbrgn

*Fish Added*

It's been awhile since I posted an update. The tank has been up and running for just over a month now but I'm still waiting on a my dosers and a few other smaller things to finally get the tank completed and tidied up. After running my tank through the 14 day Zeovit cycle i added my first few fish, my niger trigger and original blue hippo tang which I bought as a black hippo but was sadly disappointed when after it settled in, which was less than a week, and it changed back go a regular blue hippo tang but with a slight red tone. A before and after picture on the new tank.





The next fish to go in were from Red at Coral Reef Shop from his last Hawiian shipment. He brought in a great shipment and i couldnt resist picking up more than I probably should have. I bought a black tang, black/scopas hybrid tang, yellow tang, Helfrichi Firefish and 17 assorted shrimp of which include bloods, cleaners and Peppermint. A few pictures of the fish, unfortunately I couldn't get a good picture of the black/scopas hybrid and his pattern.




Added my bonded lightning maroon and goldnugget clownfish pair...waiting for a multicolor carpet anemone for these guys. Sadly my newly added Helfrichi decided to take up residence in my lightning maroon clowns home and unfortunately the lightning killed the Firefish. 

Last but not least I made a trip over to see Dave at Bigshowfrags and picked up two of his aussie flame hawks sadly the smaller one was killed by a larger niger trigger that I was selling in quarantine. However after adding the bigger one to my 300 gallon it has been doing great, and doesn't touch any of the shrimp, now just waiting till he can get some more in to complete the pair. 

The last fish i have but won't be able to add as he is too large is my gem tang, for now he'll be going to my brothers tank till I can possibly find another smaller one to replace it. 
More fish to come soon as well as corals once I get everything settled in. 

More to come!!


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## MStnbrgn

Just wanted to post a few pictures of my water storage system. The top Brute Container holds Rodi water and the bottom Brute Container holds saltwater. I am able to move the water from Brute to Brute, to a manual drain or through the roof to the tank which I do for larger water changes. I also have the pump connected to the bottom Brute Container to circulate and mix fresh saltwater. Here are a few pictures of my setup.


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## kouma

How is your gem tang too large for your 300gal tank?


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## notclear

MStnbrgn said:


> Added my bonded lightning maroon and goldnugget clownfish pair...waiting for a multicolor carpet anemone for these guys. Sadly my newly added Helfrichi decided to take up residence in my lightning maroon clowns home and unfortunately the lightning killed the Firefish.


My lightning maroon has fewer dots on its body than yours and has similar size as yours, will it get more dots on its body to look like more lightning?


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## MStnbrgn

kouma said:


> How is your gem tang too large for your 300gal tank?


The gem tang is double if not 3 times larger than my other tangs, i already have a purple, yellow, black and black hybrid tang which it would probably kill very quickly. 


notclear said:


> My lightning maroon has fewer dots on its body than yours and has similar size as yours, will it get more dots on its body to look like more lightning?


The pictures can be diseaving, my lightning is 3.25" so quite larger, I've had her for over a year. It takes quite a bit of time for there pattern to emerge, the more I feed mine the better it's pattern grows. Right now it's has lots of tiny pin holes all over the white that will eventually expand to a larger pattern. I'm sure your lightning maroons pattern will get better but it takes a long time, from what I've experienced it'll probably take atleast 3 full years to get to the adult pattern.


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## notclear

Mine is around 2.75". Three years is a long time, but good to know. Thanks.


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## Flexin5

nice waterchange setup through the roof. did you use the clear tubing to run across the roof? I'm thinking about doing something similar but under the floor instead.


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## [email protected]

MStnbrgn said:


> The pictures can be diseaving, my lightning is 3.25" so quite larger, I've had her for over a year. It takes quite a bit of time for there pattern to emerge, the more I feed mine the better it's pattern grows. Right now it's has lots of tiny pin holes all over the white that will eventually expand to a larger pattern. I'm sure your lightning maroons pattern will get better but it takes a long time, from what I've experienced it'll probably take atleast 3 full years to get to the adult pattern.





notclear said:


> Mine is around 2.75". Three years is a long time, but good to know. Thanks.


Great looking build Marcus. Very well thought out.

Here are 2 Lightning Maroon Clownfish, we have in stock, showing lots of that unique pattern already . Both under 2" and are going to be unreal when they mature.


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## Rookie2013

Great build...nicely done...


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## Strobe

Very nicely thought out, i would be interested in checking this out in person one day.


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## Sea MunnKey

Was that "Black" Hippo Tang from a certain local lfs? I've seen that ...


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## MStnbrgn

Flexin5 said:


> nice waterchange setup through the roof. did you use the clear tubing to run across the roof? I'm thinking about doing something similar but under the floor instead.


I hard plumbed as much as I could put one small 10' section i couldnt hard plumb so I used flexible clear hosing and so far it's been great, it does get a clear film on the inside but my water comes out clear and clean every time.


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## MStnbrgn

So far no major updates, I'm still waiting on a few key pieces of equipment before I can tie away all my cords and make everything look like it should. Once that's done I'll post some more updates.



Rookie2013 said:


> Great build...nicely done...
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Thank you!


Strobe said:


> Very nicely thought out, i would be interested in checking this out in person one day.


Thank you, it's not quite done but if you're ever in the kitchener area shoot me a pm and you can come check it out.


Sea MunnKey said:


> Was that "Black" Hippo Tang from a certain local lfs? I've seen that ...


No it was actually from a fish store in Ottawa i drove up there specifically for it, still looking for another black one though.


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## Rookie2013

Any updates yet?


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