220 GALLON REEF biuld with Q/A

[zvonmonet]

Its a very exciting time for me. I am starting my 220 gallon build and I need your help to make it happen. I have a few questions and want to hear your opinions as to which path to choose or which one to avoid. I will keep posting daily progress with pictures and or videos as often as i can.

A little about me i am 25 Years old, I live in Toronto, Canada. I started my first reef tank which is still running about a year and a half ago. Then i ran out of room, so decided to upgrade the tank.

So lets get to business. I am thinking of getting a 220g or a 270g tank. Either 72L x 30W x 24H or the 72L x 36W x 24H. Here is the first question which should i choose :lolspin:

I will be placing my tank in the basement. We are starting the basement renovations tomorrow so its a perfect time for the project. The tank will be an in-wall build with 3 visible sides. I will try to reuse just my live rock, rest will be sold. This is the layout i am looking to make as it will be an extension of the bar wall. The drunk Russians are gonna have a nice view when they have a few drinks. (i am Russian myself i am allowed to make those jokes) :lolspin:

http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y380/zvonmonet/NewTanklayout.png

The builders going to make me the stand for the tank.

Now to the fun part EQUIPMENT -

I HAVE NOOOOO IDEA.

Tomorrow will be a long day for me doing final research as to which LED lights, skimmer, pumps, ect i want to get.

On a budget trying to spend around $5k-$7k

If you have any recommendations as to which items i should get and are at a decent price please drop your 2 cents and a link if there is one.

I hope everything will be done in about 2 months or so, i will try to update this thread as often as i can with videos and pictures so stay tuned

[laredo300c]

5k to 7k just on equipment or including tank?

Soft, lps, sps mixed?...

[Pastor Salty]

This is my dream build. My wife says if I stay with the hobby till September I can get a bigger tank

[cdrewferd]

$5-$7k on equipment seems good, but not including tank unless you've found one for a killer deal.

[zvonmonet]

$5-$7k on equipment seems good, but not including tank unless you've found one for a killer deal.

The $5k-$7k is the range that i am aiming for the equipment, tank, sump and plumbing. Not including the live stock, rock and sand bed. If it becomes more, then going to have to spend more, but I think its doable.


This is my dream build. My wife says if I stay with the hobby till September I can get a bigger tank

She is making a huge mistake letting you do it, i am only 25 and going nuts about this hobby. I can't imagine the tank size i will have in 10-20 years :lol2:


5k to 7k just on equipment or including tank?

Soft, lps, sps mixed?...

it will be mainly sps dominant with some lps and very few softies to start at least. I want to get rid of the softies but my mom likes them :eek:

[zvonmonet]

SO... here is an update

270 gallon tank it is. 72L x 36W x 24H, either sapphire or just the regular glass still trying to figure out

150g or so sump, probably 60L x 30W x 18H


I am contemplating about the following equipment

Skimmer - Reef Octopus XS 350

Lighting - AquaIllumination SOL 6 Modules, i think it will be enough to cover my tank.

Pump - looking into getting 2x reef octopus Water Blaster 7000, i have 2 more pumps that i can use for the water changes and maybe running a 2nd skimmer.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Vlad