My 65g rimless tank build dsa

[newbie2011]

So i know i have started this thread a little late but here is my build on my 65g rimless dsa tank.
I started buying everything over a month ago i live paycheck to paycheck so it has tanken me a little bit to get to this point.
First off let me tell you this tank is AMAZING i love it without anything in it and i know i will love it even more with everything in it.
I first bought the tank from my local fish store called jfw aquarium in houston tx.
It sat on my livingroom flor for about two weeks till i got the money for the stand. Im not sure what the name of the stand was but i know it is all reall wood and it is gorgeous. it sits at 36" tall and i love how tall it is because everything is eye level and your not going to have to bend down to look at it.
Well here are the pics of the tank ill tell you more afterwards


http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0696.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0695.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0694.jpg

[newbie2011]

So anyways i went out and bought i belive a 30 gallon pm refugium.
Well actually it was just a sump but i modified it to a refugium and i love how much room i have to put alot of different stuff there is about 12" x 19" of refugium area
I also cut out one of the sock holders i only have one drain line and did nt want to spilt it to to and plus i needed room for my skimmer.
It was a pain in the butt but i got it done doesnt look the best but hey whose does lol
well here are the pics tell me what you think



http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0700.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0699.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0698.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0697.jpg

[naterealbig]

Lookin good. Are you going to add sand? What are your plans for lighting and flow? Skimmer?

I also see a hole drilled in the sump near the front. Are you running the return pump externally? Will you have enough room there for it?

[naterealbig]

Oh wait, I see one on the right had side too.

[newbie2011]

well the skimmer i just ordered today the swc 160 skimmer it should be in thursday i have heard nothing but good reviews on it
i also ordered the tunze 1070.05 for my return pump which i couldnt really find any bad reviews on either other then the price lol

lighting im not sure yet i want to do led's but its hard to find the right ones and i dont really want to drop a 1000 dollars for the lighting
as for flow i am going to get the tunze wavebox along with a vortech mp40

my pump is going to be ran internally those holes were pre drilled when i got it so i am going to plug it up with bulkheads and pvc i dont haave enough room to run it externally and i would be to nervous to anyways

is there anything you would do different?

[naterealbig]

Yeah, I hear the SWC's are beasts, and I don't think you can go wrong with anything Tunze.

I have my own set of reservations when it comes to LED's. I haven't had any experience myself, but I have read WAY WAY WAY too many thread about people who are having problems with theirs, or at least problems with their corals once they started. I just don't think that they are ready for reef tanks yet.

Why get the Tunze wave box if you are using an MP40? You can get a wave pretty easy using just one. The vortech is my favorite piece of equipment on my tank :)

I wouldn't be nervous about running the pump externally, but if you don't have the room, you don't have the room.

Nothing I would do different so far. I like external pumps and skimmers, but this is preference, and will have no impact on the outcome of the aquarium. It looks like you are starting with quality equipment, which is a must.

You are off to a good start. I would definitely stick with the tried and true, as far as the lighting goes. No LED's for now. Once you get the tank where it needs to be, and you're still interested, then get an LED setup as a second fixture. That way if you hate them, you still have your original fixture :)

What are you plans as far as aquascaping goes?

[newbie2011]

yea that's what i heard about the swc and tunze.

as far as the mp40 and the wavebox i wont both of them mainly the wavebox to do the wave for the tank and the mp40 i want to experiment with to see what i could do with it.

led's yea your right i have seen alot of threads with people saying they bought a led set up that claimed it could support corral then come to find out it isnt enough or it is to powerful and burns them out i think i might stick with halides im wanting a pendant style to go with since my tank is rimless i don't have a canopy and other halide lights arent (Nice enough lol) for my tasting do you know any good pendant style ones

and thank you im trying to go with the best of the best equipment i have had smaller tanks in the past and just tried to skim by with the bear minimum even though i was told not to and id have to say out of the year and half or so i have been doing this the more money you spend on one piece of equipment will save you alot more in the long run to an extent.

[newbie2011]

as far as aquascaping goes im going to by dry rock and dry sand i dont want to worry about parasites or anything then im going to get like a pvc flat sheet put bulkheads in it where i want the big rock run pvc pipe out of the bulk head and just a little shorter then the rock and secure the rock to the pvc with some coral putty and a plastic screw

im wanting to do close to a ruble look but wiith alot of flat surfaces since i am going to have alot of coral and i dont want to many caves.

[naterealbig]

do you know any good pendant style ones

This really depends on what the budget is. Sfiligoi builds some top end fixtures (it's what I run over my 150) but you will pay out the rear for them. Same with Giesemann. These two are by far my favorite.

Coverage will be a bit tricky with the tank dimensions. A single 400W with a good reflector would work great, but will heat the tank a good bit. A single 250 watt halide will come really close (again, with a good reflector) and much less heat. A 2 x 250 fixture would be great, but they are uncommon in a 36" length.

A single new halide fixture won't be too expensive, but if you want integrated t5's and/or moonlights, plan on paying double or even triple for a fixture in some cases. Check out Hamilton's web site, they have some great fixtures and reflectors there, both with and without supplementation, and they are reasonably priced. Stay away from the lumenarcs, lumenbrights, and the like; They are great fixtures, but will detract from the clean European look you have done a good job with so far. If you want the best of the best, look at Giesemann & Sfiligoi. Also take a look through the used selling forums, there are some great deals there, and for some reason it seems to be a "buyers market" when it comes to the lighting.

If you are considering t5's, they would be a great option as well. Even brand new, they are typically much cheaper than halide t5 combo fixtures. A 36 in Tek or Tek elite would look great, and if you have the $$ so would a powermodule or a sunpower. You will have to do a bit of research on the bulb combo, however. See the t5 q & a thread in the DIY forum for the color combination. As with the halides, there are some great deals to be had on the selling forums.

Remember over anything, these are just my opinions, and what "I" would do with this tank. It's your's and you will be the one looking at it every day, so make the decisions without haste and with much research :)

[laredo300c]

Off to great start.

I too saw this tank at my lfs, elegant reef in San Antonio , and immediately fell in love, never owned a rimless, so I was drooling over this tank like you wouldn't believe.

My 120g has kessils LEDs, which i love, my corals are taking off, no sps though

Ive been toying with the idea of buying this tank for my office and I think I would do an ATI 24" sunpower. My friend here in Laredo, tx has a 36" long tank with an ATI 36" sp and he currently switched to a 24" model and in my opinion, a rimless looks a lot better with a shorter fixture. Light coverage is great even with the 12" less on his tank. His old 36" model ATI took away too much from the overall rimless look.

I've noticed on my tanks that the last 5-6 inches on either side are usually left bare in order for the mag cleaner to pass and to simplify glass maintenance.

[laredo300c]

By the way, I think two mp10s synced in this tank would be better than one mp40. Not sure on the wave box, might be to much interior wise, since the overflow is pretty big

[newbie2011]

This really depends on what the budget is. Sfiligoi builds some top end fixtures (it's what I run over my 150) but you will pay out the rear for them. Same with Giesemann. These two are by far my favorite.

Coverage will be a bit tricky with the tank dimensions. A single 400W with a good reflector would work great, but will heat the tank a good bit. A single 250 watt halide will come really close (again, with a good reflector) and much less heat. A 2 x 250 fixture would be great, but they are uncommon in a 36" length.

A single new halide fixture won't be too expensive, but if you want integrated t5's and/or moonlights, plan on paying double or even triple for a fixture in some cases. Check out Hamilton's web site, they have some great fixtures and reflectors there, both with and without supplementation, and they are reasonably priced. Stay away from the lumenarcs, lumenbrights, and the like; They are great fixtures, but will detract from the clean European look you have done a good job with so far. If you want the best of the best, look at Giesemann & Sfiligoi. Also take a look through the used selling forums, there are some great deals there, and for some reason it seems to be a "buyers market" when it comes to the lighting.

If you are considering t5's, they would be a great option as well. Even brand new, they are typically much cheaper than halide t5 combo fixtures. A 36 in Tek or Tek elite would look great, and if you have the $$ so would a powermodule or a sunpower. You will have to do a bit of research on the bulb combo, however. See the t5 q & a thread in the DIY forum for the color combination. As with the halides, there are some great deals to be had on the selling forums.

Remember over anything, these are just my opinions, and what "I" would do with this tank. It's your's and you will be the one looking at it every day, so make the decisions without haste and with much research :)


yea i understand i think the hardest part so far for me on this tank build is finding the right lighting for it i dont want to get one just for looks and it not do good but i also dont want to get one that does good but i hate it every time i go into my living room.
Your opinion is really helpful and i will for sure be looking into those lights.
once i get the lighting i think i might be set anything you think i am forgetting?

[newbie2011]

Off to great start.

I too saw this tank at my lfs, elegant reef in San Antonio , and immediately fell in love, never owned a rimless, so I was drooling over this tank like you wouldn't believe.

My 120g has kessils LEDs, which i love, my corals are taking off, no sps though

Ive been toying with the idea of buying this tank for my office and I think I would do an ATI 24" sunpower. My friend here in Laredo, tx has a 36" long tank with an ATI 36" sp and he currently switched to a 24" model and in my opinion, a rimless looks a lot better with a shorter fixture. Light coverage is great even with the 12" less on his tank. His old 36" model ATI took away too much from the overall rimless look.

I've noticed on my tanks that the last 5-6 inches on either side are usually left bare in order for the mag cleaner to pass and to simplify glass maintenance.

yea thats exactly what i did with this tank. At first when he told me the price i was like yea right im not paying that much. Then few weeks later im walking out with the tank, and next thing you know a couple weeks later i have the stand lol. Who knew but im glad i bought this even empty it looks good in my living room.
yea i heard great things about the kessil, but to cover the area it would take at least 3 to 4 i believe. Thats around1000 dollars. For that price i could get one light that does the same amount of lighting area (even though they wouldnt be leds).
i think im going to stick with hallide pendants but we will see i have a while till i get those

[newbie2011]

ok so im looking around what would be a good amount of t5s for my tank 36x20 i see 4 then 6 then 8 im really liking the powermodule even though i did want halides

[newbie2011]

ok so i know i havent been on here for a little bit but i finally got the tunze 1073.05 and swc 160 skimmer came in on friday

first off i have to say the swc was packaged just like you see on youtube fully assembled only problem i had was the bubble difuser or whaterver you call it was not tight and i had to take it apart to tighten which in turn made it pointless to be completly assembled lol

the tunze was well packaged it came in a box inside of a popcorn filled box triple its size lol i have not hooked them up but from the looks and feel of them i already love them

also have to say the swc was alot bigger then i expected

here are some pics of everything

http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0707.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0702.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0703.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0709.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0704.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0705.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0708.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0710.jpg
http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd493/aparmerr/100_0706.jpg

[yellowRubi]

everything looks great! You gonna like that skimmer ! :)

[Shoryureppa]

I have that same skimmer, you'll be shocked at what that can do! I love the look of your stand btw, so clean and simple!

[naterealbig]

Looking good, and I'll agree with the above post - that skimmer should beast on that tank. With your dimensions, I'd probably stick with a 6 bulb t5 unit - definitely a Tek, Tek Elite, Sun Power, or Power Module. Current makes an OK fixture, but I don't think it comes close to the others mentioned.

I'd have to agree with the above posts, that a fixture a little shorter than the length of the tank will help with the "clean rimless" look, but the next size down your at a 24" fixture. The 6" on each end will be much more noticeable on a shorter tank, and the total output of the fixture will be significantly less as well. I'd probably stick with a 36" 6 bulb fixture, or a 24" 8 bulb fixture, if you decide to go t5's.

I have seen a few tanks that look great with LED's, but I'm still not sold on them. The kessils look good, but you would need several. I have seen a couple tanks lit with the AI Sol's that looked pretty good, and although the Radions have an almost infinite capability, you will be spending $1400 on 2.

[newbie2011]

yea thats what i heard was the skimmer was amazing and thank you on the stand also though on the t5s i decided im going to go led i mean im forking up the money for high quality equipment why not do the same with the lighting

im going to go with leds and see how well they do with corals im thinking on going with the ai sol not because there cheaper but because they are moduler and i can upgrade them everytime new things come out for the leds especially since im doing corals if they end up coming out with a better lens or led i can intergrate them in the ai sol as for the radions you cant really do that im thinking on buying one ai sol see how much output that gets me since i have a 3 foot tank which sucks its hard toget the right lighting for it if just one isnt enough then i will buy the second one

what do yall think should i go white or black i was thinking more black would be better

[naterealbig]

Good luck with the LED's - you will probably have to play around with them to get them perfect, but it should fun. I'd probably go with the black, as you have a dark stand, and black trim around the bottom of the tank. Check the "Reef in the Sky scaper" thread on the SPS forums. I think it was started by acrotrdco . I'm pretty sure he got the boot, and the thread is locked now, but if I remember correctly, he was running the sol's, & his tank looked great.

Nate

[newbie2011]

well now im back to square one idk which leds to go with i like the ai sol because its design and the setting it has but i also like the maxspect mazarra p but i dont like the design to much but everyone says that they are more moduler and have plug and play leds unlike the ai sol so know id what to do