Matt's 3-tank setup and custom stand/canopy.
 

Here's my somewhat unusual setup. I wanted to have one system (more water volume) but didn't want my soft corals to overrun the LPS/SPS, so I set them up as two different tanks.

All three tanks are connected via DIY acrylic overflows (u-tubes) and the 15" cube on the end is drilled and has a bulkhead. Water flows from the 25---- to the 20---- to the 15" cube--- to the sump--- and back to the 25. Flow rate is low, maybe 150gph.

The LPS/SPS tank is a 25-tall. The softy/LPS "Royal Rumble" tank is a 20-long. I built a drawer box (junk drawer, lol) to build the 20-long up to the height of the 25. I have enough room on this stand to remove the 20-long and drawer box to put a 75g beside the 25. May eventually do that... maybe.


The 15" cube on the end is one I custom built from a "recycled" broken 75g tank. Will be a frag grow out tank as soon as I can get a light over it.


You'll notice they are all about the same height, so they fit under the canopy. I designed and built the entire stand/canopy at the shop here at the Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.


http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3289.jpg



Here is the setup with the sump/fuge. Sump on the left is an old 40-tall. Fuge on the right is a 29g. Skimmer in the sump is a Coralife 220. It's run by a terribly oversized 1000gph pump but is working great.

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3290.jpg





FTS of the 25:
This is a mixed tank, and I just put a 250W DE halide over it. I had a 4X24 Nova Extreme but recently sold it when I got the halide. I also have 8 high-power Cree XRE royal blues for actinics and it makes a HUUUUUUGGGE difference.

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3279.jpg




FTS of the 20: I call this the "ROYAL RUMBLE" tank, since I allow things to grow however and wherever it wants. Lots of xenia, kenya, anthelia. The red goniopora was in the 25, but it just was too powerful of a coral killer so I put it in here, seems to really like it's spot. This has a 4X24 T5.

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3281.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3282.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3285.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3199.jpg



This is an "Idaho grape" monti that, for whatever reason, almost totally died. Then, in mid-December, went from a 1/4" X 3" strip of barely living skeleton, to this! You can see where it grew over the dead skeleton. I've already removed a nice frag from it for a trade.
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3202.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3208.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3203.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3204.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3206.jpg

(LED-supplement only shot)-- sorry for the huge pic

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSCN3103-1.jpg


http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3113.jpg

that's pretty slick. i like it a lot. i've run through the idea of a multi tank system hooked together like that quite a few times, and it's nice to see when someone actually does it.

Very unique! I like it!

Cool setup!

Cool setup. Any particular reason you went with different sizes of tanks rather than 3 identical ones?

:beachbum:

You know, I've asked myself that question a few times and don't have a direct answer. I've just always like a 20-long, and the 25 was a Craigslist buy that I like more than I ever thought I would.


But, I've considered removing the drawer stack (and the tanks on it) and just putting a 75g beside the 25. But that would get spendy b/c i'd have to put new lights over it.


I have always liked a 20-long, and almost replaced it with a 29 recently, but a 29g is several inches shorter than the 25 I have (which I am very partial to).... and I would have had to build a small plywood "shim" to build the 29 up so that it fit nicely under the canopy and was even with the 25.

So I just used the 29 as a fuge and kept the 20. I have a spare 20 that I'm going to drill, and also I'll eventually drill the 25 so that they are all using their own bulkhead overflows (ie, I can dramatically increase the flow in those tanks with return pump/s)

Hmm, I've always considered doing another tank or two & connecting them via the sump.
Nice to see someone actually do it! COOL

Matthew

Wow, very unique setup.

Thanks for sharing

LOVE the zoa!!

Cool setup, I really like the multi-habitat system... its kinda my style ;)
Nice job!

nice setup! i like the baby locks on the door, is that to keep you out of the aquarium cabinets when you've been drinking and decide you want to work on your aquarium?

Here's a pic of a pseudochromis that I bought. I purchased it as a "blueback pseudochromis" but I can't find any info on those online. The closest thing I've seen to it online is P. cyanotaenia.

Fast little bugger too. These were the best shots I could get.

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3327.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3324.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3319.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3322.jpg

A few more random shots.

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3318.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3311.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3309.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3307.jpg

Nice octo frogspawn I recently picked up.

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3293.jpg

A naked hermit. Not sure why this guy decided to go streaking. Lots of empty shells in the tank. Let's see if anyone can identify these lyrics "ETHEL! You git your clothes on!"

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3222.jpg

Matt

Just came across your thread here. Very intriguing set up! (as I mentioned in my build thread :) ) How do the top doors operate? I see the pulls are at the top of the door panels.

Ah, I forgot the doors.

You see the two dark spots on the top of each door? Those are dowels, sanded flush. They poke through the back, and have a mortise they fit into on the canopy. This is tricky top pull off, you have to drill each door while clamped to the board that has the mortise (ie, you drill both the door and the mortised board at the same time). Otherwise, they won't line up right. Even then I had to use some sandpaper to whittle down the tenons for an easy fit.


The doors totally pop off, giving me total access to the hood, with no hinges to rust. Dirt cheap to set up!

In retrospect I should have just used some 50# pull earth magnets, and may still do that later.

I'll see if I can get some pics loaded up after supper.

OK here they are.

This is with me holding the door slightly off of the cabinet. If you look close you can see the mortise where the dowel tenon fits (there are two per door).

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3331.jpg

Shots of the lids removed. You can also see the mitered-corner box on top of the canopy that I keep all my test kits in. This box was an "oops", which is why the miter keys are so huge. Don't ask :D
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3333.jpg
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3332.jpg

This actually looks quite slick. Not necessarily something I would setup myself, but very nice looking nonetheless.

"ETHEL! You git your clothes on!"

And they call it the streak! (don't know what it's really called.)

ding ding ding ding! We have a winner!

Nice work Rybren. "the streak". I'm almost embarrassed to admit that Ray Stevens is one of my favorite singers ever. My dad is from Mississippi and the Squirrel Revival is legendary in my family b/c of that.

That is a slick canopy system. Very clever!

Added some new corals recently but don't know the names of them all, and some of these were grown under natural sunlight in a reef farm near my house.... so they need to color up a little. He told me what they were but I just had too much going on to remember all that, lol

Blue acro frag on the left, unknown white/green acro on the bottom right.
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3364.jpg


Bali tri-color from a fellow reefer
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3365.jpg




Acropora somethingorother

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3367.jpg

blue-green acro, shaped like a green slimer but not the same color.
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3368.jpg




Pokerstar monti
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3370.jpg

eagle-eyes from a fellow reefer
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3371.jpg

Green acan from a fellow reefer.
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3372.jpg

Some growth shots.

Acro millepora, pardon the hair algae.

12/4/09
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3023.jpg

2/20/10
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3373.jpg



Cactus pavona, tiny frag on a magnet on the back wall.

12/5/09
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3038.jpg

2/20/10, encrusting well.
http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p...c/DSCN3374.jpg