I have been asked a few times to post a thread on my system. Its been a work in progress and its at the point where I feel its worthy of a thread.
Part 1
I have been long wanting to put up a thread on my system but until recently, it was in a bit of a state of flux being that it was a lightly stocked FOWLR tank. In the last few months I got the wild hair to dive back into it so to speak. One of my ideas was to make it more efficient while improving on the filtration and improving my fish stock.. In the midst of my improvements my friend and aquarium service guy had a system to break down and decided to give me all the live stock from it. That stock included fish as well as some corals. Another friend and aquarium shop owner was in a similar position and as such I acquired more fish and more corals. The end result catapulted me back into reefs and renewed my vigor for the aquarium.
Over the past few months there have been a number of upgrades which I will detail as I continue on my ramble.
First I will start by going back to 1997 when I moved into my new home that was purchased with 3 criteria in mind. First and foremost was an ideal space for my tank. The tank is 4’ wide x 8’ long x 2’ tall. As such, finding a home that would provide a good space for such a monstrosity would be a challenge. I had this tank for a few years prior and it was setup as a mixed reef system at my rental house. Other factors that contributed to my home purchase were space for my entertainment system and a good size 3 car “Man Cave” (garage). After months of looking I found my home.
This was my first home purchase and as such, it was quite an experience. As part of the system move, the tank would be picked up by the company that built it in the first place. It needed some scratches removed and they were local and willing to turn it around in 24 hours. The system was broken down on a Thursday morning.. Escrow was set to close the following day. The live stock was transferred to Uhaul truck packed with kitty pools. Water was moved in trash cans as well as those same kitty pools. The following day around noon. Escrow closed. Within minutes of escrow closing we were in the new house with a all hacking the wall away. The plan was to convert a room that was next to my living room into an office and utilize the tank as part of the divider. It would be build in and walk around on 3 sides. To do this, the wall needed to be hacked, doors removed, bathroom door moved etc..
Here is a photo of the initial work. The wall has been cut out. Door removed to the room and stand going together.
Since the house was new, the backyard was still dirt. I coordinated with the landscapers to arrive at the same time. I wanted my chiller in a place where it wouldn’t be heard or in the way. The best place for it was some 40’ away in the garage. The landscaper’s first order of business was digging an 18” deep ditch around the perimeter of the house which would accommodate a couple 1.5” flex PVC pipes going from the tank to the garage. This would be for the chiller plumbing.
Things progress throughout the day. The landscapers got the ditch dug, I got my flex PVC installed and the carpenter got the supports in place for the tank. You might say, things went like clockwork.. And they did!
Late that afternoon the tank company was done with their job and the tank was brought to the new house.
With the tank support complete, we were ready for the tank to be put in.
Here we have the tank in place.
Now the marathon began. With the tank in place and livestock in kitty pools, the plan was to get the system setup.. Since the system was setup previously at my other house and we were using the existing equipment, my goal of a same day install wasn’t out of reach.
Here is the original wet dry getting ready to go in. Most of the bio balls were replaced by live rock.
Me in the space below the tank working on plumbing:
