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sfboarders first tank 100 gallon

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sfboarders
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So here's my first aquarium. I wanted to start a long time ago but got too involved in my other type of hobby related to saltwater and that's surfing. Now that I have my own house I finally got into it. I bought the tank and stand used from CL for $300 and the guy I bought it from was nice enough to deliver it for me! I bought some stuff used and a good amount of stuff new. Here's a list of what I have.

  • 100 gallon truvu RR 60 x 18 x 24
  • 1 piece oak stand that used to be oak color but stained it dark to match furniture. What a PITA to move. Next time going with a 2 piece.
  • BRS RO/DI
  • (2) 65 gallon drums (thank Mark!)
  • Eheim 1260
  • Euroreef ES5-2
  • Custom 40 gallon sump/fuge from Krittertanks
  • 4 x 48" T5 IC w/660 ballast from a user on RC
  • (2) modded K4's with SureFlow 1600 props
  • 60 lbs dead rock from BRS, 30 lbs LR from Aquatic Central
  • 100 lbs of dry sand from Aquatic Central, 30 lbs of LS from local reefer
  • Mag24 pump with 50ft of 1"flexpvc to pump water from garage to tank upstairs
  • bunch of other stuff I'm sure I missed.

It's good to have this thing up and running. Less trips to HD, Lowes, and OSH. More time to spend with my son and also get back into surfing. Oh yea, this tank took up my 1 car garage so now my wife is happy she can park the car back in the garage.

John Cool

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Is that ebony you stained? I got a can of it and want to try it, I like dark wood color most in the red but ebony seems nice, also want to try jacobean.
One piece stands are a serious PITA when it comes to move them; I just finished one stand canopy combo that barely slides under a regular door frame; I don't know if it will fit inside my brother's truck since it's a Suburban.
Keep posting progress !!

sfboarders
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Hey Mario, yea it's ebony with a satin clear. The Jacobean looks a lil lighter but I could not find that color at HD or Lowes. I wanted the cabinet to be close color ad the rest of my furniture. I actually ended up staining it 2 times. The first time if was too dark almost like I painted it. 2nd time I did a lil bit better but it has some streaks but don't mind them to much. When I move to a bigger house and upgrade my tank i'll prolly build my own stand and canopy. I know you're a cabinet pro, you wanna help me out? Laughing out loud

John Cool

tuberider
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Looks like it's going to be a nice setup John, are you sticking with the FOWLR plan? Or is it going to be too tempting with all of the corals to not throw a couple of them in there ? Wink

I'm smarter than somethings, but maybe not this thing here because it has a battery" -Ricky

sfboarders
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tuberider wrote:
Looks like it's going to be a nice setup John, are you sticking with the FOWLR plan? Or is it going to be too tempting with all of the corals to not throw a couple of them in there ? Wink

FOWLR for now. I have to see what the electrical bill is like. Puzzled

John Cool

tuberider
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With the lighting your using on the tank you can keep coral.

Might I suggest a propane gas grill to cut down on energy bills Laughing out loud

I'm smarter than somethings, but maybe not this thing here because it has a battery" -Ricky

sfboarders
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tuberider wrote:
With the lighting your using on the tank you can keep coral.

Might I suggest a propane gas grill to cut down on energy bills Laughing out loud

I think I'm gonna switch the ballast. I think the IceCap 660 is gonna fry the fish. Sad I don't have a chiller either or money for one. Heh. Not much room for fans under that canopy.

John Cool

Erick
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Tuberider makes me want to post pictures all the time!

tuberider
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sfboarders wrote:
tuberider wrote:
With the lighting your using on the tank you can keep coral.

Might I suggest a propane gas grill to cut down on energy bills Laughing out loud

I think I'm gonna switch the ballast. I think the IceCap 660 is gonna fry the fish. Sad I don't have a chiller either or money for one. Heh. Not much room for fans under that canopy.

You may not need a chiller with the existing lights, heck I had 700w of light over a 40g tank and never needed one, although if you are running T5s with an IceCap ballast you do need a fan or your wasting energy.

http://ballastwise.com/ has some decent deals on HO T5 ballasts if you're interested in dumping the IceCap. You still will be able to keep a variety of corals under that lighting scheme.

I'm smarter than somethings, but maybe not this thing here because it has a battery" -Ricky

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Nice first tank!
Your gonna love it.
Many years ago my first tank was 10 gallons and had a chrome frame.
I was so happy then.
Good luck.
Take it slow adding fish.

<º))))>< ..... Have fun every day! ..... ><))))º>
----------- 215 gallon in wall Tank thread----------

Erick
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100 gallon as a first tank.. You're much braver than me Smile I chickened out of doing a pico tank (3g) and went for an easier all in one tank (28g)