Troy's 76 Gal Half Round Starter Reef

[troywalkerphoto]

So I am finally starting a tank thread. I decided to start a reef tank after many years of keeping a FOLR tank with less than desirable conditions. Work, life, children, etc. By less than desirable i mean the PO4 and Nitrate was off the charts. Green Algae was everywhere. Basically i was not serious and the tank was more of a fixture / convo peice in my livingroom.
Now that I have been on MR I have got major tank envy and the last two months or so I have been turning the whole thing around. I am doing this on a strict budget so most of my equipment is frankensteined from this tank or that that i had over the years. Hell I still have a t-12 36' 2 bulb fixture in working condition in a closet some where.
That being said my equipment list wont wow anyone but i intend to show what can be made to work if you are on a tight budget.

Tank: 76 gal Half Round tank with built in overflow and return with matching stand no Canopy
Back panel painted a Sea Lt. blue
(compromise for the decor of livingroom)

Cabinet is half round as well but the space inside is really limited!
Inside dimentions: 32"L x 16"W x 30"H approx useable space

Sump: Wet dry from my days with FOLR and fresh water.
Dimentions:30"L x 17.5" to 13.5"Deep x 12.5"W capacity is approx 20gal maybe 30 gal if I take it to the limit
50Micron pad, 30 lbs of Live rock, and chaeto in sump
(poss future diy project as I want to increase volume and include a refug and have space for reactors and skimmer in sump)

Return pump: is rated for a return of 425gal per hour name to come.
(will upgrade soon to something rated to 800 or so and manifold to run reactors and future refug, etc)

Skimmer is a coral life 125 (told you that you would not be wowed)
(will upgrade when tank is upgraded)

BRS dual reator with a maxi jet 1200 running
(TLF boipellets chamber 1, Kent nitrate sponge and BRS premium Carbon chamber 2 40/60 division)

Lighting comes from two units:
Solarmax 36" 2 bulb that was on the FOLR
Wave Point 36"4 bulb fixture purchased used
So 6 bulbs:
2 10k, 2 blue plus, 1 atinic, 1 full spec white bulb

Water movement is divided return
and maxi jet 1200
(will upgrade)

Base rock, Live rock of several types, and various coral skeletons make up the structure all stacked no epoxy or rods.
3 yrs and counting in my tank

Live sandbed approx 2"
3 years and counting
More to come!

 

[troywalkerphoto]

More photos better ones to come soon

Some additional photos.

 

[Shawn138]

Lookin good

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Not as good as yours! Let me know when you are fragging!

 

[Shawn138]

I got u.

 

[dubs]

nice setup u now need throw some corals in there gl and shawn lmk when ur fragging

 

[Juggernot55]

Looking good troy can wait to see it piece together. Keep us updated.
@shawn138 lmk too lol

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Thanks guys! I have a few in there now. Will have a list of corals and fish soon. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.
Current conditions:
salinity 1.026
ph 8.1
Alk 9.2
Cal 480
PO4 .12ppm
NO3 8ppm
Mag 1280
Temp 80 degrees

Working on the nitrates and they are dropping fast (Kids have been reinstructed as to feeding)
Mg dosed would like to see it at 1300-1340

 

[noelskii]

Nice aquascape!

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Thanks! It was really hard to get the rock just right. Half round tank can be a monster to scape.
In the tank now are:
Pulsing Xenia, Brown Monti, Orange Monti , Shrooms, Pink and Green Frogspawn, Forrest fire digi, Neon Green birds Nest, Green Leather, short carpet GSP, and a few others that I am growing out and checking the names on.
2 green chromis
False Lemon peel (herald angel)
Ebili angel
Talbots damsel
Kole Tang,
Maroon Clown
Ocelleris Clown
Springeri Dotty back
Cleanup crew:
3 Huge turbos
40 other variuos snails
Red and blue leg hermits
huge green brittle starfish
1 huge condi (looking to find a nem for my ocell and maroon clown soon)
Thats all I can think of now an looking to add 3 brightly colored Anthis and that will be all until I get the urge to go big when I move. If I move in a year.
Hoping the grow out on my corals will be good in the scape. Only time will tell but I have some mounted to small pcs of live rock so the can be moved if necessary and other are on plugs awaiting rock mounting as soon as I aquire more knowlege on mounting and growt rates.

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Message to anyone subscribed. I have been looking for black egg crate to make my own frag stand. I only need a 15" by 10" piece at most. Home depot does not have and I am not interested in commercial racks. I want to make my own. Anybody know where to buy in NYC of have a bit to sparefor a few dollars? I could buy a large sheet on line for like 14.00 but its a huge piece at 2'x4'

 

[CoralReefer]

Troy how is the forest fire digi doing?
As far as the black eggcrate you will probably have to order that online.

 

[Juggernot55]

I sent you a text with a link

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Its ok. It was not what was pictured. (the two branchone we agreed on).

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Thanks Juggernaut!

 

[CoralReefer]

Are you serious? It was the same exact piece pictured, actually it was an old pic and was way bigger then in the pictures. It had 3 branches and was 2.5" of a nice ATL coral for $20.

 

[Rob&Gab]

nice set up! now all you need is some eye candy for color and youll be set!

LMK if you need anything. as far as EGG create i might have some not to sure. ill check for you tho. !

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Thanks everyone Dace hooked me up with a good size piece. Trying to rig something up now. Yeah I could but the 40.00 magnetic doodad but where is the fun in that? After the donation of the egg crate I'll probably put 60.00 into getting something makeshift made and then say the hell with it and lay it in the front on the sandbed. LOL Am I the only one or is it a condition of the hobby?

 

[SteveZ15]

I have a getto frag rack on the sand bed it works.its nice and low.

 

[troywalkerphoto]

Ghetto frag rack lol! I tried that and the hermits and the bristle worms had a field day! No not project tenement frag rack for me!