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Innovative Marine Aquariums

'80s Retro Star Wars Mixed Reef 48 Gallon Build


BluCrab

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This hobby is like a drug!

1/22/2013

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NOW 3/26/2014 FTS

 

 

So this is the tank that started it all for me, it's my sisters 48 gal acrylic tank that she purchased back in the mid '80s. I used to stare at it for hours as a kid.

 

It used to have a HOB filtration system and was used as a freshwater aquarium. My brother in law claims it cost them $2,250 back in the day but he likes to lie! haha

 

Well my plan is to check for leaks then start saving $ to make this a fish only Saltwater set up.

 

Any advice would be great.

I was thinking about going with a HOB and adding live rock and live sand. Maybe going with a Aquaclear 70 or a 110 with a media/fuge basket by inTank.

Trying to keep the cost down since I just started out with my 29 Gal Biocube.

 

any advice on lighting, filtration and anything else I might need would be great. I am on a budget.

 

Thank you!

Sonny aka BluCrab

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Honestly, no matter what you intend to keep, a sump would be a much better option. Aqua clears wouldn't really hack it, even for a FOWLR. You could try a canister filter I suppose, but same problem (plus they generally suck for SW.) If you drill a sump, you could keep it simple and just rock a full sized refugium. I'd also reccomend some sort of skimmer and/or a GFO reactor, but again you don't need it all to be 100% crystal (depending, of course, on what fish you'd like.) You still need flow in the DT, which can be provided my some MJ1200's or similar. Koralias would serve you well in this application.

 

So far as lighting, you're basically only illuminating the tank enough to see the fish. You don't need insane par or controllability. I'd say a 2 tube t5 unit would be a good option, or one of the cheap low end LED fixtures to save on bulb changes.

 

Just remember, every FOWLR I've seen started on these boards eventually became a full on reef setup...

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Of course, being a newbie I cannot help much about this hobby. But I can tell you that my refugium is great in that the pod population exploded after I added it. That would help feed certain fish. I have chaetomorpha in the fuge that has grown like crazy which helps filter out some of the nutrients you don't want in there. I have seen the HOB aquafuge2 on youtube and it seems to get the job done.

 

Good luck!

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So I'm looking at buying a wet/dry filter system with a prefilter overflow box and ripping out the bioballs and replacing it with some live rock,sand and making it into a refugeium. Or should I leave everything the way it is but add live rock and sand to the area the pump will go and then put the pumps in a filter sock to keep out any debri?

 

 

 

My question is has anyone seen this done and if so which brand would be best?

 

A Pro Clear Aquatics 75 or the 125 http://www.amazon.com/ProClear-Aquatics-Premier-Filter-Prefilter/dp/B00061UXHS/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1359401453&sr=8-23&keywords=refugium+sump with Prefiller or a Eshopps WD-75CS Wet Dry Filter ?

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CPR brands seem very popular. I do not have any suggestions for you directly about that but you will probably have to search this site. I found using google to search this site is really helpful.

 

Type this in the Google search bar:

 

site:nano-reef.com Pro Clear Aquatics 75

 

Google will only return searches it finds on nano-reef for any search term you put in there.

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I know I'm going to get some crap but after research and talking to many ppl I know around town that have established saltwater aquariums, I went ahead and purchased a Pro Clear premium 75 wet dry with the prefiller that way I didn't have to drill my tank.

 

 

 

Now I'm going to take it slow ,save up $ and put this bad boy together after our trip to Disney World so I won't have any issues when on vacation.

 

Plus if anything else I've learned in this hobby is you got to take your time to do it right.

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  • 1 month later...

Update!

 

After a few months since my last post I've added water (55 gal RO Salt), 20 lbs of live rock,40 lbs of Caribsea Ocean Direct Caribean live sand, 15 lbs of Caribsea Flamingo Reef to the display and 8 lbs of Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand to the wet dry filter rigged Refugium along with 3 lbs of live rock and Cheato.

 

Only thing missing is some good lights.Right now I'm using a metal halide shop light. I've changed my mind about 3 times so far in planning my lights.
3 weeks into my cycle, light on for 8 hours a day and a few feather dusters are active, artrist starfish (spl?)
Ph was at 8.0 ,water at 1.024 ,nitrates at zero and nitrite at zero.
So I chunked a Christmas farva $5 frag about 3 days ago and it's looking good. I also added old school T12 shop fixture for now with a Antic Blue bulb just to run in the mean time. Didn't have it in the video.
lol I didn't know my Pandora was still running while I videoed the tank.
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  • 3 weeks later...

Updated FTS and additions to the Salty Crew...

 

Pulled a few of the frags out of my Bio Cube including the star of the new tank

Jedi Montipora

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Purple Lobster

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My Sith Flame Hawk

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  • 2 months later...

update pics to come! New 160W 16K Maxspect Razor just arrived.

 

Also here's something to go along with my Star Wars theme I picked up to my trip to Disney World

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  • 4 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Over the weekend I added a few more corals to the Retro Star Wars mixed reef.

 

Two heads of Toxic Branching Hammers, a frag of Chile Pepper Montipora , and one large ricordea mushroom orange and baby blue.

 

Now I've created a Hammer Island to the right of the display. I'll take a new pic in a few days once everything is settled in their spots.

I also added a new reactor with GFO to help with the phosphates.

 

I found out the shelf I wanted to use to hang the Maxspect isn't wide enough so I'll have to redesign the way I'm going to hang my lights.

 

Fully Display shot

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Hammer Island

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MushroomI scored big time...3 shroons for $10! The other two went in my softy tank.

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I have to say this is the first Star Wars tank I have seen. Not my personal taste, but a really cool idea. Looks like it is coming along nicely. I would hang the light. Looks like the legs are flexing a little more then they should.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm still trying to figure out how I want to hang the light,but now I'm about to order some 120 replacement lens from Maxspect.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 4 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

So right when this set up is about to turn 2 years old on March 17th,I'm going to upgrade.

 

Finally going to do away with the 25+ year old scratched up acrylic tank and go rimless.

 

Only because we got lucky at Reef Currents 2015 !!

 

DSA 65 Pro Gallon Rimless

 

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Yeah ,if you're a MARSH member they let you in 30 mins before the public. I scored some nice frags, but passed up some in the morning that I started kicking myself later on.

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