Ultimate Budget Reef Build with some DIY

cabrego · 10/10/2008, 09:35 PM

First I would like to tank RC members for their endless support!

Wow, what a journey the last 10 months have been, I have gone from 0 fish tanks to a maximum of 5 FW and 1 SW. Finally, I have consolidated into one 90g reef which is the subject of thread. I have completed quite a bit of work to date, so there will be some catch up involved. Please ask questions if you have any...

Tank and STand ($40)

The subject tank is an AGA 90g that I picked up for a steal on Craig's LIst. Tank, Stand, Sump, along with a ton of extras (to many to list)

Canopy and Re Finishing Materials ( $50+$70)

Here is what it looked like after a bit of prep work, I should have taken some pictures when I received from a local on CL it had seen better days. But, it did clean up nicely, solid oak!

What the heck, let me show you the lights too....

Lights 2x 175 W MH wiht Actinic ($100 dollars another steal)

These lights are cutsomsealife, but can be found now on the championlighting.com website. I scored big time with these, lets see how long the ballast hold up though!

I proceeded to extract the cuts and reflector from this unit and insert them into my custom canopy. I also picked up 2 fans, and 4 cathode tubes for moon lights from coolerguys.com, and a power adaptor w/power hub. ($60)

Stay tuned for my foam back ground!! It looks awesome!! who said you can't be in this hobby on a budget??

tydtran · 10/10/2008, 09:47 PM

Looking good. Look forward to updates.

cabrego · 10/10/2008, 10:46 PM

Foam: Great sTuff pond and foam

Yes the famous DIY foam background. After doing much research I decided to take my own approach with this particular task. I am not using the epoxy resin as most have done, and i have peppered argonite all over the foam before it began to dry.

Also, I created a frag out of the small shelf on the top right it will hold 6 frag plugs and various simple shelfs and caves for corals. I also did not like the idea of using a lot of rock embedded in the foam. I wanted the flexibility to move the rocks or mount them as I wished. I also have varous holes drilled through out the foam wall for frag plugs.

Word of advice, do wear gloves and work outside if possible. This stuff is sticky!!! It will not come off your hands if you do not remove it immediately with acetone!!

Also be very generous with the silicone. I used nearly 2 entire tubes of GE I to stick the crate to the back of the tank.

This method of securing works ok, but is a bit clumsy. I later figured out that have acrylic rods or pvc makes securing the position of the background as it dries. You basically cut them to size and wedge them at the corners and center. This technique works very well.

Also made some power head overs as I do not want to spend alot more money right now on power heads but I do not like the look of the maxi jets, but I think there flow is acceptable. I also made a foam cover to hide the overflow. Be sure to cover items in plastic food wrap or you will be sorry!! Yes I will need tons of flow because this tank is going to be a bare bottom tank!

All

Actinic

Moons

Cost for this: 5 cans of foam+2 egg crate panels+argonite (~$85 dollars)

CHAOSTACTICS · 10/11/2008, 01:48 PM

Bare bottom tanks don't necessary need more flow. the bare bottom theoretically keeps detritus from getting stuck in sand bed. the look is too much for me to handle though but to each their own. Congrats on the outcome of the back ground looks fan fantastic. Seems like an expensive build, good luck!

cabrego · 10/11/2008, 02:47 PM

Thanks for the reply!

So far the grand total to this point is about 500 dollars, which is extremely cheap considering the nature of the build. I have some more goodies to come!!

cabrego · 10/11/2008, 08:35 PM

Ok, so here is the sump design.

I picked up a 50gallon tank off of (you guessed it) Craig's list for 12 dollars!!!, it had a broken frame which I replaced. I also had 1/4 inch baffles cut...

I also picked up 2 month old Aqua UV 25 W and a Euro Reef RS135 for $370. Not the best deal, but not to shabby...

Sump Cost: 12+25+30=$$67

Here are some pictures of the sump, the final design slightly changed with respect to baffle placement, I made the fuge slightly larger. I also, I will be Teeing the UV off of a Xp1 that will be strictly mechanical/carbon.

Leak TEST!

Otty · 10/11/2008, 10:09 PM

Nice build you have going so far, keep up the pics.

ron69 · 10/11/2008, 11:50 PM

Every time I have tried keeping up with the build cost on a tank I have regretted it. lol Good Luck

cabrego · 10/14/2008, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ron69
Every time I have tried keeping up with the build cost on a tank I have regretted it. lol Good Luck

I hope that is not true for this case!! Well so far my total is around 900 dollars (rounding up for incidentals), not counting the live rock that I already had!

I have added carbon filtration and it has made a nice difference with the haze in the previous pictures. I also added 3 chromis to keep the cycle up.

mg426 · 10/14/2008, 01:02 PM

Looking very interesting so far. Very bold ideas. I would love to see some frontal shots !!!!!!!!!

cabrego · 05/23/2009, 06:19 PM

Ok guys, it has been a while but I thought I would give a bump with an updated photo. I ran into a few road bumps so I have not stocked the tank to much.

Here is picture I took today...

1blackchicken · 05/23/2009, 06:41 PM

Looks great man keep the pics coming!

erickc23 · 05/23/2009, 09:37 PM

Your background looks great!!! Good job.

fufu · 05/24/2009, 12:05 AM

I really like the background, looks really natural!

cabrego · 07/28/2009, 11:56 PM

Here ya go everyone, the system is fairly young, only about a year old. I cant wait for the corals to grow in...

Can any one identify the orange and white zoas in the background of the clown/anemone pic?

fishnub · 07/29/2009, 12:48 AM

i like the rear of that tank neat idea

cabrego · 10/31/2009, 05:30 PM

Update- a couple of shots with my friends SLR!

rustyjames · 10/31/2009, 05:50 PM

Very nice. What made you decide to add sand?

cabrego · 10/31/2009, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustyjames

Very nice. What made you decide to add sand?

I wanted a different look and I could not keep the bare bottom as clean as I would have liked, so I figured I would add some sand for "looks"

joejoe1055 · 10/31/2009, 06:04 PM

looks great

ser_renely · 10/31/2009, 06:11 PM

sand looks a lot better imo

MrineLfRlz · 11/01/2009, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ser_renely

sand looks a lot better imo

+1

MrineLfRlz · 11/01/2009, 01:47 AM

the back is even looking nice wasnt sure @ 1st

am3gross · 11/01/2009, 02:02 AM

cool!

cabrego · 05/29/2010, 01:35 PM

It has been about 6 months since I have updated this thread, lets see what progress looks like..

10/10/2008, 09:35 PM	#1
cabrego Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, VA Posts: 721	Ultimate Budget Reef Build with some DIY First I would like to tank RC members for their endless support! Wow, what a journey the last 10 months have been, I have gone from 0 fish tanks to a maximum of 5 FW and 1 SW. Finally, I have consolidated into one 90g reef which is the subject of thread. I have completed quite a bit of work to date, so there will be some catch up involved. Please ask questions if you have any... Tank and STand ($40) The subject tank is an AGA 90g that I picked up for a steal on Craig's LIst. Tank, Stand, Sump, along with a ton of extras (to many to list) Canopy and Re Finishing Materials ( $50+$70) Here is what it looked like after a bit of prep work, I should have taken some pictures when I received from a local on CL it had seen better days. But, it did clean up nicely, solid oak! What the heck, let me show you the lights too.... Lights 2x 175 W MH wiht Actinic ($100 dollars another steal) These lights are cutsomsealife, but can be found now on the championlighting.com website. I scored big time with these, lets see how long the ballast hold up though! I proceeded to extract the cuts and reflector from this unit and insert them into my custom canopy. I also picked up 2 fans, and 4 cathode tubes for moon lights from coolerguys.com, and a power adaptor w/power hub. ($60) Stay tuned for my foam back ground!! It looks awesome!! who said you can't be in this hobby on a budget??

10/10/2008, 10:46 PM	#3
cabrego Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, VA Posts: 721	Foam Background Foam: Great sTuff pond and foam Yes the famous DIY foam background. After doing much research I decided to take my own approach with this particular task. I am not using the epoxy resin as most have done, and i have peppered argonite all over the foam before it began to dry. Also, I created a frag out of the small shelf on the top right it will hold 6 frag plugs and various simple shelfs and caves for corals. I also did not like the idea of using a lot of rock embedded in the foam. I wanted the flexibility to move the rocks or mount them as I wished. I also have varous holes drilled through out the foam wall for frag plugs. Word of advice, do wear gloves and work outside if possible. This stuff is sticky!!! It will not come off your hands if you do not remove it immediately with acetone!! Also be very generous with the silicone. I used nearly 2 entire tubes of GE I to stick the crate to the back of the tank. This method of securing works ok, but is a bit clumsy. I later figured out that have acrylic rods or pvc makes securing the position of the background as it dries. You basically cut them to size and wedge them at the corners and center. This technique works very well. Also made some power head overs as I do not want to spend alot more money right now on power heads but I do not like the look of the maxi jets, but I think there flow is acceptable. I also made a foam cover to hide the overflow. Be sure to cover items in plastic food wrap or you will be sorry!! Yes I will need tons of flow because this tank is going to be a bare bottom tank! All Actinic Moons Cost for this: 5 cans of foam+2 egg crate panels+argonite (~$85 dollars)

10/11/2008, 08:35 PM	#6
cabrego Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, VA Posts: 721	50 G Sump. Ok, so here is the sump design. I picked up a 50gallon tank off of (you guessed it) Craig's list for 12 dollars!!!, it had a broken frame which I replaced. I also had 1/4 inch baffles cut... I also picked up 2 month old Aqua UV 25 W and a Euro Reef RS135 for $370. Not the best deal, but not to shabby... Sump Cost: 12+25+30=$$67 Here are some pictures of the sump, the final design slightly changed with respect to baffle placement, I made the fuge slightly larger. I also, I will be Teeing the UV off of a Xp1 that will be strictly mechanical/carbon. Leak TEST!

10/11/2008, 10:09 PM	#7
Otty Bikers are a dying breed Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Eliazbethtown, IN Posts: 139	Nice build you have going so far, keep up the pics. __________________ Scott Current Tank Info: 265g (Peninsula) 3x400w MH's, 4x95w Actinics, PM Bullet 3 Skimmer, OM 4-way CL, WavySea for return, Kalk Rctr, KNOP Ca Rctr w/PM 2nd Chamber, PM PO4 Rctr, TradeWinds Chiller, ACIII Controller, DelZone O3, 75g Sump, 30g Fuge

10/14/2008, 01:02 PM	#10
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,959	Looking very interesting so far. Very bold ideas. I would love to see some frontal shots !!!!!!!!! __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

10/10/2008, 09:47 PM	#2
tydtran Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 805	Looking good. Look forward to updates.

10/11/2008, 01:48 PM	#4
CHAOSTACTICS Moved On Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 96	Bare bottom tanks don't necessary need more flow. the bare bottom theoretically keeps detritus from getting stuck in sand bed. the look is too much for me to handle though but to each their own. Congrats on the outcome of the back ground looks fan fantastic. Seems like an expensive build, good luck!

10/11/2008, 02:47 PM	#5
cabrego Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, VA Posts: 721	Thanks for the reply! So far the grand total to this point is about 500 dollars, which is extremely cheap considering the nature of the build. I have some more goodies to come!!

10/11/2008, 11:50 PM	#8
ron69 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Laurens, South Carolina Posts: 67	Every time I have tried keeping up with the build cost on a tank I have regretted it. lol Good Luck

05/23/2009, 06:19 PM	#11
cabrego Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, VA Posts: 721	Update! Ok guys, it has been a while but I thought I would give a bump with an updated photo. I ran into a few road bumps so I have not stocked the tank to much. Here is picture I took today...

05/23/2009, 06:41 PM	#12
1blackchicken Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Marina, Ca. Posts: 231	Looks great man keep the pics coming!

05/23/2009, 09:37 PM	#13
erickc23 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 51	Your background looks great!!! Good job.

05/24/2009, 12:05 AM	#14
fufu Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston Posts: 434	I really like the background, looks really natural!

07/28/2009, 11:56 PM	#15
cabrego Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, VA Posts: 721	Update Here ya go everyone, the system is fairly young, only about a year old. I cant wait for the corals to grow in... Can any one identify the orange and white zoas in the background of the clown/anemone pic?

07/29/2009, 12:48 AM	#16
fishnub Likes to Taste Tank Water Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: hollywood, md Posts: 229 Blog Entries: 2	i like the rear of that tank neat idea __________________ Check out my homepage for my 65g build. DIY stand and all. Current Tank Info: 65g

10/31/2009, 05:30 PM	#17
cabrego Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, VA Posts: 721	Update- a couple of shots with my friends SLR!

10/31/2009, 05:50 PM	#18
rustyjames Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: central va. Posts: 392	Very nice. What made you decide to add sand? __________________ Though it nearly took a miracle to get you to stay It only took my little fingers to blow you away Current Tank Info: 30 gal.

10/31/2009, 06:04 PM	#20
joejoe1055 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: cullman,Alabama Posts: 334	looks great __________________ grrrrr Current Tank Info: 125 reef,75 fish only,55fresh,20l planted

10/31/2009, 06:11 PM	#21
ser_renely Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,862	sand looks a lot better imo __________________ RIP: Osc. Clown - Ammonia, YW GobY - overflow, YW Goby - Pistol, Firefish - acclimation. 5 Fire fish - pistol, Mandarin - Pistol Current Tank Info: 55g tank, 20g sump/fuge,Tunze 9010 skimmer - 2 Osc. Clowns, 2 Firefish, NO Pistol shrimp, coral banded shrimp, mp20

11/01/2009, 01:47 AM	#23
MrineLfRlz Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: eldon M.O. Posts: 458	the back is even looking nice wasnt sure @ 1st __________________ Jim its not a obsession its a way of life! Current Tank Info: "upstairs" 75g DT,"downstairs" 125g sump/fug, 20g and 30g frag tanks plumbed into sump ( automated dosing of calcium and alkalinity) slowly upgrading things downstairs to get ready for my 240g long DT upstairs "in wall!"

11/01/2009, 02:02 AM	#24
am3gross Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: va Posts: 1,003	cool!

05/29/2010, 01:35 PM	#25
cabrego Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Springfield, VA Posts: 721	a few new shots I took last night It has been about 6 months since I have updated this thread, lets see what progress looks like..