120 Gallon Starphire Reef Tank Diary (acrylic didnt work out)

sviellvoicae

sviellvoicae

Member
Alright so Im not sure if Im the only person that has had so many tank issues but I believe I have found the right one. My first tank was a 75 gallon custom rimless that split open while I was gone. I came home to roughly 60 gallons of water on my floor and everything dead. My next tank was a tempered 75 gallon that I purchased by accident not even thinking about the glass and I cant sleep with an overflow box after hearing some horror stories( yes I know many people use them with great success but lets me honest here I already had to deal with the wife and 60 gallons of water on the floor, and I did not want to do it again). From here I found a great deal on a 110 gallon acrylic. I polished it and it was looking great.... For about 2 months, then It had tons of little scratches in it. At this point I was done dealing with all the headaches so I found a 120 gallon starphire tank with custom euro bracing and so far its awesome! Im very new to the reef/coral world so any input would be great. Here is a list of what is going on and the equipment Im using.
Equipment
48x24x24 120 Gallon 1/2" starphire tank
55 Gallon sump
20 gallons for skimmer
20 gallons for fuge
15ish gallons for pump return area
Coralife SS 220 skimmer ( Ive heard mixed reviews on this skimmer but I love it)
Im currently using an older pond pump for my return that I had and its working great so I see no reason to change that.
4x48" t5 ho with individual reflectors
250watt MH HQI sunpod fixture
36" CF Fixture for sump/fuge
2x3200 gph sun suns. Been debating on changing to koralia. Any insight on this?
Currently using API test kits
Livestock
125lbs Argonite Sand seeded with 40lbs "live" sand
120Lbs Live rock, going to add about 25ish more lbs dry rock
2 Clowns
Blue tang
Mandarin goby (eating frozen as well as pods. I have pods by the mother load somehow)
Scooter Blenny
CB Shrimp
Fighting Conch
SandSifter Star
Flame Scallop
Basic CUC
Coral
Hammer Coral
Duncan's
Mushrooms (not sure on what kind)
Xenia
Dragon Eye Zoa's
Star Polyps
Other Polyps (not sure what kind)
Looking to add a toadstool soon
Here are some pictures. I will update every chance I get.
Flame Scallop- Does anyone know what the stringy things are coming off the rock next to him?


Polyps. They were free and are not the most attractive but im still new to the reef style so I get excited when they grow! Any Idea what kind they are?

My new mushroom coral. It appears that there are two different kinds. Can anyone identify them? I liked the coloring on them.

My Xenia. Got it for next to free and its already double in size in 3 weeks!

My Duncans. A crab upset the one in the back so its closed in the picture. Its usually open all day as well.

My star polyps. So far my favorite frag.

Dragon eye zoa's. This was my first frag.

Hammer Coral

Best shot I could get of my Tang. He loves to hang out with the clowns

My Clown

Best FTS I have right now

Sorry My pictures are not so great. Im still working on taking pictures through water. It can be tough at times.
 
willie

willie

Member
Cool pics, I like your bridge. I feel you on the overflow, my old tank dumped 30 gal on the floor when a snail got stuck in the drainbox hole.. Drilled is the way to go. Im running a similar setup just smaller, I have a 90 gal starphire, I love how clear the glass is. I just got a duncan today.
 
sviellvoicae

sviellvoicae

Member
Ya I love the glass. Im still debating on drilling the back for a different overflow style, but so far the tank is awesome. Im currently building a canopy as well. Thank you and good luck with the Duncans. Ive noticed they have a very bad temper if something upsets them they dont come out for a while
 
willie

willie

Member
so far mine seem to be pretty good natured and forgiving, I accidently dropped it when I was putting them in the tank and he shut down for about an hour but cautiously reemerged and has been good since. do you feed yours mysis shirmp?
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Congrats!!!!! Looks good!!!! Don't kid yourself though, the starphire can be scratched as well....another side note. To the OP and others. Don't again fool yourself that a drilled tank is any safer than a non drilled tank. Without your sump being properly setup and a backup system all tanks are prone to overflow, so the myth of drilled tanks can't fall victim to this is false security...
 
sviellvoicae

sviellvoicae

Member
I never said they can't be scratched. Also I didn't say they can't over, and I understand the "max" water level in the sump and its been tested many times. Chances of the tank overflowing are slim but again I understand how that happens as well, but lets be honest, built in overflows are far more safe than external overflow boxes. Thanksf
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Honestly they are no safe!!!! Easier yes!!!! Easier to plumb yes, but safer no!!!!! That single drain can easily get plugged as well. Even when I ran a HOB overflow I never had issues with power outages. It all comes down to how the system is put together......
 
sviellvoicae

sviellvoicae

Member
See now your yelling at me :(. I choose the option that helps me sleep at night. Besides a hob overflow wont work with this tank design.
 
sviellvoicae

sviellvoicae

Member
A few more pictures. Im still taking things really slow so I dont have too many updates.
Photo of the Euro bracing as requested. This is what the corners look like. There is alot of silicone still from the previous owner. For some reason he cut some black plastic strips and put a rim around the top. Im currently removing all this so it looks clean.

Center section

New Kenya Tree

Sleepy Scooter

So I traded my WavePoint t5x4 48" setup for a dual 150w Coralife MH HQI setup. Im still not sure if it was a good idea. I love the way it makes the tank look though. It currently has 1 12k bulb and one 10k bulb. It just doesnt look as bright. Any recommendations on some bulbs to put in here.
 
sviellvoicae

sviellvoicae

Member
Also a shot of my super sized hermit. He is my buddy, but I am getting rid of him. He is currently in the sump because he causes havok in the tank

 
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