220 In-Wall Reef Tank

phxfishguy

phxfishguy

Member
Hey all, long time no post. A couple of years ago I moved from Phoenix to Michigan and moved my 150 gallon reef tank and then built it in the wall in the new house. Last year, due to damage to the tank, I was "forced" to upgrade to a 220. I also added a sump/refugium/frag tank instead of the FX-5 filters I had as well as a new metal halide fixture.
The build post can be found here...
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/369434/150-gallon-in-wall-build/60#post_3214145
I thought I'd post some of the latest pictures.
First, here's a recap of the 150 after it was done. Pretty bare compared to today...
 
phxfishguy

phxfishguy

Member
Here are some of the latest pictures. I need to take some pictures tomorrow of the back area with the new sump setup.
These pictures are with just the 2 - 150 watt 20K metal halides on.

 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Very nice improvement! Welcome back to the forums! I hope you will stick around to share some wisdom with others. :D
 
S

smallreef

Guest
I remember all of that craziness!
so what new craziness do you have??the 220 upgrade?? is it just deeper?
 
phxfishguy

phxfishguy

Member
The 220 is 6 inches deeper and about 3-4 inches taller. Trying to stay away from crazy, but the upgrade was interesting. Had to empty the entire tank out, get it out from the back, and then squeeze the new one in there. It barely fit past the shelves and water heater.
 
phxfishguy

phxfishguy

Member
I got some new fish over the break. Manadarin Dragonet (can't get a picture yet since he won't come out of the caves), Copperband Butterfly, Diamond Sleeper Goby, Chromis, and my new prize, a Mata Tang! Pictures coming soon.
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
Phenomenal mixed reef! What brand of MH bulbs do you run? I really like the color of the 20k's and clearly they bring out the color of your corals. Pair those with the 10k's and I bet you get magnificent growth too, yes?
 
E

eric b 125

Guest
You did a hell of a good job on the plumbing, too. The fish room looks great. Your attention to detail is both refreshing and motivating. You don't see too many builds like yours on this site. Thanks for sharing buddy! Mind giving a quick run down of your equipment?
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
How did I not see this thread earlier?!!!!
I love love love your tank. You have a really nice selection of corals.
They look really good with each other.
I also like the Thompson's and Matta Tangs. You don't see either of those too often.
I also strongly agree with Eric's second post.
 
phxfishguy

phxfishguy

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric B 125 http:///t/389502/220-in-wall-reef-tank#post_3447347
Phenomenal mixed reef! What brand of MH bulbs do you run? I really like the color of the 20k's and clearly they bring out the color of your corals. Pair those with the 10k's and I bet you get magnificent growth too, yes?
These bulbs are Hamilton but I am not extremely happy with them. The 20K's are actually 2 different colors as are the 10Ks. Next time I replace them, I am going to try the Phoenix bulbs as I hear they are good for the price. The corals all do awesome under these lights. I have seen some phenomenal growth!
 
phxfishguy

phxfishguy

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric B 125 http:///t/389502/220-in-wall-reef-tank#post_3447348
You did a hell of a good job on the plumbing, too. The fish room looks great. Your attention to detail is both refreshing and motivating. You don't see too many builds like yours on this site. Thanks for sharing buddy! Mind giving a quick run down of your equipment?
Thank you! I put a lot of thought into it before I actually went ahead and did it. This was a major project.
Here is my equipment...
220 Gallon Marineland Aquarium Display Tank (6'x2'x30")
75 Gallon Marineland Aquarium Sump (DIY partitioned with a refugium, frag section, protein skimmer and return section)
Kent Marine RODI System - works great, but the solenoid is very noisy because it is hooked up to the float valve in my sump
Red Sea C-Skim 1800 Protein Skimmer (I love this thing, I just got it a few weeks ago)
Ultralife Ultra-V VHO UV Sterilizer (great little thing but impossible to get the bulbs)
RIO HyerFlow 26 HF Return Pump (a little light for my tank, I don't think it performs as well at the head height as the specs say)
A couple of RIO 1400 powerheads (for water movement in the tank)
CoralVue Dual Propeller 3000 gph wavemaker (really just a powerhead for water movement which I might take out, some corals don't like it and I just got it so everthing did well without it)
Finnex 800watt Titanium Heater
Eshopps PF1000 Overflow
Aquamedics Oceanview HQI Metal Halide Fixture
 
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