Corals B 4 Bills 225 Starphire Tank Build

[Corals B 4 Bills]

Hello everyone my name is Mark and I have been Reefing for 13 years now but the last 5 have been the best as technology has improved since then. I currently have a 155 bow front Oceanic tank but my pride and joy is my newly aquired 225 gallon set-up. My wife has conceded to my constant demands to have the tank of my dreams, I am a General Contractor in California and will be adding 400 square feet to our home and the focal point is my tank. The remodel will commence on the first week of October and the tank will be installed in December (Hopfully before XMas ). Here is the equipment I have in use or stored waiting for the big day, I will try to post updates if you are interested. Here we Go!

1. LeeMar 225 gallon Starphire tank 72"L x 30"W x 24"H with a trapizoid center overflow, 2x 1 1/2" Drains and 2x 1" returns, diamond cut edges with black silicone, Euro Braced with 4x 2" holes for Sea Swirls.

2. Metal Stand-2x2 Square tube.
3. Socal Creations 100 gallon sump/refugium 48"L x 24"W x 20"H.
4. Deltec 1060S in sump Skimmer.
5. Deltec PF 601 calcium Reactor.
6. Deltec Fr616 Fluidized Reactor.
7. Sequence Dart Return. with Shedule 80 Plumbing.
8. 3x Luminarc III Reflectors on an aluminum light rack.
9. 3x 250 watt Ice Cap Ballasts with Reeflux 12K SE Bulbs.
10. Ice Cap 660 VHO Ballast with 2x 6 ft. 03 Actinics.
11. Tunze 3x 6100 Streams with 7095 Controller.
12. Tunze Wave Box with Controller.
13. Tunze Osmolator water level Controller.
14. 3x 3/4" Sea Swirls with Tunze attachments.
15. Liter Meter 3 with an Auto Water Changing Module.
16. Prime Current 1/3 HP inline Chiller.
17. Aqua Controller II.
18. Korallin 1502D Denitrator.
19. Reeflo Snapper on Sea Swirls.


More to come in the coming months, Custom frag tank, AC/Dehumidifier unit, Stacked water changing system.

Stay tuned for updates .

I will add pictures when I figure out how to do that.

[charlie]

Hey there;


Looking forward to your updates!!!!
Ya know............., for $10 (Ithink), you could join up, and get unlimited gallery space. Adding pics to your posts from your gallery is a piece of cake, plus we could all have access to them then.

[Ninong]

Hi Corals B 4 Bills,




Sounds like you will have a very nice tank. Once you go Starphire, you will never go with anything else.

I am truly jealous of anyone who can DIY a steel tube stand.

Good luck and keep us posted.



P.S. -- What special earthquake precautions are you taking, if any? Are you going to anchor the tank/stand in some fashion? Which fault are you closest to?

[Corals B 4 Bills]

Hey guys I will splurge the 10 and let it ride, yea I am trying to buy everything I can before the house remodel because if I wait my wife might tell me.....Sorry honey we ran out of money and we can't build your tank this year. Little does she know but Iv'e dropped about $5k in the past 2 months gathering goodies for the tank. Today I built my light stand It's 70"L x 24"W x 14"H and it's totaly made from Aluminum and Stainless steel, 1050 watts should be enough for everyone to enjoy! I wish I could show you the pics, I will see what I can do tonite.

BTW I live on the Penninsula (Belmont, Ca) If you google earth me I live on the top of the hill overlooking the Crystal Springs Resviour between hyws 92 and 280, I think we are sitting on the Loma Prieta fault. I will be bolting the stand to the subfloor with straps if that doesn't hold then the tank will be the least of my problems.

So what do you guy's do here for fun?

[charlie]

So what do you guy's do here for fun?

Listen to people just like you tell us about their tanks. I really can't wait to see some of your project. Do you have the pics stored on your computer at home?

Other than that, I myself am a big Nascar fan.

[Corals B 4 Bills]

When I get the picture thing going I will I will post pics of my other pride and joy.........my 68' Jaguar etype Roadster, nothing like a two seater when you have kids . BTW my little 2 year old "SPIKE" (my wife named him that-his middle name) thinks the jag is his I may have a fight on my hands.

[Corals B 4 Bills]

Some of my pic's are on Photo bucket (msb142) you can see some of my corals and a few pic's of my tank and stand, I will load my light rack ASAP.

[Ninong]

BTW I live on the Penninsula (Belmont, Ca) If you google earth me I live on the top of the hill overlooking the Crystal Springs Resviour between hyws 92 and 280, I think we are sitting on the Loma Prieta fault. I will be bolting the stand to the subfloor with straps if that doesn't hold then the tank will be the least of my problems.

I don't think the Loma Prieta fault runs that far north and besides, the Loma Prieta fault is west of the San Andreas fault and runs parallel to it. However, you're almost on top of the San Andreas fault which runs under the Crystal Springs Reservoir. You can actually see the San Andreas fault on any aerial map of Belmont. Just let your eye run between the Crystal Springs Reservoir and San Andreas Lake. The depression that runs between them and continues north and south is the San Andreas fault, which should be visible from your house.

Besides strapping the stand to the floor, make sure the tank can't slide on the stand. And because of your extremely close proximity to a major fault, you might want to consider some method for securing the live rock in a manner that prevents rockslides or other unwanted movement.

[Corals B 4 Bills]

Thank's for the geography lesson, it's funny MOST Californians think about earth quakes like we think about banging our elbows on the door knob......Like never. I lived in Wilmington North Carolina for 1 year and everyone was constantly conserned about "The Huricane", that I can see but EarthQuakes Naa, I'll leave the worrying to the California visitors it gives them some anticipated excitment. State Farm has insured my tank for replacement value and the tank will be bolted, straped, screwed, glued held, rubbed and caressed every waking moment (euw) just ask my wife. The door to the fish room will be locked, monitored by page (cell Phone) and video on the net, I have a generator that will be kicked on during power outages, and last but not least my very good friend will be watching my tank while I vacation (2-3 months a year) he has a PHD in Marine Biology so I think I have all my bases covered. Oh yea my wife is a retired CHP Officer and I have 2 Dobbermans.........Now I have my bases covered.

[Ninong]

Thank's for the geography lesson, it's funny MOST Californians think about earth quakes like we think about banging our elbows on the door knob......Like never.

I used to think that way too before Loma Prieta. However, one good thing about earthquakes is that, unlike hurricanes, you don't get to worry about them for days in advance. They just happen and you deal with the damage and loss of life after.

State Farm has insured my tank for replacement value...

Except that we're talking about earthquakes here and State Farm doesn't even write earthquake insurance in California any more. They transferred all of their residential earthquake coverage to the CEA and CEA policies specifically exclude aquariums. Your State Farm homeowner's policy specifically excludes all damage caused by an earthquake. So you're on your own as far as the tank is concerned in an earthquake, which is why it's a good idea to make sure it's as secure as possible. (I'm retired now but I was previously licensed in both Louisiana and California as an agent for F&C and L&D. I lived in the Bay Area for 21 years.)

P.S. -- The next "big one" on the San Andreas will probably be in L.A. The next "big one" in the Bay Area will probably be on the Hayward fault.

[weez1959]

Hey WELCOME!!!
I can't wait to see the new tank..... can we see the 155 while we wait? We all love pics and Charlie neeeeeeeds them!

[charlie]

Hey WELCOME!!!
I can't wait to see the new tank..... can we see the 155 while we wait? We all love pics and Charlie neeeeeeeds them!

Hey.......................................... I am old and I do better with pics!!!!!!

[Ninong]

Hey.......................................... I am old and I do better with pics!!!!!!

Wait till you get really old and you can't see the pics all that well. ;;

[Corals B 4 Bills]

Here's a couple pics of my 155 if they go through I'll post the others!

[Corals B 4 Bills]

OK. here are some pictures of my tank and maybe my car if I can find them.

[Ninong]

Nice job on the stand.

[Corals B 4 Bills]

Here's More!

[Corals B 4 Bills]

I think I filled my gallery.

[Corals B 4 Bills]

Hopefully today a guy will get back to me with a lightly used Deltec KM500 Kalk Reactor, this should finalize the Ca/Alk portion of the tanks needs.

[Ninong]

I think I filled my gallery.

Yeah, they only give you 5MB of gallery space but, if you want to, you can be a subscriber and for $10/yr you get unlimited gallery space. That's a sneaky way to get ten bucks from you.



P.S. -- Nice Jag!

P.P.S. -- Let me know if decide to go for the ten bucks deal so that I can send a PM to Scott (Reefland) asking him to set your gallery space to unlimited.