Mr2Kieu: Crystal Dynamics Aquarium 90G Lagoon

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Finally starting the new tank journal. Got the CDA 90G tank back in January, but have been slowly building the stand and collecting equipment for this project. I wanted to take it slow and customize it to my goals since I haven’t started a new tank from scratch in such a loooong time.

Photo dump of my progress so far. Follow my reef Instagram, SupraSaltyReefer for more pics and the latest updates! Link in signature.
Delivery day: 01/12/2021

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

DIY stand I got from @Krak256 and reskinned and painted with Rust-oleum appliance epoxy.

Ended up using 6 cans.

Added Carrera Marble peel and stick vinyl flooring tiles to the bottom of the stand for a nice smooth surface and help with water drops.

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Found a good deal on a networking cabinet for $50 so I’ll be using it to store my controller board and electronics. I’ve been told it may rust, but crossing my fingers there’s enough ventilation in the house that it won’t. I can alway get it paint it or get it powder coated later on.

 

[Reefpro]

Finally starting the new tank journal. Got the CDA 90G tank back in January, but have been slowly building the stand and collecting equipment for this project. I wanted to take it slow and customize it to my goals since I haven’t started a new tank from scratch in such a loooong time.

Photo dump of my progress so far. Follow my reef Instagram, OceanGlassBox for more pics! Link in signature.
Delivery day: 01/12/2021

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Forget the fish tank! I want to know if your beautiful renaissance red supra is NA or Turbo?!

 

[Wlachnit]

Forget the fish tank! I want to know if your beautiful renaissance red supra is NA or Turbo?!

Yea…I noticed that as well!

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Forget the fish tank! I want to know if your beautiful renaissance red supra is NA or Turbo?!

Yea…I noticed that as well!

Haha thanks. Cars are my other hobby/money pit. It’s a 1997 NA manual hardtop. Wish it was turbo but they are so rare and expensive nowadays. It’s all stock except for a HKS carbon TI exhaust and the wheels. Here’s a full shot for ya

 

[H2OPlayar]

Cars are my other hobby/money pit.

Hahaha, what do you mean? *** Cries into my 3rd motor***

 

[ashburn2k]

Hahaha, what do you mean? *** Cries into my 3rd motor***

you should see his other car

 

[Wlachnit]

Haha thanks. Cars are my other hobby/money pit. It’s a 1997 NA manual hardtop. Wish it was turbo but they are so rare and expensive nowadays. It’s all stock except for a HKS carbon TI exhaust and the wheels. Here’s a full shot for ya
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Yea….it’s one of the most expensive hobbies around…reeftanks pale in comparison! While the turbo may be rare for this model, NA cars in general are becoming a thing of the past. And, I bet your car w/ that exhaust sounds better than a turbo fantastic.

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Yea….it’s one of the most expensive hobbies around…reeftanks pale in comparison! While the turbo may be rare for this model, NA cars in general are becoming a thing of the past. And, I bet your car w/ that exhaust sounds better than a turbo fantastic.

I agree. With the industry moving towards EVs loud exhausts will be a thing of the past. I wouldn't mind the new Tesla Roadster or Porsche Taycan tho lol

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Who needs Shiba to go to the moon when you can have a Shiba go in your aquarium?! She wasn’t too amused. lol

Took awhile to plan out the plumbing, but turned out pretty decent for my first time with fancy colorful schedule 40 pipes and gray fittings. Did a lot of price comparisons and BRS ended up being the least expensive and had the most variety. Neptunes also carried a lot of schedule 40 pipes and fittings for when I was missing parts and needed them right away. Also used the single step Oatey Fusion PVC cement to make things easier.

I ended up going with the Synergy Reef 16” Shadow V2 overflow. I was a bit let down by the flimsy plastic quality but was already committed since I glued the unions and reducer on already. If I could choose another overflow I would have went with Modular Marine, FijiCube or Exotic Marine since they are made with cast acrylic.

Plumbed my Innovative Marine 25EXT 24x20x12” to the system with soft tubing so it’s easier to move. This frag tank will be used for frags and anemones.

 

[dochou]

Nice clean Supra and tank too. I like the plumbing job. What are the black vertical brackets for?

 

[ashburn2k]

Nice clean Supra and tank too. I like the plumbing job. What are the black vertical brackets for?

Lights

 

[phatduckk]

Pretty sick!

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Wow 7 months and no updates. I’m kinda bad at updating. Lol. Here’s a photo dump of some of my progress.

Real Tonga branches I’ve been hoarding for this build. Took awhile to balance all the branches to create the long overhang look I was trying to achieve.

Time to glue and cement it all together. I used BRS’s method with their thick super glue gel, Insta-Set accelerator and mortar mixed with sand. This was my first time building a aquascape. Was easier than I thought. Pretty fun getting your hands dirty and sculpting a piece of art.

Sand and water time! I used 5 bags of 20lbs CaribSea Arag-Alive Special Grade sand since I prefer the bigger grain size. Also broke in the BRS 5 Stage 150g Water Saved RODI unit. I used Tropic Marine Pro salt initially, but have since switched to Red Sea Pro.

Check out my mobile RODI unit. Lol

Finally full after 3 days!

Mounted my 48” AquaticLife White T5 Hybrid fixture with their stand mounts. T5 bulbs combo are 2x CoralPlus and 2x BluePlus. Also added two Radion XR15 G5 Pro for more color pop and PAR.

Added 2x MP40QD for flow. Now it’s the waiting game for the tank to cycle. I used a bottle of Brightwell MicroBacter7 to speed up the process.

To be continued….

 

[Chromis]

Beautiful! I love the clean color scheme. All the color will come from inside your tank and make it pop even more. That’s a lot of light - how deep is your tank again?

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Beautiful! I love the clean color scheme. All the color will come from inside your tank and make it pop even more. That’s a lot of light - how deep is your tank again?

Thanks Liz. Tank is 18 deep and the lights are mounted 9” above the waterline. It is a lot of light, I’m getting 150 PAR easily on the sandbed. T5s are only turned on a couple hours a day. I’m using the fixture more to hide the bulky black box Radions. Wishful thinking but wished Radions was offered in white as well.

 

[nly04]

You can measure the outer of the Radion and get it 3D print in white.

 

[Zumareef]

How's this tank doing? Need an FTS!

 

[kinetic]

In terms of the white light housing, I'm not sure how the Radions are, but I took the "case" off of my Reefi Uno and spray painted it white. Amazing what five even coats of spray paint can do. But not sure if you can easily do that with a Radion.

Looking really good!