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SupraSaltyReefer: Advanced Acrylics 160G Peninsula - House of Tangs

SupraSaltyReefer

SupraSaltyReefer

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It's that time again to upgrade tanks! My ELOS 120XL was an amazing setup but I wanted to consolidate my 120XL and 60G frag tank and go bigger so I decided to move my tank to the garage to give my fishes more room to swim. John at Advanced Acrylics did an amazing job this time around and was very responsive. He finished the tank in record time within 3 weeks! Tank turned out beautifully and exactly as we discussed!

Follow my tank journey here and on my socials if you want the latest updates!
Instagram: SupraSaltyReefer
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@suprasaltyreefer?si=COVLeQFveEpUx2FG

Previous tank journals:
Red Sea Reefer 250 and Reefer XL525: https://www.bareefers.org/forum/threads/my-ocean-in-a-glass-box.22260/#post-325681
Crystal Dynamics 90G: https://www.bareefers.org/forum/threads/mr2kieu-crystal-dynamics-aquarium-90g-lagoon.30507/
ELOS 120XL: https://www.bareefers.org/forum/threads/suprasaltyreefer-elos-120xl-and-then-some.33672/

Tank specs:
  • Custom Advanced Acrylics 160G Peninsula
    • Dimensions: 71" x 30" x 17.25"
    • 3/4" cell cast acrylic all around
    • Eurobraced and beveled edges
    • Gloss White bottom and Gloss White overflow weir wall
    • Coast to coast internal overflow to maximize surface skimming
    • Three 1" bulkhead drain hole and two 3/4" bulkhead return holes
    • Museum quality polished with rounded edges and a 3 step hand polish

Stand / Rack:

Lighting: Work in progress....

Sump & Filtration:

Inside the sump: Work in progress....

Flow: Work in progress....

Controller: Work in progress.... (Might be switching to Hydros)

Misc. Equipment:

Livestock:
  • Fishs:
  • Inverts:

Corals List:
LPS:
Softies:
Anemones:
Supplements:

TO BE CONTINUED.......

11/18/2024: Delivery Day!
Combined shipping with a few other local reefers so it reduced the price of our tanks.
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Pallet was huge at 92" long!
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Isn't she a beauty!!!
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MarcosDelgado0 said:
Haha you barely getting around to it? Same lol. Working on plumbing the 90G right now
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You are way ahead of me bro. At least you got your 45G up and running. Looking good!

sfsuphysics said:
Ok, I'm really curious how you're going to turn a home depot storage rack into a stand.
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It’s nothing fancy. Tank is in the garage so no need to skin it. Using 3/4” plywood between the shelf and tank. Had to cut some of the wire grids on the shelving to make space for the plumbing.

Alexander1312 said:
He already did.

Other question: the 300 watt heater is sufficient for your tank being in the garage?
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Ohhh forgot to remove that. 300w was from the Elos tank. I’ll be using the Innovative Marine 1000w Helio PTC smart heater for this tank.

finalphaze987 said:
Hell yea...Been waiting to see this pop up!
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Haha won’t be as meticulously clean of a setup like yours bro.

Turkeysammich said:
That’s one sweet aquarium. Congratulations.
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Thank you! Wish I could build a reef man cave like yours.

PjFish said:
The view from the top down will be killer with those dimensions
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Yeah I’ve always been a fan of shallow tanks. Top down view should be pretty sweet once I get some corals in there.
 
SupraSaltyReefer said:
Ohhh forgot to remove that. 300w was from the Elos tank. I’ll be using the Innovative Marine 1000w Helio PTC smart heater for this tank.
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Do you have a separate circuit breaker for the tank? That's a whole lotta wattage to be sharing with other equipment. Even with a 20amp breaker (2400w max, 1,920w recommended) you can easily overload that if you run something like a shop vac (>1,000w itself and i've seen your big one) while all lights running at 50% (250w+). I'm a fan of two smaller heaters for redundancy, and also for lower power consumption to maintain the temp while the second only kicks on for very cold times. My 250w heater turns on periodically during the day to maintain temp and the 500w only kicks on at night during the winter.
 
CaseyP said:
Do you have a separate circuit breaker for the tank? That's a whole lotta wattage to be sharing with other equipment. Even with a 20amp breaker (2400w max, 1,920w recommended) you can easily overload that if you run something like a shop vac (>1,000w itself and i've seen your big one) while all lights running at 50% (250w+). I'm a fan of two smaller heaters for redundancy, and also for lower power consumption to maintain the temp while the second only kicks on for very cold times. My 250w heater turns on periodically during the day to maintain temp and the 500w only kicks on at night during the winter.
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I lucked out and my garage has three circuit breakers 15A, 20A and 20A. The tank will be using both 20A. I haven't actually installed the 1000w heater yet. It's on the to do list. I'm currently using the BRS 300w and Eheim 250w heaters. I was also thinking the same as you mentioned about overloading the circuit. The Helio comes with two 500w heating elements. I might use the Helio with one 500w and the BRS 300w with a Inkbird for redundancy.
 
You probably have done but since it's in the garage have you thought about insulating the actual garage door? They do sell insulation specifically for that purpose which does make a huge difference. Also if you have any large water storage tanks in the garage adding a heater can benefit radiant heat helping overall which may put less strain on the fish tank heaters.. Normally you only need to heat during the day then turn off heater at peak times in the evening and night since the tanks will stay warm releasing heat during the night unless it gets super duper cold.. I used to heat greenhouses with the same method..just depends on your electricity cost if it will be beneficial or not...
Are you going BB or sand?
 
Kensington Reefer said:
Your Tang Gang thanks you!
Although I will say I and they wish the tank was taller
But that’s out of my hands
Best fishes and congratulations on the new box
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Thanks! To each their own ;). I like shallow tanks. Plus the rack limit per shelf is 2500 lbs. 160G of water weights 1335 lbs + sand + rocks + etc.... I didn't want to push the weight limit.

PjFish said:
You probably have done but since it's in the garage have you thought about insulating the actual garage door? They do sell insulation specifically for that purpose which does make a huge difference. Also if you have any large water storage tanks in the garage adding a heater can benefit radiant heat helping overall which may put less strain on the fish tank heaters.. Normally you only need to heat during the day then turn off heater at peak times in the evening and night since the tanks will stay warm releasing heat during the night unless it gets super duper cold.. I used to heat greenhouses with the same method..just depends on your electricity cost if it will be beneficial or not...
Are you going BB or sand?
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I have thought about insulating the garage door. Thats on the to do list as well. I have a 100G water tank I store my RODI in, but I don't heat that water since I rather use the electricity towards heating the actual tank. Hopefully I'll have some electricity savings by consolidating 3 tanks into this tank.

The initial plan was to go BB, but since my previous tank was BB I wanted to go with a more natural look this time around.

dangalang said:
What tool/device do you plan on using for cleaning the acrylic of algae/coralline?
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Weekly scrubbing with a melamine sponge same thing as a Magic Eraser but cheaper since it's not name brand. You can get them for cheap on Amazon.

I might try this tool or something similar to see if it works well on acrylic tanks:
hygger IPX8 Electric Aquarium Cleaning Brushes, Rechargeable Cleaner Tools Kit with 6 Replaceable Clean Spin Brush Heads Cordless Use 2 Speeds Adjustable Handle
 
SupraSaltyReefer said:
Thanks! To each their own ;). I like shallow tanks. Plus the rack limit per shelf is 2500 lbs. 160G of water weights 1335 lbs + sand + rocks + etc.... I didn't want to push the weight limit.


I have thought about insulating the garage door. Thats on the to do list as well. I have a 100G water tank I store my RODI in, but I don't heat that water since I rather use the electricity towards heating the actual tank. Hopefully I'll have some electricity savings by consolidating 3 tanks into this tank.

The initial plan was to go BB, but since my previous tank was BB I wanted to go with a more natural look this time around.


Weekly scrubbing with a melamine sponge same thing as a Magic Eraser but cheaper since it's not name brand. You can get them for cheap on Amazon.

I might try this tool or something similar to see if it works well on acrylic tanks:
hygger IPX8 Electric Aquarium Cleaning Brushes, Rechargeable Cleaner Tools Kit with 6 Replaceable Clean Spin Brush Heads Cordless Use 2 Speeds Adjustable Handle
Click to expand...
Dobie pads are my go to. You can wrap them onto one of those plastic scrapers for extra reach too.
 
SupraSaltyReefer said:
Thanks! To each their own ;). I like shallow

Weekly scrubbing with a melamine sponge same thing as a Magic Eraser but cheaper since it's not name brand. You can get them for cheap on Amazon. I might try this tool or something similar to see if it works well on acrylic tanks:
hygger IPX8 Electric Aquarium Cleaning Brushes, Rechargeable Cleaner Tools Kit with 6 Replaceable Clean Spin Brush Heads Cordless Use 2 Speeds Adjustable Handle
Click to expand...
Shallow tanks for the win!

Those sponges you recommend have been working nice for me. Let me know if you end up trying out that tool and how it goes for you
 
01/12/2025
Emptied the Advanced Acrylics 60G frag tank (48x24x12”) and started disassembling the plumbing and sump. Both are for sale still! Don't mind the messy garage, it's organized chaos lol
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@sfsuphysics, the next few pictures will answer your curiosity. Advertised width of the rack is 24” wide, but if you add the shelf bars it's actually 26” wide. Since the tank is 30” I needed to add a 30” wide board between the shelf and tank. I bought a 3/4" 4' x 8' plywood from Home Depot and cut it down to 71.5" x 30.5". Gave it a extra 0.5" space for any discrepancies in measurement. Then sanded for smooth edges and no splinters!
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I had to cut a notch out to make room for the internal overflow drain and return pipes. Terrible crooked cut but not bad for only using a circular saw.
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The DeWalt rack came with this wire grid for the shelving so a few squares had to be cut and removed to make space. Bought a $12 bolt cutter from Harbor Freight for the job.
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My rough calculations worked out and the holes for the pipes was not blocked by the shelf bars. Yayyy!
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Harbor Freight Anti-Fatigue roll mat is always my go to for leveling mats for all my aquariums. It's 72" x 24" x 5/16" for $11. I needed two to cover the 30" width.
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I usually screw it down as well so it doesn't move when I'm sliding the tank around on top.
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This was roughly at midnight and I was anxious to get the tank on the rack so I decided to move the tank onto the rack myself. Don't try this with a glass tank! lol. Took a lot of maneuvering back and forth but managed to not crack the tank wheww! I've been recording this build so I can post the tank build to my YouTube channel!
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Almost there! and before you ask, yes thats all reef stuff in those bins up top :p
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and she's in place! Hallelujah!!!
Tank hangs about 3" in the rear and 1" on the front. Since I have a Aquarium Engineering MBA according to my calculations I should not have any issues with weight distribution lol
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