Hey everyone! Between purchasing a house and landscape/hardscape construction in 2013, I haven't had time for a reef tank. The dust has finally settled (literally) and I'm ready! First off, I was forced back into the hobby because LeeMar decided to shut down their aquarium production line. After missing the deadline to place an order by a day, I scrambled on the forums for a LeeMar starphire eurobraced tank. Thanks to @StrictySalties on reefcentral, I found a brand new Leemar 280 gallon (72"x30"x30") Starphire, Eurobraced, black back, black silicon, diamond edge, and center overflow with 1x1.5" hole and 1x1"hole. The tank was supposed to be 60" instead of 72" so Matt at Coral Collection had it sitting in his shop. I didn't like the 30" height (prefer 24") and the single overflow with only 1x1" hole for a return, but beggars can't choosers and I'm grateful for the tank. My goal for this setup is to be patient and buy the best possible equipment that I can afford without having to upgrade later. I also plan on keeping mainly SPS with a medium-high bio load of fish.
Here's the equipment list:
Tank - Leemar 280 Gallon (72"x30"x30") Starphire Eurobraced, center overflow with 1x1.5" and 1x1" holes
Stand - Big thanks to Tony (unbearable) on Sdreefs for building my frame. Solid construction, perfectly level, and ready for skin.
Protein skimmer - Reef Octopus Elite 220Int
Lighting - ATI LED powermodule 8x80 watt with 4x75 watt LED
Sump - 100 gallon custom Advance Acrylics
Calcium Reactor - GEO 618 (I kept from my previous setup)
Return pump - Fluval SP6
Flow - 2xRW-20's
Controller - Apex (I kept from my previous setup)
Part of the hardscape construction included building a concrete platform outside the house behind the wall where the tank is located. I included a drain that taps into my sidewalk drain and a 15 AMP circuit breaker as well. I plan on keeping my chiller outside to minimize noise.
Please bare with me and I will be posting pictures as I make progress.
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Originally Posted by jschnepf
