Just some quick links to threads on forums that include useful feedback regarding choices I made – it might be pretty boring to you – but this helps me keep track of my decision making. With a complex system, previous decisions inform later decisions. The more decisions you make the fewer choices you have later. For example, once you choose to do a bare bottom aquarium, you will have different choices than someone who decided to do a deep sand bed. After that the choices narrow more – a bare bottom reef with SPS focus will have different requirements than a “softie” tank and limit options even more. In short – making a good decision means understanding the limiting nature of for future decisions… OK, enough rambling.
- Discussing best/practical practices in quarantine.
- Discussing stocking fish, fish food, and clowns in LPS / anemones.
- Discussing the fish stock for the tank at Reef Central and The Reef Tank
- Deciding against a deep sand bed and refugium in the sump.
- Considering the possibility my tank would not go through a nitrogen cycle.
prairie reef project 
Hello, I like your set up here. I am just curious, are you in saskatchewan? I am as well and am working on building a 90G DT with a 29G sump. This will be my first saltwater tank and I am quite excited although at this rate it will cost me over 1700.00 just to get it up and running. I noticed your issue with the sump bubble trap, is the sump tank a glass tank? because if it is then the silicone is not bonding to either the glass or the plastic. I assume the reason why the rest have stayed in place is because the silicone has sandwiched the plexiglass but not bonded to it.
Tank looks good though.
Jesse,
Thanks! Yes, the tank is glass. No, I’m not in Saskatchewan – I’m in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Thanks for stopping in an leaving a comment!
The one baffle is working because of the sandwich effect you mention. The bubble trap that gave way did so because 1) I wasn’t very good at setting up the sandwich effect you are talking about with only one inch of clearance between the plexi sheets and 2 (and most importantly) the plexi was too thin so the water pressure bowed it resulting in pulling away from the caulk. Using 3/4 plexi works just fine without any bending of the plexi. I appreciate the observation! Good luck on your build! I found that using craigslist, e-bay, and a bunch of DIY I have been able to keep costs very low. The expensive part will be stocking the tank! Good luck and keep in touch. If you start a blog, let me know and I’ll subscribe and link to it.
Prairie Reef.