Guess who`s upgrading?

It's been a couple years now since I downgraded from having nearly 350 gallons of saltwater in the house to 29.  Being I am nearly done with college I decided to treat myself a bit and blow some of my "hard earned" student loan money on a bigger tank.  Don't get me wrong I love my HQI outfitted 29 gallon Bio Cube but enough is enough!  I simply have too many corals that are getting to big for the space.  I thought about just taking it apart and trying to redo some of the rockwork to achieve a different look but it would be nearly impossible, at least that's what I told my wife.  
More pics to come as I progress through the build.  I am hoping for a quick cycle and hoping the rock turns purple quickly.  /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/cool.gif

 

Wow, I just noticed that the tank looks really small in that picture.

 

I wish it still looked this good but here are some older shots of the 29.
http://www.greateriowareefsociety.o...fault.aspx

 

Finally got a little more work done on my new tank.  I am trying to keep everything neat and orderly including the wiring so it is a little tedious.  I am quickly running out of room under the stand as I added a Korallin Ca Reactor today.  It's the perfect size for my tank but the reactor and CO2 tank take up quite a bit of space.  I also ordered a skimmer today.  There isn't room for the usual "in sump" skimmer but there is a middle section in my sump that would fit a Deltec AP500 perfectly.  I was fortunate enough to find one used on RC for a great price and it should be here sometime next week I hope.  In the meantime I am going to work on tiding up my wiring and plumbing as well as get the Ca reactor plumbed.
There are only a few things left to add like an ATO and my ACIII.  Luckily,  I think there is just enough room to fit a container for RO water under the sump!  I am debating on whether or not to upgrade to an Apex.  I love the features it has compared to my ACIII but I'm not sure if it's worth it at this point.  I am already quite a bit over budget on this build so maybe that will have to wait.  I am hoping to have everything running sometime next week so I can begin the dreaded cycle.
Here are a few pics as of tonight.  I apologize for the crappy quality, taking quick shots with my phone is so convenient.   I promise, once I get some life in the tank I will use my camera and get some better shots.  I still can't get over how small this tank looks in the pictures! 

 

Thanks man!  I pretty excited about this build.  It is easily becoming one of my favorite setups to date.

 

Things were getting a little tight so I decided to use some of the extra space available in the upper area of my stand to hold the CO2 tank.

 

Made a little more progress on the build this week.  I added an ATO system to aid in salinity stability, the reservoir is just a rubbermade storage container and am using a float switch and relay setup to control an aqualifter pump.  I also messed around with the Ca reactor a little.  I don't have media for it yet but decided I would see what it took to get it functional.  It's pretty easy to use and should work great.
Oh yeah almost forgot!  I have fish now!!!  Being I am starting completely dry I decided to try to kick start my cycle by using Dr. Tim's One and Only Nitrifying Bacteria.  Now usually I don't use stuff like this but figured it was only bacteria and couldn't hurt.  I added that along with 8 ml of pure ammonia to the tank and within 24 hours the ammonia level was back down to zero.  I did this again last night and ammonia levels were nearly zero again today so I figured it was time to add a few fish. 
I ended up getting 6 blue/green chromis and so far they are doing well.
Starting a tank with no live rock or live sand is a true test of patience.  Adding things slowly will definitely be the key to avoid major algae blooms. 
Anyway here is a pic of the new top-off system, it's nothing special but it is progress.  The Deltec MC500 should be here sometime this week so I am anxiously waiting for that.  I also plan on trying to do a little more tiding up with the wiring and a implementing my ACIII. I would really love an Apex but have decided it would just be a waste with a little tank like this.  I would just use it for turning on lights and heater anyhow.   Keeping the wiring neat and orderly is becoming nearly impossible with amount of cords and tubing involved in such a confined space.  It still looks far better than the rats nest under my Biocube.  LOL 
As much as I want to start mounting corals to my new rock sculpture I think it maybe several more weeks before any coral goes in.  Again, patience is the key here.

 

A few more pieces of equipment were installed today.
First off, we have a Deltec MC-500 Protein Skimmer.  Its a pretty awesome skimmer, it was about the only skimmer besides a bak-pak or equivalent that would fit in the space provided.  So far it seems to be skimming well so, so far so good.
Next we have a couple 2 Little Fishies Phosban 150's.  I really had no other place to put these things so in the sump they go.  I sort of like them there as they should be easy to get to and maintain.  I still need to get a feed pump for them so they aren't running yet.  I think I may be able to daisy chain them together and just one pump.  One will run GFO and the other will run Carbon.
About the only thing I need is some media for the carbon reactor which should be here in a couple days.  I am going to run the Arm fine stuff and 10% ZeoMag in the reactor to maintain magnesium levels without the need to dose. 
NO dosing for me!!!