Yongpanda's 50 gallon ada rimless build (feedback welcome0

[yongpanda]

Hey, I've just started out with the reefing and would love to have some feedback while i make my way in building a well established reef aquarium.

First of all, I'm starting out with a 50 gallon tank from ADA. the point of the build was to stick with a sleek modern look rather than one with a canopy and such. I also want to make sure the fish are out to play and not to hide.

So i started off with drilling my ADA tank. one 1.5" hole for my overflow and two 1/2" holes for returns. I will be using a 29 gallon tank as a sump. I don't have much money so i'll have to do with what i got. I have a Mag7 as a return pump, AquaC Remora skimmer with a maxiijet 1200 which i'll be using in ym sump as well as a koralia 1 (will be needing koralia 2's or 3's), i also have a 6x39 Tek light fixture.

front view of tank
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2050.jpg

Side view of tank
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/Picture2-3.png

My tek light from ReefGeek(grea service)* i also got the two point hanging kit
My tek light from ReefGeek(grea service)* i also got the two point hanging kit

lights on [ati blue+, uvl super actinic,ati blue+,uvl 75/25, ati aquablue special, ati blue+] will change light orders later
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/clip_image002-1.jpg

Lighting hung from ceiling and tank in place..just need to put my overflow on haha.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/257.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/258.jpg

Will be posting more pics as they come.

so far I finished my sump with acrylic sheet (very poor job on this...had to resort to messy 2 part putty... but hey as long as it works) NO refugium.

so far the water is in, the pump is up and running, live rock in with a frag of what i believe to be bright green polyps. no sand just yet.

I also put in a filterbag of gfo and carbon accordingly.

anythign wrong with it, let me know, i'll try my best to fix it up. :wave:

[yongpanda]

Finally was able to take pictures with an old camera.
so far...

I need to make the doors to my stand still. btu for now i'll muffle soudns with some foam things.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2224.jpg

found some polyps on my rock haha
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2226.jpg

A video of the tank at the moment
<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2228.flv">

ignore the random pieces of rock, i'll decide what to do with them later but as of aquascaping, i wasnted a lone island on the far left hand side in the middle while there is a curved cwall of rock from where the island starts off to the right hand corner in the back of the tank like so.

[yongpanda]

What I'll be during this Thanksgiving break would be to go collect some sand to put in the tank. I'm going with a 2" sand bed.

I'll also slowly be working on the stand door and using euro hinges that stay hidden.

Quick question thoguh, If i decide to make a section in my sump a refugium, will the pretty high flow be bad for the refugium and cheato growth?

[super1man]

looks like your off to a good start

[james3370]

actually good flow thru the cheato will help keep it "tumbling" which gets light to all areas of it & cuts down on parts of it staying "dark" & possibly dying

[james3370]

my only suggestion so far would be to take your existing loc-lines would be to take them off, pop them into (4) pieces, attach a loc-line y-adapter (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/y-fitting-for-3-4-loc-line-modular-hose.html) at the bulkhead & then have (4) shorter lines in various random directions

this will give you more random flow & less obtrusive looks vs the loooooong lines LOL

[yongpanda]

my only suggestion so far would be to take your existing loc-lines would be to take them off, pop them into (4) pieces, attach a loc-line y-adapter (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/y-fitting-for-3-4-loc-line-modular-hose.html) at the bulkhead & then have (4) shorter lines in various random directions

this will give you more random flow & less obtrusive looks vs the loooooong lines LOL

I think for now, i'll let it pass since i don't have a great powerhead in the tank. i will however shorten the lengths whether i use a Y adapter or not.

thanks for your input though, it does look a bit obtrusive haha.

[Aquarist007]

looking great so far

[BADGUS]

I like the overall look of the tank,think your rockwork is where it will finish off ''the look''

[yongpanda]

So i was thinking about the noise that my tank is making. is thedre supposed to be a slight hum form the pump as well as a slow trickle from the water going down the drain into the sump?

I like the overall look of the tank,think your rockwork is where it will finish off ''the look''

thanks! i hope that the live rock won't be the last thing. hoping to get some corals later on haha.:fun4:

[yongpanda]

just learned how to use some settings on my camera.

my green polyps.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan043.jpg

Need some IDs on these:
what is that white stuff?
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan045.jpg
these algae too.
#1
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan026.jpg
#2
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan025-1.jpg

[yongpanda]

I still need some identification on the pictures above, but while i wait for that, i decided to do some rockwork.
I'd be nice if people can tell me if they liek the rockwork before or the rockwork now.
thanks.

now:
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan047.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan052.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan054.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan055.jpg

[yongpanda]

Finally got new sand and changed the aquascape a bit.
here are some pics since everybody loves pictures.

full tank shot
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/IMG_2020.jpg
right side
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/IMG_2022.jpg
left side
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/IMG_2023.jpg

[dan10342]

i love the new aquascape!! wow!

[andymh]

I like the open spaces of the new aquascape. As far as the hum goes from the pump, try putting something underneath it if its sitting on the bottom of the sump. The sound may coming from it vibrating against the glass bottom.

[yongpanda]

i love the new aquascape!! wow!
Thanks i like it better too!

I like the open spaces of the new aquascape. As far as the hum goes from the pump, try putting something underneath it if its sitting on the bottom of the sump. The sound may coming from it vibrating against the glass bottom.
I like the open space too but am a bit worried that itll put me on a limit as to number of fish i can have because of the lack of cover for fish. as for the hum, i tried doing what you said but still makes a slight hum. maybe it's about time for me to make a door for my stand so the soudn doesn't leak out into the living room.

and here's a video for eveyone since videos are much better than pictures haha.
<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2396.flv">

[yongpanda]

I'm waiting for the tank to cycle a bit before putting in fish. I have a list of fish that i wanted but wanted to make sure people here agree with the list. I'd appreciate even some input even if you arn't completly sure about it.

1. pair true percula
2. diamond goby
3. Potters angel
4. chromis
5. royal gramma
6. 6 line wrasse
7. cleaner shrimp/snails/hermits

is this too much or if possibly can i even put more?

[dan10342]

sounds like a nice list!

however, are you planning on running the tank open top? (diamond gobies jump i believe)

[yongpanda]

sounds like a nice list!

however, are you planning on running the tank open top? (diamond gobies jump i believe)

Yes I am leaving it open top becasue it will be a rimless tank. i have no idea about diamond goby jumping but i'm going to keep the light fixutre as low as possible so jumps aren't as spontaneous.

if i must resort to a covered tank, i'll have to get an acylric sheet to cover the top to keep it looking sharp and rimless.

[Chiefsurfer]

I also think the wrasse might jump. I'd say if you are getting 2 fish that might be jumpers, to get a cover of some kind.

Also, do you have a lot of live rock in the sump/fuge? I like the open space, however IMO, having that many fish, your live rock seems very limited. It also seems that you might be starting to have a GHA problem. From what I have seen of it in other threads, some pics seem to show this off quite well. The one pic you want some ID on with the stick-like figures sticking out, sure looks like an algae(one of the good kinds), and it looks nice. I think your LR might be limited, but otherwise looks pretty good.

Gl with the tank.

[ckranz]

Looks good !Your off to a good start!!!

[cherubfish pair]

So that's what an ADA tank is. I guess I should have asked. So its a brand of tank.

[james3370]

some of the mag pumps are notorious for being a tad bit loud, but hey they are cheap LOL

for the pump hum, the very simple fix is usually a ziplock bag full of sand for it to sit on. also think about using a short piece of flexpvc to connect it to the hard plumbing. either or both of these should quiet it down considerably. if ya need a short piece of 1/2" flex pvc, i have a bunch of it laying around...send me a PM

my idea for a "lid" to keep jumpers in, but still be visually unobtrusive is to take a 1/4" thick piece of plexi. cut the center out leaving about a 2" gap all around like a picture frame. drill 1/16" holes 3/16-1/4" apart & about 1/4" from the inside edge all the way around. then take UV resistant fishing line (avail at almost any sporting goods place...got mine at Bass Pro Shops) & "lace" the holes in a side to side over/under pattern like a tennis racket

you can either cut it to sit right on the top of the tank, or make it so it sits inside the tank & make lil upside-down L brackets attached to it that hook on the tank. it would also keep any fish from jumping over into the overflow box as well

[yongpanda]

thanks everyone for the feedback!

some of the mag pumps are notorious for being a tad bit loud, but hey they are cheap LOL

for the pump hum, the very simple fix is usually a ziplock bag full of sand for it to sit on. also think about using a short piece of flexpvc to connect it to the hard plumbing. either or both of these should quiet it down considerably. if ya need a short piece of 1/2" flex pvc, i have a bunch of it laying around...send me a PM

my idea for a "lid" to keep jumpers in, but still be visually unobtrusive is to take a 1/4" thick piece of plexi. cut the center out leaving about a 2" gap all around like a picture frame. drill 1/16" holes 3/16-1/4" apart & about 1/4" from the inside edge all the way around. then take UV resistant fishing line (avail at almost any sporting goods place...got mine at Bass Pro Shops) & "lace" the holes in a side to side over/under pattern like a tennis racket

you can either cut it to sit right on the top of the tank, or make it so it sits inside the tank & make lil upside-down L brackets attached to it that hook on the tank. it would also keep any fish from jumping over into the overflow box as well

this is very similar to what i was thinking about. getting 1/4 pexi glass and having it sit right on top of the tank. I would make uniform holes maybe finger sized for any heat issues. However, I don't understand the use of the uv resistant fishing line looping the holes. :/ hmm :rolleyes:

Maybe the live rock isn't sufficient enough for the fishes i'm not too sure. I don't have a fuge though. If i need to maybe i'll make the left island into a cave/island. I'll try grab couple bits of live rock and see what i can create.

As for the hum noise, i put padding on the mag drive but seems liek most of the noise is actually coming form the hard pvc. i was thinking of getting a similar size plastic hose and cutting it open so i can fit it over my pvc piping. I'll try make a stop to HD or soemthign this week.

[yongpanda]

I am debating now whether I should let my nice ADA tank stay rilmess and open or to somehow put a cover on it to make sure fish don't jump out. If i cover it i'd be using a big pexi glass sheet with some holes in it for air. it'll sit right on top of the tank.

can everyone give me their input on this whether i shoudl stick with open top or pexi glass cover?

thanks.

[Pufferlips]

I have ran rimless before...Have lost a couple of fish in them or should I say out of them. But it was worth the look to figure out what would be happy and stay in the tank.

Also, I would use lexan for the top if decide to go that route for it is uv stabilized and will not warp as bad overtime.

[Chiefsurfer]

yongpanda, be careful, the hose covering IMO wouldn't make that much difference. I'd try "refrigeration tube insulation". It's cheap, thick black foam that has 1 slit lengthwise, with a tacky strip to reconnect. May need to use more than one to accomplish the size of the pvc.

[james3370]

this is very similar to what i was thinking about. getting 1/4 pexi glass and having it sit right on top of the tank. I would make uniform holes maybe finger sized for any heat issues. However, I don't understand the use of the uv resistant fishing line looping the holes. :/ hmm :rolleyes:

i think you missed my point.....you cut the entire center out of the plexi, but leave about a 1-2" wide frame.....just like a picture frame.

then drill the small holes all around the inside edge to lace the fishing line thru. doing it like a tennis racket will give you a "mesh" type lid to keep the fish in, but still allow gas exchange for the water.

i have done it like you are thinking (solid plexi w/ holes drilled all in it) & the plexi bowed from the heat &/or water......that is why i suggest cutting most all the plexi away & doing the fishing line. it is UV resistant so it shouldn't be affected from the lights too bad & if it sags over time, it is relatively easy to "relace"

you can either have it sit on the edge or inside the tank. i think either way would be almost invisible since it is all clear (the plexi & the fishing line)

you end up w/ something along the lines of what they did in THIS (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=817485) & THIS (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=888670) thread, but they used aluminum storm door frames & outdoor pond bird netting

either method would work, i just think mine is easier, cheaper & easier to "repair" the meshing in the future....

[james3370]

As for the hum noise, i put padding on the mag drive but seems liek most of the noise is actually coming form the hard pvc. i was thinking of getting a similar size plastic hose and cutting it open so i can fit it over my pvc piping. I'll try make a stop to HD or soemthign this week.

what is happening is the pump vibrations are being transferred to the hard plumbing, so the fix i recommended is an easy one to do......you put a short piece of flexpvc on the pump & connect that to the hard pvc (easiest connector would be a slip/slip union...which also makes it easier to remove the pump for routine maintence). the flex pvc doesn't transmit as much of the pump vibrations to the hard plumbing

i was doing the same on my build & have alot of 1/2" flexpvc if ya need a short piece :)

[yongpanda]

thanks james for the clearing up. if i do have to go with a lid for anytime being, i'll do what you said. as for the vibration. spa flex hose it is. I'll need to head down to homedepot sometime this week to pick these things up as wells as some wood to add nice doors to the stand.

but i'm leaning towards what pufferlips had mentions as it is worth the jupming for the rimless look. not too sure how much it'll coset me to replace each fish taht jumps. don't liek the idea of them drying up on the floor either...hmm

well i guess i'll be getting a couple new fish soon and heading to HD. that'll be all for now i think. thanks everyone for feedback!

[james3370]

well i can tell ya that almost any fish will "jump" but some are more prone to do so.....wrasses in particular. i had a clown that would jump over into the rear filtration of my biocube 8....which is a real pain to get a hand in to retrieve it :mad2: found out it was jumping cause the other was asserting it's dominance & would scare it into jumping into the filtration chamber

....just a heads up LOL

[dan10342]

what is happening is the pump vibrations are being transferred to the hard plumbing, so the fix i recommended is an easy one to do......you put a short piece of flexpvc on the pump & connect that to the hard pvc (easiest connector would be a slip/slip union...which also makes it easier to remove the pump for routine maintence). the flex pvc doesn't transmit as much of the pump vibrations to the hard plumbing

i was doing the same on my build & have alot of 1/2" flexpvc if ya need a short piece :)

i can tell you...
mag 7 hard plumbed with 3/4 inch pvc = LOUUUUD
mag 5 soft plumbed with tubing = rather quiet compared to the noise of hard plumbing.

[yongpanda]

well i just got a pair of false perculas. acclimated them and are inside the tank. however, they seem to just hover in a corner and swim along the glass with a rare swim aroud the middle to the tank, is this a good or bad sign?o.0

[BADGUS]

Pretty normal for clowns to stay in a spot for a few days,thenm they will find a place to call home.

[james3370]

try feeding from the opposite side of the tank (after turning off powerheads etc to keep flow from carrying food to them)....forces them out of their "comfort zone" & then they'll be more likely to find a suitable place to hang out

[chris.rivera3]

looking good!!!:fish1:

[yongpanda]

I tried to feed them mysis, i think they were too scared or stressed to take them. maybe some live brine will help bring out their appetite if it doesn't work for a period of time.

my green polyps take the mysis much better than the clowns sadly.. T_T
each polyp took around two full mysis...haha

[yongpanda]

I know I should have watied a bit longer but i was a bit anxious and had to buy it.. T_T
i got a 4 line wrasse. he's in great shape. as soon as i acclimated him and put him in the tank, he dove for a tiny cave. he's been going in and out but still hiding usually. hopefully, he won't feel as scared and join the clownfish in the more open waters.

i'll try and take a pic of the ocellaris and then 4 line wrasse.
next on my fish list (possiblities): anthias, potters angel or flame angel (which do you like), banggai cardinalfish or spotted cardinal fish (which one do you like?), and royal gramma.

[james3370]

i like a small school (3-4) of the banggai or the same # of these (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1926+168&pcatid=168)
:D

[yongpanda]

i like your idea james, its just that i'll have to stick with the banggai since the firefish do have a higher tendency to jump from what i have read.

the banggai can get pretty expensve though i must admit...25bucks a piece.
haha well i guess i have time to save up until the bioload is adjusted and params are okay.

[james3370]

what part of the country are you in??

my local reef club did a tour of www.sustainableaquatics.com several months ago. they are known for their b/w clowns, but they had many tanks of banggai cardinals. their site doesn't list them, but might be worth checking into. they are in knoxville TN & are awesome to deal with

the owner is a member on here, but i can't for the life of me remember his username...but he is a very friendly guy. ask around the East TN Reef Club Forum (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=227) & i'd bet you'd be hard pressed to find anybody w/ something bad to say about his fish

[yongpanda]

finally got the time to take some pics and videos. hope you like them.
my two clownfish & green polyps:
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2410.jpg
my four line wrasse:
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2412.jpg
<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2418-1.flv">
Tank Video:
<embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/DSCF2409.flv">

[cherubfish pair]

This looks like a sponge. They're flat, porous things with a vent hole for water input. You could get a better ID in RC's new to the hobby forum.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan045.jpg

[yongpanda]

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/yongchan026.jpg
I foud out what this is finally: Acanthophora spicifera
thanks to http://www.reeffrontiers.com/photos_corals/showphoto.php?photo=566

[cherubfish pair]

I couldn't get the above link to work.

[yongpanda]

local reef hoobist had gone out of the hobby due to a lack of time to maintain his tank. he gave me a couple frag colonies of sps coral. from what i know, they seen to be Pocillopora or cauliflower coral. they have their tips a bit bleached but the tiny polyps on it are still visilbe. i hope they survive and make it.

I'll post up pics soon.
anyone have any experiences with these corals? tips are welcome.

[yongpanda]

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/IMG_2108.jpg
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/justurmom/IMG_2110.jpg

[cherubfish pair]

I don't know if it's a cauliflower coral or not, but it sure does look like the cauliflower you eat!

[powers2001]

It's definitely an SPS.

[vanillagorila]

since when is a 50g a nano?

[yongpanda]

well its definitly not a large tank.. lol

[yongpanda]

Just added a bicolor anthias. very fat and loves to take in frozen sirulina brine and mysis. very happy with it considering that i only paid 15 dollars. arou 4 inches big and began to chase my 4 line wrasse out of its home. the wrasses only sometimes tries to nip the anthias but knows that the anthias is much bigger hahaha. hope they get a long.

[yongpanda]

sad news... had to go away for two weeks on a trip while my dad watched my aquarium.. everything died except the two clowns.. the anthias apparently got trapped between two rocks while the wrasses just dissapeared..

[cherubfish pair]

I hope you don't quit the hobby. At least you've got the two clowns.

[yongpanda]

I decided to let it go and just reset my setup once i get back which will be in 5 days or so. i ordered a new skimmer so that'll help as well as water movment. upgrading from aquac remora to vertex in100 and upgrading from koralia1 and koralia2 to two tunze nanostream 6025.not so sure if i should mod the 6025 because i don't want to end up with too much movement.

[powers2001]

Do you have a link to a 6025 mod thread?

[NanoReefWanabe]

tank looks great how much water do you lose in a power failure situation? your returns look very low and like they would siphon a tonne of water...

[mjk0301]

Sorry to hear about the loss, don;t you just love how things go wrong when you leave for 3 days. Same thing happened to me i left town for work and my tank crashed after my dad looked after it for me.

[yongpanda]

just woke up after arriving yesterday and yes my tank looks like the amazon ame. algae growth everywhere.lol.

in a power failure? i'm not sure but my sump can handle it very well. its a 29 gallon sump and i'm changing the highest baffle to be only 8 inches which leave a lot of volume for water.

i can't find it but it apparently changes the 5025 water movment to be as strong as the 6045?

[NanoReefWanabe]

i have 2 tunze 6025's, one heavily modded the other only mildly...

the heavily modded one has the inner piece of the shroud cut out and sanded smooth to match the contours of the shroud...the front of the output nozzle is also cutoff half way...then the vents (slots in the shrouds) have every second one cut out and dremelled smooth (both front and rear shrouds)

the heavy mods certainly make a huge difference in the output's flow and directionality.

the moderately modded one only has the inner of the shroud cut out and every second vent cut out of the front shroud only...

[kclewis]

You should be deathly afraid of power outage. Your return lines are half way down your tank. If my calculations are right you said this is a 50 gallon tank (which does not qualify as a nano) and a 29 gallon sump. If your power goes out you loose at least 25 gallons plus whats in your return lines from back siphon. From your pics you have at least 10 gallons of water in your sump. 35 gallons in a 29 gallon sump leads to water on the ground. Not to mention what happens to your return pump when you start it back up short the water that is now on the ground.

[yongpanda]

oh the return lines, yeah i have them re positioned T_T i forogt you guy don't see the entire setup daily. i have the lines up near the surface for some surface agitation.

Realy question abotu the 6025 is, is it going to be a pro or con for this tank? too much flow might be too bad as it'll make sand fly everywhere and such.

also, i only put this as a nano since the large forums 180 lol.

or maybe this is the akward size?

[justurmom]

nice tank

[yongpanda]

This setup is officially retired. moving to ADA 60p nano setup very soon!