Joe's 75 Rimless SPS - Updated Pics

[RTMA]

Hey Guys,

Here are some updated pics of my tank.

When I first built it, if you saw my initial build thread, I made 3 acrylic rod towers which were nice, but didn't provide much room for coral growth. I have since changed my aquascape a lot. I removed over 30 pounds of rock.

Here are some shots of the new layout. This is with the new T5 bulbs. As you can see the KZ fiji purple adds more of a purple hue to the tank and the Giesemann Aqua Blue+ adds a bit more brightness with the whiter color. The dusk dawn is bit brighter then the old bulbs.


FTS
http://i49.tinypic.com/160vll0.jpg

Center
http://i46.tinypic.com/2wfs4nb.jpg

Left
http://i45.tinypic.com/vsjo6d.jpg

Side
http://i48.tinypic.com/2lln053.jpg

Inventory so far..

Fish:
Misbar Gold Stripe Maroon Clown
Hippo Tang
Tomini Tang
Longnose Hawk
Diamond Goby
Sixline Wrasse
Coral Beauty Angel
Copperband Butterfly
4 Green Chromis ( trying to get them out!)

RIP Fish
My Original Sixline - carpet surfing
Bellus Angel
Pearly Jawfish

Corals.
SPS: (Mini Colonies & Frags to grow out)
ORA Purple Plasma
ORA Plum Crazy
ORA Pearlberry
ORA Red Planet
ORA German Blue Polyp Digitata
ORA Orange Polyp Digitata
ORA Verde Acropora
ORA Tri-color Valida
ORA Aussie Delicate
ORA Borealis
ORA Original Oregon Tort (Looks like a Cali tort to me)
ORA Spongodes
ORA Pink Birdsnest
Bob's Blue Oregon Tort
Yellow Tort
Bob's Rainbow Milli
Bob's Sky Blue Sarmentosa
Neil's Massive Blue "Ark"ropora
Idaho Grape Monti Cap
Scolly's Green Monti Cap
Orange Monti Cap (frag)
Paletta Blue Polyp Acro
Rose Tipped Acro
Yellow Polyped Acro (looks like a bright Bali Slimer type)
Bali Efflo
Grape Limeade Acro
LE Pink Lemonade Acro
LE Pink Jade Acro
Garf Bonsai
Pink Pocillipora
Sunset Monti
Superman Monti
Pokerstar Monti
Purple Haze Monti
Reverse Sunset Monti
Green / Yellow Scroll


RIP SPS
Pink Milli - mostly dead due to RTN

LPS
UC 2 polyp Dendros
UC Starry Night Chalices (5 Eyes)
3 Head Candy Cane

Zoas
Blue Hornets
RPEs
Ring of Fire
Whammin Watermelons
Radioactive Dragon Eyes
WeedyGreens
Gorilla Nipples
Kedd's Reds
LE Electros (Teal Rings)
Jolly Green Giant pallys
Various other no names - Pinks, Oranges

Others:
Purple Gorgonian
Neon Orange Fungia
GSP
Susan's purple star Polyps
Pink pulsing Xenia
GBTA - Since removed..(Scolley scared me!)

Clams:
Maxima
Crocea

Equipment:
Glass-holes Overflow
2 x 250 mh - Ushio 10K
4 - T5 (1 - KZ Fiji Purple, 2 - ATI Blue Plus + , 1 - Giesemann PowerChrome Aqua Blue+)
Dosing is done with DIY dosers from this thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1773806) & BRS two part.
RKE handles Top off, Lights, Heating / Cooling, Dosing (3 PC4s, SL1)
DigiKits Moonlights
Vortech MP20
Koralia 1 & Koralia 2
Mag 7 Return Pump
Coralife Superskimmer 125 - Fishing line modded.
BRS Single Carbon / GFO Reactor
18" Current Nova Extreme - T5s for frag tank w/ 1 T8 Actinic
Cooling is done with 1 clip on fan & 4 120mm Antec Fans controlled by RKE.
Hydor 200 watt Heater & Stealth 50 in tank (not controlled in case Mag 7 dies)

Latest Params:
CA - 450
KH - 8.8
MG - 1500
Nitrate - 0
Phosphate - 0

Dosing Regimen (still working this out)
KH - 5 ml x 11 times daily
CA - 5 ml x 10 times daily

Water Changes - 20 gallons monthly.
Water General 5 stage 150GPD RO/DI (Ebay)
5 Galllon Top Off bucket with Garden Watering Timer (Agoro) running for two hours every other day to refill.

QT - 15 Gallon Tank
Penquin 125
Stealth 50 Heater
Koralia 1
ZooMed Fixture - 2 - 36 watt 6500K screw in bulbs & 1 18" 18 watt Coralife Actinic.
Ghetto thread Top off - Aquafina Bottle (with two holes and two pieces of 14" tubing) sitting on top of the tank.

[RTMA]

I turned the 9 gallon acrylic cube into a frag tank.

Frag
http://i47.tinypic.com/vpyh3c.jpg

Here are the dosers I built. Many thanks to killab443 for posting the DIY thread.

Dosers
http://i48.tinypic.com/rrnsl4.jpg

Here is the bubble production on the CSS125 with the 2lb test fishing line mod. Night and Day. I was going to purchase a NAC7 and was even considering the I-TECH 100 as an upgrade before this mod. Amazing how much better it skims now with this and the air line mod.

CSS125
http://i47.tinypic.com/11kl255.jpg

[Kdocimo90]

Lookin good Joe!

I like that zoa/paly garden. I see my RPE's are growing nicely :)

[scolley]

Joe - Tank looks great! I love the whole rimless thing! Gotta be a drag cleaning coralline off of three sides though. ;)

GBTA - Since removed..(Scolley scared me!)Huh? That's ringing a real dim bell. But I don't remember... I'm just a newb. What could I have possibly said?

Great tank! :thumbsup:

[RTMA]

I see my RPE's are growing nicely :)

They multiply like crazy! I've fragged that colony like 5 times already.
I'd love to get some PPEs, Rastas and Hornets but I keep buying SPS instead. I seem to be addicted to Acros.

So if anyone wants to trade for some SPS... :wavehand:

Gotta be a drag cleaning coralline off of three sides though. ;)
I'm just a newb. What could I have possibly said?


The coralline isn't so bad - three words - Kent Pro Scraper. Greatest Stocking stuffer ever.
I told you that he has never moved...and you said he hasn't moved...yet. lol

[tank o tang]

Great looking tank. Can't wait see progress shots.

[nakama]

I was over Joe's house last Saturday. His tank is goinna be awsome as it fills out. Very nice overall setup, Kudo's Joe
Neil

[Wheel of Time]

Joe that is looking nice. I like the new aquascaping. Looking very nice. going to be sweet as it fills in. Looks like you have some nice zoas in there.
Wanna do some trading? I could use some more colorful zoas. Im overloaded with AOG and fire and ice (cant believe how they have taken over some rocks)-- need some more variety.

Great looking set-up.

[RTMA]

Thanks for all the kind words.

Seth - Sure, anytime. Trading is the fun part about the hobby. Of course a lot of my colonies are still small. I'll see if I can get some better pics of some of the stuff I have already fragged or you could always stop over. I think a club "want / have" list to help facilitate trading, would be cool.

[RTMA]

Some New Corals - Finally figured out how the macro works on my camera!

PPE, LE True Undata Montipora, Rasta Zoas, Nightmare Pallys

http://i50.tinypic.com/2w66q9h.jpg

Wonder twin powers activate!! Form of....a Macro Lens! Form of...a Pail of R/O water!

http://i45.tinypic.com/298ryt.jpg

http://i45.tinypic.com/b64r6f.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/1znymgz.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/2hyc45j.jpg



Fruit Loops Zoas

http://i46.tinypic.com/52ng2r.jpg

Acro Corals
UC Strawberry Shortcake Acro frag
UC Acropora Carolina frag
Purple Montipora Digitata (thank you Greg)

http://i50.tinypic.com/28tclxx.jpg

Big thanks to Alex @ FragExpress - Fedex never picked up my shipment, Alex found it and drove it to me from Brooklyn, as you can tell the Zoas and Undata made it. Awesome Customer Service.

[rjinct]

Wow! Nice additions Joe!

[Kdocimo90]

Nightmare palys!!!! Let me know when those grow out!!!!

where'd you get them from?

[terahz]

Hey Joe that Undata looks awesome! So rastas huh? :) I also got rastas and nightmares together for christmas :D

Kevin, I can probably frag you a nightmare or two. Mine seem to be growing pretty well

[RTMA]

where'd you get them from?

From Alex @

http://www.aquaticconceptsinc.com/images/FEBanner.gif

They are in Brooklyn.

[RTMA]

Hey Joe that Undata looks awesome!

I agree, that purple and blue with white polyps is crazy. It's my new fave. Which changes daily almost.


So rastas huh? :) I also got rastas and nightmares together for christmas :D

Doh! I wish I knew that or looked at your tank better when I was there. I would have given you the cash for a frag :)

The strawberry shortcake is supposed to look like this is one day. I doubt it will with my 10K bulbs.

http://www.uniquecorals.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/s/s/ss3.jpg

[Kdocimo90]

Hey Joe that Undata looks awesome! So rastas huh? :) I also got rastas and nightmares together for christmas :D

Kevin, I can probably frag you a nightmare or two. Mine seem to be growing pretty well

Would you trade 2 polyps of your nightmares for 1 purple hornet polyp?
where are your nightmares from?

[terahz]

Doh! I wish I knew that or looked at your tank better when I was there.

Yeah, they were on the right frag rack :) ... I want a piece of that undata when you frag it :)

Would you trade 2 polyps of your nightmares for 1 purple hornet polyp?
where are your nightmares from?
Let's take this to PMs.

[Frag Express]

beautiful tank Joe! I love rimless tanks!!

[RTMA]

I want a piece of that undata when you frag it :)


Yep no prob. Been wanting this one for a while.

beautiful tank Joe! I love rimless tanks!!

Thanks!

[RTMA]

4/30/10 - Update

Been a while since my last update.

Ripped out all this Xenia. It was taken over.

http://i44.tinypic.com/n5g5t5.jpg

Replaced it with a nice Welso I got from Bob at Exotic Fish and Corals.

http://i41.tinypic.com/5bl20.jpg

Added a few new corals.

Red / Green / Purple Welso (in addition to the one above)
Purple Montipora Digi
Blue / Purple Montipora from Westport Aquarium
Some more Deepwater Zoas.
Raptor's Rainbow Pallys
Rainbow pallys
Candy Apple Red Pallys
Various Rainbow Acans (Skittles) from UC & Pacific East Aquaculture

http://i43.tinypic.com/whheo9.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/10zvezb.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/slr3oz.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2s9ua1l.jpg

The New NAC 7 Skimmer is working great. This beast skims much better than my old CSS 125. No shock there.

The Codium in my fuge has taken off. I think I will move some to the display.

Dosing has been stable. I haven't tested my tank in over a month. Tested it last night and Calcium was over 500, Alk was 8.5 and Mg was over 1500, so looks pretty good. Corals seem happy.

Moved a bunch of stuff to the nano. The LEDS there make the floresce remarkable. Can't wait to start the build for the 75.

Added a APC SmartUPS 1500 as a backup for the return pump. Tested and Ran the Mag 7 for an hour with only losing one of the battery status lights, so looks like I could get about 5+ hours easy. I'll have to remember to move the Heater from the Reefkeeper to the UPS if there was a outage.

After way too much research, I got a Nikon D5000 to replace my old Sony point and shoot, which was getting very temperamental (its about 4 years old now).
The standard 18-55mm VR lens is nice, but isn't great at Macro shots. I Tried a Tamron 70-200 (180-200 Macro) mm lens with extension tubes and it just didn't work out. The new Macro lens I ordered is a bit of a enigma. It's an old Phoenix / Cosina 100mm that I got for 99 bucks on Ebay. General reviews said it was underrated optically, but lousy build quality. Maybe this will work fine, else I'll have to save up for a good one like the Tamron 90 or Sigma 105. On my DX camera, it says it becomes a 150mm, so that should give me some decent working distance. I am taking a flyer here with this lens and we'll see if it works out. None of the Nikon ones are cheap, but the D5000 is very nice so far, and I'd still buy it if I had to do it again.

That's it for now....

[terahz]

Very nice Joe, I think your tank is much more impressive in person than the photos show.

Congrats on the new camera. Make sure you shoot RAW (the D5000 is a bit soft in jpeg) and if you use auto ISO set the max limit to something like 800 or 1600. I hope the Cosina 100mm works well. When you get it I can stop by with my camera+macro to compare.

[RTMA]

Very nice Joe, I think your tank is much more impressive in person than the photos show.

Thanks for the kind words.

Congrats on the new camera. Make sure you shoot RAW (the D5000 is a bit soft in jpeg) and if you use auto ISO set the max limit to something like 800 or 1600. I hope the Cosina 100mm works well. When you get it I can stop by with my camera+macro to compare.

Thanks! I didn't know you were into the photography stuff, I definitely would have picked your brain! I would love to have you take some pics and show me the ropes. The 300 page manual is making my head hurt. lol

[RTMA]

LED build is taking shape. Ordered 25 XPG Cool Whites & 31 XPE Royal Blues on 10mm Squares from Cutter. Also ordered the Carclo Frosted White Medium Optics to try out. Also will be ordering the Frosted White Wides also. I'm hoping the 24 per 24" x 18" is sufficient with the optics, I'd like to mount them higher then my halides currently are for a true rimless look. If I find the color is not as blue as I'd like I could always add two rows of regular blues from Deal Extreme angled towards the tank.

Purchased Heatsinks from Ebay. Two 7 5/16" x 13 5/16" Black Anodized. Paid roughly $35, so I think I got a better deal then Heatsink USA, which would have been about 100 dollars. We'll see how they work out.

I plan on building the drivers in the diy driver build, but I still need to work out the details.


**Update** LED proof of concept -
The Nano results are looking very good. I took a few frags of SPS from my 75 and placed them in my nano (5 Cree XR-E R2 (WG) Whites (Deal Extreme) & 3 Cree XRE Royal Blue & 3 Cree Blue (Deal Extreme)

Results
ORA Purple Plasma - Frag has colored up remarkably. The mother is a lighter shade of purple, almost a greenish tint with Dark polyps. The Frag has turned a deep purple with white polyps.
ORA Orange Digi - Coloring has remained mostly the same but it is growing as fast as my mother colony under 10K Ushios. Does grow fast, with a noticeable turn of branches towards the horizontal plane.
ORA Borealis - Growth is also good, coloring has turned towards a darker forest green, opposed to the light green of the mother colony. Looks to be a slow grower so far, as both have not grown that quickly.

Zoas - Are growing better under the leds. The colors are seemingly better with the blue / royal blue combination vs the blue plus + fiji purple with T5s in the 75.
Rastas have gone from 1+baby to over to about 5 polyps in two months. PPEs have added 3 heads also. Acans look amazing and show great polyp extension. Hard to feed in nano tho.

[scolley]

LED build is taking shape. Ordered 25 XPG Cool Whites & 31 XPE Royal Blues on 10mm Squares from Cutter...

...Purchased Heatsinks from Ebay. Two 7 5/16" x 13 5/16" Black Anodized. So how are you planning on laying that out Joe? Two blocks - hung short end to short end - with 28 LEDs each?

Thanks. I am definitely amused and interested.

[RTMA]

So how are you planning on laying that out Joe? Two blocks - hung short end to short end - with 28 LEDs each?

Thanks. I am definitely amused and interested.


24 each heatsink. I order 6 extra blues in case the xpgs washed them out in the 50:50 ratio. I was also having thoughts of an angled actinic bar. So enough for the 24:24 with a few blues to play around with and an extra xpg just in case one arrives DOA.

The whole wildcard here is the Carclo optics. The frosted medium is supposed to be 18.5 degrees, so the fixture I think will have to be pretty high. That is what I want, but the other option was the 24.5 Wide optics. I'll have to play around with that and how I want to connect them. I was thinking a simple aluminum angle box, maybe powder coated, in which the two heatsinks could be moved closer or farther depending on output & coral placement. Much like the original soundwave build.

[scolley]

I do not know what the original soundwave build is. But I'm sure you'll be posting pics or letting nearby reefers to come by and see it. So I'm really interested in seeing how this progresses.

Thanks. And good luck!

[RTMA]

I do not know what the original soundwave build is. But I'm sure you'll be posting pics or letting nearby reefers to come by and see it. So I'm really interested in seeing how this progresses.

Thanks. And good luck!

If you haven't seen this thread, take a look. Its got tons and tons of great info in it.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1587273

I think this thread has split 3 times already.

[scolley]

If you haven't seen this thread, take a look. Its got tons and tons of great info in it.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1587273

I think this thread has split 3 times already.Yup. Thanks. Saw that. Waiting for the Cliff Notes. That's why I'm following your progress instead. Only so many hours I can spend on reef stuff each week. And mega-threads can be time-sinks. ;)

[RTMA]

Removed the Chaeto in favor of Macrofeast - Tumbling Red Gracilia should be pretty good at nutrient export & provide a phosphate free food for my tangs. My only worry is that the 36 watt twist CFL puts out enough light for it to grow.

[RTMA]

Update - I found what looked to be some sort of sea lettuce (thin leafy green macro) on the beach near Calf Pasture. After checking it for eggs (some had some type of eggs attached), I rinsed in R/O and fed it to my yellow tang. He didn't attack it like he does the nori or gracillia, but he definitely ate it as well as my hippo. I wonder if anyone else had tried this. Probably won't do this again, but I found it pretty interesting.

[Carriegiesler]

RTMA- Do you have a full tank shot? I am interested in seeing where you placed your Vortech?

[RTMA]

RTMA- Do you have a full tank shot? I am interested in seeing where you placed your Vortech?
Somewhere. It's on the left side about 3/4 of the way up in the middle. Cable is run up to the fixture mount and back across to the right side. I'll see if I can find a pic.

[RTMA]

Somewhere. It's on the left side about 3/4 of the way up in the middle. Cable is run up to the fixture mount and back across to the right side. I'll see if I can find a pic.

Here:

http://i49.tinypic.com/160vll0.jpg

[Carriegiesler]

Thanks, I just got my MP40w the other day and currently trying it out on the tank to see which setting works best.


Nice tank setup. The rockwork looks very nice.

[RTMA]

I use the lagoon mode on my MP20. It seems to make a stronger current then the reef crest.

I keep saying I'll upgrade to a 40W, but hasn't happened yet. Corals seem to like the chaotic flow the Koralia 750 creates opposite the MP20.

Good luck with your 40 and thanks for the compliments.

[RTMA]

After about 9 months, my diamond goby decided to go carpet surfing. I think I have learned my lesson with these jumpers.

Also as an update the LED project is still progressing, awaiting some more LEDS from cutter, which should be here in the next few days.

Moved my Acans & Fungia from the Nano into the 75 along with most of the Zoas. I think once the LED fixture is complete, I will break down the Nano, as it lacks the automation I love so much on the 75.

I also purchased another BRS reactor for the NP Biopellets I want to try. I'd like to see if this could reduce the Phosphate as well as the GFO with the added benefit of removing Nitrate in a single reactor.

[scolley]

After about 9 months, my diamond goby decided to go carpet surfing. I think I have learned my lesson with these jumpers.

That is a bummer Joe. Expecially for the goby.

I DO love open top tanks like yours. But the occasional surf is one of the downfalls. I've already lost a number of fish for the same reason on my 29g. It's definitely harder to find suitable fish that aren't inclined to make the occasional leap.

Sorry bud. I liked that fish. :-(

[Obi-dad]

My fire goby just took a leap of faith that didn't pan out so well for him. The worst part is I have a full canopy with only a small space on one side with a fan blowing in to combat the heat and most of the year I have a screen covering the opening, but removed the screen a couple weeks ago to maximize the airflow...and the goby found that opening. Dang.

[scolley]

...and the goby found that opening. Dang.Greg, either that goby was already doing a lot of jumping, and you just never found out until you removed the screen. Or that was a rare jump coupled with some really lousy luck... particularly for the goby.

Sorry for going slightly off topic Joe... but all my reef tank jumpers have been at night. Could it be that your goby was an avid jumper Greg, but you just didn't know it because he kept his shenanigans nocturnal? Or better put... did you find in on the floor in the morning?

[Shard]

Any updates on the LED fixture? What kind of PAR values are you getting in comparison to the MH fixture you had over the tank? Have you noticed any difference in coral coloration since the change?

[RTMA]

Any updates on the LED fixture? What kind of PAR values are you getting in comparison to the MH fixture you had over the tank? Have you noticed any difference in coral coloration since the change?

Since it has now been 2 Months since my switch, I can speak a little bit about how it is going.

The PAR numbers are less, but only slightly. I'll update with a new photo and actual measurements. Corals are growing very well and I have not see a huge difference in the coral colors, at least not yet.

What I do know, is that the tank is much more stable now. No more tank temperature swings from 79 to 81 from the heat. The new temp swing - 79.4 to 79.6.

Brightness - Some people say that the LEDS are not as "bright" as MH, and this for the most part is visually true from what I see. Then again, my MH lit up my room like a Clark Griswald Christmas display. The corals don't seem to care and I like having the directed light in the tank and not in the room.

So far so good.

I have a kill-a-watt coming so I can measure the difference in wattage between the two setups.

[RTMA]

As it reads - the Blues when on pull 102 Watts and the Whites pull 110 Watts.

So

500 Watts in MH
236 Watts in T5 (4 x 59)

vs

122 Watts in LEDS
I did add 78 Watts of T5s (2 x 39) which really isn't needed. I did notice that T5s really need reflectors, as the mounting height for my fixture is a bit much for non SLR T5s. Even just for color, as it spreads way too much and is distracting to the eye. I'll post some pics to illustrate.

BTW the Hagen GLO dual 39w T5 ballast from DR Foster & Smith for 40 something dollars works really well and it pretty darn cheap.

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19811

[RTMA]

Since I can't leave well enough alone and since I had some extra cash from sale of frags.

I designed a sump that allowed me to have a fuge and prop section which I will light with leds. Flow will be tricky, but thinking if a Koralia nano doesn't do the trick, possibly a 1/2" seaswirl fed from my return pump.

http://i53.tinypic.com/10p7mtc.jpg

Let me know if anyone is interested in a 20L sump and acrylic fuge (complete with Macro and DSB, loaded with life) I'll be starting the fuge over with a shallow 1" sandbed topped with drilled marble tiles. At least that is my plan.

[terahz]

Joe, 102+110 = 212, not 122 ;)
Still from 736W to 212W is very good!


I like the new sump. Are you planning to leave the fuge and return are as 1 compartment (As per your note "don't install...")? Also, shouldn't the fuge be on the side and the prop in the middle, so that you have high flow through the prop, but lower for the fuge?

[RTMA]

Joe, 102+110 = 212, not 122 ;)
Still from 736W to 212W is very good!


Doh, your right, late night math is not good :)


I like the new sump. Are you planning to leave the fuge and return are as 1 compartment (As per your note "don't install...")? Also, shouldn't the fuge be on the side and the prop in the middle, so that you have high flow through the prop, but lower for the fuge?

That note was from when I was planning on doing the baffles myself, but decided to have them do it for me.

I went back and forth on that aspect of the design, but since I plan on having a lower overall flow through the entire sump, I don't think it will make that much of a difference. My only point of worry is the overflow back from the prop to the fuge, which may cause a bubble issue in the fuge from the falling water. We'll have to see I guess.

[scolley]

Joe - stupid question... What is the "prop"'section? And where does the tank drain to?

[RTMA]

Hey Steve - The prop section is short for propagation section. I'll use it to get rid of my frag racks in my display. Basically a frag tank built into the sump.

The tank doesn't drain that circle is where the 4" sock holder will go. There will also a be a probe holder 1/2" from the water level on the orange baffle.

[scolley]

Joe - if I'm reading those diagrams right, I'd change things up so that your water flow on a circle... In the return, to the five, NOT flowing out the fuge to the return. Instead all water from the fuge to the prop section, and then to the return.

My 2 cents.

[RTMA]

Joe - if I'm reading those diagrams right, I'd change things up so that your water flow on a circle... In the return, to the five, NOT flowing out the fuge to the return. Instead all water from the fuge to the prop section, and then to the return.

My 2 cents.

Thanks for the feedback. My intentions were to keep the prop separate so that it could be taken "offline" if needed. Much like my fuge is now.

[RTMA]

Updated Pic - T5s added to fixture.

http://i54.tinypic.com/ok1kcw.jpg

[terahz]

are they on? :) From the photo it looks like only the LEDs are on.

What are your impressions with them? Good idea, or not worth it?

[RTMA]

I like it, I like the flexibility to play with the colors and the bulbs to add and change the look, it takes the edge off of what Steve calls the "Tim Burton" look. lol. Right now I have the red wave and reef wave in there and they are perfect. Two 39watt bulbs are perfect. The one thing I do need is reflectors, just to concentrate the lights away from your eyes (since the mounting height is higher) there is more light spill then I like.

[RTMA]

Here is a pic with them on.

http://i55.tinypic.com/2pr8cvo.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/2dlpyj4.jpg

Off

http://i54.tinypic.com/ok1kcw.jpg

[RTMA]

New sump should be shipping on tuesday. Ordered the parts for a diy swirl stein to make a oscillating koralia nano for the prop section.

Ordered 3/4" acrylic tube, bearing, linkage and motor. Should be a fun build and be perfect flow for the prop section.

[john90009]

very nice cant wait till it grows out, it certainly has the nice corals for the colors. Make the 75 owners proud.

[RTMA]

Thanks for the kind words john.

Prototyping of the DIY swirl stein has begun. Can't wait for the new sump to arrive :)

On another note, my Flower anemone has moved three times and has settled in on the backside sand and is opening very large now. This anemone is amazing with ridiculous colors under the actinic LEDS. The maroon clown is loving life and finally leaving my Welso alone. I'll have to post a picture.

[Shard]

Beautiful tank as always Joe.

The frags are doing well. Many thanks again for doing the shipment.

I will have to get some pics up. I currently have them on a frag rack in my SPS tank.

I am curious to ask, have you tried any biopellet media yet on your setup?

[RTMA]

Beautiful tank as always Joe.

Thanks!

The frags are doing well. Many thanks again for doing the shipment.

Good to hear and your welcome. Glad they made it.

I will have to get some pics up. I currently have them on a frag rack in my SPS tank.

Pics would be cool!

I am curious to ask, have you tried any biopellet media yet on your setup?

I did for about 3 / 4 months and ended up with a cyano bloom. I think I mention it a bit earlier, but went back to GFO. I may go back to it one day when I get a bigger skimmer.

[Shard]

I did for about 3 / 4 months and ended up with a cyano bloom. I think I mention it a bit earlier, but went back to GFO. I may go back to it one day when I get a bigger skimmer.

I am currently using GFO/GAC in my SPS tank with great results, but I was considering biopellets for my main 90g + frag + 29g setup to deal with the nitrates there.

How bad was the cyano bloom? That kind of scares me about it. I just got most of the hair algae beaten back to a controllable level in my multi-tank system.

[RTMA]

The cyano was probably a moderate bloom, but I didn't like any of it. Chemiclean worked very well, so I will stick with GFO for the time being. If I ever get a monster skimmer, I'll try it again.

[RTMA]

New Sump is in.

http://i55.tinypic.com/qx1dkw.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/r2ndif.jpg

Made by John @ Advanced Acrylics - he's on E-bay under Macilwu. They did an amazing job and perfect to spec. I also now have a lifetime supply of Bubble wrap. :)

[RTMA]

Here is a pics of the new sump running. Could not have been happier with the results.

http://i51.tinypic.com/2evs22g.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/2r4oocx.jpg

Pinwheel for the NAC 7 has been awesome so far and makes this skimmer near silent.

LEDS for Prop section. 8 XR-E Blues (700ma full power) / 4 XR-E White (1000ma - barely on) Looks like I lost a Lens! (Repurposed Fixture from my Minibow Thread here. (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1814962))

http://i56.tinypic.com/2cfcenn.jpg

Current residents are my two Juvi Picassos from Doni's Reef. (http://www.donisreef.com/index.html) and a nice Warpaint Scoly

http://i51.tinypic.com/ve4zlt.jpg

Love these little guys!

http://i53.tinypic.com/b3mxiq.jpg

DIY Swirlstein to move K1 back and forth for random flow with a single powerhead. (Built for under 40 bucks to boot :))

http://i51.tinypic.com/zx6sqo.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/wmdlp2.jpg

[Kdocimo90]

Looks great Joe!

[scolley]

Joe - your sump looks Awesome! It looks like you found a vendor that does a really nice job! Well done!

But I'm really curious about that Swirlstein, as you call it. I'm not familiar with those. Are you posting a build thread on that? Looks fascinating.

[RTMA]

Joe - your sump looks Awesome! It looks like you found a vendor that does a really nice job! Well done!

Thanks, I am really happy with it. I rebuilt the led mount for the prop section, I'll have to upload some new pics.


But I'm really curious about that Swirlstein, as you call it. I'm not familiar with those. Are you posting a build thread on that? Looks fascinating.

I wasn't really planning on it, but its pretty simple actually. You can read the whole thread posted in the DIY section.

DIY Swirler Stein (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1483439&page=11)

I got most of my inspiration from post 273

Also this thread from reefs.org

Google Search Link (http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=site%3Areefs.org+topic88335.html&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=42b0773b95653471)

[RTMA]

Built a new mount for the LED fixture over the frag tank. (8 Cree RB (@700ma) & 4 Cree Cool White (@1000ma))

http://i56.tinypic.com/2mi0v7p.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/34q0b45.jpg

Here is the first crop of frags. I'll add to this and document the growth. These are just flash pics and no LEDS on.

Some of the corals are: ORA Blue Polyp Digi, ORA Orange Digi, FHI Cali Tort, Original ORA Oregon Tort, Yellow Acro, Garf Bonsai, ORA Purple Plasma, Neil's Giant Arkorpora, ORA Hawkins Enchinata, Purple Digi, among others.

http://i51.tinypic.com/294geaa.jpg

Oscillating K1 provides the flow.

http://i51.tinypic.com/2zfu9vp.jpg

Some chalices

Jason Fox's My Miami, Tyree Bazooka Joe, Cornbredtrash 3G Mummy Eye, Cornbread Cotton Candy (Rasberry Monster) and a pink with blue rim I saw at Bob's. These look insane under the LEDS. In a couple of weeks I'll be adding Vivid's Original Enchino (Pink Boobies) and a BPC Flamethrower. We'll see how these do as I will have to create a better shaded area in the main display. Being mostly SPS, shaded areas in my tank are few and far between.

http://i55.tinypic.com/15q9375.jpg

Need to get some more small snails for the tank.

[RTMA]

Nighttime shot of my Welso.

http://i55.tinypic.com/2mre7gg.jpg

[Rickyrooz1]

Nice work on the legs!
http://i53.tinypic.com/34q0b45.jpg

[RTMA]

Nice work on the legs!

Thanks, if I had to do it over I would have made them about 2" on each end, opposed to the whole length. It would have given me better access for a turkey baster and some air movement. And easier to slide. But it works just fine.

[scolley]

Nice work on the legs!
http://i53.tinypic.com/34q0b45.jpg
Much agreement here! What can you NOT do Joe?

Did you cut that yourself? Where did you get that cut acrylic from?

[RTMA]

Just wanted to share my new clowns, hopefully they will one day pair up and breed.

http://i51.tinypic.com/2j47uiw.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/ix5roj.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/2u4pkzp.jpg

The Snow Onyx came from Unique Corals and The Picasso from Doni.

They are doing the whole chase and shake, argue and then inseparable thing.

Should be fun and I will surely enjoy watching them grow.

[terahz]

They look nice Joe. Try to keep them off the top corners of your tank though. If they decide to host a top corner, a tiny spook is all that's needed to get the out of the tank. That's what happened to my female.

[RTMA]

The definately like the sides of the tank, that pic was taken about an hour after I recieved the Snow Onyx, so I think they were just finding a spot. Last night they slept about halfway up near my xenia wall. I am going to make a screen, which will also help reduce some of the par for my sandbed, as I am running out of shaded areas. With these LEDS I can grow SPS on my sandbed!

[srusso]

I love your setup Joe!! You have almost every detail I have dreamed of having in my reef setup! LED, dimensions, live stock, placement of your tank, breeding/frag tank under your display...

You totally have a pimpin' setup :bum:

Ps. IMHO you are just missing the algae scrubber! LOL ;)

[RTMA]

Thanks for the compliments! As you know this hobby can get obsessive. I think I am at critical mass.

I have no room for anything now under my tank. And I'd love to get that Avast waste container and a Avast Swabbie.

oh and Steve - I get the Acrylic at a place in Norwalk (right down the street from me).

[RTMA]

Looks like I have to make some more room under my tank. An Avast Marine Swabbie and Davy Jones Locker are on order. I have had my eye on these for a while, so I'm pretty excited.

I was originally going to diy a waste container but the difference in the actual cost of a locker versus the diy aspect of acrylic tube, carbon holder and float switch was something like 40 bucks, and this way I get the benefits of the pressure switch with skimmer kill and much better professional workmanship.

Now to work on my DIY CO2 scrubber - A Carbolime 3 lb. Bag is on its way. Should be fun, and hopefully bring the PH up a bit by absorbing the excess co2 in my room air.

[RTMA]

Looks like I have to make some more room under my tank. An Avast Marine Swabbie and Davy Jones Locker are on order. I have had my eye on these for a while, so I'm pretty excited.

I was originally going to diy a waste container but the difference in the actual cost of a locker versus the diy aspect of acrylic tube, carbon holder and float switch was something like 40 bucks, and this way I get the benefits of the pressure switch with skimmer kill and much better professional workmanship.

Now to work on my DIY CO2 scrubber - A Carbolime 3 lb. Bag is on its way. Should be fun, and hopefully bring the PH up a bit by absorbing the excess co2 in my room air.

[RTMA]

Added a few new items in the past month.

Avast Marine - Swabbie
Avast Marine - Davy Jones' Locker
Avast Marine - K1 Kalk Stirrer

So far loving the Avast stuff. The Swabbie and locker has cut my skimmer cleaning requirements to weeks instead of days. The swabbie runs 6 times a day for 1 minute controlled by my Reefkeeper.

Livestock - Added a new Tiger Deresa clam.
New SPS - ORA Joe the Coral
Three new Zoos - two Deepwater varieties and Captain America Pallys

My experiment with the CO2 scrubber was good. It brought my PH up and actually increased skimming, however the media expires fairly quickly and is rather expensive. It certainly has it's uses if you are having trouble maintaining O2 in the tank room.

[Obi-dad]

Got to see Joe's tank the other day, gorgeous. The DIY LED fixture is really professional looking (way more so than mine, although mine sits inside a canopy so you can't tell :) ). Combined with a rimless tank, very sweet.

Swirl-stein, self-wiping skimmer, lots of geeky stuff I like!

[insomniac2k2]

Your tank and setup is absolutely awesome! I am just getting into this money pit hobby, and am very inspired. Thanks for sharing.

[zhangg3]

Hi Joe,

I notice you does BRS two parts, how much do you does in a day? Our system sizes are similar.

Thanks!

[RTMA]

hi zhangg - I'll have to go over my records, i think its around 60 -70 ml a day of both solutions. I supplement with Kalk now too. SPS is growing well, and when I test - Alk is usually around 9 and Calcium is usually 430+.

I'm at the point where I really need to recalibrate, but I'll be moving in a month, so most likely going to leave it as is for the time being.

I also have a ton of sps and 3 clams, so my dosing needs maybe higher then yours.

[zhangg3]

Thanks for the info!

Believe it or not I am currently dosing 400ml/day spread out to 20 doses and it just does not feel right and I am also getting lots of precipitation in the sump and on my heaters. I will cut it down to 100ml/day and measure daily to see how it goes. I only have a bunch of frags although I do have 4 clams.

hi zhangg - I'll have to go over my records, i think its around 60 -70 ml a day of both solutions. I supplement with Kalk now too. SPS is growing well, and when I test - Alk is usually around 9 and Calcium is usually 430+.

I'm at the point where I really need to recalibrate, but I'll be moving in a month, so most likely going to leave it as is for the time being.

I also have a ton of sps and 3 clams, so my dosing needs maybe higher then yours.

[PurpleMonster]

very nice man, how is the coloration with the your LED/T5 Hybrid setup? im going to put together a hybrid setup too with some kind of fixture that will be gutted out and retro in the LED's.

any new pics?

[RTMA]

Zhangg - Yeah that sounds like a lot to me. According to the calculator - 400ml of BRS calcium would raise your calcium (assuming 100 gallons of water) about 40 ppm. Dosing 400ml of alk (assuming 100 gallon water) woudl be enough to bring Alk from 8 to 11 dkh. So I think that maybe too much. But then again it depends on your tanks needs.

Hey PM - The coloration looks good to me. That's such a subjective thing tho. Took these pics a while back, but still most recent. May take some new ones today.


http://i52.tinypic.com/34hfazr.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/34zj7up.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/icvjmo.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/jj30jr.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/29nb6up.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/35a4ow9.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/30uwop5.jpg

[PurpleMonster]

Joe looks like your also getting good growth but suffering from pastelling... are you feeding enough? that Nac7 must be pretty good lol.

[RTMA]

Please explain the pastelling effect you refer too. And do you mean fish or corals? I feed my fish pretty good (PE, Spectrum Pellets / Formulal 1 flakes, Nori, Broccoli). I usually do cyclo 2-3 times a week. It's also really hard to get a good "color" shot with the LEDS.

Love to hear about the "pastelling" effect as I have never heard the term used before.

[PurpleMonster]

By feeding i meant the fish, since the fish will give all food the corals need :)... as for pastel, i dont mean anything bad about your tank bud im just trying to see the coloration of LED the same way i have my setup too. The pastel look will usually come from ULNS, which is what most people shoot for but then its too ULNS and your corals dont feed as much from the nutrients in the water so they start to fade in color a little. I might have the explanation wrong so if anyone would like to jump in please do.

My sps show the same thing, I initially though it was bc i was not feeding enough so... I started feeding a lot! eventually i started to grow some algae so i slowed down. I then started to do some searching and found some other LED users that had the pastel look. This is why i wanted to try and mix the T5's in there to maybe get some more color out of my sps. The growth is great for me in the past 4months i have noticed a big difference but my colors are still not there.

hope some of that makes sense lol.

[RTMA]

Oh I see what you mean! (I hope I didn't come across mad or anything - that's not what I meant)

Yes, the system is ULNS (I dose 1/2 tsp of Vit C daily). Too far ULNS, I guess it is possible as I don't dose Coral food or Aminos or any of the Zeo stuff. - 0 Phosphates, 0 Nitrates, I run GFO and Carbon 24/7. So pastelling maybe going on, With the LEDS I am getting good growth, but for coloring, i'm so used to it, don't know what it would look like otherwise. Polyp extension at night is fantastic. That's usually when I dump the cyclo in (with return off).

You'll have to come visit. :)

And yes, for this system the NAC 7 with Swabbie works really well.

[PurpleMonster]

Will def have to set seomthing up brotha, im actually in the works of setting up a 75 Rimless myself, with the same skimmer possibly an SWC 160 not sure yet... but i like the fact that puppy center carries the NAC so i kind of rather have something that is supported locally. I will also need to look into that swabbie now thanks lol.

[RTMA]

Haven't touched my skimmer in 3 weeks.

NAC7 with Swabbie & Davey Jones' Locker.
http://i54.tinypic.com/2lc4bx2.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/aer0bo.jpg

Loving the Avast equipment. Simple and effective.

[PurpleMonster]

thats just straight up nastly lol... gotta love it.

I did find someone however to trade my BK mini 200 for a 160, but i think i def want one of those swabbies for it with the locker! My wife will either really be happy about it or... hate me lol.

[RTMA]

thats just straight up nastly lol... gotta love it.

I did find someone however to trade my BK mini 200 for a 160, but i think i def want one of those swabbies for it with the locker! My wife will either really be happy about it or... hate me lol.

Tell me about it, lets just hope I don't spill any of it when I go to dump that. No odor whats so ever - it has a carbon cap. :)

Was that a Gen1 or Gen2 BK? Thats a serious skimmer you got there. Could probably handle a 200 gallon tank without breaking a sweat.

[PurpleMonster]

Gen 2 homie lol and yea it is a beast!!! it skims like crazy right now but its going to be too much for my 75G Rimless.... so im getting a 160 for it. My 48X30X20 plans went out the window last week :( so no use for the 200 anymore. All good though, i need one of those lockers... im going to see if there is DIY one ;).

[RobbReef]

Sorry for the dumb question but what does the locker do>? BTW nice tank buddy.

[RTMA]

Stores skimmate - odorless and automatically turns skimmer off when the skimmate reaches a certain level.

More info here: Avast Davy Jones Locker (http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/do/product/Davy-Jones-Skimmate-Locker)

Here is what they look like - from Avast website.

http://www.avastmarine.com/ssc/images/store/djslocker_lg.jpg

[RobbReef]

Thanks, Thinking about a nac7 for my 70 would you recommend it to anyone?

[RTMA]

If you get it with a pinwheel, absolutely. The mesh wheels only last a few months. My current pinwheel has been running for 9 months so far without a single issue. Works the best in about 7 to 8 inches of water. It has been a bargain for how it has performed. The skimmer is easy to maintain and clean. Can be taken all apart in about 5 minutes. Would certainly recommend it.

[RobbReef]

If you get it with a pinwheel, absolutely. The mesh wheels only last a few months. My current pinwheel has been running for 9 months so far without a single issue. Works the best in about 7 to 8 inches of water. It has been a bargain for how it has performed. The skimmer is easy to maintain and clean. Can be taken all apart in about 5 minutes. Would certainly recommend it.

Thanks Friend looking for my purchase now.

[keihi20]

what happened to the acrylic tubes the frags were mounted on?

[RTMA]

They grew into mini colonies. Sold a few and some are still in my tank.