clowndude 65 gallon sps tank

[clowndude]

Hi All-

I am currently in the planning/purchasing phase of my 65 gallon build.

Here is the list of equipment that I am thinking:

Tank- DSA rimless 65 gallon 36x20x20
Stand- DSA mahogney stained stand with under cabinet light mounted in it
Media reactor- nextreef mr1 using a sicce 1.5 using brs GFO hc and ROX carbon
Biopellet reactor- reef octopus br-70 using a sicce 1.5 with Warner marine pellets
Protein Skimmer - Bubble Magnus Nac 7
Return Pump - Sicce 3
Heater- dual ebo jäger 100 watt heaters
Dosing- two part brs using bubble Magnus dosing pump
ATO - either reefkeeper or JBJ
Filter Sock - 4"
Silent overflow stand pipe
Power Heads - two MP10s and two jbj 1400
Lights - Two AI Sol blue
Wetdry- custom built 18x18 with refug. Still trying to decide whether I want to run the refug part or not. Mainly was thinking yes because I want a mandarin

I have already purchased the sump and skimmer. Yesterday I ordered the tank and stand. The stand should be here this Friday and next week the tank should be here. I plan to cover the overflow with a custom made rock wall.

For the lights I've been reading a lot about the Aquailluminations and have been really impressed. I've seen a few of them in person also. I'm hoping that two will be enough on a 36x20x20 tank.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[chrishayes]

Sounds like you got it all covered! Cant wait to see it all come together. Good luck and try not to think about the hole in your wallet, the pain gets less and less with time! lol

[clowndude]

So I wanted to put a quick update. I currently have my sump, stand(which is really nice) and skimmer. I've been waiting for my tank which the vendor says should be in this week due to it being back ordered.

Things I still need:

-Nextreef shorty reactor
-Reactor will be run by a sicce 1.5
-Reef Octopus BR-70
-Reactor will be run by a seperate sicce 1.5
-Return pump sicce 3.0
-Lights--- I'm still up in the air about this one. I want moderately fast growth so I'm thinking either MH/t5 or AI Sol Blue with maybe some t5 supplement if needed
-Water Heaters---I'm thinking ebo jäger heaters, but have recently seen a lot of them failing so it leaves me wondering

In going to go with all dry base rock with 1-3 small pieces of liverock to seed the rest. I'm going to soak the dry rock to ensure I don't get any phosphates or bad stuff from it. I have have BRS dry base rock ordered which should be here this week with any luck. I'm thinking of building out a cove design and putting acans on the floor inside the cove.

Hopefully I'll have water in the tank by mid-late Jan.

I'll start posting pictures of all the equipment next weekend.

[Kamisxy]

hmmmmmm...iam looking for a good heater too..ive been looking as well...let us know which one you decide on and why

[Chris Lakies]

I love my sicce return pump and jager heater. Make sure u start those ai's off low intensity like 30%

[clowndude]

Wanted to post a quick update. I am still waiting on the tank. With any luck it will hopefully (fingers crossed) be here this week.

In other news Friday I received the drain and return line fittings that are going to be needed. I also got black tubing for my reactors also. Some other goodies I got Friday were a brs 5 stage ro/DI, sicce 3 return pump and a sicce 1 which will power my nextreef shorty media reactor.

Things still left to get:

-tank
-two heaters for redundancy
-AI Sol Blue black edition lights with a controller
-Sicce 1.5 for reef octopus br-70 reactor and biopellets
-Bucket of salt.
-aragonite special grade sand

Things I'm still considering are which heater probably will just get two ebo jäger Hester's and how I want to go about QT'ing all my fish. The tank is going to be fish only till I move, but I don't want to take the case of copper getting into the seals of the tank and causing me problems after I move. Thoughts anyone?

[clowndude]

I love my sicce return pump and jager heater. Make sure u start those ai's off low intensity like 30%

Oh yes def going to run the AI sols on low power. What are the palys in your avatar picture? Where did u get them? I want some drool drool

[clowndude]

Oh one more thing I'm still considering is which powerhead combo to go with. I already have two wave maker power heads that do 1400 gph a piece so that will give me roughly 2800 gph right there. I'm debating whether to get one mp40 and put it on the side of the tank or get two mp 10s and put them either on the back side of the tank having one on each side of the overflow or sides. Suggestions here are welcome.

[clowndude]

So the tank finally came in Thursday. It's been a busy weekend getting everything all setup, but I finally have it filled and runnin with water right now. I started to add salt today as the tank has already cleared out.

A few things to address are:
-raise the stand pipe in the overflow so I don't hear splashing of water
-add sponge inside sock so that I don't hear any water splashing as it enters sump
-one thing driving me crazy is I can hear the sicce 3 return pump humming. Can't quite figure out how to make the humming stop

Here are some pictures of the tank and equipment:

Tank
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/19c47434.jpg
Tank and Mahogney Stand
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/2d1ada7f.jpg
Inside stand
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/7b737a91.jpg
Sump
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/031e0a11.jpg
Drain plumbing
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/2dbd9cd3.jpg
Return plumbed
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/a84ef250.jpg
Drain and return all painted black
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/384e7f18.jpg
Skimmer
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/701912e8.jpg

Things still left to buy.

-few pieces of liverock
-heater
-lights with controller
-ATO either jbj or reefkeeper

Any comments or questions are always welcomed.

[stangchris]

finally !!!! about time you got wet. your set up is just like mine weired do I know you lol

[Acronic]

I like that stand, very nice! and all the stuff in, on and around it is cool too!

[mark54321]

Very nice! I like your new set up.I'll be following your progress.What kind of fish and corals are you planning on keeping?

[clowndude]

Here is the fish list I'm thinking. Yes I know this is a lot of wrasses.

flame wrasse male
christmas wrasse
red coris wrasse adult
mystery wrasse
12 line wrasse
scotts fairy wrasse
radiant wrasse
exquisite wrasse
*
Flame Angel
Blue Spot Jawfish
Orange Diamond Watchman Goby
Tailspot blenny
clownfish pair naked clown
blue mandarin

[clowndude]

Here is what I'm thinking for corals:

Different ATL Sps
Different ORA Sps
Some higher end Zoas for around the floor
Some nice Acans and Chalice
Nice green frogspawn for the clowns to play in

Still debating whether or not to do clams. Wife really wants some clams in the tank so I most likely will get some nice ones.

[R@ck78]

Wow...looks like we shop at the same store! LOL:D

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[clowndude]

Wow...looks like we shop at the same store! LOL:D

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Is this Mark?

[R@ck78]

Yup Yup

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[clowndude]

Do you have a tank build Mark?

[R@ck78]

Nope. Was thinking of doing one.

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[Acronic]

I have a feeling the wrasses are gonna fight, particularly the scotts and mystery. Proceed with caution. Otherwise it sounds like it would be awesome!

[clowndude]

:oI have a feeling the wrasses are gonna fight, particularly the scotts and mystery. Proceed with caution. Otherwise it sounds like it would be awesome!

Yea I'll most likely do without the Scott's. I kind of just want all high end stuff in this tank. I may do a tiger watchman instead of the orange diamond goby as u don't see them as often.

[urbaneks]

Great plans going into this tank. I look forward to seeing water go in the tank.

[stangchris]

Wow...looks like we shop at the same store! LOL:D

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Man yall shop at Elegant reef too!!!!.........wow!!!! great store


Looks good nick, i cant wait to get my new tank so i can finally do it the way i want. where are the wet pics i know you have water in this baby!!

[clowndude]

Man yall shop at Elegant reef too!!!!.........wow!!!! great store


Looks good nick, i cant wait to get my new tank so i can finally do it the way i want. where are the wet pics i know you have water in this baby!!

Water pictures will be up later tonight. When are u going to get your 120?

Might have another surprise later this week to show everybody also. :-)

[stangchris]

Water pictures will be up later tonight. When are u going to get your 120?

Might have another surprise later this week to show everybody also. :-)

next month hopefully its the lighting thats going to kill me, also looking at a used dsa 185 if price is right(60x30x25). we shall see :thumbsup:

[R@ck78]

Does it have water yet Nic?
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[clowndude]

I was able to get the tank running with water early Monday morning. I added a naked clown last night and a few small pieces of liverock that will be moved to the refug later on when I either get the real reef liverock or fake.


Here is a FTS of the tank with water:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/65%20Gallon/73379736.jpg

[mark54321]

Any updates?

[Alex T.]

I'm all for minimalist aquascaping but this is extreme!!!:lolspin:

[Ghosty]

That's a nice lookin' DSA (rimless) tank. May I ask how much they run? How about the stand? Looks very classy.

[stevedola]

thats a lot of fish for a 65 gallon tank. maybe too much for your tank to handle nevermind the constant aggression between the wrasses. Not trying to be a Debbie downer but 14 fish in a 65 is asking for algea and nutrient problems. Ive got 7 (smallish fish) in my 60 and thats about the max I would put in the tank to keep it stable for SPS. Dont forget, SpS thrive in a prestine environment. You do what you like, this is just my opinion and advice.

[stevedola]

btw- great call on the doser...that bubble magus is awesome. I run it on both my tanks and it works flawlessly.

[Mr.Ghostly]

I have a question for you for your lighting that your getting , AI sols are you getting 2 of them? and also would that be still also good enough for a tank with demensions of 36x18x24?

[Jonathan76]

stay away from jbj ato (junk) go with elos or tunze - up to you though

[clowndude]

I have a question for you for your lighting that your getting , AI sols are you getting 2 of them? and also would that be still also good enough for a tank with demensions of 36x18x24?

I have a friend that has his lights 30 inches from the sand bed and he is still getting around 150 par at the floor, so you should have plenty of light assuming you mount them 6 inches above your tank. Good luck and let me know what you decide.

[clowndude]

That's a nice lookin' DSA (rimless) tank. May I ask how much they run? How about the stand? Looks very classy.

The stand cost around 400 US Dollars which is a DSA Modern and the tank was right around 300 US dollars. Really like the sleek look of the tank and stand.

[clowndude]

I'm all for minimalist aquascaping but this is extreme!!!:lolspin:

LOL, I didn't want to over due it. Corals need lots of room to grow. I actually have added another 10 pounds of BRS reef saver rock. I plan on getting a couple nice pieces of liverock here and there as I find nice ones at the LFS.

[selje]

Nice setup. Looking forward to more pictures:spin3:

[Mr.Ghostly]

I have a friend that has his lights 30 inches from the sand bed and he is still getting around 150 par at the floor, so you should have plenty of light assuming you mount them 6 inches above your tank. Good luck and let me know what you decide.

Alrite thanks for that info and good luck with your build i'll def be following

[clowndude]

Things have been pretty crazy around work which is why the lack of updates, but never fear lots of work has been put into work since my last update.

Equipment that was recently purchased:

-ReefOctopus BR-70 with ecobak biopellets
-Sicce 1.0 pump to run BR-70 Reactor
-ReefKeeper Lite
-JBJ ATO
-Aqualifter Pump
-Coralife Refug Light
-AI Sol Blacks x2 with controller
-ATO reservoir custom built which will hold 22 gallons of RO/DI

Recently Completed Projects:

-Mounted AI Sol controller and have it programmed. Since I work nights the lights currently run from 8PM-1AM so that I have time to view the fish
-Mounted RKL Head Unit to the top of the stand and PC4 to the back inside of the stand. Wants everything to have a really clean look.
-Setup ATO system which included mounting the pump and jbj unit to the inside of the stand. Since the inside back part of the stand is the perfect size for the two units. I mounted them there. I also was sure that I mounted the aqualifter pump above both water source to prevent back siphoning.
-Setup Reef Octopus BR-70 with ecobak pellets. One thing I learned is you must soak the pellets or else this reactor will just push them all to the top. After they soaked things were good. This thing sure can tumble the pellets good
-Mounted coralife refug light to the side of the refug using the two taped brackets it comes with.

Things that still need to be done:

-Since I want to supplement my AI Sols with some T5 purple bulbs, I choose to build a canopy that matches the fish tank stand. The canopy itself has been built and all the holes have been filled, I just need to find some time to go get the stain. I should have this project hopefully done this weekend if not next weekend for sure. I'm still waiting for my ATI retrofit t5 kit to come in which will be mounted inside the canopy also.
-Another project I want to do and hopefully should also have done this weekend (fingers crossed) is build a cover box that will go over my ATO reservoir. This cover will be made to look just like the stand so that it looks like it is part of the tank setup.
-Hang Canopy
-Build a screen top for the tank so that I don't get any carpet surfing fish.

Pictures:

I will get some pictures up this weekend so that everybody can see the progress of the tank and see all the projects that have been completed or are in progress.

As also any comments or suggestions are always welcome

[clowndude]

[QUOTE=stevedola;19787926]btw- great call on the doser...that bubble magus is awesome. I run it on both my tanks and it works flawlessly.[/QUOTE

How do you like your bubble magnus doser? I see that you have one from your sig specs.

[clowndude]

As promised here are some updated pictures. Note the Black AI Sols are hung over the tank. I'm so excited to have the Black AI Sols as I think they go with the tank better than the white AI Sols would have. I wanted to say thank you to my LFS Elegant Reef for getting these lights in for me. I was quite surprised when the owner called me saying he could get a pair of them for you. Naturally I jumped all over this deal.

FTS:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/b5cdf60c.jpg

Lights:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/2b037397.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/2b037397.jpg

Inside Stand (Wires are still a work in progress that I hope to have tied up in the next week or two):

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/c9681460.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/8f2c2bb8.jpg

[mark54321]

Looking good.Are you going to put more rock in or that is all?

[clowndude]

Looking good.Are you going to put more rock in or that is all?

Lol, I do need more rock for sure as its to bare for my liking. I've been on the look out for some good liverock. I am leaning towards getting some of that real reef rock, but not sure how good or safe it is for a fish tank. Does anybody have experience with this rock?

[mark54321]

Check out this LR from PA.I will for sure get some from them.It look awesome.http://www.click-2-customer.com/content/link.php?aid=583dc810-c67b-11df-aa30-4040cc5d0ec3&link_id=8107279&to=1313366609870705&template_id=149&date=2012-01-28+10%3A14%3A39&cust_id=0

[clowndude]

Here is the rock I'm thinking about getting:

http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/L-REAL-REEF.html

[clowndude]

Greetings-

It is has been quite some time since I updated my thread here on Reefcentral, but don't worry there hasn't been a lack of progress going on with the tank.

Here are some updated pictures of the tank and one of my new favorite tank mates

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/27a4cf59.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/9c761254.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/39c8b146.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/9f0c5501.jpg

The anthias is starting to eat anything I put in the water which is a really good sign. He/She pretty much stays out all day long now when the lights are on. I'm pretty much done buying fish. I have maybe 3 small fish at the max still left that I want, but that might be sometime now before I get them.

As far as equipment on the tank I have most everything purchase, but a bubble magus dosing pump, two mp10s and I'm considering going with 1-Lumen Bright MH Pendant with a 400 watt Radium 20K bulb. I like some of the effects the LEDs can do, but my reds and pink just look awful in the tank. Even my wife has noticed that the colors just don't seem to have that 'POP' as they do with T5's and MH.

[clowndude]

Here are some coral pictures. Sorry the coral look really blue. Haven't figured out good light settings for taking pictures.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/aea1066e.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/e464e98c.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/9f8b67da.jpg

[mark54321]

Nice work so far. Great looking borbonius anthia.As far as going with MH I am contemplating doing the same on my rebuild.I think I will use LED only as a supplement light.

[clowndude]

Thanks Mark, he is def one of my favorites now. I ordered my lumen bright 400 watt mh with a 20k radium today. Should hopefully be in Friday. I'll post up pics when it comes in and post my findings with the color on the coral. I'm hoping to get a deep rich looking color from the Sps.

[SinisterReefer]

So are you adding more light or swapping out the led fixtures?

[clowndude]

Swapping out the two led fixtures for the one mh. I want to figure out a way to add moonlights though as I like that effect at night.

[clowndude]

Here are some updated pictures of my tank. I changed the LEDs out for a 400 watt 20k radium which sits in a lumen bright pendant. So far I've been really happy with the growth and color of the coral. I also just received my vortech mp10s. I am running two on the right side of the tank and one on the left. Im considering buying one more.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/c0632075.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/95f47397.jpg

[daveonbass]

Um...where'd all the fish go? Also, not to knit-pick, but that seems like an warrior lot of wasted light...is there no way to get more of it in the tank and less on the walls? Other than that I love this progression thread, its a great looking tank.

[clowndude]

All fish are in QT tank right now being treated right now with copper. I had a fish bring in ick into the tank so I had no choice. As far as the light there is an exclusive amount of light spill over, but not really sure how to correct it. Been thinking of going down to a 250 watt metal halide which should let me run it lower and thus less spill over.

[karsseboom]

Um...where'd all the fish go? Also, not to knit-pick, but that seems like an warrior lot of wasted light...is there no way to get more of it in the tank and less on the walls? Other than that I love this progression thread, its a great looking tank.

Those fixtures have some serious spread and penetration.

[daveonbass]

I see that...its rather epic spread...seems like you could easily light a 3x3 foot square tank with just one...but I don't know how much par drop off you might have.

Glad to hear that the fish are "ok" and just being treated. I was worried you got rid of them.

[daveonbass]

I see that...its rather epic spread...seems like you could easily light a 3x3 foot square tank with just one...but I don't know how much par drop off you might have.

Glad to hear that the fish are "ok" and just being treated. I was worried you got rid of them.

[mykol reef]

I have one question Why you put the metal halide in the tank

[MHG]

Kind of wondering that myself. With all the good things you hear about the AI's and the Ecotechs, I never heard of someone switching away from them...

[clowndude]

I switched because my coral color was completely washed out. A good example is that my flame wrasse pair red was completely washed out. When I moved them from the main tank to the QT their red was electric under some cheap light. Same thing happened with my Tyree war coral. The red also looked a pinkish white instead of a nice red. When I put my MH on it looked the natural red. To me things don't appear to have their natural color under LEDs. Everything to me looks washed out and cold. I've also seen a ton of other people here on RC that have switched away from LEDs for the same reason's.

The fish are doing great in the QT. I managed to catch it in time and haven't seen any signs of ich on any of the fish. I've been watching them like a hawk to make sure it doesn't show it's face. The fish have been in copper for about two weeks now. I'm going to do a full four weeks to make sure. Then I'm going to leave the DT fishless till I move in July. No sense in moving them only for one month.

[R@ck78]

Looking good Nic!

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[clowndude]

Looking good Nic!

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Thanks bud

[cFloor]

Nice tank, loving the goniopora.

[jbanks]

I do believe things will be looking up with your lighting choice. Love the look of Radiums and the colors they help you to achieve.. Good luck with the move as well!!!

[clowndude]

Nice tank, loving the goniopora.

Yes I was reluctant to get it, but the store had it forever. It doubled in size when I put the metal halides on. I use it as a gauge if something is wrong with my tank.

[clowndude]

I do believe things will be looking up with your lighting choice. Love the look of Radiums and the colors they help you to achieve.. Good luck with the move as well!!!

Oh yes, I've been really happy with the MH running the radium bulb. I couldn't be happier with the choice. I swear I notice growth every few days on my Sps. Trying to decided what kind of dosing system to go with. Thinking bubble magus dosing system with brs two part.

[stevedola]

radiums rock!

the bubble magus doser is great. I have 2 and couldnt be happier so far. check ebay they can be had new for 250

[mykol reef]

The growth in the corals is more with metal halide. In this moment I have metal halide but I want move to led

[clowndude]

radiums rock!

the bubble magus doser is great. I have 2 and couldnt be happier so far. check ebay they can be had new for 250

Sweet, thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye out for one.

[mark54321]

Tank is looking great Nick.What ballast do you run with your Radium bulb?

[clowndude]

Tank is looking great Nick.What ballast do you run with your Radium bulb?

Thanks Mark, I'm running the coralvue electronic ballast. What I've read it's a pretty good ballast. Seems to really do the job really well.

[MammothReefer]

Looking good. I didn't think I could get away with 1 lumenarc (i have the same size tank) so i went with 2 250s. .Looks like you are getting enough spread though. Might have to take this into considerations down the road.. 100w less is a good amount of savings.

[clowndude]

Looking good. I didn't think I could get away with 1 lumenarc (i have the same size tank) so i went with 2 250s. .Looks like you are getting enough spread though. Might have to take this into considerations down the road.. 100w less is a good amount of savings.

Funny u say that because I was considering going with two 250 watt MHs. I read somewhere that a 400 watt is more efficient than a single 250 watt MH. I know with this 400 I'm getting a ton of spread. How is your growth with the metal halides you have? Do u supplement at all? Im waiting for my LFS to get the par meter back so I can do some par readings. I'm really curious what kind of numbers this thing is putting out. I'm guessing near 300 par at the floor.

[clowndude]

Hello fellow RC Members, it's been a while since I update my build thread. I took some
Pictures of the tank last night. I recently added a uv sterilizer to the tank and so far so good. My borbonius and pair of tiny blue tangs are still in the qt. I plan to move them out in the next few days.

Here are some recent pictures I took of the tank:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/810bad8b.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/5bbc27fd.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/5938d4df.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/9a5255c3.jpg

[NatureNerd]

Does that DF pipefish eat anything besides the pods it catches? Mine refuses any frozen, pellets, flakes, or dried foods. It hunts all day long and what he catches is all that he eats. That said he has been in my tank for two years now and looks to be doing real well. I hope you can get him to eat something besides live foods because I worry that if you keep him in that tank with a wrasse or two, there will not be enough food for him in time. I always avoid housing a pipefish with any other fish that eats pods. Of course, in a larger (+120g) tank it probably is less of an issue. They are great fish.

[clowndude]

Does that DF pipefish eat anything besides the pods it catches? Mine refuses any frozen, pellets, flakes, or dried foods. It hunts all day long and what he catches is all that he eats. That said he has been in my tank for two years now and looks to be doing real well. I hope you can get him to eat something besides live foods because I worry that if you keep him in that tank with a wrasse or two, there will not be enough food for him in time. I always avoid housing a pipefish with any other fish that eats pods. Of course, in a larger (+120g) tank it probably is less of an issue. They are great fish.

I've been planning on after I move getting a 150 or 180 marineland deep dimension tank which will be around July. I've been able to get mine to eat rods food and frozen brine shrimp. Thats what they were eating in the qt which didn't have any liverock. I used to have three but lost one due to a powerhead accident. They are really fun to watch as they move around the tank.

[mark54321]

It is looking nice with all the fish in there.You should do a short video of your tank,love to see it.

[clowndude]

Never posted a youtube video so here goes nothing. Tips on posting youtube video def welcome:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/REblDIMNPcY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[clowndude]

Well tonight has been a fun night. We lost power at 5:00pm and it just now came back on. I bought a ecotech battery backup which ran two mp10s all night. What I'm worried about now is the tank temperature fell down to 71 degrees. Really hoping my Sps don't stress or start to die off. Guess I'll need to invest in a Apc also to keep the tank running at all times. Guess its times like these that make u think about backup power equipment.

[mark54321]

Hi video looks great,I hope all will be fine with your tank after the power loss.I had one time temp.drop to 72 degrees for a day and all SPS were fine.

[clowndude]

It's been a while since my last tank update and a lot of things have changed since then.

Added/Replaced Equipment:
-Added Ecotech Battery Backup for powerheads
-Replaced chiller with brand new JBJ 1/4 chiller due to old one leaking freon every two weeks.
-Added Kalk+2 to my ATO top off and now my tank seems to be doing better overall. My sps are showing great color from this change and I've noticed a drastic decrease in algae growing on the glass. I now clean my glass less than once a week.

Corals:

Lately I've really taken a liking to scoly corals. I started off with come cheap ones to make sure they would live okay in my tank and then purchased some really nice ones.

Scoly List:

Bleeding Apple
Reverse Bleeding Apple
Ultra Master
Red
Green

Lately I've also taken a keen liking to plate coral so now I have a orange plate and orange plate with green tentacles.

Fish:

I'm pretty much done adding fish to my tank. Here is a current fish list.

-Regal Tang
-Sleeper Goby
-Diamond Watchman
-Bluespot Jawfish (One of my favorite fish)
-Borbonius Anthias
-Purple Squareback Anthias
-Purple Anthias
-Green Mandarin
-Dragonface Pipefish
-Tailspot Blenny
-Blue line Wrasse (New favorite fish)
-Green Wrasse
-Pair of clown fish. 1 Black ice and 1 Extreme Misbar Ocellaris.

Here are some pictures of the tank and corals.

FTS

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/f5863c8c.jpg

Ultra Master Scoly

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/fbca0946.jpg

Bleeding Apple

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/db5a159e.jpg

Reverse Bleeding Apple on left and Red Scoly on right

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/9b2a6b9f.jpg

New Scoly's when first added to tank

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/2784e1af.jpg

Blueline Wrasse

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/692bb155.jpg

Orange Plate with Green Tentacles

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/f9368374.jpg

Hope everybody enjoys.

[poohcl]

so Beautiful

[mark54321]

Tank looks fantastic.Great job.

[clowndude]

Here are some recent pictures that I took of the tank after a good cleaning.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/72fe942b.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/4731dbf3.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/10a9e2be.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/8e9630f8.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/de5b3fda.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/b4476a89.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/d1af6ca1.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/4da0ba62.jpg

[djbetterly]

How does your jawfish do with the shallow sand bed?

[clowndude]

How does your jawfish do with the shallow sand bed?

Mine has done really well. He has two main caves in the tank. The middle island which he rarely goes to and big right cave which he is always in. My jawfish def doesn't take any lip from the other fish. They are one or my top 5 favorite fish. If you get one though be sure you cover your overflow and def make sure you have your tank covered as that is how I lost my last jawfish. They LOVE to jump. If you get one post some pictures. I always love seeing bluespot jawfish.

[mark54321]

Great looking tank. Do you have any updated pictures? How do you add Kalk+2 to your system? I never did kalk before, and I am thinking of using it in addition to my 2 part.

[clowndude]

Great looking tank. Do you have any updated pictures? How do you add Kalk+2 to your system? I never did kalk before, and I am thinking of using it in addition to my 2 part.

Hi Mark, nice to hear from you. So the story of my life was taking pictures of the tank the other day and I so happen to look real close at one of my sps with no polyp extension and bam, my heart feel to the floor as I saw lots of tiny like red devils all over the coral. Needless to say the more I looked around the more I saw on others. Boy if it isn't one thing it's another in this hobby. I did a lot of reading the last two days on red bugs and found that interceptor is the main treatment, but didn't want to treat the whole tank. My searches found me to a product bayer advance insect killer.

Here is how I treated my sps.

Dosage 10ml to 2 cups tank water. I took out 22 cups of
Tank water and placed it in a budget. I then added 11-10ml of bayer advance insect killer found at home depot or lowes in a blue bottle. Can post picture of bottle if people are interested. Then I stirred the mix really well. After this I dipped my first sps that I noticed fully infested with red bugs. I dipped the coral for 10 minutes and then while taking it out of the budget swished it in the dip mix. After this I put it back in the tank. I would say over 75% of them disappears at this point and the red bugs that were left did move at all. Monitoring the coral I saw if instantly wanting to throw its polyps out which I hadn't seen this one do in a long time. After about and hour or two all the red bugs completely disappeared off the coral. I dipped all the rest of my sps and they all are back in the tank now. Boy what a process but to my surprise all of
Them look better than before. Their polyp extension has double and the ones without polyp extension have it now. I will watch the corals closely. Currently I have everything detached from the rocks and plan to dip the corals again for safe measures when I move them all next week.

Here are some pictures of the tank taken just before I took all the coral off the rocks.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/76737B71-3C7B-4684-88A8-EAEE31E6745E-9143-0000078E80F08BF8.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/29BCB529-9416-4196-97DB-39EA004EE1F9-9143-0000078EB7360507.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/CD97666F-3D0D-4364-8002-498EB4627123-9143-0000078EC6EFF54D.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/E9D82B13-EC02-4F38-B180-FF21F18C0289-9143-0000078EDB47E428.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/5DF22A7E-90D3-4CC4-8B08-F0A3FB28D142-9143-0000078EEBBF3844.jpg

[denash24]

I have one question Why you put the metal halide in the tank

Most people don't know but all of the LED fixtures currently out on the market including the ecotech do not provide UV light which is essential for long term coral health, as a matter of fact most of these companies will be coming out with new and improved fixtures by the end of the year which will include UV emitting LED's. So in my opinion for SPS lighting, MH's are still very relevant and possibly still superior to LED's.

BTW - CLOWNDUDE that is a beautiful tank / really digging the improved aquascape. Don't let the RB's discourage you, with that dipping treatment I'm sure your corals will be ok.

[clowndude]

Most people don't know but all of the LED fixtures currently out on the market including the ecotech do not provide UV light which is essential for long term coral health, as a matter of fact most of these companies will be coming out with new and improved fixtures by the end of the year which will include UV emitting LED's. So in my opinion for SPS lighting, MH's are still very relevant and possibly still superior to LED's.

BTW - CLOWNDUDE that is a beautiful tank / really digging the improved aquascape. Don't let the RB's discourage you, with that dipping treatment I'm sure your corals will be ok.

Thanks for the kind words. I was a little bummed when I saw it, but after seeing how the sps reacted to the dip really got me excited again. I'm moving the tank next week as we are moving to a bigger place. During the move I'm going to dip everything just to make sure I didn't miss anything. Then I'll probably give it a week and re-dip everything just to be certain. After that I will closely monitor and if I see any I will dip again.

On the lighting aspect, I wasn't happy at all with the leds. Tank looked cold and really had no life to it. My reds even on fish didn't look right to me, growth seemed okay with the lights, but I decided to go back to something that has proven itself time and time again MH. Of course the downside is the heat so that is why I added the chiller. One thing I do miss is the moonlight effect I got with the leds. I've been trying to come up with a way to resolve this and think I figured out a way. Just waiting for the funds and the time to build it all out. Hopefully I will have time around the holidays to complete this project.

[REEF SMAC]

Having to move is a PITA enough. Much less having to deal with red bugs at the same time. Sorry to have read that.

It's always something with this hobby though isn't it?

[clowndude]

I believe the dose of bayer knocked out all the red bugs, I watch the corals daily like a hawk. Even at night. Now I got some new problems that have me wondering what is going on. I think I narrowed down the issues. A lot of my frags and mills aren't looking good lately. I believe it's either due to my flame angel or tailspot blenny picking. I'm going to pull both of them this weekend and see if my PE on the corals comes back. If that doesn't do it, then I'm at a loss.

[clowndude]

So it's been a while since I posted last. Tank is coming along quite nicely especially since I cut back feeding the fish and started feeding the coral twice a week.

Currently I'm trying to determine whether or not to get a GEO 612 Calcium reactor or a Bubble Magus Dose pump system. Currently I'm leaning towards the calcium reactor. I'm looking for a few opinions or suggestions on this matter. Currently I'm manually dosing B-Ionic Two part at about 35mL per day.

[Acronic]

Glad to hear things are going better. Did you move yet?

At 35ml i would go the 2 part route. If my tank ever breaks the 250ml a day mark i would be seriously considering a calcium reactor.

[clowndude]

Glad to hear things are going better. Did you move yet?

At 35ml i would go the 2 part route. If my tank ever breaks the 250ml a day mark i would be seriously considering a calcium reactor.

Yup, moved about 2 months ago. Tank is scaped a little different but everything is doing great. I am going to go the two part route. I can't wait to not have to manually dose everyday lol. It gets to be a pain.

[Acronic]

I hear ya, my GHL doser screen is broken. The new one should arrive soon. Ive been manually dosing for months now

[clowndude]

I hear ya, my GHL doser screen is broken. The new one should arrive soon. Ive been manually dosing for months now

Ah manually dosing for months, that doesn't sound fun at all. I just order the bubble magus package from premium as they are having a sell right now. Now I gotta solve my next problem with my skimmer. I've been totally unhappy with my vertex alpha 170 and I'm considering going with an ATB elegance 200 Pro. Haven't found much information out there on them, but the little I do find say it's a good skimmer.

[smalltime]

Just went through your build. Looks like you started with basic equipment then made the choice with vortechs, bk skimmer and 400watt. Great choice of equipment.
Tank looks awesome!
Whats wrong with your bk?

[clowndude]

Just went through your build. Looks like you started with basic equipment then made the choice with vortechs, bk skimmer and 400watt. Great choice of equipment.
Tank looks awesome!
Whats wrong with your bk?

I've noticed it doesn't seem to pull out much junk out of the tank and the cup skimmate tends to be wet no matter how much I try to cut back. I spent the first 6-7 weeks fighting pulsation issues with the skimmer only to find out that the recommended water level they suggest isn't correct. So the whole time I had been fighting an issue because of the wrong recommendation. Also I believe the neck is to large for the pump as u have to pretty much close the wedge pipe almost 100. This I believe is part of the reason why the skimmer gets the pulsation issue as it creates turblance. Needless to say I believe the alpha vertex 170 design is flawed. The red dragon pump is dead silent which I will give the skimmer that credit, but for the money this thing cost I wouldn't recommend it. I'm considering going to a atb elegance 200 pro or bk mini 160. Still on the fence about this.

[smalltime]

I read a post awhile back where another reefer said the bk cone skimmers were thrown together without proper research so they wouldn't lose sales to other cone skimmers. I own a bk300 cone and can't complain though.
Can't find link now.

[Boa1277]

I am running the ATB pro elegance 200 and am extremely happy with it. It really pulls skim and I like the adjustability. I have never owned a BK product, but I hear they are the best, however I am completely satisfied with my ATB. I was running a SWC 160 and it was just to small for my current bio load, but it couldn't hold a candle to the ATB.

[clowndude]

I am running the ATB pro elegance 200 and am extremely happy with it. It really pulls skim and I like the adjustability. I have never owned a BK product, but I hear they are the best, however I am completely satisfied with my ATB. I was running a SWC 160 and it was just to small for my current bio load, but it couldn't hold a candle to the ATB.

Thanks for the info. Can you tell me what tank u are running it on?

[clowndude]

My new Sps frag:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/5ECB8B9C-9F29-4640-BEED-01D94922E3EA-13333-0000053C74A860CB.jpg

I believe Ora gecko

[Acronic]

Thats the biggest frag ive ever seen

[clowndude]

Thats the biggest frag ive ever seen

I know, I wish all frags were this big. Sorry tank glass is dirty. Had both feet operated on and I haven't been able to give the tank the cleaning on the glass it needs. Wife has been helping best she can, but can't quite detail it. The coral was actually from someone breaking down his tank. I couldn't resist getting it. Unfortunately now my tank is completely packed so it's either upgrade or figure out a way to rearrange my rocks.

[clowndude]

After cleaning the glass tonight, I took some pictures with my iPhone. I wanted to share them with everybody. Tank still has along way to go.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/B13BFED8-62C0-4351-A731-1AC3DA7492AC-3180-00000111CC2F1E74.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/5C8FAD66-3EC6-41B9-BEBD-AF97D688E0EE-3180-00000111B794484A.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/21164798-4766-4E60-B5BE-78F7DF882107-3180-00000111AD9F21EF.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/1FBC6035-2601-4C93-A9AD-0E7393DE34C9-3180-00000111A87E4E49.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/08CD932B-B091-4041-9397-83F3DA05CBC6-3180-00000111A4019B17.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/49504F71-714E-44A4-AD8D-D18ACD535A99-3180-000001119EBF54CB.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/3F2D2D6B-D7E3-467D-BD1D-72C69E06B466-3180-000001119482DFC5.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/5FE00714-CA8C-4D83-9EE6-3D4FE6A18077-3180-000001119A1D500F.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/C0959E11-2DFC-4947-AF5A-F9460222EE21-3180-000001118B745C90.jpg

[clowndude]

Here are some more

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/0497A6C4-F0F0-4C18-9E5A-915FF42DA1F4-3180-00000111860BCC1B.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/84E63B9A-3EEA-4D4D-874D-5ACAC172E111-3180-000001118133C854.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/B29AD7E2-9BF1-4326-A02E-303773946F85-3180-000001117B851865.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb350/nporter81/1DE384F7-B447-480B-9A88-525F57C0F9C4-3180-0000011172008C42.jpg

[Bill@IA]

WOW Nice Scoly collection !!

[mark54321]

Nick,your tank looks sweet. I like your Scoly collection.

[clowndude]

Thanks guys, I've been on the fence about getting rid of them. My wife doesn't like how they are lined up so I probably will end up spreading them out. Tank is starting to get a little packed. I'm trying to find a dsa 185 used. I'm also getting a quote on a 60x30x21 rimless tank.

[oscarslr]

Nice Scolys and good colors all around, I like the way they line up, but a happy wife means a happy life. 30 deep is great gives you tons of room.

[clowndude]

Nice Scolys and good colors all around, I like the way they line up, but a happy wife means a happy life. 30 deep is great gives you tons of room.

Boy your arent kidding about happy wife, happy life lol. I can't wait to have that nice depth. Gives tanks that real look of dimension.

[REEF SMAC]

Nice update! Looks like the move went well.

Why don't I see your avatar swimming around in there?

[clowndude]

Nice update! Looks like the move went well.

Why don't I see your avatar swimming around in there?

Unfortunately he moved on to the big reef in the sky. He was eating in my last tank and then all of a sudden stopped. My next tank will have a small Red Sea regal angel in it. I really miss that fish and didnt have the heart the change my avatar.

[XxreeffreakxX]

top notch tank you've got .... great work

[Indiana Reefin]

I really don't understand why u want a new skimmer? Your tank looks phenominal. Skimmer must be pulling out something.

[clowndude]

I really don't understand why u want a new skimmer? Your tank looks phenominal. Skimmer must be pulling out something.

I've been doing larger water changes to try and counter what the skimmer hasn't been pulling out. They made me send the whole pump in so it would have been completely offline for two weeks. I ordered an swc 160 just to fill the gap in the meantime while I was battling getting this other one fixed.