AGA 210 Setup - Page 2

gabe3d · 01/01/2007, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jacmyoung
WOW, this is TOM material. Are you in CA? If so glad to know one of our locals can do right!

Haha, I wish. Yeah, I live in the south part of Elk Grove.

hulley · 01/13/2007, 07:13 AM

I'm picking up my 180g today! How do you like your aquaC skimmer? I'm leaning towards a PM bullet 2 or a MRC 2 skimmer with a blueline 40hd-x. It will be my first beckett skimmer. I've heard great things about them. Kinda funny how more people dont use them. They just preffer to mod their needle wheel skimmers! I have a ASM G2 that I'm not impressed with. However, I want a skimmer I can use outside of my sump.

Kennyboy1984 · 01/13/2007, 07:52 AM

I'm going to copy your aquascaping.

gabe3d · 01/13/2007, 09:39 AM

Hulley,

At first i hated my skimmer and wished i bought a different one but after upgrading pumps and fine tuning it (which is a really tideous process) it pulls out about 2 cups of dark skimmate a day on my new system. I really like the small size of the skimmer. For any beckett type injectors make sure to get a high pressured pump. The 40hd-x does not handle pressure really well and has a steep drop off in flow compared to the 40hd. I'm not sure what the pressure requirements are on the MRC or PM so it's hard to say which may work better for you.

Gabe

Kennyboy1984 · 01/13/2007, 04:55 PM

I really like your aquascaping! I want to copy it as best I can in my 125. What kind of rock is it? And how did you go about setting it up? Did you just stack them on each other randomly? Or big rocks on bottom small on top? Did you leave much open space inside of your rocks or are they pretty tightly stacked? Thanks in advance!

hulley · 01/14/2007, 06:00 AM

Gabe,
Now that I look a little more closely, I realize that the 40HD-X is not the high pressure pump. I'll probably go with the 55hd and use the 40HD-X as my return pump only. I'm using tunze in the display for turnover. I may even go with two 55HDs not sure yet. I dont want to turn the display over too quickly, I want the skimmer to do its job! Just another theory!

Brewen · 01/14/2007, 06:18 AM

Great looking tank thanks for sharing..

gabe3d · 01/14/2007, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kennyboy1984
I really like your aquascaping! I want to copy it as best I can in my 125. What kind of rock is it? And how did you go about setting it up? Did you just stack them on each other randomly? Or big rocks on bottom small on top? Did you leave much open space inside of your rocks or are they pretty tightly stacked? Thanks in advance!

Most of it is Fiji LR. The rest are base rock that i bought from hi rocks. At the bottom of my sand i actually added eggcrate material so that the base rocks do not slide. When i didn't have any corals on my LR i would actually stack them outside of the tank and then just repeat the procedure inside of the tank. This time i had a bunch of corals attached on them so i had it to do something else. I laid all the LR on the floor and the ones that had corals were either laid in the tank at the bottom or in a bin so that i can see them. From there on I had full view of the shapes of all my LR and can start aquaspacing what i had in mind. Both of the islands have a lot of crevasses and caves for the fish to swin and sleep in.

drummereef · 01/14/2007, 10:37 AM

Fantastic looking tank. Both the old acrylic and the new one.

hatfielj · 01/14/2007, 10:43 AM

I really like the aquascaping job. Thats pretty much exactly the look I'm going for in my new 120g that I'm setting up in the next few weeks. Good Job!

TCU Reefer · 01/14/2007, 11:30 AM

Very nice job, especially on the aquascaping.

gabe3d · 01/14/2007, 02:39 PM

Thanks everyone. While I was repumbing and rewiring my tank, i had the windows open and the top off and took this pic i thought looked pretty nice.

Kigs · 01/14/2007, 03:02 PM

beautiful tank! could we get some close up shots of the corals & fish?

gabe3d · 01/14/2007, 09:58 PM

Sure i'll take some more pics of the livestock. Since i had some spare time i was able to do some of the work i needed to do to my tank. Here are some updates.

leeweber85 · 01/14/2007, 10:26 PM

Great tank!!! I got a couple ?'s for you.

1. Is that an AGA stand? It looks too nice to be.
2. Will the tank be getting sunlight on a normal basis? or was that just a one time thing.

Cody Ray · 01/14/2007, 11:15 PM

Love the aquascaping!

AndyB4784 · 01/14/2007, 11:20 PM

i'm pretty sure that's the AGA mission stand.

gabe3d · 01/15/2007, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by leeweber85
Great tank!!! I got a couple ?'s for you.

1. Is that an AGA stand? It looks too nice to be.
2. Will the tank be getting sunlight on a normal basis? or was that just a one time thing.

thanks.

1. Yup the stand is the AGA Mission stand. I orginally planned to build one myself but then this stand was almost identical to my drawings. Also I don't want to rely on my woodworking skills to support this heavy of a tank.

2. No, this was a one time deal. I think if i had constant daylight on it I'll probably run into an algae problem.

hulley · 01/28/2007, 07:47 AM

Gabe3d, acouple of ?s, what size pipe do your drains connect too? They look larger than 1" pipe. And what are the connectors used throughout the plumbing that look like twist connectors? are they some kind of quik disconnect so that you can remove plumbing without having to cut anything? The stand is almost done for my 180g! I bought a Blueline 40HD-X for my return, but I have not decided on a skimmer yet. I'm gonna mod my ASM G2 and continue to use it for a little while. I figure as long as I dont add anymore live stock than I already have, it should be ok for now!
Thanks
Hulley

gabe3d · 01/28/2007, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by hulley
Gabe3d, acouple of ?s, what size pipe do your drains connect too? They look larger than 1" pipe.

The hole itself was unmodified however all the pipings right after are 1.5''. It is recommended that you use as big of a piping as possible and not restrict yourself to the size of the inlet our outlet of your tank or pump. This will allow you to reduce friction to increase in/out flow.

Quote:

Originally posted by hulley
And what are the connectors used throughout the plumbing that look like twist connectors? are they some kind of quik disconnect so that you can remove plumbing without having to cut anything?

I think you are referring to the true union ball valves (with blue handle correct?). They are used so that i can shut water off in or out quickly, regulate amount of water, and to remove the plumbing without the need of cutting. It'll make your plumbing job much easier as well since it will be done piece by piece.

Good luck on your tank setup. I'm also debating whether or not i should upgrade skimmers as well, it's such a hard decision. The AquaC I currently have is pulling out so much skimmate, 3-4 cups day and it is hard to imagine if another skimmer can pull anymore than that out of my tank.

gabe3d · 03/19/2007, 02:56 PM

I did some updates to my tank and thought i'd post it up.

1. Added more rocks to make the left side taller to give a little more contrast.
2. Added an Aquacontroller Jr
3. Added two Phosban Reactor, one with Warner Marine Phosar and the other with Two Little Fishees GAC2 Carbon
4. Changed skimmers from AquaC EV180 to Schuran Jetskim 150
5. Installed the WavySea unit to the return
6. Also added bunch of misc. clean up crew (20 fighting conches and 4 Skunk shrimps)
7. Also added some fish. 4 Bartletts Anthias, 5 more Blue/Green Chromis, and 1 Blue Speckled Rabbitfish
8. And finally 8 frags of corals bought from DrMacs

I'll post some pics up over the weekend of the livestock but in the meantime this pic was the only pic i was able to get last night.

gabe3d · 03/19/2007, 03:00 PM

Here is a closer look at the left side of the sump so you guys can take a better look at this not so popular skimmer. I'll need to reposition the skimmer so that the cable is not right in front like that, it is quite annoying to look at it. Luckily the skimmer allows this customizable assembly where i can have hte pump or outlet in any direction i want.

One thing i also added was this diagonal removal baffle right at the intake section to help eliminate bubbles from entering the main display.

xenon · 03/19/2007, 03:27 PM

How are you feeding water into your hammerhead?

Keep up the good work, I plan to upgrade so this EXACT same tank. I love the stand also but mine will be inwall.

hulley · 03/19/2007, 04:41 PM

Looking good Gabe3d, I just did a 4 day leak test with tap water. All is good, now I gotta drain, move tank, repaint wall (per fiance) reposition tank, fill will RO/DI and move rock/fish from 90g to new tank! I've got a bunch of base rock recently and I need to order a new skimmer this week. I'm going with a Bermuda 5C.

gabe3d · 03/19/2007, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by xenon
How are you feeding water into your hammerhead?

Keep up the good work, I plan to upgrade so this EXACT same tank. I love the stand also but mine will be inwall.

Yeah, the AGA mission stands are awesome i love them as well. The dimensions on this tank are really nice minus the fact that it is realy hard to aquaspace and position corals and such.

I feed my pump with the two 1'' predilled AGA hole. I didn't want to drill holes on the back because of suction and looks. So I did something not really acceptable to the RC community and plumbed my CL in my overflow box.

Gabe

01/13/2007, 07:52 AM	#28
Kennyboy1984 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: SLC, UTAH Posts: 377	I'm going to copy your aquascaping. __________________ Anti-Tang Police Current Tank Info: 24g nano cube, 125 g

01/13/2007, 04:55 PM	#30
Kennyboy1984 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: SLC, UTAH Posts: 377	I really like your aquascaping! I want to copy it as best I can in my 125. What kind of rock is it? And how did you go about setting it up? Did you just stack them on each other randomly? Or big rocks on bottom small on top? Did you leave much open space inside of your rocks or are they pretty tightly stacked? Thanks in advance! __________________ Anti-Tang Police Current Tank Info: 24g nano cube, 125 g

01/14/2007, 10:37 AM	#34
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,675	Fantastic looking tank. Both the old acrylic and the new one. __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278g system, Vortech MP40W, MSX250A, Lumen Bright Mini, Galaxy Select-A-Watt Ballasts, 250w Radiums, CREE RB LEDs, Reeflo Dart Return, NextReef Reactors, Neptune Systems Apex, some coral and a couple fish. Click My Homepage To See The Build.

01/14/2007, 11:30 AM	#36
TCU Reefer Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 1,046	Very nice job, especially on the aquascaping. __________________ Steve - DFWMAS Member Click on the red house to view my build thread Current Tank Info: 215g starboard SPS in-wall, AC Jr, 3 x 250w MH's, 10k Reeflux, 320w VHO actinics, closed loop w/ Sequence Dart and OM 4-Way, Tunze wavebox, VorTech, 2x modded MJ 1200's, ASM G4 recirc/meshwheel, Geo 618 Ca reactor, custom Melev sump, Mag 9.5 return

01/14/2007, 10:26 PM	#40
leeweber85 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa Posts: 2,469	Great tank!!! I got a couple ?'s for you. 1. Is that an AGA stand? It looks too nice to be. 2. Will the tank be getting sunlight on a normal basis? or was that just a one time thing. __________________ -Lee Current Tank Info: 125g reef, 20g reef

01/13/2007, 07:13 AM	#27
hulley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: In front of my computor. Posts: 604	I'm picking up my 180g today! How do you like your aquaC skimmer? I'm leaning towards a PM bullet 2 or a MRC 2 skimmer with a blueline 40hd-x. It will be my first beckett skimmer. I've heard great things about them. Kinda funny how more people dont use them. They just preffer to mod their needle wheel skimmers! I have a ASM G2 that I'm not impressed with. However, I want a skimmer I can use outside of my sump.

01/13/2007, 09:39 AM	#29
gabe3d Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Elk Grove/Sunnyvale/Shibuya Posts: 1,612	Hulley, At first i hated my skimmer and wished i bought a different one but after upgrading pumps and fine tuning it (which is a really tideous process) it pulls out about 2 cups of dark skimmate a day on my new system. I really like the small size of the skimmer. For any beckett type injectors make sure to get a high pressured pump. The 40hd-x does not handle pressure really well and has a steep drop off in flow compared to the 40hd. I'm not sure what the pressure requirements are on the MRC or PM so it's hard to say which may work better for you. Gabe

01/14/2007, 06:00 AM	#31
hulley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: In front of my computor. Posts: 604	Gabe, Now that I look a little more closely, I realize that the 40HD-X is not the high pressure pump. I'll probably go with the 55hd and use the 40HD-X as my return pump only. I'm using tunze in the display for turnover. I may even go with two 55HDs not sure yet. I dont want to turn the display over too quickly, I want the skimmer to do its job! Just another theory!

01/14/2007, 06:18 AM	#32
Brewen Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Santa Maria,CA Posts: 1,629	Great looking tank thanks for sharing..

01/14/2007, 10:43 AM	#35
hatfielj Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 1,213	I really like the aquascaping job. Thats pretty much exactly the look I'm going for in my new 120g that I'm setting up in the next few weeks. Good Job!

01/14/2007, 02:39 PM	#37
gabe3d Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Elk Grove/Sunnyvale/Shibuya Posts: 1,612	Thanks everyone. While I was repumbing and rewiring my tank, i had the windows open and the top off and took this pic i thought looked pretty nice.

01/14/2007, 03:02 PM	#38
Kigs Moved On Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: LI, NY Posts: 2,280	beautiful tank! could we get some close up shots of the corals & fish?

01/14/2007, 09:58 PM	#39
gabe3d Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Elk Grove/Sunnyvale/Shibuya Posts: 1,612	Sure i'll take some more pics of the livestock. Since i had some spare time i was able to do some of the work i needed to do to my tank. Here are some updates.

01/14/2007, 11:15 PM	#41
Cody Ray Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 5,101	Love the aquascaping! __________________ Limit 1 stupid question per day Current Tank Info: Mr. Aqua 7.5g bowfront

01/14/2007, 11:20 PM	#42
AndyB4784 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: lansing, mi Posts: 309	i'm pretty sure that's the AGA mission stand.

01/28/2007, 07:47 AM	#44
hulley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: In front of my computor. Posts: 604	Gabe3d, acouple of ?s, what size pipe do your drains connect too? They look larger than 1" pipe. And what are the connectors used throughout the plumbing that look like twist connectors? are they some kind of quik disconnect so that you can remove plumbing without having to cut anything? The stand is almost done for my 180g! I bought a Blueline 40HD-X for my return, but I have not decided on a skimmer yet. I'm gonna mod my ASM G2 and continue to use it for a little while. I figure as long as I dont add anymore live stock than I already have, it should be ok for now! Thanks Hulley

03/19/2007, 02:56 PM	#46
gabe3d Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Elk Grove/Sunnyvale/Shibuya Posts: 1,612	I did some updates to my tank and thought i'd post it up. 1. Added more rocks to make the left side taller to give a little more contrast. 2. Added an Aquacontroller Jr 3. Added two Phosban Reactor, one with Warner Marine Phosar and the other with Two Little Fishees GAC2 Carbon 4. Changed skimmers from AquaC EV180 to Schuran Jetskim 150 5. Installed the WavySea unit to the return 6. Also added bunch of misc. clean up crew (20 fighting conches and 4 Skunk shrimps) 7. Also added some fish. 4 Bartletts Anthias, 5 more Blue/Green Chromis, and 1 Blue Speckled Rabbitfish 8. And finally 8 frags of corals bought from DrMacs I'll post some pics up over the weekend of the livestock but in the meantime this pic was the only pic i was able to get last night.

03/19/2007, 03:00 PM	#47
gabe3d Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Elk Grove/Sunnyvale/Shibuya Posts: 1,612	Here is a closer look at the left side of the sump so you guys can take a better look at this not so popular skimmer. I'll need to reposition the skimmer so that the cable is not right in front like that, it is quite annoying to look at it. Luckily the skimmer allows this customizable assembly where i can have hte pump or outlet in any direction i want. One thing i also added was this diagonal removal baffle right at the intake section to help eliminate bubbles from entering the main display.

03/19/2007, 03:27 PM	#48
xenon Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Quebec, Canada Posts: 3,138	How are you feeding water into your hammerhead? Keep up the good work, I plan to upgrade so this EXACT same tank. I love the stand also but mine will be inwall.

03/19/2007, 04:41 PM	#49
hulley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: In front of my computor. Posts: 604	Looking good Gabe3d, I just did a 4 day leak test with tap water. All is good, now I gotta drain, move tank, repaint wall (per fiance) reposition tank, fill will RO/DI and move rock/fish from 90g to new tank! I've got a bunch of base rock recently and I need to order a new skimmer this week. I'm going with a Bermuda 5C.