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Unread 10/03/2017, 11:42 AM   #1
MMOORE0324
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MMoore0324's 50g Acrylic Tank Build

Hey everyone,

So I've been away from the hobby for about 5 years now. I had a 300g custom build planned, even a deposit down on a tank, but then a cross country move spoiled that plan. 2 years ago I built a 600g cichlid pond / tank which resides on my lanai and everyday I just wished it could be a reef. I live in an area where I can enjoy the ocean on a daily basis and the time has come that I cannot be without a reef any longer.

I've been wanting to try my hand at acrylic fabrication for awhile so I've decided to jump into it and give it a shot. I've read hundreds of threads here on RC, clay-boa, and followed some of my favorite fabricators, so I had an idea of what to do going in.

I've been posing my progress on my local Reef Club forums so I'm going to copy and paste everything up to this point here to catch everyone up. If something seems out of context, it's just because I was initially directing my thoughts right to my club members. Going forward, I will update this thread properly.

Enjoy!


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Unread 10/03/2017, 11:44 AM   #2
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**ORIGINAL POST 8/23**

The good news is that I found a supplier (Absolute Plastic Solutions) and have placed an order for all the acrylic material that I will need. This test tank will be small but I do plan to keep it set up.

Tank Dimensions:
3/8" Cell Cast Acrylic
28 X 24 X 18
Tank Volume: 52.4 gallons
Working Volume: approx. 48 - 50 gallons

Sump Dimensions:
1/4" Cell Cast Acrylic
26 X 16 X 16
Skimmer section, return section, refugium section

I pick up the acrylic on Friday morning and will try to start tank assembly Friday night. I will do my best to take lots of photos along the way. The overall build will be slow as I'm just returning to the hobby and will need to purchase all equipment and supporting items. I'll post a proposed equipment list in a few days.
I hope that you all will follow along with me!


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Unread 10/03/2017, 11:45 AM   #3
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**ORIGINAL POST 8/24**

Here is my basic equipment list. I want to go as simple as possible. Since this is such a small system it will have no calcium reactor, no controller, and a fairly basic list of equipment. I plan to use quality equipment but not top of the line with everything. Here's what I'm thinking:


Skimmer: Nyos Quantum 120
Return Pump: EcoTech Vectra M1
Lighting: Hamilton Cayman 250w w/Radium 20K
**Dosing: C-Balance w/ IceCap dosing pumps and custom acrylic reservoirs. (Once the tank has grown enough to demand dosing)
Reactors: 2 TLF reactors for activated carbon and GFO. These will be fed off of a manifold from the return pump
Heater: Cobalt Neo-Therm 100w
In-Tank flow: Current USA eFlux 2100 GPH wave system
Salt: ESV B-Ionic System


**I do plan to have a heavy coral bio load in the system with SPS as the emphasis. At the point where the ESV Salt system can't keep up the trace element demand, I'll then add in 2 part dosing with C-Balance.


Lighting: While I understand that LED's will probably be the primary light source of all reef aquarium's in the future, I just don't think they are for this build. With the tank being 28" long and the fact that I plan to keep mostly SPS - I figure I would still need 2 LED fixture's. While the low operating costs and low heat transfer are attractive qualities; I just can't justify the upfront cost. I have always had metal halide or T5's on my systems and I just love the "depth" and "texture" that metal halides provide. I think the Radion XR30 G4 fixtures are probably leading the way for LED Technology but at $800... they are an investment.


That's it for now. I'm excited to pick up the acrylic tomorrow and get the process started


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Unread 10/03/2017, 11:50 AM   #4
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**ORIGINAL POST 8/27**

Well... the tank has been glued (welded.) There were some parts of this process so far that were harder than I expected and some parts that have been easier. Welding the tank was certainly the most nerve wrecking. Overall, I think that I'm happy. I wish some of my seams came out better. Some bubbles in a few seams but from what I've read, they should just be cosmetic and shouldn't cause issues. I plan to do a water test on Tuesday, so we will see. Attached are some pics of the build. Not great quality but just trying to show what I'm doing.




So the next step is a water test on Tuesday. If all goes well with the water test, I have to figure out my overflow. I had planed to do a 2 inch overflow spanning the entire width of the tank on the right side. With the tank only be 18" wide, I just don't want to lose that much real estate. I'll probably just make a small internal overflow on the right side of the tank. After that, I'll route out the eurobrace. Once the tank is leak tested and holding water, I'll start the sump.


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Unread 10/03/2017, 12:00 PM   #5
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**ORIGINAL POST 8/31**

I've had a chance to work on the tank over the past few days. I've made a little progress but also had a setback.

On Tuesday I started working on the top eurobrace flange. The top is a 3" eurobrace out of 3/8" acrylic. I probably could have used 1/4" for the top but liked the thought of the thicker material. Plus I think it looks nicer when all the pieces are the same thickness. I knew that I had to make a jig of some sort so that I could route out the solid piece to create my 3" flange. I looked at hundreds of pics online and settled on using some of those ideas along with ideas from Melevsreef. I found some 3.5" wide MDF at Lowes and figured that I could make a "window frame" and set the outside dimensions of the frame to the dimensions of my acrylic sheet. If I routed out the center of the frame that would give me a 3.5" flange. Since the tank is only 28 X 24 a 3.5" flange all the way around wouldn't have provided a very big opening to the tank. So I then found some 1/4" thick window trim and figured I could nail that to the MDF at 1/2" and then I could get my 3" flange. So I placed a scrap piece of MDF on the saw horses to make a work service. Then I used 1" brad nails and attached the white 3.5" MDF to the table. Then used 3/4" brad nails and affixed the 1/4" window frame to the white MDF to create my 3" flange. The acrylic sits on top of the white MDF and the 1/4" window frame holds the acrylic in place.






Here is the router bit that I used. It's a 1/2" Bosch Laminate bit. It has a bearing on the tip which is used to trace along the jig while the cutting head routes out the acrylic.


It took about 90 seconds to route each side of the top. I found that if I went too fast the bit would skip and i'd get a bump in the edge. If I went to slow the acrylic shavings got caught between the edge and the bit and then as they cooled they melted back onto the edge.


After the center was routed out, I vacuumed all the shaving up and then made another pass to smooth out those bumps and to clean up any little areas that needed. Since the brand of acrylic that I have has brown masking paper on both sides, I needed to remove the paper so that I could see my jig. Unfortunately, dragging the router along the acrylic scratched the heck out of it. I used a buffing wheel and some Novus 2 and did my best to polish out the scratches. This tank isn't meant to be a TOTM show tank so I didn't worry about it too much. This is a learning experience and as I get more proficient I'm sure I'll figure out how to keep things looking pretty. Perhaps a router table if I'm going to keep doing this. It was time to glue (solvent weld) the top to the tank. I'd like to add that since this was my first build I wanted to keep it simple. I had watched several videos of acrylic tank fabrication and one of those videos showed the tank being built from the base up. Taking the bottom of the tank, gluing the front, sides, and back. Then finally gluing the top. I figured this would be the easiest way. This is not the way professional tank builders do it and now I see why. Professionals will glue the 4 sides, then the top, and then attach the base last. More in a second on why this is important.

Here is the attached top. While it's not perfect, I think it looks pretty good and I was pretty proud of my self. BTW, all the sides are 3". In the photo, the back seams looks thin. I'm a terrible photographer.


So according to the folks that do a lot of acrylic tank fabrication - the proper sequence for assembling the aquarium is (and I should have listened):

1.) Attach a side panel to the font panel - let cure for several hours if possible, minimum 1 hour
2.) Attach the opposite side panel to the front panel - let cure for several hours, min 1 hour
3.) Attach back panel to side panels - let cure 24 hours
4.) Attach top or bracing - let cure for 24 hours
Attach all above to bottom - let cure for 24 -48 hours


The theory is to make sure all seams are glued in a horizontal fashion. I took this lightly and took the easier route by starting with the bottom attaching the front, then sides, then back, and then top. I glued vertical seams and after seeing how the solvent didn't wick into the seam via capillary action that well - I was a little nervous. I ran a bead of Weld- on #16 along the vertical joints after the tank had cured for 24 hours. I did turn the tank so that the 16 was applied horizontal. Weld-on #16 is thicker than #4 and is used to fill small gaps where the acrylic panels might not be making perfect contact. It still works the same way as it melts the acrylic so that the molecules in the two pieces bond and then the liquid part of the solvent evaporates. Weld-On #4 is water like in consistency so while trying to glue the vertical joints, you can image how I managed to drip on the viewing panels. Because it's a solvent, you can't wipe it. While attaching the top, I wasn't able to get as much solvent into the seams as I'd like and naturally, while doing the seam on the front panel, I managed to get several drips. I'm going to attempt to sand these out later... maybe. Since the top doesn't need to be water-tight, just a strong bond, I think I'll be OK.

Water test time...


he tank was about 1/3rd full and going well. Then... I noticed a single drop of water at the left front vertical seam. NOOOOOOOOO..... I put another gallon of water in to see if the leak would get worse. It stayed constant with one drop every few seconds. So I siphoned the water and dried the panels. I should have continued to fill the tank to see if I had any leaks further up the seam. After the tank was dry, I started running a thicker bead of #16 across all the seams. Letting each seam dry for at least an hour before rotating the tank and running the solvent on the next set of seams. I'm going to let those cure for the next day and attempt to re-test on Saturday. If this test fails then I'll have to start again.

I have a fair bit of 3/8" material left as I purchased a full sheet (4' X 8') of acrylic. I don't think I have enough left for the whole tank so I might just have to buy a few pieces to make up for what I don't have. If that's the case, and I start over, I'm OK with that. I've learned a lot so far from this build and I think by fully understanding the proper way to assemble an acrylic tank now, my next go will be much more successful. I'm also going to be starting my sump this weekend. The sump will be 1/4" material and I'll have some new challenges such as cutting teeth into my baffles and getting my bubble trap baffles correct. If my water test on Saturday is successful, I will leave the tank full for 1 week to make sure it holds solid.


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Unread 10/03/2017, 12:02 PM   #6
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**ORIGINAL POST 9/4**

Small update-

The second water test has been a success so far. I filled the tank Saturday night and no leaks. It's been full for 5 days now, so I think I'm good and will assume the tank is water tight at this point. I understand that over time a sub-par joint could develop problems so I will keep my eye on it. To be honest, I'm sure I'll be upgrading, as we all do, again very soon.

I started work on the sump over the weekend. I had my acrylic shop cut all my pieces but realized that my pieces and the baffles are the wrong size. It's my fault as I gave wrong dimensions. Good news is that they are too big. They did an absolute great job of cutting and all their cuts are very precise... which means... I have to also be precise. I've been rough cutting on the table saw to a 1/8 - 1/16" and then finishing to size on the router. I'll continue to work through the week but obviously my focus is on Hurricane Irma at this point.


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Unread 10/03/2017, 12:07 PM   #7
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**ORIGINAL POST 9/25**

Work on the sump has slowed down a little - reason being; I kept look at my seams on the tank and it was bothering me that they weren't perfect. While my gluing technique was partially to blame, the other part was due to the fact that my edges weren't prepped as meticulous as they could have been. I plan to keep at this and really want to improve so... I decided to build a router table and split fence. This was a slightly lengthier process that I predicted. The table is made from a sheet of particle board topped with Formica, used to closet shelving. It measures 48 1/2"L X 35 3/4W. Running acrylic through a router table is slightly more "technique" diver than I thought. The good news is that my edges are coming out glass smooth for the most part. I'm currently on an airplane heading up to NYC for the week for work so hopefully when I get back next week, I can resume the sump. I've decided to make a small change to the design of the sump. Since it's only 26"L I didn't feel that afforded me enough real estate for a skimmer zone, return zone, and refugium A.K.A. Marc's Model F sump. So I'm getting rid of the refugium and will only have a skimmer and return zones. I'm going to build a 15 X 15 X 15 and plumb the refugium remotely. I've been growing many mangroves in the refugium of my 600g cichlid tank so I'm going to take my nicest ones and plant them in the remote refugium, Julian Sprung style. I will build a matching stand for the refugium and will place it next to the tank. Now I'll have a nice little home for some soft corals and maybe a few small fish as well.

Equipment:

I was pretty set on using the Nyos 120 protein skimmer but after seeing some mediocre reviews on the reef forums and product reviews on Marine Depot I decided to rethink. The larger Nyos skimmers had much better reviews so I'm not sure if there is something different between the models other than size, that were the source of the poor reviews. I know from past builds, smaller skimmers have been more difficult to dial in than the skimmer that I ran on my old larger system. I figured that I could just do a Reef Octopus but I really didn't want to spend the cash for a SS model but needed the smaller footprint. So I combed through the "equipment" board on RC and came across a post on Simplicity brand skimmers. I remember seeing them in a 2016 MACNA video so I kept reading. The majority of the posts were very positive and many of the folks posting had been running the skimmer for 12+ months. I did a good ol' Google search and was shocked at the price point. $199 for the Simplicity 120DC. The skimmer had 4 features that I really liked:

1.) A controllable DC pump
2.) Small footprint
3.) A locking - twist off collection cup
4.) Simplicity is a USA based company. Their customer service team is state side and they carry all the replacement parts that you could need
I figured for $199 that I couldn't go wrong.



I ended up buying a Simplicity brand DC return pump as well. Again, pretty much stellar reviews.

For lighting I have decided on the Hamilton Cayman Sun 250w MH with 20K Radium bulb. In a few months I'm going to retro-fit some ReefBrite LED strips to the pendant.
I've ordered about half of all my equipment / supplies. As I mentioned in the first post, I've been completely out of the hobby for about 5 years. Having to rebuy EVERYTHING has added up but I just couldn't be out of the hobby for any longer. When I get home next week, I will order the remainder equipment and finish the sump and stands. I hope to have the tank running and cycled by mid October at the latest.

Stay tuned!


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Unread 10/03/2017, 12:41 PM   #8
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**ORIGINAL POST 10/1**

I had a small setback with my router fence so I had to rebuild it using better materials. With the new fence built I was finally able to get my pieces cut and edges prepped this morning. This afternoon I started gluing the sump. Hopefully I'll finish assembly tomorrow afternoon and can let it cure for a few days before a water test mid-week. Pending a successful water test, I may be able to set the tank up this weekend!

Here are some photo's of my router table and fence system - finally got it dialed in and now it's easy to route a 1/32nd off the edges, leaving them glass smooth.

TABLE:



SPLIT FENCE:




NEW ROUTER BIT: WHITESIDE 1/2" CARBIDE SPIRAL UPCUT (VERY NICE CUTTER - WORTH THE $80)


**EQUIPMENT**


Equipment has started to arrive! Which I think is one every reefers favorite parts. I'll go into more detail about the equipment once everything has arrived and I start to set stuff up.


I decided to go with the IceCap Gyre 3K for in tank flow. I filled the tank with fresh water and set the pump up to check it out. I just couldn't wait. It has a ton of options and will take some tinkering to get down. The controller is very cool and high end feeling. Here is short video showing the wave that I was able to get out of it. This is on pulse mode - 70% with 4 seconds between pulses. At 80% water was splashing out.



So needles to say.. I'm getting REALLY excited! The rest of the equipment will continue to arrive this week. I'm not sure when my lighting will be here as it arrives right from the manufacture. More updates this week!


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Unread 10/06/2017, 02:01 PM   #9
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That is exciting! Looks like a great build.

I wanted to give my input on Simplicity:

Their customer service is really great. Super fast responses, real people who care.

I have the Simplicity 120 DC. The pump, while DC, is LOUD. I measured the sound at 62 to 67 decibels on the various power levels. Compare that to my Reef Octopus VarioS-4 that clocks in at 46 decibels (pushing A LOT more water). While build quality is there, the sound is just too much for me on a DC pump. I have AC pumps that are quieter. Now that being said, I may have a bad copy. But those are the decibels, so it’s a bit more measured than me just describing the sound.

Another forum member measured his NYOS Quantum 120 and it registered 59 decibels. Much quieter.

Also note that the comparison vs the VarioS pump is not perfect, since there’s also a little air noise for a skimmer. But the air is super quiet, just sound is from the pump. I wonder if your Simplicity pump will be as loud.

I don’t know for sure, but Simplicity pumps may be the same as Skimz pumps, which are said to be rebranded Jebao pumps. My Skimz pumps were loud. Also in the 60 decibels range.

Anyway, Simplicity is sending me a replacement impeller to see if that is the cause of the noise. They are also going to measure the decibels on their own units today for me to compare to see if it’s just my pump that’s loud, or that’s just how they are.

I wish Reef Octopus made the elite line of skimmers smaller for my tank! Those VarioS pumps are a dream


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Unread 10/06/2017, 02:53 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinetic View Post
That is exciting! Looks like a great build.

I wanted to give my input on Simplicity:

Their customer service is really great. Super fast responses, real people who care.

I have the Simplicity 120 DC. The pump, while DC, is LOUD. I measured the sound at 62 to 67 decibels on the various power levels. Compare that to my Reef Octopus VarioS-4 that clocks in at 46 decibels (pushing A LOT more water). While build quality is there, the sound is just too much for me on a DC pump. I have AC pumps that are quieter. Now that being said, I may have a bad copy. But those are the decibels, so it’s a bit more measured than me just describing the sound.

Another forum member measured his NYOS Quantum 120 and it registered 59 decibels. Much quieter.

Also note that the comparison vs the VarioS pump is not perfect, since there’s also a little air noise for a skimmer. But the air is super quiet, just sound is from the pump. I wonder if your Simplicity pump will be as loud.

I don’t know for sure, but Simplicity pumps may be the same as Skimz pumps, which are said to be rebranded Jebao pumps. My Skimz pumps were loud. Also in the 60 decibels range.

Anyway, Simplicity is sending me a replacement impeller to see if that is the cause of the noise. They are also going to measure the decibels on their own units today for me to compare to see if it’s just my pump that’s loud, or that’s just how they are.

I wish Reef Octopus made the elite line of skimmers smaller for my tank! Those VarioS pumps are a dream


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks so much for checking out my build! I appreciate your feedback regarding the 120DC pump. I will certainly have to check out the noise level. Although noise isn't a huge concern to me, kids, dog, cats, etc seem to drown out unwanted aquarium noises I've seen lots of reviews that say it's silent.

I love the VarioS pumps and I thought about going with the RO Elite 200 INT for a second but the foot print is just too big. I had already committed to my sump dimensions which were based off the Nyos footprint.

I HOPE to have the tank wet on Sunday so I'll report back with a noise observation. I don't have a decibel meter so it'll just be a anecdotal observation.


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Unread 10/06/2017, 02:56 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MMOORE0324 View Post
Thanks so much for checking out my build! I appreciate your feedback regarding the 120DC pump. I will certainly have to check out the noise level. Although noise isn't a huge concern to me, kids, dog, cats, etc seem to drown out unwanted aquarium noises I've seen lots of reviews that say it's silent.

I love the VarioS pumps and I thought about going with the RO Elite 200 INT for a second but the foot print is just too big. I had already committed to my sump dimensions which were based off the Nyos footprint.

I HOPE to have the tank wet on Sunday so I'll report back with a noise observation. I don't have a decibel meter so it'll just be a anecdotal observation.
Yep, I've read probably all the same reviews. "Silent" is different for everyone so who knows really. I also wanted to get a RO Elite 150-SSS, but still way oversized for my tank. It would barely fit in the skimmer chamber, but probably won't be a good skimmer for the bioload and water volume.

I don't have a decibel meter either, but I use an iPhone app to do it. Might not be the best and most accurate / sensative, but it's consistent at least.

I should be getting some decibels back from Simplicity today, I'll update you on what they say. Crossing my fingers I just have a really bad pump and a replacement will solve everything.


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Unread 10/13/2017, 01:02 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinetic View Post
Yep, I've read probably all the same reviews. "Silent" is different for everyone so who knows really. I also wanted to get a RO Elite 150-SSS, but still way oversized for my tank. It would barely fit in the skimmer chamber, but probably won't be a good skimmer for the bioload and water volume.



I don't have a decibel meter either, but I use an iPhone app to do it. Might not be the best and most accurate / sensative, but it's consistent at least.



I should be getting some decibels back from Simplicity today, I'll update you on what they say. Crossing my fingers I just have a really bad pump and a replacement will solve everything.


I have the tank finally set up and running. I’ll post a more in-depth update later but so far the 120DC skimmer seems to be pretty silent. I downloaded a decibel meter for my phone and was getting 58. That was with overflow water noise (no filter socks installed yet) and plenty of background noise. I put my ear right to the sump and I can’t hear any pump noise but I’m also not particularly sensitive to noise. Sounds like maybe you got a bad pump?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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Unread 10/13/2017, 01:22 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by MMOORE0324 View Post
I have the tank finally set up and running. I’ll post a more in-depth update later but so far the 120DC skimmer seems to be pretty silent. I downloaded a decibel meter for my phone and was getting 58. That was with overflow water noise (no filter socks installed yet) and plenty of background noise. I put my ear right to the sump and I can’t hear any pump noise but I’m also not particularly sensitive to noise. Sounds like maybe you got a bad pump?
Simplicity didn't test their skimmer noise, not sure why they won't. But I got a new replacement pump to try. The new pump is pretty silent, though still louder than my VarioS-4 and 2.

But when I add in the air, it gets pretty loud. I guess this is impossible to avoid with needlewheel type skimmers? I'm at about 60 decibels next to the skimmer now with it on full blast.

Maybe I'm too sensitive. But if you're reading 58 with yours, it's probably just me.

What pump power level are you on? And how much air (approximately) are you letting in? And what's your wedge pipe set to?


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Unread 10/13/2017, 10:43 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kinetic View Post
Simplicity didn't test their skimmer noise, not sure why they won't. But I got a new replacement pump to try. The new pump is pretty silent, though still louder than my VarioS-4 and 2.

But when I add in the air, it gets pretty loud. I guess this is impossible to avoid with needlewheel type skimmers? I'm at about 60 decibels next to the skimmer now with it on full blast.

Maybe I'm too sensitive. But if you're reading 58 with yours, it's probably just me.

What pump power level are you on? And how much air (approximately) are you letting in? And what's your wedge pipe set to?
I'm running the controller on full speed, air is about half (break in instructions said to keep it 100% open but that gave me bubbles all the way up the neck), and wedge pipe is 100% open, again per the break-in guide. I was playing with the air valve a little just to see what I could get it to pull out after only an hour and I got some nice beige skimmate, which was sand dust, so I'm pretty optimistic about the overall performance.

I also went with the simplicity DC return pump, 2100 GPH model, and that truly is silent. That was the first thing I started up and I honestly can't hear even a hum.

I started my cycle this morning, using Dr. Tim's One and Only, so the skimmer will be shut down for 48 hours. I'm anxious to see what it might pull out next week once the water clears. I will probably start to ghost feed a tiny bit on Tuesday pending Nitrites are gone.


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Unread 10/13/2017, 10:49 AM   #15
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**UPDATE 10/13**

Just a quick update - I'll try to post a more in-depth update later on. The tank is up and running, finally. I'm pretty happy with how the system turned out. I get a lot of build ideas in my head but I never see them through. I'm really glad that I took the time and have completed this system. Working with acrylic has been a blast and I'm looking forward to my next project. Here are a few photo's from last night, after the tank was running for about 2 hours.

FTS:



SUMP AREA:



Remote Fuge:



First TopDown





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Unread 10/22/2017, 02:45 PM   #16
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Sorry for not updating lately. I’ve been busy with work and then also have been super sick the past week and a half. I just wanted to give a slight update that the tank is doing great. The tank cycled nicely. I used Dr. Tim’s one and only nitrifying bacteria so I thought the tank would cycle a little quicker than it did, but it’s all good. I’ve moved a couple mangroves from my cichlid refugium over to the remote fuge and added a container of Algaegen reef pods. Need to get a little cheato.

Today though.. was a good day. I picked up a pair of Wyoming White clowns. The past year that I’ve been thinking about this build I had in my head that I wanted Wyoming Whites or Frostbite clowns. I was at the LFS the other day and saw a pair of Wyoming’s that were very active and had awesome colors. After thinking about it all week I decided today that I just had to have them. I don’t plan to keep a nem so hopefully they’ll take residence in a goniopora once I get it. They’ve been in the tank for about an hour and are already eating PE Pellets.



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Last edited by MMOORE0324; 10/22/2017 at 04:04 PM.
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Unread 10/22/2017, 06:55 PM   #17
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Wow you got them! Those are beautiful, congratulations!


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Unread 10/23/2017, 11:15 AM   #18
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Quote:
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Wow you got them! Those are beautiful, congratulations!
Thanks man, so happy that I got them. They are doing well so far, eating like little machines. I'm planning to try my hand at raising the fry next year.


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Unread 10/26/2017, 10:59 AM   #19
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And... my first SPS has been placed. Seasons Greetings Monti




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Unread 10/28/2017, 01:15 PM   #20
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Saturday Test Day!!!



SG: 35
PH: 8
No3: 10 - 12
Po4: 0.025
Ca: 450
DKh: 8
Mg: 1380
Avg Tmp: 77.56

Despite adding a couple fish and a coral this week, my nitrates are down to 10 - 12 from 25 last week. I'm very pleased with how the tank is progressing. Lots of coraline started showing up on the rocks this week and I'm starting to get a nice biofilm on the acrylic. I suspect that by the end of next week I'll start seeing a little dinoflagellates.

What are your tests showing this week?


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Unread 10/28/2017, 05:45 PM   #21
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Parameters look good, how do you like the NYOS tests? I've always been a Salifert guy but been using the Red Sea tests since they are a little bit easier for me to get locally.


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Unread 10/28/2017, 06:37 PM   #22
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Quote:
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Parameters look good, how do you like the NYOS tests? I've always been a Salifert guy but been using the Red Sea tests since they are a little bit easier for me to get locally.


So far so good with the Nyos. I had always used Salifert or Elos kits. All my LFS carry Red Sea but I’ve never tried them. In a couple weeks I’m going to send my water out to Triton for an ICP test so I’ll see how accurate the Nyos are. Certainly there are so many variables with Home reagent based testing. I always try to maintain the same testing parameters (lighting, sample sizes, etc)


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Unread 11/06/2017, 09:13 AM   #23
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Happy Sunday Reefers!

This weeks tank parameters:

SG: 35
Ph: 8
No3: 5
P04: 0.025
dkh: 8
Ca: 460
Mg: 1425


One thing that I'd like to note. This past week I've added several coral frags, 2 mini colonies, and have upped my feeding of the tank. Despite all this - my nitrates went from 25ppm down to 5ppm. My phosphate stayed the same at 0.025. So this tells me that my tank is processing nitrate efficiently now along with my refugium.

Projects of the week:

I decided last week that I wanted to take down my remote refugium, which is a 20g acrylic cube that's plumbed into the main system and sits on it's own stand next to the display. I would like to use that tank for possibly a pair of ORA Seahorses or perhaps another clown pair and maybe some soft corals or something. So I decided to use a 20g long that I had sitting around and put that in the garage and plumb it into the main system and that would be my new fuge. Because the 20g cube is gavity fed from the display's drain line, I couldn't get the flow through it that I wanted. I have a spare output on my manifold so that's what feeds the new fuge in the garage.

20g long with acrylic baffle siliconed in with RTV 103 Black:





I'm employing the Triton Method so I knew that I wanted to light my new fuge with a stronger and proper spectrum light. So I bought a 300w Hydroponic grow LED. This thing is bright!



Spectrum:






The light is on a digital timer, I'm out of outlets on my Apex :angry:, and runs a 12 hour reverse photo period cycle. The left side of the fuge, the inlet side, has lots of Chaeto, the water flows through the baffle and into the mangrove section. I'll be planting 10 red mangrove propagules in there. The mangrove section has a 3" DSB. The water then drains back into the skimmer section for further processing. I'm happy with how everything came out. I would have liked to pick up a 40g instead of using the 20 but I'll upgrade later. lol

I added some nice corals this week. Took a drip to Orlando yesterday to visit WWC, Living Reef Orlando, and Sea in the City. I've been to WWC before and everything was looking better than ever. It was my first time to LRO and Sea in the City. LRO was insane. I could have easily spent $10k or more. I can't wait to go back. I'll try to get some photo's once the corals all settle in.

One other project ongoing this week. Actually 2...

I've been working on a acrylic ATO reservoir. It's about done, just need to put on the finishing touches.

The second is... I love my 20K Radium MH but I'm missing some actinic. The tank just isn't as blue as I want it. My dilemma is I want the tank to remain clean. My MH pendant is only 12" long so I thought about doing some Reefbrite strips attached to the pendant. Also thought about doing some T5's somehow. Ultimately I settled on the Kessil A80 Tuna Blue. It's super small form factor and modern ascetics should fit the tank well. It's not a super powerful light but still has a lot of adjustability and I think it'll accomplish what I'm looking for. Since I have a 3" euro brace, I'm not sure how I"ll mount the light, but I'll figure it out.

That's it for now. I hope everyone had a great week.


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Unread 11/06/2017, 09:14 AM   #24
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One quick shot of my WWC Hi-Liter acro that I got from a club member last week. Not the best pic.




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Unread 11/06/2017, 02:03 PM   #25
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Fuge is looking great, is that the mars hydro light? I've been eyeing one lately, looking forward to seeing how it does for you.


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