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Unread 04/21/2016, 03:21 PM   #26
Blink2824
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Received the Halichoeres Iridis from the Divers Den today. Beautiful specimen! I'm glad I called them this morning, because I never received a shipment notification... first time that has happened. Either way, I had the QT prepped and ready to go. He has since settled in, ate a few bites of frozen brine, and as i'm wrapping up my workday behind the desk- I looked over, watched him circle the top of the tray of sand I placed in the QT tank... and then he burrowed right in! SO COOL. I'm already in love with this fish. I'll try and catch a video of him in action the coming days.


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Unread 04/22/2016, 07:38 AM   #27
Blink2824
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My 150 Gallon Build

Aaaaannnnnd... Action!

FYI it's slo mo so the beginning and end are the exciting parts...

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Last edited by Blink2824; 04/22/2016 at 07:43 AM.
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Unread 04/22/2016, 07:49 AM   #28
soulpatch
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very cool. I just saw my melanarus go into the sand last night for the first time.


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150 SC tank build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2550948

Some have bar tabs. I have a coral tab at my LFS. Life goals.
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Unread 04/23/2016, 05:58 PM   #29
Blink2824
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Woke up today to find the radiant wrasse breathing fast and looked like a sore of some kind developed on his side. Three hours later, and belly up. I'm going to have LA credit me and will probably put it toward a melanarus, unless another radiant pops up soon. Being that I've got a baby on the way- i'd really like to have all of my desired new fish inhabitants quarantined and ready to go when the 150 gallon gets here the end of May. TTM/QT is one of my least favorite but extremely necessary things in this hobby. Just a constant test of my patience I guess.

In other news... the floors are finished and I am working on painting the ceilings, and base trim install this weekend. Hoping to have the entire upstairs trimmed out by the end of the month... i'm optimistic. Then i'll be able to work on the future display tank room/study, and begin building the stand. I'll post a few progress pics of the house, and where the new tank will go, in the coming days.

-Tyler


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Unread 04/24/2016, 06:44 PM   #30
soulpatch
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Sorry to hear about the fish but it happen to the best if us. Saving grace is that it was within warranty period. I lost my first tusk 2 days after warranty so there went 250..

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Unread 04/26/2016, 07:07 AM   #31
Blink2824
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Need some help- I've been researching substrate types/brands. I'm leaning toward Tropic Eden Reef flakes...with runner up being Caribsea special grade. Any suggestions or personal experiences on either? Thanks in advance!


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Unread 04/26/2016, 07:20 AM   #32
soulpatch
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I have the carib sea ocean direct natural and like it. It is coarse enough that i dont have blowing around issues but soft enough for my wrasse to dive in.


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Unread 04/26/2016, 10:24 AM   #33
Blink2824
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Nice. That looks to be twice as much sand (40 lb instead of 20lb) for the same price as the reef flakes. I'll most likely make my decision based upon free shipping or rewards points (Amazon or BRS eligible). As always, thanks for the input Soulpatch.


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Unread 04/26/2016, 10:29 AM   #34
soulpatch
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I got mine on Amazon as it was half price of BRS or other sellers. Just an FYI.


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Unread 05/17/2016, 09:18 PM   #35
Blink2824
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Update: With everything I have going on in home renovations, I decided I didn't want to take the time to build the stand (Steve at SCAquariums gave me a great price!). So the 150G tank, stand and canopy will be delivered this Thursday. I'm still deciding if I am going to use the canopy or not... Anyway, the past few weeks have been extremely busy and i'm not even close to finishing the DT room... so it is going to be a long next couple of days. I still have to sand the skimmed ceilings one more time, then prime/paint ceiling, re-paint the walls a new color and do the finish trim work (yup, crown molding too!). I also need to reinforce my floor joists...the list goes on. Since my last post, I was able to sneak off to El Salvador to surf with some friends and catch an awesome right point break. Had a great vacation to get some "me" time, since I've got a baby due in a few months. Thankfully, I'd like to think "tank wise" I am pretty good shape. I've got the LifeReef SVS3-24 skimmer/Refugium and LF1300S sump plumbed and ready for the drains/return. I have the saltwater station set up and producing fresh saltwater. I've got the neoprene pad for in-between the tank and stand, and my Apex on standby. I do need to give the entire sump/refugium a good cleaning before getting it wet, and I do also need to purchase some misc. items like spaflex and substrate. I also still need to route the dedicated electrical line...A couple questions: What should I do about battery back-up in case of a temporary power outage? I'm talking about an outage lasting between 1-6 hrs. Recent posts on here got me thinking about this. Also, are there pro's and con's to putting sand in the refugium? I would like to one day have two pipe fish in there with my macro algae...and I just like the added look and appeal of a substrate, even if it is a 1" bed.

I hope to have everything set-up in the next two weeks! Lots of new tank pics to follow! Wish me luck.









Quick look at the future kids room



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Unread 05/18/2016, 05:36 AM   #36
Blink2824
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One more question for the reefers out there... I have a mix of about 40 lbs of BRS reef saver dry rock, and one large tonga branch. This was delivered probably a month ago and has been sitting in my garage. It never crossed my mind to research if it leaches...and it seems that is does (per some posts I've read on here). Is "cooking" the rock the best way to go? If so, how long? I will be using a majority of my existing LR in the 75 gallon and mix in the tonga and a few other dry pieces.

Thanks for following along!


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Unread 05/20/2016, 12:29 PM   #37
Blink2824
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Woooohoooooo!!! Tank, stand and canopy have arrived.



I was so excited to open it up and inspect for perfection.



Immediately I was impressed by the clean seams...



I managed to get it into my garage on my own and that is where she will sit for now...



Time to get things going on this house... so I can turn my attention to setting up the tank! Happy weekend everyone. I'm still curious as to anyone's thoughts on sand in the refugium, and if "cooking" the dry base rock I have is necessary...? I'm trying to cut the to-do list down.... and it just seems to keep building with the more research I do.

TGIF


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Unread 05/20/2016, 12:34 PM   #38
soulpatch
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I dont put sand in my refugium but I do have marine pure plate and balls in there for pods to live in. As for the rock if you want to be sure then cook it. I did not go with the BRS rock so cant say. I went with reef cleaners rock which is pretty much same as BRS reef saver but cheaper and he cures it before sending it out.


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150 SC tank build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2550948

Some have bar tabs. I have a coral tab at my LFS. Life goals.
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Unread 06/02/2016, 11:15 AM   #39
Blink2824
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YAY! What a busy holiday weekend that was. I am so glad I had Monday off of work to be able to finish the tank transfer... or so I thought. I just finished everything last night, and I still have to glue some remaining frags/possibly re-aquascape one area. I need to set-up my Apex which I am a total newbie with and am sure will need some help when it comes time for setting up fail-safes. I need to set up my ATO, and still need to clean up all of the wiring.

I did manage to plumb everything on my own and with complete leak-free success. Which I am patting myself on the back as this was my first time setting up a sump. I did forget to put a cap in one of the outputs of my manifold which resulted in a fire hydrant display of water when I fired up the Blueline 100HD return pump for the first time... but I consider that the beers fault and not mine. I learned two things, triple check all connections and holy cow that Blueline100HD is a beast. Thankfully it was in the unfinished basement and the wife didn't even know anything happened other than a quick muffled curse in the distance, score. After the water test, I dialed in the LifeReef SVS3-24 skimmer as best I could for the time being and began working on other tasks while the sand settled down.









I put in about 110 lbs of a mix of Caribsea ocean direct and Tropic Eden reef flakes (70/30). Also added about 20 lbs of sand from my old 75 gallon set-up after a thorough rinse. I purchased a good amount of base rock from BRS... was lazy and failed to "cook" it. I did put a few pieces in the 75 gallon about two months ago so I think that helped a bit but the tonga branch and a couple other pieces i'm sure will leach a bit... I plan to fight with GFO and observation.

All livestock and inverts (including a variety of nassarius, astrea, and cerith snails) made it over to the new tank pretty easily, livestock list is as follows:

QTY Name
2 Skumk Cleaner Shrimp
2 Black Ocellaris Clown Fish
2 Green/Blue Reef Chromis
1 Purple Firefish
1 Midas Blenny
3 Red Spot Cardinal Glassfish
1 Randalls Goby w/ Pistol Shrimp
1 McCoskers Flasher Wrasse
1 Yellow Hawaii Tang
1 P. Fridmani Psuedochromis
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Powder Blue Tang
1 Melanarus Wrasse

I had placed all of the coral I could safely remove from the LR and put in a 40 gal holding tank which I then treated with a massive coral dip just because the opportunity presented itself. Then I spent most of tue/wed gluing corals while on conference calls (my favorite way to pass the time).

I am headed out of town this weekend but plan to post some FTS and coral/livestock pictures next week! I'll be curious to see how these three Chinese LED fixtures hold up in regard to growth on the many new SPS frags I've obtained over the past two months... if anyone is out there on RC and is curious to know how SPS/LPS and other coral growth is under three 165w full spectrum 120 degree LED boxes, follow along!

I'm really excited to watch this tank mature as I continue to learn good husbandry practices. The challenge of maintaining beautiful coral and healthy/happy fish is what really drives my passion in this hobby. I love learning from everyone else on this forum so please continue to share your thoughts and ideas. Even though I really enjoy the one on one dialogue with Soulpatch, there has to be some others out there following along

Best Regards,

Tyler


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Unread 06/02/2016, 11:18 AM   #40
Blink2824
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My 150 Gallon Build

Here is a FTS from before the wet test. I decided to use the canopy from SCAquariums as its intended, even though I seriously contemplated a floating canopy concept...


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Unread 06/06/2016, 09:38 AM   #41
Blink2824
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Update:












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Unread 06/06/2016, 09:39 AM   #42
soulpatch
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looking good. Jealous of the powder as I cant seem to keep one alive in QT...


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150 SC tank build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2550948

Some have bar tabs. I have a coral tab at my LFS. Life goals.
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Unread 06/13/2016, 09:42 AM   #43
Blink2824
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Thanks Soulpatch. I appreciate all your help getting me to this point- I got lucky with the PB. The thing has been a pig since day 1 in QT and after a month of observation I threw him in the DT at the same time as the rest of the crew from the 75gallon. I should have waited a bit longer to put him in because he has quickly become the boss of the new tank and has shown a good amount of aggression toward the clowns but it seems to be passing. My bad luck are with Flame angels... I have tried to own three so far and all three have passed within the first three weeks of owning. I've got a small 1 1/2" Flame coming from DD tomorrow so... we will see.

I have been slammed with house-work in an attempt to get a lot of it done before September but I really need to spend a few hours and sit down to figure out my Apex. I purchased what I now realize is an old DC8 (legacy EB8) and am wondering if I can hook it up with my single EB8 and base unit? I can't seem to log-into the Apex fusion app with the same credentials I use to log-in to fusion from the computer... the frustration is mounting and I have only just begun to toy with this thing... I think I will need to lean on you (Soulpatch and the reef central community) to help me understand setting up/configuring the fail-safe/redundancies I want to put in place. I also need to figure out what to do about my ATO, right now it is a 5 gallon bucket of RODI that I am filling up every two days. Definitely not used to evaporating this much!

!


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Unread 06/13/2016, 09:52 AM   #44
soulpatch
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I am with you on the evap. I am burning through 7 gallons every few days. The nice thing is that my humidor in the basement is not needing to work so hard to keep humidity. LOL.

I am contemplating a solenoid on the RODI line I will run tot he stand with the awc lines. I have a float in my ATO container so I think I can have the solenoid open for a minute or so to refil slightly and not dry out my ato pump and send me an alert. I worry about leaks though so I would have to also install a manual float valve for redundancy and perhaps another upper float to ensure everythign cuts off in time. Still thinking it though.

That said since I am doing kalk right now it is nice to have to bring the bucket over and mix the kalk before it goes into the ato container. Not sure I want a mixing pump in the container but that is probably the next step I need to look into before I delve into 2 part finally.


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Some have bar tabs. I have a coral tab at my LFS. Life goals.
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Unread 06/14/2016, 05:11 PM   #45
Blink2824
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I need some help. Today I finally had a bit of time to fiddle around with the tank. I barely got the Apex set up with the single EB8 and some basic outlet configuration. I set the powerheads and return pump to off for feed mode and testing purposes... then I tested feed mode. I definitely have too much flow coming through the return pump... Once it shut off... First mistake- I didn't have my skimmer pump off so when the sump filled up the skimmer cup filled up QUICK. Does this mean I should set my skimmer pump to turn off every-time my return pump turns off...right? Second mistake- I have my return nozzles pointed at would I would consider to be a 65-70 degree angle assuming the top of the water is my 90 degree line... I did this because of a slurping noise the return nozzle would make due to the power heads creating random flow...it was the only way to get rid of that annoying noise- but they are too low. Every time the return pump turns off a siphon is created and doesn't break until the nozzle is exposed to air. I get it. So if the return nozzles (loc-line) are pointed too "level/high" with the water, when the pump turns on #1 water sprays everywhere and #2 the slurping/sucking noise from the return nozzle comes back. If they are too low, the sump water level rises too high for comfort. Of course, I was cleaning out the overflown skimmer cup when the pump kicked back on because feed mode timer ran out and I hear my return nozzles spraying water everywhere! On top of it all, I had my Tunze ATO tube sticking into the sump with the ATO reservoir bucket on the floor. After my sump water level rose as much as it did...it created a siphon on the ATO line and my 5 gallon bucket was overflown onto the basement floor... oh the joy.

So, game plan. I don't want to sacrifice good flow from the return nozzles but I am definitely going to need to dial it back and eliminate any excessive water splashing when the pumps come back on because my return will have to break air every-time regardless to end any auto siphon. Right?

I'll work on getting the skimmer pump to shut off every time the return pump turns off. Is there any issue in this? I'm not seeing any...

I need a beer


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Unread 06/14/2016, 06:33 PM   #46
soulpatch
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Blink - If you want the returns lower in your tank you can either live with it if you have room in your sump OR you can drill a tiny hole in the bottom of one of the lines just below the water line so that it breaks the siphon and only "leaks" some of that flow through the small hole.

For apex setting and such yes turn off your skimmer with the return pump AND have it turn on at least 10 minutes after the sump so that you give everything time to drain and have the level set again.

For the ATO line you can move it up in the sump. If you drill the hole in your loc line you will have less water flow back into your sump leaving you room for the ato line without worry of the siphon forming. Also if you only have a small amount of line in the sump IE like an inch or less then when the sump fills it wouldn't put enough in there to start a siphon either. You have a few options for that one. You can also move your ato container OR put a chec valve on. I don't like check valves personally but then again straight RODI shouldn't have any buildups to worry about to cause the line any issues....


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Unread 06/14/2016, 06:50 PM   #47
Blink2824
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Thanks for helping me keep my head on straight!


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Unread 06/15/2016, 06:15 PM   #48
915MANG
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Nice Build, Id like a 150g myself.


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Current Tank Info: 120 Gal in progress Fish & a few corals 34G Solana
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Unread 06/15/2016, 07:57 PM   #49
Blink2824
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Thanks for checking out my build 915MANG. I love the 5' x 2' x 2' footprint of this 150. You should get one!


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Unread 06/15/2016, 09:49 PM   #50
915MANG
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blink2824 View Post
Thanks for checking out my build 915MANG. I love the 5' x 2' x 2' footprint of this 150. You should get one!


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Yeah I like it too, was it eurobraced on the bottom> Looked like it was on the top.


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Current Tank Info: 120 Gal in progress Fish & a few corals 34G Solana
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