LeeMar starfire 290 mixed reef build

[kmooresf]

Finished a couple more pieces today. It's very difficult trying to get them to fit together in any kind of an interesting way. I have about 6 pieces of rock left over that I just can't seem to make anything with. I also have about 200 lbs in my 110 that will be moving over tomorrow. However I am just going to stack that rock as I usually do.

This is the first piece today.



Same from a different angle....



Second piece of the day.



Had a friend come over and help me move them into the tank. This is NOT the final layout, I will try to incorporate the additional rock to make these seem a bit more natural.

[TheFishTeen]

Nice aquascape! Looks very cool! A majority of us put plastic (like egg crating) under the rock so it doesn't chip/scratch/crack the glass under it. Its cheap and easy. You can find sheets of it at your local hardware store in the lighting section, under light diffusers.

[skimace7]

Very cool setup... can't wait to see all of your tanks into the beast.

[kmooresf]

Thanks Kovy. I actually have some, but decided not to use it with these cause I made them too tall. Didn't want to raise them another 1/2". I think I will use them under the rest though. More to hold them in place as I will be stacking the rock.

Do the wrasses have trouble with the egg crate being there?? Seems like they could get hurt diving into the sand and hitting that.

@ skimace7........thanks I appreciate it. I can't wait to get them in either. Hopefully the rocks will go in tomorrow and fish the following day if the Params don't wig out.

[Chelseyandco]

Looks great! I'll definitely be tagging along for this build. Can't wait to see the final layout of your rock scape

[reefernutz]

Definately following along. This thing is looking awsome. Nice work!!

[kmooresf]

Well, it's been a long day.

I was able to finish the aquascape. I moved all the rocks from the 110 gallon tank into the 300. Sand is now in, and all the livesand from the 110 went into the fuge. Fish and Nems, cleaner shrimp and starfish are chillin in a large Brute can with a powerhead, heater........a couple large liverock and an airstone.

The mushrooms, polyps from the 110 went in with the rock and are doing nicely. I moved the heaters and the lighting from the 110 over to the 300. The Maxspect LED's had 90' lenses on them. I switched them back to NO optics hoping to get a better spread for the 31" wide tank, and to my surprise..........they cover quite nicely!!

I took several pictures throughout the day and most really don't do the tank justice. So I took a video. Hopefully it will give you a better perspective of how the tank looks and the depth of rockwork. I am VERY pleased with the final look. I may change some stuff in time, but to start out, it's pretty cool. Check out the vid. Thanks.

http://youtu.be/SYMu8HFJtkA

Kris.

[kafug]

Very nice. One thing tho it makes your tv look really small LOL

[akove]

Aquascape looks great. Reminds me of errupting volcanos!

[reefernutz]

Awesome job with the rockwork. Plenty of spots for coral and plenty of caves and areas for the fishies to play around.

[kmooresf]

Thanks very much everyone.

So the fish have been in for 3 days now. I have been testing the water every day, and it's getting better?? LOL! My 110 gallon tank had very high nitrates when moved........approx 90ppm and VERY high phosphate level at 5.7ppm. I had a cannister filter in addition to the sump / fuge that had been running for many years with two full trays of Kent marine Nitrate sponge, one tray of carbon and 1 tray of phosban in addition to 4 large sponges. That filter broke about 4 months ago and knowing I was getting a new tank I decided not to replace it. Sooooooooo the changes. I increased the water changes, but anyway.......

So these are the results over the last three days.

2/21/2012
Nitrate = Approx 25ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Amonia = <0.25 mg/l

2/22/2012
Nitrate = Approx 20ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Amonia = <0.25mg/l
Phosphate = .57ppm
Alkalinity = 165ppm = 9.24dkh
Calcium = 600ppm

2/23/2012
Nitrate = Approx 10ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Amonia = <0.25mg/l
Calcium >500

So as you can see........my calcium level is really high. I know it's mostly new salt, so I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. I bought the Hannah digital calcium tester and it read 600. I tested it multiple times with the same result. So I figured it was wrong......I bought a salifert test kit today and it also shows over 500. I imagine when I move my corals over it will drop fairly quickly. Should I be worried about it?? Is there any way to lower it.......I assume my next water change will only add more.

As you can see the Nitrates are dropping daily.........no nitrites yet and no ammonia at all on the test so far. I am getting a nice diatom bloom on the new rocks. LOL! Fish are a little bashfull in the new digs, but eating well and no signs of ich. The shrimp and Starfish are LOVING the new tank, the shrimp are right out front and the starfish are feeding like crazy. Of coarse they always have. The Eel is in HEAVEN. He is cruising back and forth under the rocks all day and all night. He has a LOT of places to hang out.

Skimmer is the bomb......already cleaned it twice. The heater controller is amazing. I am not used to having a consistent temp, but it has been 77 since I hooked it up. Tunze Osmollater is fantastic, and I will NOT miss adding water every day. Anyway, thought I would throw up an update. Planning a water change on Saturday and will continue to monitor things closely. Gonna need a reef cleaner pack soon!!

[gimmito]

Nice to see you on RC Kris !

[kmooresf]

Thanks Jim! Need all the help I can get.

Oh, I put the Maggie mufflers on, and I was able to raise the water level in the overflow to get rid of the "Waterfall" effect. However it was gurgling like crazy. I ended up drilling the air holes a bit bigger and put air tubing about 20" down into the drain. Worked like a charm......this baby is QUIET!!!! Very pleased!!!

[gimmito]

Sweet !

[explor3r]

What a great job you done with the rocks, love your tank dimensions and everything else about your build.
Will tag along to see this tank mature

[Agioniko]

Wow. That is amazing. So need to get those glass lifters when moving a tank. Just for my backs sake

[kmooresf]

Thanks everyone.

Agioniko.........The suction cups are AMAZING! Made moving this 1000+ lb beast pretty darn easy!! Two of us could comfortably lift one side to get it onto a dolly and those things didn't budge a bit. I borrowed them from a guy in my local reef club. If I planned on moving this EVER again I would definately invest in some. You can rent them, however it's not cheap and some of them require some kind of suction to get them on. These were a really neat thumb pump that sucked out the air and made the seal.

Also the lift was fantastic as well. Rated for 1000 lbs and if you have a "Flat" style base for the tank......once it is off the ground it has 4 rolling castors. You can actually move the tank into position while it's on the lift. I think it was like 60 bucks to rent for the day. Tank was out of the garage and on the stand in less than an hour.....only took 4 people really to move it comfortably. Although I had 10 on hand just in case.

[mark54321]

Great build so far. I really like your rock structures you did. I will be ordering some E-Macro 400 to do something like yours. Did you do any additional curing of the cement before you put it in to your tank or no curing is needed. I will be using mostly live rock,so I wondered if I will kill most of it by using this cement? Thanks.

[kmooresf]

Thanks Mark.

Emaco 400 with "Acryl 60." Mix the Acryl with R/O water........50/50. Use that with the Emaco and start with a little. Add as needed to a fairly thick paste.......not too thick, but not runny. It will set in about 10 min. Ok to place in the tank water after approx 1 hour. 24 hours to fully cure and it will cure in the tank. No worries about it hurting the liverock. Try to stack the stones, or if your putting two or three together for a base, make sure to have as much surface area contact as possible. It needs enough to really make it strong. I let mine cure in the garage over night, but I started with "dry" rock from BRS. If your using Liverock from a tank..........rock should be fine out of the water for several hours. Just get it done, let it sit for at least an hour and drop it back in the tank. You can buy the Emaco and the Acryl already packaged from Marco Rocks. Good luck. Don't forget the Fiberglass rods. That will let you sleep at night. LOL!

Kris.

[Reef264]

Nice Progress Bud!

[reefer859]

This is awesome! I dream of putting a tank like this together someday. Can't wait to see more pics.

[jt48]

Very Interesting rock structures. Good job.

[kmooresf]

Hey thanks everyone. I am very excited about the progress! The water has been getting better and better. Params today......

Nitrates =5ppm
Nitrites = 0ppm
Amonia = 0mg/l
Phosphates = .10ppm

Ended up with a new fish today. LOL! Yes, it's a bit early to be buying fish, however it was a gift, so I can't complain too much, and it's a SWEET fish. A small Gold Spotted Rabbit fish. I took a video of the new fish and showed off the tank a little. Narration is a bit lame, however some people have asked for a little info. Soooooo....here ya go. Enjoy.

http://youtu.be/zb3XSnn0wNI

[Rotknee]

Congrats on the new tank and build. I like your attention to detail. How did the overflow sound without the gate valves? I was curious and wanted to ask as the only option for me was to install my gate valve horizontally.

Oh...I had the SAME problem with my overflow and return lines. They didn't line up and I had to use the flex pvc. I guess LeeMar is consistent in that regard.

Again, nice build!

[kmooresf]

Hey Rotknee, thanks.

The Maggie mufflers allowed me to raise the water level to about 3/4" below the teeth. This has taken out the "waterfall" effect and it is a very quiet trickle at best. The pipes were pretty loud initially, however with the maggie mufflers they are also very quiet except for a loud gurgle. I was able to kill the gurgle by putting air tubing in the vent holes approx 15" into the drain. I super glued them in place and then added a small additional hole. I did this in multiple steps to see just how quiet I could make it. To me it is VERY quiet. I can hear the hum of the skimmer on the other side of the wall over the drain. I don't feel the need to add the ball valve at all. However, it's good to have the option if I ever change my mind. Kinda wish I would have just put it in, although I prolly wouldn't have found another way to do it if I had. Good luck.