From the old 34 to the new 90 [Archive]

mch1984

01-11-2018, 02:13 PM

So after realizing there was a great salty community on this forum I have decided to post this build here. I currently have a Red Sea 130D I bought used about 6 months ago. It was my first adventure into salt water and I could have never predicted how much I would like it. I can't put a finger on just why I enjoy the salt water so much but I do. So I have been running the 34 gallon and with varying degrees of success. I have already learned some lessons but have also discovered I would much rather have a larger tank that is not an all in one aquarium. I have nothing against all in one aquariums, and plan to use an older JBJ 12 gallon for a rock flower anemone tank later. For my mixed reef however, I want the expansion and flexibility of a sumped design rather than an all in one.

So one day why casually perusing facebook I came across a brand new 90 gallon drilled with over flow box aquarium. It was made by Planet Aquarium, which in Texas at least is one of the premium tank manufacturers. I had seen a couple of them and they are stunning tanks. The price was right and a little cheaper than what I would pay at a shop. The guy bought it has an impulse and had never used it. This tank has never seen a drop of water, and he was throwing an older T5 fixture in with it to boot. So after being encouraged by my wife I picked it up last night. Pictures do not do this tank justice, I have never had a tank this pretty, could not be more happy with it.

So this will be a slow build, there is still much to buy. But I will update has I go and I'm sure ask many questions. Below is a slightly older picture of my 34 gallon and a couple of pictures of the new tank that will be taking it's place. The tank is in my bedroom and my patience will be tested while trying go slow and build this tank the right way

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Slaphppy7

01-11-2018, 02:18 PM

Congrats on the new tank.

SueD

01-11-2018, 05:39 PM

Even empty, that's a nice looking tank. At least you have a running tank to still enjoy while you take your time and test your patience with this new build. In the long run it will be well worth the time taken.

mch1984

01-11-2018, 06:28 PM

Thank you both! The pictures really don't do justice, its beautiful. Too bad I can't convey to the current inhabitants that that is their future new home. Both tanks are in the same room at the moment.

angelcraze2

01-11-2018, 06:37 PM

mch1984

01-11-2018, 08:43 PM

Verrrrry nice :) Look what you've been hiding from us lol! It's beautiful!!! Those vertically striped fish with the snake - tongue caudal fin are my favorite saltwater fish :) But lol, I really don't know anything about it. YET!

Well if you ever decide to try you'll never look back. Most of the fish in my tank are the absolute most common beginner fish, but I still like them. The most exciting thing about this 90 is I plan to add an eel. I have always loved eel's and can not wait to add one. The wife wants a fox face Lo, I figure she tolerates the tanks i can add her favorite to the tank.

angelcraze2

01-11-2018, 08:53 PM

Well if you ever decide to try you'll never look back. Most of the fish in my tank are the absolute most common beginner fish, but I still like them. The most exciting thing about this 90 is I plan to add an eel. I have always loved eel's and can not wait to add one. The wife wants a fox face Lo, I figure she tolerates the tanks i can add her favorite to the tank.
EVERYBODY says that.....I just don't know. I love freshwater plants so much...I'll just watch vicariously thru journals. That's exciting, an eel! Be sure to post about him when you get him!

mch1984

01-11-2018, 09:19 PM

Oh I will, I would have posted about the 34 gallon more but I did not realize there was as much activity on the salty side on here. I have my choice of eels down to two breeds, just have to finally settle on one.

BluewaterBoof

01-11-2018, 09:30 PM

angelcraze2

01-11-2018, 10:09 PM

Would a 33g or 55g work? Too tall?

BluewaterBoof

01-11-2018, 10:19 PM

Too long, I believe. The stand is the same measurements as the tank, so anything that's 48" long or 18" wide won't fit inside it. If Matt builds a stand, he could leave the ends open, which would allow him to run a sump that's 48" long (33long, 40long, 55g, etc.). If he leaves the doors off and there is no vertical support in the middle, he could probably fit a shorter but wider (18") tank in there, like a 30/40breeder.

mch1984

01-11-2018, 10:27 PM

Ah, this is what you were talking about the other day on FB! Very nice, Matt! Great score.

Are you keeping the T5 lighting, or are you going to convert to either MH or LED?

It will be interesting how you sump the tank. I hate to say it, but I think you're gonna have to go with a 20long for this tank as long as you keep that stand. The usual sizes that come to mind...40longs, 40breeders, and 55gs... all share the same dimensions - either side/side, or front/back - as the 90g and I just don't see how you could get any of those to fit in the stand. Have you considered selling the stand and using the funds to buy materials to build a custom stand?

Actually there is a guy in Dallas who is going to build one for me. I have no idea what size tank he is going to use but he knows the dimensions of the stand. He said the total volume would be 30 gallons. Nothing special, just a glass tank with glass baffles, but at a really good price.

Lighting.....I love aquariums but I despise lighting. The plan at the moment is to replace the bulbs in the current T5 fixture on the tank. They will be good for 9-12 months. That will be enough time for the tank to really mature and develop, plus enough light to grown some LPS and softies. Then I will get the light I really want. The plan is to go T5/led hybrid. It will be a 4 bulb t5 fixture with two AI hydras 26 led units.

mch1984

01-11-2018, 10:30 PM

As far as going with a different stand, I am going to try and avoid it. I like this stand, its solids maple and very well built.

Boof is right, the 55 is a little too long and tall. with the height of the 55, you would have a hard time getting a skimmer in sump.

BluewaterBoof

01-11-2018, 10:38 PM

mch1984

01-11-2018, 11:42 PM

That's awesome. Does the stand have a center support between the doors, or is it wide open?

I can't decide between the AIs and the SBReefs. The folks on the FB group are pretty polarized on that issue. You'd think they were discussing politics every time someone starts a discussion/argument over the lights.

Your right about the lighting disccusions, which is half the reason I hate it so bad. I have looked at the SBreef lights. They have a 46” that would work for this tank. Funny enough after I responded earlier to the question I discovered another LED lighting option which got amazing reviews from Bulk Reef Supply. The price isn’t too much worse then the 46” SB option. It’s called the Atlantik V4 LED. So I guess the new answer would be I have no idea what I’ll do. I know I have resigned myself to spending around $1000 about a year from now on a lighting upgrade. Well see when it gets closer which way I decide to go.

The stand does have center brace, but its all of 2” wide, so it’s not too big of an issue.

BluewaterBoof

01-12-2018, 12:01 AM

The stand does have center brace, but its all of 2” wide, so it’s not too big of an issue.

I was curious as I didn't know how it would affect being able to insert the sump. If the sump is too long or wide you might run into issues getting it into the stand's doorway.

I haven't heard of that light. I'll have to check it out.

mch1984

01-12-2018, 12:14 AM

I don’t think it will be a problem, the cabinet doors are pretty big. We’ll see if I’m eating my words down the road.

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SueD

01-12-2018, 12:43 AM

The wife wants a fox face Lo, I figure she tolerates the tanks i can add her favorite to the tank.

A very smart man...

What's the issue with the lights currently sitting on the tank? They look so nice sitting there. But I'm not up on the technical stuff of lighting.

BluewaterBoof

01-12-2018, 12:49 AM

Oh that looks like plenty of room. If nothing else you can take one of the doors off to put it in.

Any thought on what you're gonna use for circulation?

mch1984

01-12-2018, 01:01 AM

A very smart man...

What's the issue with the lights currently sitting on the tank? They look so nice sitting there. But I'm not up on the technical stuff of lighting.

The general consensus is that it will grow some coral but not the more light demanding stuff.

mch1984

01-12-2018, 01:03 AM

Oh that looks like plenty of room. If nothing else you can take one of the doors off to put it in.

Any thought on what you're gonna use for circulation?

Going to do two eflux 660 on the back wall, then a maxspect gyre on one side or the other. If I don’t think that is enough I’ll add a 3rd 660 on the back wall.

BluewaterBoof

01-12-2018, 01:43 AM

I've been looking at gyre pumps lately. Not that I have need or can use one in my nano reef, but I hadn't really seen them before and they look pretty cool.

mch1984

01-12-2018, 01:58 AM

The single negative I’ve heard about them is that they are a little noisy. There is a guy locally running one and his wasn’t that loud. But that could have been because I was starring at his Tank in amazement.

mch1984

01-12-2018, 04:05 AM

Question, has anybody ever used window tint on the back of the Tank instead of paint? To help easy my huge desire to start doing something to this Tank, I’m going to do the background this weekend.

BluewaterBoof

01-12-2018, 05:51 PM

I've always just painted my tanks so I can't give personal experience on tinting. I wonder how well the tint material holds up against salt creep.

mch1984

01-12-2018, 06:23 PM

I've always painted myself, and had luck with it. The salt creep is kind of what I was worried about. This may sound dumb, but I almost feel bad painting this tank its too pretty.

BluewaterBoof

01-12-2018, 07:11 PM

This may sound dumb, but I almost feel bad painting this tank its too pretty.

Not at all. I didn't paint my saltwater tank for the same reason :)

mch1984

01-12-2018, 07:14 PM

Well I've asked the question on here and r2r, so unless I hear a huge negative to doing the window tint I think that's what I will do. I guess I could ask the question on facebook but sometimes it just into BS on there.

BluewaterBoof

01-12-2018, 08:33 PM

Yeah, I like to browse through other posts in the SW group to pick up bits of info here and there, but the group has a huge amount of trolls who like to stir the pot. I never see any admins or mods keeping the peace there. It's definitely one of the more unruly groups I'm a member of. Even the most mundane questions posted there seem to get crapped on.

mch1984

01-12-2018, 08:59 PM

Well you will notice I asked. I actually got some good input, and between me and another guy we came up with a great idea. I'm going to put a mirror behind the tank so I can see into the over flow box. As far as the back, you were right about the salt creep. Somebody said it took theirs a few years to start causing a problem with the background. So I'm wondering if it's worth it. Others suggested vinyl, but I feel like that would offer the same problem. If it's between vinyl and tint, I think the tint would look better. They suggested plasti dip, but I equate that with painting and I'm trying to avoid that. I think I will end up taking my chances with the tint. I'll update when I do which ever I go with this weekend.

mch1984

01-14-2018, 03:57 AM

So I have some updates, went with the window tint and I really like it. The question is will it last, fingers crossed that it does. Also super excited, I have found a sump. Guy was selling a eshopps ADV-200. Couldn’t find a lot about the sump online but what I did find was positive. All except a couple of nit picky things. Anyways, guy ran it for 2 months and decided to go bigger. Brand new it runs about 350 and I’m getting it for 150, just slightly used. Just be a perfect fit for the Tank and stand.

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mch1984

01-22-2018, 01:15 AM

The sump is here and is in the stand. I had to remove the center brace to get it to fit, so it’s not coming out lol. But it fits nice and I look forward to seeing this thing running

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mch1984

01-23-2018, 12:57 AM

Ok, so I figured out that if I move my sump 6" to the right I can have a completely straight drop into the sump on the main drain with no 90's or 45's. I will still have enough room on one side for ato reservoir and one side for future dosing containers and other equipment. I can't imagine a down side to this but if there is please let me know, I'm open to suggestions. Below are my diagrams for plumbing, I don't have any of the fancy software so I used paint. I hope all can understand them and again any input is much appreciated. I guess I should mention I'm doing a herbie style drain for this. One is sump layout, one is the over flow plumbing layout and one is what I'm thinking for the plumbing layout. thanks

SUMP LAYOUT
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OVERFLOW LAYOUT
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FIRST THOUGH PLUMBING LAYOUT
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cajunqn81

01-23-2018, 01:20 AM

I don't have any of the fancy software so I used paint.

Hey, I'm a designer, I own the fancy software...and I still prefer paint for my tank concept squiggles. It's really just a matter of what you want to convey

mch1984

01-23-2018, 01:38 AM

haha, yeah it seems to do the job pretty well.

BluewaterBoof

01-23-2018, 05:58 AM

Glad to see the sump made it in. Looks pretty sweet. Guy did a great job.

I have zero experience with sumps, so I’ll let the pros chime in. I’ll be following along taking notes haha

mch1984

01-23-2018, 06:03 AM

Actually this wasn’t that guy, a day or so after I posted that this sump went up for sale. This thing runs about 375 brand new and I got it for 150. It was used for about 2 months but you can’t tell. It’s an eshopps sump, if you stay on the salty side long enough you’ll get to know eshopps. What I was going to get was bare bones sump, what I got was a pretty advanced sump.

cajunqn81

01-23-2018, 02:59 PM

So a really good deal, then

mch1984

01-23-2018, 06:36 PM

Now if I could just find those kind of deals on the rest of the equipment lol. I can't complain too bad, there is a hobbyist locally that can get us equipment at wholesale prices. It's still not cheap but it does save some.

mch1984

01-29-2018, 10:55 PM

So the RO system will be installed on Friday. It's going to be a 5 stage RO with an additional 2 stages of DI, and two 4 gallon tanks. I am going the more expensive route and renting the system. I just like letting somebody else worry about that part of it. They are going to plumb it so that it will bypass the DI when we are using it for drinking water and then I will open the valve for the DI when I'm making tank water. They are going to start changing filters and DI every 3 months, if we see 0 TDS they may try to go every 4 but we'll see how it works out. Not running a booster pump at the moment but may down the line. I haven't told the wife that she might loose all of her storage under that cabinet lol. The RO company I'm working with are excellent to deal with. I also ordered an inline TDS monitor that they are going to install for me when they come on Friday.

mch1984

02-02-2018, 08:07 PM

So the RO system was installed to day, wife lost all her storage under the kitchen sink. Good thing she didn't keep much under there. They installed the inline TDS monitor for me. He is going to come back in three months and change everything, may try to go every 4 at that point if TDS is still 0. With the inline he said if we decide to go 4 months but I see it sooner to call and he can be there the next day to change it. Gals to have that part taken care, should have gotten a better RO system installed a long time ago.

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mch1984

02-03-2018, 02:24 AM

Put in some under cabinet lighting in today. Now I can see what I’m doing.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180203/fb1f1b67ff698955ff73cd97da31541a.jpg

cajunqn81

02-03-2018, 03:22 PM

Under-cab is the best, isn't it...? What kind did you end up getting? Looks really bright in there...

mch1984

02-03-2018, 03:38 PM

Its a cheap puck system from lowes, I paid $25 dollars for it and I can expand it if I want to with single pucks. They aren't the battery powered ones, they are plug in. I will end up adding a switch for them for easy on/off operation. I was pleasantly surprised at how bright they were for the price.

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cajunqn81

02-04-2018, 03:19 AM

Cool. I've got motion-sensor LEDs in mine, turn on when the cabinet doors open. Makes working in there nice & easy...

mch1984

02-04-2018, 10:46 PM

Since the 90 is going in the same spot as the 34, I have to get it moved. I plan on relocating it this evening. I am going to take all the rock out except one piece. Made a frag rack out of some scrap acrylic. Haven’t decided if I want to take the sand out of it yet. We’ll see I guess, this should be fun

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mch1984

02-05-2018, 06:40 PM

So i got the 34 relocated and set up pretty bare bones. I took out about half the sand, left a couple of rocks and the frag rack. So far so good, my rock flowers didn't do well but are bouncing back. One concern I have is that my lawnmower blenny may run out of algae to graze on. Any suggestions on supplemental diet for him? I've tried nori in the past but didn't get much of a response, and I've seen him eat mysis a couple of times. Right now hes really fat, but I want to keep him that way.

mch1984

02-08-2018, 03:28 PM

Got to order the rock today, and can't wait for it to get here. I ordered about 100lbs total of marcos rock. I'm getting 40lbs of single cut prime pieces for bases, and the rest in the regular marco key largo. Also bought a bucket of his mortar and some EPO epoxy to help scape this thing. Wife wont like me taking over the kitchen table for about a week but it will be worth it when it's done.

angelcraze2

02-08-2018, 11:27 PM

So far so good, my rock flowers didn't do well but are bouncing back. One concern I have is that my lawnmower blenny may run out of algae to graze on. Any suggestions on supplemental diet for him? I've tried nori in the past but didn't get much of a response, and I've seen him eat mysis a couple of times. Right now hes really fat, but I want to keep him that way

I have no idea if it would work, as I'm not a SW gal, but I maybe it would supplement him if he got hungry enough?

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https://www.arcatapet.com/m/item.cfm?cat=17872

mch1984

02-08-2018, 11:35 PM

I have no idea if it would work, as I'm not a SW gal, but I maybe it would supplement him if he got hungry enough?

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https://www.arcatapet.com/m/item.cfm?cat=17872

I'm certainly open to trying it, hopefully he will continue to eat some mysis and there will be just enough algae for him to munch on. If not I will give it a shot.

angelcraze2

02-09-2018, 04:13 AM

And possibly this
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https://www.store.repashy.com/soilent-green-4-oz-bag.html

You can coat rocks and whatnot to mimic algae and encourage natural grazing.

BluewaterBoof

02-09-2018, 03:31 PM

Looks like I missed a bunch of updates! Looking good! Sounds like you’re going to have fun playing with all that rock :)

mch1984

02-09-2018, 03:34 PM

Looks like I missed a bunch of updates! Looking good! Sounds like you’re going to have fun playing with all that rock :)

Thanks! I am looking forward to it. I plan on laying out on the kitchen table and taking it over for a little while. The wife will tolerate it but I better not take to long lol.

mch1984

02-10-2018, 11:27 PM

Was going to dry fit all the plumbing this weekend until I realized my return bulkhead was thread instead of slip. So back to Lowe’s I go, but it’s started.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180210/ec37821cfb6f96b7d175cc20efa82572.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180210/aa042374d3d6cf27be0ef830d044eb25.jpg

cajunqn81

02-10-2018, 11:30 PM

That's a good amount of progress there

mch1984

02-10-2018, 11:31 PM

That's a good amount of progress there

Thanks! It’s a tight fit with the massive valves but it should work.

BluewaterBoof

02-11-2018, 03:49 AM

Super jelly! Can’t wait to see it all buttoned up and running.

What kind of media are you going to be running in the sump?

mch1984

02-11-2018, 03:44 PM

This sump came with a media tray which I will probably just use for some marine pure bio balls. I also have a reactor to run my carbon in, and I'll put cheato in the refuguim. I want to add something else in the refuguim but can't decide what yet. Not sure if I'll do some more marine pure, figi mud, rock rubble, or just a sand bed.

cajunqn81

02-11-2018, 06:21 PM

You've got plenty of time to decide, right...?

mch1984

02-11-2018, 06:24 PM

You've got plenty of time to decide, right...?

For sure, part of upgrading aquarium is going to include doing some bedroom make over too. We are replacing the flooring and painting some walls and stuff like that. That's why I'm only dry fitting the plumbing for now, the tank will get moved around some before it's up and running. We are hoping to get the floors and walls done next weekend and by then I should have my rock and hopefully a lot of my scape done.

mch1984

02-16-2018, 05:23 AM

So I got my rock in, the picture doesn't show it all just what I could fit on the table. I got 40lbs of marco rocks prime cuts for base rock. Started talking to a buddy of my and he thought it would be neat with the small depth of the 90 to use the flat cuts to build up on the back glass. I messed with it a little and I like it. I'm going for two separate island but I think my big one will start like this.

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angelcraze2

02-16-2018, 06:09 AM

That rock looks awesome! It's going to look so good built up as islands in the tank.

cajunqn81

02-16-2018, 02:16 PM

Neat rocks! Hope it works out the way you've planned, it's a good concept

mch1984

02-16-2018, 02:23 PM

It will be a slow process, I'm using reef safe cement and epoxy to basically make 3 or 4 very large pieces. I don't want to have to worry about rock slides or anything. Thanks for the compliments

mch1984

02-20-2018, 02:30 PM

Sorry I haven't updated in a while it's been pretty busy around here. I decided to take a different approach to the rock work. I'm afraid I wont be able to transfer large structures into the tank so I have decided to build in the tank and reinforce it inside the aquarium. With that being said we have to get the room redone first so I can move the tank in place. We started that yesterday and got 3 walls done and the new flooring laid. Still have a little bit of work to do but should have it finished soon. Yesterday I received my RODi system, with everything except the booster pump. I'm still waiting on those to be in stock at BRS.

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BluewaterBoof

02-20-2018, 08:01 PM

Dang, Matt's a baller! What's that additional cartridge on the far right for?

mch1984

02-20-2018, 08:31 PM

It's a third DI stage. My original plan was to get a 75gpd 4 stage RO and add a triple DI canister to it. BRS was out of the triple canister so I bought a 6 stage and added a single canister DI to it. I still have to add the booster pump but I'm waiting on them to be back in stock.

BluewaterBoof

02-21-2018, 05:57 PM

Interesting. What's the purpose of using three DI stages?

mch1984

02-21-2018, 06:08 PM

Just to polish the water as much as possible, right now they all have the same type of mixed bed DI resin. After they deplete they will be replaced with a different type of resin in each canister. I'm fighting an uphill battle in west Texas, my tap water runs about 1200 tds.

BluewaterBoof

02-21-2018, 09:50 PM

Holy crap that's some brutal water. I'm curious to see how quickly the canisters further down the line become exhausted. I just had to replace my resin in my unit and that was a bit messier than I was expecting. Definitely cheaper to get bags of the resin and refill as opposed to buying new cartridges.

mch1984

02-21-2018, 09:52 PM

Oh I’m sure, it will probably be worse until I get my booster pump added.

mch1984

02-23-2018, 04:27 PM

so since the build is kind of stalled until we finish the room, I thought I would share a couple of frags I picked up this last weekend.

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mch1984

02-23-2018, 05:49 PM

Oh and a few rock anemones too, this isn't a great shot but they are pretty nice for the price point I got them at. They wont be really happy until the 90 is ready. They will be living in a breeder box, I don't want to have to remove them from a rock when they tank is ready.

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cajunqn81

02-23-2018, 06:27 PM

Cute little guys

BluewaterBoof

02-23-2018, 11:16 PM

Super jelly of the nems. They look to be some pretty specimens. Did you get them from Kush?

Looks like the two frags are acan and favia?

mch1984

02-23-2018, 11:18 PM

I’m not sure which vendor it is, there was group buy locally from a wholesale vendor. There was a total of 75 ordered in the group. Yes, it’s an acan and favia.

BluewaterBoof

02-23-2018, 11:29 PM

Oh that's right, I remember you mentioning that you guys just did a group order. Pretty animals!

Me likey the frags. I have three different acans and two favia. My smaller favia has an attitude and will send out sweepers so it is kinda isolated, but my larger one is near a leather, duncan, and acans and doesn't bother anyone.

mch1984

02-23-2018, 11:33 PM

Acans have turned into my favorite coral. The pretttiest one I own is at somebody else’s house for now lol. He’s holding it until the 90 is ready. I haven’t even seen it in person yet lol.

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mch1984

02-28-2018, 04:17 AM

So still on hold some, have a few more things to do to the room and waiting on the electrician. But I did get some new toys for the build.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180228/ee9837dc5ca90d92a9823ba7affaf33b.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180228/8c84d1756d661f9323870c8d7a523c9c.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180228/a0897a36ff880d4a0e2ad7af58df92ea.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180228/f2a4557bd24afb3b29adeefd3cc7991a.jpg

mch1984

03-03-2018, 05:07 PM

Electrician said they would be at the house early next week so that's great to hear. Hopefully middle of next week I can get the tank back in the room. Once that happens I will get busy on the rock work, it's driving me crazy being stalled like this. Going to a club meeting today and will hopefully come home with some more additions to the quickly filling frag rack. May have to bust out my little magnetic one before long

mch1984

03-05-2018, 04:09 AM

Local reefing group had a meeting and frag swap. It was an awesome deal and was a ton of fun. I came home with about 10 frags and only paid for 3. I got two types of Duncan’s, frogspawn, two hammers, some sunny d zoa, acans and a favia. Here are a few pics.

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mch1984

03-08-2018, 03:32 PM

So I have given up on the electrician and am going to go a different route. I have 20amp breakers in my house and from what I have figured up my tank should be pulling less than 1000 watts at full running operations. With that being said I should be good with just installing GCFI plugs and not installing a dedicated breaker. I thought it was a little over kill anyways and it's a problem I can fix later if it become one. So the bedroom will be finished this weekend, and I will install the GCFI and the data line myself. I placed a big order last night for equipment and it should be here next week. Once the tank is in place I will get going on the rock work.

Equipment coming next week is a Varios 4 return pump, 2) maxspect gyre with controller, 2) titanium heating elements and a few small items like filter socks.

BluewaterBoof

03-08-2018, 04:59 PM

Oh I missed your latest updates. Those frags look great! Nice haul there and it sounds like you got them at great prices. I like how you have all those heads on that duncan frag. I bet it looks amazing when all of them are extended.

mch1984

03-08-2018, 06:59 PM

I walked home with 10 frags and only bought 3 of them, the swap was great. I ended up with 4 duncan frags, the one in the picture is the branching variety. I also came home with 3 of the bunching type duncans but they weren't open when I took the pics. I'll try to get pics of them tonight, they are looking great not that they have settled in.

BluewaterBoof

03-08-2018, 07:53 PM

I've been a bit confused on the branching vs bunched duncans. Mine obviously came from a branch as it has a long stalk and a single head on the top, but now that new heads are starting to show up, they're all budding right along the rim of the existing head, like a bunched duncan. I was looking into it a while back and the threads never seemed to agree with each other. Some folks seem to believe branching forms only come from the wild, others feel it is related to flow and rock placement, and other wonder if there are really different species.

mch1984

03-08-2018, 08:42 PM

I don't pretend to be an expert, that's just what I was told lol. The bunching variety we actually fragged at the meeting, it was kind of the theme. One of the guys had a new saw and we were all taking turns learning to frag with it. Well see what the "branching" one does as it grows out some.

BluewaterBoof

03-08-2018, 10:19 PM

That sounds fun! I wish we had things like that around here.

mch1984

03-09-2018, 03:37 AM

Well we are a little spread out between two towns. It was about a 2 hour drive but completely worth it.

BluewaterBoof

03-09-2018, 06:11 PM

Hell yeah, it was worth it! Great frags for great prices. Can't wait to see how the new tank all comes together.

mch1984

03-10-2018, 06:27 PM

Me and you both, I hope to have the tank in place and be started on stuff this weekend. I’ve decided to enclose the stand and seal the inside. Hopefully I can get that done this weekend.

mch1984

03-11-2018, 07:36 PM

So this weekend I got some work done on the tank. I painted/sealed the inside of the stand. Since I decided to enclose it I also decided I needed to vent the stand. Installed one of the fans and the second should be here tomorrow. I decided it was easier to put the fan in without everything in my way. So I’ll wait till it’s installed to put it back together.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180311/7b8a3b60b6691386619a5d5352136d42.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180311/a72cd94b90ea84f21f3017ed22e7273d.jpg

mch1984

03-12-2018, 11:55 PM

Got a little more done today after work. Still have to do the wire management. But it’s coming together and looking good.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180312/00c7fd1acfb45c850bd12b2c04418a3c.jpg

BluewaterBoof

03-13-2018, 03:31 PM

Looking really good! Coming together nicely.

What light are you using for the fuge?

mch1984

03-13-2018, 06:12 PM

Nothing too special, found this one on amazon.

UFO Led Grow Light, Growstar 150W Full Spectrum Plant Light with Cree COB and Switch for Indoor Plants Seeding, Growing and Flowering. (150w) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07312WKX2?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

mch1984

03-13-2018, 11:59 PM

My first attempt at my rockscape ended in frustration and me putting the rocks up for the moment. After getting some advice from a friend I started again. Here is the bottom layer of what will be my bigger structure. A friend asked if he could help build some and since I’ve seen his work I was happy to get the help. So he will be building the smaller structure. Can’t wait to see what he comes up with.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180313/10d0b9c6b86bbdb32dbe44b11f2394c9.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180313/0aaf491b250a938f6f144bf9b7515fd3.jpg

mch1984

03-14-2018, 07:49 PM

New toys have arrived!!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180314/9548135cae888c0f4c7434274d2676b0.jpg

BluewaterBoof

03-14-2018, 09:09 PM

Dang! Matt ain't playin' around! Those gyres should be awesome!

I forgot if I already asked you this, but are you going to be using an Apex or the like for this tank?

mch1984

03-14-2018, 10:18 PM

Yeah I bought a used classic from a guy on Facebook. At first it will just be used for heaters, but I’ll build onto it has I go. I figure one day I’ll upgrade to the new one but a used classic was a good way to start.

BluewaterBoof

03-15-2018, 03:52 PM

I like following this thread because I can't afford all the fancy stuff so I get to live vicariously through you hahaha

mch1984

03-15-2018, 05:43 PM

Ha, I can't afford everything I would like to have on this thing. I wouldn't be this far along had I not found a good deal on my sump and the apex.

cajunqn81

03-16-2018, 03:01 AM

One step at a time...

mch1984

03-16-2018, 04:29 PM

One step at a time...

That's for sure. I have 4 bulb t5 fixture for this tank now. I'm going to buy new bulbs for it and then in about a year upgrade. That's the part I really have to wait on. I'm looking at about 4 options and all run over 1000$. Crazy how much lights can cost.

BluewaterBoof

03-16-2018, 06:27 PM

Yeah, the lighting really scares me. I see these folks running AIs and Radions and I'm green with envy. I just can't justify spending that much on a light right now.

mch1984

03-17-2018, 11:55 AM

Yeah I agree, I would love to drop the money but I would rather go high end with other equipment now and do the light later. The fact is that my tank will be mostly LPS and softies for a while anyways. I don't see why the t5 wont do the job for now anyways. When I do upgrade I'm looking at a few options.

1. two orphick atlantic compact fixtures.
2. 3 radion xr15 with diffuser
3. T5/led hybrid (no sure which led on this option)
4. just upgrade the t5 to a 6 bulb with wifi controls

mch1984

03-22-2018, 02:17 AM

I have decided I don’t like scaping. I’m going in layers because of the shapes I’m trying to get, this is what I have so far for the large structure. I figure at least three or four more layers and cement sessions till it’s done.

Front view
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180322/c9ed7548670ef69f4ffbafb6059a0a1a.jpg

Side viewhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180322/9591e3d80a69823184e9afbe50be8542.jpg

BluewaterBoof

03-22-2018, 02:39 AM

Looks cool!

mch1984

03-22-2018, 02:45 AM

Thanks for the compliment, I will continue to doubt it until it’s done and in the tank.

mch1984

03-26-2018, 01:14 PM

Couple of updates, first in the bedroom. Should have the tank in the room tonight, here is a shot that shows the new floor, paint color and the fake brick. We have some finishing touches to do but it's almost finished.

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mch1984

03-26-2018, 01:17 PM

And here is the rock work so far. My buddy sent me a picture of what he has done so far, he's almost finished just wants to reinforce a couple of pieces. I'm almost done as well, same thing with mine. Once the big pieces are in the tank I will decide if I want to add a little more to it.

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BluewaterBoof

03-26-2018, 02:31 PM

Looking real good!

mch1984

03-26-2018, 02:47 PM

Thanks!! I'm ready to get it all in the tank with the sand. The sand I bought was kind an accident. I had planned on using a different grain but a local guy had a bunch he was selling cheap. I went and picked it up and ended up really liking the grain a lot better than my original plan. I put some of it in my dads 10 gallon and I love the look. I ended up with Bimini pink from carib sea, which has an awesome mix of grain sizes, anything from a .5 to 5.0 grain.

mch1984

04-01-2018, 03:54 AM

So tank is it’s spot, tomorrow is wiring day. Have to run to Lowe’s early tomorrow morning to get my cabinets and hopefully by the end of the day the wiring is done. I’ve already started a little bit, but no where close.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180401/56ed875de5a09cee52c19992ead36aeb.jpg

BluewaterBoof

04-01-2018, 04:13 AM

Getting so close!

That looks so sketchy without a center support in the stand. Is that a support there leaning on the wall to the left?

mch1984

04-01-2018, 04:15 AM

Haha, yeah it is. It attaches with pocket holes so it’s easy to get in and out. I’m going to do all the work with it and the doors out of the way. Then I’ll put it back in when I start filling.

mch1984

04-01-2018, 07:07 PM

After finally deciding what to use for a cabinet I like the choice. Obviously it will look better with the doors on but the height worked out perfect. First step of wiring done.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180401/4688e41722eb8155de815b86f8f8f6dc.jpg

mch1984

04-01-2018, 11:08 PM

Well I didn’t get it all done today but I got a lot done. After this it’s really just plugging stuff in. Good progress either way.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180401/a34e071f80fbad31dda9f7903856ffb9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180401/134e2cd467caf2e8c3c8ce6a9738208b.jpg

mch1984

04-03-2018, 06:19 PM

So I had all this planned out just to figure out it's not going to work like I want it to. I have a few connections that are about 6-8" too short. So it looks like I will be rearranging everything again. At least nothing is permanent at this point.

BluewaterBoof

04-03-2018, 06:40 PM

Almost there buddy!

mch1984

04-03-2018, 06:53 PM

Getting close, as long as nothing strange happens it will still have water in it the weekend of the 14th.

mch1984

04-04-2018, 12:59 AM

I think the rock scape is done, it’s not exactly what I had pictured but I like it. I have some more cement drying tonight and that should be it.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180404/247ae23e043524eedc7ddea35c02a050.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180404/444aec40773ed51c35b267adb5bb2cd0.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180404/af87d04c9319859c473c578b9f0b61ad.jpg

mch1984

04-04-2018, 12:59 AM

Couple more pics

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180404/4bb5eaa3bdd917a7f88882f884c90f5b.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180404/20bd7ff2e16c25159f82726d4f6d6344.jpg

mch1984

04-05-2018, 02:29 PM

I put the rock in the tank and I like it a lot more inside the aquarium. It essentially 4 large pieces so some adjustments can be made. It may change a little bit before I fill it but not much.

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mch1984

04-06-2018, 03:31 AM

Well started firing up some of the electronics and playing with the apex and stuff. I have discovered I have an electric problem and I’m not sure where it’s at. It’s either the new GFCI plug I installed, my EB8, and a power strip I’m using. We’ll see after I do some more trouble shooting tomorrow.

mch1984

04-07-2018, 09:58 PM

I think I figured out the electrical problem. I guess T5 fixtures and GFCI don’t get along. So I’ll have to rethink the electrical some but I think I’m good for the moment. So this weekend will be finalize a couple of wires and plumb the tank.

mch1984

04-08-2018, 03:02 AM

Well it’s together, tomorrow is sand and start adding water. It will probably take me a couple of days to get it full.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/f1ee9bcc9a07a7a42abea365f9a46cd2.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/b29877f093ed6e1934bc10d102d9d0c8.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/df608217a3eceb24425b4a82e63df49e.jpg

mch1984

04-08-2018, 06:45 PM

Time for the first pale of water.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180408/cdd14dd080a761eaccb8819925eb0c75.jpg

mch1984

04-09-2018, 10:01 PM

Well the tank is up and running. Still getting the salinity up and tweaking the overflow but it’s looking good.

https://youtu.be/J7DrYI4hzIE

mch1984

04-13-2018, 05:45 PM

Ordered my last piece of big equimpment, with the exception of the light upgrade in the future. I ordered an eshopps s-120 skimmer, I don't think I'll need it for a bit but wanted to go ahead and get it in. Maybe get the break in done while the tank is cycling.

BluewaterBoof

04-13-2018, 06:23 PM

mch1984

04-14-2018, 01:01 PM

Awesome!

What kind of mixing station are you going to be using for this setup? The 'fuge and skimmer will definitely help keep the nutrients down, but how are you going to handle the occasional water change? That was my biggest concern about converting my 90g into SW. I don't really have room for one of those huge brute cans anywhere in the house, and the wife won't stand it if I have plumbing stretched across the house haha

At the moment I am using a brute trash can on wheels with a float valve installed so I can turn my RODI on and walk away. My plan down the road is to build a storage/mixing station in my garage and buy a big pump so I can pump the water from the mixing station to the tank. When I do that I don't plan on using brutes anymore. The smaller brute works well but I want something a little more sturdy for long term use. As far as plumbing stretched across the house, I can understand that. I will just use some rubber hose to go to the tank so i can put it all away when I'm done with water changes. For now and probably for a few months while my wallet recovers from this build, I'll be mixing in the brute and rolling it to the tank lol.

That's all part of the undecided for me, how many and how often I'll be doing water changes. I'm on that side of the fence that leans toward good nutrient export and dosing over frequent water changes. I haven't done any kind of dosing on my 34 yet, I've just been doing weekly water changes. The dosing is a little intimidating to me, but I plan to take the plunge on the 90 once I start adding coral. The bottom part of my electronics cabinet is empty and is being reserved for a dosing set up. Once I get this tank settled in some, I'll start figuring out where I want to go with that. I have some ideas but like a lot of thing in this hobby, it will come down to how much money I want to spend on the set up.

mch1984

04-23-2018, 07:20 PM

So a quick update, the tank is coming along. I used the red sea mature kit and it did a great job. I added my first fish to the tank Sunday night, this morning he was still doing good. I'm going to monitor for a bit before I go any further with it. Also here is a little pic of a tank I put together Saturday just for the heck of it. I had an old JBJ 12 gallon nano cube not being used. So I ripped the top rim off and converted it to a rimless. I'm going to let Zoa's take over this little tank. I'll add a AI prime to it down the road.

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BluewaterBoof

04-23-2018, 08:21 PM

Right on! Would work as a nice little QT tank :)

mch1984

04-23-2018, 08:27 PM

I actually hadn't thought about that, not a bad idea.

BluewaterBoof

04-23-2018, 10:20 PM

I see so many horror stories on the SW groups. I guess marine ich is really nasty compared to freshwater.

mch1984

04-23-2018, 10:28 PM

I guess, it makes me nervous to ever try a tang, seems like they are the worst about bringing it.

BluewaterBoof

04-23-2018, 11:07 PM

A QT will help a lot with that thumbs2:

mch1984

04-30-2018, 02:20 PM

So a little update on the tank. I ordered a bonded pair of orange spotted gobies and they came in Friday with a pistol shrimp. When I put them in the two gobies found each other pretty quick and found a hole to hide in. I was getting worried over the weekend because I would never see more than one at a time, but finally Sunday morning I saw both out and about at the same time. Then right before I went to bed I noticed they had moved spots and reunited with the pistol shrimp, made me pretty excited. I'm also slowly moving fish over from the 34. Last Sunday I added my cardinal and then Saturday night I added my Lawnmower Blenny. Everybody seems to be doing good. I had been waiting for my NO3 to come down before I attempted any coral and finally Sunday it was down to around 5. So I put in my test coral, a tiny single head of duncan. Well see how it does.

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mch1984

05-05-2018, 04:36 AM

Not a bad view from the bed at night.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180505/193c9c3dcbf6410ab2842143f24a48e7.jpg

bpete

05-07-2018, 01:40 PM

better than ambian putting you to sleep with no side affects.

BluewaterBoof

05-07-2018, 04:40 PM

Looking good!

mch1984

05-07-2018, 04:45 PM

Looking good!

Thanks, I added these guys yesterday as well. They are awesome looking little clowns.

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bpete

05-07-2018, 06:39 PM

wow those are some cool looking clowns. is that a color morph of a ocellaris?

mch1984

05-07-2018, 06:40 PM

wow those are some cool looking clowns. is that a color morph of a ocellaris?

Yes it is, they are called frostbites

BluewaterBoof

05-07-2018, 10:39 PM

Did you order them, or did your local reef shop have them? I saw a pair at my local shop and they were a pretty penny. Attractive clowns, for sure.

mch1984

05-09-2018, 04:00 AM

Actually a local guy has a whole sale license with sea and reef. So he tends to have a few different breeds available. Thought about dropping for some black storms but decided I could spend that on two clowns. What are they wanting? I paid 90 for the pair.

mch1984

05-11-2018, 02:05 PM

So I'm still fighting my breakers with this tank, it has done some weird stuff. I know I'm not overloading my circuit so it has to be something else. All the research I've done says that fluorescent lights just don't always get along with afci breakers. Something about the way the ballast comes on trick the breaker into thinking there is an arc forming. I'm not 100% this is the problem but I decided to go ahead and upgrade lighting. I was going to anyways but was going to wait a while before I did. instead, I now have 2 maxspect etherals on there way and should be here by Tuesday next week. Hoping this solves the problem with the tripping I'm dealing with. If not then maybe it's just bad breakers and I'll start changing them out. I know getting rid of afci breaker would probably solve the problem, but I like the safety factor they provide. So for now I will just try to work around it.

mch1984

05-16-2018, 04:44 AM

Couple of updates, got the new lights in. Since I finally had those I built the screen top too.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180516/1146bd68056fdae9b51ede0cd752b8f0.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180516/edbd1d6446bb51f576beff8c15c82bd7.jpg

mch1984

05-16-2018, 04:45 AM

Also, I had agreed to buy a hammer colony from a local reefer. I was putting it off but it crowding some of his other coral. We counted 22 heads when we took it out. It’s not all the way open here but it’s going to be awesome.

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BluewaterBoof

05-17-2018, 01:44 AM

Ooooo pretty! Mine is pink with green tips. I always see ones like yours and get jealous. 22 heads is really impressive. About how big is the skeleton?

mch1984

05-18-2018, 04:34 PM

Ooooo pretty! Mine is pink with green tips. I always see ones like yours and get jealous. 22 heads is really impressive. About how big is the skeleton?

The skeleton is about the size of a baseball. Whats even more impressive is the had to trim about 6 heads off this guy even before I got it. It was starting to sting some of his monti and I was still a month out at that point. Hes the highlight of my tank right now

mch1984

05-18-2018, 04:46 PM

Thought i would put some updated pictures of the tank. I'm doing some pretty heavy testing this week and next to see if I need to start dosing. The hammer I added is pretty big and I'm wondering if he will have a influence on the amount of consumption. Between him, my trachy and my plate, I may need to start soon.

55566

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BluewaterBoof

05-18-2018, 04:47 PM

Look at this craziness. Spardas sent me this a while back. Said he thinks there are over 100 heads on it.

55569

BluewaterBoof

05-18-2018, 04:49 PM

Looking real good. I love the cardinalfish.

mch1984

05-18-2018, 05:04 PM

Look at this craziness. Spardas sent me this a while back. Said he thinks there are over 100 heads on it.

55569

That's awesome!

mch1984

06-04-2018, 02:16 AM

Went to New Mexico this weekend and picked a few things up. I bought 3 rock flowers and a lobo. Also got some fire fish but I don’t have a pic of them.

55682

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180604/5ffdc398910e53810959afd3b4dcba31.jpg

BluewaterBoof

06-04-2018, 11:02 PM

Nice nems! Are the tentacles on the one to the right white?

mch1984

06-04-2018, 11:06 PM

Nice nems! Are the tentacles on the one to the right white?

No they are a blue color, just didn't come out that way in the pic.

BluewaterBoof

06-04-2018, 11:10 PM

That’s still cool. Blue is my fave color.

I love the stripes. I was thinking about picking up a zebra nem at the convention but I was going over budget with the corals I had already picked out haha

mch1984

06-04-2018, 11:11 PM

Yeah I almost went over with a torch but talked myself out of it.

BluewaterBoof

06-04-2018, 11:30 PM

Seemed like almost every vendor at the con had a bunch of torches. My wife kept bugging me to get one but I already have a hammer and two frogspawn. Once they all grow out things would get nasty with a torch. Really cool animals, though. Last time I dropped by Southwest they had a couple of really nice torches that were fairly big.

mch1984

06-04-2018, 11:31 PM

mch1984

07-02-2018, 01:07 PM

Just wanted to share a pic of my Trachyaphillia coral. This guy is huge! in the pic he's about the size of a softball but when He settles in and opens all the way He'll be about double that. A local reefer is having to shut down his tank and was selling everything off. I couldn't stop myself on this piece, he was just too big and pretty and I do like my open brain coral.

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SueD

07-02-2018, 01:53 PM

I can see why you couldn't resist. Really interesting and beautiful coloring.

mch1984

07-02-2018, 01:56 PM

Hopefully today he has settled in some and I can get a picture of him opened up

showmebutterfly

07-02-2018, 03:28 PM

It's a beautiful coral, even when closed. I'll be looking forward to the pic of him open!

mch1984

07-02-2018, 03:37 PM

Here are two more pieces I picked of from that guys tank. He was was pricing this stuff to sell, the acro is green slimer and big enough for some to consider it a small colony and I only paid $15. The chalice is beautiful and was $15 as well.

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mch1984

07-02-2018, 03:38 PM

Side note, I have no idea why its turning all my photos sideways.

bpete

07-02-2018, 04:14 PM

I don't know a heck of a lot about corals but it seems you got a pretty good deal. nice pics BTW.

mch1984

07-02-2018, 06:13 PM

Well Green Slimmer is a fairly common one and its not one of the premium acro corals. Some of the "named" across can go for over $1000 for a 1-2" frag. Here is what it normally goes for and the piece I got is about 10x the size of this.

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BluewaterBoof

07-02-2018, 08:29 PM

mch1984

07-02-2018, 08:57 PM

Fantastic pieces!

I saw a guy on a coral page the other day who had spent $400 on a chalice frag about the size of a nickel and I didn't know whether to judge him for wasting all that money or get jealous haha

Chalices are pretty, but I don't understand the big deal. Maybe I just haven't seen enough big colonies to understand the hype. I like mine and it's pretty but I still don't get it. Maybe once it puts some size on I'll understand more. I'm going to WWC in august and I'm sure I'll see one I want, but I'm sure it will be too over priced for me. I've seen a few of theirs that I really like but then I see the price tag and decide I don't need it that bad. I feel the same way about Acros. I know you can grow them and sell the frags but that's a big chance to take. It will be a year or better before it gets big enough to do that and there is a lot that can happen before it's big enough. I keep seeing the walt disney acro, and it's beautiful but I'm still not paying the $800 or whatever it is for a piece of it.

mch1984

07-03-2018, 11:47 PM

Thought I’d share some pics. I got a filter clip for the phone and it’s helped a lot in pics.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180703/87c4bcacfb49443a2e0d5a0e40e77c3a.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180703/1e616104f4abde4140362c794ccf02b9.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180703/b0da71910832a8f38129295805529c4e.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180703/989568e637bf6d1bb114b2f09c43a818.jpg

showmebutterfly

07-04-2018, 12:30 AM

Those are all gorgeous!

BluewaterBoof

07-04-2018, 01:39 AM

Beautiful, Matt!

Can you link the filter you got?

mch1984

07-04-2018, 02:02 AM

A local reefer gave it to me, but he said it was called Aquaclip. I found this one on BRS and its the same thing

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/orange-hd-smart-phone-lens-filter-aquariclip.html

mch1984

07-04-2018, 02:32 AM

Fed the new trachy for the first time, look at this guys mouth!

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showmebutterfly

07-09-2018, 02:46 PM

Extreme close up! Great pic and beautiful colors. It looks like a work of art.

BluewaterBoof

07-09-2018, 05:44 PM

Fed the new trachy for the first time, look at this guys mouth!

55796

Those mysis look like appetizers compared to the size of that thing!

You may want to look into some frozen krill so you can give that bad boy some bigger and more meaty chunks. I use the San Francisco Bay brand frozen krill.

mch1984

07-09-2018, 05:49 PM

yeah i may look into bigger foods, I need to talk to the guy I bought him from and see what he was feeding.

mch1984

07-14-2018, 11:44 PM

Just thought I would throw out some more pics, it never gets old taking pics of this tank. I moved my two trachys closer to each other, well see how that goes. See if they are ok chilling with each other like that.

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showmebutterfly

07-15-2018, 01:46 AM

Those are great pics. I love that the fish are making sure they get their screen time.

SueD

07-15-2018, 02:47 PM

Beautiful colors in there.

mch1984

08-05-2018, 12:00 AM

So I’ve been working on getting my dosing system going. I bought some BRS pumps and I still need to buy a EB4 for my apex. But a friend of mine the best idea ever for some DIY dosing containers. I just need to drink one more bottles worth and I’ll be good to go.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180805/01f629c21318be698dcb26a298d71778.jpg

showmebutterfly

08-05-2018, 01:00 AM

I like the bottles and the challenge you have set for yourself. lol

mch1984

08-05-2018, 01:01 AM

I like the bottles and the challenge you have set for yourself. lol

Haha, I agree. The better challenge will be when I need to upgrade to bigger bottles. I got see lots of margaritas in the future

showmebutterfly

08-05-2018, 01:03 AM

Now that sounds like a party!

Haha, I agree. The better challenge will be when I need to upgrade to bigger bottles. I got see lots of margaritas in the future

mch1984

08-12-2018, 12:16 AM

So got some new pieces when I visited WWC in Orlando. This isn’t all of them but a few. I finally got some AOI zoas, two of my birds nest, a povona and a ricordia.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/e0fd960b7d29d307c2c866be94cd154f.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/6210ebde53d67838a34a6758cee35118.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/b4f45d4e6df6bbb7955064b84880653d.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/e7321f0d09bd283fdbe16db2f50f6257.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/1cae133dc26b03f5c52596da86b93677.jpg

Nautilus291

08-12-2018, 04:25 AM

Nice choices, I can't wait to watch them grow!

mch1984

08-12-2018, 04:55 PM

Few more, got a torch, a third kind of birdsnest, and my daughter picked out a war coral.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/3eab2d8886e95dca06767744d7e0e08e.png

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/09c81df490e7ac0e2bfb804eb0fecb3d.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180812/64b5a81cbdb714b95f0abfa54df33452.jpg

mch1984

08-12-2018, 06:51 PM

It took him a day or so to calm down but here is our new foxface. My wife named him Winston.

https://youtu.be/kNrUITyTOR8

mch1984

08-12-2018, 07:26 PM

Sorry lots of updates today, thought I’d do a video of the whole tank.

https://youtu.be/aoYj6lWH0FQ

showmebutterfly

08-12-2018, 07:32 PM

No apologies needed here! I am enjoying all the updates.

mch1984

08-13-2018, 03:05 AM

One last one, did a water change and took the opportunity to get a top down shot of my zoa rock.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180813/8bc530b94744e5d89ae601f5e08072e9.jpg

BluewaterBoof

08-13-2018, 05:46 PM

Dang dude, that is going to look amazing when it all fills in.

You know, I really like birdsnests. I know a lot of hobbyists consider them beginner SPS corals, but I love how fluffy they are. Once they get settled in for you, you won't even be able to really see the structure underneath because the polyps will be so dense.

mch1984

08-13-2018, 05:55 PM

I agree, I’ve grown to really like them. Outside the torch the most expensive piece was the birds of paradise birdsnest. I’ve seen some large colonies of these and can’t wait for that one to grow in. They are truly impressive. Although not as fluffy as some of the others. I’ve decided that the top part of the big rock structure should be covered in SPS. But with the prices of most I will have to do it one piece at a time. It’s a shame, there was a guy in San Antonio selling Walt Disney frags for $90. Had I not been in Orlando I would have made the 4 hour drive and picked some up.

mch1984

08-17-2018, 12:16 AM

I think I'm going to be picking up a 50 gallon lowboy in a couple of weeks for a frag tank. Would that be a build yall would be interested in? It would be slow but probably involve some DIY stuff.

showmebutterfly

08-17-2018, 12:24 AM

I think I'm going to be picking up a 50 gallon lowboy in a couple of weeks for a frag tank. Would that be a build yall would be interested in? It would be slow but probably involve some DIY stuff.Yes! I like seeing how others set up their tanks and I can learn more about corals as you collect and grow your frags.

mch1984

08-17-2018, 02:46 AM

I may do it then.

BluewaterBoof

08-17-2018, 02:45 PM

Do it so that I may live vicariously through your projects haha

mch1984

08-17-2018, 02:49 PM

Ha, this one will not be nearly as expensive as my display tank. I want this to be functional not "fancy". I never mean any insult on anybody's set ups, we do what we can. If I was smarter I would spend less but I'm spoiled and do it anyways. The biggest money saver for me on this one will be lights. I'm thinking SB reef lights with just the basic timer.

mch1984

08-23-2018, 04:32 PM

Conversation in another thread made me think to post this video. Foxface enjoying some nori.

https://youtu.be/bg25A-tPNlA

BluewaterBoof

08-23-2018, 05:36 PM

That's a handsome fish! And so violent hahaha

mch1984

08-23-2018, 05:46 PM

That's a handsome fish! And so violent hahaha

Haha, yeah almost like a little dog tearing at a toy or something.

mch1984

08-25-2018, 12:12 PM

Going to try something different, Acan's (or whatever BluewaterBoof calls them :hmm3grin2orange:) are some of my favorite corals. There is problem I've had and some other reefers have had with them. The reds and some other colors tend to run and turn orange. It's a little disheartening to spend a bunch of money on a rainbow acan and it just turn orange. Locally we have experimented with putting them in a more shaded area, for one of mine it seems to be working and it's getting some of it's color back. However most Acan's are the Aussie variety and apparently there is an Asian variety as well. For whatever reason the Asian variety doesn't seem to have color loss like their Aussie counter parts. So I have made the jump and ordered an Asian Acan. It's a jump because I said I wasn't going to do another Acan and because this is the first time I've spent this much on a frag. I have spent some money on large Trachy's but not a frag. This picture isn't the frag I'm getting, but the variety that I'll be getting. I have to wait a little bit, a friend of mine is going to MACNA and will be picking it up for me there.

56201

showmebutterfly

08-25-2018, 12:31 PM

mch1984

08-25-2018, 12:37 PM

That is a beautiful coral. I was watching YouTube videos from MACNA 2017 yesterday. I'd never heard of it before, but came across those videos. It looked like a really great convention. I'd love to go to something like that someday.

We had talked about going this year, but we ended up doing our family vacation late in the year. It wasn't fee-sable for use to turn around and make a trip to vegas right after. Especially because I couldn't go to something like that and not spend money.

showmebutterfly

08-25-2018, 02:44 PM

They must like having those in party towns. Last year it was in New Orleans. I imagine a trip like that and all the tempting corals and new product displays would really put the hurt on the wallet.
We had talked about going this year, but we ended up doing our family vacation late in the year. It wasn't fee-sable for use to turn around and make a trip to vegas right after. Especially because I couldn't go to something like that and not spend money.

mch1984

08-27-2018, 01:57 PM

So sad times over the weekend, I lost my beautiful trigger fish. We noticed friday that his mouth didn't look right but he's so skiddish it's hard to get a look. I kept checking on him and found him sunday gone. When I pulled him out, there is a noticible injury on his mouth and I think he couldn't eat. It's didn't look like a parasite or anything so all we can do is guess. Best guess is I have a coral banded shrimp and I'm thinking maybe the trigger tried to make a meal out of him and he lost the fight. My coral banded hasn't show to be aggressive but this may have been defensive.

Slaphppy7

08-27-2018, 02:10 PM

Sorry for the loss.

showmebutterfly

08-27-2018, 02:25 PM

Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear you lost your trigger fish.

bpete

08-27-2018, 03:06 PM

sorry to hear of your loss. I did enjoy the vid of your foxface. they are very nice looking fish. there is one in the aquarium here at my work that i enjoy watching.

BluewaterBoof

08-27-2018, 03:29 PM

mch1984

08-27-2018, 03:32 PM

Sorry buddy. My twinspot gave up the fight this weekend, too.

Oh that sucks, sorry to hear it.

showmebutterfly

08-27-2018, 03:53 PM

What?! Pebbles? No!!! :scry:

Sorry buddy. My twinspot gave up the fight this weekend, too.

BluewaterBoof

08-27-2018, 04:12 PM

Eeeeeyup :-/

showmebutterfly

08-27-2018, 04:58 PM

Dang it. I am so sad to hear that.

Eeeeeyup :-/

Spardas

08-27-2018, 06:07 PM

Sorry for your loss. What type of trigger was it and how big?

mch1984

08-27-2018, 06:11 PM

Sorry for your loss. What type of trigger was it and how big?

He was a blue throat and probably around 3 or 3.5" long.

BluewaterBoof

08-27-2018, 07:16 PM

Handsome fish. Sad to hear :(

Spardas

08-27-2018, 08:57 PM

mch1984

08-27-2018, 09:03 PM

That's too bad, is it a big CBS? I can't imagine a trigger losing a fight with a CBS though. They're relatively shy if new to the tank and can dart pretty quickly if spooked. It could be yours made a mad dash and injured his mouth as well.

What kind of eel did you have in mind for this tank? Just went back on thread and saw some of the initial setup phase. You did a great job putting everything together and building the rock work.

Thank you, means a lot to me after seeing some pictures of your stuff. I had kind of dismissed the idea after I bought the trigger and fox face. I wanted to keep the bio load fairly low for the most part. This tank was more about getting better at coral than anything else. With him gone maybe I'll reconsider. It's really down to two, the zebra and the snow flake. I'm afraid the zebra may be too big for my tank, and I've heard the snowflake can tend to be aggressive sometime. I except the fact I wont be able to keep snails and maybe hermits with either, but I was considering the Zebra because I've heard they stay pretty docile. Any other breeds to consider?

Spardas

08-27-2018, 09:45 PM

Definitely look into these 3:

Golden Dwarf Eel - Gymnothorax melatremus (small and docile)
Goldentail Moray Eel (Golden/Banana Eel)- Gymnothorax miliaris (Regular or the Banana morph version)

The GDE and Banana Eel do add a splash of yellow in the tank though. From my own experience, they're pretty docile and leave inverts alone.

mch1984

08-27-2018, 09:52 PM

mch1984

08-28-2018, 02:20 AM

Well I have everything I should need to get the dosing going. 3 brs pumps, eb4, bunch of RO line, 2 tequila bottle, and one wine bottle.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180828/411a1e0c00230086958342263631a403.jpg

Spardas

08-28-2018, 03:11 AM

mch1984

08-28-2018, 03:18 AM

Thanks for the heads up, I don’t think I’m ready yet. I need to improve my screen top. I have one but I don’t think it’s eel proof. The banana is beautiful, may have to save a little to get one. Worth it though I’m sure.

mch1984

08-28-2018, 03:09 PM

Looks like NYAquatic has golden dwarf eel in stock. He's hit or miss in the winter due to shipping as I don't think he's good at packing. His replacement if DOA is a hit or miss as well. But should be better in warmer months and a small eel like the GDE is easier to ship. However, he is a sponsor at R2R.

Well now you made me go and look, now I'm reconsidering lol. He's a pretty eel and would go so nicely in my tank. I could make my screen top work for the moment until I got a better one. The improve screen holder would be ugly but functional until I got a nicer one.

56229

mch1984

08-29-2018, 02:24 AM

Well the dosing system is installed. Too bad it took all night, because now I’m tired to get the pumps primed and all that.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180829/f51e7aa9fbe7e8e62785450b7f66b98e.jpg

showmebutterfly

08-29-2018, 11:45 AM

It looks all nice and tidy. Although my OCD wishes the wine bottle was in the middle. lol

mch1984

08-29-2018, 11:59 AM

It looks all nice and tidy. Although my OCD wishes the wine bottle was in the middle. lol

Eventually that will be replaced with another patron bottle, lol. I just don’t drink that much tequila, but my buddy says he’ll have one ready soon.

showmebutterfly

08-29-2018, 01:09 PM

Even better. It's great that your buddy is willing to take one for the team like that. lol

Eventually that will be replaced with another patron bottle, lol. I just don’t drink that much tequila, but my buddy says he’ll have one ready soon.

BluewaterBoof

08-29-2018, 02:11 PM

Mmmmmmm, Patron. Loved that stuff. Before my wife got pregnant we were big tequila drinkers and that was my favorite. The Patron XO mixed with hot chocolate was an incredibly delicious beverage to drink while camping or staying at a cabin during the colder months.

mch1984

08-29-2018, 02:31 PM

Roca patron is probably some of the best out there. I like it chilled and served straight. It’s too good to mix with anything.

BluewaterBoof

08-29-2018, 02:44 PM

I haven't heard of Roca. My straight shot choice is/was Silver. If we ever are in the market for some tequila I'll look out for the Roca and give it a try :)

mch1984

08-31-2018, 01:55 PM

So I finally turned on the dosing system last night, a little nervous. I feel like bad things can happen pretty easy with this thing. But I finally figured out the programming for apex and I have checked on it a few times and it seems to be running correctly.

BluewaterBoof

08-31-2018, 02:17 PM

I feel ya. When I first started up my auto doser I was a bit paranoid. I didn't really trust my calibration although it was pretty idiot-proof. I just kept testing the tank each day to make sure all was fine and haven't had any problems.

mch1984

08-31-2018, 02:20 PM

I turned both the outlets on to log. Which means it logs every time the switch comes on and for how long. No telling how many times I’ve checked it lol.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180831/aad6f445317ec0fe4c0993db07caf4f0.png

BluewaterBoof

08-31-2018, 02:23 PM

I'll tell you what really freaked me out. Each time my carbonates were dosed. Nothing filled me with dread quite like walking by my tank and seeing tons of crap floating around the tank, like a coral was chopped up by a wavemaker or something. It would only take a split second for me to realize what I was really seeing, but it took me a couple of weeks before I got used to it.

mch1984

08-31-2018, 02:25 PM

Oh I’m sure that would freak a person out at first.

mch1984

09-02-2018, 04:33 AM

So we got board to today and made a random road trip to a town a couple of hours away. They have some good places to eat and some decent LFS. Ended up coming home with a frostbite clown and a red headed Solon wrasse. This isn’t mine, just a stock image from live aquaria. Mine went into hiding for now.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180902/84911125bde07729e71128c3b45e7a47.jpg

showmebutterfly

09-02-2018, 12:43 PM

Congrats on the new additions! I love the coloration on that wrasse.
We're road tripping all holiday weekend. So far I've been to reef stores in Arkansas and in Oklahoma, but no new fish for me. The friend we're staying with has a friend with a garage fish room and a reportedly huge SW tank. We may get to go see the setup before we leave.

Spardas

09-04-2018, 11:24 PM

Good opportunity to pick up a dwarf Golden eel from Diver's Den today with a 20% discount.

mch1984

09-05-2018, 12:49 AM

Good opportunity to pick up a dwarf Golden eel from Diver's Den today with a 20% discount.

Any advice on latching down a screen top. I have one but it just sits there.

Spardas

09-05-2018, 01:17 AM

Does it completely cover all opening and how heavy is it? I'm assuming it's sitting on clamps?

mch1984

09-05-2018, 01:19 AM

It’s not covering the whole top, I left about the last 2” open for cords. But I could order a new kit and make due till I made it. It uses h track, that you use for glass doors on showers.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180905/9b71db9b46bf76b59ce603852744e218.jpg

Spardas

09-05-2018, 02:29 AM

That opening is too big for a DGE, it may go carpet surfing if it gets hungry and decide to jump out of the tank or if something spook it. DGE won't be strong enough to push that cover up if it is kept in place using an h track locking it in place. You just have to make sure there is no opening small enough for them to go through.

The morays I've kept so far all know the boundary when they poke their head a little bit out of the water. However, if they are chasing after food or running from something, that's a different story.

But $240 for that eel after 20% off is a pretty good price, considering the guarantee from LiveAquaria. I would grab it if I had a tank for small eels, lol.

mch1984

09-05-2018, 02:39 AM

Yeah for sure, and I would be lying if I wasn’t seriously considering it right now.

mch1984

09-05-2018, 03:16 AM