Stemick's 52G

[Stemick]

I figured I would start a thread on my 52 gallon rimless cube. Which is also my first saltwater tank. Before I start this tank I did a lot of reading and research on saltwater tanks. Three of my wife's cousin had saltwater tanks. So ever since I seen theirs I wanted one. So after about two years of researching. On of me wife's cousin called me up and asked my if I wanted his tank and stuff cause he was moving and didn't want to move it. He said if I don't take it he was going to leave it with the house. So the next weekend I started to move the tank. Which I'm sure most of you know how long it takes to move a fully set up tank takes to take down and move. That was almost a year ago and this is the start of how I ended up with the 52gal rimless tank I have now. I'm going to try and walk you throw the last year up until current.



The tank my wife's cousin had was a 100 gallon trueview acrylic tank with stand, hood, 25 gallon sump, with 100 lbs of rock and lots of equipment.
:usa2:

 

[Stemick]

I took the 100lbs of rock and put it in a 32 gal brute trash can that I put two bulk heads in for overflow to a 20 gallon tank that I used for temporary sump so that I could put a heater and and skimmer so I had something to catch a the crude that came of the rock.

 

[Stemick]

Now that I had all the equipment, tank, and rock hauled back to my place. The rock is set up so that I could keep it alive and also clean it up. Now it was time to clean the tank and stand up. I scrubbed the tank down with vinegar and buffed out most of the minor scratches. I also paint the exterior black with cabinet paint and the inside with white kilz primer paint. I made new doors for the stand and fixed the hood doors.

:usa2:

 

[Stemick]

Now that I have everything cleaned up and ready to go the wife decides the tank is to big to go in our 600 sq. ft. house:nono:. I was hoping once I had it she couldn't say no :frusty:. So I went to the LFS and talk to the owner and traded the 100g tank, stand, hood, and 25 g sump for a 52 gallon rimless that he made and a 20 g refugium sump that he had a local make. :xd: The tank is 24x24x22 with a full back in tank over flow and 1" drain. So will he was assembling the tank and having the refugium made. I was hard at work making the stand. I wanted a tall stand so that I could walk up to the tank and look into it with out having to bend over. Just stand there and drool :still_dreaming: I used 1" oak sheets. I painted the outside black with cabinet paint and the inside with white Killz pimer. I cut a sheet of foam out to fit the top for the tank to set on give the tank less flex stress.

 

[Stemick]

So I had the stand down and ready in a week. A month and a half later the tank is finally done. ( He had it 3/4 the way down before I even talked to him about the trade. Talk about pulling teeth to get him to finish it) But now it time to take it home and start setting it up. The stand I built fit perfect.

:usa2:

 

[Stemick]

Now it's time to pick up the sump and start pluming the tank to the 20 gallon refugium sump. I used 1' PVC for the drain and 3/4" tubing for the return. The return has a Rio+ 3100 pump. It was one of the pump that came with the original tank. The tank had 4 bulk heads. One had overflow drain and the other had the return line. So I capped one and then made the last one so I could drain straight into a bucket.

:usa2:

 

[Stemick]

Now for the rest of the equipment. The original tank came with a Ecotech MP40W ES which I figured was a bit much for this tank. So I traded it for 2 MP10 ES. The original tank also came with a no name skimmer. I already had the same one from when I was starting to collect parts to set up a tank before I even start this journey. I kept them both, one for back up. I also picked up a T5 fixer back when I was starting to collect parts. It was a 24" ODYSSEA. I decided to use that instead of the dual metal halides/ 48" T12's that came with the original tank. I used a 150W eheim heater.

 

[Stemick]

Now that I have all the basic equipment set up time to bring it alive. I added about 60lbs of rock and 30lbs of aragonite sand. I had left over 30 lbs so I traded it for a 4 yr old pair of Black clowns. But what is a clowns without an anemone, so I pick up a RBTA. I also had a six line wrasse that I put with the rock when it was in the Brute trash can so it could pick at any pest that may be with the rock.

:use2:

 

[Stemick]

Well I leave on deployment for 4months (Cause I'm a Jet Engine Mechanic in the Navy). My wife is left with the task of keeping the tank going :rant:. Will I was gone I get a email with a pic saying the anemone had a baby. I told her no it just split and that's when she start to think it was cool and started to get into the tank a little bit.

:usa2:

 

[Stemick]

So I get back from being deployed and I have six months of time to be back home and enjoy my tank. Everything is smooth no issues. I had to leave again for another 4 month deployment. The first month I was gone my wife told me she has not seen the six line wrasse in a week and the tank is making a weird noise. So I walk her though how to burp and flush the overflow drain line over skype. Still no wrasse. I think he found out what carpet felt like will my wife was at work and the dog had fresh fish for lunch. So will my wife was at the LFS getting RODI water she fell in love with a green female mandarin goby. The LFS taught her how to acclimate the fish and sent her home with copepods. She was able to do it by herself. So now she has a little bit more of attachment to the tank cause it has something she picked out and added herself. I enter the November EcoTech Marine and Mr. Saltwater Tank video contest. I was a runner up for the contest so the Mark Callahan wanted to do an over the phone interview. Well it so Happened that the day I had the appointment for the interview over the phone was the first day I was going to be back state side from deployment. So worked out perfect. I ended up getting 3rd place winning an EcoTech Marine Radion Gen2 and Mp40W ES. Well just before I entered the contest I bought a 24" Reefstar LED light from a guy off of a local forum. So I win these Radions and had the Reefstar light waiting to be put up cause I thought I would never have a chance at winning the contest. I put the Reefstar lights up will I was waiting for the Radions. The lights was AMAZING. My wife said they where ridiculous. she said it was brighter then the brights on the car.

 

[Stemick]

So now that I have a light that will support SPS. I go on the hunt for some SPS. I don't want to go super crazy at first till test a piece are two in the tank first. I found TJ's Reef(Todd) was local and had some SPS frags up FS (But he has a mouth dropping amazing tank). But Todd help me out with some nice SPS frags. Thanks Todd. Couple Of pieces of birdsnest, spongode montipora, red and green plating monitpore. I also picked up an acropora frag that was bleached out that the tip was starting to turn purple again from the LFS. My Mother in law was in town so I was staying at my bother in laws will she was in town for the holidays. I came home to top of the tank one day and my male clown was gone. He never hosted the anemone. The next day my mandarin Goby was gone. So the next day I look a little deeper and search hard for them and I found what look like to be a fish skeleton on top of the anemone like it just spit it up. So I traded in the Black female clown and some ash for a 6 yr old pair of true percs clowns. I loved these guys the moment I say them they was a lot more docile then the black female she was a mean mean mean. I would put my hand in the tank and she was biting at it like a dog on a bone. The new guys can be hand fed and they both hosted when before the male did not host cause the female would chase it out.
:usa2:

 

[Stemick]

So finally the Radions come in and down come the Reefstars which was almost a heart break cause they where awesome set of LEDs and Everything was happy with them. Up went the Radions they look just as good too. I made a hanging bracket out of 1" PVC for like $15. I spray painted them black and put a clear coat on the black and mounted it to the back of the tank. I also picked up a Neptune Apex Controller. A controller makes life much easier with less worries. I also forgot to add that I bought a ecotech battery back up for the MP10's back when I was deployed.

:usa2:

 

[Stemick]

Last weekend my daughter had a dance convention down in Portland Oregon. So used this opportunity to check out some LFS that are not so Local cause I have been on the hunt for a colorful acan without braking the bank. I checked out Ocean in a box and Cuttlefish and Coral and both of them are the nicest and cleanest well put together stores have been in with decent prizes but and I did find my an acan that I was happy with. The pics don't do them any good either taken with a camera phone.

 

[Stemick]

My RBTA split again. I think these two might be going soon so I have room for more SPS without worry about the Nems bothering the SPS. But it has been 3 days since they have split and they look healthy.

ANEMONE JUST AFTER SPLIT

ANOTHER PIC JUST AFTER SPLIT

3days later one of them try to poke out next to the large anemone from last split 6months ago.

The other half poking out the top of the rocks.

:usa2:

 

[AAdkins5944]

Awesome build man. Almost the same dimensions as my cube. I love your rbta I'm contemplating getting one myself. How is the mandarin holding up? Finding enough pods? I'm a uh-60 mechanic for the national guard so I'm just waiting for the day I get deployed and have to have my girlfriend tank sit it for a year. I'm thinking of making a binder with pictures as a quick reference manual for anyone who has to take care of the fish.

 

[Stemick]

Here is some pics that I took just before I left of some coral I add and piece of green birds nest that's growing and coloring up nicely that I received from a fellow local reefing buddy I little will back. Hopefully the new additions have some growth by the time I get back mid summer. I also built a water change station. I didn't like it so I rebuilt it to be a water storage area before I left too. I will have to get pics of both up later. Pics are not great but I just bought a Canon T5i so maybe when I get back I will have some better pics. The new pieces not sure what they are but there is two smaller dark purple pieces and a orange with redish polyps piece. My wifes cousin had larger pieces so he cut me a frag off of his because his was not doing so well. So I told him if his dies off I would give him a frag back once these where big enough.

 

[Stemick]

:wave: I have not updated for awhile since I have been deployed. Now that I have been back from deployment for about two weeks now have a little time I can share the good, bad, and ugly. Everything was going as plan for most of th deployment. My wife had no trouble with keeping up with the tank. Most of the coral had double in size. All the corals I had received from Todd where getting to decent size. Then the last month I was gone the skimmer was acting up and as soon as my wife(Summer) thought she fixed it the it would go nuts again. The tank had started to get a Red Cyno outbreak. My wife tried to do a couple extra water changes to help out but by the time I came home the Cyno had blanketed the tank killing most of the coral. I was able to frag a couple pieces that I had received from Todd and save it.I did a 15 gal water change the a Chemi-Clean treatment (which I hate to do but was trying to get the Cyno under control fast) with a 3 day black out. after the 3 day black out I did a 10 gal water change. It cleared up most of the Cyno and the hair algae was starting to die off.

I think maybe also the Cyno issue was partly because I had to raise the temp to 80 degress to keep the tank from fluxing in temp. To fix that I bought a small clip on fan and mounted it to the light bracket blowing on the surfaces of the water. Running it to through the Apex. So as soon as the tank start to warm up the fan kicks on putting it back in temp in no time.

Other then the fan I also add some other equipment that I had stocked up on will I was gone. I add a Reef Octopus 110 NWB with a bubble blaster pump(https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...eef-octopus-nwb110-bubble-blaster-pump.html), Tunze Osmolator 3155 ATO, I also picked up a Bubble Magus Doser that not hooked up yet (less demand for it now with less coral), and I have two Jebao RW-8 on order.

I also add filter DIY filter socks(here's the link I got the Idea from https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/do-yourself-diy/162584-do-yourself-filter-socks.html) that seem to be working great with all that rock detritus seems to build up quick so I'm trying to see if it will help with the build up.

 

[Stemick]

The female clown with the RBTA. The other one just split. I'm thinking I might get rid of the RBTA except the smallest one. As soon as I can get them out with removing the rock I already removed one and it found a home in my brother in law's sump for now.

 

[Stemick]

My RW-8's came in today. I ordered them last Wednesday night and they arrived at noon today. I already have them wet and hooked up. They make a nice little wave too. There a little bigger then I like but I think I will grow on them.

 

[Stemick]

It's was a pretty productive Friday today. Before my water change I was going to syphon the rocks off and I move a rock to get to one of the RBTA and next thing you know all the rock is out of the tank and all three RBTA are in a basket. Got a little carried away. Re-Aquascaped the tank (didn't like it anyways) now I pretty happy with it. Plus I caught the gorilla crab that I found the other night. The what left of the corals from the Cyno outbreak are really starting to color back out. I love the RW-8 they make a pretty good wave. The only issue I have found is since I have the controller in the stand I can't use night mood cause the night sensor thinks it's night all the time since it always dark in the stand.