80g Shallow Reef Build

[Manose]

Welcome back into the hobby. It sure is like a rash that won’t go away eh? [emoji4]
Looks like you’ve got some good advice on the guts of the tank. Allow me to chime in on the test kits. I have tried them all and this is what I’ve found best from an accuracy and ease of use (read color interpretation) standpoint:

Ca & Mg: Red Sea Pro
Alk: Hanna checker
PO4: Hanna ULR Checker
NO3: Red Sea Pro. I used Salifert here for quite some time but could never interpret the colors easily. Red Sea is much much easier.

Looking forward to seeing your build come together! Cheers!

It really seems test kits have gotten way better with time so I did some research on the ones you mentioned and think those are needed so they will be added to the build list.

 

[BlueDevil]

One thing I will add - Hanna makes exceptional testers with no color interpretation needed (gives you a simple numeric reading). However I would caution you against getting. Hanna Calcium checker. As you will read in reviews on it, the titration fluid quantities are very precise and in such small increments that the margin for error is quite large. Therefore I chose to stay away from that particular checker. The Red Sea CA kit works great.

 

[maevepotter]

Can you elaborate on what you've seen in the industry? I was very disturbed at my LFS the other day seeing several fish and anemones in distress. I have been wondering how it is possible to ship live fish humanely. It seems insane.

What are the real options for captive bred fish and corals? Do we consider mariculture a good option due to climate change? Think for example how much electricity artificial lights and systems use...

 

[Manose]

Can you elaborate on what you've seen in the industry? I was very disturbed at my LFS the other day seeing several fish and anemones in distress. I have been wondering how it is possible to ship live fish humanely. It seems insane.

What are the real options for captive bred fish and corals? Do we consider mariculture a good option due to climate change? Think for example how much electricity artificial lights and systems use...

First let me give you a link to a documentary about what is happening to our coral reefs -
https://www.chasingcoral.com/

Shipping fish or coal is not the problem, it is the manner in which or why they were collected in the first place. Many fish and coral are collected with the knowledge that they have a zero survival rate in captivity but they are collected and sold anyway, that is what I call pure waste. Some coral when collected have an impact on the surrounding reef because of collectors are disturbing the coral bed from the use of shady collection practices, in turn this harms many species in a given area.
Back in the day many fish were caught by using the cyanide squirt method -https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cyanide-fishing/
It is still being done today as demand for more exotic animals does not stop the use of very bad practices used in obtaining these wonderful creatures.
I will say this before the hate mail starts coming (not all collectors are the same!!!)
Many aquaculture ocean farm are throughout the world and maintain a healthy alternative to reef collecting so we must commend those that have taken great care in keeping coral growing away from the main reef.

Most all fish and coral hit one spot when entering the United States and that is (wholesaler row) in Los Angeles where almost all the fish and coral when bought by you local lfs come from. Spend one week here and you will see what is good and what is very bad to the industry .
Before more hate mail arrives(not all wholesalers promote bad practices)
______________________________________________________________
What can we do to stop this stuff from happening?
Only buy fish that can be captive bred like many Blenys,clowns,pygmy angels, and yes and even the mandarin goby. Stop buying fish that have no place in an aquarium environment as they can't live.
(https://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/Reports/Nahacky_14_FP_Black_List.pdf) pg14 is a good list of fish.
Like if I want a clownfish and blenies I go here:
http://sustainableaquatics.com/
Only buy coral from people who have captive coral colonies that are thriving and frag them to make starts of new colonies.
______________________________________________________________

Climate change is happening and all we can do, is try to slow it's impact on our reefs. Yes mariculture is a great option, but not enough as we need more captive raised animals whether it is from little suzy and her father to big business farms, as we all must do our part.

I hope that I answered you questions, sorry for such a long winded answer.
I am also sorry for those of you who came to see pics of a build - THAT WILL BE SOON!!!

 

[maevepotter]

Thanks so much. I actually already saw that documentary. Very good. Looking forward to exploring the links.

What about permitting? I know supposedly people are required to have permits to collect. What kind of documentation is required by customs to be sure of this?

What's the general timeline of collection to LA to LFS? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

 

[Manose]

Thanks so much. I actually already saw that documentary. Very good. Looking forward to exploring the links.

What about permitting? I know supposedly people are required to have permits to collect. What kind of documentation is required by customs to be sure of this?

What's the general timeline of collection to LA to LFS? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

I will send you a pm with those answers as to not take away from the build thread its self.

 

[Manose]

It has been awhile since the last update, I have gotten most of the equipment needed except the stand(my 79 year old dad is helping me).

This will be a picture fest so be ready!!!
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The Tank - I want to first say thanks to Matthew from Coral Reef and Sustainable Aquatics for helping this beauty of a tank!!
This is the EDGE version with low iron glass

The Sump- This thing is a work of art! It was packed better than I could have imagined.

It came with Triton pipes for first stage refuge

The Pump- I chose this for the price and performance, not to mention it is dependable

 

[Manose]

Here are some more pics of the equipment

ATO unit-

Lights

I will post more light pics later in the build.

VCA Random flow generator-

My 150gpd RO/DI from Melev's Reef (finishing the hook up as I post this)

More to come as I am going with my pop to get some wood so this stand can be built.

 

[Manose]

I need some input, as the flow I want needs to come from the back of the tank because I want the sides clear of power heads.
Should I go with 2 x 1k gyres from back to front or 2 of these https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/rp-26/ from back to front?
If you have another ideas let me know and it is almost time to think about some rock!!

 

[leahfiish]

I think 2 1k's on the back would look good. Are you painting the back of the tank?

 

[Manose]

I think 2 1k's on the back would look good. Are you painting the back of the tank?

Yea going to paint the back. Do you think the 1k's will be enough to reach 24in to the front?

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Yea going to paint the back. Do you think the 1k's will be enough to reach 24in to the front?

More than enough. I have a 1k blowing across my 24" wide tank and I can't put it above 10% or it makes everything really mad.

 

[leahfiish]

Yeah the 1k's are plenty especially for lps

 

[Manose]

More than enough. I have a 1k blowing across my 24" wide tank and I can't put it above 10% or it makes everything really mad.

Yeah the 1k's are plenty especially for lps

That sounds really awesome !! I will get them ordered asap as the stand is coming along slowly.

 

[samnaz]

sorry if I missed it but are DIYing the stand yourself?

 

[Manose]

sorry if I missed it but are DIYing the stand yourself?

Yes I am with the help of my father, it is slow going because he is a perfectionist and I just want it done lol.

 

[samnaz]

Yes I am with the help of my father, it is slow going because he is a perfectionist and I just want it done lol.

my guess is, since he is a perfectionist, it will be worth the wait. I've never been happy with equipment when I sacrificed quality for any reason. Good quality/handmade DIY takes longer but it's worlds better than any manufactured stand shipped to your door in a couple days! (I learned that the hard way) ;-)

 

[Manose]

my guess is, since he is a perfectionist, it will be worth the wait. I've never been happy with equipment when I sacrificed quality for any reason. Good quality/handmade DIY takes longer but it's worlds better than any manufactured stand shipped to your door in a couple days! (I learned that the hard way) ;-)

You are so correct as time is a valuable commodity in reef keeping.

 

[samnaz]

looking forward to pics of the stand!

 

[Manose]

looking forward to pics of the stand!

Thank you!!