looks great! glad to see someone else that's taking their time on their build. I'm currently in the process of acquiring for a 90g tank as well. The goal is to start setting up around December this year some time.
90 Gallon First build
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- Thread starter Nirethell
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
Thank you! I honestly didn't want to rush anything, I don't want to inadvertently kill anything so I'm attempting to do everything in my power to make sure that when something goes into my 90g tank its happy and healthy. I wish you the best in your setup, let me know when you start your build thread I'll follow along
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
Its been awhile since I updated. I have gotten through the cycle.. I've introduced some snails to deal with the diatoms. I started to get a small amount of hair algae but that should be taken care of by the end of the week. My levels look wonderful 0 Ammonia 0 Nirite and 15 Nitrates my dkh is 9.8 my cal is 420 and my mag is 1330. Ive been running a steady 7.9-8.0 ph (i plan on putting a air stone in the first compartment of my sump to see if i can get it close to 8.1. and my tempurature is a steady 78.5 thanks to the RKL. I introduced a Kole tang the other day and he has been loving the algae in there! Ill get a picture of him soon I promise.
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
So this isn't the post I wanted to make but I feel like I have to just to make everyone aware of the issue.
Today one of my MP40's fried. No really.. it fried, melted the back. Not a clue how it happened.
It was giving me the red blind error, which is usually just a generic communication error and there is plenty of resources on how to fix it, alas none of them worked. so I inspected the device closely, here is what i found.
Luckly BRS said that they would do the legwork and replace it for me since I didn't buy it too long ago.. Man what luck though
Today one of my MP40's fried. No really.. it fried, melted the back. Not a clue how it happened.
It was giving me the red blind error, which is usually just a generic communication error and there is plenty of resources on how to fix it, alas none of them worked. so I inspected the device closely, here is what i found.
Luckly BRS said that they would do the legwork and replace it for me since I didn't buy it too long ago.. Man what luck though
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
Just a quick update for everyone. If you want to know more you can look up my YouTube channel Nirethell's Reef.
Got some new corals a few weeks ago from World wide corals. I'm trying out some more SPS.
I also have a nice zoa garden started, I'm already seeing tons of growth
Zoas:
Nebula
Darth maul
cotton candy
cat eye
I also picked up a few different types of corals to see what grows
Megatron Micromusa
Ricordia mushroom
Yoda acro
cat 5 acro
hammer
bonkers chalice
there is another live sale coming up soon I have my eyes set on some more SPS as I'm already seeing growth in a few of the ones I bought. My original blue paletta (surprising considering he is in the highest spot with the most flow =/) is taking its sweet time though, still slowly encrusting to its plug, I haven't seen anything new out of him yet, But they all still have very vibrant colors so they seem to be doing quite well.
Please by all means let me know what you think and see!
The tank looks great! I don't care what anyone says about how much you've spent or what brands you've bought. I'm kind of going the same route you've taken, other than the size of the DT. I've been stalking up on the Ecotech Radions, Vortechs and a Vectra M1. Also bought the reeflink and an Archon system to remotely monitor as much as possible. I'm still waiting on a 75g acrylic tank that I ordered with a center rear overflow. I was thinking just like you whereas if I do get into this hobby and enjoy it, hopefully down the road I will just need to upgrade the size of my tank. I have a few questions for you. 1) How much and what type of rock did you use? 2) How did you cure the rock, because it seemed like you got it in there rather quickly? I've already and mine curing for a few weeks and I think I have way too much. 3) Are you using any type of mechanical filtration between your refugium section and return pump section in the sump? Thanks.
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
Hey thanks for replying, I apologize for such a late response. I have been quite busy. Tank is doing great I will get pictures up soon.
1) I just used the BRS super saver rock I believe I bout 55-60 pounds of it as I knew I wasn't going to have a very big bioload. (not doing alot of fish mostly coral.) I also planned on using Biomedia plates if it was necessary but so far I haven't had a single issue with bioload.
2) I cured the rock while it was in the tank. When I first got all my rock in I took it and bleached it for about a week in 32 gallon brute containers. I then took them out let them dry completely. Once they were dry back into the brutes with RODI water and a couple bags of carbon for another week. then for the last week I changed the water and the carbon bags. Once that was done they were tossed into the tank to start the cycle with the Red sea kit, which worked amazingly I might add.
3) I have the trigger systems coarse sponge and bags of chemipure between the refuguim and the return pump. I bought a second one so I can change that out and clean it every couple of months when I change my Chemipure blue bags.
So far the system has been running great. I did loose some corals do to a bit of a heat wave that we had and forgot to turn on the air conditioner, but hell thats just growing pains. We all learn from things like that, its a good thing I didnt have too much money invested in corals at the time otherwise I would have been very upset.
I will leave you guys with a Pic from a couple months ago just before I lost some of the corals. I will take more soon so you can see progress on some of the corals and the coralline.
oneasianguy
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Looking very nice. I also got a 90 gallon tank here. Always good to see people with the same tank size and different setup.
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
So Now that I have showed you all that and we have recuperated from that mess. I made a few decisions. I knew I wanted to switch to a Doser over time, and I also knew I wanted to switch to apex from the reefkeeper.
so Let me unload a few more pics.
so Let me unload a few more pics.
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
But the real kicker is this. I am Fighting the dreaded Dinos! I am very optimistic that I am going to win against them and my maintenance habits dictates that no one would ever know unless their face is pressed against the glass.
On a good note I have a friend of mine creating a cabinet for all of my apex items to be mounted in. Should be done by next weekend and It will look amazing. I will post pictures as I go. The final product will be just as much of a work of art as the tank itself is.
Let me know what you all think.
On a good note I have a friend of mine creating a cabinet for all of my apex items to be mounted in. Should be done by next weekend and It will look amazing. I will post pictures as I go. The final product will be just as much of a work of art as the tank itself is.
Let me know what you all think.
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
Update - Dino's are literally the bane of my existence. I've been fighting with the for the better part of the last month, the H380 you see was part of a plan to get chaeto to out compete the dino's. I was talking with a friend of mine, whom I bought the vertex from, and he also has fought them and won. He seems to think my tank was TOO clean, IE I was using GFO/Carbon/And a refugium. The course of action I am now taking has been no water changes, I haven't done one in about 3 weeks. I blow off all the dinos sometimes as much as 4 times a day. I replace my socks once a day, about 15 minutes after the blast.
Yesterday I turned up my MP40's hoping I can get them to kick up a little more in the tank. I also decreased my Photo Period on the tank from 8.5 hrs to 7.5. Its not much but I have new coral in the tank and Id rather go slower than shock them.
Additionally after I change the sock every day, I have been dosing H202 at 1 ml per 10 gal of water. so with my 40 gallon sump with about 25 gallons of water in it. I estimate my dosage to be roughly 12, Which I may up that as most people only see a positive effect once they double their dose. 1 hr after I dose. I turn my skimmer off for a few hours and dose microbactor7.
Finally I bought some Pods from algae barn as well as a big portion of clean chaeto from them. It should be in this Friday. I hear pods will also help and will hunt down some strands of Dinos. I have NEVER added pods to my tank before, so I assume the ones I have in there, are just hitchhikers. My 6 line wrasse stays very full and healthy, so if he is eating pods good on him, I have never been able to see them in the tank at all. So this should help immensely, as pods are also good for coral.
So if anyone has anything else they want to add, maybe share what they have done to finally rid themselves of the dreaded Dino's I am all ears. I am prepared to restart the tank, but not until after I have thrown the proverbial book at it.
Yesterday I turned up my MP40's hoping I can get them to kick up a little more in the tank. I also decreased my Photo Period on the tank from 8.5 hrs to 7.5. Its not much but I have new coral in the tank and Id rather go slower than shock them.
Additionally after I change the sock every day, I have been dosing H202 at 1 ml per 10 gal of water. so with my 40 gallon sump with about 25 gallons of water in it. I estimate my dosage to be roughly 12, Which I may up that as most people only see a positive effect once they double their dose. 1 hr after I dose. I turn my skimmer off for a few hours and dose microbactor7.
Finally I bought some Pods from algae barn as well as a big portion of clean chaeto from them. It should be in this Friday. I hear pods will also help and will hunt down some strands of Dinos. I have NEVER added pods to my tank before, so I assume the ones I have in there, are just hitchhikers. My 6 line wrasse stays very full and healthy, so if he is eating pods good on him, I have never been able to see them in the tank at all. So this should help immensely, as pods are also good for coral.
So if anyone has anything else they want to add, maybe share what they have done to finally rid themselves of the dreaded Dino's I am all ears. I am prepared to restart the tank, but not until after I have thrown the proverbial book at it.
Sarah24!
2500 Club Member
I will never put down a stock tank people can do want they want. With that said waxhawreefer is totally on par. I started my 125 tank which was used. It csme w everything I needed for the most part. It had a reef dynamics skimmer, hydo wave makers and two heaters. I bought 2 fluval marine 2.0 lights and in the end? Well I started mine w two other friends who went all out one w ecotech and one w hydras. After two years my 500 investment crushed their 3500 investments and they couldn’t figure out why. Once they put coral in my tank it flourished, quite a bit better. (Now I had my losses also but nothing compared to them). Now w my new tank I run all current eflux equipment, except the skimmer is an eshopps dc, and I still run the fluval Marne 2.0 along with two of the current marine pros. (I don’t use the loop or eflux marine pros FYI, the ones right before it). But my tank has been amazing and I still have less then half of what some have in the 90 gallon set up and mine is a 240 gallon setup.
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Nirethell
Typical Wannabe Reefer
Are you growing SPS successfully with those lights? How are your par readings? that's the one thing I was worried about.
Trust me if i were to do it again I wouldn't go with a stock tank, my next build will be a custom tank with a shadow overflow most likely.. i hate I cant increase my turnover much more and I don't have emergency overflows but such is life. I have learned a lot in the last year, and all of my intentions have been to set myself up for success, which I have had for the most part. SPS grows quite well in my tank, and will for the foreseeable future as long as I don't have a heating issue again.
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