AlexGs Basement Plywood Build 2 displays one system.

[dbraun15]

Thanks for all the info sharing Alex...continues to impress!

 

[AlexG]

Hello everyone. I have some updates today for both displays on the 1600 gallon system. I plan to post some pictures later this week but in the mean time these update videos focus on the displays with most of the footage viewing

 

[EdsReefOdyssey]

Whats the name of the new soft coral in the 720?

 

[dbraun15]

Whats the name of the new soft coral in the 720?

Colt Coral, or Klyxum sp.

 

[AlexG]

Here is some pictures of the fish an the bubble coral. I need to work on taking still pictures. @EdsReefOdyssey the coral in the 720 gallon tank is a colt coral as stated by dbraun15.

 

[AlexG]

A few pics from the 720

 

[AlexG]

I took the DIY viewing box along with my phone to make a top down video tour of the displays and the refugium.

 

[AlexG]

I decided to make a video about one of my favorite activities feeding the fish. The tank is doing well and other than the algae which is holding steady in the 480 gallon tank all is well. I am not really concerned about the algae as the nitrates are between 0-10 and the P04 is not reading. In many places the algae has been removed from the rocks and is not coming back. I think I will start adding a few urchins to start working on the rest.

 

[najer]

Wait until the fuge fills out a bit, "system" appears to be developing well.

 

[AlexG]

Here are some more update videos & pictures. I have added more cleanup crew and I have also got a new PAR meter. I have just started to work with the PAR meter but so far I think it is a great tool and I am sure to have some interesting data to post about for the tank lighting. I also included some overall tank pictures. The algae in the 480gallon display is slowly going away. The algae in the 720 gallon tank has grown a bit and I have added an urchin which is slowly making a small dent in the 720 gallon display every night. I have to say though that the 720 gallon is not looking bad with a cleanup crew of 1 fox face, 2 snails and one long spine sea urchin.

 

[AlexG]

Just relaxing in front of the tanks tonight. Other than some algae everything is doing great.

 

[AlexG]

The tanks are still doing well and I am happy to say that I finally got another important piece of equipment purchased for the 1600 gallon system.

 

[najer]

The fuge needs flow IMO, looks cool but well short of being up to speed with the system as a whole, just a thought!

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Suggestion build an acclimation box for adding new fish it will make things a little less stressful for the new comers.

 

[AlexG]

The fuge needs flow IMO, looks cool but well short of being up to speed with the system as a whole, just a thought!

That is an interesting thought. I am not sure if I could see a difference in water chemistry between the refugium and the main sump system through testing but that kind of testing might work towards proving if the lower amount of flow in the refugium is removing enough nutrients to show a difference which would make flow a potential factor. I do have supplemental flow in the refugium but that is only for circulation in the tank itself. That is the one thing I like about this system is that I can have a lot of fun experimenting with different ideas to see how the system performance changes.

 

[AlexG]

Suggestion build an acclimation box for adding new fish it will make things a little less stressful for the new comers.

This is an item was starting think about as I get into purchasing tangs and angels as aggression will likely become more of an issue with those species. When I make an acclimation box it will have to float in place. I will likely make it a DIY project with a video when get around to building an acclimation box.

 

[Bronc]

If you have a drain in your fish room, you might consider getting an Avast Marine Swabbie (or making one yourself) and then sending your skimmate down the drain so you almost eliminate Skimmer maintenance.

 

[AlexG]

If you have a drain in your fish room, you might consider getting an Avast Marine Swabbie (or making one yourself) and then sending your skimmate down the drain so you almost eliminate Skimmer maintenance.

I did initially think about adding something like this to my skimmer but I actually don't mind cleaning the skimmer a couple of times a week. It takes about 5 minutes and since I have been cleaning skimmers for so long it really does not bother me to do it anymore. I also have a modification in my skimmer neck that is floating in the middle to increase air pressure which would not allow a skimmer wiper to be added. I might add a drain bucket at some point but as of now it is not needed.

 

[Bronc]

I did initially think about adding something like this to my skimmer but I actually don't mind cleaning the skimmer a couple of times a week. It takes about 5 minutes and since I have been cleaning skimmers for so long it really does not bother me to do it anymore. I also have a modification in my skimmer neck that is floating in the middle to increase air pressure which would not allow a skimmer wiper to be added. I might add a drain bucket at some point but as of now it is not needed.

Cool. I’m trying to get my tank automated to the point that it will be ok if I go out of town for a week.

 

[AlexG]

Cool. I’m trying to get my tank automated to the point that it will be ok if I go out of town for a week.

I pull a really dry skim out so I am sure I could let it go a couple of weeks without an issue. If I had a skimmer that was more difficult to access for cleaning I would definitely be looking into some automation to keep the skimmer neck clean. The only worry I would have is attaching the skimmer directly to a drain. It depends on the skimmer but if it starts to pull out lots of wet skim it could drain part of the sump down the drain but this could be stopped with a low water sensor and some apex logic.